Can the Holy Spirit Anoint Us for Justice?

On Monday, we celebrated the 95th birthday of a hero of justice: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Living in Atlanta only a short 9-minute drive from his place of birth and the church in which he pastored, I find myself reflecting more than I ever have in my life on the connection between following Jesus and doing works of justice.

I’m grieved by how those pursuing works of justice often find themselves outside of connection and support of a local church, but I believe that Dr. King’s role as a pastor leading the Civil Rights Movement is a prophetic call for the church to resurrect the pursuit of justice as an essential element of our call to follow Jesus.

Consider these verses:

In verses in both Matthew and Luke, Jesus is described as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies that the Spirit will anoint the Messiah to bring justice.

If I could describe it as simply as possible, justice is when wrong things are made right. The things that are wrong on this side of Genesis 3 — poverty, racism, and inequality to name a few — are all issues of injustice where something is deeply not okay.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to anoint Jesus (and, I would suggest, the church) to right the wrongs and bring forth justice!

In Luke 18:7-8, Jesus even tells a parable that connects unceasing prayer to God’s granting of justice to those who ask. He promises that God will “bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night” (Luke 18:6, NIV). Can I suggest that we have a part to play even as we pray today?

Luke 4 names five specific areas for which the Spirit is anointing Jesus as it relates to justice:

1. Good news to the poor

2. Release to the captives

3. Recovery of sight to the blind

4. Freedom for the oppressed

5. Proclamation of God’s favor

We often focus on the anointing of the Holy Spirit for the proclamation of the Gospel (most closely aligned to number 5) and for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and signs and wonders (most closely related to number 3). While I am all for those things, I’m afraid many of us have neglected the Spirit of Justice in our understanding and relationship with him. Is it possible that he also anoints to bring good news to those in poverty, and freedom for those who find themselves bound in captivity or oppression?

Or, on the flip side, perhaps we have pursued justice without seeking the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the same way that we would seek His anointing for signs, wonders, and church meetings. What if it’s the same? Just like the prophets in the Old Testament proclaimed a return to prayerfulness partnered with works of justice, what if the Holy Spirit anoints for miracles partnered with works of justice? What if he restores broken bodies as well as broken systems?

Have you ever fasted and asked for anointing to break a cycle of poverty in your city?

Have you ever asked for anointing to set those oppressed free — to free those entrapped by exploitation, religious persecution, or oppressive government regimes?

I want to suggest today that with the central role of Luke 4 and its’ quotation of Isaiah 61 in Jesus’s ministry, justice should be a primary area in which we seek the anointing of God.

Who are the captives in our cities? Who are the oppressed in our cities? Who are those trapped in cycles of poverty or brokenness that can’t get out? What are the wrongs in our cities that the Holy Spirit is longing to make right?

Another hero of history who understood the intricate connection between prayer, justice, and the Holy Spirit was William Wilberforce. A member of the British parliament in the early 1800s, Wilberforce is remembered as a man whose faith in Jesus inspired him to successfully promote the abolishment of the transatlantic slave trade. He once said:

A man famous for passing one of the most just pieces of legislation in history reminds us that his inspiration for it all came from a deep place of intimacy with the Holy Spirit. More than that, so much of the so-called Second Great Awakening of which Wilberforce was a part, included works of justice such as the promotion of adoption, ending harmful child labor practices, and promoting literacy.

I’m convinced that any true awakening led by the Holy Spirit will lead us toward Luke 4 — liberty to the captives and freedom for those who are oppressed (in addition to salvations and miracles).

Can I suggest that maybe the Holy Spirit wants to anoint you for works of justice in your city?

I’d love to invite us to pray today.

• Take a few deep breaths. Maybe as you breathe in, pray “Come,” and as you breathe out, pray “Holy Spirit.”

• Is there an area of injustice in your city that you feel particularly burdened by?

• Spend some time talking to the Spirit of Justice about this issue.

• Ask the Spirit if there is any practical step you can take towards justice today.