One of the most important prophecies directly indicating details about the messiah states the following:

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”

Jeremiah 23:5-6

This establishes that the Messiah should descend from King David. According to traditional Jewish interpretation, this descent is patrilineal, i.e., through the father’s line. However, the New Testament presents Jesus as conceived by the Holy Spirit, raising questions — especially for a Jewish audience — about the legitimacy of his Davidic lineage. A person who is God’s ‘direct Son’ — having no earthly father but only God as His Father — would seemingly be disqualified. Thus let’s look at the ancestry of Jesus and then let’s check if that human logic is acceptable.

The prophecy depicts the Messiah as a king restoring Israel’s peace and security. Given the continued discord in Israel, how can Jesus be understood as fulfilling this expectation?

Let’s start with first looking if Jesus does even qualify as a descendant of King David. 

Ancestry of Jesus

The bible indicates two detailed lineages of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke:

• Matthew traces Jesus’ legal ancestry through Joseph, emphasizing royal succession.
• Luke’s genealogy differs however also traces back to Kind David and some suggest it traces through Mary, though this is debated.

Joseph’s lineage as ancestor of King David is clearly outlined in the Bible. E.g. Joseph had to go to the place where his ancestor, King David, was born centuries ago to have himself registered under Roman Leadership:

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.). And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”

Luke 2:1-5

As we read in the Bible that Jesus’s father was God himself, Joseph was only the legal (not biological) father of Jesus. He adopted Jesus but did not pass on any genes to him. This leads to the question what Mary’s lineage was.

Mary’s lineage is not directly outlined in the Bible. If the scholar’s assumption is correct, according to Luke, the father of Mary would then have the name Eli, which contradicts the Protoevangelium of James (also called the Gospel of James), a work written around the second century after Christ that is not part of the biblical canon, however that outlines the names of Joachim and Anne as Mary’s parents.  

When looking into the books of Maria Valtora, we read that the parent names of Mary were indeed Anne and Joachim. At the wedding of their daughter Mary with Joseph, Maria Valtora sees the following:

The promise has been exchanged. Mary is Joseph’s spouse.

They all go out and they orderly move to a hall where they stipulate the wedding contract in which it is stated that Mary, the daughter heiress of Joachim of David and of Anne of Aaron gives Joseph, as Her dowry, Her house and the estate attached to it, Her personal property and what She has inherited from Her father.

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 13. Wedding of the Virgin and Joseph.

This would indicate that Mary was the only child of Joachim, a descendant of King David and Anne, a descendant of Aaron and with the marriage all property was combined with Joseph as the new head of the family. 

Thus, according to those sources, both Mary and Joseph were ancestors of King David through the male line. Therefore, also Jesus is an ancestor of David, or a “branch of David” in the broader sense.

Divine Intervention vs. Human Tradition

Critics argue that, since Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, the Davidic lineage is disrupted. In response, Christian theology asserts that legal, adoptive lineage can establish Messianic legitimacy, and that divine intervention often transcends human norms. Throughout scripture, God often fulfills promises in surprising ways (e.g., Isaac’s birth, David’s selection as king), demonstrating that human expectations do not constrain divine action. To demand strict biological descent while dismissing divine intervention contradicts the very nature of godly miracles. Nowhere does Scripture limit the Messiah’s lineage to purely natural human reproduction; such restrictions are man-made traditions that ignore God’s power to work beyond human understanding.

Moreover, the focus on physical paternity overlooks the deeper theological truth that Jesus’ lineage is legally traced through Joseph, His adoptive father, who was of the house of David. Jewish tradition itself recognizes legal lineage (e.g., Moses’ children through Zipporah were considered part of Israel despite her foreign origin). If God can make a covenant with those outside biological Israel (like Ruth the Moabite), why can He not establish the Messiah through divine conception? Rejecting Jesus on these grounds reveals a rigid adherence to human logic rather than faith in God’s ability to fulfill His promises in ways that surpass human tradition. Scripture never expressly limits messianic lineage to biological descent alone; such requirements are human, not divine in origin. Thus no, we humans cannot expect God to follow our human traditions – why should we?

God as Jesus’s father

In the Bible we read that Jesus’s father is God himself. Now if our earthly tradition does not accept that, we have to ponder, what counts more, God or human tradition?

If one accepts the miraculous claims of Scripture — creation, the parting of the Red Sea, or births to the barren — then the virginal conception should not be considered impossible for God.

