Was Yeshua Anointed?

Some try and disprove that Yëshuå is the Mashiaħ by saying he never received any anointing. They claim that in order to be the Mashiach (which means anointed) he had to go through a ritual prescribed by the rabbis involving the pouring of oil upon his head just like King Dawid. However it is not the oil nor the man that pours it that can confer the anointing of יהוה, but only His Spirit.

1. Let's read the account of when Spirit of the Almighty anointed Yëshuå.

"After he was immersed, Yëshuå immediately rose up from the water, and the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of the Almighty coming down just like a dove would, and she entered him. And apparently, a voice from the heavens said, This is My dear son. My favour is with him." - Matay 3:16

2. After this, Yëshuå went into the synagogue and read the scroll of the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) concerning the anointing of the Messiah by the Spirit of יהוה. Then he declared that this prophecy was fulfilled.

"The Spirit of יהוה the Almighty is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, and has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, and to speak forgiveness to the guilty, and sight for the blind, and to sterngthen the broken with forgiveness, and to preach the acceptable year of יהוה. And he rolled up the scroll and gave it to the shamasha and went and sat down. And everyone's eyes were fixed upon him. And he began to say to them, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears." - Luqa 4:18-21

Now consider, whose anointing is greater, man's or the Almighty's? The source of anointing is from יהוה, not man. יהוה does not need any man's approval to anoint whom He chooses. Man's anointing is not necessary, however we read on several occassions that Yëshuå was anointed with oils in a more temporal way.

3. The first indication that Yëshuå was anointed as a king by his peers, we read;

"Where is he who is born King of the Yahudaya? For we have seen his star from its rising, and we have come to worship him. … When they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." - Matay 2:2,11

The myrrh is an aromatic oil and it’s purpose is for anointing. The gift was for Yëshuå, and so the only thing to do with it was to anoint Yëshuå the king.

4. The third indication that Yëshuå was anointed was in the house of the Prisha (Pharisee) named Shimon.

"You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with aromatic oil." - Luqa 7:46

Now this brings us to a good point. Whose duty is it to declare the Mashiaħ and anoint him? Was it not the duty of the Prisha (Pharisee) controlled Sanhedrin? Yëshuå put the shame on them for not anointing him, but rather it took a lowly common sinner, even a woman, to anoint him, not with cheap oil, but with an expensive aromatic oil, and not on his head, but on his feet! By anointing his feet, it showed a much greater honour because the anointer is lowering themselves so that even the feet of the Mashiach are higher than their head..

5. Another time Yëshuå was anointed with myrrh was at his burial, when his whole body was anointed. Thus when he rose from the dead, he certainly arose fully anointed. This kind of anointing would not be significant unless he rose from the dead, since all corpses received an anointing.

"And Nicodemus, who early came to Yeshuå at night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about one hundred liters (pounds)." - Yuhanan 19:39

6. There was a second time Yëshuå had his feet anointed with expensive oil.

"Then Miriam took an alabaster jar of very expensive and pure aromatic Nardin and anointed the feet of Yeshuå, and she wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the smell of the aroma." - Yuhanan 12:3

7. Finally Yëshuå was anointed in a more traditional manner with oil upon his head while he stayed in Bëit Ånya.

"While Yeshuå was reclined, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar filled with expensive aromatic oil, which she poured upon his head." - Matay 26:6

There is no question that Yëshuå was anointed with oil. The ultimate anointing is of the Spirit which surpasses all other anointings. No man or council could with-hold this anointing. Therefore we conclude that Yëshuå was anointed multiple times both physically and spiritually, recognizing that the oil has traditionally been symbolic for the Spirit. The only real anointing comes from יהוה, and not from men. Therefore it is not necessary that Yëshuå be approved and anointed by men, (unless they want to be approved by the Almighty) but rather that Yëshuå be approved and anointed by יהוה.

Some have argued that if Yëshuå was not anointed with the special anointing oil that was formulated exclusively for the priest, then his anointing did not count towards being Mashiaħ / Mashiach. However we know that neither Shaul nor Dawid were anointed with such oil, but with balsam oil¹. Any oil could have been used for this purpose, although the true essence of the anointing was spiritual.

1. "Another rule is mentioned, according to which the kings of the house of Israel were not anointed with the sacred oil at all. In their cases pure balsam was used instead; nor could the last reigning kings of Judah have been anointed with the sacred oil of consecration, since Josiah is said to have hidden it away (see Hor. 11b; Yer. Soṭah, viii. 22c; Yer. Hor. iii. 4c)." - Jewish Encyclopedia 1906, "Anointing"