The term “messianic,” appearing frequently in the commentary, needs some explanation. Why not simply “Christian”? What is signaled with the term “messianic”? First and most obviously the term links the people and way of life designated messianic with the Messiah Jesus. The “messianic” in the New Testament is not a free-floating concept awaiting our bestowal of attributes. On the contrary, it is fully enacted, summed up, and defined by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. As the