The Bible uses many names to reveal the person and mission of Jesus Christ. One of His names is Messiah, meaning the Anointed or Chosen One, in the Greek, Christos, in English, Christ. One of the key Scriptures for understanding Jesus as the Messiah or Chosen One is Psalm 2:
Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”
He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
“But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
“I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”
Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
From Psalm 2, we see that it is God, the Father, who chose and installed His Son, Jesus Christ, as the messianic King over all the earth! The very “ends of the earth” are Christ’s possession. Christ is the Name above all names to whom every knee will bow (Phil. 2:9).
In the Old Testament, according to God’s Word, priests, prophets, and kings were anointed with oil for service to the Lord. The anointing represented the Spirit of God given them for empowerment to serve the LORD. Through the anointing, these individuals were consecrated, meaning set apart for God’s work. Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism (Luke 3:22). In Hebrews 1:8-9, the writer speaking of Jesus quotes not only Psalm 2 (which we read above), but also Psalm 45:6-7:
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your fellows.
From these Scriptures, we see that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. He is anointed with the oil of joy above His companions. He is Jesus, the Christ. This makes Him the messianic King whose coming to the earth was longed for by the Jewish nation according to their prophets. Yet, at Christ’s coming into the world, the Jewish nation in large part rejected Him.
As New Testament believers, we are the ones who have placed our faith in Christ as King, chosen and anointed by God to establish His kingdom on earth. Because of our faith in Him, the very Spirit that consecrated and empowered Jesus for service has been given to us as believers! We are called to be led by God’s Holy Spirit every day. His Spirit enables us to serve in His kingdom as we await our messianic King’s return to rule and reign on earth. Today, take time to pay attention to how the Holy Spirit is leading, teaching, and strengthening you. As it says in Psalm 2 regarding our messianic King, “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”
NASB 1995 Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org
You can learn more about the names of Jesus through Nancy's Knowing Jesus by His Names: Growing Closer to Christ Through His Names and Titles.
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