(John 2:25). He did `nothing of Himself'; as He saw, and as He heard from the Father, so He judged (John 5:19, 30),

and it is in this chapter of John, that, after speaking of the witness of John the Baptist, He said:

`The Father Himself, Which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any

time, nor seen His shape' (John 5:37),

which refers back to the `voice' from heaven and the `shape' as a dove at His baptism with the spirit.

We defer consideration of Isaiah 61:1 until we come to the reference made by our Lord in Luke chapter 4. The

only thing that calls for consideration before we turn to the New Testament is to see how far `the anointing' which is

our theme, is connected with enduement of the Spirit which we have assumed is implied by the title `Messiah' or

`Christ'. The ministry of the Spirit is associated with the Saviour's Birth, Growth, Attestation, Testing, Baptism,

Commission, Signs and Miracles, Death and Resurrection, and the overall assurance that the Spirit was not given by

measure unto Him. The angel Gabriel had already announced the approaching birth of the Forerunner, even as the

same angel had revealed to Daniel the time when the Messiah should be born and when He should be cut off, so now

in Luke 2, the fulness of time being come, Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.

`To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph ... of the house and lineage of David' (Luke 1:27; 2:4).

After quieting Mary's fears, the angel announced the advent of her child. Mary naturally was amazed and somewhat

disturbed, for as verse 27 says, she was a `virgin' (Gk. parthenos).

`Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man ?

and the angel answered and said unto her:

`The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that

holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God' (Luke 1:34,35).

And in order to reassure her, the angel referred to the condition of her cousin Elizabeth `who was called barren' for

she, too had been promised a child some six months earlier.

`For with God nothing shall be impossible' (Luke 1:37).

Matthew says:

`Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they

came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost' (Matt. 1:18),

and Joseph was assured by an angel of the Lord, not to fear to take to himself Mary his wife:

`For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost' (Matt. 1:20).

On the first page of the Old Testament, a man named Adam comes into existence without a human mother, and

on the first page of the New Testament, is born, the second Man, and the last Adam without a human father.

Returning to Luke's account, given in chapter 1:35, let us note carefully the word `overshadow' Gk. episkiazo. The

word is used on three occasions in the New Testament:

(1) The overshadowing of Mary (Luke 1:35).

(2) The overshadowing at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5).

(3) The overshadowing miracle of healing (Acts 5:15).

Episkiazo occurs in the LXX in Exodus 40:35 `Because the cloud overshadowed', and also in Psalm 91:4 and in

Psalm 140:7 where we read:

`Thou hast covered (overshadowed) my head in the day of battle'.

Now the same Hebrew word thus translated comes in Psalm 139:13

`Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb',

and the context speaks of the wonder of child-birth.