Joy #27: A Sighting of Christ

Obviously, "The Story of the Coming King" theme is full of glimpses of Jesus. Yet, this one was particularly fascinating to me...

In the Old Testament, they made a big deal over the coronation of a new King. More recent societies do the same. One of their practices was to pour oil over his head, a symbol of prosperity and blessing for his coming reign. So when you read passages about "the oil of joy", this was a symbolic rejoicing over the king's anointing. (By the way-- I did find out you can buy the 'oil of joy' on the internet--anywhere from a personal vial for $3, to a community set for $419! HA!) This process was called "annointing". In the Old Testament, this word for "annointed" is mashach in Hebrew. In Greek when it is used in the New Testament, the word is "Christos"-- Christ! Thus, everytime the people heard the word "Christ" used, they had this mental image of a king being annointed with oil. Into his very name "Jesus Christ" is written the image of His kingship!