The Jews thought of King David as the greatest king of Israel.
Image caption,
Stained glass image of King David (Bayeux, France)
The Jewish expectation of the MessiahThe word means ‘the anointed one’. The Messiah is the one believed to be sent by God to be humanity’s saviour. Many Christians believe this person to be Jesus. was that he would be a descendant of King David.
They believed the Messiah would be chosen by God to bring about the glory days of King David’s reign so that Israel would have its own empire once again.
Saviour
The name Jesus literally means ‘God saves’.
The Jewish expectation of a military Messiah, who would defeat the Romans, was different to the type of saviour Jesus was.
Jesus saved humanity through his death and resurrectionThe rising of Christ from the dead, three days after the crucifixion. by breaking down the barrier to God and absolving all of us of our sins.