“You have love righteousness and hate wickedness: therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy” ( Hebrews 1:9 )
When I was a young adult, several of the local churches in town got together to pass out the ‘Jesus Film’. They did fundraisers and church members sponsored the purchase of these videotapes. Then they spent a Saturday walking through neighborhoods delivering movies to everyone’s doorstep. It was a small part of a larger operation that happened on a national level. I also remember coming home from work that day to find one of these movies on my own doorstep.
I eventually watched this movie and it was well done. It presented the gospel in a clear and accurate way. But the thing I remember most about this video and the many others like it that have been made, is that Jesus is always presented as somber, aloof, distant and unfriendly. He walks around teaching and healing the sick, but you never see him smile. The way he is portrayed makes him seem unapproachable. To me, this is not an accurate picture of the Savior while on earth.
Scripture backs this up. Psalms 45:7 prophesied that Jesus would be anointed with the oil of joy beyond anyone else who ever lived. This is the passage that Hebrews is quoting about Jesus. He was anointed with joy. This means he was happy, glad, approachable, caring and let’s face it; Jesus would have been a blast to be around. I feel sure he walked around with a smile continually on His face. He probably hugged and kissed His disciples every morning. I know He made them laugh, feel special and loved. He saw the crowds come to him and had compassion on them. He would stand from morning to night teaching, healing and blessing them. Jesus drew people to Him because He was so full of life, they had to find out what it was about. He was like no one they had ever seen before.
Over the next three days we will look at Hebrews 1:9 to understand why Jesus was anointed with Joy. We will look at the purpose it served and why is it still important for us today.
Tomorrow we look at Part 2: Why Jesus was Anointed with Joy
