Jesus' Last Name

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:35-38 ESV). To the surprise of some, “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name. “Christ” comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning “anointed one” or “chosen one.” This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiach, or “Messiah.” We can see that from our reading “Jesus” is the Lord’s human name given to Mary by the angel Gabriel. “Christ” is His title, signifying Jesus was sent from God to be a King and Deliverer. “Jesus Christ” means “Jesus the Messiah” or “Jesus the Anointed One.” In ancient Israel, when someone was given a position of authority, oil was poured on his head to signify his being set apart for God’s service. Kings, priests, and prophets were anointed in such fashion. Anointing was a symbolic act to indicate God’s choosing. Although the literal meaning of anointed refers to the application of oil, it can also refer to one’s consecration by God, even if literal oil is not used. There are hundreds of prophetic passages in the Old Testament that refer to a coming Messiah who would deliver His people. Ancient Israel thought their Messiah would come with military might to deliver them from decades of captivity to earthly kings and pagan nations. But the New Testament reveals a much better deliverance provided by Jesus the Messiah, a deliverance from the power and penalty of sin. Any freedom that is based in a system of government is only as good as that government. It can only last as long as that government lasts. We have seen this play out in history. Even those with the best of intentions are merely human with all of their flaws, and whatever they devise will only last for a brief period of time in the spectrum of eternity. God has something far greater in mind when he sent His Son. The prophecy of Jesus’ anointing by the Holy Spirit is significant in that it establishes His name and authority is eternal. The celebration of Jesus’ birth is rooted in the coming of the eternal God and King to set the world right after millennia of wrong. Whatever is wrong in this world is being put right through the work of Jesus. While his legal surname is not “Christ,” that certainly describes who he is! Celebrate the coming of the King with your Christmas this year!