God's son

Messiah

Depending on who you ask, various people may have different names for you – each revealing another little detail about your character.

Some people might refer to you as a ‘friend’, others may call you their ‘son' or 'daughter’, and others may name you as their ‘classmate’.

In the Bible, Jesus is given many different names, each revealing another aspect of his character. One of the most significant names for Jesus is the ‘Messiah’.

Messiah is a Hebrew word, and it means ‘anointed one’ or ‘chosen one’.

Jeremiah's prophecy

In the Old Testament, a prophet called Jeremiah told about the coming of a Messiah. The passage where we can find this in the Bible was written nearly 600 years before Jesus was born.

Prophecies made about Jesus in the Old Testament turned out to be rather accurate; from describing the events of his birth, to detailing how he would die.

While there was a lot of conflict and turmoil going on in Jeremiah’s life, his message was one of hope. He spoke about a king who would rule with more wisdom, justice, and righteousness than any other king had ever done. One who would reunite kingdoms and lead his people into better days.

An unexpected king

Have you ever opened a present and it wasn’t quite what you were expecting?

Many people alive during the time of Jesus felt that he was not the mighty, tremendous, superhero-like character that had been expected of a Messiah.

Rather, Jesus was humble and came from very basic beginnings. He was constantly serving others and teaching them through his own perfect life.

In John Chapter 13, we even read of how Jesus washes the feet of his disciples – hardly the actions of a chosen king coming to rule over his people.

Jesus came to serve

The Bible states that Jesus would come as a "suffering servant", rather than a king and a conqueror. This is yet another prophecy in the Old Testament, made hundreds of years before Jesus was born.

Jesus himself said that he came "not to be served, but to serve".

We read in each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that on a day now know as Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem on what would be one of his final journeys.

However, rather than arriving to a flamboyant, royal welcome, Jesus came in typically humble style – on the back of a donkey and with people laying out cloaks and palm branches on the road in front of him.

Jesus shows his true power

So, were Jeremiah’s prophecies about the coming Messiah untrue? Christians believe that Jesus showed his true power when he rose again from the dead.

In terms of rescuing his people from their enemies, reuniting kingdoms and ruling over his followers, the Bible emphasises that these prophecies were fulfilled, but just not in the way that people expected.

In addition, Christians believe that Jesus will return to Earth again in the future – this time displaying all of the might and authority of the expected Messiah.

Now that you know about Jesus' role of Messiah, learn about the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven.