day 1427-1428

“because He has anointed me” (Luke 4:18b)

We are currently exploring the two prototypical gardens through which you and I as part of the Bride of Christ must move in our walk of faith, like Jesus did. In the previous teaching we spent some time thinking about the garden of Gethsemane and we now have a better understanding of the anointing of Christ in this prototypical olive garden.

In the following teachings we want to do a close reading of Scripture to see how this theme is presented in the Word, so that it can further enrich our understanding of this very important matter. It seemed as if the anointing of the Christ only finally started manifesting in Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, the olive press, but there are various other Scriptures that first need to be considered before this glorious mystery will be more clear.

Long before Jesus’s terrifying experiences in the garden of Gethsemane He was in conversation with his disciples elsewhere, specifically discussing with Simon Peter the following question: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matt. 16:13). This conversation is most probably the most important revelation that Jesus is also the Christ, specifically verses 14-20: “So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.”

Not all believers receive the revelation of the fact that Jesus is also the Christ, or Anointed – this apokaluptō is God’s prerogative. Please selah about this.

What is clear from the above pericope is that Jesus already had the calling as the Christ before the foundations of the earth were laid, but that He did not want to make this known, and thus forbid his disciples to identify Him as the Christ.

In Luke 4:18 already He quotes the prophet Isaiah who prophesied about the coming Messiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me … ” This quote – which is presented in more extensive terms in Isa. 61, was FULFILLED IN THEIR EARS the day Jesus took the scroll (from Isa. 61) and read from it (Luke 4:21).

What is very interesting however is that Jesus’s words in Luke 4 is largely concerned with His role as the Saviour, while Isa. 61’s prophesy also covers this, but actually places more emphasis on Jesus the Christ and thus on his anointed Body. In the column that now follows, the two parallel sections are placed in contrast with one another, so we can compare them more easily:

 

 

	ISA. 61		LUKE 4
1a	The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me	18a	The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me
1b	because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor	18b	because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor
1c	He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,	18c	He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
1d	to proclaim liberty to the captives	19a	to proclaim liberty to the captives
		19b	and recovery of sight to the blind,
		19c	to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
1e	and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2a	to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord	19d	to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
2b	and the day of vengeance of our God.
2c	To comfort all who mourn,
3a	to console those who mourn in Zion,
3b	to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
3c	That they may be called trees of righteousness
3d	the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4	And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.

 

Luke 4:19b & c could however, for the sake of logic, be replaced with Isa. 61:1e, which would then read as follows:

 

1e

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound

19b+c

To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

 

But everything, from Isa. 2b-4 in the Old Testament onwards, is fulfilled in Jesus (Matt. 1:22; 3:15; 5:17; 26:54), and thus the wrath of God is for instance cancelled out (read John 5:22 and John 12:47b)! What is important for us to note is that WITHIN Jesus the Christ was hidden away too, and thus Zion as the Bride of Christ can live in the glory of the restoration that Isaiah has prophesied over us. Because the Christ was not yet released in the time of Isaiah, it could only be presented or contained in Jesus, so that they could be released at the right time!

 

• Selah: Ponder the elided sections from Isa. 2b-4 in light of the paragraph above.
• Read: 139 – 144.
• Memorise: 139.