Oct 1 - Psalm 23:5b

Thou anointest my head with oil

Psalm 23:5b

KJV

Do you know what “Messiah” means?

Wait … before you answer that, do you know what “Christ” means?

Both words refer to Jesus. And both words mean “anointed” – “Messiah” is the Hebrew and Old Testament word for the long expect king; “Christ” is the Greek and New Testament word for the fulfillment of these prophecies through Jesus, the Son of God.

While we’re talking about “anointed,” do you know who, in the ancient world, was normally anointed? Three types of people …

•      Kings
•      Priests
•      And dead people (They were anointed with spices to minimize the stench of death)

By the end of his life on earth, Jesus was all three.

•      He was a dead person. (Though he would soon rise, Jesus – not just a person, but the Son of God himself – would die to save us from our sins.)
•      Though he was mocked at his death – a crown not of gold, but of thorns, upon his head – the sign above Jesus as he hung upon the cross was wonderfully true, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
•       Furthermore, Jesus is not understood as just a priest, but scripture tells us that he is to be viewed as the ultimate and eternal high priest. As it says in Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.”

Psalm 23 does not refer, however, to Jesus the Eternal King. It refers to David, a shepherd boy who would be anointed an earthly king.

But what does it mean when WE pray these words? Are we kings? Are we priest? Are we dying?

Yes, yes, and yes.

•      We are priests. We are constantly called to stand between God and the world. We represent (re-present) the heart and teachings of God to a broken world. We represent (re-present) the prayers and confessions of broken people to loving, forgiving God.
•      We are royalty. God is The King and is utterly unequaled. But when he calls us his children, we become princes and princesses – royalty. What is our realm? From the very beginning – Genesis 1:28 – God has given us “dominion,” kingship, and authority of this earth. The question is … will you be a leader in this world or a follower?
•      Finally we are dying. For some that’s scary. For some it’s depressing. For you, I pray this realization is hopeful instead. When we come to faith in Christ, we unite our lives and our destiny with his. Inevitably, we will die – just as the human Messiah did – but “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” That’s the hope. That’s the promise. That’s the victory.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy with oil

dripping off his forehead