What the word christ means

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christ,^{[note 1]} used by Christians as both a name and a title, unambiguously refers to Jesus.^[5][6][7] It is also used as a title, in the reciprocal use «Christ Jesus», meaning «the Messiah Jesus», and independently as «the Christ».^[8] The Pauline epistles, the earliest texts of the New Testament,^[9] often refer to Jesus as «Christ Jesus» or «Christ».^[10]

The concept of the Christ in Christianity originated from the concept of the messiah in Judaism. Christians believe that Jesus is the messiah foretold in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Although the conceptions of the messiah in each religion are similar, for the most part they are distinct from one another due to the split of early Christianity and Judaism in the 1st century.

Although the original followers of Jesus believed Jesus to be the Jewish messiah, e.g. in the Confession of Peter, Jesus was usually referred to as «Jesus of Nazareth» or «Jesus, son of Joseph»,^[11] Jesus came to be called «Jesus Christ» (meaning «Jesus the Khristós«, i.e. «Jesus the Messiah» or «Jesus the Anointed») by Christians, who believe that his crucifixion and resurrection fulfill the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.

Etymology[edit]

Christ comes from the Greek word χριστός (chrīstós), meaning «anointed one». The word is derived from the Greek verb χρίω (chrī́ō), meaning «to anoint.»^[12] In the Greek Septuagint, χριστός was a semantic loan used to translate the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, messiah), meaning «⁠[one who is] anointed».^[13]

Usage[edit]

The word Christ (and similar spellings) appears in English and in most European languages. English-speakers now often use «Christ» as if it were a name, one part of the name «Jesus Christ», though it was originally a title («the Messiah»). Its usage in «Christ Jesus» emphasizes its nature as a title.^[8][14] Compare the usage «the Christ».^[15]

The spelling Christ in English became standardized in the 18th century, when, in the spirit of the Enlightenment, the spelling of certain words changed to fit their Greek or Latin origins. Prior to this, scribes writing in Old and Middle English usually used the spelling Crist—the i being pronounced either as , preserved in the names of churches such as St Katherine Cree, or as a short , preserved in the modern pronunciation of «Christmas». The spelling «Christ» in English is attested from the 14th century.^[16]

In modern and ancient usage, even in secular terminology, «Christ» usually refers to Jesus, based on the centuries-old tradition of such usage. Since the Apostolic Age, the

… use of the definite article before the word Christ and its gradual development into a proper name show the Christians identified the bearer with the promised Messias of the Jews.^[17]

Background and New Testament references[edit]

Pre-New Testament references[edit]

In the Old Testament, anointing was a ceremonial reserved to the Kings of Israel (1 Kings 19:16; 24:7), Psalms 17 (18):51), to Cyrus the Great (Isaiah 45:1), to the High Priest of Israel, the patriarchs (Psalms 104(105):15 and to the prophets.^[18][12]

In the Septuagint text of the deuterocanonical books, the term «Christ» (Χριστός, translit. Christós) is found in 2 Maccabees 1:10^[19][20] (referring to the anointed High Priest of Israel) and in the Book of Sirach 46:19,^[21][22] in relation to Samuel, prophet and institutor of the kingdom under Saul.

At the time of Jesus, there was no single form of Second Temple Judaism, and there were significant political, social, and religious differences among the various Jewish groups.^[23] However, for centuries the Jews had used the term moshiach («anointed») to refer to their expected deliverer.^[17]

Opening lines of Mark and Matthew[edit]

Mark 1:1 («The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God») identifies Jesus as both Christ and the Son of God. Matthew 1:1 uses Christ as a name and Matthew 1:16 explains it again with: «Jesus, who is called Christ». The use of the definite article before the word «Christ» and its gradual development into a proper name show that the Christians identified Jesus with the promised messiah of the Jews who fulfilled all the messianic predictions in a fuller and a higher sense than had been given them by the rabbis.^[17]

Confession of Peter (Matthew, Mark and Luke)[edit]

