Most Jews at the time of Jesus hoped that God would send a great ruler, the Messiah. The word means the Anointed One, specially chosen. Kings were (and still are) Anointed. The Greek for Messiah is Christos, from which we get the word Christ. The Jews believed that the Messiah would be a descendent of David and would become king of the Jews. So the Messiah could be called Son of David, and this was a well-known Messianic title. He was a religious figure, but also a political leader.
Jesus was a very different kind of Messiah from the kind many were hoping for. He wanted to be a peaceful messiah who would establish a kingdom of love and forgiveness. He made friends with Romans.Many Jews saw the messiah as a glorious ruler, Jesus saw him as a suffering servant.
When people called Jesus Messiah or Son of David, he usually avoided the title or told them to be quiet.
At Caesarea Philippi Peter came to believe in Jesus as Messiah. Jesus allowed himself to be called Son of David when he came to Jerusalem (Blind Bartimaeus and Entry into Jerusalem). At his trial before the Sanhedrin he fully accepted the title. This gave the Jewish leaders the chance to get the Romans to execute him.
Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah who the Jews were waiting for – the one who fulfilled all the promises made by God. The Jews, though, still look forward to the coming of the Messiah.
Christ/Messiah/Son of David passages: Caesarea Philippi 8:27-30
Blind Bartimaeus 10: 46-52... Entry into Jerusalem 11: 1-11
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