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to do this unless they have blasphemed exactly as these Pharisees did. This relates to one specific sin only, the one
noted above. All other sin is forgivable, as the Lord made clear.
So we see that our Saviour was consecrated by the Holy Spirit at the beginning of His ministry to Israel. It is
interesting and instructive to note how oil was used in the Old Testament in connection with the cleansing of the
leper and his being received back into fellowship. Leprosy was a type of sin and the leper represents all of us as we
are in ourselves, for `there is none righteous, no, not one'. `All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God'
(Rom. 3:10,19,23). Leviticus 14:10-42 should be read carefully. The priest had to pour oil into his left hand and
apply it to the leper's ear, the thumb of his right hand, the great toe of his right foot, and then upon the blood of the
trespass offering. What was left was poured on the head.
Translated into spiritual terms we have the cleansing and sanctification of the entire person by the Spirit's work
which the oil typifies. The ear is no longer a vehicle for receiving the things of the flesh and the world, but is now
`swift to hear' the voice of God, speaking through His Word. The hand is no longer to be used as an instrument of
wrong doing, but to be stretched forth in acts of righteousness and grace. The foot is no longer to tread in the
pathway of sin and folly, but to go in the way marked out by the Lord and His will. Finally the whole man is to be
dedicated to the Lord in the energy of the Holy Spirit.
We should also note that the `oil' was put upon the `blood of the trespass offering'. The work of the Holy Spirit
rests upon the redemptive work wrought by the Saviour on Calvary's cross and they go together. As sinners, we
could know nothing of the truth represented by the `oil' save on the ground of what is set forth by the `trespass
offering'. God's practical illustrations of truth are always accurate.
Not only did the `oil' symbolize consecration, but it served as the source of light in the Tabernacle and Temple
(cf. Exod. 25:6) reminding us in a twofold way that the Holy Spirit is the only source of spiritual light, for He alone
can give the illumination and understanding of the Word of God, enabling us in our turn to `shine as lights in the
world; holding forth the Word of life' (Phil. 2:15,16).
Further, one of the abiding gifts of the Spirit is joy. In Psalm 45:7 there is a reference to the `oil of gladness' and
Paul declares the `fruit of the Spirit is ... joy' (Gal. 5:22). This is also one of the abiding and precious gifts of the
Saviour which the Spirit makes real to the believer who looks away from temporal things for lasting satisfaction and
rests upon the unchanging Word of God.
`These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full' (John
15:11).
Such will be constantly full of the `oil of gladness' in spite of there being so much to depress all around us.
Wind.
The action of the Holy Spirit is likened to wind by the Lord Jesus when to Nicodemus He said:
`The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and
whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit' (John 3:8).
The Authorized Version presents difficulties here. The word `listeth' is old English for the Anglo-Saxon lusteth
which meant pleases or desires. The original uses thelo, to wish or desire. Has the wind got a will of its own?
Furthermore we do know whence it comes and whither it goes for we use the points of the compass to describe its
direction (compare Job 1:19; Eccles. 1:6; Ezek. 37:9). When John wanted to refer to the wind he used the normal
Greek word for it, anemos: `And the sea arose by reason of a great wind (anemos) that blew' (John 6:18). But in
chapter 3:8 he uses pneuma, spirit, so the verse begins and ends with this word. Taking these facts into
consideration we render the verse:
`The Spirit breathes where He wills, and His voice thou hearest; but thou knowest not whence He cometh or
whither He goeth. Thus it is with everyone who has been begotten by the Spirit'.