The so-called Confession of Peter, recorded in the Synoptic Gospels as Jesus’s foremost apostle Peter saying that Jesus was the Messiah, has become a famous proclamation of faith among Christians since the first century.^[23]

Martha’s statement (John)[edit]

In John 11:27 Martha told Jesus, «you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world», signifying that both titles were generally accepted (yet considered distinct) among the followers of Jesus before the raising of Lazarus.^[24]

Sanhedrin trial of Jesus (Matthew, Mark and Luke)[edit]

During the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus, it might appear from the narrative of Matthew that Jesus at first refused a direct reply to the high priest Caiaphas’s question: «Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?», where his answer is given merely as Σὺ εἶπας (Su eipas, «You [singular] have said it»).^[25] Similarly but differently in Luke, all those present are said to ask Jesus: ‘Are you then the Son of God?’, to which Jesus reportedly answered: Ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι (Hymeis legete hoti ego eimi, «You [plural] say that I am».^[26] In the Gospel of Mark, however, when asked by Caiaphas ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’, Jesus tells the Sanhedrin: Ἐγώ εἰμι (ego eimi, «I am»).^[27] There are instances from Jewish literature in which the expression «you have said it» is equivalent to «you are right».^[28] The Messianic claim was less significant than the claim to divinity, which caused the high priest’s horrified accusation of blasphemy and the subsequent call for the death sentence. Before Pilate, on the other hand, it was merely the assertion of his royal dignity which gave grounds for his condemnation.^[28]

Pauline epistles[edit]

The word «Christ» is closely associated with Jesus in the Pauline epistles, which suggests that there was no need for the early Christians to claim that Jesus is Christ because it was considered widely accepted among them. Hence Paul can use the term Khristós with no confusion as to whom it refers, and he can use expressions such as «in Christ» to refer to the followers of Jesus, as in 1 Corinthians 4:15 and Romans 12:5.^[29] Paul proclaimed him as the Last Adam, who restored through obedience what Adam lost through disobedience.^[30] The Pauline epistles are a source of some key Christological connections; e.g., Ephesians 3:17–19 relates the love of Christ to the knowledge of Christ, and considers the love of Christ as a necessity for knowing him.^[31]

There are also implicit claims to him being the Christ in the words and actions of Jesus.^{[28][clarification needed]}

Use of Messias in John[edit]

The Hellenization Μεσσίας (Messías) is used twice to mean «Messiah» in the New Testament: by the disciple Andrew at John 1:41, and by the Samaritan woman at the well at John 4:25. In both cases, the Greek text specifies immediately after that this means «the Christ.»^[15]: 509

Christology[edit]

Christology, literally «the understanding of Christ,»^[32] is the study of the nature (person) and work (role in salvation) of Jesus in Christianity.^{[33][34][35][36]} It studies Jesus Christ’s humanity and divinity, and the relation between these two aspects;^[37] and the role he plays in salvation.

From the second to the fifth centuries, the relation of the human and divine nature of Christ was a major focus of debates in the early church and at the first seven ecumenical councils. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 issued a formulation of the hypostatic union of the two natures of Christ, one human and one divine, «united with neither confusion nor division».^[38] Most of the major branches of Western Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy subscribe to this formulation,^[38] while many branches of Oriental Orthodox Churches reject it,^[39][40][41] subscribing to miaphysitism.

According to the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, in the singular case of Jesus, the word Christ has a twofold meaning, which stands for «both the Godhead anointing and the manhood anointed». It derives from the twofold human-divine nature of Christ (dyophysitism): the Son of man is anointed in consequence of His incarnated flesh, as well as the Son of God is anointing in consequence of the «Godhead which He has with the Father» (ST III, q. 16, a. 5).^[42]

Symbols[edit]

The use of «Χ» as an abbreviation for «Christ» derives from the Greek letter Chi (χ), in the word Christós (Greek: Χριστός). An early Christogram is the Chi Rho symbol, formed by superimposing the first two Greek letters in Christ, chi (Χ) and rho (Ρ), to produce ☧.^[43]

