Messiah

“The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ.” (John 4:25 NLT)

The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew Mashiach, meaning anointed/consecrated/chosen one. The word Christ comes from the Greek word Christos, also meaning anointed one.

There are several accounts of Jesus being anointed by women in the New Testament:

“You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.” (Luke 7:46 ESV)

“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1 ESV)

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.” (Mark 16:1 ESV)

Judaic Scriptures predicted  a Messiah, but many Jews who encountered Jesus did not recognize him as the anointed one. Instead, they saw him as a rebel who questioned their preconceived beliefs and threatened their way of life.  They were waiting for someone who would support their worldview, not challenge it.

Are we able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah? As imitators of Christ, do our lives reflect His anointing? Are we fully consecrated--set apart, dedicated to serving Him? Or, like the religious elite who encountered Jesus, are we blinded by the conventions of our time?