Anointing

Biblical Text and Content

In the Old Testament, anointing was a rite performed to set apart a person entrusted with an office or an object designated for holy use.

• Priests: Aaron and his sons were anointed when they were installed as priests (Exodus 29:7; Leviticus 8:12). Exodus 30:22-33 sets out the ingredients of the holy oil used for this purpose (KJV "holy anointing oil") and the regulations for its use.
• Kings: Samuel anointed Saul and David (1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13), and Zadok the priest anointed Solomon (1 Kings 1:39).
• Prophets: God commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor (1 Kings 19:16).
• Objects: The tabernacle and its furnishings were anointed with oil to consecrate them (Exodus 40:9), and at Bethel Jacob set up as a pillar the stone he had used as a pillow and poured oil on top of it (Genesis 28:18).

Background

The Hebrew verb mashach means "to pour oil on" or "to smear with oil." From it comes mashiach, meaning "anointed one," the origin of the word Messiah. The Greek christos, which has the same meaning, is the source of the title Christ. In ancient Israel, oil (chiefly olive oil) was also used in showing hospitality to guests (Luke 7:46), in personal grooming, and in burial (Mark 16:1).

Significance Across Scripture

Anointing was a sign that God had chosen a person and entrusted that person with an office. First Samuel 16:13 records that the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from the day he was anointed, thereby linking anointing with the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Persian king Cyrus is also called God's "anointed" (Isaiah 45:1).

The New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the one whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18, quoting Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). It also states that believers have received an anointing from God (2 Corinthians 1:21; 1 John 2:20, 27). Separately, the disciples and the early church anointed the sick with oil (Mark 6:13; James 5:14), and a woman in Bethany poured ointment on Jesus (Mark 14:3-9). John 12:3 identifies this woman as Mary.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The Reformed tradition, in the Heidelberg Catechism and elsewhere, explains that Jesus is called "Christ" because he was anointed to the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king.
• Interpretations differ concerning the oil in James 5:14. Some regard it as a medical remedy of the time, while others see it as a symbolic rite performed together with prayer. The Catholic Church takes this passage as the basis for the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
• Pentecostal and charismatic circles emphasize "anointing" as power the Holy Spirit grants for ministry and service. Other denominations caution against using the term as though it denoted a power given only to special individuals, pointing out that, as 1 John 2:20 indicates, all believers have received an anointing.
• Some sermons apply the account in 1 Samuel 24:6, in which David refused to harm Saul, "the LORD's anointed," to the authority of pastors. Critics respond that this passage pertains to the Old Testament monarchy and cannot be transferred directly to church officers, and others object on the basis of the principle of the priesthood of all believers.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the expression "the anointing of the Holy Spirit" is frequently used in preaching and prayer. The laying on of hands at an ordination service for church officers is sometimes explained in connection with Old Testament anointing. Some churches anoint the sick with oil, following James 5:14, when praying for divine healing.