The Greek word christos has the same meaning as the Hebrew word mashiakh. It means "anointed one" (or "chosen one"). Both words translate as "Messiah" or "Christ." In the Bible, the Messiah is someone chosen by God for a special purpose. In ancient times, people poured oil on a person's head to show that God had chosen them for an important task. This act was called anointing.
In Judaism, the term messiah had different meanings. The Old Testament refers to different people who received special anointing from God. God chose these people for different tasks and reasons. Not all of these people did good things, but God still selected them for his purposes (Exodus 28:41; 1 Samuel 9:16; 1 Kings 19:16; Isaiah 45:1).
The prophets expected a future Messiah who would begin God’s kingdom (Daniel 9:25–26; Zechariah 9:9–10). During Jesus’ time, many Jews expected the Messiah to be a political warrior. He would lead Israel to victory over its oppressors and restore Israel as an independent kingdom (see Psalms of Solomon 17–18).
Some Jews viewed the Messiah as a person who would come before the kingdom of God. The community at Qumran, where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls, expected a Messiah who would serve as both a priest and a political warrior.
Because of this confusion, it is not surprising that Jesus avoided the title. He taught his followers that he would suffer as Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 52:13–53:12). The Jews interpreted this passage to refer to Israel. Jesus emphasized suffering and service as the path to victory (Matthew 16:21–28; 20:25–28). This was opposite of the popular Jewish view of the Messiah as a royal conqueror. Yet, this was God's way of establishing his kingdom (see Luke 2:25–32; John 12:37–50; Acts 2:29–36).
Passages for Further Study
Genesis 17:6; Exodus 28:41; 1 Samuel 9:16; Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Daniel 9:25–26; Zechariah 9:9–10; Matthew 2:4–6; 11:2–6; 16:13–20; 17:10–12; 22:41–46; 24:23–27; 26:62–65; Luke 2:8–11, 25–35; 3:15–18; 23:35–43; 24:26–27, 46–47; John 4:21–29; 7:25–27, 31, 40–43; 12:34–50; 20:30–31; Acts 2:22–36; 3:17–26; 4:25–28; 9:22; 13:23–25; 17:3; 26:22–23; 28:17–24