When Jesus arrived … he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?” … He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” [Matthew 16:13,15-16 MSG]
Xristós, the word translated here as Christ, communicates the idea of a person that has been anointed. In the context of this passage, many translate the word as Messiah, the long awaited deliverer of the Jewish nation prophesied in the Old Testament by the prophets. I love the layering of the dialog that Jesus had with his friends. So interesting how fast his questions became personal.
In a world where many think that Christ is the last name of Jesus, it is a small wonder that many are ignorant of what it means to be anointed. Surely many have anointed others to rule over them seeing charismatic people as messianic individuals. Jesus was different than those. When I think of what it means to be anointed as Jesus was my mind sees an image of a servant.
Jesus is often thought of as a servant king. So when I consider the anointing of the Holy Spirit on my life, I remember that I am anointed to be a servant, loving God and others with all that I am. So different than the messianic imagery that has permeated some religions these days. Even so, it is important to remember that Jesus spoke of a kingdom where the greatest among us would be servants.
Anoint me afresh dear Spirit of the living God. That I may embody Christ in the world.
... this devotion is part of the z2a bible words series.
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