Christ or Messiah?

Advent 2017 The Christmas Story from Matthew 1-2

For my first post, The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, go here
For the introduction to this series, go here

A survey of Matthew 1 & 2 reveals that he is called many names, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Emmanuel, King of the Jews, the Christ, Governor, and Nazarene. The same survey shows that he is referred to as Christ five times. Clearly, the gospel message is that this Jesus is the Christ.

This is the message that I increasingly feel compelled to announce while at the same time being aware that the Christ says absolutely nothing to the people around me. This may also be true for many in the church. So, what does this mean, Jesus is the Christ?

Christ is a transliteration of the Greek word, christos, and according to Thayer’s Lexicon it means, anointed. Christos occurs many times in the Septuagint and is usually translated anointed; but six times it is translated Christ, three of them very significant:

Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers gathered themselves together, against the Lord, and against his Christ;

Daniel 9:25   And thou shalt know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince...

Amos 4:13 For, behold, I am he that strengthens the thunder, and creates the wind, and proclaims to men his Christ...

In the 3rd century BC Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek. Christos is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word mashiach, which means anointed or anointed one. In English it is Messiah. Messiah occurs twice in the KJV translation of the Hebrew Old Testament:

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 

So which is right, Messiah or Christ? They mean the same thing, The Anointed One. We can see this from the two occurrences of Messiah (Messias in the KJV) in the New Testament:

John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

What is the Messiah?
“Messiah is the designation given by the Hebrews to that Savior and Deliverer whom they expected, and who was promised to them by all the prophets. As the holy unction was given to kings, priests, and prophets, by describing the promised Savior of the world under the name of Christ, Anointed, or Messiah, it was sufficiently evidenced that the qualities of king, prophet, and high priest would eminently center in him, and that he should exercise them not only over the Jews but over all mankind, and particularly over those who should receive him as their Savior.”  (ATS Bible Dictionary)

“This word Messiah (Mashiach) answers to the word Christ (Christos) in the New Testament. The kings of Israel were called anointed, from the mode of their consecration. (1 Samuel 2:10,35; 12:3,5 etc). This word also refers to the expected Prince of the chosen people who was to complete God's purposes for them and to redeem them, and of whose coming the prophets of the old covenant in all time spoke. He was the Messiah, the Anointed, i.e. consecrated as the king and prophet by God's appointment.”  (Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

This promise of the Savior or Messiah runs throughout the Old Testament and tells us of his nation, tribe, family; manner and place of birth; his ministry, death, resurrection, and exaltation; his kingdom (salvation, calling of the Gentiles); and his glory. This is the gospel, Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.

I find this interesting: In the Gospels and Acts, the aim is identifying Jesus as the Christ; but in the epistles, written to believers, he is Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus; most often simply as Christ, and very rarely as Jesus.

Christ has come, he is our Savior and Jesus is his name. We see Jesus, crowned with glory and honor.

  

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 

Jesus, Luke 4:18-19

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about 

doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 

Peter, Acts 10:38