Jesus Christ Meaning: What’s In a Name?
The first gift that young parents give to their children is the gift of life. The second is their name. Young couples usually expend a significant amount of time and energy into coming up with the right name for their child to be sure they give them one that holds some type of meaning. Many choose family names that have been handed down for generations, names of famous people who hold some meaning to the parents or names whose meaning hold some significance to the couple. Many Christians opt for names of people in the Bible, while Catholics often head straight for the names of Saints.
Young Mary and Joseph of Nazarene did not have this option, as their baby was given his name by God, Jesus Christ, meaning that he was being put on this earth for a special purpose.
The Origin of Jesus
The Gospel of Matthew details the story of the angst that ensued when Joseph, engaged to marry Mary, discovered that she was already pregnant. As Joseph fretted about how he should handle the situation, an angel appeared and said:
“…do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21
“Jesus” derives from the Latin root, Iesus. The New Testament, however, was written in Greek, so the name given to Joseph by the angel would have been “Iēsoûs,” which is “Joshua” in the Hebrew language. The meaning behind the name Joshua is “Yahweh delivers” or “Yahweh rescues,” but Christians normally refer to it as “God’s salvation.”
In this case, Jesus not only became the name identified with Joseph and Mary’s offspring, but also was central to who Jesus was and what his life would be about.
Christ Meaning
In Biblical times, Christ (Khrīstos in Greek) was used more as a title than a name, and its literal translation means “anointed.” Jesus is commonly referred to as “Jesus Christ,” a combination of the name and the title, or “Jesus the Annointed.” This word in Hebrew is “Māšîaḥ,” which becomes “Messiah” in the English language where Christ is often referred to as “Jesus the Messiah.”
The Jews during Biblical times were aware of the messages put forth by the Old Testament, and used the scriptures to guide their day-to-day lives. In fact, anointing was used to set a person apart for some special purpose.
Those who believed the word of the Old Testament fully expected the arrival of Jesus through various scriptures, such as John 4:25 that tells us: “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.”
Jesus Christ, meaning “God’s salvation” and “the anointed one” was more than a name; it foretold the future of the life of the purported Son of God.