What does Messiah mean?

Answer

Messiah originates from the Hebrew term mashiach, meaning “anointed one” or “chosen one.” The Greek equivalent is Christos or, in English, Christ. The name “Jesus Christ” is synonymous with “Jesus the Messiah.” In ancient times, anointing with oil symbolized God consecrating or setting apart an individual for a specific role. Therefore, an “anointed one” was someone with a distinct, God-ordained purpose.

In the Old Testament, individuals were anointed for the roles of prophet, priest, and king. God instructed Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor as Israel’s prophet «and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint as king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. », (1 Kings 19:16). Aaron was anointed as the first high priest of Israel «And he poured the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to sanctify him. », (Leviticus 8:12). Samuel anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel (1 Samuel 10:1;1 Samuel 16:13). All these men occupied “anointed” positions. However, the Old Testament foretold a future Deliverer, chosen by God to redeem Israel (Isaiah 42:1;Isaiah 61:1-3). This Deliverer was known as the Messiah by the Jews.

Jesus of Nazareth was and remains the prophesied Messiah (Luke 4:17-21;John 4:25-26). Throughout the New Testament, we find evidence that Jesus is the Chosen One: “These [miracles] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and thatBy believing, you may have life in His name” «But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.», (John 20:31). We also hear testimonies that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” «And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. », (Matthew 16:16). The ultimate evidence that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, is His resurrection from the dead. Acts 10:39–43 is an eyewitness testimony to His resurrection and the fact that “He is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”

Jesus fulfills the role of Prophet, Priest, and King, which is further evidence of His being the Messiah. He is a prophet because He embodied and preached the Word of God (see John 1:1-18;14:24;and Luke 24:19); a priest because His death atones for our sins and reconciles us to the Father (see Hebrews 2:17;see Hebrews 4:14); and a king because after His resurrection, God gave all authority to Him (see John 18:36;Ephesians 1:20-23;and Revelation 19:16).

The Jews of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to redeem Israel by overthrowing the rule of the Romans and establishing an earthly kingdom. See Acts 1:6. It wasn’t until after Jesus’ resurrection that His disciples finally began to understand what the prophecies in the Old Testament really meant the Messiah would do (see Luke 24:25-27).5-27). The Messiah was “anointed” first to deliver His people spiritually; that is, to redeem them from sin (John 8:31-36). He accomplished this salvation through His death and resurrection (John 12:32; John 3:16). Later, Jesus the Messiah will deliver His people from their physical enemies when He sets up His Kingdom on the earth (see Isaiah 9:1-7).