Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
In Mark 8, we consider Peter’s great revelation about Jesus. But first, some background.
In the Old Testament, people were anointed with oil for important jobs.
– Moses anointed Aaron as high priest (Ex 29:7).
– Samuel anointed David as king of Israel (1 Sam 10:1, 16:13).
– God called Cyrus, king of Persia, his anointed one, and Cyrus let the exiles return to Jerusalem (Isa 45:1).
– The prophet Daniel predicted a future anointed one, a new king of Israel (Dan 9:25-26).
What word do you think the Old Testament uses for all these anointed ones? It uses the Hebrew word “mashiyach” which English borrows as our word messiah. Think of it this way: high priest Aaron a messiah. King David a messiah. Cyrus of Persia a messiah.
After Alexander the Great conquered the world, Greek became the universal language of trade and scholarship. So the Israelites translated the Old Testament into the Greek Septuagint version. But there was a problem. Greek didn’t have a word for “anointed one”.
Solution? The translators invented a new word by creating a noun out of the Greek verb anoint.
Their word was christos, which became our English word Christ. In the Greek version of the Old Testament, this made Aaron and David and Cyrus all christs. In the New Testament we meet Jesus Christ, Jesus the Anointed One.
Now, back to Mark 8, where Jesus asked his disciples, ”Who do people on the street say I am?”
They replied, “People say you’re John the Baptist, Elijah, or a prophet” (Mark 8:28).
Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter said, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29)
Strangely, in my Bible Peter says, “You are the Messiah.” Translators had to decide whether to use the Greek Christ or the Hebrew Messiah translate Peter’s words into English as the anointed one.
Confusing? What does it all mean?
It means Jesus was special. God’s power and wisdom rested on him, as it did on Aaron and David and Cyrus.
It also means God’s promise of a Messiah in the Hebrew Old Testament, or a Christ in the Greek version of the Old Testament, was fulfilled in Jesus.
Let’s pray.
O Jesus, we have long believed you are special. God called you his son. You took up the job of priest that Aaron didn’t finish, and the job of king that David began, and the office of prophet that Daniel honored.
We confess with Peter that you are the one specially anointed by God–the Messiah, the Christ. You are the new prophet, the new priest, the new king. Be our king. Teach us to live in your kingdom.
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube
Pray with Me 