In my family, everyone came from Sweden. At Ellis Island, one brother became Larson, another brother became Lawson, and a cousin became Laure’, because he didn’t want to look like a Swede.

We use last names to be informal (“Swanny”) or to be formal, (“Dr Swanson”). We use last names to discover connections (“Are you one of the Grabill Swansons?”). But we never use last names as titles. As far as I know, there isn’t The Swanson, except on “Parks and Recreation.”

When we talk about Jesus Christ in a creed or in an oath, we assume that we’re using his full name, kind of like Mary might have when he was late for dinner: “Jesus Christ. Watch the sundial.” But Christ isn’t his last name. Josephson would be more likely, after his, er, step-dad. Christ is a title. In Greek the title was Christ. In Hebrew the word was Messiah. And in English the word means “The anointed one”.

People were looking for the one that would save them, the one that would get them out of all this suffering and meaninglessness and hopelessness. They wanted the messiah.

That’s why people kept asking, “Are you the Christ?” John the Baptist was asked and said he wasn’t.   When the wise men came to Herod, he called together the religious leaders and asked them where “the Christ” was going to be born.  People debated whether Jesus met the criteria for being “The Christ.” And John writes:

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

So when the creed says “And in Jesus Christ”, he’s not one of the Bethlehem Christ’s, he’s THE Christ.

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(Here are all the references to “the Christ”.)