Jesus is ‘Christ’.

Mark 8:27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the
villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say
I am?"
28They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah;
and still others, one of the prophets."
29"But what about you?" he
asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter
answered, "You are the Christ"
30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone
about him.

One of the most familiar yet least understood titles given to Jesus is that of ‘Christ’. In practice for many people the term Christ functions more like Jesus surname than as his title.
Other Tiles such as Lord, King, or Saviour are more obviously titles of position and function we have some understanding of what a Lord or a King or a Saviour does – but what is a Christ? What does this title mean?
“Christos” is a Greek word used to translate the Hebrew Term Messiah. It literally means, ‘anointed one’.
In the Hebrew bible the prophets are called the anointed ones of God.The King of Israel and Judah were anointed to serve God and God’s people.Interestingly Cyrus Emperor of Persia and conqueror of Israel was called God’s anointed one; perhaps because he pursued a policy of generosity instead of repression, and allowed Israel to follow its own religious practices and to rebuild Jerusalem. The term ‘anointed one’ applied to priests and especially the High Priests who were anointed with Holy oil to serve the people of God.
So already in the term Messiah or Christ we see some things that apply to Jesus
· he is the anointed prophet who annunciates the word of God
· he is the anointed high priest who offers an atoning sacrifice
· he is the anointed King who rules with justice and generosity
When Jesus preached his first recorded sermon in his home town of Nazareth he reads from the Prophet Isaiah a text which he claims as his manifesto.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
This is one of the most important texts in the New Testament for it concisely and clearly lays out Jesus own view of himself and his ministry. It provides a central interpretative motif. In art and music a motif is a theme or a pattern that is repeated, it becomes a reference point by which the rest of the work is viewed or heard and interpreted. In the writings of the New Testament there are a few motifs that help us interpret the rest of the work. The Kingdom of God is major motif, the love of God is a central motif, the cross, the resurrection of Jesus these are all motifs or ideas that are important to our understanding of the scriptures and we can test our interpretations of the bible by seeing how they line up with these core motifs.
The title “Christos” or Messiah is itself a motif a very strong theme through which we understand who Jesus is and through which we interpret the writings about Jesus.
In the text from Isaiah 61 quoted in Luke 4 we have Jesus supply his own definition of what the Messiah or the Christ is. This was import to do because in Jesus own time there was a lot of expectation around the idea of a coming messiah.
Messianic expectation.
Several Old Testament themes merged together to create this messianic expectation, Biblical notions such as the Holy One of God, The Son of Man, The Son of David, and from non-biblical literature The Righteous One formed the literary background. Mixed into this was the contemporary political situation and the rise of Israeli nationalism in the face of Roman occupation. People believed and hoped and prayed that the coming messiah would liberate Israel from her oppressors and that he would establish a monarchy that would rule forever.
The depictions of this new messiah varied in different quarters but many saw him as a warrior king who would lead a revolutionary army to overthrow the occupying forces. Some of Jesus’ own disciples were awaiting this style of messiah.
Against this background of expectation comes Jesus who defines what the messiah is like. He defines the term in his conversation, in his preaching and teaching, in his life of service and in his surrender to death. The messiah is not what people had expected. It took people a long time to be convinced that Jesus fitted the bill, that he was the messiah the Christ.
Jesus showed that the Messiah is more like the suffering servant of Isaiah; peace loving, compassionate, gentle, humble, generous, gracious, looking to the needs of others above his own.
So “Christ” as a title for Jesus at its root in Hebrew thinking and in Jesus own teaching is a humble figure who preaches good news to the poor, proclaims freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, who releases the oppressed, and proclaims the year of the Lord's favour.
We could say that “Christ’ signifies the action of God in Jesus. The title “Christ” remind us how God acts toward us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We are reminded that Jesus is more than a teacher of great repute, a healer, a wise man a prophet, he is anointed by God, to fulfil God’s purposes for humanity. We see more in the writing of Paul.
Paul uses the word Christ 275 times the title is clearly important to Paul. Yet Paul; is not so much concerned with who Christ is as to what Christ does. For Paul it’s all about justification, we have been justified by faith through grace - this is what Christ does for us.
With his focus on the work of Christ, Paul is interested in Christ’s role in creation and Christ’s role in the life of the believer.
Paul sees Christ as intimately involved at the beginning of creation.
“by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth”
And more than that Christ is active in sustaining the creation
“in him all things hold together”
Here we have described for us the Cosmic Christ; Christ Jesus creator and sustainer of all things and Christ as the goal of all creation.
“all things were created by him and for him”
Putting together the Gospels depiction of the humble messiah and the Pauline depiction of the cosmic Christ an image emerges of one who though Lord and creator of all things humbles himself to become a human being, to seek and save the lost, and one who sets the pattern and goal for all of existence.
The cosmos was made in him though him and for him
We are made in him through him and for him and it is with this in mind that Paul uses the term Christ, he is concerned to show how our connection with Christ affects how we live here and now.
“there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live”
Paul uses the phrase ‘in Christ’ numerous times to describe the Christian life.
Christ is our life and our salvation
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Gal 2:20
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Phi 1:21
Christ is the source of our unity and equality
in Christ we who are many form one body Ro 12:6
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28
Our life in Christ is marked by freedom, a freedom that allows us to do God’s good and perfect will.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Gal 5:1
he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, Eph 1:9
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:10
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. Col 1:28
Christ as the goal of creation is also our goal our end our purpose our model, we are being changed to become more like him
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus Phi 2:5
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Eph 4:15
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph 4:32
Christ through whom the world was created and for who the world was created is also the sustainer of the world and he sustains us with his constant presence hence we are admonished by Paul to allow Christ to have his way with us.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts Col 3:15
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly Col 3:16
And Paul prays that we grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ Eph 3
Jesus asked his disciples Who do people say I am? and they gave their answers. “Some say you are Elijah, some say you are John, some say you are the prophet”
It’s relatively safe to answer the questions what do other people think of Jesus, we can answer that objectively and have an interesting discussion.
This morning and indeed over the last few weeks I’ve talked about some of the titles given to Jesus and reflected on what the New Testament authors thought of Jesus. All of that is safe stuff to talk about it’s out there it’s an academic question.
However the much harder question to answer and the one that must impinge on every aspect of our lives is the question that Jesus asks next.
Who do you say I am?
And whether you’ve been a Christian for 80 year or 2 years or still undecided this is a perennial question one that must be answered again and again in each life situation we find our self in.
Who do you say I am?
Prophet, teacher, King, Lord, Saviour Christ?