What other scriptures support Jesus being sent by God, as in John 8:42? John 8:42—A Launching Point “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come from God and now am here. I have not come of Myself, but He sent Me.’” Everything that follows simply echoes and reinforces this claim: the Son did not appear on His own initiative; the Father dispatched Him on purpose. Echoes in John’s Gospel John weaves the “sent” theme from start to finish: • 3:17 – “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” • 5:36 – “The works that the Father has given Me to accomplish… testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.” • 6:38 – “For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” • 7:28-29 – “I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true… I am from Him and He sent Me.” • 12:44-45 – “Whoever believes in Me… believes in the One who sent Me.” • 17:3 – “This is eternal life: that they may know You… and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” • 20:21 – “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Synoptic Snapshots The other Gospels confirm the same mission-language: • Matthew 10:40 – “He who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.” • Matthew 15:24 – “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” • Mark 9:37 – “Whoever receives Me receives not only Me, but Him who sent Me.” • Luke 4:18 – “He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives…” • Luke 4:43 – “For this purpose I was sent.” • Luke 10:16 – “Whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” Acts and Early Preaching The earliest church kept the same confession: • Acts 3:26 – “When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you…” • Acts 10:36 – “He has sent His word to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ.” Witness of the Epistles Paul and John anchor salvation in the Father’s sending: • Romans 8:3 – “God did what the Law could not do… by sending His own Son.” • Galatians 4:4-5 – “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son… to redeem those under the Law.” • 1 John 4:9-10 – “God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” • 1 John 4:14 – “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” • Hebrews 3:1-2 – Jesus is called “the Apostle” (literally, sent-one) “who was faithful to Him who appointed Him.” Prophetic Foreshadowing Long before Bethlehem, Scripture spoke of One whom the LORD would send: • Isaiah 48:16 – “And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.” • Isaiah 61:1 – “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me… He has sent Me to bring good news to the poor.” • Malachi 3:1 – “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple… says the LORD of Hosts.” • Micah 5:2 – From Bethlehem will come forth One “whose origins are from eternity,” sent to rule for God. Tying the Threads Together Throughout both Testaments, a single, consistent melody plays: the Father initiates, the Son responds, and humanity receives life through the mission. John 8:42 is therefore no isolated claim; it stands amid a chorus of verses that together affirm, without ambiguity, that Jesus Christ was sent by God. |
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