Day 14: The Messiah, Filled, Led And Empowered By The Holy Spirit

Yesterday we finished with Isaiah 11:1-4 pointing out how the Messiah was anointed with the Spirit of the Lord. And the same promise is given again in Isaiah 61, verse 1, where the Messiah is portrayed, speaking in the first person, and He says;

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners.” (NASB)

There again, all depends on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The one who is thus anointed by the Holy Spirit is the one who is sent by God with a message of mercy and love and grace and healing power, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. That was the promise of the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. All God's promises of the Anointed Messiah, the Christ, the Deliverer, and the King found their fulfilment in Jesus of Nazareth.

We'll look at three passages from the fourth chapter of Luke's Gospel which bring out this fact. Jesus became, when the Holy Spirit came upon him at the River Jordan, the Anointed, the Messiah. From eternity he was the one destined to be the anointed but a certain point in history, when the Holy Spirit came upon Him, he became in actual effect, the Anointed. This is the description of what happened to Jesus after His baptism in Jordan by John the Baptist. Luke 4:1:

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness. [Note He was filled; he was led by the Holy Spirit. The anointing was upon Him. And then in Luke 4:14, after His temptation in the wilderness, it says this:] Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and news about Him spread through all the surrounding districts.” (NASB)

So, He was filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He was truly the Mashia, the Messiah, the Christos, the Anointed. And then, thirdly, in Luke, chapter 4, verses 17 and 18, we read how He Himself declared that He was the fulfilment of God's promise and He Himself entered into the synagogue in Nazareth and took the Scripture which we've already read in Isaiah 61:1 and applied it to Himself. Let's see what Luke says here; Luke 4:17 and 18:

“The book of the prophet Isiah was handed to Him. [That's Jesus] He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’” (NASB)

Then He closed the book and in words of tremendous historical significance he said to them, "Today this prophesy is fulfilled in your ears." He said, "I am the one; I am the Anointed; The Spirit of the Lord is Upon me", and he went forth from that moment as the Deliverer bringing release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, setting free those who were downtrodden, bringing the Gospel to the poor. This marvellous ministry of Jesus, the Anointed, the Christ, the Messiah, is summed up by Peter in one verse. As he was speaking to the house of Cornelius, he described to them what he'd witnessed in the ministry of Jesus. Acts 10:38:

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.” (NASB)

That's the summation of the ministry of Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed, the Christ. God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. God was with Him. And in the power of that anointing, He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. It always blesses me to see that healing is attributed to God; sickness to the devil. Also in that verse we have all three persons of the Godhead. God the Father anointed Jesus the Son with the Spirit, and the result; healing and deliverance for all humanity. What a blessed message; the message of the Christ.