Focus: The anointing of Jesus points to Jesus’ work, which also signifies our task as Christians.
Function: To help the congregation see that Christians share in Jesus’ anointing, and that therefore we have a special task in life.
Texts: Luke 4:14-21 (Isa. 61:1-9)
Every year, usually in the months of May and June, institutions of higher learning confer titles upon their graduates. Colleges hand out Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; Seminaries confer Master of Divinity degrees and Doctor in Ministry degrees; and universities have their Masters and Philosophical Doctoral degrees. These titles open doors for us into the public workplace, and they point to duties, and tasks and expectations to be performed and met by those who have such titles in front of their names.
Lately, I have been working with 7 doctoral students at The Institute for Worship Studies. They are working at their projects and they are writing their theses. When they graduate in June, they will stand in a line of 25 other students. They will be wearing a colorful robe with three stripes (signifying their doctoral degree). They will receive a hood, designating their area of scholarship or expertise, and they will receive a certificate stating their accomplishment and their right to claim and bear the title of Dr. The conferral of degrees is a very important occasion, for it anoints these graduate students with rights and responsibilities. They are now expected to carry out their respective tasks with class and a high level of competency.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. As such, Jesus’ title is the “Christ,” or in Hebrew, the “Messiah,” which means, the “Anointed One.” Jesus’ title points to his task or work, which also signifies our task as Christians. For there is a very close relationship between “Christ” and “Christians.”
The story about Jesus, reading in
the synagogue of Nazareth from the scroll of Isaiah is a telling moment in
Jesus’ life. That moment marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry during
which he reveals himself as the “Christ.” Listen to these prophetic words: “The
Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has (christened or) anointed me to
preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then Jesus begins
to explain these words from the prophet Isaiah, and he says: “Today this
scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
In other words, ‘today, as I begin my public ministry among you, you must view me and honor me with the title “Christ.” I am the long-awaited Messiah, the One who is to come and who was foretold by the prophet Isaiah centuries ago.’ This anointing of Jesus is a telling moment.
Now note that Jesus’ anointing is in close connection with the coming and manifestation of the Holy Spirit. In fact, Luke shows us that Jesus’ anointing, as the Christ is a Trinitarian act of God. For example, in Luke 3:21 we read, “Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” Here we notice God the Father ordaining Jesus to a special task by conferring upon Jesus the Holy Spirit.
Then, after his baptism, we read in Luke 4:1 that “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” Here we notice that Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh submits to the will and Word of God by NOT yielding to the temptations of the devil. Jesus shows that he is up to his task as the “Christ.” He will not yield to sin and the devil, and therefore we must welcome him as the long-expected Christ.
Jesus’ anointing as
the Christ is truly a Trinitarian act of God. God the Father ordains and
christens or confers upon Jesus the Holy Spirit. God the Son submits to the
Father’s will and he resists sin, temptation and the devil. And then we notice
that God the Holy Spirit enables Jesus to carry out his divinely appointed task
as the Christ.
For example, Jesus was “full
of the Holy Spirit” when he fought the devil in the desert. And in Luke
4:14 the text says: “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the
Spirit.” And standing behind the pulpit in the synagogue Jesus read
these ancient words and applied them freshly to himself: “The Spirit of
the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me….”
Congregation, the anointing of Jesus is a Trinitarian act of God. His anointing points to his divinely appointed task. And Jesus’ task as the Christ points to our task as Christians.
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So, what is that divinely appointed task of Jesus? Jesus has given various answers to this question. For example, Jesus tells us that he has “come to seek and save the lost.” He has come to give “rest to those who are burdened and weary.” He has come to usher in “the kingdom of heaven.” And he has come to present himself as a sacrificial lamb, for Jesus told his disciples (Mt. 20:18ff) that people “would condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day he would be raised to life.” All of these sayings of Jesus point to his saving and atoning work, which we ponder during this season of Lent.
The passage from Luke 4, however, and the passage from Isaiah 61 answer the question about Jesus’ divinely appointed task differently. When Jesus echoes Isaiah’s prophecy, he does so against the Old Testament background. And that background takes into account God’s revealed will to his people Israel in the context of laws and regulations and in the context of historical events.
For example, when Isaiah speaks of the “year of the Lord’s favor,” he is working with the Law’s regulations for the Year of Jubilee—a year that would mean freedom for slaves, and freedom for the poor, especially those who had lost their family inheritance of land that was apportioned to them when the Israelites entered the land of promise and took possession of it.
