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Christ (Messiah)
In plain words
Christ is not Jesus' surname but a title meaning the promised King God sent to save.
Many people think Christ is Jesus' last name. It is actually a title. Christ comes from the Greek word for anointed, and Messiah comes from the Hebrew word with the same meaning. In ancient Israel, kings were anointed with oil to show God had chosen them.
For centuries, Israel waited for the Messiah: a King God would send to rescue His people and set the world right. When Andrew met Jesus, he ran to his brother and said, "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41). That was huge news.
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When Peter told Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), it was the turning point of the Gospels. But many expected a Messiah who would defeat the Romans. Jesus showed that the Messiah first had to suffer and die, and then enter His glory (Luke 24:26-27).
Calling Jesus Christ means more than knowing a fact. It means accepting Him as your King. After the resurrection, Peter declared that God made Jesus "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). Practically: when you say His name, remember you are saying He has the right to lead your life.
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The Hebrew mashiach and the Greek christos both mean anointed one. Prophets, priests and kings were anointed in Israel, and Jesus fulfils all three roles. The promise grows through the Old Testament: from the seed of the woman to the son of David whose kingdom has no end.
Jesus often avoided the title in public, likely because of political expectations, and He joined it with the suffering servant of Isaiah. Jewish and Christian readers have long differed on whether Jesus is the Messiah, and Christians differ on details of how prophecies are fulfilled, but the New Testament confesses Him as the Christ.
My verses
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).
Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.
Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!