阅读经文 

你有没有试过打翻橄榄油或其他油的容器呢？油是又黏又腻，难以清洗的，基于我们处理油渍的经验，我们很难理解圣经中描述用油“膏抹”有什么美丽之处。

在旧约圣经中，被油膏抹的人是要分别为圣，代表神的子民专门服侍神。当以色列民膏抹一个人时，他们用橄榄油与珍贵的香料调和，（参出 30:22-25）然后把这混合物揉搓、涂抹或浇灌在被膏的人的头上。祭司和先知被膏时是用这种膏油，君王被膏立时也是如此。

然而，圣经中最重要的膏立却与油没有关系。当耶稣回到祂家乡的会堂时，祂打开圣经宣告说，祂已经被圣灵膏抹了。神的灵亲自膏抹祂，叫祂去传讲救恩的福音。

我们用使徒信经来宣告，神膏立祂的儿子、人们期盼已久的弥赛亚：“受膏者”，基督，成为我们的先知、祭司和君王。祂以祂的话语引导我们，祂以祂的牺牲救赎我们，作为我们的君王，祂亲自引领和保护着我们。

耶稣是为我们的缘故被膏，祂更以祂的灵来膏抹我们，叫我们在这世上侍奉祂。

Have you ever spilled olive oil or some other kind of oil? Oil can be messy to work with and hard to clean up. Our experience with that may make it hard to grasp the biblical beauty of being “anointed” with oil.

In the Old Testament, people who were anointed with oil were set apart for special service to God for his people. When the Israelites anointed someone, they took olive oil and blended it with expensive spices (Exodus 30:22-25). Then they rubbed, smeared, or poured the concoction on the head of the person being appointed. Priests and prophets were anointed with this oil. Kings were anointed with it too.

The most important anointing in the Bible doesn’t involve oil, however. When Jesus returned to his hometown synagogue, he opened God’s Word and declared that he had been anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God himself anointed Jesus to proclaim the good news of salvation.

As we confess with the Apostles’ Creed, God anointed his Son, the long-expected Messiah, “the Anointed One,” the Christ, to be our Prophet, Priest, and King. With his word, he guides us. With his sacrifice, he redeems us. And as our King, he guides and protects us.

Jesus was anointed for us. And he anoints us with his Spirit to serve him in this world.