You already know that Jesus was and is the messiah. You may also know that the Hebrew word for messiah, mashiah, literally means “anointed one.” (The same is true of the Greek christos which is translated into English as Christ.) In the Old Testament three types of people were anointed: kings, priests, and prophets. In the New Testament, Jesus is understood as all three. In the words of the famous hymn writer Isaac Watts (e.g., Joy to the World):
We bless the prophet of the Lord,
That comes with truth and grace;
Jesus, thy Spirit and thy word
Shall lead us in thy ways.
We reverence our High-Priest above,
Who offered up his blood;
And lives to carry on his love,
By pleading with our God.
We honour our exalted King;
How sweet are his commands!
He guards our souls from hell and sin
By his almighty hands.
Hosanna to his glorious name,
Who saves by different ways;
His mercies lay a sovereign claim
To our immortal praise. [1]
[1] Isaac Watts, “Hymn 132,” The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Rev. Isaac Watts, ed. Samuel Worchester (Boston: Crocker & Brewster, 1855), 452.