Every king, priest, and prophet in Israel was anointed with oil as a sign that the Spirit had set them apart. But all of those anointings pointed forward to one greater Anointed One — the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Spirit-anointed King, the Spirit-filled Prophet, and the Spirit-ordained Priest.

The Anointing of Jesus

At His baptism, "the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove" Luke 3:22. A voice from heaven declared, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" Luke 3:22. In that moment, the entire Trinity is revealed together: the Father speaks, the Son is baptized, and the Spirit anoints.

This anointing was not for Jesus' personal benefit because He lacked divinity. As the eternal Son, Jesus was always one with the Father. Rather, the anointing was for His messianic mission. He received the Spirit as the representative man, the new Adam, the one who would live the perfect human life under the Spirit's power.

The Spirit-Led Messiah

Immediately after His baptism, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness" Luke 4:1. Jesus was not led by His own ambition. He was led by the Spirit. He defeated temptation in the power of the Spirit. He returned to Galilee "in the power of the Spirit" Luke 4:14.

When Jesus stood in the synagogue at Nazareth, He read from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" Luke 4:18-19. Then He said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" Luke 4:21.

What This Means for Us

Jesus' life under the Spirit is the pattern for ours. He was anointed, led, empowered, and sustained by the Spirit. And because He is our Savior, His anointing becomes the source of ours. We do not earn the Spirit by being like Jesus. We receive the Spirit because we are in Jesus.

Every miracle Jesus performed, every word He spoke, every temptation He overcame, every sorrow He bore — all of it was done in the Spirit's power. And that same Spirit now works in us to make us like Him.

This week, meditate on this: the Spirit who empowered Jesus in the wilderness, in the synagogue, and at the cross is the Spirit who lives in you.