“Messiah’ is an Aramaic word meaning “the Anointed.”
According to the Bible Dictionary, “it denotes the King and Deliverer whose coming the Jews were eagerly expecting. In the New Testament the deliverer is called the Christ, which is the Greek equivalent of Messiah, and Jesus the Messiah is called Jesus the Christ, Jesus Christ, or Christ Jesus. Jesus is spoken of as the Christ and the Messiah, which means he is the one anointed of the Father to be his personal representative in all things pertaining to the salvation of mankind”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland teaches: “Internal theological conflict among Jews in the meridian of time could often be traced back to the issue of the long-promised Messiah. Where was He? When would He come? Would God keep His promise to send Him? Of course, He did come, but not with the power and political impact many had anticipated. Consequently, many of His own tribe and heritage did not recognize Him and still wait for that advent.”
Among those who did recognize Jesus Christ as “the Anointed” was Andrew, a follower of John the Baptist. When John pointed Jesus out and declared Him to be “the lamb of God”, Andrew took an interest and followed the Savior, accepting an invitation to spend a day with Him at His home. I would love to know what took place during that day at Jesus’ home; the conversations, the teachings, the interactions. Whatever did happen, Andrew came away with a conviction that Jesus was in fact the promised Messiah.
In John: 1:41, we read what Andrew did next: “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias”.
As we think of Andrew’s example, may we recognize the arrival and presence of the Messiah in our own lives, may we look to Him for deliverance and direction and may we anxiously share who and what we have found with others.
Sources:
Bible Dictionary, Messiah
Jeffrey R. Holland, Witness for His Names, Deseret Book 2019