The Human Being God Sent into the World
The Man Jesus is Sent in the name of His God and Father
God's human son Jesus was not of this world but had been sent into the world.1 What doees it mean to be sent "into the world." The disciples of Jesus are also sent "into the world."2 The disciples of Jesus are not of this world.3 Jesus said that, "they are not of this world just as I am not of this world."4 And so when the disciples are sent, they are sent "into the world" just as Jesus had been sent "into the world."5 After Jesus had risen from the dead, he met his disciples in the upper room and sent them into the world by anointing them with the Holy Spirit just as the Father had sent him at the Jordan.6 Just as Jesus sent the disciples were sent "into the world," Jesus had been sent "into the world."
"They are not of this world just as I am not of the world."
"Just as You sent me into this world, I have sent them into the world."
"Just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
Jesus sent his disciples into the world just as God the Father had sent Jesus into the world. Just as Jesus later sent his disciples into the world, his God and Father had anointed the man Jesus with the Holy Spirit and sent him from the Jordan "into the world." God sanctified the man Jesus at the Jordan and sent him into the world. (John 10:36).
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me wherefore He has anointed me7 to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
"Christ" and "Messiah" are English forms of the Greek and Hebrew words for "The Anointed." A full translation of the Greek words is not "Jesus Christ" or "Jesus the Christ," and a full translation of the Hebrew words is not "Jesus the Messiah." Rather a full translation of the words is "Jesus the Anointed." The man Jesus was the human being chosen to be God's Christ, God's Messiah, God's Anointed One. However, we must understand that the Messiah, the Anointed One, did not function as the Messiah, the Anointed One, until he was anointed. His role as Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One, began here at the Jordan when God had actually anointed the man Jesus to be "the Anointed One," that is, the Messiah, the Christ, God's Messiah.
Anointed with Power to do Kingdom Signs and Wonders
The Spirit is power and God had anointed Jesus8 with his God and Father's Holy Spirit at the Jordan River.9 In this way, Jesus was sent out not in his own name but in his Father's name, the only God.10 And having been anointed with the Holy Spirit, his God was with him and in him and working through him, and the man Jesus was anointed with power to do miracles which his God and Father did through him.11 Jesus himself testified that his words and his works were not his own but the Father's who sent him and was in him.12
Anointed with Authority to Forgive Sins
When Jesus announced that he was sending his disciples just as the Father had sent him and after he had anointed them with the Spirit, he said to them, "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."13 Jesus had been given the authority to forgive sins in the same manner. When his God and Father anointed the man Jesus with the Spirit at the Jordan, the Father had authorized this man to forgive sins.
There were some men who were completely unaware that such authority to forgive sins had been given by God to this man Jesus. On one occasion some men brought a paralytic to Jesus.14 And seeing the faith of these men, Jesus forgave the paralytic's sins. But the Pharisees objected and declared that only God Himself had the authority to forgive sins.15 And then Jesus demonstrated their error by showing them that the son of man had authority on earth to forgive sins, that is, a man had been given this authority. And Jesus did this by asking them a question, "Which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or "Rise up and walk." So to prove he had this authority to forgive sins, Jesus demonstrated he had the authority to do something even greater - to completely heal a paralyzed man and cause him to walk. And this Jesus did do. He healed the paralytic who rose up, picked up his pallet, and walked home. Jesus clearly demonstrated to the Pharisees that a man, he himself, had been given authority to forgive sins by demonstrating he had the authority to do something even greater. And so we read in the Scriptures that the onlooking crowd was absolutely amazed that God had indeed given such authority to men.16 Jesus had proven that the Pharisee's declaration - that only God could forgive sins - was now completely wrong. God had given the authority to forgive sins to a man. This man had been anointed with the Father's Holy Spirit and authorized to forgive sins in his Father's name. Everything Jesus did was according to his Father's will and in his Father's name.
Apostle of the Father: A Man Sent into the World
The English word "apostle" is simply a form of the Greek noun apostolos. The verb form of this word, apostello, means to send out. Jesus was sent by his God and Father. Jesus was his God and Father's Apostle.17 The man Jesus was sent into the world in the name of his God. Like his disciples who were not of this world and sent into the world, Jesus was not of this world and sent into the world. He was sent into the world from the Jordan River when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me wherefore He has anointed me... He has sent me." Anointing this man with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan, God had sent a man into the world to do His will.
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NOTES:
1. John 3:16-17,19; 10:36; 1 John 4:9. See also John 1:9; 6:14;11:27; 12:46; 16:28; 17:18; 18:37.
2. John 17:18; see also 20:21-22. Deceivers have also gone "into the world." See 1 John 4:1; 2 John 1:7.
3. John 17:6, 14-16.
4. John 17:14,16
5. John 17:18
6. Luke 4:18
7. Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38.
8. Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18.
9. Matthew 3:16-17.
10. John 5:43-45
11. John 14:9-10; Acts 2:22; 10:38
12. John 7:16; 9:4; 12:49; 14:9,24.
13. John 20:21-23; see Luke 24:46-49.
14. Compare parallel accounts at Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26.
15. Mark 2:7
16. Matthew 9:8.
