How Could Jesus Descend from David?

Question:  Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. However, the bible states that Jesus descended from David through Joseph. How do we explain this?

Answer: In Jewish tradition, lineage and inheritance were usually traced through the father, particularly with regard to legal rights and status. Although Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, he was considered his legal father. This legal relationship establishes Jesus as a descendant of David, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s lineage.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasises that Jesus is the fulfilment of the promises made to David, as reflected in the genealogies found in the Gospels of Matthew (1:1-16) and Luke (3:23-38).

The Davidic lineage of Jesus, through Joseph, is vital for fulfilling the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. For example, the prophet Jeremiah foretells: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely” (23:5).

Through his legal recognition as Joseph’s son, Jesus inherits the rights and legacy associated with the Davidic line.

However, according to important biblical scholars of the early Church, such as the Palestinians Sextus Julius Africanus (c.160–c.240) and St Eusebius (c.260-339), St Luke’s genealogy gives us a direct bloodline to David through Mary.

In his genealogy, Luke adheres to a Jewish custom that precludes the mention of women. However, when a woman’s name cannot be mentioned in a genealogy but one still wishes to trace her lineage, a solution would be to refer to the name of her husband (in the Greek original, Luke seems to indicate this by prefixing all names with a definite article, but not Joseph’s).

In this way, Jesus was of Davidic lineage both legally, through Joseph, and biologically, through Mary.

While Joseph establishes the legal framework for Jesus’ descent from David, Mary’s role as the Theotokos (God-bearer) is central to the mystery of the Incarnation. God specifically chose Mary to be the mother of the Messiah, and through her, Jesus takes on human nature, uniting the divine and human in his person.

For further study, refer to the genealogies in Matthew and Luke, as well as to the Catechism, in particular paragraphs 461 and 487, which explain the Incarnation and the pivotal roles of both Mary and Joseph in this divine plan.

Published in the March 2025 issue of The Southern Cross