Jesus, The Apostle and High Priest of our Profession

Jesus, The Apostle

When was the last time you heard a message or teaching on Jesus as Apostle? In the 44 years since becoming a follower of Jesus, I have heard many sermons about Jesus as High Priest, but as Apostle, none. Why? No, it wasn’t because I slept through them.

 

I have taught on Jesus as Apostle in small group settings several times. The idea of Jesus as Apostle and High Priest is central to the New Covenant. Without these truths, there would be no New Covenant.

The word ‘apostle’ is a close transliteration of the Greek word, αποστολος (apostolos). If the word were translated, it would read as, ‘one who is sent’ or ‘sent one’. Given its true nature, it should be understood as one who is sent as the Authorized and Legal Representative of the One Who Sent Him.

As used in the NT, Apostolos is a Greek word signifying a Hebraic concept. The Greek concept behind the word comes from the nautical world. It designates an ambassador sent over water to conduct state business. This had little meaning to the Hebraic culture since they were predominately an agrarian society. 

The Hebraic concept comes from the Hebrew word, Sh’leka, meaning one who is appointed to represent the character and interests of another. It is a legal relationship between the one sent and the one who sent him.

From his company of disciples, Jesus appointed twelve sh’lekim/apostles. He sent them out to represent Him in His kingdom business.

The rabbis had a saying concerning the Sent One. They said, “The man who is sent, is as the man himself.” The concept of the Sh’leka can be seen in many sayings of Jesus, such as this one.

He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. [Matt. 10:40]

To receive an apostle of Jesus was to receive Jesus. To receive Jesus was to receive His Father who sent Him. So to receive an apostle of Christ, was to receive His Father. However, the opposite was also true. To reject or abuse an apostle of Christ was to reject and abuse Christ Himself. To do this to Christ, was to do it to His Father also.

Jesus is called an Apostle because He is the Sent One of God. He legally represents in His person, the character and interests of the One who sent Him. To receive Him is to receive His Father. To reject Him is to reject His Father. He represents in His person all that God is, for “in him, all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily.” For this simple reason, one cannot believe in God and reject Jesus, His Son. He is God’s Authorized Representative, His Apostle.

It should be obvious that Jesus was sent from and by His Father. I will note only a few of the many references that Jesus makes concerning this fact. [Jn. 3:17; 3:34; 5:36 (“the Father hath sent me”); 6:29; 6:57(“As the living Father hath sent me”);7:29; 8:42;17:18; 17:21].

Jesus refers to being sent by the Father 39 times in the four gospels. In the Gospel of John, it appears 34 out of the 39 times. Of these 34 times, 28 of them use the verb, ἀποστέλλω (apostello). John emphasizes this fact, that Jesus was sent (apostled) to represent the Father, His business, and character. This is the dominant phrase Jesus uses when speaking of His relationship with the Father.

Furthermore, He was sent from the Father, which signifies His preexistence with the Father [Jn 1:1-2].

Sh’leka in First Century Judea

The concept of the Sh’leka appears to be in common usage in the First Century. The following are some examples of the Sh’leka in the first century AD:

 

1. The beginning of the new month was made known to the Diaspora (dispersed Israelites among the nations) by sh’lekim appointed by the Sanhedrin to pass on the news by mountaintop signal fires.
 
2. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest was the Sh’leka of the priesthood and the whole community of Israel before God. More will be said on this shortly.
3. Letters of authority were given to appointed sh’lekim to prove their validity. These letters were necessary because of the possibility of false sh’lekim/apostles. A good example of this is when Paul “sought letters” from the High Priest. With these, he could go to Damascus and arrest any followers of Christ he might find [Acts. 9:1-2]. The letters were his identification and authority to act on behalf of the Great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. It is for this reason the letters were addressed to the synagogues of Damascus [9:2]. However, before he could use these letters, he was arrested by the Risen Christ. As they say, the rest is history. He started out as an apostle of the Great Sanhedrin, but then became an apostle of the Lord. [See also Acts 22:5, I Corinthians 16:3; 2 Corinthians 3:1].
 
4. One could be betrothed in marriage by the agency of a sh’leka. In such cases, the sh’leka legally performs the ceremonies of betrothal in the place of the bridegroom [2 Corinthians 11:2]. Also, a divorce could be initiated by a Sent One.

Sh’lekim typically were ordained teachers who were set apart for their task by the laying-on of hands in the name of the person or community they represented. They were usually never sent out alone [Ecc. 4:9-10], but in groups of two or more [Acts 13:1-3 (“Separate me Barnabas and Saul”); Luke 10:1 (Jesus “sent them two and two”)].

Treatment of the Sh’leka

One of the most startling aspects of the apostle was how he was treated. Because he represents the one who sent him, the way he is treated is a reflection upon how the one who sent him would be treated. To beat, shamefully treat or kill the one who is sent, is to do it to the one who sent him.

We have an ancient example of this from the time of the Davidic Kingdom, in 2 Samuel 10.  In an upcoming chapter, we will see a very serious example given by Jesus Himself in the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.

A brief example found in Luke 10:16, reveals both the positive and negative aspects.

“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

If you listen to the apostles, you are listening to Jesus. If you reject the apostles, you reject not just Jesus, but the Father who sent Him. This can have very serious consequences upon those who choose to accept the rabbinic interpretation of Scripture over that of the Apostles. To reject the Apostles’ Doctrine is to reject the Father Himself. A very bad move indeed!

Jesus is the New Covenant in His very person. As Apostle, He is God’s Representative to man, and as High Priest, man’s representative to God.  

As an side note, the New Covenant has only 12 apostles. Modern day men or women who claim the title of apostle, are false apostles. How do I know this? Because the Word of God states it quite clearly. In the description of the New Jerusalem, John reports,

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The foundation of the wall of the New Jerusalem, is built upon the 12 apostles of the Lamb.