Again, when Isaiah speaks of this coming Messiah or servant who would lead Israel to freedom and hope, he did so in the context of exile, and in the context of the threat that the Babylonian empire posed to Israel.
And again, when Isaiah speaks about the coming of “the Anointed One” (the Messiah) he brings to mind the practice of God, ordaining prophets, priests and kings to their appointed tasks by christening them with oil and by consecrating them, and by granting them a measure or portion of his Holy Spirit. All of these Old Testament features provide the background to the question, what is Jesus’ divinely appointed task as the “Christ”?
Jesus’ task is three-fold: He must function as a prophet, as a priest, and as a king. As prophet, Jesus preaches good news. That good news concerns the “secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance.” The apostle Paul summarizes that good news when he says (II Cor.5: 18) that God has “reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” Announcing this good news was Jesus’ divinely appointed task as chief prophet and teacher.
But Jesus’
task was also priestly in nature. For in order that we can be reconciled with
God, Jesus has to offer himself as a sin offering, so that God no longer would
count our sins against us. Thus Jesus is our “only high priest who has set
us free by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause
with God the Father.”
The kingly aspect of Jesus’ appointed task is found in Jesus’ struggle against and victory over sin, the devil and death. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension testify to his sovereign power, and Jesus’ rule today through his Word and Spirit underscore his sovereignty and ongoing work of spreading the rule of heaven here on earth. He will accomplish and complete that royal aspect of his work when he comes again in glory. Jesus’ task as the “Christ,” then, is an ongoing task in which we also participate. That’s why I said earlier that the anointing of Jesus points to Jesus’ work, which also signifies our task as Christians. For there is a very close relationship between “Christ” and “Christians.”
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Titles must be earned. You have to work hard to get a bachelor’s, master’s, or a doctor’s degree. What must we do to earn the title of “Christian”? The answer is two-fold: On the one hand: nothing! To bear the name of Christ is God’s gift to the world. Since Jesus reconciles us to God, and since Jesus is the One who leads us to God the Father, there is nothing we can do to earn or deserve the title of “Christian.”
On the
other hand, to bear the title of “Christian” calls for a response on our part.
It is the response of faith that is marked by baptism. It is through baptism
that we enter the body of Christ, that we participate in the life of Christ,
that we receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Baptism connects us visibly
with Jesus, with his Holy Spirit, and with his three-fold, divinely appointed
task of prophet, priest and king. We are called “Christians,” “because by
faith we are members of Christ and so we share in his anointing.”
And thus Jesus’ divinely appointed task also points to our task as Christians. Christians have a prophetic, priestly and kingly task.
What does that mean for you and me?
a. To act as a prophetic person means that we take Jesus’ name upon our lips and declare the good news of Jesus’ salvation to anyone who is willing to listen. It does not mean that we all become ministers or missionaries in foreign countries. It simply means that we speak the name of Jesus. We shall not be afraid or be ashamed to speak of Jesus. Speaking Jesus’ name and telling others of what he has done for us and the world can be done anywhere, anytime, and anyplace where we may find ourselves. Speak the name of Jesus. Confess his name.
b. To act as a priestly person means that we live sacrificial lives. In response to Jesus’ work as the Christ, we now offer ourselves as living sacrifices to serve him with all our heart, soul and mind. We say “no!” to sinful activities; we say “yes!” to living holy and pure lives. We practice grateful living, expressing joy and thankfulness in our homes, schools, and workplaces. We seek to serve the Lord with our abilities, finances, and all our resources. That’s what it means to live priestly lives.
c. To act as a kingly person means that we learn to live by the influence of God’s Word and Holy Spirit. We fight against sin and the devil in this life. And we do so with a good conscience. We spread the influence of Jesus and God’s Word in every area of life. In our thinking and studies, in our parenting and in all our relationships, we see to it that Christ shall have dominion. He rules in us and through us with his Word and Spirit. And thus we advance the reign and influence of God in our world.
Christians SPEAK the name of Christ. We PRESENT ourselves as living sacrifices for the sake of Christ. And we SPREAD Christ’s influence in all spheres of life and in all we do and say. In that way, we share in Jesus’ anointing.
Thank God for Jesus, the Christ! And thank God for the privilege to live as Christians! In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.