Scholarship has uncovered interesting things about this genealogy. Descent through the father’s side was vital in the first century. The Talmud makes it clear that "only the father’s family is called family; the mother’s family is not called family" (Yevamot 54b). So when Luke gives Miriam’s lineage, he follows the officially authorized and expected route by attaching it to his step-dad, Joseph.

On the other hand, Matthew records that genealogical line of Joseph himself goes back to King David:

Reading "begot" in the most natural way - that is, taking it to refer to biological descent - indicates that Matthew records Joseph’s genealogy. Thus we have two distinct lineages presented in the two Good News accounts. Joseph came through David’s most famous son, Solomon; and Miriam through Nathan, another son of David.

Hence, the two accounts tell us that Joseph and Miriam are both from the lineage of King David. But there is more to the story, since the Tanakh gives some relevant clues as to why Yeshua’s unique lineage matters.

Since Joseph was from that line, no physical son of Joseph could inherit the throne of David. Miriam’s line, though, was untainted, thus her son could legitimately lay claim to the Davidic throne.

However, as a stepfather, Joseph was Yeshua’s legal guardian. Thus Joseph provides a legal tie to the line of David for Yeshua. Thus, Joseph’s genealogy is relevant for Matthew’s record. It shows that Yeshua had no father or guardian from outside the line of David that would give Him a non-Davidic lineage.

On the other hand, even if only His mother was in the line of David, it would still be sufficient for Yeshua to be of Davidic lineage. Some traditional Rabbis might protest that the mother’s side cannot give genealogical credentials, and it is true that the biblical records are patrilineal. However, in the Scriptures there are clear exceptions regarding the right of a female to pass along the family heritage (Numbers 27:1-7).

So, whether viewed from the stepfather’s legal side, or from the mother’s biological side, Yeshua is "the son of David," and the authorized Messiah of Israel. In fact, since the Messiah was prophesied to be "virgin-born" (Isaiah 7:13-14), this is the very way the lineage would have had to have been worked out. The fact that the true Messiah not only had to be a son of David, but virgin-born as well, narrows down the field quite a bit. Other than Yeshua, what legitimate claimants are there for the position?

In Psalm 2:12 David wrote

"Kiss the Son" means to give homage to the Son, as symbolized in kissing the ring of the King. Yeshua is therefore the only One who has authentic authority over each of our lives. Yeshua is the one, true Son of God to whom we are to give due homage. Yeshua is the one and only Son of David who can give true security to our people for today, and for eternity, even as was prophesied in Jeremiah 23:5-6: