Christ’s Anointing Fit Him for Office

The first point to consider regarding the significance of Christ’s anointing is that it fit Him for His office. In exploring the importance of His anointing, we see that it prepared Jesus for His role. Throughout the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil. This act symbolized the Spirit’s empowerment for service.

When someone was anointed in the Old Testament, it signified that they were authorized to fulfill a specific office. Beyond authorization, anointing also represented an equipping act, as the gifts necessary for the office were conferred through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joel Beeke, in his Reformed Systematic Theology Series, explains that anointing involved both appointment to and qualification for an office. This underscores that no one appoints themselves—not even Jesus.

Christ’s Appointment as Prophet, Priest, and King

The author of Hebrews emphasizes this point in Hebrews 5:1–5 which explains that “every high priest is chosen and appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, offering gifts and sacrifices for sins. No one takes this honor upon themselves; they must be called by God, just as Aaron was.”

In verse 5, it states that Christ did not exalt Himself to become High Priest but was appointed by God, who declared, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” Like the prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ was appointed and anointed as Prophet, Priest, and King.

The Meaning of Jesus’s Anointing

What did Jesus’s anointing signify? It represented His ordination and calling to the office by His Father. According to the Heidelberg Catechism, this ordination also included the promise of the gifts needed to fulfill His office.

Hebrews 1:9, quoting Psalm 45, says: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

This anointing was not with physical oil but spiritual—the Holy Spirit. The catechism and Scripture affirm this, as seen in Isaiah 61:1, which speaks of the Spirit of the Lord being upon the anointed one.

This is also evident in the Gospels. For instance, in Matthew 3, at Jesus’s baptism, the heavens opened, and the Spirit of the Lord descended like a dove and rested upon Him.

The Unique Anointing of Christ

While Old Testament prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil as a typological act, Jesus was truly and spiritually anointed by the Holy Spirit. The differences between Jesus and the typological anointings are significant. Old Testament figures received varying degrees of anointing, imperfectly at best. Jesus, however, was anointed perfectly, receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their fullness and highest degree.

John 3:34 confirms this, stating: “For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.”

Zacharias Ursinus explains that Christ’s human nature was endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit without measure, equipping Him fully to restore, rule, and preserve His Church, administer the government of the whole world, glorify God, and bring salvation to His people.

The Public Declaration of Jesus’s Anointing

Jesus’s anointing by the Holy Spirit was a public declaration by God. It signified that He was ordained for His redemptive work. He was sent by the mandate of the Father, who equipped Him with everything necessary to carry out this mission. Without this anointing, Jesus would not have had the ability to perfectly perform the office essential for salvation.

Anyone not appointed or qualified for such an office would be unable to fulfill it perfectly. Thus, Jesus’s anointing and ordination affirmed His role as the Christ, the Messiah, endowed with all the gifts necessary for His mission.

The Trinity in Christ’s Anointing

In Jesus’s anointing, we witness the involvement of the Triune Godhead:

• The Father as the Anointer,
• The Son as the Anointed,
• The Holy Spirit as the Anointing.

This act beautifully encapsulates the unity and purpose of the Godhead in the mission of redemption.

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