J.T. I wish to speak of the water of purification as presented in the writings of John. In his gospel and his first epistle he presents the two elements of purification. In the gospel he relates that, the Lord being already dead, "one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water". In the gospel the blood is mentioned first, whilst in the epistle the water is first. We read there, referring to Jesus, "This is he that came by water and blood" (1 John 5:6 - 8), "And it is the Spirit that bears witness, for the Spirit is the truth. For they that bear witness are three: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood". John was surely thinking that in the last days there would be a need of washing with water, the witness of the blood being more generally received than the witness of the water. Many are enjoying the forgiveness of sins by virtue of the blood without ever having understood the significance of the water, which relates to our state, so that we may be purified in a practical way from the activity of sin in us. The subject in mind, the water of purification in John's gospel, begins with these stone waterpots filled with water; then in chapter 3 water is referred to in connection with new birth, "born of water". In chapter 9 the blind man on whose eyes the Lord had put mud, was sent to wash in the pool of Siloam. Then in chapter 13 the Lord Himself poured water into a wash hand basin in order to wash the feet of the disciples. I thought that the first two passages mentioned, chapters 2 and 3, would be sufficient for this morning.
Ques. Is purification by blood necessary first, before being washed with water?
J.T. The water of new birth would be the exception to that, since new birth precedes any understanding of the value of the blood; but in general the washing of purification is of persons who already know the value of the blood. These six stone vessels therefore represent believers who have not yet appreciated the value of the water.
Ques. Is it of any importance that they are stone waterpots?
J.T. Stone represents something permanent.
Rem. In John 1 the Lord called Peter "a stone".
J.T. We have the principle there that a believer is a stone: it says there, "Thou shalt be called Cephas (which interpreted is stone)". In Matthew 16, we read, "Thou art Peter", so it is evident that the Lord's words in John 1 were uttered prior to those in Matthew 16, but this establishes the principle that a believer is to be called a stone. Stone would probably be used as a foundation, or in the structure of a building, but here it is a vessel which contains something. In chapter 4 the woman of Samaria became spiritually a recipient, for the water that Christ gives will be in a believer "a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life". In chapter 2 the vessel is of stone, but empty.
Ques. Why are there six water vessels?
J.T. It is probably an allusion to millennial conditions; for this chapter refers to the millennium, a period which will be marked by power, but which will not be a perfect state of things. The numeral five refers to man in weakness; six is more than five, but less than seven. The numeral six often occurs in Solomon's kingdom; while the number of the anti-christ is six hundred and sixty-six. This latter represents what is more in a bad sense -- superhuman, as men speak, while the numeral six may apply, in a good sense, to what is more than man's weakness. The millennium will not be a perfect condition of things, but it is of God. There are six days of creation in Genesis 1. These
six vessels would represent young believers who are secure for eternity, yet are entirely lacking in purification, and so are not fulfilling the purpose for which they are destined. When the tabernacle was set up each part had its own function, so in the same way amongst saints in fellowship each should be fulfilling his function. They are not merely members of a congregation, but belong to a great organism pervaded by the Spirit of God, so each one ought to function in his own setting. This subject is enlarged upon in 1 Corinthians 12. When the ark is referred to in Exodus 40, the tables of testimony were in it, the candlestick was lit, and the shewbread was on the table. All this is most instructive for young believers; so these six water vessels, being empty, were not fulfilling their function.
Rem. Each one could hold two or three measures.
J.T. Yes, the amount is indefinite, but why were they not holding a little water?
Ques. Does that suggest that each member of a gathering should take an actual part in the service?
J.T. Yes, in harmony with the others; one would not be independent.
Ques. What is meant by being filled with water?
J.T. It is the testimony of the death of Christ not only for ourselves, but in view of others.
Ques. Are we not sometimes more exercised about the question of washing with water than with filling the vessels?
J.T. Yes, that is referred to in verse 6 of chapter 2. It comes before chapter 3, and is a millennial scene; it is the first sign recorded by John, and thus gives us the general idea. The Lord said, "Fill the water-vessels with water", then, "Draw out now, and carry it to the feast-master". And they carried it; the servants exactly obeyed the Lord's instructions. The Lord's mother was not in accord with Him at first, but she was quickly restored, for she at once says to the servants, "Whatever he may say to you, do". This is a figure of a latter day
when Israel will be restored, and in the freshness of recovery will have power to carry out the Lord's word. All that He says must be done: "Fill the water-vessels with water. And they filled them up to the brim". They fully obeyed His word.
Ques. In what way is this connected with the purification of the Jews?
J.T. It refers to the millennium, but fits in well with the line of this gospel which has christianity in view.
Ques. What do the servants and the feast-master represent?
J.T. The servants knew what had happened. It is important for all who serve the saints to be intelligent and to understand what is taking place. The feast-master also recognised the quality of the wine; spiritually he was a connoisseur. It is greatly to be desired that we should know how to judge the quality and value of what is presented to us in the things of God, otherwise we may accept poor ministry while perhaps believing it to be excellent. It is important that saints should be capable of discerning quality; the Galatians, lacking in this, accepted poisoned ministry as though it were good.
Rem. "Prove all things, hold fast the right", 1 Thessalonians 5:21.
J.T. Often the ministry of the last brother to serve us seems appreciated most; regardless of what he has said, the last is thought to be the best!
Rem. The best ministry comes direct from Christ, and all He gives is good.
J.T. It is remarkable that it says here, "When the feast-master had tasted the water which had been made wine (and knew not whence it was, but the servants knew who drew the water), the feast-master calls the bridegroom, and says to him, Every man sets on first the good wine, and when men have well drunk, then the inferior; thou hast kept the good wine till now". He tasted the water; the idea of water is maintained; it is when the water is tasted it is found to be wine.
J.T. Applying it to the believer, it would imply that the testimony of the death of Christ has effected something in him. The vessel is filled; that is, the person is affected by the death of Christ, so that something that corresponds with the wine is produced in him. How refreshing it is to see a believer who has remained silent since his conversion, now a cause of joy to all by his taking part. Instead of remaining seated without exercise, without any spiritual activity, he is active and becomes a source of joy; he brings his contribution which can be drawn upon. It is not a result of mental activity; for the water is there always.
Ques. Does Marah (Exodus 15) correspond with this; the bitter water being changed to sweet?
J.T. That is similar. The waters were bitter and Jehovah commanded Moses to throw into it a certain wood, and they became sweet.
Rem. The vessels therefore represent young believers, once empty, but now useful and capable of giving joy to others.
J.T. Just so. The vessels were there, but were useless; now under the influence of Christ they have become useful.
Rem. As their exact capacity is not given, does that suggest various measures?
J.T. That is what I thought; it supposes that some would be able to contain more than others, but the servants had the mind of the Lord and they filled them to the brim.
J.T. I think it is by ministry, which presents all the truth, holding nothing back. Paul said he had "held back nothing of what is profitable", Acts 20:20.
Ques. Is it similar to Romans 5, where "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit"?
J.T. That is a fuller thought. The water of purification is simply the testimony of Christ's death; a matter of death, not of love. When the testimony is
presented it is necessary to draw out in order to take in what is said. "We hear them speaking in our own tongues the great things of God".
Rem. The vessels are filled with an end in view; they are full and remain full.
Rem. There is the drawing out and carrying to the feast-master, which the servants did exactly as the Lord told them.
Ques. Why did the Lord direct them to carry it to the feast-master instead of taking it direct to the guests?
J.T. The feast-master represents the authority of discernment; one speaks, the others judge, so that the saints should not accept just anything: the feast-master was a connoisseur, and at once knew that the wine was good.
Ques. What is it that is drawn out?
J.T. It is mainly a question of what the guests were to drink. Wine rejoices the heart of God and man; here it is for the guests, and so represents what rejoices the saints. We ought to enquire into what is said, to see if it is according to God. "Prove all things, hold fast the right".
Rem. The feast-master tasted the wine and appreciated it.
Ques. Is this what Aquila and Priscilla did in taking Apollos to them?
J.T. Apparently what Apollos was saying was somewhat defective; he was mighty in the Scriptures, but he knew only the baptism of John. His knowledge was imperfect, and there are thousands in the same state today. Brethren should have an appreciation even of small things, but also should have their taste in exercise to recognise and appreciate excellent things when they are presented, as it says "that ye may judge of and approve the things that are more excellent", Philippians 1:10. The Philippians were spiritual persons.
Ques. Were the Bereans marked by the same features?
J.T. They received "the word with all readiness of mind, daily searching the scriptures if these things were so", Acts 17:11.
Ques. What is the difference between being born again, and being born of the Spirit?
