We use saviour quite a lot now as we believe it represents what God has done for us in Christ. When dying Jesus rose to save us that is why he is known as a saviour which is very important to us. Some people believe that Jesus is still active today in the world working and helping in people.
Christ, Messiah (and other variations)
Christ is a Greek word and messiah is Hebrew they both mean the same thing in English and that is ‘Anointed one’. Anointing is what Christians do, it is a symbol to show someone has been set aside for a special task. People are anointed at baptism and confirmation. There are many variations of the word messiah they are King of the Jews, Son of David, Son of most high God, Holy one of God. Christ is a title given to Jesus. Messiah comes from the title Son of David. King David was said to be a favourite of God and of the Jews. When David lost his kingdom and his power it was considered that God would send us down a descendant of David to become the Jews king. This descendant was supposed to be called the Messiah. By the time Jesus was sent to the Jews there was a messianic hope that God would send this king and he would be a great warrior whom God promised to set them free and gain their land back off the Romans. Jesus didn’t want to be called messiah because he wasn’t the messiah the Jews cried out for. He came to bring the people peace and good will to their neighbours. Jesus is called Messiah in Mk12:35 “How can the teachers of the law say that the Messiah will be a descendant of David?”, Jesus is called Son of David in Mk8:2 “Jesus! Son of David! Take pity on me!”. People see Christ as Jesus’ surname but really it means ‘Jesus the anointed one’, which is his title. King of the Jews was only used at the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate and at the Crucifixion used in disbelief by Pilate and as a joke by Jewish leaders but Mark uses it as a messianic title. Son of David was used by the blind man Bartimaeus who tried to get Jesus’ attention. It was also be meant to mean that Jesus is the messiah and a descendant of David. Holy one of God was used by a man with an unclean spirit in Capernaum. The Evil spirit was capable of recognising the divinity of Jesus and is frightened of his power (Mk 1:24). Son of God is a similar title to Holy on of God. Son of Most High God once again it was used by the demonic, who had an insight into the person of Jesus (Mk5:7). Same as calling him the Son of God.
The first followers were the Jews they hoped that the Messiah would be a glorious leader. But Jesus saw himself as a suffering servant. The Disciples all believed the Messiah would represent god when he came. The Messiah would bring the Jews a great time of Joy and Happiness.
Followers of the Messiah today believe that Jesus the long awaited Messiah sent from God will some day come again and save them. They hope that the warrior King will come and free them from sin and evil. Jesus possibly did not want people to welcome him with false ideas of who the messiah was going to be. His idea was very different from the popular Jewish idea of the Messiah. Messiah is not a title that we use now to refer to Jesus with. We are more likely to use Christ so we have really now lost the meaning and significance of Messiah today. Although Christ and Messiah mean the same thing but are just in different languages. Christians today see Jesus as the Christ figure who has come and will establish God’s rule on earth. Christ is not very meaningful though because we tend to think of Christ as Jesus’ surname and not as a title. We also use the title Christ at the anointing of people so it used quite often.
Son of God
The meaning of the title ‘Son of God’ in Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus is a special person; a person in the tradition of the Old Testament; a person chosen and given a mission by God. Mark makes this person especially important by showing the personal relationship in which Jesus stands as the ‘Beloved’; a son, special beyond words. The very 1st sentence of the gospel begins Mk1:1 “This is the good news about Jesus Christ the Son of God.” Son of God is only used 5 times throughout Marks Gospel. Son of God expresses a very close relationship between Jesus and God. Also at baptism there was a close relationship “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you”. Son of God is used by the orthodox church to express that Jesus is divine to God. Jesus has origins in God by calling him the Son of God. Jesus could be giving us a secret glimpse as to what God looks like and how he acts. We express that Jesus is Gods son by the trinity the Father (God), the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was an incarnation of God what is why we came to show us the life we should lead and to save us from evil and sin. Jesus performed Gods miracles here on earth, he leads people to the way God wanted them to live, he wanted them to live in peace and harmony with each other.
The Son of God was very important for the first followers of Christ because the Early Christians would of seen Jesus at work performing Gods miracles. Jesus worked how God wanted him to when Jesus died God raised him form the dead to carry on with his work all around the world.
Jesus the Son of God is still important today in our lives because Jesus provides us with an answer to the question ‘What does God look like?’. Jesus acts like a window for us to see out of, in which it allows us to see and be with God our Father. Jesus is said to mirror the perfect quality of God. Everything that Jesus did is all because of God. God loved his people so Jesus was sent to care for Gods people. Although the Son of God is only used in the Orthodox church.
Son of Man
The Son of Man was never used by the first Christians, Son of Man was used by Jesus himself. “ I am Jesus the Son of Man who suffered and died and rose to the dead for our salvation.” The Son of Man was how Jesus saw himself he was a normal human being. Jesus suffers as the Son of Man to save the people and free them form their sins. Jesus sees himself as a suffering servant. The Old Testament Book talks about the ‘Son of Man’ in the book of Daniel. There are many references throughout the Gospel when ‘Son of Man’ is used and then followed by death and suffering. Altogether ‘Son of Man’ is used 14 times in Marks Gospel.
The ‘Son of Man’ was not a very important title for the first followers of Christ as none of them called him by this. When he died to save Christians everywhere it showed his love for God and humanity. Above all it showed he was a man, he was born and could die.
For followers today this also isn’t very important to us because we rarely use for a title of Jesus because we believe that he is more than a man. The title son of man tells us of a time when Jesus will return and pass judgement. Although it tells us what Jesus thought about himself, he called himself ‘Son of Man’.
