Matthew starts his story by introducing Jesus as ‘the son of David’ in order to highlight that Jesus is of royal descent. Jesus’ royalty is further emphasized in our passage, where He is explicitly called ‘the king of the Jews’ and ‘a ruler who will shepherd.’ In the story prior, we learn that Jesus’ rule will be defined by His saving work, as His very name means “saving one.”

From the descriptions given to Him, we know that Jesus is a good King who desires to lead us towards God and to restore us from the effects of sin. Knowing this, we can trust that when we submit our lives to Him, He will not abuse our trust, but will lovingly lead us to God’s blessing and to be a blessing to others.