Jesus, Patriarch King of Israel and Jerusalem
By Pastor G. Reckart
Copyright 1989 All Rights ReservedThe crown rights of Jesus were inherited from his mother Mary who was of the royal seed of king David. Jesus was not the biological seed of Joseph and so inherited nothing from him in regard to the throne of David.
Jesus was born King of Israel in Bethlehem. Only queens birth kings! Other kings of Israel might have been appointed (Saul and David), but after David, his heirs ruled by birthright and not by appointment. Thus, Solomon followed David to the throne because his mother Bathsheba at his birth was David's Queen wife. Bathsheba birthed a prince when Solomon was born. When David died the prince ascended to the throne and by birth right of his mother's queenship he became King of Israel. Kingship and Queenship determine the inherited rights of a son to ascend to the throne of Israel.
Joseph was indeed of the house of David:
"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 1:20).
But Joseph's seedline was cut off in his ancestor Jehoikim and he could not pass on the inheritance of the throne of David to an offspring. Jesus was therefore virgin born and his mother Mary had to be of the seed of David to pass to him the inheritance of David's throne. To this, the Scriptures give testimony. Jesus was born King and this crown right was because he was the direct descendant of the Patriarch David.
Jesus is the legitimate descendant of a long lineage of ancient patriarch kings. This lineage can be found in the genealogical record of Matthew and Luke. The sovereign rights to kingship began with Adam when he was given "dominion" over all the earth. Dominion is the same as sovereign rule and this crown right right is hereditary to the firstborn of successive generations. Beginning with Adam the patriarchal lineage of sovereign kingship and dominion passed down to Jesus. At his birth, Jesus became the Patriarch King of Israel of the seed of David.
The genealogical lineage of Jesus in the two Gospels is verified by the writings of Josephus who reported that king Herod destroyed all the genealogical records in Jerusalem destroyed so no one else could lay a better claim on the throne of David than himself. Of course we know he did this to keep any Jewish Messieh from ever arising and claiming birthrights to the throne of David and to re-establish the Kingdom of Israel. Jews wanted this Kingdom restored and they knew Herod was nothing but a pretender, his ancestory being Gentile. Jesus was declared by angelic announcement to not only be the son of David but also the Lord Messieh. Jesus was Patriarch King of Jerusalem and Israel, KING OF THE JEWS!
Now what exactly is a Patriarch? From the information we have from ancient sources, a "patriarch" is a male ruler of a tribe, clan, or group. He is also seen as a founder of a tribe, clan, or group. As "patriarch" he is a sovereign ruler, meaning he is under no direct rule or authority of another. Thus, we say that God is sovereign. We say he is the Patriarch and Ruler of nations. In this capacity we attribute KINGSHIP! The words "PATRIARCH, SOVEREIGN, AND KING" are inseparable terms when applied to the genealogy of Jesus. Any ancestor of Jesus who is a Sovereign King is also a Patriarch. Thus, the name "patriarch" in the genealogy of Jesus describes sovereign kingship.
David was of the seed of Jesse according to the genealogical record of Matthew and Luke. David is also called "patriarch":
"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchure is with us unto this day" (Acts 2:29).
David is a patriarch because he was king! If he had not been selected by God to be the king of Israel he would not have been a patriarch of Israel. He would have remained an unknown man and his place in the Scriptures would not exist. But by divine providence he was chosen to replace Saul and the account of David's rise to fame begins in the legacy of Samuel and takes us to the kingship over Israel. The Word of God calls David in his King capacity "patriarch."
Patriarch--from "patri"; "pater" father or male parent: "arch" same as Greek "archon" ruler, first in rank and power, prince, king, sovereign; director; also "archo" first in political rank, rule, reign over.
Thus, the word "monarchian" as we use to describe our Oneness Faith in the Godhead, means "one ruler, one God king." The word "monarchian"-- "mono"--one; "archian"--rule, sovereign, king.
David was a patriarch and also a monarchian. Jesus was also a patriarch and a monarchian.
Now what shall we conclude about the following text:
"Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils" (Hebrews 7:4).
Was Abraham in some manner a prince or ruler? Was he is some manner a monarchian? Was he in any manner a sovereign? How is Abraham a patriarch in the same recognition as David? Is it not true Abraham was in the lineage of Jesus back to Adam, the first of the kings in the genealogy of our Lord? If we count all these ancient worthies in the lineage of Jesus as patriarchs, how can we deny them their place also in the genealogy of Jesus? Can we biblically say these patriarchs were all descended from Adam who was the first king? Can we say Adam was a king?
What ever we claim of the word "patriarch," in the lineage of Jesus it means kingship, this cannot be denied. Thus David and Abraham, both called patriarchs, figure in the kingship lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Patriarch then means both David and Abraham were kings!