On Sunday in Adult Bible Class we wrapped up a series on the Small Catechism. People shared what they had learned, including one man who shared that as a result of the series he now knows the names of the Six Chief Parts and is also able to say the Ten Commandments. I say, Alleluia! I ended the class by sharing the following.
"...because He has anointed Me" (Luke 4:18).
The name "Christ" means "anointed one." It is the Greek version of the Hebrew "Messiah." A lesser-known fact, however, is that while "Christ" of course refers to the Son, it points also to the Father and the Holy Spirit. How is this?
To be anointed requires another person to be "the anointer." That is the role of the Father: to anoint the Son. Also, to be anointed requires an oil or ointment with which to be anointed. That is the Holy Spirit.
Thus in the single word "Christ" is a devotion about all Three Persons of the Trinity: the Anointer, the Anointed, and the Ointment!
And when you remember that Christ is crucified, risen, and the lover of your soul, it is safe to say that no other word contains as much of the Christian faith (indeed the whole of it) as the name "Christ."
