The Anointed One and His Anointed Ones

September 23rd, 2026
by PulpitAI

Luke 4:14-21 (NLT)
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Devotional: When Jesus unrolled the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue, He was not simply reading a familiar passage. He was declaring His identity and His mission. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him because He had been anointed — set apart, covered in the oil of divine purpose. But here is the staggering truth: those who follow the Anointed One become anointed ones themselves. The word Christian literally means one who belongs to the Anointed. The anointing Jesus carried was not for self-promotion or self-preservation. It was poured out in service to others. That same anointing now rests on you, and it carries the same outward mission.

Reflection: Have you been treating the Holy Spirit's presence in your life as a personal comfort, or as a commission to serve others?

Practical Application: Look for one practical opportunity this week to proclaim good news, bring freedom, or extend grace to someone who is struggling.

Posted in Daily Devotions