Christ, Messiah

This past week a tragedy unexpectedly hit one of our former youth group kiddo’s family. It has been devastating, their world has been turned upside down, and the long road of grief is just beginning, but there is also hope. It reminds me of Adam and Eve just after they sinned. Their eyes were opened. They experienced shame for the first time. They hid from God. They were devastated. The world as they knew it had been turned upside down by the sin that broke their fellowship with God.

Yet, midst this devastating time, God spoke hope into their grief and shame. He promised that Eve’s offspring would bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). Repeatedly throughout the Old Testament, God spoke to Israel through the prophets about the coming of an anointed One. Israel waited and waited even through four hundred years of God’s silence, holding to the hope of the Messiah or Christ.

At last, to lowly shepherds tending their flocks at night, an angel appeared bringing the long-awaited good news:

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

The angel announced the birth of Christ. Christ comes from the Greek title christos meaning “one who has been anointed.” Messiah, derived from Hebrew, is synonymous with Christ. Although Messiah is not actually used in the Old Testament, Messiah expressed the understanding of the promised anointed One in prophecy. We know that it was the understood term by passages such as Matthew 16:16, John 1:41, John 4:25, and John 11:27.

There are two descriptions of Christ in the angel’s announcement. First, He is a Savior. His purpose is to bring salvation. Second, He is the Lord. He is not merely a man, but He is fully God in human flesh (compare to Israel’s human kings who were also called “anointed one”). Let’s take a minute to look at what some of the Old Testament prophecies said about the coming Christ or Messiah, and then we’ll return to the angel’s announcement.

I read a good article from the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry on who Israel was expecting as their Messiah (link in the footnotes). It compared two categories of prophecies. One category of prophecy describes the Messiah as defeating Satan, having power and authority to defeat Satan (Genesis 3:15), a royal ruler (Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:11-17; Jeremiah 23:5-6), subjugating His enemies (2 Samuel 7:11-17), more than merely human (Isaiah 9:6), punishing the wicked (Isaiah 11:1, 4), and a righteous branch from David who executes justice and righteousness (Jeremiah 33:15-16). There are other verses and descriptions, but we can summarize this category of prophecy by saying the Messiah would be a “powerful all-conquering king who will defeat every enemy and restore Israel to its rightful place as God’s people dwelling in security and prosperity.”[1]

That is quite a Messiah. It is easy to see how Israel especially in times of captivity by other nations would be looking for a political and military savior, someone to rescue them from evil rulers. At the time of Jesus’ birth, Israel was under the rule of Rome. For many reasons, they hoped for the Messiah, their Savior who would conquer Rome and usher in security and prosperity. Who wouldn’t want that? In fact, this description of the Messiah was so appealing, that other writings in Israel’s history came to teach only these prophecies and view of the Messiah.

So, what is the other category of prophecy about the Messiah that was pushed aside? The Messiah would be bruised by Satan (Genesis 3:15), beaten, have His beard pulled, killed, have no appealing form, beauty or majesty that we should desire Him, be despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Daniel 9:26), be spat on (Isaiah 50:6), suffer and be crucified (Psalm 22), and be pierced (Zechariah 12:10). This category of prophecy could be summarized in a suffering Messiah. Not the type of Messiah or Savior most of us of would want.

These are two very different views of the Messiah. Is one right and the other a mistake? We know that God’s word is infallible, so both categories describing the Messiah are true. It is our human perspective or expectation that is faulty.

Back to Luke 2:11, the angel proclaimed that Christ the Lord would be a Savior. In Matthew 16:14-21, Jesus asks His disciples who they think He is. Peter famously replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He echoes the angel’s proclamation. However, Jesus follows up this interaction by foretelling His coming suffering, death, and resurrection. The Jews looked for a Messiah to save them from earthly trouble. Christ came to save those who place their faith in Him alone from something infinitely greater: His death and resurrection delivers us from sin and eternal death. He is the all-powerful, all-conquering King, but the enemy is Satan and sin not earthly rulers.

Jesus also fulfilled the prophetic descriptions of a suffering Servant. His suffering began the moment He left heaven and began to grow inside of Mary. His whole life was one of suffering culminating in everything proceeding and during His crucifixion. Yet, Paul writes, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus Christ or the Messiah truly is a suffering servant who is also the King of kings and Lord of lords far beyond what anyone had expected the Messiah to be.

Jesus’ death and resurrection are not the end of the story. The completion of Jesus’ victory over Satan, sin, and death will be permanently realized at His second coming in judgment. For those in Christ, He will usher in an eternity of security and prosperity, peace, and joy.

Israel waited for years for the Messiah or Christ to come. We have the blessing of knowing that He did come and what it really meant that He is “a Savior, Christ the Lord”. Now we wait for Him to return and take us home, forever to be with Him.

Reflection

1. What are your expectations of Christ and how He has called you to live? Do they line up with Scripture or is Jesus a messiah of your own making?

2. Christ came to save you from your sin. For those in Christ, you have already trusted that Jesus’ atonement on the cross and His resurrection have paid in full for your sin. You have been transformed, forgiven, and given Jesus’ righteousness in place of your sin record. But daily, are you living in Jesus’ victory over the sin in your life or do you live defeated by sin? Are you living as a slave to righteousness or as one still bound by sin? Are you living as if your good works are earning you continued favor with God or are your good works solely for God’s glory?

3. This side of heaven, we are still living in a world devasted by sin. We experience grief, suffering, shame, brokenness, and loss. Maybe your life has been turned upside down. I pray that you know the hope that is in Christ. Messiah has come. He is with you. He will never leave you. Nothing can separate you from or change His love for you. He will come again. What descriptions of Christ give you hope?

4. We have joy because Christ has come and will come again. He defeated sin so that we are no longer under condemnation (Romans 8:1). He defeated death that we might spend eternity with Him. What do you praise God for that Christ has done?

5. Below are suggested songs to help you continue meditating on and worshipping Christ, Messiah:

• “Christ the Messiah” by Michael W. Smith

• “Messiah” by Francesca Battistelli

• “Silent Night”

• “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

• “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”

• “O Come All Ye Faithful”

• “O Holy Night”

• “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

• “Angels From the Realms of Glory”

• “El Shaddai” by Amy Grant

• "Glorious Night" by Sidewalk Prophets

[1] Crawford, Les. “The Messiah: Who Was Israel Expecting.” The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, April 1, 2021, https://www.foi.org/2021/04/01/the-messiah-who-was-israel-expecting/