It turns out names matter!

So, just to be clear, Christ is not Jesus’ last name.

We are at a bit of a disadvantage here in 21^st century America when it comes to understanding first-century Jewish customs and cultural norms. For instance, names back then were kind of a big deal. They are today for us as well of course, but not as big a deal as it was back then. I feel like it is increasingly rare for there to be a second-generation name (John Smith Junior) much less a third or fourth generation name (John Smith III or IV). Names today are creative for sure, but not as historic as they were 2000 years ago.

Back in the days of Jesus, and far back into Judaic cultural heritage, names meant a great deal. Sometimes names were bestowed to identify a child with a certain character trait of God. For instances in Hebrew, David meant Beloved of God. Or they might be given to signify an important event going on in the life of the parents when the child was born. The meaning of the name given to the famous Old Testament character Jacob actually means “supplanter” or “usurper. That name foreshadows two future Biblical events where Jacob usurps or seizes his older brothers Esau’s birthright as the first-born son. So, names were a big deal.

Now, let’s get few facts straight because it’s complicated:

Jesus’ name in English comes from the Latin translation, Isus. This in turn is a transliteration of the Greek rendering,Iesous. That has its origins in the Aramaic root name – Yeshua, the common dialect of Jews in that day. Yeshua comes from the Hebrew Yehoshua, or what we would call in English, Joshua. So, in grade school in Nazareth, Jesus would have been Joshua, a very common name of that time.

Let’s keep digging . . .

The actual name Joshua comes from the Hebrew verb yasha, which means “he saves,” which then provides the proper name “Ya,” which is short for the traditionally unspoken Hebrew name of God Yahweh. Put that all together, Jesus’ name in the original Aramaic would mean “Yahweh saves” or “Our God saves.”  Jesus’ name speaks to his Cosmic and Divine purpose as Savior! (1 John 4:14).

Additionally, it would have been the tradition of that day to include the dad’s name in the son’s name – for instance in the case of Jesus, his birth certificate would have read “Jesus son of Joseph” or in the first-century Aramaic – Yeshua bar Yosef.

All that to say, that Christ is not Jesus’ last name!

 So, what then does the term Christ in refer to? Good question! “Christ” is the English transliteration of the Greek word Christos, meaning “anointed one” or “chosen one.” And this then is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiach, or “Messiah.”

In ancient Israel, when someone was given a position of authority, oil was poured on their head to signify his being set apart for God’s service (as Samuel did for King Saul in 1 Samuel 10). The symbolism is that the oil is like the blessing of God’s covering that lingers and drips down and covers. Kings, priests, and prophets were anointed in such fashion. Anointing was a symbolic act to indicate God’s choosing (e.g., 1 Samuel 24:6).

So that makes “Yeshua” or “Jesus” (or as we might call him today, “Josh”) is the Lord’s human name, given to Jesus’ mother Mary and father Joseph by the angel Gabriel. “Christos” on the other hand is His title. This declares to all that Jesus was sent from God to be a King and Deliverer ( there is more on this in Daniel 9:25 and Isaiah 32:1).

So, Jesus Christ is really a profoundly special name meaning: “Savior King”!