What Does Messiah Mean in the Bible?
In the Bible, Messiah means "the anointed one." It is the title for the Savior God promised to send to His people. The title Christ means exactly the same thing, so when Christians say "Jesus Christ," they are saying "Jesus the Messiah." The Bible teaches that Jesus is this promised Messiah, sent by God to save people from their sins and to reign as King forever. The word messianic simply describes anything connected with the Messiah, such as the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.
Why Is the Messiah Called the Anointed One?
The Messiah is called the Anointed One because, in the Old Testament, anointing showed that God had chosen someone for a special task. To anoint a person was to pour oil on their head. Priests were anointed (Exodus 29:7), kings were anointed (1 Samuel 10:1), and the prophet Elisha was anointed to follow Elijah (1 Kings 19:16).
Each of these people served God for a time and then died. Yet the Old Testament looked forward to one final Anointed One whose work would never end.
How Did the Old Testament Point to the Messiah?
The Old Testament promised a King from the family of David who would reign forever and bring lasting peace. God told David that one of his descendants would have a throne established forever (2 Samuel 7:12–13). This is why the line of David mattered so much when Jesus was born.
Isaiah described this coming King as a child: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Daniel spoke of "the Anointed One, the ruler" (Daniel 9:25) and linked his coming with putting an end to sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24).
Israel waited for this promised deliverer for centuries. When the Messiah finally came, He would deal not only with earthly enemies but with sin itself.
How Is Jesus the Messiah?
The New Testament presents Jesus as the promised Messiah, and Jesus accepted the title Himself. After meeting Jesus, Andrew ran to his brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ) (John 1:41). Peter later said to Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). When a Samaritan woman told Jesus she was waiting for the Messiah, He answered, "I, the one speaking to you—I am he" (John 4:26).
Jesus also fulfills all three anointed roles of the Old Testament:
- Priest: He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin, once for all (Hebrews 9:11–12).
- Prophet: He spoke the very words the Father gave Him (John 12:49–50).
- King: He reigns, though His kingdom "is not of this world" (John 18:36). This is the kingdom Jesus taught His followers to pray for when they say "your kingdom come".
Jesus is more than a prophet or a good teacher. He is the Word who "became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). The same God who sent the prophets came in person to keep His promise, and the Gospels record Jesus speaking about His own divine identity.
Why Does the Messiah Matter at Christmas?
Christmas celebrates the birth of the Messiah. On the night Jesus was born, the angel told the shepherds, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11). The baby in the manger was the Anointed One the prophets had promised. He was anointed not with oil but, as Peter later said, "with the Holy Spirit and power" (Acts 10:38).
This means Christmas and Easter belong to one story. The child born in Bethlehem is the same Savior who died and rose again. This is the heart of why Christians celebrate Christmas: God kept His promise, and He still invites everyone to trust in Jesus, the promised Christ.
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