Anointed One

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me” — Luke 4:18 ESV

The word “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew word, “Messiah,” which means “Anointed One.” But what does it mean to be “anointed”?

The word “anoint” means “to smear, to rub in,” like you would do with an ointment. In the Old Testament, there were only certain kinds of people who were anointed — three categories of people exactly: prophets, priests, and kings.  This anointing symbolized (and actualized) a divine empowerment to carry out the tasks these people were called to accomplish for God.  The anointing was a token of divine approval upon a person and divine assistance to achieve God’s work.  The Bible passage that probably comes to your mind first when you think about this would be 1 Samuel 16, when the prophet Samuel goes to Jesse’s house to anoint his son David, who would later become King David.  What did Samuel do in that account? He took a horn of oil and poured it on David’s head.  It was a symbol of God’s presence and power on David, and also a point of contact that released divine ability to rule Israel.

Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One.  “Christ” is not a last name, like “Smith.” “Jesus Christ” means “Jesus, the Anointed One.” So what is Jesus anointed to do? Acts 10:38 says the Father anointed Him to heal those who were oppressed by the devil, and Hebrews 1:9 says the Father anointed Him with the oil of joy.  And Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8).  

Is any part of your life under the oppression of the devil? Look to Jesus and be free right now because of His anointing.  Do you need joy restored to your life? Look to Jesus — He is anointed to bring you joy and take every weight off of you.

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This blog is an excerpt from Robert Presson’s devotional book, “Look to Jesus,” available for a donation of any amount at cityrevivalnola.com/give. Please indicate that you would like the book when you give.
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