The Messiah and the Spirit

Author: Dwight A. Pryor

THE ENGLISH WORD messiah derives from the Hebrew mashiach or aoited oe!"
The root# mashach# meas to smear or s$read a substa%e su%h as oi& or $erfume u$o
someoe# to aoit them" I the %ase of the 'essiah of God the aoiti( is of the S$irit"
To s$ea) of the 'essiah! *+hrist!, is rea&&- to refer to the S$irit.Aoited.Oe!"
/e%ause Adoai wi&& put His Spirit upon the 'essiah# de%&ares the $ro$het Isaiah# His
%hose servat wi&& bring forth justice to the nations *01:2," At his iau(ura& sermo
3esus se&f.%os%ious&- idetified with that 'essiai% a(eda whe he read from the Isaiah
s%ro&&: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to
bring good news to the humbe ! *42:2,"
The ise$arabi&it- of the S$irit to(ether with the 'essiah is ot a&wa-s a$$re%iated i
+hristia ref&e%tios o 3esus" This ma- be due i $art to the fra%tious debates of the
third.to.fifth %eturies re(ardi( the fu&& diviit- of the So of God# whi%h subse5uet&-
&eft a ide&ib&e i%&iatio u$o the +hristia mid to em$hasi6e the Divie status of
3esus far more tha his (ifted humait-" A God.ma! frame of refere%e %a
overshadow the S$irit.Aoited! humait- of 3esus"
3EWISH E7EGESIS LO+ATES the first refere%e to the 'essiah ad the S$irit at the
o$ei( of the Torah" The S$irit that hovered over the %haos ad brou(ht order to the
%reatio *Ge 2:1, was the S$irit of the 'essiah" Li)ewise at the be(ii( of the New
Testamet we &ear that the birth of the 'essiah was a&so a wor) of the S$irit" As the
A(e& of the Lord e8$&aied# that which is concei"ed in #$ar%& is of the Ho% Spirit
'$t ()*+,- Lu.e confirms that the Ho% Spirit/ %ame u$o! 'ar- ad that the $ower of
the 'ost Hi(h o"ershadowed her to $rodu%e a aoited %hi&d *L) 2:9:,# whose ame
was to be %a&&ed ;eshua"
At the be(ii( of his $ub&i% miistr-# 3esus submitted to the immersio that 3oh
$rea%hed" As he %ame u$ out of the water# the aoiti( Spirit of God descended upon
him *L) 9:24, ad the <ather=s voi%e from heave affirmed him" 0u of the Ho%
Spirit 3esus the was ed b% the Spirit ito the wi&deress to be tem$ted b- the
Adversar- *0:2.1,"
He returned in the power of the Spirit to Ga&i&ee *0:20, to $ro%&aim at the Na6areth
s-a(o(ue# The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ! *0:2>," Not as God but as the S$irit.
aoited ma! he hea&ed the diseased ad hurti( ad set free %a$tives to demoi% for%es"
This he did b% the Spirit of God *'t 21:1>," Seei( the ?i(dom adva%i( i God=s
$ower# he rejoiced in the Ho% Spirit *L) 2@:12,"
Whe 3esus tau(ht# his s$o)e words were spirit and ife *3 4:49," He tau(ht othi(
but his <ather=s wi&& ad $erformed o a%tio a$art from the S$irit=s &eadi(" Ideed to
eter his ?i(dom movemetAas he %ha&&e(ed the otab&e tea%her of Israe&# Ni%odemus
Aoe must be born of the Spirit he said *9::# >,"
Throu(hout his &ife# 3esus %otiua&&- was is$ired# iformed ad em$owered b- the
Ho&- S$irit" At the ed of his &ife his sa%rifi%ia& death was atoi( be%ause through the
eterna Spirit #he& offered himsef without bemish to God *Heb B:20," <urther it was the
Spirit of God who raised 1esus from the dead *Rom >:22," He was e2ated at the
right hand of God where he recei"ed from the 0ather the promise of the Ho% Spirit
that he $oured out u$o his dis%i$&es (athered i 3erusa&em for Shavu=ot *A%ts 1:99,"
IN CIEW O< THE S$irit.saturated &ife ad miistr- of 'essiah 3esus# it is ot sur$risi(
that he istru%ted his dis%i$&es to tarr- uti& the- too were cothed with power from on
high *L) 10:0B," The S$irit that had bee with them as the- wa&)ed with 3esus ow was
to be i them *3 20:2D, so that the- %ou&d %otiue the redem$tive ?i(dom wor) of
their 'aster"
The %hur%h! *e..esia, that 3esus $romised to bui&d %aot $ossib&- bear ade5uate
witess to him or re$reset him without the em$oweri( $rese%e of God=s Ho&- S$irit"
As with the ma# 3esus# so with his bod-# the %hur%h" The se%od a$$oited <east of the
Lord# Shavu=otEFete%ost# remids us of this vita& truth"
G 1@20 The +eter for 3udai%.+hristia Studies"
A&& ri(hts reserved"