J.T. To be born again is to be born a second time; the whole being is affected and the person is completely changed. This is more general, while being born of water and of the Spirit is a fuller thought.
Rem. It says one has to be born again to "see", and be born of water and the Spirit to "enter".
J.T. In verse 3 we have the general idea of new birth; then in reply to the question Nicodemus asks, the Lord partly unfolds the truth to him, "Except any one be born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God".
Rem. Nicodemus evidently thought the "old man" could be improved, but the Lord explained to him that a new beginning was necessary.
J.T. The Lord presents the truth in two parts, showing that there are two elements in this matter; water is mentioned first as that which purifies, and may be called the negative side; we must be purified, for "that which is born of the flesh is flesh". Then there is the spiritual result; "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit".
Ques. Does the water remove what is impure, and the Spirit bring in what is heavenly?
J.T. Water suggests the negative side; that which removes what is harmful.
Ques. Can this be connected with "God is a spirit", John 4? Is it a question of the divine nature in a believer?
J.T. This sovereign and divine operation is in view of effecting something which corresponds to God; it is called "spirit" here; but it is to be seen in man. It is not said that "the one which is born", but "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit".
Ques. What is your thought about the expression "begotten of God".
J.T. It involves the testimony presented to a person. There it does not say, 'That which', but "Whoever has been begotten of God" (1 John 3:9): it is christian maturity. I have to take account of what has been effected in me by divine operation, and to consider myself as having the Spirit. It is the full christian portion in John's epistle. In the epistle of Peter too, we are born again, "not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the living and abiding word of God", 1 Peter 1:23.
Rem. "Born of Spirit" does not imply that one has received the Spirit.
J.T. No, it is the initial work of God which opens the way for all that He desires to have as testimony down here. The Lord said to Nicodemus, "Thou art the teacher of Israel and knowest not these things!" As a teacher of Israel he ought to have known what new birth was; the Lord did not suggest that he should have known all the teaching of christianity, but he should at least have known that. Thus new birth applies to those in the Old Testament, and will also apply in the millennium; it is a general thought applying to all dispensations. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" was manifest in Cain and Abel; flesh profiting nothing. God must begin again, for without this Abel would not have had faith; faith is not a product of the flesh, for "flesh profits nothing". Isaiah says, "All flesh is grass, and all the comeliness thereof as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, for the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God abideth for ever", Isaiah 40:6 - 8. God began to work as soon as sin came in; "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work", John 5:17. The Lord Jesus unfolded the whole secret of it to Nicodemus and speaks to him of heavenly things.
Ques. Do earthly things relate to Israel, and heavenly things to the assembly?
J.T. What belongs to Israel belongs to us also while we are here.
Ques. Is new birth essential if blessing is to be received?
J.T. Yes, because "that which is born of the flesh is flesh", and "flesh profits nothing".
Rem. Those who receive blessing in the millennium, will also be "born again".
Ques. You referred to faith; does it follow new birth?
J.T. Yes, it is the result of new birth. Where does faith come from? It is the gift of God; the seed is wholly good, and cannot be affected by corruption, so anyone born of water and of the Spirit is fit to enter into the kingdom of God. The flesh of Naaman the Syrian came again like that of a little child after he had dipped in Jordan, and he then went and stood before the man of God, that is the kingdom of God. The first time he went with his horses and his chariot, and stood at the doorway of Elisha's house. He thought that the prophet would come out; but the kingdom of God was where Elisha was, and it was for Naaman to come in and stand before Elisha, so when he returned from the Jordan he came and stood before the man of God. One who is truly born of water and of the Spirit comes to God.
Ques. Referring to the water of purification; is the water of purification in Numbers 19 connected with what we have had before us?
J.T. The commandment of Numbers 19 enforces the use of the ashes. The ashes of the heifer were to be kept in view of defilements that would come later.
John 9:1 - 38
J.T. We read chapters 2 and 3 of John yesterday, in connection with the water of purification. In chapter 2 we noticed that the six water vessels that had been placed there to hold the water of purification were empty, but were at the Lord's disposal, and He ordered them to be filled. When believers are filled with that which is the witness of the death of Christ, they become useful, and cause joy to the brethren; when the water in the vessels was drawn out, it became wine. In chapter 3 we spoke about the application of water in new birth; one born of water and of Spirit can enter the kingdom of God. Water and the Spirit exclude what is corrupt and the almighty power of God produces that which cannot be touched by corruption, "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit". It is the work of God which is first produced in a believer, enabling him to receive the gospel; without it no one can see the kingdom of God, nor enter it. What is begotten, or produced, is called spirit, implying that the believer is completely changed, and is in harmony with God; the believer himself is not called spirit, but there is something in him which is called spirit, which will eventually make him a spiritual man.
Ques. Would you say that one must first be born of water and of Spirit before receiving the gospel?
J.T. Without it we should be obliged to admit that the flesh is of some use; whereas "flesh profits nothing". We are all born after the flesh and have nothing that is of pleasure to God apart from new birth; this is a fundamental truth to which we should pay great attention.
Ques. Is it the sovereign work of God who operates in new birth to make possible our entry into the kingdom of God?
Ques. What is the difference between seeing and entering the kingdom of God?
J.T. The first statement is general, taking in the whole truth, "Except any one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God" John 3:3; it excludes natural man as incapable of seeing the kingdom of God; then the second reply of the Lord to Nicodemus goes into detail.
Ques. Is it not usually the Spirit who enables us to see and enter the kingdom of God?
J.T. It is not a question here of having the Spirit, but simply of the work of God making man capable of seeing what He is presenting to him.
Ques. Has every believer entered the kingdom of God?
J.T. The Lord is presenting the truth abstractly here.
Ques. Could it be said of the man born blind that first he saw, then that he entered when he obeyed the Lord Jesus?
J.T. I should like all to be clear about this, before speaking of chapter 9. In chapter 3 the Lord is speaking of an initial work effected sovereignly by God; the negative side is stressed showing what man cannot do unless born anew. This teaching shuts out man in the flesh, however great his ability; then, when man as such is put aside, something is introduced which allows such a one entry into the kingdom of God.
Rem. There are two distinct thoughts; firstly born of water, and then born of Spirit.
J.T. Water excludes what is corrupt; it is negative, in view of what is positive, what is termed "spirit", being free from the element of corruption. It is the basis of John's ministry; in his epistle he says, "Every one begotten of God does not sin, but he that has been begotten of God keeps himself" (1 John 5:18), and "his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God", 1 John 3:9. The believer is seen here apart from what he is in the flesh; our
enjoyment of our relation with God and our spiritual progress, depend upon the way we abstract ourselves from what we are according to flesh. In this epistle a believer is viewed, normally, as having the Holy Spirit.
Ques. Do we learn this in Romans 7:17, "It is no longer I that do it, but the sin that dwells in me"?
J.T. That helps us to understand the teaching of John's gospel. In Romans 7 the believer is analysing himself morally, and is separating himself in his mind from what he is in the flesh, "So then I myself with the mind serve God's law; but with the flesh sin's law". That shows what the flesh is worth; it only serves the law of sin. John 2 alludes to the millennium, and to millennial joys, but we also see typically a believer as a vessel for the water of purification.
Ques. Has a believer seen thus passed through the experience of chapter 3?
J.T. Chapter 2 outlines the general thought, whilst chapter 3 is fundamental, and shows how one may become a vessel capable of containing water of purification: if the six stone vessels represent believers, the stone would suggest that new birth had taken place. We were remarking yesterday that Peter was called stone; that is not connected with what he was in the flesh, but with his state as having been born anew; christians also are called "living stones".
We may now look at chapter 9. We should first notice that this man's blindness was not governmental; it was not the result of his sins or of those of his parents; the Lord says, "Neither has this man sinned nor his parents". So in looking at the change wrought in this man, we must exclude from our minds the thought of any special sin for which he was responsible. We should see in this chapter the sovereignty of God, who allowed it in order that the works of God might be manifested in him.
Ques. Would you say that this is not the governmental
judgment of God, but rather His mercy operating so that His works might be manifested?
Ques. Is the thought expressed in Romans 5, "For we being still without strength"?
