From Isaiah 61:1, how could Jehovah anoint Jesus if they are the same person?

Question

Dear Gramps,

I’m a member of the Mormon Church. My colleague is a Jehovah’s witness. He has asked me many questions, but there was one when I really had a hard time to explain or answer. It is also very important for me to have a clear idea of this teaching of our church. My colleague showed me Isaiah 61:1 and asked: how is possible that Jehovah (Jesus in pre-mortal life) is the same Jesus if in Hebrew it reads like this: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the LORD (in Hebrew it is Jehovah) has anointed me (Jesus)to preach good tidings…

The question is: could Jesus (Jehovah)in the pre-mortal life anoint himself for his mission on the earth. In brief, Jehovah’s witnesses always try to pinpoint contradictions in the Mormon teachings to what the Bible teaches. I hope you could provide me with a comprehensive answer 1) for my personal knowledge 2)for ability to know how to answer this question. Thank you very much.

Roman

Answer

Dear Roman,

There is another pebble that your friend might put into his arsenal. He could have you look at Luke 4:18-19 and explain  how the Spirit of the Lord could have anointed Jesus to preach the gospel to the poor, if the Spirit of the Lord were not different from the Lord Jesus. Your friend’s contention is a prime example of straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel, as mentioned in Matt. 23:24, and the other related verses.

The sense of these two references is that the mortal Jesus is acting under the direction of Jehovah, the Eternal One (i.e., the same person acting in the capacity of God). The anointing mentioned in these two scriptures is an allegorical expression rather than a physical anointing with oil.

That Jesus and the LORD (Jehovah) are indeed the same person is clearly demonstrated in the scripture found in Zechariah. In Zech 12:8 it is established that the LORD (Jehovah) is the subject of the passage.

In that day shall the LORD [Jehovah] defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD [Jehovah] before them.

In verse 9 it is obvious that the pronoun “I” refers to the same LORD.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Now look at verse 10 to see what “I” (Jehovah) says about himself (Jesus).

And I [Jehovah] will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me [Jehovah/Jesus] whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him [Jesus], as one mourneth for his [Jehovah’s] only son [Jesus], and shall be in bitterness for him [Jesus], as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn [obviously Jesus].

If your friend were truly an unbiased seeker after the truth, the understanding of the above scripture alone would be sufficient for him to take with him all the good things he has learned from the Jehovah Witnesses and affiliate himself with the Mormon Church, which is the repository of revealed truth in our day.

Gramps