Why did Jesus identify himself as the Messiah?

Answer 1

According to Mark's Gospel, the first New Testament gospel to be written, Jesus was at pains not to call himself the Messiah. Throughout Mark, there are regular examples of Jesus admonishing both people and demons not to reveal to others who he truly was. It appears that the author was also careful not to have Jesus or his followers speak of Jesus as the son of God, perhaps because it would have been considered blasphemy among potential converts. Only outsiders such as demons, the high priest and the centurion present at the crucifixion could be used to make this claim. Peter, alone among the disciples, refers to Jesus as the Christ (Messiah), but is commanded to tell no one. When the high priest angrily demands of Jesus whether he is the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus refuses to answer. This paradox is widely known as the Messianic secret.
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We can understand the context of this secret by looking at the parallel structure of Mark, which may help explain why Jesus spoke of himself as he did. Parallel structures are literary sequences in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first, and were used in ancient times to develop themes that were otherwise hidden. In this structure we can see evidence of just how the author developed this and other themes:

A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

In event H (3:11-12), demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God, and Jesus commands that they tell no one of this. In the matching event H', Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God. In event S (8:27), Jesus asks, "Who do people say that I am," and the disciples say Elijah or one of the prophets - at this stage they do not mention that Jesus is the Messiah. Event S' gives the real answer by association through the pairing of the two events: The high priest asks, "Art thou the Christ [Messiah], Son of God?" The reader knows the answer, but no one could have accused the gospel of attributing this claim to Jesus himself or to the disciples. Later, in event T, Peter says that Jesus is the Messiah, or Christ, and Jesus charged the disciples to tell this to no man. In event T', we even have Peter deny Jesus three times. Jesus already knew that Peter would deny him, and says that he will be ashamed (event U), referring to himself as the Son of Man, a term he often seems to have used. Right on cue, event U' has Peter remember that Jesus said that he would be ashamed, and when he thought on this he wept.

Answer 2

Because that is who He is.

The messiah/Christ or Anointed One is predicted in Daniel chapter 9:25 where God reveals to Daniel the coming and chronology of the Anointed One.

Many people recognised Jesus as the messiah eg

Peter - Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

John - John 20:31 But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.

Peter - Acts 2:36 "All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!"

Philip - Acts 8:5 Philip went to the principal city in Samaria and preached the Messiah to the people there.

Martha - John 11:27 "Yes, Lord!" she answered. "I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

the Samaritan women at the well - John 4:29 "Come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done. Could he be the Messiah?

Saul/Paul - Acts 9:22 But Saul's preaching became even more powerful, and his proofs that Jesus was the Messiah were so convincing that the Jews who lived in Damascus could not answer him.

the everyday people - John 7:41 Others said, "He is the Messiah!" But others said, "The Messiah will not come from Galilee!

Jesus himself - John 4:26 Jesus answered, "I am he, I who am talking with you."

Matthew 16:20 Then Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Luke 24:46 and said to them, "This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later,

Answer 3

The Messiah comes from the Jewish word Messiah meaning The anointed one.