J.T. The epistle to the Romans does not exactly treat of this subject; this chapter can be compared with Adam's deep sleep and the forming of Eve; that is to say a state exists for the accomplishment of God's thoughts. The blindness of this man is only mentioned here in order to show how the works of God were manifested in him. Here the washing is not to remove defilement, but to enable the man to emerge from a state which does not answer to the purpose of God. The blind man had to wash from his eyes in the pool of Siloam that which the Lord had put on them, and this mud, made of earth and of the spittle of the Lord Jesus, was not unclean. It is not a question of defilement, but of the state of things existing when the Lord Jesus was here in flesh, a state of things which was necessary in order that God might manifest His works, but which was not to continue. Some christians believe that the Lord Jesus came down here in order to better things in this world. In the gospel of John some wanted to make Him King, and when He entered Jerusalem sitting on the ass's colt, He was acclaimed by the people, and then the Greeks came up too. Why then did the Lord not take power immediately and reform the world? Instead of doing so He said to Andrew and Philip, "The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified" John 12:23. The Jews saw Him as the One who had performed the miracle referred to in chapter 6; and the Greeks had come up desiring to see Him, so then, why not reform the world? The Lord answered at once, "Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone", John 12:24. His presence here in flesh made men still more blind, and a divine operation was necessary if man's eyes were to be opened on another world -- a world
under the rule of Christ, no longer according to flesh, but risen. The pool of Siloam, meaning sent, would make the one who had washed fit to have part in this new world.
Rem. You said that new birth was necessary for the millennium, but this would lead us further, to something better.
J.T. It is as you say, something better. This man is cast out, then the Lord came to find him, and said to him, "Thou, dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him? And Jesus said to him, Thou hast both seen him, and he that speaks with thee is he". This man had before him the Son of God, although at first he did not know who He was; then the Lord tells him, "He that speaks with thee is he".
Ques. Can this be applied to each believer individually?
J.T. Yes: no believer is in the full light of the purpose of God if he does not understand the teaching of this chapter.
Ques. What is meant by the "mud", and the fact that Siloam means sent?
J.T. Well, suppose you were living in Jerusalem at that time, and had heard of the miracles, performed by the Lord, that the eyes of the blind had been opened; you would doubtless say, 'We are privileged to have such a man amongst us'; you would like to have a world governed by Christ in the flesh -- like the Jews you would wish to make Him King. In chapter 6 John relates how He fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes, and it might be thought that a world in which such things happened would be a marvellous place. But this chapter teaches us that such thoughts are vain, and do not at all answer to God's thoughts. A world in which Christ in flesh was king would not answer to the thoughts of God; even if every nation on earth had come into subjection to Him
it would not have satisfied God. That is what we learn from chapter 9; even the mud made with the spittle of Jesus had to be removed; flesh and blood must disappear. Christ is now not only raised from amongst the dead, but glorified in heaven; that is God's thought.
Ques. Do I understand by this that the mud represents the humanity of Christ, and the water that which removes all, so that Christ may be seen as the Son of God?
J.T. That is the thought exactly. Siloam means sent, so this man in going to Siloam, is moving in accord with the thoughts of God; as following this path he arrives in soul history at the death of Christ. Then the mud is removed and his eyes opened, signifying that this world no longer exists for him.
Rem. The pool of Siloam is the death of Christ; the Son of God is Christ in resurrection.
J.T. He is "marked out Son of God in power ... by resurrection of the dead" (Romans 1:4), although He had always been Son of God in incarnation. The result of it is the introduction of another world answering to God's thought; I do not allude to the millennium, but to that which is fully in accord with God's thought, and will remain eternally. The "one flock" referred to in the following chapter, has eternal life.
Rem. This water which signifies that He has been sent is the remedy needed for our eyes, so that we should no longer think of Christ as in flesh, but as in resurrection.
J.T. The full thought of God was not answered to by Christ's flesh and blood condition. He assumed flesh and blood in order to accomplish redemption, but He did not remain in that condition. We shall understand this better if we remember that Isaac had to die; it is said that Abraham received him in figure from among the dead; showing that Christ after the flesh was not the divine thought.
Rem. The apostle says, "We henceforth know no one
according to flesh; but if even we have known Christ according to flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer", 2 Corinthians 5:16.
J.T. "So if any one be in Christ, there is a new creation", 2 Corinthians 5:17. Even things which might be good in themselves must go. Christ partook of flesh and blood in order to remove them and to introduce new creation. When this man had been cast out of the synagogue, the Lord found him and made Himself known to him as the Son of God. The Son abides for ever in the house, "If therefore the Son shall set you free, ye shall be really free" (John 8:36), we are right outside of this world; He gives us life eternal.
Rem. How terrible to say, "We see", without this work of God having taken place in our soul.
J.T. Yet that is what some of the Pharisees said according to verses 39 - 41.
Rem. A work of God is necessary in order to understand that we are blind.
Ques. Why is the mud called an ointment: He "anointed mine eyes"?
J.T. It is doubtless an allusion to its quality. The word 'ointment' relates to the application of the humanity of Christ to man; but that condition ended at His death by which He accomplished redemption.
Ques. What does the Lord mean when He says, "If ye were blind ye would not have sin"?
J.T. It had been possible for these people to see the works of Jesus, and they claimed that they saw, so the Lord says, "Now ye say, We see, your sin remains". In John 15:24 we read, "If I had not done among them the works which no other one has done, they had not had sin". They not only had the opportunity of seeing that the works must be of God, but they declared that they saw. In fact they had seen Lazarus raised from among the dead.
Ques. What do you think of Nicodemus' question, "Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from
God, for none can do these signs that thou doest unless God be with him"?
J.T. Nicodemus had been born anew; he was different from most of the Jews, for he says, "None can do these signs that thou doest unless God be with him".
Ques. Do you think he already knew that the Lord was the sent One?
J.T. Yes. We should notice the difference between this man whose eyes had been opened in such a unique way, and the Jews who claimed that they saw. The Jews could see the signs and miracles, and they would consider themselves favoured to have among them One who could do such things; but the man whose eyes had been opened could see another world; he says, "I believe, Lord: and he did him homage". Jesus, as well as this man, found Himself outside. Jesus, as the Son of God, was inaugurating a new world, and the man whose eyes had been opened was material for this new world which is taking shape now in the assembly; that thought being developed in chapter 10 in connection with the flock. It may be of profit perhaps to look into a few of the details related here. The neighbours are spoken of in verse 8. Immediately anyone becomes a subject of the work of God, his neighbours will notice it. He would not become a town councillor, nor a man of any importance, so he no longer would be material for this world, but for another world. Those of his neighbours who had known him before said, "Is not this he that was sitting and begging? Some said, It is he; others said, No, but he is like him: he said, It is I". He now confesses who he is. This is an important matter that young believers should specially take account of; a change has taken place in you and you confess that you are this very person. A man like that who was previously blind would be considered a useful element in the town, but only in the same manner that Christ would have been a useful element in the world.
Rem. It is remarkable that the neighbours should be mentioned before the parents: this shows the importance of first confessing the Lord to our neighbours who know us.
J.T. His parents would not accept any responsibility concerning him. "He is of age: ask him", they say; so this man found himself alone; he was left entirely by himself.
Rem. You said that it would be an advantage for men to have Christ among them; but sooner or later would they not find that He does not fit into their system? It is said, "The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone". Men would soon find that Christ did not fit in their midst and would reject Him. So in this incident this man is cast out.
J.T. Men left to themselves are glad of the advantages that the presence of Christ here secures to them. We have seen in chapter 6 how they wished to make him King, but when the truth is presented to them they reject Him, because the truth condemns them. In Luke 4 the Lord says to the inhabitants of Nazareth, "Ye will surely say to me ... whatsoever we have heard has taken place in Capernaum do here also in thine own country". Having heard of the great things He had done they thought it would be an advantage to their town if He did the same miracles there; He had been brought up there; He was one of them. But instead of granting their desire He began to set out the truth. Then they led Him up to the brow of the mountain upon which their city was built, so that they might throw Him down the precipice. To illustrate this point, let us suppose that a young man, in whom no one in his village has any confidence, is converted to God. He is completely altered, and his neighbours now value him because of the change that has been wrought in him. If he becomes a preacher, they will perhaps be proud that he can speak in public, and when
he begins to announce to them the truth as he knows it, they are affected and convicted of sin. Then the religious leaders of the place notice him; they do not like this kind of procedure so they persecute him, as they did here (verse 13), "They bring him who was before blind to the Pharisees", who asked him how he received his sight, and he replied, "He put mud upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see". Replying to the neighbours' question he said, "I saw". What follows shows that they were exposed, because they did not see; they say, "This man is not of God, for he does not keep the sabbath", so opposition begins. The religious leaders are against him, and the trend of their conversation shows in an unmistakable way that the man sees while the Pharisees do not see. They cast him out; the effect produced by presenting the truth is that they cast him out.
Rem. It is an encouragement to see that the man did not long remain alone; Jesus found him.
