Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.”
In the Old Testament, Moses was commanded by God to anoint the priests for service in the Tabernacle by pouring oil over their heads and letting it run down their beards and their robes (Exodus 28:41 & 29:7). The word “anoint” means to “cover or to smear.” Moses was commanded to cover the priests with oil as a sign to the people that the priests were set apart for the work of the ministry. God’s reason behind covering the priests with oil was because He was giving them a physical sign of how His Spirit was going to be upon them and give them the ability to minister in the Tabernacle.
When Jesus came, He was called both the Christ and the Messiah. “Christ” is Greek and “Messiah” is Hebrew, but both words mean the same thing, “The Anointed One.” Therefore, Jesus was the Anointed One sent by God to do great works. The Jewish people had been waiting a long time for the Anointed One to come and display God’s power upon the earth and establish His kingdom. In today’s passage, Jesus quoted the prophecy of Isaiah 61 concerning the Messiah and boldly declared that He was the One they were waiting for!
In the passage found in Isaiah 61:1-3, God said that the Messiah will be anointed to do the following five things; (1) Preach the gospel to the poor, (2) Heal the broken hearted, (3) Bring freedom to the captives, (4) Release the prisoners and (5) Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Praise God because that is exactly what Jesus did for three and a half years during His earthly ministry.
Remember, Jesus was empowered to do miracles because He was baptized in the Holy Spirit at His water baptism (Luke 3:22). The Holy Spirit came in bodily form like a dove and rested on Him in the presence of everyone. From that point forward, Jesus was not only anointed, but He was the Anointed One, meaning He could give God’s power to His followers. After Jesus’ resurrection, He gave the disciples the Holy Spirit so they could be anointed like Him (Acts 1:8).
The same Holy Spirit that anointed Jesus in the form of a dove came and anointed the disciples in the form of fire. Today all Spirit-baptized disciples have the same anointing of God flowing through them to do what Jesus did.
Now you are commanded to go out and do the same things Jesus did. Jesus said in John 14:12-14, “12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Lester Sumrall wrote, “In our generation we can do the same works as Moses, as David, as Daniel— and as Jesus. Why? Because we have the same power of God and the same anointing of the Holy Spirit motivating us that motivated them!”
Reflection
Action
- Ask the Holy Spirit to anoint and cover you with His power for service.
- Walk, talk and be filled like Jesus.
- Wherever you go in life believe you are anointed by God to do great things in Jesus’ name!
