Sent
The Language of Sending
The biblical concept of being "sent" carries far more weight than simple dispatch. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word shalach describes the act of sending with purpose and authority. Whether God sends messengers, plagues, or prophets, the word implies divine initiative and intentional mission. In the New Testament, the Greek apostello means to send forth with a commission, and it is the root of the word "apostle" — literally, "one who is sent" (John 13:16).
Sending in the Old Testament
Throughout the Old Testament, God is portrayed as the one who sends. He sends Moses to Pharaoh (Exodus 3:10), judges to deliver Israel (Judges 6:14), and prophets to call the people back to faithfulness (Jeremiah 1:7). The act of sending always carries divine authority; the messenger speaks and acts not on their own behalf but on God's. When Isaiah heard the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send?" his response — "Here am I. Send me" (Isaiah 6:8) — became one of Scripture's most iconic expressions of willingness to serve God's purposes.
The concept also appears in connection with the Pool of Siloam, whose name derives from the Hebrew shiloach, meaning "sending forth" of waters (Isaiah 8:6). This place name would later gain significance in the ministry of Jesus.
Sending in the New Testament
In the New Testament, the theme of sending reaches its fullest expression in the mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus repeatedly described himself as one "sent" by the Father (John 5:36; 6:57; 17:3). This sending language established Jesus's divine authority and the intimate connection between the Father's will and the Son's mission.
John 9:7 draws a direct connection between the concept of sending and the Pool of Siloam, when Jesus instructs a blind man to wash in the pool "which is translated, Sent." The healing that followed illustrated that Jesus himself was the ultimate "Sent One" from God.
Jesus then extended this sending to his followers: "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21). The disciples became apostoloi — sent ones — carrying the authority and message of Christ into the world.
The Chain of Divine Sending
A remarkable pattern emerges across Scripture: God sends the Son, the Son sends the Spirit, and through the Spirit, believers are sent into the world. This chain of sending establishes the missionary nature of the Christian faith. Paul understood himself as "sent" to preach the gospel (Romans 10:15), echoing the prophetic tradition and fulfilling Jesus's commission.
The writer of Hebrews describes angels as "ministering spirits sent to serve" those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14), extending the sending theme to the heavenly realm as well.
Biblical Context
The concept of sending pervades Scripture from Genesis through Revelation. God sends Joseph ahead to Egypt (Genesis 45:5), commissions Moses (Exodus 3:10), dispatches prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, and ultimately sends His Son (John 3:17). Jesus sends the Twelve (Matthew 10:5), the Seventy (Luke 10:1), and all believers (John 20:21). The theme appears in law, narrative, prophecy, gospels, and epistles.
Theological Significance
The sending theme reveals God as a purposeful, outward-reaching God who initiates relationship and redemption. It establishes the authority of God's messengers and the missionary nature of faith. Jesus's identity as the 'Sent One' affirms his divine commission and the Father-Son relationship at the heart of the Trinity. The extension of sending to believers establishes the church's mission in the world.
Historical Background
In the ancient Near East, a sent messenger carried the full authority of the sender — to reject the messenger was to reject the one who sent them. This cultural convention underlies the biblical use of sending language. The Greek apostello was used in secular contexts for envoys and ambassadors. The Pool of Siloam, connected etymologically to sending, has been archaeologically confirmed in Jerusalem.