Reasons Jesus was so Effective -- No. 3

Jesus was born without sin, maintained that standing through his death, and carried three (3) anointings: King, Prophet and Priest.  In this segment I speak of His being a priest and five (5) operational  facts about Him.

4. Jesus was a Priest.  Because Jesus was so much opposed by and finally suffered so much at the hands of the priests of His day, we tend to play down and ignore this aspect of His life and ministry.  But a practical reality of this “calling” was that He had to wait until He was 30 years of age to begin His public ministry, a requirement of all those who served as priests.  Repeatedly He was called “rabbi” or “teacher” because of His priestly anointing.  It might almost be said that this functioning of His anointing tended to predominate the closer He got to the Cross, with first the “high priestly prayer” (John, chapter 7), then the culmination of His life on the Cross as a sinless sacrifice.  On the Cross the office of the priest is functioning at its highest and purest form in laying down His life for us.

Application.  Paul spoke about the sufferings of Christ abounding in him and his ministry team (II Corinthians, chapter 1) and goes on to speak of the inescapability of suffering.  The point is, suffering for righteousness sake, as opposed to suffering because of stupidity and rebellion, can always be redemptive.  Frequently it’s not.  That’s because we allow anger and rebellion to blind us to God’s redemptive purposes.  In the midst of our hurt we too frequently strike out with an angry, “Why?”  The fact of the matter is that it frequently takes our wrongful suffering to bring some people to redemption.  That’s the principle of the Cross.

Five Operational Facts About Jesus.  For thirty years He was known as Jesus of Nazareth.  After His baptism in the River Jordan and the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Him without measure, He publicly and officially became Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Anointed One.  After this Jesus was able to say, “The Spirit of Jehovah is upon Me because He hath anointed Me. . .”(Luke 3:21-23; 4:1, 14-19).

With this anointing Jesus’ ministry begins.  In addition to the component parts of the anointing, there were some five operational components that are not automatic, though available, for His followers.

1) He operated in the Father’s favor.  Upon Jesus’ water baptism at the hands of John the Baptist, there came a voice from heaven saying, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). This benediction [“good speaking] over Jesus’ life was incalculable.  Many spend their entire lives in quest of a “good word” from their fathers, never getting it.

2) He operated with an ‘open heaven’.  At the same time of His baptism, “. . .heaven was opened” (Luke 3:21).  As a result there was nothing in the 2^nd heaven—Satan’s realm—to oppose Jesus’ praying and operation.  Upon occasion different persons have experienced this.  A continual spirit of praise and thanksgiving can do much to extend such a privilege to us today.

3) He operated in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit.  Being full of the Holy Spirit Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.  After a time of temptation [testing], Jesus left the wilderness in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14), immediately commencing His public ministry.  Much argument surrounds this with people saying they receive “all” of the Holy Spirit upon their baptism.  Argument aside, the proof of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power is casting out demons, healing the sick and raising the dead.  This ministry will increase the closer we get to the end of the age.

4) He operated in the “fullness of time” (See Galatians 4:4).  At precisely the right moment, Jesus came.  There are times and seasons with God and we must learn to discern them and flow with them.

5) He operated in perfect harmony with the will of God.  “I do always those things that please Him [the Father]” (John 8:29).  Jesus had to learn obedience (Hebrews 5:8).  There was nothing automatic about it, He had to “walk it out” and doubtless there were times it was difficult beyond measure.