Speaking a Blessing in the Spirit of Jesus

Speaking a Blessing in the Spirit of Jesus.

“Then Jesus took the disciples as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands, He spoke a blessing over them. And  it occurred that while He was blessing them, while Jesus was in the act of blessing His disciples, He parted from them and was taken up into heaven. And worshipping Him, they went back to Jerusalem with great joy.” (Luke 24:50-53).

Blessing Others. The Hebrew word for bless, “barak,” means to “bow the knee” in honor of someone of high value, and is a prayer to the Lord that He demonstrates favor and acceptance of another person, that God would enable that person to flourish. The Greek word for bless is “eulogia,” which means to speak a “good word” over others in seeking God’s best for them. To biblically bless others is to seek God’s favor for someone else. To bless someone is to “eulogize” that person, to speak words of encouragement, affirmation, loving acceptance. To bless others is to assure others that they are worthwhile, they are highly valued. A blessing for others often includes a focus on that person’s qualities. To bless others is to offer a eulogy in the sense that if our words of blessing are the last words someone hears, they will be certain of their being highly favored and valued by God. Praying for God to bless others in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is to intentionally follow Jesus into his lifestyle of blessing. By blessing others, we participate with Jesus in His public ministry.

“And the people kept bringing babies and small children to Jesus, so that He could touch them and offer a blessing. The disciples impatiently tried to shoo them away with stern words. But when Jesus saw this going on, He rebuked His disciples. He was indignant, and it pained Jesus just to see this happening. So Jesus said to His disciples, “Allow these children to come to Me, do not prevent them or hinder them in any way, for to such belong the kingdom of God. I tell you the absolute truth, whoever does not receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child, will never, not ever, enter it at all.” And then Jesus embraced them in His arms, lifted them up one by one, laid His hands on each child, and fervently spoke a blessing over them.” (Mark 10:13-16; also Matt. 19:3-5 and Luke 18:15-17).

The Rabbinic Touch. In this famous passage above of Jesus blessing the children, He was doing what was expected of all itinerant rabbis during that day. Once parents heard that a rabbi was visiting nearby, they would flock to the rabbi and ask for his blessing on their children, which always included the Hebrew tradition of laying his hands on the child during the blessing. Blessing children was an ingrained part of the Jewish culture from its very beginnings. To this day, every traditional weekly Sabbath service at home involves the father going from one child to the next, laying his hands on each child’s head and speaking a blessing.

A Mission of Blessing. Is it any surprise that Jesus blessed people, whether verbally or tangibly, everywhere He went during His earthly ministry? He made it very clear that His whole mission was to be a blessing as He quoted Isaiah 61 in Luke 4: “… to bring Good News to the poor; to proclaim liberty to the captives; to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind; to set free those who are oppressed.” So that’s what Jesus did, blessing people everywhere He went, whether through His healings and miracles, His edifying stories and teachings, and certainly through His personal presence and His friendships. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with strength and power; Jesus went about doing good, in particular curing all that were harassed and oppressed by the power of the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38).” Jesus engaged in a lifestyle of blessing others to the very end as He became our Redeemer and Savior. And even now Jesus blesses us by remaining our Intercessor at God’s right hand on the heavenly throne.

No Such Thing as Untouchable. Vital to the work of Jesus was His ministry of touch. He seemed to touch everybody in need. He specialized in touching the untouchables… the leper, the prostitute, the morbidly sick, the demon-possessed, even the dead. He operated under the assumption that touch was an integral part of his life and ministry on earth. Throughout Scripture, a blessing was physical as much as verbal, a touch accompanying the spoken  word. So if possible, and sometimes it’s just not very possible, we do with others just what Jesus did with the children… We touch them while we bless them.

