Heb.1:9 – Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Pondering this passage over the years something unthinkable has settled in on me; this was God’s plan all along. Jesus didn’t need to become a man for Himself so that He could receive a special anointing from the Father. Why not? Because He is and always has been God. His humanity and His glorification was for us. Now if you want to get technical it was ultimately about His glory because our redemption and glorification brings glory to God. Nevertheless, this anointing with the oil of gladness is my inheritance as well. Jesus was anointed as He sat down on the throne, the results was Pentecost. The oil of joy was poured on the believers in the upper room. Today, the whole earth is being filled with the glory of God. What Christ purchased for us was more than length of days, it wears quality of life. This life is the Holy Spirit poured on us and into us. We have an unction or an anointing from the Holy One. Here is something Jonathan Edwards said about this verse.
“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” Not only the Apostle’s brethren, but Christ’s brethren…. “Partakers of the heavenly calling,” not only partakers with the Apostle, and partakers one with another, but partakers with Christ in his heavenly calling as an high priest, for no man taketh this honor to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. Christians are spoken of, in the last verse but one of the preceding chapter, as the brethren of him who is “a merciful and faithful high priest.” And they are not only so, but they are also partakers of his heavenly calling as high priest, for they also are priests unto God through him, and as united with him.….They are priests with Christ, as they are partakers of his heavenly calling and his holy unction. 1 John 2:20, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One.” Believers are fellows with Christ in his anointing, as in the first chapter of this epistle, ninth verse. “God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” They are partakers with him in his unction, as the precious ointment that was poured on Aaron’s head ran “down to the skirts of his garments” (Ps. 133:2).
Pentecost is very closely connected to today’s verse. This oil of gladness was being poured out on Jesus, the first born from the dead. The point is that this life, this anointing is now available for all of us. Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand until the final harvest is brought in. This anointing poured on Him and now poured on us fills our hearts with joy and also empowers us to reach our generation.
