Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the
heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom
we confess. (Hebrews 3:1)
APOSTLE
Jesus, the apostle? We usually think of
the eleven disciples as being promoted to apostleship, and Matthew added to
maintain the parallel with the twelve tribes. Paul was added as an apostle. Did
you know there were others described as apostles? James, the brother of the Lord Jesus (Gal
1:19; 2:9); Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14); Andronicus and Junias (Rom 16:7); and
Silas (1 Thess 2:6). The term "apostle" means "sent out one,
ambassador, envoy, representative, so it is entirely appropriate to refer to
Jesus as the apostle of God.
When
ambassadors visit another land, they act as a liaison with the leadership of
that land. Each of us is being treated as a monarch of our lives. As God's Ambassador, Jesus delivers a treaty being offered to
each of us by the King of the universe. The conditions are simple, direct, and
non-negotiable. We either accept Jesus' death on our behalf, or we reject it.
Both choices have consequences for us and for our petty kingdoms. God didn't
have to send an ambassador. He could have ridden in with His angelic army and
slaughtered us all.
He sent His Ambassador intead - and such an Ambassador, who was willing
to meet the terms of the treaty on our behalf.
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