“Peter answered, `You are the Christ.’”
In uttering these remarkable words, Peter is confessing that Jesus is the Christ (the
Messiah). The Messiah is the anointed one, who has been chosen and called by God to deliver God’s
people from sin and the oppression of God’s enemies (sin and wages, death). The Messiah was someone
in whom the kingly, prophetic and priestly offices in the Old Testament would converge. This person
was expected to come from David’s line and throughout the Old Testament, key figures in the prophetic,
priestly and royal lines were anointed with oil to indicate their devotion to God and their consecration to
his service. This, of course, pointed to Christ’s anointing when he received the blessed Holy Spirit at his
baptism. The Messiah would enjoy God’s blessing and protection, and would be the one through whom
God delivered his people. -- Kim Riddlebarger