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As we learned in The Principle of Agency in the Old Testament, an agent is one who has been “authorized to act for or in the place of another.”1 In Hebraic terms, the agent or the “one sent” is called the shaliah. Its New Testament equivalent is the term apostle or Apostolos in Greek, and it means a messenger, one sent on a mission. Regarding agency, James McGrath, professor and New Testament scholar, writes:
Agency was an essential part of everyday life in the ancient world. Individuals such as prophets and angels mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures were considered ‘agents’ of God.
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Agency was an essential part of everyday life in the ancient world. Individuals such as prophets and angels mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures were considered ‘agents’ of God. The key idea regarding agency in the ancient world appears to be summarized in the phrase from rabbinic literature so often quoted in these contexts: “The one sent is like the one who sent him.”2
Yahushua Baptized Disciples. Or Did He?
The first instance of agency that we’ll examine is found in John’s gospel. After observing the Passover in Jerusalem. Yahushua was baptizing disciples:
John 3:22-26 After these things Yahushua and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. 23 John [the Baptist] also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized— 24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison. 25 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.”
According to this account, Yahushua was baptizing his followers. It seems pretty straightforward, that is until we read the opening verses in the following chapter:
John 4:1-3 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Yahushua was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Yahushua Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.
The main point of the Jewish law of agency is expressed in the dictum, “A person’s agent is regarded as the person himself.”
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Chapters 3 and 4 both say that Yahushua was baptizing disciples, but John parenthetically clarifies that Yahushua wasn’t performing the baptisms. Instead, his disciples were. How could John say that Yahushua was baptizing people when he wasn’t? Was he lying? No, he was applying the principle of agency. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion explains it this way:
The main point of the Jewish law of agency is expressed in the dictum, “A person’s agent is regarded as the person himself.” Therefore, any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principal…3
Because the disciples were Yahushua’s “duly appointed agents,” it was perfectly acceptable to credit Yahushua with the baptisms. This is a strange concept for Westerners to grasp; however, in the Hebraic culture, it was normative.
The Centurion and His Infirmed Servant
The next example of agency has to do with a Roman commander and his highly regarded servant:
Matthew 8:5-10 and 13 And when Yahushua entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7 Yahushua *said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 Now when Yahushua heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel…13 And Yahushua said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.
In Matthew’s account, Yahushua interacts directly with the centurion. But when we read Luke’s account, there appears to be a glaring contradiction:
Luke 7:1-10 When He [Yahushua] had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. 2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When he heard about Yahushua, he [the centurion] sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. 4 When they came to Yahushua, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He [the centurion] is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” 6 Now Yahushua started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; 7 for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9 Now when Yahushua heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
Matthew had no problem reporting that the centurion came to Yahushua because the Jewish elders and friends he sent acted as agents on his behalf.
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Luke appears to contradict Matthew’s account when he records that the centurion did not personally meet with Yahushua. Unfortunately, some look at seemingly contradicting ideas like this and conclude that the Bible isn’t credible and, therefore, can’t be trusted. However, the contradiction dissolves when we understand the law of agency. Matthew had no problem reporting that the centurion came to Yahushua because the Jewish elders and friends he sent acted as agents on his behalf. And according to the custom, it was reasonable to speak of such an occasion as if the centurion was himself present. Pastor and author, David Burge, explains:
The centurion here is the principal; the Jewish elders and the centurion’s friends are his appointed, commissioned agents. Remembering that in Hebrew thought, the principal and the agent are not always clearly distinguished, Matthew mentions only the principal (the centurion) without distinguishing the agent (the Jewish elders and friends). Luke mentions both principal and agents. To put it another way, in Matthew’s account, the elders (agents) stand for and are treated as the centurion (principal), even though this is not literally true.4
Earle Ellis, professor and theologian, agrees:
As in the Sabbath healings, in the healing of the centurion’s slave…Matthew uses the shaliah principle to subsume the elders under the person of the centurion.5
James and John Petition Yahushua
Our next example involves two of Yahushua’s apostles and their mother. When Yahushua and his disciples were walking to Jerusalem, Yahushua took the twelve apostles aside to tell them that the religious leaders would hand him over to the Gentiles, who would, in turn, put him to death. Nevertheless, Yahushua said he would rise again three days later:
Mark 10:35-41 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Yahushua, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Yahushua said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Yahushua said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.
Now take note of the differences in Matthew’s account:
We see that the mother of James and John was serving as their agent when she asked Yahushua for favor in the coming kingdom.
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Matthew 20:20-24 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Yahushua with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22 But Yahushua answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He *said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” 24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers.
We see that the mother of James and John was serving as their agent when she asked Yahushua for favor in the coming kingdom. Was Mark wrong to record the encounter as if James and John asked Yahushua directly for positions in his government? No, Mark employed the principle of agency in his narrative.
Saul of Tarsus
The last example we’ll look at comes from the Book of Acts. When Saul of Tarsus (later known as the apostle Paul) was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord,” he asked the high priest for authorization so he could travel to Damascus to arrest any followers of Yahushua he might find there. Luke records the following:
Acts 9:3-6 3 As he [Saul] was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Yahushua whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
How could Saul have persecuted Yahushua when the Lord was seated at Yahuwah’s right hand in the heavens? Once again, the agency provides the answer...
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How could Saul have persecuted Yahushua when the Lord was seated at Yahuwah’s right hand in the heavens? Once again, the agency provides the answer because when you interact with the agent, you are, in effect, interacting with the sender (or the principal). Professor and theologian Marianne Meye Thompson elaborates:
A common saying in the rabbis was “the one who is sent is like the one who sent him” or “a man’s agent is equivalent to himself”. Because the saliah [shaliah] may act on behalf of the one who sent him, when one deals with the saliah [shaliah] it is as if one is dealing with the one who sent that person.6
In essence, this is what Yahushua taught his disciples:
Luke 10:16 “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
And also:
Matthew 25:40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.‘
When Saul was persecuting Christ’s followers, those whom he had commissioned and sent out in his name, he was essentially persecuting the one who had sent them, that is, Yahushua. Not in a physical way, obviously, but in a representative way. Thus, the law of agency allowed Yahushua to say that Saul was persecuting him.
In summary, we’ve learned that an agent is authorized to act on behalf of or in the place of another. The principle or law of agency states that the one sent is seen as the one who sent him. Agency was an everyday occurrence in the ancient world, demonstrated throughout Scripture. When we read the Bible from a Jewish perspective, difficult or confusing passages make sense, contradictory passages are harmonized, and familiar passages come to life.
1 “agent,” Merriam Webster Dictionary, accessed 06-16-19, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agent
2 James F. McGrath, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in its Jewish Context, (University of Illinois Press, 2009) p. 14.
3 “Agent” (Heb. Shaliah), The Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowsky, G. Wigoder, (New York: Adama Books, 1986), p. 15.
4 David Burge, Divine Agency in the Scriptures, 8-10-15, https://sandrahopper.blogspot.com/2015/ accessed 7-5-19
5 E. Earle Ellis, The Making of the New Testament Documents, (Society of Biblical Literature, 2009), p. 342
6 Marianne Meye Thompson, “Gospel of John,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Joel B. Green, ed. 1992 (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1992), p. 377
This is a non-WLC article. Source: https://oneGodworship.com/the-principle-of-agency-in-the-new-testament/
We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team