WEEK 14 – DAY 2

JESUS ANOINTED TO BRING SHALOM

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. Luke 3:21-22

John the Baptist raised Jesus up out of the water after His baptism, and Jesus prayed. As He prayed, the Holy Spirit of God came down in the form of a dove. In scripture, doves were important in the sacrificial system of the Jews. They also could symbolize peace. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, meaning, “nothing missing, nothing broken.” Jesus was the Messiah, the One anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring shalom into the hearts of all who would trust in Him. As the Holy Spirit came upon Him, Jesus (John the Baptist, too) heard the Heavenly Father say, “Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.” Jesus had submitted to baptism not because He needed to repent of sin since He was sinless, but to fulfill prophecy and to set an example of submission to God. God visibly and audibly showed His approval of Jesus’s baptism at the beginning of His earthly ministry. Jesus was fully man as well as fully God. As man, He humbly submitted Himself to the will of the Father in complete obedience (Philippians 2). That obedience would lead Him to the cross, to become the perfect, sinless sacrificial Lamb for my sin and yours. Have you trusted Jesus in order to be in right relationship with God? Have you experienced the love that can take all your brokenness and make you whole again? Have you experienced the peace, the shalom, of His Spirit dwelling within you? If not, surrender your life to Jesus today!

Father, thank You for healing our brokenness and giving us Your peace.