Did God the Father send His Son?
To understand if God sent His Son, we will listen to the words of Jesus from John's gospel and epistle.
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:34. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God...
John 5:36. ... the work that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
John 5:38. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
John 6:29. ... This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
John 6:57. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father....
John 7:29. But I know him; for I am from him, and he hath sent me.
John 8:42. ... I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I or myself, but he sent me.
John 10:36. Say ye of him, whom the Father hath.... sent into the world...
John 11:42. ... because of the people... that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
John 17:3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
John 17:8. .... they have known surely that I came out from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me. John 17:18. As thou hast sent me into the world...
John 17:21. ... that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
John 17:23. ... that the world may know that thou hast sent me...
John 17:25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
2 John 20:21. ... Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
1 John 4:9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world...
1 John 4:10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Are we listening to the words of Jesus?
It is essential we think about them. Jesus told His disciples a number of times that He would be crucified and rise on the third day, but they did not listen.
Probably they heard the words, but their minds were so occupied with Jewish teachings they did not register with their conscious thinking.
What was the problem?
Tradition had proclaimed that the Messiah would ride a donkey from the skies and in power rule in Jerusalem as king.
This was so ingrained in Jewish thinking that nothing could erase it.
Tradition is very powerful and dangerous.
Thus we ask again, Are we actually listening to Jesus?