Jesus tells the disciples, 'He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.' The saying forms a chain of representation from disciple to Jesus to the Father.
Jesus in Context
Receiving the Messenger and the One Who Sent Him
Jesus' saying that receiving his messenger means receiving him, and receiving him means receiving the Father, reflects the ancient principle that an authorized agent represented the sender.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
Ancient societies commonly operated through messengers, envoys, and authorized representatives. A properly commissioned agent could act in the name and authority of the sender, so treatment of the representative communicated one's response to the one represented. Jewish legal traditions later summarize a related principle with the idea that a person's agent is as the person himself, though later formulations should not be mechanically read back as the source of Jesus' wording.
Why It Matters
The social convention helps explain the seriousness Jesus gives to mission. His messengers do not possess independent divine status, but they carry delegated authority from him.
The chain also moves upward in an extraordinary way: response to Jesus is inseparable from response to the Father who sent him.