If we believe in an almighty God we have to trust that he finds ways beyond our human understanding as for God nothing is impossible. Through the numerous miracles Jesus did in his lifetime, he also proved his godly ancestry and that also for him truly nothing is impossible. 

The transformation of the disciples from ordinary men to bold preachers and martyrs suggests profound conviction rooted in their experiences with Jesus. I firmly believe that if his disciples had not seen what they had seen and had not experienced what they had experienced with Jesus, they would have not so readily evolved from poor, simple fisherman and sinners to preachers and martyrs. They had experienced first hand that Jesus surpassed death and lived on. I think only if you have seen that, one is so readily willing as they were, to accept death as their destiny. 

The first martyr of Christianity, Stephen, who was no disciple but still saw and experienced Jesus first-hand also trusted his life onto him after having seen what he had seen. About his death we read the following in the Bible, including some of this last words. This Bible passage starts outlining that Stephen speaks the following to the Jewish high priests: 

“However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’ You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Acts 7:48-60

Just like Jesus, Stephen prayed for his persecutors before dying. Isn’t it a stretch to believe why someone in their right mind should do that? He fully followed the example of Jesus and I am convinced that he indeed saw him in heaven expecting him to trespass live just as he did. This caused Stephen not to only accept the coming death but also to humiliate himself further by forgiving his persecutors.

The example of Stephen, who followed Jesus’s teaching so far as to forgive his killers while dying, is in my view presented in Acts as additional evidence of the powerful impact of their shared conviction. Rather than merely reflecting tradition, such actions point to a profound transformation among early Christian witnesses.

Is Jesus a King?

In the prophecy we read on that the Messiah will be a King. However, in the Bible we read that Jesus was born and lived on earth in very poor circumstances. Kings on earth typically live a rich life. At the same time we read in the Bible that Jesus stated that he is a king, but that his kingdom is not of this earth. What did he mean by that?

Jesus speaks frequently of the “kingdom of God” throughout his ministry, and his kingship was affirmed from the very beginning. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he foretold the nature of her child’s rule:

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 (Luke 1:31-33)

Jesus redefined kingship as a spiritual reality. In dialogue with Pontius Pilate and in his ministry, Jesus describes his kingdom as ‘not of this world.’ This spiritual kingdom is seen by Christians as transcending political boundaries and inaugurating a new era of relationship between God and humanity.
Here a few Bible quotes reflecting this. For example Jesus clarified that his kingdom was not a political or earthly realm. He told the following to the Roman Pontius Pilate after capturing him and before his death:

“Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

John 18:36-37

He did countless miracles and confirmed that his mission is to proclaim the news of the kingdom of God:

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

(Luke 4:40-44)

Jesus explained that the kingdom is not something observed like a territorial empire, but that it is spiritual, right in the middle and inside every human being:

“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

 (Luke 17:20–21).

Scripture calls Jesus “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). His kingdom is not defined by territory or politics; it is God’s redemptive reign, based on righteousness and love, and open to all who follow him. This kingdom is eternal and transforms the lives of those who enter it, as Jesus rules with justice and compassion, fulfilling the promise given to Mary and all of Scripture.

In summary, based on the above considerations, I hold that Jesus fulfills the messianic prophecy of being a branch of David and being a king, also when a very different one than humans on earth would expect. However, if he was a human king, with a golden crown and millions of diamonds, soldiers that protect and serve him as one would expect from a true king, what newness would he introduce? Nothing – he had to be different! Through his very special way, his thorn crown and cruel death on the cross and then resurrecting from it, he redirects our focus away from earthly things back to the spirit – and God is spirit, thus he shows us the way back God. We cannot take anything from this earth, only the good deeds that we collect and the love to our next and to God will us draw nearer to God.

While the full, physical restoration of David’s kingdom and peace in Israel awaits Jesus’s second coming as promised in the book of Revelation, the spiritual reign of the Messiah has already begun through Jesus and will be completed in the future, thus perfectly fulfilling God’s promises to David.

Regardless of differing beliefs, may we live according to the commandments that unite us, so that we may all share and be united in the kingdom of God.

Jesus reference to kingdom in the visions of Maria Valtorta

In Valtorta’s visions we read that Jesus explained the kingdom he was about to establish multiple times. For example here when he talks to pharisees:

“I am the good Shepherd and My sheep know Me, and those who have been for ever the watchmen of the true Fold know Me. (…) I also walk ahead of My sheep to point out the road to them and be the first to face dangers and show them to the flock, that I want to lead to safety in My Kingdom.»

