Prophecy
"Thou
lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore
God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows." Psalms
45:7
"And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the LORD;" Isaiah 11:2
"The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon
me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach
good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison
to them that are bound;" Isaiah
61:1
Fulfillment
"And Jesus, when he was baptized,
went up straightway out of the water: and, lo,
the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting
upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew
3:16-17 |
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Anointed with the Spirit of God - Isaiah
61:1
As Jesus asked for baptism, John drew back, exclaiming, "I
have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?" With
firm yet gentle authority, Jesus answered, "Suffer it
to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." And
John, yielding, led the Saviour down into the Jordan, and
buried Him beneath the water. "And straightway coming
up out of the water," Jesus "saw the heavens opened,
and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him."
Jesus did not receive baptism as a confession of guilt on His own account. He
identified Himself with sinners, taking the steps that we are to take, and doing
the work that we must do. His life of suffering and patient endurance after His
baptism was also an example to us.
Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the river bank. A new
and important era was opening before Him. He was now, upon a wider stage, entering
on the conflict of His life. Though He was the Prince of Peace, His coming must
be as the unsheathing of a sword. The kingdom He had come to establish was the
opposite of that which the Jews desired. He who was the foundation of the ritual
and economy of Israel would be looked upon as its enemy and destroyer. He who
had proclaimed the law upon Sinai would be condemned as a transgressor. He who
had come to break the power of Satan would be denounced as Beelzebub. No one
upon earth had understood Him, and during His ministry He must still walk alone.
Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission.
Even His disciples did not understand Him. He had dwelt in eternal light, as
one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude.
As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe. The Sinless One
must feel the shame of sin. The peace lover must dwell with strife, the truth
must abide with falsehood, purity with vileness. Every sin, every discord, every
defiling lust that transgression had brought, was torture to His spirit.
Alone He must tread the path; alone He must bear the burden. Upon Him who had
laid off His glory and accepted the weakness of humanity the redemption of the
world must rest. He saw and felt it all, but His purpose remained steadfast.
Upon His arm depended the salvation of the fallen race, and He reached out His
hand to grasp the hand of Omnipotent Love.
The Saviour's glance seems to penetrate heaven as He pours out His soul in prayer.
Well He knows how sin has hardened the hearts of men,
and how difficult it will be for them to discern His mission, and accept the
gift of salvation. He pleads with the Father for power to overcome their unbelief,
to break the fetters with which Satan has enthralled them, and in their behalf
to conquer the destroyer. He asks for the witness that God accepts humanity in
the person of His Son.
Never before have the angels listened to such a prayer. They are eager to bear
to their loved Commander a message of assurance and comfort. But no; the Father
Himself will answer the petition of His Son. Direct from the throne issue the
beams of His glory. The heavens are opened, and upon the Saviour's head descends
a dovelike form of purest light,--fit emblem of Him, the meek and lowly One.
Of the vast throng at the Jordan, few except John discerned the heavenly vision.
Yet the solemnity of the divine Presence rested upon the assembly. The people
stood silently gazing upon Christ. His form was bathed in the light that ever
surrounds the throne of God. His upturned face was glorified as they had never
before seen the face of man. From the open heavens a voice was heard saying, "This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
These words of confirmation were given to inspire faith in those who witnessed
the scene, and to strengthen the Saviour for His mission. Notwithstanding that
the sins of a guilty world were laid upon Christ, notwithstanding the humiliation
of taking upon Himself our fallen nature, the voice from heaven declared Him
to be the Son of the Eternal.
John had been deeply moved as he saw Jesus bowed as a suppliant, pleading with
tears for the approval of the Father. As the glory of God encircled Him, and
the voice from heaven was heard, John recognized the token which God had promised.
He knew that it was the world's Redeemer whom he had baptized. The Holy Spirit
rested upon him, and with outstretched hand pointing to Jesus, he cried, "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
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