Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1–13 and the Meaning of Anointing
When Samuel goes to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, he enters a moment of divine subversion. Saul still sits on the throne, but God is already moving in a new direction. Samuel expects majesty, stature, and strength. Namely, the visible signs of leadership. Yet each of Jesse’s impressive sons passes before him, and God whispers, “Not this one.”
Then comes David, the youngest, forgotten, still smelling of sheep and sunlight. No royal bearing, no pedigree of power. Yet this is the one. Samuel pours out the oil, and the Spirit of the Lord moves. The kingdom’s future begins not in the palace, but in the pasture.
That act of anointing, a simple gesture of oil on the forehead, links David’s story to a deeper, ancient rhythm of God’s presence. From the beginning, oil has been a sign of life and Spirit intertwined. In Eden, God’s breath filled the human with divine life. In the wilderness, Jacob anointed a stone where Heaven and Earth met. In the tabernacle, Moses anointed the tent to mark it as a dwelling of God’s presence. Each act of anointing declared: Here, Heaven touches Earth.
When Samuel anointed David, he marked a human being as a living meeting place of Heaven and Earth. This young shepherd became the vessel of divine wisdom and compassion in a time when earthly power had lost its way. Yet like Israel’s priests and kings who came before him, even David’s anointing would ultimately point beyond itself, to a greater hope.
That hope is fulfilled literally in Jesus, the Christ, “the Anointed One.” He is not merely touched by oil but filled with the fullness of God’s Spirit. He is Heaven’s life come to dwell among us, revealing a new kind of kingship, one rooted not in dominance but in love, not in spectacle but in self-giving. Through him, the ancient river of anointing flows outward into all creation.
And when Jesus rose from the dead, that Spirit, once poured on prophets, priests, and kings, was poured out on all who follow him. We, too, become “anointed ones,” and can make bridges between Heaven and Earth, carrying the fragrance of divine life into ordinary places.
So when God looks upon the heart, as with David, God sees not outward status or success but the capacity for Spirit, the openness to become a living vessel of grace. To be anointed today is to allow our hearts, our compassion, our courage, to be the oil through which Heaven still seeps into the world.
The story of David’s anointing, then, is not just about one young shepherd; it’s about the ongoing, quiet revolution of God’s Spirit. It’s about a world being anointed anew, one act of love at a time, until more and more of Earth is filled with the life of Heaven.
Jesus was anointed depending on your perspective:
| Type of Anointing | When It Happened | Meaning | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By the Spirit | At His Baptism (Luke 3:21–22) | Empowerment for ministry; divine appointment | ||
| Public Declaration | In the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:18–21) | Announcement of His anointed mission | ||
| By Mary at Bethany | Before His Passion (John 12:1–8) | Preparation for burial; acknowledgment of His messianic kingship |
When Peter declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” he gives voice to the Church’s first clear confession of faith. It is the moment when words catch up to revelation, when a fisherman sees, not merely a rabbi or a wonder-worker, but the Anointed One whom Israel has long awaited. Peter’s recognition comes in the light of Galilee, far from Jerusalem’s shadows. It is a revelation of glory, of divine identity unveiled in the midst of human history.
But the meaning of “Christ”, the Anointed One, may not be complete until Bethany. In a house scented with perfume and grief, Mary of Bethany pours costly nard upon Jesus’ feet. What Peter names, Mary enacts. What Peter professes by faith, Mary embodies in love. Her anointing is not political or triumphant; it is tender, extravagant, and prophetic. Jesus says, “She has anointed me for my burial.”
Between Peter’s confession and Mary’s anointing lies the whole mystery of the Gospel: the Christ who reigns by serving, who saves by suffering, who is crowned not by gold but by thorns.
Peter’s insight shows that Jesus is the Christ;
Mary’s devotion reveals what kind of Christ He is:one who is glorified through self-giving love.
Together, their recognitions form the heart of Christian discipleship:
faith that names Jesus as Lord, and love that pours itself out for Him.
To truly recognize Christ, then, is to hold both moments together, the bold confession of the lips and the quiet offering of the heart.
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