J.T. That illustrates in a marvellous way how the work of God has another world in view, as the psalmist says, "For had my father and my mother forsaken me, then had Jehovah taken me up", Psalm 27:10. Here the Lord heard of this man, and in principle put him in contact with another world. In the following chapter we shall see how he finds companionship in the flock.
John 13:1 - 17
J.T. We were noticing yesterday that in chapter 9 of this gospel, the man was not blind as a result of his own sin, nor of his parents' sin, but in order that the works of God should be manifested in him. The thought in this incident therefore does not refer to what has been brought into the world through sin, but rather the fact that the man provided an opportunity to manifest the works of God. The Lord spat on the ground, and made mud of the spittle, and put the mud, as ointment, on his eyes; the man was then told to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. What was removed by washing was not unclean in itself, on the contrary it was what the Lord Himself had made with His spittle and earth. It is a type of the humanity of Christ and its effect on men. Apart from the death of Christ men would be in a worse condition than before, for His presence here rendered them more blind than ever, so that were it not for His death there would be only darkness. The washing in Siloam and the opening of the eyes of this man imply that he sees into another world. His eyes being opened, he can speak of what the Lord has done to him; at the time it happened he was unable to see what the Lord was doing, but now his eyes have been opened, he can speak about what has been effected and can say how he was cured. That is to say, he represents a believer who has been enlightened and who recognises that the Lord became a man in order to die; that the world itself, Christ having come into it, would come to an end, and that the condition of flesh and blood that the Lord had taken would not continue. John says in his epistle that Jesus "came by water and blood"; that is to say, that in becoming a man, He had His death in view. He did not come in order to continue the order of man who was on earth, but to
end that order judicially in His death in view of taking up an entirely new condition in which He is "marked out Son of God".
The testimony that this man renders to the world results in his being cast out; it is then that the Lord finds him, and makes Himself known to him, so that he did Him homage as the Son of God; his eyes having been opened in order that he might see Christ in relation to another world. The Son of God is inaugurating another world which He calls, "that world, and the resurrection", Luke 20:35. "They who are counted worthy to have part in that world, and the resurrection from among the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage"; they are "sons of the resurrection". In this remarkable passage the Lord indicates the character of the world He is inaugurating. The man whose eyes had been opened is viewed in chapter 10 as included in the assembly which is alluded to as the flock. The world that the Son of God is inaugurating is taking shape now in the assembly. In chapter 10:14 He says, "I am the good shepherd; and I know those that are mine, and am known of those that are mine, as the Father knows me and I know the Father". What a blessed thing that is; the knowledge we have in the assembly is as the Father knows the Son, and as the Son knows the Father.
Ques. Is it the knowledge of the Son of God which introduces us into the assembly?
J.T. Yes. He knows us and we know Him, as the Father knows Him and He knows the Father.
Rem. According to Romans 1:4, He is "marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead".
J.T. These are two thoughts connected with sonship. Firstly, He makes Himself known to us; He asks the man if he believes on the Son of God, saying to him, "Thou hast both seen him, and he that speaks with thee is he". The man has already seen Him without knowing Him, so now the Lord tells him openly that
He is the Son of God. Secondly, we learn in Romans that He is marked out Son of God.
Rem. Matthew's gospel tells us that no one knows the Son but the Father.
J.T. That refers to what He is in His inscrutable being, in deity, but according to Romans, He is "marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead". It is thus He is referred to in the gospel testimony in the epistle to the Romans, being presented to a believer in soul need, as convicted of sin, as the One "whom God has set forth a mercy-seat, through faith in his blood", Romans 3:25. Then being justified, having peace with God and having received the Holy Spirit, the believer is led on to the knowledge of the Son of God. He learns that the One who has saved him is none other than the Son of God.
Ques. Is this point reached in Philippians 3:10, "To know him, and the power of his resurrection"?
J.T. That is the normal desire of a believer. We ought to understand clearly that this One who has died for us and saved us is the One we are to know as Son of God. This is expressed in John 9, where the Lord says, "Thou hast both seen him, and he that speaks with thee is he"; he had seen Him without knowing who He was, so the Lord made Himself known to him. It may be that the Lord is asking us this question, "Who do ye say that I am?" and is awaiting our reply. Peter could say, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God", and each one of us should be able to say it too, not just because others have said it, but because the Lord has made Himself known to us in this character. It is as we apprehend things spiritually that we are constituted assembly material; so the Lord immediately says to Peter, "Thou art Peter [a stone], and on this rock I will build my assembly". This disclosure of the Lord's fits in with what we were speaking of, the Son of God in John 9, and the assembly in John 10. The Son is the
Good Shepherd, this thought suggesting the tender care He takes of us, leading us into the marvellous sphere where He knows us and we know Him, as the Father knows Him and He knows the Father. We see in this the marvellous knowledge which is the portion of the assembly. In chapter 10 it can thus be clearly seen how the thought of the flock unfolds another world, and more -- we are in liberty; the saints "go in and out, and find pasture"; He gives us life eternal, and there is one flock and one Shepherd. That is the marvellous knowledge we have.
Ques. Would you say that the Lord was sharing sonship with this man when He spoke with him?
J.T. In a certain way that might be said, but what is more in mind here is rather the truth in relation to the Person of the Lord; He said, "He that speaks with thee"; a precious thought, if we think of the passage in Luke 9:30. It says, "Two men talked with him", suggesting there the liberty we have in participating in sonship with Christ. In Matthew 17, where the transfiguration is recorded, the Lord sends Peter to catch a fish saying, "When thou hast opened its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and thee". He thus links Peter with Himself.
Rem. He retains His pre-eminent place, however, for the man in John 9 did Him homage.
J.T. The Lord must always have the pre-eminence; it is said of Him that He has been anointed with the oil of gladness above his companions. However, it is beautiful to see in Matthew 17, how the Lord says, alluding to Himself and His disciples, "Then are the sons free"; a statement of great importance in view of the assembly. In Matthew the scene on the mount of transfiguration comes between the revelation made to Peter, in chapter 16, when the Lord announced that He would build His assembly, and the assembly itself as recognised in Matthew 18. It is a question of those who constitute the assembly, of the greatness of the
persons who compose it. All this is in line with John 9 and 10, and is in view in this section of chapter 13 where the point is having "part with me". Although we may be in the assembly, and have part in sonship, we have need of this service. It was a humble service, but morally so great, the Lord Himself being the servant. He poured the water into the washhand basin, and having Himself washed the feet of the disciples He said to Peter, "Unless I wash thee, thou hast not part with me".
Rem. In chapter 2 it was the servants who poured out the water, but here it is the Lord Himself who does it.
J.T. It confirms that it is a service morally elevated. The Lord Himself is the Servant, He has the water, the basin, the towel and girds Himself with it. It is a beautiful climax to this subject, and is calculated to make the Lord attractive to us.
Ques. What do you understand by the Lord's words, "Unless I wash thee, thou hast not part with me"?
J.T. As we were noticing in chapter 9, the Son of God spoke with the man, this with indicating that they had something in common, the Lord speaking in a mutual way with him. In chapter 10 the Lord has inaugurated, in principle, a new world in the assembly, and His desire is that we should have a living part with Him in it, but to do so we need this service. It is an individual service, carried out by means of a portable vessel, a basin, which makes it all the more an expression of love; a personal matter, an act of love. When Solomon had built the temple and had established the system of glory described in 1 Kings, it is noticeable that there was, at the entrance of the temple, or of this system, what is called a molten sea, which held two thousand baths, a large quantity of water. We understand by this that the system required plenty of water, indicating the greatness and fulness of the witness to the purifying power of the death of Christ; so it says
in Ephesians 5:25 - 27, "Christ also loved the assembly, and has delivered himself up for it, in order that he might sanctify it, purifying it by the washing of water by the word, that he might present the assembly to himself glorious, having no spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things"; a wonderful thought in view of our part in what is heavenly. Then in Solomon's temple there were ten lavers of brass, each holding forty baths; these lavers were on wheels, thus corresponding to what the Lord used here, as they could be carried and moved. On the one hand there was plenty of water for the needs of those who were exercised to be there according to God's thoughts (I am referring to the molten sea), and on the other hand there was water in the brass lavers for the service of the saints.
Ques. Does this correspond to the gifts referred to in Ephesians 4?
J.T. It is a clear witness to the death of Christ, so that no one need be unclean or defiled. The molten sea remained permanently in its place; but the lavers of brass could be moved in love towards the one needing help or purification; they indicate the opportunity which is given to us to serve one another in love. They were magnificently ornamented, showing how one moving in this way in love is beautified.
