Did Jesus Need the Holy Spirit?

The ministry of Jesus is a remarkable era in human history. For thirty-three years, God walked on earth as a human being. He performed many incredible miracles, gave world-shaking teachings, and even rose from the dead.

How did Jesus do it? The most obvious answer is that he was no ordinary prophet. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity—God himself.

But there is a deeper answer—one many Christians overlook. Jesus did not perform his ministry on his own power and authority. In fact, the same force that empowered Jesus is available to all Christians today.

Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit. And we can be too.

In his recent book, “The Holy Spirit: Our Perfect Helper,” Richard Gehman eloquently and carefully reminds us of what the Bible has to say about the Holy Spirit. Verse by verse, Gehman expounds Scripture to point out a truth that Christians frequently neglect: even Jesus himself relied on the Holy Spirit for his ministry.

From the very beginning of Jesus’s life, his dependance on the Holy Spirit was obvious. When Jesus’s birth was announced in Luke 1:35, Gabriel explained to Mary that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Jesus did not simply appear on earth as a fully-grown adult, or even as a baby, but chose to be conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. How was this possible? Through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Even Jesus’s earliest days after his miraculous conception were empowered by the Spirit. On two occasions, people near the baby Jesus (Elizabeth and Simeon) were filled with the Holy Spirit, and burst into praise!

The presence of the Holy Spirit became visible when Jesus was ready to begin his public ministry. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at the Jordan River, a miraculous scene took place. A thunderous voice from heaven proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God. At the same time, according to Luke 3:22, “the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on [Jesus] like a dove.”

This took place to fulfil the teachings of the Old Testament prophets that the Christ would be specially anointed. In fact, “Christ” means “anointed one.” What was Jesus anointed with? The Holy Spirit.

This anointing was obvious throughout Jesus’s ministry. After being baptized, he became “full of the Holy Spirit,” and was “led by the Spirit in the wilderness” (Luke 4:1). Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations by the power of the Holy Spirit, and returned to Galilee “filled with the Holy Spirit’s power” (Luke 4:14).

When Jesus began teaching the crowds, he explained that he had fulfilled a prophecy given by Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor” (Luke 4:18).

Jesus quickly demonstrated the great power and authority that came with being filled by the Holy Spirit. Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and cast out demons. He revealed truths about the Holy Spirit to his disciples. And when he laid down his life on the cross, the Holy Spirit resurrected Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11).

Throughout Jesus’s life on earth, he was supported by the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Even though he was God in human form, Jesus relied on the power of the Spirit for everything he did.

Gehman writes that “Jesus is not only our Lord and Saviour, he is our example to follow. Just as the incarnate Son of God needed the empowering of the Spirit to perform his ministry, so do we.” As we are called to be like Jesus in our manner of life, so we are called to be like Jesus in our reliance on the Holy Spirit.

However, Gehman points out that “The tragedy in the Christian church today is that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is either minimized or misunderstood. The Holy Spirit is the blessed third person of the Trinity. He should have as much importance in the lives of believers as God the Father and God the Son (no less and no more).”

Jesus did not ignore the Holy Spirit—far from it! Instead, he relied on the Spirit for everything. As we seek to live like Jesus, let’s get to know the divine person who made Jesus’s incredible ministry possible—the Holy Spirit.

Do you seek to live like Jesus? If you do, join us in getting to know the divine person who made Jesus’s incredible ministry possible—the Holy Spirit.

This blog is based on the book The Holy Spirit: Our Perfect Helper by Richard J. Gehman.

Get your copy of  The Holy Spirit: Our Perfect Helper  on Amazon or from Oasis International Distribution partners in Africa.