The Importance of Touch. Being the co-designer of the human body, Jesus understood the importance of touch. In psychological studies, it is estimated that each person needs 8-10 meaningful touches each day for emotional and physical health. In fact, human touch has several physical benefits. The hands of blessing are especially important in establishing sensitive connections. since one-third of our five million touch receptors are located in the hands. It’s also interesting that, when touched by hands, a person’s body tissues immediately receive an influx of added oxygen. This oxygen provides energy and it aids in regeneration of body tissues. Touch is literally a healing agent. And too, physical touch lowers the blood pressure of the person being touched in a meaningful way. Innocent and loving physical touch is the most intimate and helpful way we can minister to others when appropriate, and is the best way to bless others with the hands of Jesus.

Blessing Others by Praying the Word. Have you ever been at a loss in figuring out how to bless others in a meaningful way, to warmly accept that person, and pray God’s best for that person? Whether the person being blessed is a child, a sibling, a spouse, a parent, a friend, or even a total stranger who invites a blessing, what words should be used in the blessing? If words fail you… think about this. What better way to speak a blessing over others than to pray His inspired Word?  How can there possibly be a more effective and fruitful way of blessing others than with the inspired Scriptures? Praying the Scripture is praying into the mind of God, to pray into His thinking using His inspired words. To pray the Word is to pray in the spirit of the Spirit. To pray the Scripture is to pray according to His established will. Praying His Word over others puts our thoughts into better expression than our own words, though God wants those too. Unlike many of us, God loves to be quoted, because He fully knows His words bring life. Biblical blessings are “good words” spoken over another person, are literally inspired by the Holy Spirit, and thus will not return to God empty.  “For as rain and snow fall from the heavens and return not again without watering the earth, bringing forth life and giving growth, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, it is the same with my Word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. My Word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

The Aaronic Blessing. The most significant blessing in the Hebrew Bible is the traditional priestly blessing that has stood the test of time, and is a part of biblical history. This Judeo-Christian Aaronic blessing has been used effectively for centuries, and literally came word-for-word from the mouth of God. There is no doubt that Jesus, being a rabbi, would have been praying this blessing over the children as He laid His hands on each one. It is also likely that Jesus used this same ancient Hebrew blessing as He ascended into heaven.

Doesn’t it give us chills as we think about Jesus speaking these very words of blessing over the children and over His disciples:

”May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He turn His face towards you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26).

1. “May the Lord bless you and keep you…” This petition is for that person’s physical blessing and protection. The blessing applies to physical health and material needs, to grant prosperity, provision and success, with the understanding that one will be kept from the corruption of wealth. There are 8 Hebrew words for “prosper” and none of them includes the idea of accumulation of goods and money;
2. “May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you…” For a face to shine upon someone is to show affection, favor and friendship. It is to show someone a smiling face, the opposite of hiding His face out of displeasure or anger. One’s face “lights up” when one sees a friend. Also, this blessing asks for the Lord to leave a visible trace of His Presence on the face of the one being blessed. To ask the Lord to be gracious to someone is to ask that He extend mercy, have compassion, to see the best in someone and seek the best for that person. Asking God to show someone grace is to ask God to offer that person the free gift of mercy and compassion, that God would fully accept that person and reveal His forgiveness for them. When the Lord is gracious to someone, He is not concerned about whether that person deserves His love or not. God is gracious to all of us, even though we haven’t earned His love in the least.
3. “May He turn His face towards you and give you peace.”  This part of the blessing asks that the Lord look upon that person with approval, that He turns towards him/her with favor, and fondness; that He makes eye contact, so to speak, and affirms one’s worth and dignity through a personal relationship. This blessing asks for God to give this person a constant awareness of the Lord’s presence, the presence of the goodness of God. God is Someone who will not ignore a person, or just pass them by, but instead will give this person His undivided attention. The seal of this entire blessing is shalom, peace, that the person being blessed will be granted freedom from strife, disorder and disquiet, bringing harmony, wholeness and abundant well-being. To ask God’s blessing over another person is to show your desire to bring that person shalom, that the person would flourish and be able to say in faithful confidence, “With God, all is well.”