Ques. It seems important to notice that in John 13 it is not the disciples who come to the Lord, but the Lord who comes to the disciples.
J.T. Quite so; the Lord says, "I have given you an example that, as I have done to you, ye should do also"; that is to say, we should wash one another's feet. These lavers which could be moved are linked with love; a brother or sister can be visited in love with the water of purification. These vessels in the temple were made of brass, which implies the presence of a judicial element; not that we would wish to accuse a brother of sin when washing his feet, yet at the same time we should maintain the element of judgment.
Rem. You would say that love is not to be exercised at the expense of the holiness of God.
Ques. Is there a difference between defilement and sin? Is it not defilement that is contemplated in feet washing?
J.T. They were then externally already clean. The washing corresponds more with John 3"Except any one be born of water and of Spirit", in the sense that one may be clean for the world into which Christ came, yet have need of being washed by the tender service which the death of Christ implies. It has in view that we should be maintained in relation to Christ in the scene to which He has gone, and that we should have part with Him there. There is a danger that we may carry on the service of God in our meeting rooms when together, just as they do today in the systems around us, though perhaps in a more correct way. The thought suggested by this service of the Lord is that we should have part with Him right outside of the world; and what follows in chapters 14 to 17 is calculated to separate us from it by the gracious presentation of the truth, in order that we should enter His world.
Ques. The water in the portable lavers was for the burnt offering; does that suggest that what results from the washing is for the pleasure of God?
J.T. There is important instruction in that for us. The meaning of the lavers implies that they were to contribute to the pleasure of God in us, in the offerings; what was being prepared for the burnt offering was washed in them. The molten sea was for the priests to wash themselves in (2 Chronicles 4:6); they had to know where it was, in order to make use of it.
Rem. If I understand aright, the object of feet washing is to set us free in our spirits from all that might hinder us having part with Him.
J.T. Quite so, so that we are free in the new order of things, in order to have part with Christ. It is a
new order, because they were already clean to take the passover, which belonged to the old.
Ques. What does the water refer to which is spoken of in chapter 4?
J.T. That is quite different; in that instance it is a matter of drinking the water, and the water is connected with the Spirit there.
Ques. Is there instruction for us in the fact that the Lord lays aside His garments?
J.T. He laid aside His dignity for the moment in order to be a servant; we ought not to visit our brethren as though we are wearing a clerical robe. A clergyman would say, 'My flock', but a true servant says, "Ourselves your bondmen for Jesus' sake", 2 Corinthians 4:5. Rather than the gathering belonging to the pastor, it is he who belongs to them; as Paul remarked, "All things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas ... all are yours", 1 Corinthians 3:21,22. It is right that servants should be honoured for their service, but in his attitude the servant serves all and serves in love.
Rem. That is why the Lord's example preceded His commandment.
J.T. The Lord states that He is their Master and Lord, yet He says, "I ... have washed your feet"; in laying aside His garments and in girding Himself with a towel, He is showing that He is washing their feet as a servant. How wonderful that the Saviour, the Son of God should take so humble a position; it accords with His love which led Him to death for us.
Rem. Such a service can only do good to our brethren.
J.T. The Lord's example has in view that we should be like Him in this service. He says elsewhere, "I am in the midst of you as the one that serves", (Luke 22:27) as though He were amongst His own in order to do all that needed doing; this would help all who serve to do so in love, and those who are served should honour them. So it seems to me that a state of mutuality is
maintained, and the distinction that God has given to some is preserved.
Ques. Has feet washing a place at the Supper, or is it service that precedes it?
J.T. The one partaking of the Supper should examine himself, and prove himself in order that there may be nothing in him which is not in accord with what he is doing. Also what is presented in the Supper has the effect of detaching us from this world. Whilst there may be nothing which would keep me out of the new order of things, my spirit may need to be attracted there, and what the Supper presents is certainly calculated to have this effect upon me. No one can say he does not need it, for the Lord's remark to Peter implies that whatever I may think of myself, I need this service. If I am to have part in the assembly, in the new order of things, I need this service.
Ques. Is that the meaning of your previous remark regarding the preparing of the burnt offering?
J.T. The word 'preparation' is very appropriate here, for if I am to be in the assembly for the pleasure of God, I need this washing.
Ques. Does the Lord use His people for this service, or does He do it Himself?
J.T. I believe it is brought about as we serve one another, but it is the Lord doing it by means of the saints.
J.T. It is in mind to look into these passages, and others as well, where the Holy Spirit is presented in types of substantial character, as well as in doctrinal. In this gospel the Lord is viewed particularly as a Teacher, and it is evident that His teaching is of the greatest importance. We need doctrine; "sound teaching", which is involved in the faith of which Jude speaks, "the faith once delivered to the saints", Jude 3. We are exhorted to cut "in a straight line the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15), and it is evident that the Scriptures are the basis of all doctrine. At the same time, in John's gospel, there is that presented to us in Christ which is substantial or tangible. In John 1:4 it states that "in him (the Word) was life", and in John's epistle we read, "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes; that which we have contemplated, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life; (and the life has been manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us)", 1 John 1:1,2. This alludes to what could be seen substantially in Christ. In chapter 2 of John's epistle he says, "Again, I write a new commandment to you, which thing is true in him and in you"; thus this thought of what is tangible is carried forward to the saints, "which thing is true in him and in you", 1 John 2:8. So, in agreement with what we are saying, the truth relating to the Spirit is set out in a tangible way all through the gospel of John; firstly as a dove; then in chapter 3 as the wind; and as water in chapters 4 and 7; then as the Comforter in chapter 14, and as breath in chapter 20. All these are tangible thoughts, not theoretical.
The Holy Spirit is often alluded to by us as though He is something we do not know how to speak of; yet we should be able to speak about the Spirit if we have received Him. Paul asked the twelve men at Ephesus in Acts 19:2: "Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye had believed?" indicating that they should have been able to answer at once if they had received Him. In connection with these remarks attention is drawn to the fact that John the baptist beheld the Spirit descending as a dove, and abiding on Jesus. It is evident that the dove is a type, but there is in it the idea of something tangible being presented, John having been able to see the dove. It is not said in the other gospels, that anyone else saw the dove except the Lord Himself, so that the fact that John the baptist says here that he saw it confirms what we are saying. John in his gospel is occupied with what is substantial in christianity, and in chapter 20:31 he says, that these things "are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life" -- something evident -- "in his name".
Rem. We have the teaching in these scriptures, but we ought to be marked by freshness. The Scriptures are living.
J.T. That is so. Clearly the word of God is living. What is in the saints is living by the power of the Spirit.
Ques. We must make a difference between the word that is living, and the letter which kills.
Rem. Although it is outside of our subject, I should like to know what "on the morrow" means, referred to three times in this chapter?
J.T. It is a characteristic feature of John to speak thus of time, and has the effect of dividing an exercise into periods confirming what we have received. If I accept a thing today, and tomorrow I have not changed my mind, the matter is confirmed. For example, in
verses 19 to 28 we are told that the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask John who he was. They were inclined to think he was Elias, or a prophet or the Messiah, and he says, "I am not"; and on the morrow he still thought the same. Again in verses 29 to 34 John made a good confession, then again on the morrow he is true to his confession.
Ques. Do you think that he saw the Spirit descending from heaven as a dove the previous day and kept this blessed sight in his heart, so that he could make his confession on the morrow?
J.T. Yes, it had not diminished during the night, rather it was confirmed. In John's ministry the days are separated; then the ministry of Christ brings in the assembly and in chapter 2, the millennium.
Rem. The third day suggests the millennium?
J.T. Yes. Sometimes Scripture is very clearly brought forward and the saints enjoy it; but do they enjoy it the following day? We are tested as to how we receive the truth.
Ques. What is the difference between the Lamb of God, and the Son of God who baptises with the Spirit?
J.T. The Lamb of God suggests the thought of sacrifice, and evidently alludes to the types; He was here in view of sacrifice. He had come to die. The word 'Lamb' used here is a word expressive of maturity, it does not refer to a small lamb; it also suggests suffering; "Led as a lamb to the slaughter", Acts 8:32.
Rem. The expression, "Lamb of God" does not suggest that which is eternal.
J.T. It is the best expression giving the idea of sacrifice.
Ques. Will it be used during the millennium: "I saw... a Lamb standing, as slain"? Revelation 5:6.
J.T. I do not think it will be continued in the millennium, but it leads up to it. The Lamb's wife is spoken of, but all in relation to His sufferings. It is a touching expression bringing to mind the One who has
suffered, whereas the expression, "Son of God" involves an eternal thought; it is not limited, and denotes that the Person referred to is a divine Person in human form; and He baptises with the Holy Spirit. As the Lamb He takes away the sin of the world which necessitates His sacrifice; as Son of God, He baptises with the Holy Spirit; He removes evil and brings in good.