« Is Israel no longer the kingdom of God?»

« Israel is the place from which the people of God must rise to the true Jerusalem and to the Kingdom of God.»

« And what about the promised Messiah? That Messiah that You say You are, is He not to make Israel triumphant, glorious, the master of the world, subjecting to His sceptre all the peoples and revenging Himself, oh! revenging Himself cruelly on all those who subjugated it since it was a people? So, nothing of all that is true? Are you denying the prophets? Are You saying that our rabbis are stupid? You…»

« The Kingdom of the Messiah is not of this world. It is the Kingdom of God, based on Love. It is nothing else. And the Messiah is not the king of peoples and armies, but the king of spirits. The Messiah will come from the chosen people, from the royal stock, and above all from God, Who generated Him and sent Him. The foundation of the Kingdom of God, the promulgation of the Law of love, the announcement of the Good News mentioned by the prophet began from the people of Israel. But the Messiah will be the King of the world, the King of kings, and His Kingdom will have no limit or boundary, neither in time nor in space. Open your eyes and accept the truth.»

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 516. Jesus, the Good Shepherd

At the same time, we also read that some back then indeed wanted to make Jesus a real worldly king. They gathered in the house of a man names “Chuza” and tried to persuade Jesus to become a real king and they promised to help him fight the Romans. However Jesus respectfully declined and afterwards had the following conversation with some of his relatives. It is quite a long quote, but please do read until the very end to understand the kind of kingdom Jesus is referring to:

“I am the Light and light enlightens. The world does not love light because it reveals the actions of the world. The world does not love Me, it cannot love Me because it knows that I have come to defeat it in the hearts of men and in the gloomy king (entry of LovePrayRise: I think Jesus references to Satan as “gloomy king”) who dominates it and leads it astray. The world does not want to convince itself that I am its Doctor and Medicine and like a madman it would like to destroy Me in order not to be cured. The world does not want to persuade itself yet that I am the Master because what I say is the opposite of what it says. And so it tries to stifle the Voice which speaks to the world in order to lead it to God and show it the true nature of its wicked actions. There is an abyss between Me and the world. And it is no fault of Mine. I have come to give the world the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life. But the world will not receive Me and My light becomes darkness for it because it will bring about the condemnation of those who rejected Me. In the Christ is all the Light for those men willing to receive it, but in the Christ is also all the darkness for those who hate Me and reject Me. That is why, at the beginning of My human life I was prophetically received, there will be salvation or condemnation, death or life, light or darkness.

But I solemnly tell you that those who receive Me will become the children of the Light, that is, of God, born to God, because they received God. So if I came to make men the children of God, how can I make Myself king, as many in Israel wish, out of love or hatred, out of simplicity or wickedness? Do you not realise that I would destroy Myself, the real Myself, that is, the Messiah, not the Jesus of Mary and Joseph of Nazareth, that I would destroy the King of kings, the Redeemer, the One born of a Virgin and called Immanuel, Admirable, Counsellor, Strong, the Father of the future century, the Prince of Peace, God, Whose empire and peace will have no end, sitting on the throne of David with regard to His human descent, but having as His footstool the world and all His enemies, and the Father at His side, as it is written in the book of Psalms, by the superhuman right of His divine origin? Do you not understand that God cannot be Man but through perfection of goodness, in order to save man, but He cannot and must not lower Himself to poor human things? Do you not understand that if I should accept the crown and the kingdom as you conceive it, I would admit that I am a false Christ, I would lie to God, I would disown Myself and the Father and I would be worse than Lucifer, because I would deprive God of the joy of having you, I would be worse than Cain for you, because I would condemn you to perpetual exile from God in a Limbo without hope of Paradise?

Do you not understand all that? Do you not see the snares of men to make Me fall? The trap of Satan to hit the Eternal Father in His Beloved Son and in His creatures: men? Do you not see that this is the sign that I am more than a man, that I am the Man-God? This craving of Mine only for spiritual matters in order to give you the spiritual Kingdom of God?… Do you not understand that the sign that (…) I am not a king, but the King, is all this hatred from hell and of all the world towards Me? I must teach, suffer and save you. That is what I must do. But Satan and his like do not want that. (…)”

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 476. Jesus Converses with Joseph of Alphaeus