The centuries-old English word Χmas (or, in earlier form, XPmas) is an English form of χ-mas,^[44] itself an abbreviation for Christ-mas. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and the OED Supplement have cited usages of «X-» or «Xp-» for «Christ-» as early as 1485. The terms «Xpian» and «Xren» have been used for «Christian», «Xst» for «Christ’s» «Xρofer» for Christopher and Xmas, Xstmas, and Xtmas for Christmas. The OED further cites usage of «Xtianity» for «Christianity» from 1634.^{[note 2]} According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, most of the evidence for these words comes from «educated Englishmen who knew their Greek».^[46][47]

The December 1957 News and Views published by the Church League of America, a conservative organization founded in 1937,^[48] attacked the use of «Xmas» in an article titled «X=The Unknown Quantity». Gerald L. K. Smith picked up the statements later, in December 1966, saying that Xmas was a «blasphemous omission of the name of Christ» and that «‘X’ is referred to as being symbolical of the unknown quantity.»^[49] More recently, American evangelist Franklin Graham and former CNN contributor Roland S. Martin publicly raised concerns. Graham stated in an interview that the use of «Xmas» is taking «Christ out of Christmas» and called it a «war against the name of Jesus Christ.»^[50] Roland Martin relates the use of «Xmas» to his growing concerns of increasing commercialization and secularization of what he says is one of Christianity’s highest holy days.^[51]

See also[edit]

• Chrism
• Ichthys
• Dyophysitism
• Hypostatic union
• Kerigma
• Knowledge of Christ
• Masih
• Names and titles of Jesus in the Quran
• Perfection of Christ
• You are Christ

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Armentrout, Donald S.; Boak Slocum, Robert (2005), An Episcopal dictionary of the church, ISBN 978-0-89869-211-2
• Bird, Michael F.; Evans, Craig A.; Gathercole, Simon (2014), «Endnotes – Chapter 1», How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature – A Response to Bart Ehrman, Zondervan, ISBN 978-0-310-51961-4
• Beversluis, Joel Diederik (2000), Sourcebook of the world’s religions, ISBN 978-1-57731-121-8
• Cullmann, Oscar (1959). The Christology of the New Testament. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-24351-7.
• Davis, Leo Donald (1990), The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787): Their History and Theology (Theology and Life Series 21), Collegeville, MN: Michael Glazier/Liturgical Press, ISBN 978-0-8146-5616-7
• Ehrman, Bart (2014), How Jesus became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee, Harper Collins
• Espín, Orlando O.; Nickoloff, James B. (2007), An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies, ISBN 978-0-8146-5856-7
• Fuller, Reginald H. (1965). The Foundations of New Testament Christology. New York: Scribners. ISBN 0-684-15532-X.
• Greene, Colin J.D. (2004). Christology in Cultural Perspective: Marking Out the Horizons. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 0-8028-2792-6.
• Kingsbury, Jack Dean (1989). The Christology of Mark’s Gospel. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-1007-5.
• O’Collins, Gerald (2009). Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-955787-5.
• Ramm, Bernard L. (1993), «Christology at the Center», An Evangelical Christology: Ecumenic and Historic, Regent College Publishing, ISBN 9781573830089
• Reeves, Michael (2015). Rejoicing in Christ. IVP. ISBN 978-0-8308-4022-9.

The Hebrew word meaning the same thing is Mashiach, or as we know it—Messiah. So Christ is really more a title than it is a name, although the Bible uses it both ways. For example, the Bible often refers to Jesus by name as “Jesus Christ,” just as we do in modern usage (see Matthew 1:1, 18; Mark 1:1; John 1:17; 17:3; Acts 3:6; Romans 3:24, etc.).

But it also speaks of Jesus as “the Christ,” meaning “the anointed one,” the Messiah. When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was, Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). At Jesus’ interrogation by the Jews just before His crucifixion, the high priest demanded, “Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Matthew 26:63). And Luke records that on one occasion when Jesus cast demons out of individuals, the demons cried out, “ ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ and He [Jesus] rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ” (Luke 4:41).

