John 12:13, 17:18 Luke 9:1 …...."Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world". When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. The Jewish priests and rabbis would have followers that wanted to learn more of the Torah and the laws and rules they were to live by. They would learn from the ones they followed as they spent time in their company. We would call them interns or apprentices. As they became more experienced and knowledgeable, they would have greater responsibilities. They could become scribes (responsible for copying the scriptures and transcribing the rulings of the Sanhedrin, etc.). They could become messengers for the Sanhedrin. (They would be the ones in the crowds with Jesus and reporting back to their leaders.) Some of the highly educated messengers would have been the ones that challenged and tried to trap Jesus.
The designation of disciple means 'learner or student'. Apostle is derived from the Greek which means 'sent one'. They would not have authority, they would only deliver messages. They would have to rely on someone else to enforce the messages as needed. Jesus picked twelve ordinary men to be His 'sent ones' but He went beyond the regular apostles of the Jewish religion. He gave His apostles greater power and authority than the other apostles of the Jewish leadership. He gave them His power and authority to do the same miracles that He did. He even told them at one point that they would do greater things than what they saw Him do. The name "Shaliah" means sent one but it also means that anyone who holds that title also holds the authority of the one who sent them. They would not carry their own message. They would only carry the message of the one that sent them. When we accepted Jesus as our personal Savior, we became His Shaliah. We were given the power and authority that He gave the Twelve. He is sending us into all the world to deliver His message of grace and forgiveness. He is telling us to offer the world of darkness and pain a message of hope and healing. We are His Shaliah. We are to introduce Him to the world and the more we know of His message, the better we can share it with others.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorPlease join us as we grow in Christ through our weekly devotions, written by Catherine Donaldson Archives
June 2021
|