Jesus

Messiah and King

What comes to mind when you hear the word Messiah? Many people connect it with Christmas. Here's what the angels said to the shepherds about the baby Jesus:

"The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:11)

If you’ve ever read the long lists of names in the Bible (if not, we get it — lots of people skip right over those genealogies), you might have seen the word there because it starts like this:

This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah,​ a descendant of David and Abraham.
[Then a long list of about 40 names goes here.]
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
All those listed above [in the long list of about 40 names]​ include 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the Babylonian exile, and 14 from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. (from Matthew 1:1, 16-18)

So it makes sense to associate Messiah​ with Christmas. But the Messiah’s story includes so much more than that one event. In fact, the story goes way back to the beginning of all things and is the most important story ever because it's the story of Jesus.

Warm-Up

  • Have you heard the word Messiah before? How was it used or explained?
  • The word Messiah​ is one thing that connects the Old Testament to the New Testament. Talk about the Old Testament — what you think about it, what you know about it, what you've heard about it, what you've read in it. Why do you think the Old Testament is part of the Bible?

Watch

"Messiah"​ (5:13) *This video mentions Eden, Abraham, Judah, David, Babylon, the prophets, and Isaiah.

Read

Read a few of these key scenes (mentioned in the video) in the Messiah story:

  1. Genesis 3:14-15 (curse of the serpent)
  2. Genesis 12:1-3 (promise to Abraham)
  3. Genesis 49:8-10 (promise to Judah)
  4. 2 Samuel 7:8-13 (promise to David)
  5. Luke 1:26-33 (promise to Mary)
  6. Luke 24:13-27 (resurrected Jesus appears to some disciples and explains that he is the Messiah)

Respond

  • Did you know that the story of Jesus started way back in the Old Testament? What does that tell us about Jesus?
  • Many people view Jesus as just their own personal Savior and friend. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Messiah of the world. What's the difference between those two things? Why are both important?

​Engage

Read Romans 6:6-11. Read it again, using the word Messiah instead of Christ this time (the New Testament uses these two words interchangeably).

  • What do you learn about Jesus Christ (the Messiah)?
  • What do you learn about followers of Jesus?

End

Pray that you would know and follow Jesus not just as your personal Savior but also as the promised Messiah for all people. Think about how your story is connected to the full story of the Bible because of knowing Jesus as the Messiah.

P.S.

  • For more about the story of the Old Testament, check out B.C. Flyover.​
  • The ancient Hebrew word masheakh​ (mah-SHE’-akh) is usually translated “anointed” or “anointed one,” and often refers to someone who will save or free people. In the Old Testament, it sometimes describes certain priests or kings, who were especially anointed for a specific role. It’s where the word “Messiah” comes from.
  • When the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) was translated into Greek, the word used for “anointed one” was kristos​ or christos, which is where we get “Jesus Christ.” “Christ” isn’t his last name. It’s his title. He is Jesus the Christ, or Jesus the Messiah. Sometimes the New Testament uses the word "Messiah" and sometimes it uses "Christ."