Jesus, The Messiah

John 20:30-31 "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."

Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ?
Many believers don't understand what that term - "Christ" - means. But in this passage, we can see that it's critical, not only to understand what the "Christ" is, but also to believe that Jesus is the Christ. The apostle John goes so far as to say that faith in this truth is what will give us life!

In fact, John repeats this same point in his first letter to the church. Look at what 1 John 5:1 tells us, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..." John literally tells us that we're not even born again unless we believe that Jesus is the Christ!

Is this something that should be understood by Christians? Absolutely!
Is this something that is taught in our churches? Sadly, not very often.

Not Jesus' Last Name

People say "Christ" as if it were a name. Many Christians tend to think that, since this word is capitalized, it's a nickname or a term of endearment. But this word is not a proper noun - that is to say, it's not a name. We capitalize it for the same reason we capitalize "He" or "Him" when we refer to Jesus...as a sign of honor.  No, the word "Christ" is actually a title. It comes from an old Hebrew word, "mashiach"  - which means "Anointed One". 

In the Old Testament, when a person was chosen by God - either to be a priest, or a prophet, or a king - they would be anointed with oil. This literally meant that a man of God would pour oil over the head of a chosen person to signify that they were separated by God to some type of service.

The first time we see something anointed with oil was when Jacob set apart a stone at Bethel to be a meeting place with God. (Genesis 31:13) This anointing signified that there was something different about this place - something that set it apart.

The first person to be anointed was Aaron the priest. (Exodus 28:41)

Saul was anointed to be king. (1 Samuel 10:1)

When he turned away from God, David was anointed in his place. (1 Samuel 16:12)
Elisha was anointed by Elijah to be a prophet in his place. (1 Kings 19:16)

After a while, the word "anointed" came to mean both the physical act of pouring oil on someone and also a person that God has chosen for a specific task. For example, the Persian king Cyrus was called "anointed" in Isaiah 45:1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus whose right hand I have held...
As far as we know, Cyrus was never anointed in oil...but he was separated and set apart for a specific assignment. 

Throughout the Hebrew Old Testament, there are promises about a particular Person...an "Anointed One" that was going to come and save His people.
1 Samuel 2:10 "The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed."

1 Samuel 2:35 "Then I will raise up a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever."

Psalm 2:2 "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed..."

Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me..."

This last verse in the list is particularly important, because it shows us what this Anointed One was going to be anointed with. The Christ was not going to be anointed merely with oil like so many other men...no He said "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me"! This man - the Messiah, the Christ - was going to be anointed with the Holy Spirit Himself!

This was God's promise to the Jewish people: That one day, the Messiah would come to save them. He would be a man, anointed and separated by the Spirit of Yahweh Himself to deliver Israel...not just from oppression, but from their sin. According to Isaiah 53, this Messiah would take away the sins of the people - bearing them on Himself - and justify them.

The Theme of the Old Testament

Most Jewish rabbis would claim that the Messianic promise is the central point - the main theme - of the Tanakh (what we call the Old Testament). While Judaism doesn't accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Jews can see His promise shining through all the the words of their Scriptures. It's actually true that traditional Jews read more Messianic hope into the Old Testament that Christians do. For example: Jewish tradition declares that seventy-three of the 150 Psalms are all about the Messiah! How many Christians can see that hope when they read the book of Psalms?

For example:

Most Christians can quote Psalm 118:24, "This is the day that the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." But very few believers understand that it is a Messianic promise. This is not speaking of just any day...but rather a very specific day. Let's read this verse in context: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

What day is verse 23 talking about? It's the day mentioned in verse 22...the day that the rejected stone became the Chief Cornerstone! This is a promise of the Messiah being rejected by the leaders of His people, but then being exalted. We know from the New Testament that this is referring to Jesus' death and resurrection. That is the day we rejoice in - the day Jesus was raised from the dead!

This Messianic theme runs throughout the Old Testament. Here are just a handful of Messianic references according to Jewish teachers:
The Messiah was the light in Genesis 1:3.

He is the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15.

He is the blessing promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:3.

He is "Shiloh" in Genesis 49:10.

He is the rock that gave the people water in Exodus 17:6.

He is the drink offering in Leviticus 23:36.

He is the faithful priest in 1 Samuel 2:35.

His identity can be found wrapped up in character of David.

     (In fact "David" is one of the affectionate names used by Jews to speak of the Messiah.)

He will judge the world in righteousness according to Psalm 9:7-10.

He is the shepherd of Israel according to Psalm 23.

He is to inherit the throne of David according to Isaiah 9:7.

He is both a priest and a king in Zechariah 6:12-13.

He is the cornerstone in Zechariah 10:4

He is the Messenger of the covenant in Malachi 3:1.

There is so much more that I can't fit in this single post! The point is this...Jesus is the Messiah that the entire Old Testament spoke of!

The Rock That The Church Is Built On

Matthew 16:15-19 "He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, '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 say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.'"

The rock (Greek "petra" - or large boulder) that Jesus is building His church on is not Peter (Greek "petros" - or small pebble). No, the foundation of the whole church - you and I included - is the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah. 

This is the revelation that Hell cannot prevail against.

This is the revelation that brings the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is the revelation that allows us to bind and loose things here on earth - and be backed up by all of Heaven.

All of this hinges on one truth; the revelation of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.

Later on, we'll see the Scriptural and Prophetic claims that Jesus has to the Messianic throne. But for now, we must realize how important this is. This should not be just some good information about an interesting topic. This must become revelation to you....Jesus was, and still is, the Messiah!

Jesus is The Christ!