Why was Jesus called Christ?
▪ The Gospel accounts relate that when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she would become pregnant, he told her that she should name her son Jesus. (Luke 1:31) This was a fairly common name among the Jews in Bible times. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote of 12 people, other than those mentioned in the Scriptures, who bore that name. Mary’s son was called “the Nazarene,” which served to identify him as the Jesus who came from Nazareth. (Mark 10:47) He also came to be known as “the Christ,” or Jesus Christ. (Matthew 16:16) What does this mean?
The English word “Christ” comes from the Greek Khri·stos′, the equivalent of the Hebrew Ma·shi′ach (Messiah). Both words literally mean “Anointed One.” This term was properly applied to others before Jesus. For example, Moses, Aaron, and King David were all said to be anointed, meaning that they were appointed to God-given positions of responsibility and authority. (Leviticus 4:3; 8:12; 2 Samuel 22:51; Hebrews 11:24-26) Jesus, the foretold Messiah, was the preeminent representative of Yahweh. Hence, Jesus appropriately received the designation “Christ, the Son of the living God.”—Matthew 16:16; Daniel 9:25.
