We find that in the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as “Jesus Christ” one hundred and thirty-four times. For someone new to the Scriptures, since ‘Christ’ follows ‘Jesus’ so frequently, one might get the idea that ‘Christ‘ is Jesus’ surname or last name. However, there are eighty-six times in the New Testament that we find the two words switched around - “Christ Jesus.” Evidently, Christ is not Jesus’ last name.
So, the question arises - Why is the term ‘Christ’ associated with Jesus’ name? What does ‘Christ’ mean? That is the topic that we will be considering today.
In John 1:41, we find Andrew talking to “his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ).”
Here, we find that Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. These two words ‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’ mean the very same thing. This is enlightening but it still does not tell us what the two terms mean. The terms ‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’ mean ‘one who has been anointed.’ It means ‘Anointed One.’
To understand this concept, we need to have a knowledge of the Old Testament. Back in Old Testament times, it was a tradition that when a person was called by God to fulfill a mission or ministry, they began their duties by first being anointed. God would have one of His servants go to the chosen person and they would pour a bottle of oil on their head and say ‘you have been called by God to fulfill a task or ministry.’ When the people saw this person being anointed with oil, they knew that this person was chosen and ordained by God. They knew that they were to be respected because their anointing qualified them for their office.
There were three primary offices that were filled by people chosen by God and set-apart by anointing - prophets, priests and kings.
Priests -
Exodus 40:12-15, "Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. And you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me. And you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing shall qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations."
Leviticus 8:12, 30, “Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him…So Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.”
Kings -
1 Samuel 9:15-17, “Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, ‘About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he shall deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.’ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, ‘Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.’" 1 Samuel 10:1, “Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, "Has not the Lord anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?’”
1 Samuel 16:1, 3, 13, “Now the Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons’"… "And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you’”….Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”
Prophets -
1 Kings 19:16, “Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.”
So, we see from the Old Testament that if you were chosen by God to be a prophet, priest or king you would be anointed. You would become a messiah or a christ…an ‘anointed one.’ It is an interesting fact that, as you study the Old Testament, you will find that God never chose anyone to fulfill all three offices. No one was ever a prophet, priest and king at the same time. There were a few priests who were also prophets. There were kings that were also prophets. You can find a king that was also a priest. However, you will not find a person who was all three - prophet, priest and king.
But, there are prophecies in the Old Testament that spoke of a single person who would come and fulfill all three offices of God. There were prophecies that spoke of a person Who would be a prophet, a priest and a king. This person - who would be all three - became spoken of as THE Messiah or THE Christ. By the time of the New Testament, this anticipated person was simply known as the Messiah or the Christ. It had become the official title of this promised prophet, priest and king.
The New Testament declares that Jesus is that promised Messiah or Christ. Jesus is the first Person and the last Person ever to be prophet, priest and king all at the same time. This combined office that Jesus holds is so much greater than all the old prophets, priests and kings, that God did not have someone anoint Jesus with oil. No, God Himself anointed Jesus by pouring-out the Holy Spirit upon Him after He was baptized.
Acts 10:38, "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.”
Matthew 3:16-17, “And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’"
Luke 4:14-21, “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written [that is, Isaiah 61:1-2], ‘THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDEN, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.’ And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’"
Let’s look at some Scriptures that talk about Jesus being our prophet, priest and king -
Jesus is:
Prophet -
John 4:25-26, The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’"
Hebrews 1:1-2, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.”
Luke 24:18-20, “And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, ‘Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?’ And He said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to Him, ‘The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.’”
Acts 3:13-15, 22-24, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses….Moses said [in Deuteronomy 18:18-19], ’THE LORD GOD SHALL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED in everything He says to you. And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days."
Priest -
Hebrews 3:1, “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.”
Hebrews 5:1, 4-6, 8-10, “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;…And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him [Psalm 2:7], ‘THOU ART MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN THEE;’ just as He says also in another passage [Psalm 110:4], ‘THOU ART A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK’.…Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 7:23-27, “And the former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers, because they were prevented by death from continuing, but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”
Hebrews 9:24-26, “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
King -
Luke 1:26-33, “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.’"
Acts 2:29-36, "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that [according to Psalms 89:3-4; 132:10-11]GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS UPON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke [in Psalm 16:10] of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says [Psalm 110:1]: ’THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR THY FEET.’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ -- this Jesus whom you crucified."
Hebrews 1:8-9, “But of the Son He says [in Psalm 45:6-7], ‘THY THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM. THOU HAST LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, THY GOD, HATH ANOINTED THEE WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE THY COMPANIONS.’"
As we close this message, I hope that we have a greater understanding of why Jesus wears the title “Christ.” Jesus is the “Anointed One.“ Jesus is the One chosen and anointed by God to be our Prophet, our Priest and our King.
A Christian is one who believes that Jesus is the Christ and chooses to accept Him the Prophet, Priest and King of their life.
