“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
When Jesus entered into His calling, and accepted His ministry and mission at His baptism, He began it alone…or was He? Scripture tells us that when He came up out of the waters of Jordan, after being baptized, while He was praying, “…the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, ‘Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased.'” (Luke 3:21,22) And so it was, in the context and response to prayer, that God the Father sent the Holy Spirit to manifest His presence to Christ, and to those around Him. This was the same Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters at creation, and also, the one by whom Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary His mother. This Holy Spirit of God filled Jesus constantly from his birth until that very moment of the manifestation of His presence. Why then did God the Father send the Spirit, descending upon Him in a bodily shape like a dove, at this particular time? It was because of a need, an announcement, and a consolation, a comfort. What was the need? From the moment that Jesus rose up from those waters of baptism, He accepted and entered fully into His mission and purpose for coming to earth. The need was for the entire sufficiency of the Father by the Spirit to meet every physical, emotional, and spiritual need that He had, at every moment during His life, death, and resurrection. The Father, in giving the Spirit, provided Christ as a man, and yet, God, with every resource, capacity, and enabling, in order that He should not only enter into His calling, but accomplish perfectly the work of redemption.
God the Father also, by virtue of the Spirit’s manifest presence, confirmed that Jesus was the Christ to John the Baptist. In John’s gospel we read: “…I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit of God descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit.’ And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” (1:33,34) The Spirit of Christ’s manifest coming upon the Lord Jesus, was the announcement that He was the Son of God, and that He was the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit those who would truly believe and follow Him.
Thirdly, the Spirit’s coming was a comfort to Christ Himself, for the Father declared unto Him, and before the whole world by the testimony of His word, His love and approval of and for the Son. Jesus was not only declared to be the Son of the Father, but the perfectly loved Son of the Father. Thus, for Christ, going forth into battle, to obtain a crown, and accomplish a perfect work whereby men could be saved, He is clothed with the knowledge, conviction, and proof of the Father’s everlasting love and presence. He had heard the comforting words of His Father, and in His presence and love He would live, though constantly facing opposition, unbelief, and affliction by the hands of men.
How then does the knowledge of the Spirit coming upon Jesus at this time apply to the believer? First and foremost, as when God revealed to John that the Spirit would come and rest upon Christ, so there was a promise given to Christ by the Father, and to His disciples. The promise consisted in these words: “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.” (Acts 1:5) There would be in that baptism by the Spirit of God at Pentecost, the unveiling and revelation of the power of God communicated to men.
Dear Father, Empower us consistently today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.