All kings of the house of David were seen as 'anointed.' This is to say that all kings of Israel were seen as God's anointed leaders of Israel, but it is not to be mistaken!, one Messiah, one Savior was expected in 1rst century Judaea.
An interesting topic of debate is, ''Did Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary and Joseph, fulfill the role of Messiah?''
This question I will not directly address. It take much more scholarship to make a sufficient post on such a question. What I will do is address this with some common sense, not to prove whether Jesus fulfilled the role of Messiah, but why one would even use this title on Jesus based on the story we have.
Jesus Christ.
Christ is the English derivative of the Greek word used for the Hebrew word for Messiah. So when we use the title, ''Christ,'' we invoke the title of the Jewish expectations of a King who was sent by God as THE anointed one.
Most have come across the idea that Jesus was not what the Jews expected. This is elementary, but let's take this very simple, general understanding and pose some questions to see if we can not establish Jesus as who He said He was.
One has to know, at least generally, what the Jews were expecting. They were expecting the Anointed One to defeat the Romans and establish a kingdom which ruled all nations, that is, the whole world.
Many interpret this as expecting a warrior, an Alexander the Great type, but Jewish.
Jesus was not this, He was a teacher, a healer, and a professor of peace, love, and unity.
So let us examine what this means, not to us, but for those who want to negate Christianity all together.
Why in an era of great expectation, would men boast the death of a man who taught peace and love?
Wouldn't this sound ridiculous to claim one as the Messiah, who was neither a crowned royal or a warrior hero?
These were Jews who proclaimed the life of Jesus! Didn't they want what all Jews wanted? Didn't they want to see Rome defeated and the Jews triumphant!
In fact, it was quite opposite! After the fall of the temple, Christianity spread even more rapidly, and Jesus' name was more affirmed by the many in the pagan Empire.
Reflect on it, swallow it, and realize: this makes no sense for someone to make up a story about a man in Israel, to be not only a peacemaker, but to be put to death, with what to show for it?
Let me answer myself! One could surmise that this was a movement to glorify the deaths of the fallen brothers.
That this Messianic-type of hero in the body of Jesus of Nazareth was a archetype to illustrate the great struggle and heroism which prevailed in the day against the tyranny of the Roman superiors.
I like the effort, but good try, this would mean that this message was for Jews, and only Jews!
What would the pagan Greeks and Roman slaves care about the heroism of the Jewish spirit?
Please tell me! I tried to reflect on it! Can you give me one reason why someone would conjure up a story of such glorious meaning (i.e. of a Messiah), and not give the audience a convincing rendition?
I mean, why boast the death of a hero who failed? What sense is in that?
Why make the Messiah a peacemaker and not a champion of great human privileges and honor?
Jesus was betrayed, denied, and accused! Is this the Messiah one would make up to convince the masses? Hello! I found the Messiah, he hasn't taken over the world, he actually died before he could do that, but boy! he sure was a great guy!
Reflect on it! There is something utterly unique in this tale. A Messiah promised! And wait, here is the best part, he has died as a common criminal! He manifested no ill against the enemy, His friends denied Him, can you believe it! The Messiah! A carpenter! A man condemned to death after three years of a bunch of chit chat and roaming around!
There were others running around claiming to be a Messiah, their movements died at their death. I think it easy to imagine without studying them that they were revolutionaries, bearing arms and rallying militias. That is, playing to what was expected of them, taking up a role and not commanding understanding.
This proclaimed Messiah, Jesus Christ, He came and claimed not the thrown of worldliness, but a thrown greater than that of the universe. Who saw that coming? And who would dare believe it?
Imagine in World War II if the occupied French were expecting liberation, and they got a Huckleberry Finn telling them, ''Give on to the Nazis what are the Nazis, and give on to me your greatest trust, as I will redeem you not through arms but through the spirit.''
Lovely! Doesn't sound plausible for a second! Jesus is no Huckleberry Finn, but he is closer to that than Alexander the Great!
Almost like Ghandi, but even Ghandi saw immediate societal success in his day. Jesus did not, not as the proclaimed Messiah would have been expected!
Other instances of the like:
1) Women as witnesses -- In this day in Judaea, women were not seen as legitimate witnesses, yet their testimony is conveyed in the Resurrection story. Again, poor job trying to convince people! Didn't they learn that if they wanted to make an argument they needed to speak to their audience!
2) Paul, a Jew, who was a persecutor of the Christians, suddenly makes a radical change and becomes on the of the primary evangelists of this message. We have his letters and his testimony.
3) Peter, who in John 21 was told to feed Jesus' sheep and flock, denied Jesus three times, even was accused of being a hypocrite by Paul when Peter first tried to appease the Jewish Christians in the question of the Gentiles. Yet, it was Peter who Jesus chose.
What a marvelous narration, time after time, we do not see heroes, we see follies and failure, outcasts and underachievers, denials and turn aways, and weakness and hesitance.
What are they trying to convince us of again?
I hope when reflected on, you will see that this idea of the Messiah doesn't really seem legitimate if based on fiction. I propose, there is more reason to believe in the ''lack'' of Messiah than the expected Messiah in the embodiment of Jesus, as the story would not seem in the least believable to fit in the context of what the Messiah was to be. I find it hard to deceiver through why anyone would lay claim to the anti-messiah, if you will, in positioning a witness to the True Messiah, if it wasn't true!
This is just one exercise in defending Jesus as Christ, the Messiah. There are several more, such as:
