The promised Messiah who is . . .

 

The study of who God is must include the Hebrew word “Messiah” (meaning anointed one) which translated into Greek as “Christos” — in English, CHRIST. Oddly, “Messiah” does not appear in the OT. References to His coming and what He will do are connected to “Lord” the word that the people of God used instead of “Yehweh” (the “I Am”) a name they considered too holy to say or put in print. However, they knew He was sending them a deliverer who would bring freedom.  

The Greek translation of “Messiah” is in the NT hundreds of times. The connection between those OT prophecies and promises is obvious: Jesus Christ is the Lord God who came in the flesh, the Messiah.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made . . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1–3; 14)

John also declared, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) This makes obvious that a short devotional cannot begin to cover all that the Bible says about the CHRIST. Just a short list declares Who He is, the details of His birth, a bit about His growth to manhood, His many parables about spiritual truth, the miracles He did, the attitudes of His heart, His wisdom, His desire for the lives of His followers, His instruction for prayer, His promises for our obedience, His death and resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His promise to return and many instances of His grace and mercy toward His people.

People have tried to say Jesus CHRIST did not exist yet there is more records to prove He did than any other historical figure. Some say He was a mere man or a good teacher, yet His life and His words do not fit with the “only a man” theory and the curriculum of “good teachers” have no comparison with the teachings of CHRIST Jesus.

Some say He didn’t really die, yet the records say otherwise. Some say He didn’t really rise from the dead, yet His followers saw Him, ate with Him, and were willing to die themselves rather than renounce their faith in this Living Savior.

Some say He was a created being or an angel who dropped in for a visit. This does not fit with the records or with His claims about Himself. For those who try to dismiss Him as being other than God in the flesh must contend with His words and miracles with a reasonable explanation. As the Roman soldier said when Jesus was on the cross, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”

Others try to mystify or spiritualize His life, as if it is a symbol or represents God but was not a real person, yet CHRIST ate with sinners, slept on a boat, and walked and prayed. He called Himself “the Son of Man” and was no figment in the imagination of a few people who were hungry for the presence of God. Most of the time the twelve were confused and misread Him; they never figured it out until the Spirit of God revealed truth to them, showing that we also need that same revealing:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the CHRIST, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:13–17)

After they understood, and after the CHRIST, their Messiah died and rose from the dead, they were completely convinced and would later give their lives rather than deny Him.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. I wish I’d been there to see His face, eat lunch with Him, walk with Him. Yet because of His gift of Himself to me, I can listen to Him, talk with Him, and know He is Emmanuel, God with me. He has changed my life and given me great anticipation for eternity with Him. I know that He lives and is involved in my life, indeed, involved in all the affairs of this world. His presence brings peace and joy, assurance of His loving sovereignty —  all that I would expect of God who became flesh and did it simply because of His great love.