What does Anointed One mean?
"Anointed one" in Hebrew is "Messiah"; in Greek, "Christ". According to the Jamieson, Fausset, Brown commentary, "anointing, as an emblem of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, was conferred on prophets (Isaiah 6:1); priests (Exodus 30:30); and kings (1Samuel 10:1; 16:13; 1Kings 1:39). "Anointed one" is a term that has generally been used by the Jewish people to denote the coming of the one whom the Old testament predicted would usher in an era of peace and holiness.
Who is/was this Anointed one?
If you ask a follower of Judaism this question, they will tell you that the Anointed One is yet to come. We, as believers in Jesus Christ as the redeemer, believe that He was/is the Anointed one who came as priest, king, and prophet, fulfilling all offices of anointing and therefore, rightly garnished with the name of "anointed one".
What are the criteria for knowing He is the Anointed one?
- A seed of woman (Genesis 3: 15)
- Descendent of Abraham through whom ALL nations would be blessed (Genesis 12: 3)
- Descendent of Isaac (Gen 17: 19), Jacob (Num 24: 17); Judah (Gen 49: 10), Jesse (Isaiah 11:10), and David (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Shepherd His people (Ezekiel 37)
- Heir to the throne of David (Isaiah 9: 7)
- Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5: 2)
- Born in Jeremiah's prophetic time frame (Dan 9: 25)
- Born of a virgin (or, as some would argue, simply young unmarried girl) (Isaiah 7: 14)
- In some way come out of Egypt (Hosea 11: 1; Matthew 2: 14-15)
- A forerunner, described as Elijah, will prepare the way for Him (Isaiah 40: 3-5; Mal 4: 5-6)
- Declared the Son of God (Psalm 2: 7)
- He would minister primarily in the Galilean region (Isaiah 9: 1-2)
- He will have zeal for the house of God, the temple (Psalm 69: 9)
- Prophet (Deut 18: 15)
- Healer of the lame, blind, and deaf (Isaiah 35: 5-6)
- He will suffer (Isaiah 53)
- Meek and mild (Isaiah 53: 7)
- Concern for the gentiles (Isaiah 42: 1)
- Rejected and despised (Isaiah 53: 3)
- Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110: 4)
- A triumphal entry (Zech 9: 9)
- Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver that then bought the Potter's field (Zech 11: 12-13)
- Spat on and struck (Isaiah 50: 6)
- Pierced (Zech 12: 10)
- No broken bones (Psalm 34: 20)
- Darkness would come over the land 'on that day' (Amos 8: 9)
As seen above, there are many prophecies regarding the anointed one in the Old testament. There are dozens more where those come from. So far, how does Jesus compare?
Does Jesus claim to be the anointed one?
Jesus Himself claimed to be the anointed one on several occasions. First of all, in John 4: 25-26, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that He is the messiah. In Matthew 16: 15-17, Jesus affirms Peter's claim that He is the messiah. Mark 14: 61-62 finds Jesus telling the high priest that He is the messiah. And, in Luke 4: 14-21, we find Jesus reading Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, which states, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." He reads this only to sit down and tell the attentive gatherers that the Scripture He had just read was fulfilled in their midst.
Why did many refuse to believe Jesus was the messiah?
Many zealous and religious Jews of the first century heard Jesus's message and rejected his claims to be messiah. What is it they were looking for that Jesus did not embody?
First of all, they believed that their messiah would liberate them from Roman rule, bring world peace, and instill holiness in their nation once again. Jesus did not engage with the political powers as expected. He was not king as Herod was king. He came as a servant and though His message was seen as political by the authorities around Him, He Himself confessed that He had a different sort of kingdom. He did not liberate Israel from Rome- at least not physically. I'd guess that many followers of the crucified and risen Lord would have felt differently, however. They may have said that they were liberated from the spirtual and emotional bondage of Rome. They became victors through Christ in a way that Rome could not take away, even through threats, persecution, and death.
Second of all, Jesus died. The reigning and ruling Messiah was not meant to die. His death ended the dream of immediate world peace. In fact, it seemed that those who followed Him faced less external peace than they had before He came around.
Thirdly, and most bluntly, He looked NOTHING like the religious community of the 1st century. He hung out with the people they rejected. He even talked to women He wasn't related to! He took on the rejects as disciples. He lived on earth humbly, confessing that He had nowhere to lay His head. And He was critically opinionated about the popular religious system of the time.
What can I/we learn from this?
We need to watch what we expect of Jesus. The majority that encountered Him in the first century were blinded by their own false expectations and interpretations of what the messiah would be like. And as a result, they missed His coming.
So, first of all, let's not expect what is contrary to Scripture. If Scripture doesn't say it, or Scripture contradicts it, it's a false hope and a wrong expectation. Second of all, just as Christ came and placed Scripture in a new light, let's leave room for Him to re-interpret things for us. The Pharisees needed this re-interpretation often because they knew the Scriptures but they lost the heart behind what the Scriptures were teaching. For example, they came to Jesus one day and asked if divorce was permitted. This seems like an innocent enough question until we look at what they attached to it. "Moses COMMANDED us to give a certificate of divorce..." Really?!? He commanded you to get divorced, huh? Jesus quickly re-interprets their now false tradition and justification and brings the truth to the forefront once again- "Moses ALLOWED you to do so because your hearts were evil."
The part that first century Jews missed, and many Jews and Gentiles still miss today, is timing. Prophecies never promised that the Messiah would come and deliver everything at once. In fact, the difference in the prophecies make such a possibility unlikely as we have prophecies that support His victorious kingdom reign and yet His tremendous suffering servanthood. We've seen the latter. We WILL one day see the end of oppression and injustice and watch the messiah return to bring in that reign of peace and holiness He has promised.
May we keep studying who Jesus is so that when He comes back, we won't miss Him. Although this time, it might be easier even for the blind to spot Him. He's going to rend the heavens and come down in glory. Just try and miss that.
Tomorrow, we will study the title "Apostle" from Hebrews 3: 1.
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