Jesus Christ: The Anointed One

So Jesus Christ combines His name (Jesus) with His title (Christ), meaning Jesus, the anointed One, or Jesus, the chosen One. Jesus is His human name as announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:31), and Christ is His title, as the chosen, anointed Son of God.

The Old Testament predicted that God would send a chosen one—the Messiah—to save the world from sin. As early as the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve that a “seed” of the woman (a descendant) would come someday and destroy Satan and sin (Genesis 3:15). The psalms of David and the prophecies of Daniel described the work and coming of the Messiah whom God would send to save His people from their sins (Psalm 16; 22; 45; 110; Daniel 9).

The Jewish people knew the Messiah was coming, but they misunderstood what He was coming to do. They believed the Messiah—the Christ—would come to set up a kingdom on earth and deliver them from their Roman masters. But Jesus Christ came to deliver them from a bondage much worse than their bondage to Rome. Jesus came to deliver them—and us—from the terrible bondage to sin.

Anointed to Set Captives Free

At the beginning of His ministry on earth, Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath and read the Scripture for the day.

Luke says, “And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ ” (Luke 4:17-21).

Jesus read these words from Isaiah 61, a prophecy of the coming Messiah, and then He said that He was the One to whom this prophecy referred. That He had been anointed to preach the gospel of salvation. That He was the Christ, the anointed One.

Anointed with Oil and the Holy Spirit

In the Old Testament, those who were set apart by God for positions of spiritual or political leadership were anointed with oil as a symbol of their authority. Oil was poured on the heads of priests, kings, and prophets to indicate that God had chosen them and consecrated them for the work He had given them to do.

The Bible records two times that Jesus was anointed with oil (Matthew 26:6, 7; Luke 7:37, 38). But more importantly, Jesus was anointed by God for His role as “the Christ.” The Bible says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).

As “the Christ,” Jesus was God’s anointed One who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, the chosen One who came to save us from sin, and the One who has promised to come again to usher in His everlasting kingdom.

The word “Christ”, is commonly used today alongside the name of Jesus. So much so, that “Jesus Christ” has become one name. But what is the actual meaning behind the word “Christ”? Some say, that the meaning is Messiah, Savior or Deliverer. Is this claim true? Let’s go back to the original Manuscripts and the Greek & Hebrew words to check the truth and learn for ourselves the true Biblical definition rather than stick to any particular translation.

First of all, let’s check the Greek word, which the word “Christ” has been translated from:
The Strong’s Hebrew/Greek Concordance
G5547 – Χριστός – Christos – khris-tos’
From G5548; Meaning Anointed, that is, the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus: – Christ.

(In all of the instances where khris-tos’ is present in the New Testament, the KJV Bible translation reads “Christ”). The word “Christ” is clearly a cognate word. It is a word that originates from the Greek word khris-tos’.

Since the Strong’s definition above says that “khris-tos’” is derived from the word denoted by Strong’s Number G5548, let’s check that word as well.

G5548 – χρίω – chriō – khree’-o
Meaning to smear or rub with oil, that is, (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service: – Anoint.
(Luk 4:18, Acts 4:27, Acts 10:38, 2Cor 1:21, Heb 1:9)

So it is very clear now where the word khris-tos’ comes from, and that it means Anointed. Making it clear that “Christ” means “Anointed”. But what about the word “Messiah”? The definition of Messiah is, a deliverer or savior. Where is the connection between “Christ” and “Messiah”? Hold on for a second, We will get the answer for this soon!

Now that we know that the word “Christ” means “Anointed“, let us move to the Old Testament to check the meaning behind the word “Anointed” as well. (The word “Christ” does not appear in the Old Testament because it is derived from a Greek word, whereas the Old Testament is written in Hebrew)

The Strong’s Hebrew/Greek Concordance
H4899 – משׁיח – mâshı̂yach – maw-shee’-akh
From H4886; Anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically the Messiah: – anointed, Messiah.

