Jesus and the Spirit

Jesus is the anointed Son of God whose life and ministry are filled with the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.  The activity of the Spirit dominates the life, words, and deeds of Christ. He is “Jesus, the one called Christ,” the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. The angel informed Joseph that Mary carried a child “conceived of the Holy Spirit,” indicating that something more than just a miraculous birth was about to unfold.

The mission of Jesus and his reign cannot be understood apart from the Holy Spirit. With the arrival of the Nazarene along the banks of the Jordan River, the life-giving Spirit began to flow where before there was only thirst and “desert.” Christ came to give living waters that “overflow into everlasting life” – (John 4:14, 7:37-39).

The anointing of Jesus following his baptism was the first of the events that culminated in his death, resurrection, exaltation, and the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The period known as “the last days” had commenced with the descent of the Spirit.

[Rainbow - Photo by peter kovesi (Hungary) on Unsplash]

At the Jordan River, the Spirit of God descended on Jesus as he saw the heavens splitting open in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy:

• “Oh, that you would rend the heavens, that you would descend, that the mountains might quake at your presence, as when fire ignites the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil; to make your name known to your enemies, that the nations may tremble at your presence!” - (Isaiah 64:1-2).

• “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And immediately, ascending out of the water, he saw THE HEAVENS BEING RENT ASUNDER and the Spirit DESCENDING as a dove into him. And a voice came out of the heavens: YOU ARE MY SON, THE BELOVED. IN YOU I DELIGHT” - (Mark 1:9-11. Note also the allusions to Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1).

The opening of the heavens highlights the arrival of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus and the cosmic significance of the event. With his anointing, access to God is no longer limited to one nation or the Temple in Jerusalem. The Nazarene is now the location of the presence of God. In Christ, “the anointed one,” the offer of salvation and the age of the Spirit have dawned.

Moreover, it is not the mountains of the Earth that quake in response to the arrival of the Messiah, but the nations and the hearts of men are amazed by his presence and words, and the Adversary of God who is overthrown by Jesus is the Devil:

• “And Jesus said to them, I beheld Satan, having fallen as lightning from heaven” - (Luke 10:18).

• “The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father <…> But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such does the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth” - (John 4:21-24).

• “Jesus answered and said, This voice has not come for my sake, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to me” - (John 12:30-32).

The anointing of Jesus by the Spirit was ‘apocalyptic’ in the true sense of the word, an unveiling or revelation from on high, for the nature and salvation of God can only be known through His anointed son:

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me!  If you had come to know me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him and have seen him” – (John 14:6-7. Compare 2 Corinthians 4:6).

The anointing of the Son of God was not a momentary event or temporary empowerment of the Nazarene. Starting from the moment of his anointing, the Spirit remained on Jesus. Unlike his predecessors, including kings, priests, and prophets, Christ received the fullness of the Spirit, and this was according to Scripture:

• “He that has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit from measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. He that believes on the Son has everlasting life. But he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” - (John 3:33-36).

• “And there will come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom will come up from his root. And the Spirit of God will rest upon him…”- (Isaiah 11:1-2. Compare Isaiah 59:20-21).

God does not give the Spirit to Jesus temporally or partially. The Messiah receives the fullness of the Spirit, and this understanding is confirmed in verse 35, the Father has “given all things” to His Son.

The idea of fullness in the Son is expressed elsewhere in the Gospel of John and the New Testament. For example:

• “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten from a Father, full of grace and truth. <…> For from his fullness we all received, and grace for grace” – (John 1:14-16).

• “Many parts and many ways of old, God having spoken to the fathers in the prophets, upon the last of these days, spoke to us in a son” – (Hebrews 1:1-2).

The Holy Spirit equipped Jesus for his messianic ministry, and Jesus attributed his miracles and deeds to the Spirit of God, as do other New Testament passages. For example:

• “But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God has come upon you” – (Matthew 12:28).

• “The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all, that saying you yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; even Jesus of Nazareth, how God ANOINTED HIM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him” – (Acts 10:36-38. Note the allusion to Isaiah 61:1. Compare Luke 4:18).

After his baptism, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, where he was tested by the Devil. Unlike ancient Israel, Christ overcame every challenge. Afterward, he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and began to preach the Gospel:

• “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and a fame went out concerning him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there was delivered to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written: THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES AND THE RECOVERING OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO FREE THOSE WHO ARE BRUISED, TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD” - (Luke 4:14-19, citing Isaiah 61:1-3).

With Christ’s arrival, the presence of God descended to save His people, the nations began to quake, and Satan was overthrown as Jesus began to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

THE DAY OF PENTECOST

In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter described Jesus as a “man pointed out by God by mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him.” Though crucified by his enemies, God raised him from the dead and exalted him to reign at His right hand, where “he received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Spirit” – (Acts 2:17-38).

The promise of the Father is the gift of the Spirit that all men receive when they repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This gift is available to every man and woman throughout the period between Pentecost and the Day of the Lord:

• “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all those who are afar off, AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD WILL SUMMON” – (Acts 2:38-39. Note the allusion to Joel 2:32).

The Spirit is pivotal to the identity and mission of the Messiah and his Church, and Jesus is now the Lord who bestows the Spirit on his people, just as he promised:

• “Behold, I send the Promise of my Father upon you! But wait in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” - (Luke 24:49).

• “Jesus charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now” - (Acts 1:4-5).

Christ poured out the Spirit on his disciples on the Day of Pentecost, setting them apart for divine service and transforming them into witnesses of his Good News, and this also was in fulfillment of Scripture:

• “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH” – (Acts 1:8).

• “And he said to me, It is a great thing for you to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel. Behold, I have given you for the covenant of a race, for a light of the nations, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth” – (Isaiah 49:6. Compare Psalm 2:8).

Jesus is the messianic king who gives the Spirit to his people, the very same Spirit that anointed him along the banks of the Jordan River. As Paul wrote, “Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men”- (Ephesians 4:8).

The outpouring of the Spirit promised in the Hebrew Scriptures began on the Day of Pentecost, and this outpouring will continue until the arrival of Jesus at the end of the age – (Ezekiel 11:19, 37:14, Joel 2:28, Acts 2:16-21).

All this is because of the submission of Jesus to the baptism of John and his anointing by the Spirit of Go. Christ has become the Lord of the Spirit, and he now equips his disciples to be his envoys and announce his sovereignty and salvation to the nations.

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Promise of the Father - (With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced)

• The Forerunner - (John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, the herald of the Kingdom of God, and the one who baptizes in the Spirit – Mark 1:4-8)

• In Spirit and Fire - (John baptized men and women in water, but the Messiah of Israel will baptize in the Holy Spirit and Fire - Matthew 3:11-12)

• Jésus et l'Esprit - (Jésus est le Fils oint de Dieu dont la vie et le ministère sont remplis de la présence puissante du Saint-Esprit)