Ques. What is to be understood by the fact that the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and abode upon Him?
J.T. There was nothing there to disturb, He abode upon Him. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit is said to have come upon men such as David, Samson and Jephthah, but He did not abide upon them.
Rem. "Abiding" suggests the idea of restfulness.
J.T. There was nothing to disturb in this holy Person. This doubtless alludes to the dove that Noah sent out; an incident suggesting a beautiful thought. It says, "he sent out the dove from him". It does not say a dove, but the dove, drawing our attention to its characteristics. "But the dove found no resting-place for the sole of her foot", Genesis 8:9. Here, however, it finds a resting-place for its foot, that is to say, now God is finding rest in Christ. The other evangelists say about this moment: "There came a voice out of the heavens: Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight". That is a precious thought, suggesting what God had found in a Man. We must understand that the Holy Spirit thus come is God; so all the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in this Person.
Rem. He abode upon Him, not in Him.
J.T. The Spirit is there in a permanent way. It is public testimony which is in view here. John saw it. David says in Psalm 51:11, "Take not the spirit of thy holiness from me". He felt how unworthy he was, but this could never be said of Jesus. The disciples did not receive the Spirit until Christ had been glorified, then the Spirit descended, appearing as "parted tongues,
as of fire". We read in John 7:39, that "the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified"; and in chapter 14:17, the Lord speaking of the Comforter, says, "He abides with you, and shall be in you". The truth relating to the Spirit involves that He is not only to be on us, but in us for us to enjoy. In the case of the Lord, He descended upon Him, but it also says, that He was filled with the Spirit. The term on Him indicates more what is public, in testimony; in Him suggests the thought of joy and inward power. In regard of what is now in mind, the fact is, that John could see it; it was something tangible and substantial. He then tells us that he expected to see it; "He who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God".
Ques. What importance do you attach to his having seen it?
J.T. It is in order that witness should be borne, as John says elsewhere, "That which we have seen and heard we report to you", 1 John 1:3. The Lord also told them, "Ye are witnesses". The word 'witness' has a double meaning; firstly, I may see what happens yet possibly say nothing about it; and secondly, I may be asked to say what I have seen. So they would not have been witnesses simply by having seen it. The apostle John says, "That which we have seen and heard we report to you". So we see the importance of what has preceded in the case of John the baptist, for he was sent in order to draw attention to the Lord Jesus. It was a matter of importance that he should be led to know the Lord in this way. He said, "I knew him not" although he was related to Him in the flesh, "but he who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with the Holy
Spirit". So John the baptist was a qualified witness, and could say, "I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God".
Rem. You said this is connected with the fact that the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in Him.
J.T. Yes, it is a similar thought. The three Persons of the Godhead became known when Christ was baptised. The Lord Jesus was there, the Son of God; then the Father's voice declared that He is the Son of God; then the Holy Spirit descended upon Him.
Ques. Is it possible for anyone today to have visions that would make him a witness?
J.T. In what is before us it is more a question of faith. The apostles who inaugurated christianity saw the things, and since apostolic times, we take the place of those who believe. The Lord Himself said, "Blessed they who have not seen and have believed", John 20:29. In like manner the apostle Paul said, "I have believed, therefore have I spoken", 2 Corinthians 4:13. This makes room for the activity of the Spirit in us in order that we might have "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of him", Ephesians 1:17. So the Lord asks the question, "Who do men say that I the Son of man am?" Matthew 16:13. Each of us has to reply to this.
Ques. Why does the Lord say "Son of man", while Peter confesses Him as "Son of God"?
J.T. That is the important point. He took the place of Son of man, but Son of God involves His personal relationship with God as a Man. In the gospels no one addresses Him as Son of man, but He calls Himself by that title about eighty times in the gospels: it is there His title especially as rejected by the Jews. He asks His disciples who they would say He was; but the title "Son of man" does not express what He is; so a revelation was necessary, and Peter received this of God.
Ques. Is the title Son of man only used in time?
J.T. He took it as rejected by Israel. It is a general
thought implying that His influence would reach to the nations instead of being limited to Israel. It was a declaration to Israel that the Lord accepted His rejection and was taking up His service in relation to all men. The title Son of God remains. 1 Corinthians 15 clearly shows that He keeps the title of Son; the Son will be placed in subjection to the Father, for eternity. The title "Son of man" is taken from Psalm 8, from the book of Daniel; and above all from the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel makes use of this term more frequently than all the other writers in the Bible, evidently because God was putting Israel aside, and the nation was in captivity in Babylon. Similarly the apostle Paul says that God is the God of the nations; the Jews having rejected Christ, Paul continued his ministry amongst the nations. We do not find that the apostles preached the Son of man, though Stephen, in his witness said, "Lo, I behold the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God", Acts 7:56. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews quotes Psalm 8, and the Son of man is also referred to in the book of the Revelation. But the apostles did not preach the Son of man, they preached the Son of God. At least, the apostle Paul did, for it was an important feature of his preaching, involving another world coming into view. The Son abides in the house for ever; He inaugurates a new order of things and baptises with the Holy Spirit.
John 3:6 - 11; John 4:13, 14; John 7:37,38
J.T. In choosing this subject, I desired that we might be occupied with the substantial character of christianity, the Spirit being presented in forms which suggest what is substantial. In chapter 1 John the baptist saw Him as a dove; he says, "I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him". In chapter 3, the Spirit is spoken of as wind which "blows where it will"; then in chapters 4 and 7 He is presented under the figure of water; in chapter 14, He is brought before us in a personal way as the Comforter; then in chapter 20, He is referred to in figure as breath. All these references remind us of something that is substantial, that can be felt and experienced by the believer. It is in mind to look at them not as features of doctrine; although clearly doctrine is very important and essential. Hence we see the Lord, especially in John's gospel, as the Teacher, but the substance itself existed before the doctrine had been formulated in writing, as in the gospels and epistles. This applies similarly to the Old Testament, for the Pentateuch was not written until long after the events related in Genesis, those things happening so long before are therefore of all importance. In this connection, another great feature of the ministry of John is brought out in chapter 1:4, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men", that is to say, light emanates from substance, namely life. Hence it says in the epistle of John, "That which was from the beginning" (1 John 1:1); that alludes to Christ personally, but it is the substance that was there. In the reading yesterday, we spoke of the Spirit descending in a bodily form as a dove, and
we noticed how it says in John's gospel only, that John the baptist saw the Spirit as a dove, the thought of substance being found in this gospel.
Rem. The Spirit did not descend in this way on believers at Pentecost.
J.T. We were noticing yesterday that when the Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus, it was in the form of a dove, and it abode upon Him, indicating that in Christ as Man there was nothing to hinder the Godhead being pleased to rest there. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit came as parted tongues, as of fire, and instead of the word 'abiding' it says, "sat upon" them. The Spirit sitting upon the saints at Pentecost seems to suggest that He would be there in a permanent way, which would be made possible by the presence of fire. The action of fire refers to the flesh in us, hindering its activity; otherwise the Spirit could not be with us. In connection with the Lord Jesus, needless to say, such action was in no way necessary, for He was Himself a divine Person, "holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners" (Hebrews 7:26); there could be nothing in Him needing to be removed.
We were noticing yesterday that the three divine Persons are in evidence at the Lord's baptism. There was the Lord Jesus, already accredited as a divine Person at His birth; then the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove; the Person of the Holy Spirit was there, in the form of a dove, the thought conveyed by the dove having been already expressed in the time of Noah, indicating the tender sensitiveness of the Spirit. Thus we see there two divine Persons who have taken the lowly place of service on the earth, and finally there was the Father's voice. It does not say it was the Father's voice but the words indicate that it was the Father who spoke, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight", Matthew 3:17. The three Persons are there in a most manifest way. So we are baptised "to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit", Matthew 28:19.
Ques. Can it be said that the Lord Jesus received the Spirit?
J.T. It says that He descended upon Him in a bodily form.
Rem. Towards the end of the flood, the dove could not find a resting place in a scene of judgment.
J.T. That is what is alluded to here. He now finds a resting place upon this holy divine Person in human form.
Rem. The Spirit maintains the deity of Christ in incarnation in a remarkable way.
J.T. His individual personality is equally guarded; this personality became flesh. How the fulness of the Godhead was there is another matter to be looked into; but let us begin with the fact that one divine Person became flesh. We are speaking of the greatest possible things, and we shall be led aright as keeping to the Scriptures.
