The Gospel of John and the Sent One

This is a little focused word study devotional on Christ being sent into the world.

Though it may not have an infancy narrative, the Gospel of John is about as "down to earth" as you can get. One way Saint John does this is through emphasizing that Christ was sent (the Gospel of John uses both these terms: ἀποστέλλω and πέμπω) into this world. The other Gospels only have a couple of instances where Christ is said to be sent into the world (Matt. 10:40; Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48; Luke 10:16). The Gospel of John, on the other hand, has dozens and dozens of instances where Christ emphasizes this.

One of the most important reasons for this emphasis is that Christ's incarnation reveals the will of the Father towards mankind; you cannot know the Father unless through his Son. As Oswald Bayer writes: "The office of Christ is to make us certain of God." Jesus says:

"If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I went forth and have come from God. For I have not come from Myself, but that One SENT Me. Why do you not know My speech? It is because you are not able to hear My Word. You are of the Devil as father, and the lusts of your father you desire to do. That one was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own, because he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Who of you reproves Me concerning sin? But if I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? The one who is of God hears the Words of God; for this reason you do not hear, because you are not of God" (John 8:42-47)

And elsewhere:

"But I have the greater witness than John's, for the works which the Father has given Me, that I should finish them, the works which I do, themselves, witness concerning Me, that the Father has SENT Me. And the Father, the One SENDING Me, has Himself borne witness concerning Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor have you seen His form. And you do not have His Word abiding in you, for the One whom that One SENT, this One you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for you think in them you have everlasting life. And they are the ones witnessing concerning Me. And you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men; but I have known you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in the name of My Father, and you do not receive Me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive that one. How are you able to believe, you who receive glory from one another, and the glory which is from the only God you do not seek? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one accusing you, Moses, in whom you have hoped. For if you were believing Moses, you would then believe Me; for that one wrote concerning Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My Words?" (John 5:36-47)

It is only through Christ that we truly see the will of the Father:

"For God so loved the world that HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, that everyone believing into Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not SEND His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. The one believing into Him is not condemned; but the one not believing has already been condemned, for he has not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:16-18).

"Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe into Him whom that One SENT" (John 6:29).

"All that the Father gives to Me shall come to Me, and the one coming to Me I will in no way cast out. For I HAVE COME DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN, not that I should do My will, but the will of Him who SENT Me. And this is the will of the Father SENDING Me, that of all that He has given Me, I shall not lose any of it, but shall raise it up in the last day. And this is the will of the One SENDING Me, that everyone seeing the Son and believing into Him should have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:37-40).

"But Jesus cried out and said, The one believing into Me does not believe into Me, but into the One SENDING Me. And the one seeing Me sees the One who SENT Me. I have come as a Light to the world, that everyone who believes into Me may not remain in the darkness. And if anyone hears My Words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come that I might judge the world, but that I might save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not receive My Words has that judging him: the Word which I spoke, that will judge him in the last Day. For I did not speak from Myself, but He who SENT Me, the Father, He has given Me command, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Then what things I speak, as the Father has said to Me, so I speak" (John 12:44-50).

And John writes in his first epistle:

"By this the love of God was revealed in us, because His Son, the Only begotten, God has SENT into the world that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and SENT His Son to be a propitiation relating to our sins" (1 John 4:9-10).

It is through Christ's incarnation that we truly see that God is love; that he has not forsaken mankind to death; that he is faithful to his promises; that he has sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins; that everyone believing into him will have everlasting life. God sends his Son so "that the world might be saved through him." This is the will of the Father in sending his Son.

Christ's incarnation also sets the correct directional perspective for the church. We see in the Gospel of John that everyone is pointing to Christ, the Son of God who comes to us.

John the Baptist is sent to bear witness and point forward to Christ:

"John answered and said, A man is able to receive nothing unless it has been given to him from Heaven. You yourselves witness to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but that having been SENT [see John 1:6], I am going before that One. The one having the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, standing and hearing him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. Then this my joy has been fulfilled. That One must increase, but I must decrease. The One having COME FROM ABOVE is above all. The one being of the earth is earthy, and speaks of the earth. The One COMING OUT OF HEAVEN is above all. And what He has seen and heard, this He testifies, and no one receives His testimony. The one receiving His testimony has sealed that God is true. For the One whom God SENT speaks the Words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. The one believing into the Son has everlasting life; but the one disobeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:27-36).

Christ, the Word made flesh, is a witness to himself:

"I am the One witnessing concerning Myself, and He who SENT Me, the Father, witnesses concerning Me" (John 8:18).

"But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has SENT me. And the Father who SENT me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his Word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has SENT" (John 5:36-37).

And as we see, Jesus sends his disciples, his apostles (ἀπόστολοι), out to point back to him:

"As You have SENT Me into the world, I also have SENT them into the world" (John 17:18).

"Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you. As the Father has SENT Me, I also SEND you. And saying this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21-22).

This is what we understand as the beginning of and vocation of the church, the bride of Christ, that is, to point to and bring Christ himself to his people through Word and Scrament. Our's is an incarnational ministry. The words that Christ, the Logos, was given, he gives to his church:

"I have given them Your Word, and the world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. . .As You have SENT Me into the world, I also have SENT them into the world, and I sanctify Myself for them, that they also may be sanctified in Truth. And I do not pray concerning these only, but also concerning those who will believe in Me through their Word; that all may be one, as You are in Me, Father, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You SENT Me" (John 17:14-21).

In the same way, Christ also gives us himself, God incarnate, in his Holy Supper:

"Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe into Him whom that One SENT. Then they said to Him, Then what miraculous sign do You do that we may see and may believe You? What do You work? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written "He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat." Then Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses has not given you the bread out of Heaven, but My Father gives you THE TRUE BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN. For the bread of God is HE COMING DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN and giving life to the world. Then they said to Him, Lord, always give us this bread. Jesus said to them, I am the Bread of life; the one coming to Me will not at all hunger, and the one believing into Me will not thirst, never! But I said to you that you also have seen Me and did not believe. All that the Father gives to Me shall come to Me, and the one coming to Me I will in no way cast out. For I HAVE COME DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN, not that I should do My will, but the will of Him who SENT Me. And this is the will of the Father SENDING Me, that of all that He has given Me, I shall not lose any of it, but shall raise it up in the last day. And this is the will of the One SENDING Me, that everyone seeing the Son and believing into Him should have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Then the Jews murmured about Him, because He said, I am the Bread coming down out of Heaven. And they said, Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, of whom we know the father and the mother? How does this One now say, I have come down out of Heaven? Then Jesus answered and said to them, Do not murmur with one another. No one is able to come to Me unless the Father who SENT Me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. It has been written in the Prophets, They "shall" all "be taught of God." So then everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to Me; not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One BEING FROM GOD, He has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, The one believing into Me has everlasting life. I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. This is the Bread COMING DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN, that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the Living Bread that CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever. And indeed the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, How can this One give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one partaking of My flesh and drinking of My blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. The one partaking of My flesh and drinking of My blood abides in Me, and I in him. Even as the living Father SENT Me, and I live through the Father; also the one partaking Me, even that one will live through Me. This is the Bread which CAME DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN, not as your fathers ate the manna and died; the one partaking of this Bread will live forever" (John 6:29-58).

Just as Jesus is born of the Virgin Mary into this world through the power of the Holy Spirit, so too is he born out of Word and Sacrament in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we are likewise reborn through him.

"He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to the ones believing into His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and of truth" (John 1:10-14).

St. John Altarpiece, c. 1474-1479