When we say “Jesus Christ,” we are not simply saying a name—we are proclaiming a truth. The word Christ comes from the Greek Christos, which means “the Anointed One.” It translates the Hebrew word Messiah. Both mean the same thing: the One chosen and consecrated by God to bring salvation. In the time of Israel, kings and priests were anointed with oil as a sign that God had set them apart for His work. In Jesus, this ancient sign finds its fulfillment—not in a drop of oil, but in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Many people in Jesus’ time were waiting for the Messiah, the Christ, who would free them from oppression and restore the kingdom of Israel. But Jesus revealed that His mission was far deeper. He came not to conquer political enemies but to conquer sin and death. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus reads from Isaiah, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). In that moment, He declares Himself to be the Christ—the one God promised long ago.
To call Jesus “the Christ” is to recognize that He is the fulfillment of every longing in the human heart. He is the true King who reigns not from a throne of gold but from the Cross, where love triumphs over evil. The Church teaches that by His death and resurrection, Jesus has become the universal Savior—the anointed One who unites heaven and earth, restoring us to the Father’s embrace.
When we say “Jesus Christ,” we are professing faith that He is both fully human and fully divine, the One chosen before all ages to redeem creation. And when we are baptized, we too are “anointed” in His Spirit, called to share in His mission—to bring His light, mercy, and truth into the world.
May the name of Christ remind us that we belong to Him, the Anointed One who loves us beyond measure and reigns forever in glory.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
