The Spirit And Jesus

On this third to last day before Holy Week begins, we are present to learn more about the free and unhindered ways of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. We come with varying measures of faith, different degrees of trust and with hope that runs the gamut from high to low. Nevertheless, we have all come with our obvious differences, yet with one heart and mind and it is to hear, learn and know change in us all. 

We want the radical changes that only the Holy Spirit can bring about in us.

We all want the Present, Holy Spirit to so fill us that we may lose all of our individual states and know Him in His Power and Might.  

The question now is whether or not the Holy Spirit played the same pivotal and operational roles in this work in Jesus. We are specifically referring to the Blood Work of Jesus. Can we apply the same power words, Overcome, Overshadow and Overpower to Jesus, as was done to Mary? Has the Spirit worked miraculously in Jesus’ life also?  

Slowly we travel on together with our Teacher, Guide, Counsellor and Enabler.

Overcome – The Holy Spirit comes over Jesus.  

The Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus when, as a Man, He goes to John to be baptized. There, as He comes out of the water, publicly denouncing all flesh, a sign of Him leaving, emptying, nullifying and turning from self and its desires, the Holy Spirit comes over Him.

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. Luke 3:  21 – 22.

Note carefully! Luke is pleased to let us know that Jesus is not doing something that other believers and people committed to God are not doing. This water baptism of John, publicly declared to all the world, in the Living Presence of Almighty Father God, a dying to self, to sin, to flesh, and the commitment to God to be His and His alone, in faith, trust and obedience. It is the giving over of oneself to living in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  Jesus, who knows the kind of flesh nature He has taken on, the human nature now living in Him, is showing the world truth about Himself. He shows His understanding and acceptance of this vile nature in Him, and is baptized, showing His commitment to dying to all of self and living to all of God. Jesus engages in two human actions, which exemplify His commitment not to follow His human nature, but to seek to live in the Spirit’s nature.

One is that Jesus was baptized. Be it known that in human flesh, human nature, He needs this baptism as the Son of Man. As Spirit, as Son of God or God, the Son, baptism is not needed. The other human action is that Jesus prayed. Jesus, Son of Man prays as He is being baptized. Have you ever thought about this? God the Son does not have to pray, for to whom will He pray? To Himself? However, the Son of Man prays, for He is totally human and carries all the weakness of flesh. Jesus needs to not just pray, but live on prayer, to be able to have the Spirit overcome in Him.

Overshadow – The power of the Most High overshadowed Jesus.

The Holy Spirit, who is the Most High God, will totally cover this human person with His fullness - glory, majesty, might and power - so that absolutely nothing of self-will and self-desires have any control over Him. The Spirit is He who overshadows Jesus so fully, completely filling Him, that He cannot but be victorious over the tempting deceiver. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit int the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4: 1 – 2a. 

Note carefully! We are told that Jesus was at the Jordan and it was when He left that place, He was, full of the Spirit. With the eyes and mind of faith, don’t we see a Man who is totally overshadowed by Spirit and not flesh? Don’t we see Spirit in action and not flesh in action? I ask you this most sincerely. If you, a rational, calm, well-mannered, peace-keeping, gospel-speaking human being, were filled with the spirit of alcohol, isn’t it true that we all will see the alcohol in action and not you in action? Will it not totally overshadow you?

Jesus was so totally overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, He was able to lose all of His human desires and overcome the wicked, evil deceiver. The devil was most unsuccessful in his failed attempts at trying to trick One, filled with the Spirit, and overshadowed by the Spirit, to yield to his deceitful ways. Jesus overcame, because He was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.  

Can we pause for a moment to just bow before our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has not in any way deceived us? Will we lose all of human energy and effort, and stand in awe in His Presence? Do we know that our Jesus was really human, fully human, with all the temptations and evils of flesh?

Thank You Lord for coming in human form so that the Works and Ways of the ever freeing Holy Spirit, will be evidenced in power and splendour. Amen!   

Having been given insights into the question of whether or not the Holy Spirit played the same pivotal and operational roles in the Blood Work of Jesus, in overcoming and overshadowing, we continue tomorrow with the overpowering.