December 11: Messiah
“‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).”
Growing up, I had always just assumed that Christ was the surname of Jesus. Christmas was the day we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ, as opposed to say John Smith or David Bowie (which I could only assume would have been called Smithmas and Bowiemas if they were a thing). But Christ is not the surname of Jesus, although it is frequently paired with his first name in both Scripture and tradition. No, as today’s verse implies, Christ is a title. It is a translation of the Jewish Messiah in the common Greek language of the Roman Empire at the time. Both words basically mean “Anointed One”, referring to the foretold king who was to come and rescue God’s people. Therefore, to say that Jesus is the Christ, is to say that he is God’s chosen one who has come to usher in the new age of the Kingdom of God.
“We have found the Messiah!” says Andrew to is brother Peter at the start of John’s gospel. “We’ve found him!”. What an amazing thought! Can you image the excitement of the disciples as they came to grips with this? Can you imagine all that was running through their minds as they thought through the implications? But the disciples didn’t have a clue exactly what Jesus was really up to. They had understood the Messiah to be a political saviour, one who would rise up to power and overthrow the rule of foreign powers, particularly the Roman Empire. But Jesus had other plans. He wasn’t going to rule through military might, but through suffering. He wasn’t going to lead a rebellion against earthly empires, he was going to set in motion the destruction of the empire of spiritual darkness: Satan, sin and death. He wasn’t going to conquer through strength, but in his death. Jesus subverts all expectation as the saviour. He might just subvert yours this Christmas.
Are you paying attention to what Jesus is really doing this Christmas or just following your own expectations? If you pay attention and open the door to him, you might just be surprised what he’ll do in your life.