Ques. Does this correspond with 1 Timothy 3:16, "God ... manifested in flesh".
J.T. It is well to notice that it does not say there that God became flesh.
Rem. Although it is true that the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in this glorious Person, it is equally true that God was manifested in flesh.
J.T. We have concrete evidence concerning the Person who was there on earth. He was, first of all, the Object of John the baptist's testimony, then the Spirit descended from heaven as a dove and abode upon Him, and finally the voice of the Father says, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight". The thought is, that God was there.
Ques. Do we not get help from another gospel which says that the Lord saw the heavens opened?
J.T. Indeed, it amplifies what we are saying. It is said of no one except of the Lord Himself and of John the baptist that he saw the Spirit descending. John the baptist saw it, in order to bear witness to it. That is
the substantial side of things, what has been seen. John says, "He who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God", John 1:33,34. He clearly shows that it is a question of bearing witness to this substantial side. The Son of God is brought into view by the fact that he saw the Spirit descending in form of a dove and abiding on Him. There are two statements in the epistle to the Colossians bearing on this subject; the first in chapter 1:19, and the second in chapter 2:9. The first stresses the fact that He was great enough as a Man down here for the fulness of the Godhead to dwell in Him. In the second the fulness is there for our blessing, there bodily in order to be within our range.
Rem. It says "bodily" only in the second passage.
J.T. As emphasising the fact that He is there in nearness to us.
Ques. Will you say a few words on the meaning of the expression "the fulness of the Godhead" (Colossians 2:9)?
J.T. It is a very special expression, signifying that all that God is, is there. It not only alludes to His attributes, but He is present; deity is there.
Ques. Referring to chapter 2, would you say that nothing can be known of deity, apart from Christ?
J.T. That is the force of the passage; the saints need nothing more; all is there. The fact that the Godhead is there bodily implies that it is near to us. Passing on now to John 3 will give opportunity to take account of the substantial thought of power in the wind; it is a question of a sovereign act of the Spirit. "The wind blows where it will". It can be felt and heard, therefore it is real, substantial, and not just theory. The same applies to new birth, for it says, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit".
Ques. Do you connect chapter 3:8 with chapter 1:13?
J.T. In the latter passage it says, "who have been born ... of God" John 1:13; in the other it is a matter more of the initial side.
Rem. In both passages there is reference to the operation of divine sovereignty.
J.T. That is so, but the one who is born of the Spirit cannot yet be described as being one of the children of God, not having yet heard and believed the gospel. Chapter 1: 13 contemplates believers as being fully developed, in a perfect state, but here the Lord is teaching Nicodemus, showing him that new birth is the beginning.
Rem. New birth comes first, then the reception of the glad tidings.
J.T. Just so; then one can be spoken of as a person who has been born of God, a child of God in the fullest sense of the word; "to them gave he the right to be children of God, to those that believe on his name; who have been born, not of blood, nor of flesh's will, nor of man's will, but of God", John 1:12,13. That refers to believers; all those who have been brought under this powerful influence should be able to recall their soul history; a real change has taken place in them; they have new instincts; there is something in them that the Lord calls spirit which was not there before.
Ques. Can one be born of the Spirit without having received the Spirit?
J.T. Yes, certainly. There is no doubt that Nicodemus was born of the Spirit. The fact that he came to Jesus by night, and attributed the miracles to Him, showed that he already saw the kingdom of God.
Rem. We can call him a disciple; he followed Christ.
J.T. Yes, a secret disciple. In verse 14, reference is made to the serpent of brass and to the Son of man being lifted up, and in verse 16, to the gift of the only
begotten Son. These verses bring out the gospel that is believed after new birth.
Rem. Those believing the gospel are those who are born of God.
J.T. If we pass on to chapter 4, we have, in water, another substantial view of the Spirit. Here it is a question of movement of the believer. In the descent of the Spirit upon Christ, and also in new birth, it is the action of the Spirit Himself, but in chapter 4 the believer appropriates the Spirit as something to be drunk, suggesting the appropriation of that which satisfies. These thoughts relate to what is substantial; if a believer has drunk in this sense of the water typifying the Spirit, he is conscious of having something substantial that satisfies him.
Ques. Is this rather similar to the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
J.T. In chapter 1 allusion is made to the baptism with the Holy Spirit which is the act of Christ, so it says in 1 Corinthians 12, "In the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body". In this case it is the act of another; whilst drinking is our own act. It also says, we "have all been given to drink of one Spirit". In Corinthians it is a question of unity, but here it is something substantial, something I can drink and never thirst again.
Ques. What is to be understood by the remark, "If thou knewest the gift of God"?
J.T. I think it refers to the Spirit, and suggests the great general thought of giving; so we read, "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable free gift". In chapters 3 and 4 we are on the ground of what is given. In chapter 3, God gives His Son for us, and in chapter 4, He gives the Spirit. The thought is that we should be free if we know God; so in John 4:10, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him". If we are in this sphere of light, we should be free to ask.
Ques. Is it the same thought in Luke 11:13, "How much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him"?
J.T. Yes, why should we not ask? These conditions are such as would set us free to ask.
Ques. Would you say that the Holy Spirit coming upon the Lord Jesus inaugurated a new order of things, and this passage suggests the possibility of our entering into it?
J.T. It is based upon the work of Christ. After having spoken of new birth in chapter 3, the Lord presents the gospel. What we find here is that we are on the ground of what is given.
Rem. What is said in John 3:16 is giving as foundational.
J.T. Just so. "If thou knewest the gift of God" is for each of us; if we knew the One who came down so low in order to be near to us, we should be free to ask.
Rem. Everything comes through grace.
J.T. Yes, we can pray in the light of God intervening in Christ and giving.
Rem. "Thou wouldest have asked of him". Does that suggest prayer?
J.T. Yes, prayer in which you can experience liberty in mutuality; for He came so low in order that He might speak to us; to men.
Rem. Requests would not be made indiscriminately.
J.T. Two persons are alluded to: "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that says to thee". This all indicates liberty in asking.
Rem. If we fully appreciated the gift of God, and the character of His gift, we should be encouraged to ask.
Rem. The woman of Samaria had an impression of the greatness of Jacob by his gift of a well.
J.T. In chapter 7, it is not a question of asking, but of drinking, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink". What is in view here is not the position of Christ on the earth, wearied and seated
at the fountain, but of Christ glorified. It is expressly stated that "the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified", John 7:39.
Rem. In chapter 4, the water He gives is referred to as "springing up"; in chapter 7 it is said to flow out.
J.T. That is an important distinction. It "shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life". This is a practical matter, for the springing up implies that my affections are active; it is a great power in a believer, setting him in movement, and making him look upward.
Ques. Would you say that chapter 4 refers to God's side of the matter, while in chapter 7 it is the thought of what is around us, of the rivers of water which shall flow?
J.T. That is so, but in each case what is to be seen is substantial. It speaks of water. In Genesis 2 we see that a river went out of Eden; that is a principle that is often found throughout the Scriptures.
John 14:15 - 26; John 15:27
J.T. In the readings we have had we have been occupied with the Spirit descending upon Christ; then with His activity in new birth and the way in which a believer participates in Him; hence in chapters 3, 4 and 7, the Spirit is viewed in relation to the individual believer as born anew and drinking living water. In chapter 14, the Spirit is viewed in relation to the saints, as given in answer to the Lord's prayer for us. In chapter 15, we see that He is sent by the Son Himself. Our subject therefore is the Spirit viewed in this personal and blessed way, as the Comforter or Paraclete. This follows on from what we have had before us previously; we shall speak of the Spirit, not theoretically, but practically.
Rem. He is called "the Spirit of truth".
J.T. "He will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth". The force of this word is that the Spirit is here in connection with the truth; in verse 6, the Lord speaks of Himself as the truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, but in the epistle of John, He is said to be "the truth", an important side of the question, which should enter into a meeting such as this; not only are true things said, but the spirit of the things is true. There is special power in this, so when the Spirit has His place the truth is there, and it is brought out.
Ques. Does the term, "another Comforter", imply that the first was the Lord Himself?
J.T. Yes, it means that the Lord Jesus was down here alongside His own. The meaning of the expression involves His presence in this way with us at this moment. Jesus was such for His disciples; now ascended to
heaven, He is our Advocate with the Father; He is engaged with what concerns us.
