The Anointed
By Reverend Daniel Panitz
You know I have heard the word anointed used so much in charismatic arenas that I decided to study the concept further. I have heard it said that this minister or that minister is or is not under the anointing. In Christian circles it appears the “anointing” is a sought after commodity. Yet there is no one acceptable definition to determine who is anointed, or a uniform belief as to how the anointing is acquired or imparted. I have witnessed that not only people can be anointed but cloth, places or locations, music, or television shows all have been referred to as anointed. There appears to be some unclear issues concerning what an anointing is. When I am unclear or uncertain I go to the bible for my answers. Once we are armed with what the bible has to say about the anointing we may be in a better position to understand it better.
There are three Hebrew words in the Old Testament which have been variously translated into the English word “anoint” or “Anointed” they are Mashach which means to rub with oil to consecrate. Mashiyach means an anointed or a consecrated person or thing. Lastly, Mishchah, which is translated into English as an anointing oil. All are very close in sounding to the word Messiah.
There are four Greek words in the New Testament that have been translated into “anoint”. Aleipho which means to anoint, is seen in John 12:3 were Mary anoints the feet of Jesus. It is also used in Mark 6:13, where the disciples anointed those that were sick. Another Greek word meaning to rub oil on one is Chiro. Chiro is more limited in use as it refers to rubbing on of oil in sacred use. In Luke 4:18, the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath sent Me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. In 1 John 2:30 a very special use of the Greek word describing the smearing on of oil with a special purpose is described using the word Chrisma. “And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things . And as for you. The anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true and is no lie, and even as it taught you ye abide in Him. Epichrio means to “anoint” and has been used twice in the bible. John 9:6 “when he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay”. And again in John 9:11 “ He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay. And anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight”.
Now here is something even more surprising the word In Greek for the “anointed one” is pronounced Khristos meaning covered in oil, or anointed. It is from this word and its definition and its pronunciation that the name and title for our lord Christ can be attributed to. The Greek the word “Christ” and the Hebrew word Messiah both means “the anointed”. Anointing was a sign of the coming of the Redeemer. The prophet Isaiah, prophesized that “the yoke of (Satan’s Oppression) shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isaiah 10:27). That is the coming of our Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus himself said reading from a Messianic prophecy that “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because he hath anointed Me…” (Luke 4:18-19)
In the Hebrew tradition the act of anointing with a holy oil was part of the ritual of consecration of the high priests, (Exodus 29:29). In Isaiah 1:6 we see that olive oil was used for medicinal purposes as it was applied to the sick. It was the custom of the Jews to anoint themselves that is cover their bodies with a refreshing bath of oil. High Priests and Kings were often referred to as the “anointed ones”, (Leviticus 4:3-5). Anointing a king was equivalent to crowning him. In 1 Sam 10:1 we see that Saul and David were anointed as kings by the prophet Samuel. It was believed in the Old Testament that the kings were anointed with oil and only afterwards did they receive the grace through the Holy Spirit to carry out their duty. Jesus on the other hand, was anointed because the Holy Spirit had come upon Him, (Acts 10:38). Jesus was anointed with Power itself. God was pleased that Jesus should be His Son (Maththew3:16). And so Jesus was the anointed of God.
Actually the origin of anointing can be traced back to the practice of the early shepherds. Lice and other forms of insects infested these sheep. When the insects advanced to the head of the sheep the fear was that they would enter into the ears or eyes of the sheep and cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. So the early shepherds poured oil over the heads of their sheep to cause the insects to be repelled or slip off. Often they would sent the oil with an unpleasant smell for the insects. From this simple ancient act of the shepherd the flock was protected and later this was interpreted to be a blessing. So the pouring of Oil or the anointing was for a special purpose and signified that the animal or later the person was specially treated by the act of anointing. So that the rubbing on of oil is a special service in which certain powers of protection and others are imparted. This act soon became part of religious ceremony became part of a tradition between men to demonstrate that a special power or grace had been imparted to them. In biblical days the anointment of a person was meant to impart the special purpose that God may have for them or additionally the imparting of a special grace granted to them by God for those purposes. In the secular world the Kings were anointed as part of the ceremony to suggest that the power of the throne has been passed on to the new King. The anointing of a King was seen as more important than the crowning of the King.
The anointing oil has no power in itself. Only God can anoint a person for a specific purpose. We as Christians use the oil only as a symbol of what God is doing. Another meaning for the word anointed is “chosen one”. The bible tells us that God anointed Jesus Christ and that Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit to spread the Good News and free those who have been held captive by sin ( Acts 19:38, Luke 4:18-19). Before departing us Christ left us the Holy Spirit ( John 14:16). This was the gift that Jesus left us so that we would be anointed as His special ones and protected as His sheep from sin and harm. This anointing would also empower us to be able to do as God would want us to do. We are all anointed in the Holy Spirit with a special purpose in furthering God’s Kingdom (1 John 2:20). Only God can anoint, no man or minister has that power to anoint, and those who sell an anointing, are not playing the part of what God would expect of his representatives. There is no cloth or oil that has any special power. Only God has the power to anoint you with the Holy Spirit as he did with His own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, “the anointed one”. Anointing should not be viewed as a magic potion or a commodity to be sold. This is a very personal blessing between you and God which cannot be purchased or manufactured. Yet, there is nothing wrong in anointing someone in oil for the purposes of symbolizing the acceptance of the Holy Spirit in your life. “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee”, (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
