Sending in the context of John 17 and John 20

As recorded in John 12, Holy Week began with Christ’s triumphal entry on the day known as Palm Sunday. John 12 is a good summary of events and words of Jesus from that triumphal entry to the Thursday of Holy Week. The “sending” is highlighted in these words leading up to events that unfolded in the Upper Room (words in bold are for author’s emphasis):

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me… For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment – what to say and what to speak.

—John 12:44-45, 49

Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him… Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” —John 13:16, 20

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. —John 14:26

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. —John 15:26-27

But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. —John 16:5, 7

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. —John 17:3

For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me… that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me… I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me… O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. —John 17:8,21,23,25

An extended study of the “sending” theme of the Gospel would begin with John the Baptist in John 1:6, 33 and 3:28. God’s sending for Jesus occurs a total of 35 times in St. John from chapters 3 to 16 (not counting chapters 17 and 20 with 7 more “sending” references in contexts apart from God’s sending for Jesus). Three more “sending” passages occur in John 14, 15 and 16, with references to the sending of the Holy Spirit.

Intrinsic in “sending” is authority and relationship. There must be a connection between the sender and the sent.