From what I understand from my Bible studies today is that messiah=Christ, just a Greek translation. Jesus was originally claiming to be an anointed one and descendant of David fulfilling god’s promise to have a Jewish king on the throne(son of man). Jesus promised his twelve apostles seats ruling below him in this new kingdom or Jewish homeland over the twelve tribes of Israel.
One of these seats would have included Judas, so we know he wasn’t correct about that. He also ended up executed by the Romans for claiming to be a Jewish king in the making, they never did take kindly to that kind of rhetoric.
“Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
After his execution came a bit of the melt down for all the Jews that followed him, they did not see themselves as practicing a new religion, they saw themselves as following their next king David figure and adding to their own holy scriptures of Judaism, Jesus fulfilling God’s promise to the Jewish people.
That’s where Paul steps in and redefines the kingdom they are being promised and redefines messiah/christ.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”[c]
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called,both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of Godand the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holinessand redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
Paul stepped in and really laid the ground work for Christianity flourish without the messiah around still. Spread it to the gentiles and turned it into much more of a doomsday cult, a final reckoning from god.
