How Was Jesus an Apostle?

Ray Pritchard

“Consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession” (Hebrews 3:1).

Jesus the apostle. It doesn’t sound quite right to us because we’re used to thinking of Paul the apostle or James the apostle. This is the only time Jesus is called an apostle.

The word itself means “one sent as a messenger.” When applied to the twelve apostles, it means that they were chosen by Jesus and sent into the world in his name and bearing his message. When applied to Jesus, it means that he was sent from the Father to be the Savior of the world. We can see this clearly in John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

When Charles Spear wrote on this title, he said that the word “apostle” implies three things:

1. You must be sent by someone else.
2. You must be sent on a particular mission.
3. You must be sent with sufficient power to accomplish the mission.

See how perfectly Christ fits this description. He was sent by the Father in heaven. He was sent to be the Savior of the world. He was sent with all the prerogatives of deity clothed in human flesh.

Taken from “Apostle” by Keep Believing Ministries (used by permission).