Let us be very clear about one thing.

Jesus is not just God in another mode; he is not God in disguise. He is fully God, and he is fully man. To think hebraically, biblically, it takes two hands.

If we are to rightly discern and lay hold of our new life in the Messiah, we must remind ourselves of how central, how all prevailing the Holy Spirit was in the life of the man, Yeshua from Nazareth.

Jesus was conceived in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1: 34-35).

The Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus at his baptism, inaugurating his public ministry.

After being baptized Jesus went up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him (Matt 3:16).

This is classic Hebraic language. Only three times in the Hebrew Scriptures (OT) do we find the term ‘Holy Spirit,’ twice in Isaiah and once in the Psalms. The more typical terminology is ‘Spirit of God,’ as we have here in Matthew.

The Spirit compels Jesus into the wilderness to be empowered.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-2).

Notice carefully that, as a result of his forty days of testing, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee (Luke 4:14). This reminds me of Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 5:18: Be filled with the Spirit. The language is that of an ongoing, continuous imperative. Be being filled, again and again, continuously.

He was conceived in the Spirit, baptized in the Spirit, led by the Spirit, and continually filled with the Holy Spirit as empowerment for his ministry. Not coincidentally, the theme of his very first sermon at the synagogue in Nazareth is the messianic anointing of the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).

Watch how this story comes to life when we add historical detail and cultural context.

Yeshua came home to Nazareth, where he grew up. His name was not uncommon, and perhaps he was known by a nickname like Yeshi or Yeshu. As was his custom, he entered the synagogue on Sabbath (this would be Saturday morning), where he was asked to read and comment, another first-century custom in Judaism.

Now, here is where it gets really exciting. The portions from the Torah (the five books of Moses that form the beginning of our Bible) were assigned. Many scholars believe the readings for each Sabbath were formulated on a triennial cycle.

That means that, in the course of three and a half years, the entire nation—those inside and outside the land of Israel—would read Genesis (Bereshit) through Deuteronomy (Devarim) at the same time. This same dynamic exists in Judaism today, but it changed to a one-year reading cycle during the Middle Ages.

Back to our text. Jesus read and commented upon the assigned Torah portion. But wait, there’s more!

After that, he concluded with a reading and commentary from the Prophets. At this point in Jewish history, the reading from the Prophets was not yet assigned; it was the choice of the reader. Jesus specifically asked for Isaiah (chapter 61 in our Bible). He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written.

Isn’t that remarkable? Out of all the prophetic scriptures, this is the one he chooses for his inaugural sermon at Nazareth. Immersed in and empowered by the continuous filling of the Holy Spirit, Jesus intentionally takes a key text that speaks about him and his work, all under the direction of the Spirit of God.

Today this Scripture, he says, has been fulfilled in your hearing.

Filled with Spirit and Power.

Simon Peter, sharing the good news with the Gentiles at the house of the God-fearer, Cornelius, said to him, ‘You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power’ (Acts 10:38). Don’t miss this vital point. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit and power are often used together—they are parallel terms and synonymous language.

What exactly was Jesus filled with power to do? He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him (Acts 10:38).

Spirit, in Hebrew, ruach, has the foundational root meaning of that which causes movement, such as breath and wind. When God breathes, his Spirit blows. It moves us, leads us, and empowers us with anointing for His prophetic mission. Where the Spirit is, life emerges.

The ancient credal hymn, preserved and presented by Paul in Philippians 2:6-11, tells us that, in some mysterious sense, Jesus did not leverage his oneness with God. On the contrary, he emptied himself, humbled himself, and became a man. And being fully man means he divested himself of any divine prerogatives and power that came with being fully God.

This truth is so essential for our own life as his disciples. What Jesus did, he did as a man in right relationship with God, not as God disguised as a man. Do you see the difference? Can you grasp the implications for your own life?

Jesus’ ministry—the power over evil, the signs, wonders, and miracles, the teaching, correcting, and healing—was the result of a man in a right relationship with his Father. He did it all in and by the power of God’s gift, His Holy Spirit.

You and I are the rest of the story.

Jesus desires disciples who will walk in the Spirit: As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. (John 20:21). His kingdom work continues today. Jesus is sending out each of his disciples, not just a select few, to perform the same good works that he did by the same Spirit.

I’d like to share one more crucial idea with you.

Not only was Jesus conceived, baptized, empowered, and led; not only did he instruct, deliver, and rescue; not only were his words Spirit and life—but even his death and resurrection were works of the divine Spirit.

Paul, a servant of Messiah Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:1-5).

How does that relate to our teaching today, you ask? In the thinking of the great apostle and the early church, it was gloriously relevant.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).

Let everything that has breath, praise YHWH!