The Oil Of Gladness

Once Jesus said to the disciples after he rose from the dead, that he will go before them to Galilee. He says that he will reach before them to Galilee while appearing to them in Jerusalem. Jesus could reach Galilee in the blink of an eye with his resurrected, glorious and immortal body. I believe that God has already gone before us to the places that we have to go and has already set up the things that we need to do. In the context above, Jesus went before the disciples and prepared everything for the disciples at Galilee. He even prepared breakfast for the disciples, who after the crucifixion of Jesus went back to their old jobs. Instead of questioning them on why they backslid, he encouraged them to be energised and share a meal with him. In between that, Peter was restored back in his Spirit. Know that God is preparing the way for us. 

Isaiah 61:1-2 says, ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,’

A point to be noted above is - The day of Lord's favour and the day of vengeance are not taking place on the same day or same age. But the two incidents happened ages and years apart.

Isaiah 61:3 says, ‘and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.’

Christ the Messiah means the anointed one. He is the anointed and appointed one who carries the glory and power of our Father in heaven. For example, even before David went to war or fight Goliath, the high priest Samuel poured the anointed oil upon him. At the same time, the Spirit of the Lord also came upon him. It is in Jesus that the original and direct anointing of the Father has been poured out. In the context above, David’s life mimics the reflection of Jesus. It is in this anointing that he fought Goliath, ruled the kingdom and won wars. 

1 John 2:20 says, ‘But you have an anointing from the Holy One,and all of you know the truth.’

1 John 2:27 says, ‘As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.’

The two verses above from 1 John shows us how the anointing of the Lord that was poured upon Jesus was also extended to us.  The anointing comes from the anointed. This is why John the Baptist says, ‘I can only baptise you in water, but there is one coming after me who will baptise you in Spirit and in fire.’ One of the reasons why the anointing came upon Jesus was to pour out the oil of joy and gladness instead of mourning. There is gladness in the oil, when the oil is poured, gladness is experienced instead of mourning. The word ‘mourning’ is used to refer to a disaster or a death in the family. At times like this the sorrow becomes mourning, with long cries and crushing spirit, usually shared by a group of people at the same time. Mourning brings in the feeling of hopelessness, despair and brokenness. This mourning was experienced at the time of Moses when the first borns were killed by the Pharaoh’s people and mothers mourned for their children. 

Now that we know what mourning is, just imagine a person mourning and crying out of despair. Suddenly the oil of gladness is released upon them and poured onto his head. Quickly at that same time, as the oil touches their head, the mourning turns into gladness and joy. The sorrow and despair turns into happiness and a smile. A breath of relief is released upon them. As per the culture at the time, when a VVIP guest enters the home, a perfumed, expensive oil is poured out onto their heads. When the oil is poured on them, the atmosphere is filled with a sweet aroma. The minute the scent of the perfume starts spreading, people are alerted that a VVIP has entered the home. This practice is also followed when there is a big celebration of a festival. The oil signifies joy. The anointing over our Jesus and the anointing poured out by our Jesus is a joy bringer. When Jesus was born in Nazareth, the angels of heaven came down and celebrated, proclaiming ‘Joy to the world.’ Jesus is the joy bringer and the anointing upon Jesus is a joy bringer. It can transform mourning into gladness. When Jesus anoints someone with the oil of joy and gladness, the person who is in mourning and sorrow stops crying and joy transpires instead. Tears are wiped away, new clothes are worn, new beginners are embraced and the mourning turns into dancing. He transforms our morning because he can transform the mourner. I believe that Jesus is going to turn your life around. He will work on your heart and turn your mourning into dancing. He will change your situations in your favour.

The Lord says, Psalm 23:5 says, ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.’