(In all of the instances other than Daniel 9:25&26, where the word “maw-shee’-akh”appears in the Old Testament, the KJV Bible translation reads as “Anointed”. In Daniel 9;25,26 “maw-shee’-akh” is translated in the KJV Bible as “Messiah”). Just like the word “Christ” is clearly a cognate word that originates from the Greek word khris-tos’, “Messiah” also is a cognate word that originates from the Hebrew word “maw-shee’-akh”!

The only 2 places that the word “Messiah” is found in the whole KJV Bible is in
Daniel 9: Verses 25 & 26. And actual Hebrew word there is none other than “maw-shee’-akh” the word that is translated as “Anointed”.

You might think, so what is the big deal about this? Why do we need to understand what “Christ” means?
Reason No.1
In the New Testament, the word “Christ”, has always referred to Yeshua. Giving the meaning of “Yeshua the Anointed”. The Hebrew word “maw-shee’-akh”, on the other hand,  is not, and has not been exclusive to Yeshua(The hebrew name of Jesus). Here are some instances “maw-shee’-akh” is used for others.

You can see David referring to Saul as God’s Anointed(“maw-shee’-akh”) – 1Sam 26:9,11,16, 23
Levitical Priests were called Anointed(“maw-shee’-akh”) – Lev 4:3,5,16
Cyrus, the Persian King was called Anointed(“maw-shee’-akh”) – Isaiah 45:1

Am I refuting the Fact that Yeshua is “THE Messiah”? God forbid. Not at all. I am merely trying to show the biblical definition of the word “Christ”.
The word maw-shee’-akh in Daniel 9:25,26 has valid reason to be translated as Messiah or Savior, as I believe it is referring to “THE Anointed” one, Yeshua our Messiah.

We know that He was Anointed with the Holy Spirit by God in the beginning of His ministry(Acts 10:38). But what was He anointed as? And why is He called THE Anointed one? We know, by reading Hebrews 8:1, That He has been Anointed as our High Priest.
We also know, according to 1Tim6:14,15 and a whole load of scriptures in the book of Revelations, that He will be the one who is Anointed King when He comes the second time.

He is THE Anointed High Priest & THE Anointed King over our lives.

Reason No.2
To unravel the confusion between the terms “Christ”, “Anointed” & “Messiah”.
Take a look at the verses given below.
2Ti 1:10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
(If Christ meant Messiah which means Savior, this verse would read, …of our “Savior” Jesus “Savior”, who hath…) Check Philip 3:20, Tit 1:4, 2:13, 3:6, 2Pet 1:1,11, 2:20 as well.
We need to understand the difference between Yeshua being the Saviour, and Him being called Anointed. He is called THE Anointed one, who is our Saviour.

Reason No.3
Maybe the most important of all the reasons for our lives would be what it means to be called a “Christian”. The word “Christian” can be seen only 3 times in the Bible.
(Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1Peter 4:16)

G5546 – Χριστιανός – Christianos – khris-tee-an-os’
From G5547; a Christian, that is, follower of Christ: – Christian.

Which means Just like the word “Christ” is clearly a cognate word that originates from the Greek word khris-tos’, “Christian” also originates from the Greek word khris-tee-an-os’! It is a follower of Christ. Someone who acts as Christ. Someone who emulates THE Anointed one.

In closing, I would just like to say, that knowing the true meanings of the words we use pertaining to the Bible can be of little or no use to most people. But I hope it has helped you to understand one of the most used words concerning Yeshua. Every time that you read “Christ” in your bible, remember that the true meaning of it is not Savior, Deliverer or Messiah but “THE Anointed”. I hope this helps even a few people understand that “Christ” is not just another meaningless title that our Messiah carries, and when you read “Jesus Christ” in your Bibles, that it will make much more sense and bring much more revelation in your personal studies.

