Christ (Matthew 16:13-20)
Justin is a nice name, but I regularly get called Jason. Tam’s mother calls me Jason at least half the time—I don’t know if that’s just a slip of the tongue or wishful thinking. A few weeks ago, Jimmy Burke called me Jason in our closing prayer—I didn’t know if that was a slip of the tongue or if I needed to send out resumés.
“Imel” has a rich history, and I’m honored to carry it. But absolutely no one knows how to pronounce it. We get called everything under the sun.
Some of you struggle with your name, too. Maybe the nurse tends to mispronounce your name at the doctor’s office or it’s strange hearing your first name instead of the name we know. The post office might give you trouble because you get mail for someone whose name is close to yours. Maybe you just don’t like the name your momma gave you.
Jesus struggled with his name; many folks got it wrong. But Peter got it right, and he declared: “Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.”
Scripture (Matthew 16:13-20)
verse 13:
In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about him. Caesarea Philippi, an important Roman city, worshiped three pagan deities: Baal, Pan, and Caesar. It’s the perfect spot for Jesus to ask about his identity.
verse 14:
People said Jesus was a prophet. That’s not surprising since Old Testament closed promising Elijah’s return.
verses 15-16:
Jesus then asked what the disciples themselves thought. Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.” Christ in Greek is christos. The word christos meant to have an ointment or salve rubbed on, and it came to mean someone upon whom the ointment was placed. In short, christos means “anointed one.”
Jesus as the Christ was anointed by God when the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove following his baptism (Matt 3:16).
verse 17:
Jesus praised Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar [son of]-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Peter got it right: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Application
“Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.” What does that means? As the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth is the Anointed One. In the Old Testament, three classes of God’s servants were anointed: Prophets, Priests, and Potentates. Therefore, Jesus is our Prophet, our Priest, and our Potentate.
Jesus of Nazareth is our Prophet.
God said to Elijah, “Elisha . . . you shall anoint to be prophet in your place” (1 Ki 19:16). As David praised God, he said, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” (1 Chron 16:22).
A Prophet spoke for God. Micaiah, a Prophet said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak” (1 Ki 22:14). When Amaziah told Amos not to prophesy, Amos said, “The LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now therefore hear the word of the LORD” (Amos 7:15-16).
Jesus, as our Prophet, speaks for God. Jesus said: “The word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me” (Jn 14:24). As Jesus prayed, “I have given them the words that you gave me” (Jn 17:8).
Jesus of Nazareth is our Priest.
God told Moses, “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them” (Ex 29:29). “Put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest” (Ex 40:13).
Priests offered sacrifices. “And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Lev 1:9). For unintentional sins of the congregation of Israel: “The anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil. And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven” (Lev 4:16-17, 20).
Jesus, our high priest, offered himself as a sacrifice for sin. “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph 5:2). “You were ransomed . . . with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Pet 1:18-19).
Jesus of Nazareth is our Potentate.
“Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on [Saul’s] head and kissed him” (1 Sam 10:1). “Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ‘Long live King Solomon!’” (1 Ki 1:39).
Jesus of Nazareth is our Potentate. Jesus “is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim 6:15). Evil forces “will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings” (Rev 17:14).
As our Potentate, Jesus reigns. Jesus “was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:14). Jesus “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25).
The question you must ask yourself this morning is this: “Is Jesus my king?” He must be: “For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rom 14:9). Is Jesus your Lord, your Sovereign, your King this morning?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.