The Missing Person - Part Three

 Previously, in considering the identity of Jesus the Messiah, I emphasised His dependency on God the Father as part of fulfilling His role as our substitute in place of Adam, our representative head.  This reality is accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit enabling Jesus to minister as Messiah, empowering Him with regard to miracles and supernatural knowledge beyond human capacity.

This blog examines the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through Jesus the Messiah.  Even before Jesus was born, the Holy Spirit was the agent of His conception, as revealed to Mary (Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35).  This not only brought the humanity of God's Son into existence, it also ensured that Jesus was sinless in nature.  Of necessity, Jesus must be entirely sinless internally and externally, so that His substitutionary sacrifice would be acceptable and sufficient for humanity.

When John introduces Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) and then proceeds to baptise Him, the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus taking the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22).  Jesus begins His messianic ministry with the public endorsement of His Father and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.  Luke records that Jesus returned from Jordan full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1).

Immediately following Jesus' baptism, He is led by, driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness so that He can be tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1).  Prior to His public ministry, Jesus demonstrates His superiority to Adam in successfully overcoming three temptations (Matthew 4:3-11; Luke 4:3-13) and does so in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Having fasted for 40 days (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:2), Jesus is spiritually prepared for the onslaught to come, depending on the Holy Spirit to resist temptation.

Luke records that Jesus returned from this confrontation with Satan in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14).  Jesus begins His public proclamation, teaching in the synagogues and public spaces, with an authority unheard of since the Old Testament prophets and does so because the Holy Spirit empowers His communication.  In Nazareth, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:1-2 as he takes the scroll in the synagogue, which declares "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me..." and then states, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:17-21).

Perhaps, the most dramatic aspect of Jesus' ministry is the working of miracles, which are also enabled by the Holy Spirit as is evident from Jesus' interaction with the Jewish religious leaders.  These leaders accuse Jesus of performing miracles by satanic power, to which He responds that such an interpretation is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:22-32).  Jesus affirms that the power to perform miracles is the Holy Spirit, which in this case is casting out demons.

Even in death, Jesus seemed to have offered His life by the power of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14) and seemingly so regarding His resurrection.  The Holy Spirit is mentioned as involved in raising Jesus from the dead (Romans 1:4), but more definitely God the Father is the one (Acts 2:24).  Remember also, Jesus stated that He had power to lay down His life and take it up again (John 10:17-18).  Perhaps, all three members of the Godhead were involved in this victorious event.

What is obvious from the life and ministry of Jesus the Messiah is the central role of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus lived and ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit as a dependent human being, which challenges us to consider how we live and minister.  If the sinless Son of God did not depend on Himself, how much less can we depend on ourselves.  Followers of Jesus need the empowering of the Holy Spirit from beginning to end, which we will see more clearly in the book of Acts and the teaching of the epistles.  Till then, depend on God through the Holy Spirit.


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