Added on 29th March 2013
Another important point had been missed by me in this definition. Yeshua said in Mat 24:4,5, “Let no one deceive you, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.” With the definition we have of “Christ”, what can Yeshua be saying here?
Many shall come in my name(I’m a follower of Yeshua), saying, I am Christ(Anointed), and deceive many. What He asked us to be careful of was not only “THE Antichrist”. It was also people who would come saying that “I am a follower of Yeshua. I am an anointed one who speaks God’s words.” The only way to be not deceived, is to know God’s Word. A person who speaks God’s word cannot go against the Scripture. Not even one word.

There are quite a few names throughout Scripture spoken about Jesus or given by Jesus himself. One of the most prevalent titles is “Christ” (or the Hebrew equivalent, “Messiah”). This epithet or descriptive phrase is used regularly throughout the New Testament to the tune of 569 times.

For example, in John 4:25-26, Jesus declares to a Samaritan woman standing by a well (appropriately called “Jacob’s Well”) that he was the Christ that was prophesied to come. Also, an angel delivered the good news to the shepherds that Jesus was born as “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11, ESV). 

But this term “Christ” is so commonly and flippantly used today by people that do not know what it means or that assume it is no more than Jesus’ last name instead of a meaningful title. So, what does “Christ” mean, and what does it signify about who Jesus is?

Who Is Jesus: The Word Christ

The word Christ is from the similar-sounding Greek word “Christos,” which describes the divine Son of God, the Anointed King, and the “Messiah” who is positioned and purposed by God to be the Deliverer of all people in a way that no regular person, prophet, judge, or ruler could be (2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7).

This is made clear in John 1:41 when Andrew invited his brother, Simon Peter, to follow Jesus by saying, “‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ).” The people and Rabbis of Jesus’ time would have been looking for the Christ to come and righteously rule God’s people because of the Old Testament prophecies they were taught (2 Samuel 7:11-16). The elderly Simeon and Anna, as well as the king-making Magi, recognized young Jesus for who he was and worshiped him for it.

There have been many great leaders throughout history. Some were prophets, priests, or kings that were anointed with authority from God, but none were ever called “the Messiah.” Other leaders even considered themselves to be a god (such as the Pharaohs or Caesars) or made bizarre claims about themselves (like in Acts 5). But only Jesus fulfilled about 300 centuries-old prophecies about the Christ.

These prophecies were so miraculous (such as a virgin birth), descriptive (such as riding on a colt), or specific (such as being a descendent of King David) that it would have been a statistical impossibility for even a few of them to be true about the same person. But they were all fulfilled in Jesus.

In fact, he fulfilled ten unique messianic prophecies just in the final 24 hours of his life on earth. In addition, the name “Jesus” is actually the historically common Hebraic “Joshua” or “Yeshua,” which means “God saves” (Nehemiah 7:7; Matthew 1:21).

The genealogy of Jesus also points to the fact that he was the prophesied Christ or Messiah. While we tend to skip over the lists of names in Mary and Joseph’s family trees at the beginning of the Books of Matthew and Luke, the Jewish culture kept extensive genealogies to establish a person’s heritage, inheritance, legitimacy, and rights. Jesus’ lineage shows how his life was intertwined with God’s covenant with his chosen people as well as his legal claim to the throne of David.

The stories of the people in those lists reveal that Jesus’ lineage itself was miraculous because of how many different routes the Messianic prophecies had to take because of the sinfulness of mankind. For example, in Genesis 49, a dying Jacob passed over three of his sons (including his rightful firstborn) to bless Judah and prophecy that it would be only through him that a lion-like leader would come and bring peace, joy, and prosperity (which is where the nickname “Lion of Judah” comes from, as we see in Revelation 5:5).

So, while we may never get too excited about reading the genealogies in our Bible reading plans, it is important to understand their purpose and implications.

