Messiah, Anointed One
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11
Amazon shopping has become routine for most of us. We no longer have to go to a physical store to buy what we need or want. We can simply do it online and wait for it to arrive. Maybe you have saved for a purchase for some time, and then you order it. You receive a notification confirming your order and that it has shipped. You start tracking it. The anticipation builds as you wait. Arrived at the distribution center. Out for delivery. Delivered. You are so excited and can’t wait to use it. The Old Testament is filled with promises pointing toward a coming Messiah. God's people waited generation after generation. Then Jesus arrived as the fulfillment of God's promises.
The nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, did not have a human king at first. God wanted to be their king. But the people wanted a king because their neighboring nations had one. So God granted their request by making Saul their first king. Then came David and a long line of kings, some good but most bad. When these men became the King of Israel, each was anointed. 1 Samuel 16:12-13 details David’s anointing: “And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him, for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”
We have hints throughout the Old Testament in the form of prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. The people of the day looked for a king who would exercise political and military control from Jerusalem. In fact, the Messiah the Jews were searching for was not expected to be God or the Son of God. They didn’t expect him to redeem people from their sins, die, or be resurrected. They expected a human king, a direct descendant of David, who would be a national hero and liberator. Messianic prophecies included that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, his mother would be a virgin, he would be a miracle worker, he would be killed for the sins of others, and he would be raised from the dead.
At the heart of the Christian faith, as the name suggests, is the belief that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah, both synonyms that highlight His status as a divinely appointed savior and king. The name "Messiah" comes from the Hebrew word "mashiach," which translates to "anointed one." Interestingly, the title Christ or Messiah was rarely applied to Jesus during his earthly life. Yet all four gospels confidently affirmed that Jesus is the Anointed, Christ, Messiah.
Jesus taught that His kingdom would not be defined by political boundaries but would embrace people from every nation. In John 18:36, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He came to save humankind from their sin, to bring redemption and hope for the future. He did that by going to the cross for us and dying a violent death. It did not end there, because He overcame the grave, making it possible for us to experience eternal life. After His resurrection and ascension, as the New Testament tells us in several places, Jesus was seated as king at God’s right hand in heaven.
Jesus is active even today as Messiah. He offers ongoing forgiveness and continues to act as a mediator between humanity and God. He provides personal guidance, comfort, and eternal life through the Holy Spirit. And He holds ultimate authority that transcends modern political and worldly systems.
According to the Book of Revelation, Jesus will return to judge all humanity. And so we wait for Him to set this world right. We eagerly await His second coming, when His reign will finally bring healing and establish a new heaven and earth with no sorrow, grief, or death, where He will dwell with us.
Call to Action
How would you explain to a friend why you believe Jesus is the Messiah?
What would change if you truly believed Jesus is who He says He is?
If Jesus is the Messiah God promised, what does that tell us about whether we can trust God's other promises?
Digging Deeper
Read these prophecy passages and their fulfillment verses.
Prophecy Fulfilled
Micah 5:2 Luke 2:4-6
Isaiah 7:14 Luke 1:26-35
Isaiah 35:5-6 Matthew 11:4-5, 15:30
Isaiah 53:4-6 Matthew 8:17
Psalm 16:10 Acts 2:27-32
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for coming as our Savior, the Christ, the Anointed One. Thanks for staying true to your mission to die on the cross and overcome the grave so that we might have forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life. Help me not to take that for granted and to live my life in a way that reflects you as Messiah.
Copyright © 2026 Kyle Cravens