The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

When a young man graduates from medical school and moves to a small town to begin
private practice, the members of the community might use the title “Doctor” with great respect as
a prefix to his name. But as the years pass and the doctor becomes more and more a part of the
community, the title “Doctor” often becomes the nickname “Doc.” Similarly, Paul took the title
“Messiah” and made it the personal name of Christ by which many Christians today refer to
Jesus Christ.
THE MESSIAH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Throughout the pages of Old Testament revelation, the prophets of Israel and Judah
displayed a pervasive Messianic hope. In their messages, which were often characterized by
judgment or doom, often there was also a distant hope that ultimate deliverance would come
from God. This deliverance was more than a supernatural phenomenon; it was the work of an
anointed servant of God designated “the Messiah” (cf. Daniel 9:25). This title, which became a
name of Jesus, was a title of the preincarnate Christ in that eternal day before the beginning of
time. From the very beginning, opposition to God is the same as opposition to “his anointed”
(Psalm 2:2). In the consummation of this age, the kingdom of Jehovah is identical to the
kingdom “of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15).
In the context of the Old Testament, the term “Messiah” or “Anointed One” had specific
relevance to the three offices into which the candidate was normally initiated by an act of
anointing-the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. Because of this I have called it the “Threefold
Anointed Office.” Prophetically, the coming Messiah (“anointed one”) was portrayed as holding
each of the offices. Typically, the New Testament identifies Christ in the context of the past
principal holders of these offices-namely, the Prophet Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15-19), the
Priest Melchizedek (cf. Psalm 110:4), and the King David (II Samuel 7:12,13). The candidate for
each of these offices was anointed with oil (cf. I Kings 19:16; Exodus 29:6,7; I Samuel 16:13). In
fulfillment of the type, Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit as He began His public ministry
(Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10,11; Luke 3:21,22; John 1:32,33).
We must assume that the early disciples understood the title “Christ” in the Old
Testament context of “the Messiah. “ John the Baptist confessed that he, himself, was not the
Christ (John 1:20), yet those who left John to follow Jesus announced boldly, “We have found
the Messias” (John 1:41). The divine anointing of Jesus for specific service was important in
both the teaching of Jesus and the Jerusalem church (cf. Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38). From the very
beginning, the early church understood Jesus in terms of His Threefold Anointed OfficeProphet,
Priest, and King.
The Anointed Prophet
Few people would deny the prophetic ministry of Jesus even if they might reject the
content of His teaching. It is a common practice among those who deny His deity and the unique
redemptive nature of His work at least to acknowledge Him to be a moral teacher and religious
prophet. Of course, the prophetic office of Christ as revealed in Scripture was far more specific
than the vague description of Jesus as a prophet by a liberal teacher.