Who Is Jesus: Jesus the Christ

Not only did the prophecies point to the person and purpose of Jesus Christ, but as New Testament professor Dr. Doug Bookman teaches, Jesus also publicly claimed to be the Christ (meaning that he knew who he was). Jesus emphasized his claim of being the Messiah by quoting from 24 Old Testament books (Luke 24:44, ESV) as well as performing 37 recorded miracles that clearly demonstrated and confirmed who he was.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus stood up in the temple and read from a scroll that contained a familiar Messianic prophecy from Isaiah. Then, as everyone listened in, this local carpenter’s son named Jesus let everyone know that he was actually the fulfillment of that prophecy (Luke 4:18-21). While this did not sit well with the religious people at the time, it is exciting for us today to read about Jesus’ self-revealing moments throughout his public ministry.

Another example is in the Book of Matthew when the crowds were debating about who Jesus was. Some thought that he was a resurrected John the Baptist, a prophet like Elijah or Jeremiah, simply a “good teacher” (Mark 10:17), a Rabbi (Matthew 26:25), or just a poor carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55). This led Jesus to prompt his disciples with the question of who they thought he was, to which Peter answered,“the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded with:

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:17-18, ESV).

Oddly enough, Jesus then commanded his disciples to keep his identity quiet because many people misunderstood the Messiah’s kingdom to be physical and not spiritual, while others had wrong expectations from unscriptural speculations. These wrong beliefs led to some religious leaders wanting Jesus to be killed for blasphemy. But he had a timeline to keep, so he regularly escaped them until the time was right for him to be crucified.

Who Is Jesus and What Christ Means to Us Today

But as great as Jesus being the Christ was for Israel back then, what does it have to do with us today?

To answer that, we must understand that the idea of a Messiah started long before Judah or even Abraham with the beginning of humanity in Genesis 3 as a response to the sinful fall of mankind. Then, throughout Scripture, it becomes clear who humanity’s deliverer would be and how he would restore us back into a relationship with God.

In fact, when God set the Jewish people apart by establishing a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, confirming it through Isaac in Genesis 26, and reaffirming it through Jacob and his descendants in Genesis 28, his goal was for “all the nations of the earth to be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). What better way to impact the entire world than to provide a remedy for their sinfulness? God’s story of redemption through Jesus stretches from the first to the last pages of the Bible. As Paul wrote:

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:26–29, ESV).

God chose Israel to be his covenant people not because they were special and not to exclude everyone else, but so they could become a conduit for God’s grace to be given to the world. It was through the Jewish nation that God demonstrated his love for us by sending his own Son, Jesus (who was the fulfillment of his covenant), to be the Christ or Savior of all who would believe in Him.  

Paul drove this point home further when he wrote: 

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 5:8-11, ESV).

That salvation and reconciliation can be received through believing Jesus to be not just the historical Christ, but to be our Christ. We can be disciples of Jesus who follow him closely, learn from him, obey him, become like him, and represent him to the world.

When Jesus is our Christ, we have a new covenant of love that he has made with his invisible, universal Church that he calls his “Bride.” The Messiah that came once to suffer for the sins of the world will come again one day and establish his new kingdom on earth. I for one, want to be on his side when that happens.

Other Sources:

Who Is Jesus Christ?

Who Is This Jesus Christ?

50 Names and Titles for Jesus: Who the Bible Says Christ Is

Photo Credit: ©SparrowStock

Robert Hampshire is a pastor, teacher, writer, and leader. He has been married to Rebecca since 2008 and has three children, Brooklyn, Bryson, and Abram. Robert attended North Greenville University in South Carolina for his undergraduate and Liberty University in Virginia for his Masters. He has served in a variety of roles as a worship pastor, youth pastor, family pastor, church planter, and now Pastor of Worship and Discipleship at Cheraw First Baptist Church in South Carolina. He furthers his ministry through his blog site, Faithful Thinking, and his YouTube channel. His life goal is to serve God and His Church by reaching the lost with the gospel, making devoted disciples, equipping and empowering others to go further in their faith and calling, and leading a culture of multiplication for the glory of God. Find out more about him here.

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