Anointing and Yokes

Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 16:18-19; Isaiah 10:7

There is a question about what exactly it means when we find the term or thought that the ‘anointing breaks the yoke of bondage.’

: So what is the ‘anointing’ and what are ‘yokes.’ I will probably spend two weeks here.

: First, lets start with the word, significance and reality of the word ‘anointing.’

In ancient thought, various kinds of anointing oil (

) can penetrate deep into the body and impart strength, health, beauty and even joy.

The idea of anointing thus gained at an early period a symbolic and religious meaning, over and above its normal use in cosmetics and medicine.

: In the Hispanic culture, there really was an anointing balm that seemed (according to our parents) to cure just about everything….Vics Vapor Rub.

Anointing in the literal, non-figurative sense is expressed in the NT by

, while

and

are used exclusively in a religious and symbolic sense.

So let’s take a look at what the act of ‘anointing’ was used, how it is explained and demonstrated.

The actual healing properties cannot be disentangled from the magical conceptions associated with the anointing.

.

:

<A Song of Ascents. Of David.>

(NKJ)

: In the NT,

occurs only 8 times.

Along with the OT usage for anointing (care of body, mark of honor for guests, to honor the dead, it became synonymous with healing the sick. Ointments used are olive oil, or the more expensive myrrh, and balsam.

The anointing of Jesus’s head or feet are events recorded in the 

. The account in 

, 

, and 

 has as its location the city of 

 in the south and involves 

 the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The event in Luke features an unknown sinful woman, and is in the northern region, as 

 indicates Jesus was ministering in the northern regions of 

 and 

. The honorific anointing with perfume is an action frequently mentioned in other literature from the time; however, using long hair to dry Jesus’s feet, as in John and Luke, is not recorded elsewhere, and should be regarded as an exceptional gesture.

 Considerable debate has discussed the identity of the woman, the location, timing, and the message.

: The theological significance in the NT cannot, however, be reduced to a single pattern.

Luke 4:16-21 – Read

Jesus quoting from Isaiah 49:8,9; Dan. 9:24, said he was anointed to:

=

{khree’-o}

1) to anoint 1a) consecrating Jesus to the Messianic office, and furnishing him with the necessary powers for its administration 1b) enduing Christians with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

– 1 Corinthians 2:4 –

= a making manifest, showing forth 2) a demonstration, proof

: Does Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) still anoint individuals today?

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Spiritually, anointing was related to the idea of strength or blessing. This anointing signified a person as a chosen one among other people.

In addition to Old Testament leaders and Jesus being anointed, the apostle Paul spoke of an anointing of all Christians: “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our h

 also affirms this understanding of all Christians being anointed by God: “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

Today, some people speak of certain Christians as being “anointed.” When they do so, they are generally using the Old Testament understanding of someone being set apart or standing out as a person specially blessed by God. While God does seem to bless some people with ministry gifts in more visible ways than others,

Those gifted in leadership serve according to their gifts, just as others who may serve with perhaps less visible gifts such as mercy or encouragement serve according to their gifts (

). As 

 teaches, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

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There is an important biblical idea that has great implications for our personal spirituality and public life in the church and in the world: the idea that every believer is a priest, regardless of his or her full-time occupation.

This notion is known as the “priesthood of all believers.” Martin Luther wrote in The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude: Preached and Explained that “this word priest should become as common as the word Christian” because all Christians are priests.

When Luther referred to the priesthood of all believers, he was maintaining that the plowboy and the milkmaid could do priestly work. In fact, their plowing and milking was priestly work. There was no hierarchy where the priesthood was a “vocation” and milking the cow was not. Both were tasks that God called his followers to do, each according to their gifts.

This has enormous implications for how Christians live their daily lives. Here are four ways to unpack the priesthood of believers in your own life.

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So, what is the Anointing?

Presence of God in your/our lives, given/shared with us by God activated and actuated that is manifest in others through a change of the very nature, character, behavior, and healing of individuals not present before.