“He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).” –John 1:41
In the Old Testament, the word “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for “Messiah.” And in the book of John, when Andrew tells his brother Simon that they have found the Messiah, it is saying that they have also found the Christ. In the New Testament, you will encounter the word “Christ” over 500 times. This word also means “anointed one.” The whole Old Testament was written in anticipation of the One to come —the Messiah. You cannot grasp and understand the Old Testament unless you understand the Jewish people’s anticipation for the Messiah. Generation after generation, they have been looking forward to seeing this promised person God promised to send. They believe that the Father’s anointed one would fulfill the purposes of God not only for His people Israel but for the whole world.
Genesis 3:15 tells us that the woman would have a seed because no man would be involved in the birth of the Messiah. The Seed came from the Holy Spirit, and throughout the Old Testament, God would set up a whole system of sacrifices in anticipation of the coming Messiah. He would make specific promises to Israel and the entire world that could only be fulfilled by the reign of the Messiah.
When Andrew says they have found the Messiah, he says they have found the One who was anticipated, prophesied, and promised in the Old Testament. One of the things the Scripture tells us is that Christ had to come through the lineage of King David. The lineage of Jesus was found in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. When God was doing His matchmaking, He had a man named Joseph meet a woman named Mary. The lineage of Joseph came through the line of David, and in Luke 3, the heritage of Mary also came through David, which means that Jesus’ human side is both from David. Jesus was raised in the lineage of both to satisfy the Old Testament prediction that the Messiah had to come through the Davidic line to fulfill God’s Kingdom purposes. In the Bible, to receive an anointing in the Old Testament was to be elected to an office.
In the Old Testament, three classifications of people were anointed. Here’s a further explanation of each.
The first category: The anointed One is a prophet
The prophet is not elected like an officer. They are called by God. He anoints the prophet to speak and move on His behalf. We often hear prophets in the Old Testament say, “thus saith the Lord.” Not only did they speak for God, but they also foretold the future for God. These people were very predictive. They would say what God said and declare things that haven’t happened yet on behalf of God to the people.
The second category: The anointed One is a priest
Those in the priesthood and their line had been anointed for a purpose —to stand as a mediator between God and mankind. Humans are sinful and cannot go directly to God. This means God would not go directly to them in the Old Testament times. God is holy, and He cannot mix with man’s sinfulness. He had to have a priesthood that would mediate between God and man. So God created or anointed a mediator, somebody who would stand between Him and the people to sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins so that God could have fellowship with the people and bless them too.
Among the priests, there was also their leader called the high priest. He would go into the holy of holies once a year and offer sacrifices for the entire nation of Israel so that God could bring blessings to them while gaining forgiveness and avoiding judgment for their sins. God also anointed the priesthood through the ordination ceremony of other priests.
The third category: The anointed One is a king
A king was anointed for his civil responsibility for ruling over a nation. A king goes through an official anointing ceremony. Sometimes he was anointed by a prophet, and sometimes he was anointed by those who were given that authority. But it was an official anointing ceremony to say that he has been elected under God to rule over this nation.
Each one of these three categories filled a messianic role as human beings. But when the Messiah would come, He would fulfill all three functions in one person. What Jesus’ baptism shows us in Matthew 3:16-17 was when Heaven opened up, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. When God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I’m well pleased,” He was anointed and launched into His trifold ministry as prophet, priest, and king.
Every time you hear “Christ,” you must think of “Messiah,” and you must also think of “anointed.” Jesus was anointed as a prophet, priest, and king.
In Jesus, all three anointings were fulfilled in one purpose. When we say Jesus is Christ, remember how He possesses three elected offices. We must understand that how Jesus carried out these three anointings is different from what we saw in the Old Testament.
Jesus’ anointing as a Prophet, Priest, and King
When Jesus was anointed as a prophet, He became a spokesperson for God Himself. He is to proclaim and foretell the future. If Jesus is the Messiah and truly God’s anointed prophet, that means He doesn’t speak for God but speaks as God. While all the other prophets said, “thus saith the Lord,” Jesus came on the scene and said, “I say unto you.”
All the other prophets were simply articulating what God told them to tell the people. But when Jesus spoke, the Bible says He spoke with the authority of God. John 1:1 says:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John reveals to us why Jesus could speak with this kind of authority — He is God the Son. Jesus’ connection with the Father is that He won’t say anything unless He hears the Father say it. Jesus has the authority as the Son of God because He is God in the flesh. Hebrews 1:1-2 says:
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;”
Not only is Jesus anointed as a prophet. Not only is His word the final word on any subject, but He was also anointed as a priest. 1 Timothy 2:5 says:
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,”
Jesus is the in-between person between God and man. He is our perfect priest. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). A sinful man cannot go to God. He is a pure God. He cannot mix Himself with sin, so Jesus bore our sins to bring us together. He is not just a priest but a high priest. Hebrews 4:14-16 says:
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The throne of the Lord Jesus Christ has so much grace that He can assist you in your times of trouble, problem, and circumstances. He is in charge. His priesthood is not a priesthood in time but in eternity. It never runs out. Because Jesus is our High Priest, He can get us to God. He can feel our infirmities. He can feel our pain, hurts, and sorrows.
The Father knows everything. He’s omniscient. He sent His Son Jesus Christ, to Earth to be a man so that He could experience things like loneliness, pain, death, and rejection. There’s no point that He was not touched like any human being. This happened so that the Son could explain to the Father what it’s like to experience being human. There is no category in our life that our anointed High Priest has not already experienced. Whatever you’re going through, Jesus Christ is your mediator. He is prepared to pour out His grace and anointing that He has to help you through every circumstance. He’s our present help in time of need (Psalm 46:1).
Now, onto Jesus the Christ as King. When King David was anointed, He was the ruler of Israel. In David’s case, the prophet Samuel anointed him. But in Jesus’ case, the Holy Spirit anointed Him. David represented the government or the head of the government. This is why the Bible says that the government shall rest on the shoulders of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6). The Bible calls Jesus Christ the King of kings and the Lord of lords. All things in Heaven and Earth will come under His Kingship (Ephesians 1:10).
What about us?
What does Jesus’ anointing have to do with His official designation? The anointing in your life will flow if you accept Jesus Christ. When you reject Him, you will not only lose fellowship with the person of Christ, but you will also lose the ability to benefit from the anointing of Christ. You will experience the anointing of the prophet, priest, and king if Jesus is your Lord. If you do not have much anointing, you do not have much relationship. His presence is essential. His Word is His authority.
To understand and have the anointing, we have to be crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). When Christ lives in you, His anointing can flow through you. People should see Jesus and His power in you when you are in Christ. We need to depend on God, allowing Him to work in us and through us. We will always lack on our own, but His power can move mightily in what we do when He is in us.
If you are born again, you already have the anointing. Jesus the Christ became God’s representative on the Earth to fulfill God’s promises to His people. Not only is He available to meet Israel’s promises, but He is also available to you. Following and obeying Him allows Jesus the Prophet, Priest, and King to rise in you. Jesus is not just Christ. He is your Christ. The Holy Spirit has anointed him to meet you where you are, heal your hurts, calm your fears, and bring hope, help, and healing to the deepest parts of your life. He is the fullest expression of God.
Father, we ask that you allow us to receive your Word so we understand and increase the power of your anointing. We pray that we will receive a simple yet significant revelation of the anointing in Jesus the Christ. Amen.
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