Unfortunately, at a popular level the term “Christ” often means little more than a sort of last name for Jesus. His proper name was “Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth” (John 1:45, nrsv; cf. Matt. 26:71; Luke 24:19; John 19:19). When his followers ascribed to him the name “Jesus Christ,” or “Jesus the Messiah” (Matt. 1:1, 18; Mark 1:1, nlt), they had in mind a whole host of ideas that are often absent from the consciousness of the modern church. - John P. Harrigan, Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.344