June 10: The Spirit in Jesus

“1There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” –Isaiah 11.1-2
The Holy Spirit’s primary work came in the person of Jesus. Even in the Old Testament it was already being made known that the Spirit’s main work would be in His work through Jesus. Here in Isaiah it’s revealed that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Christ. In a sense, when the Holy Spirit came down throughout the Old Testament – on Joseph, Daniel, Bezalel, Samson, Othniel, David, and others – He eventually ascended again. He completed the special work which He desired to do through those men, and then withdrew that special intimacy. However, Isaiah tells us that the Spirit would rest upon Jesus, never leaving Him, and dwelling fully in Him.
Then, see the beautiful nature which the Spirit would bring upon Christ: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. By the indwelling Spirit, Jesus taught and lived in all wisdom, understanding, and fear of the Lord. What a comforting thought, to know that all of Christ’s teaching came from the wisdom and understanding of the Spirit of the Lord. We can fully rely upon His words and life, because they came straight from the heart of God’s Spirit.
1. Knowing that Jesus’ teaching is full of God’s wisdom and understanding, how should your life be more oriented around the words of Jesus?
2. Since Jesus fully understood the mind of God through the Spirit, what does this mean for how we interpret the Old Testament through His words and life (personally, in our preaching, etc.)?