The World Player of the Year was in devastating form along with David Villa, laying on the first for the Spain striker before Villa returned the favour twice, either side of the break.
Messi took his La Liga tally for the season to 42 goals and he last failed to find the net in the league at Celta Vigo on November 3.
"We have recovered the intensity, we are in the Champions League quarter-finals, and now we welcome the break for the March internationals," Barca sports director Andoni Zubizarreta told Spanish television.
"Villa is feeling better every day on the pitch and he has fought really hard to be able to enjoy these moments."
Atletico Madrid were a point further back in third after Diego Costa scored twice in a 2-0 victory at Osasuna that kept them hot on the heels of their King's Cup final opponents.
Messi had already hit the crossbar with a free-kick when he laid on the opener for Villa to sweep in Barca's first after 25 minutes.
Atletico's combative front-man Costa, called up to Luiz Felipe Scolari's Brazil squad for their friendlies against Italy and Russia, finished off a counter-attack at the second attempt in the 35th minute at Osasuna.
Just after the restart he guided Koke's free-kick into the net from close range and he came close to completing a hat-trick in a typically bruising encounter in Pamplona.
Earlier, Malaga's joy at qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time was cut short when Espanyol condemned them to a 2-0 home defeat.
Manuel Pellegrini's side, on their first venture into Europe's top club competition, came back to beat Porto 2-1 on aggregate at a festive Rosaleda on Wednesday, but they struggled against a well-organised Espanyol.