Ques. Why does it say, "the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified"? John 7:39
J.T. I suppose He is here as corresponding to the Man in heaven who glorified God on earth. The Lord Jesus said, "I have glorified thee on the earth"; then He asks the Father, saying, "glorify me ... along with thyself", John 17:4,5. Hence the Spirit is down here in response to the Lord's prayer in John 14. Chapter 7 refers to the public testimony of an individual believer. This testimony is rendered relative to Christ, not only as having been down here, as having died and been raised, but as having been glorified. Scripture makes a great point of Christ as He is now; the testimony of Christ is heavenly.
Rem. Referring to chapter 7:39, "The Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified", it has been said that that signifies that the believer does not receive the Spirit without knowing Christ glorified.
J.T. It does not say, 'He shall not receive the Spirit unless he understands that Christ is glorified'. The statement refers to the present dispensation as a consequence of the glorification of Christ. "But this he said concerning the Spirit, which they that believed on him were about to receive", John 7:39. It does not say that they believed in Him glorified. I fear that none of us would have received the Spirit, if we had had to wait until we understood that Christ is glorified. God gives the Spirit sovereignly to each believer.
Ques. To what do the words, "having believed" in Ephesians 1:13, refer?
J.T. It relates to a state of soul. "In whom also, having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise". God does that following a state of faith in the soul.
Rem. The Spirit is received on believing the gospel.
J.T. "Having believed, ye have been sealed"; this
is a statement of fact. It does not imply that a believer receives or ought to receive the Spirit automatically on believing. God gives the Spirit, but He gives Him in relation to a state resulting from a person having faith. It alludes to Acts 19:2: "Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye had believed?" They had believed but had not received the Spirit nor even heard if the Holy Spirit was come.
Ques. Does that mean that they had not received the Spirit?
J.T. They had not; yet they had some measure of faith. It is often assumed that a believer receives the Spirit automatically when he believes; but there is no such guarantee in the Scriptures, for these twelve men at Ephesus had not received the Spirit, and yet, in a sense, they were believers. One would say that they had not believed a complete gospel. It is said that "when they heard that, they were baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus. And Paul having laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them", Acts 19:5,6. They were not really sealed; but having believed, Paul then laid his hands on them. There were also those at Samaria who had been converted through Philip. He had announced the glad tidings concerning the name of Jesus Christ, and there was great joy in that city, but they had not yet received the Spirit (Acts 8:14 - 16).
Rem. Those in the house of Cornelius received the Spirit while Peter was yet speaking.
J.T. That indicates the liberty that is exercised in giving the Spirit; it cannot be a thing that is effected automatically.
Ques. How would you help someone in uncertainty, wondering if they have the Spirit or not?
J.T. I would tell such a one that the present time is one of giving; God gives the Spirit; so why not ask Him for the Spirit. "How much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him", Luke 11:13.
Ques. What do you think about the laying on of hands, in relation to the present time?
J.T. There is nobody at the present time who can represent the Lord in this. It was a question of representing the Lord, which was done by the apostles. It was the way the testimony, such as had been rendered in Samaria, was completed, by the laying on of the hands of the apostles.
Rem. It was power or authority coming directly from Christ, given to the apostles, but who do not exist today.
J.T. We might now consider verse 18 and the following verses, as showing the consequence of the presence down here of the Holy Spirit. Having spoken of the Spirit who would be in them, the Lord said, "I will not leave you orphans, I am coming to you". That is to say, that the Spirit would be the means by which He would come; the Lord was not suggesting that He would come to them corporeally; yet He would come.
Ques. Is there a difference between this thought, and that in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them"?
J.T. That agrees with Matthew's gospel, which does not speak of the ascension: "I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age", Matthew 28:20. This indicates the constant presence of the Lord down here. In John the Spirit is the intermediary in all this, John having before him a certain aspect of the truth. The Lord's presence is here by virtue of the fact that the Spirit is here. John has a particular way of speaking of the Lord coming to us; in John 14:18 - 20, normal conditions existed, as in the early times after the Spirit was given; whilst verses 21 to 23 relate to a period coming afterwards, when He would manifest Himself to an individual believer who kept His commandments. They have by extension an important bearing
upon the present time. If a few believers in this locality keep Christ's commandments, He will not fail to manifest Himself to them.
Ques. Does this correspond with the thought of the overcomer in Revelation 2 and 3?
J.T. Actually an overcomer is one who keeps the Lord's commandments, and to whom the Lord manifests Himself. "He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me". If anyone says he loves Christ, he proves it by keeping His commandments, even as the one who does not keep them shows that he does not love Christ. "If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him", John 14:23. In verse 21, the one who loves Christ keeps His commandments, in verse 23, he keeps His word. To keep His commandments seems to suggest that one abstains from everything that is contrary to His commandments and answers to the claims of the Lord; to keep His word is a deeper, more inward matter, conveying the thought that there are tabernacle conditions enabling the Father and the Son to come and make their abode in the one who keeps His word; marvellous fact, available to one person. Here we have the Father and the Son entering into my circumstances, because they afford tabernacle conditions. If I keep the word of Jesus, this abiding is made possible.
Rem. It was so when the three men came to Abraham.
J.T. Exactly; the desired conditions existed. Jehovah had spoken with Abraham, and it says, "He left off talking with him", Genesis 17:22. He broke off the conversation, having commanded Abraham to circumcise every male in his house, which he did immediately; he kept the commandment of Jehovah, whom he loved. Then he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day, a pilgrim position; the conditions where he was by the oaks of Mamre, were suitable for a divine visitation, so
that three men came to him. That is quite in line with what we have here.
Ques. Is there a difference between, "I am coming to you" and "I ... will manifest myself to him"?
J.T. "I am coming to you" suggests what is collective, at the beginning of christianity; but after the failure of the church in early times, everything depends upon His commandments being kept. That is why the Lord says, "If any one", not all the company. It is therefore well for us to look for this in our local meetings, that we keep the Lord's commandments as those who love Him; we shall find that He will manifest Himself to us.
Ques. What do you think about the last verse of Matthew's gospel, "I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age"? Matthew 28:20
J.T. Matthew does not record the ascension; he stresses more the fact that the Lord would be with His own. He does not deny the ascension, but he does not mention it, in order to stress another point. The Lord is with us, because the Spirit is down here. He is here by the Spirit, not corporeally; but He is none the less here, and in a greater way than if He were here corporeally. "For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them", Matthew 18:20. Matthew does not speak of His coming but of the continuation of Christ down here. John says that He comes; how attractive is the thought of His coming!
Ques. Does He come on special occasions?
J.T. That raises a question, the answer to which will be known by the experience that each will have individually. I think that when saints are together, keeping His commandments and answering to His desire in breaking bread, He will come into their midst. If we are remembering Him at the Supper, it would be a suitable moment for Him to come.
Ques. Do we reach this in John 20?
J.T. We have a fuller thought there which corresponds with verses 18, 19 and 20. In John 20, no conditions are spoken of except that the disciples were there, and the doors were shut; He came there, where the disciples were, and this corresponds to verses 18, 19 and 20. In verse 21 a subsequent period is in view, when His commandments would be neglected; the Lord so values one who keeps His commandments, that He manifests Himself to him.
Ques. Can it be said that He seeks every possible opportunity to come thus?
J.T. The doors being shut are an indication of suitable conditions. Nothing is said about what the disciples were saying; it is a matter of what they were to Him. In Luke 24:34, they were saying, "The Lord is indeed risen and has appeared to Simon"; that is, they were speaking of the resurrection of Christ. Grace marks the new order of things; He appears to a man who had denied Him; grace characterises the moment. Those who had returned from Emmaus were relating how the Lord was made known to them in the breaking of bread, and Jesus "himself stood in their midst" (Luke 24:36), thus honouring what they were saying. But in John it is not so, it is more a question of what we are, "where the disciples were", it is this which constitutes an invitation to Him to come.
Ques. Are there not two thoughts: "I am coming to you", that is to the company; and "I ... will manifest myself to him", that is to an individual?
J.T. Yes, the fact that it is said of a single individual is in view of a state of departure, and is calculated to strengthen each of these persons, making them overcomers.
Rem. It is a characteristic company here, and the statement, "I am coming to you" would apply if what corresponds to the assembly is reached: then He will come.
J.T. I think that is right. In chapter 15:26, there
is another thing, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father ... he shall bear witness concerning me". It is evident that this applied directly to the disciples, but because of the way it is placed in the chapter, I believe it has in view the last days also, when we have need of teaching about all things, and need reminding of what the Lord has said, because it has been forgotten.
Ques. Do you mean that the Spirit would bring to our notice all the details of Scripture?
J.T. So many things have been forgotten! The readings and addresses that the Lord is giving us at this moment provide an opportunity for the Spirit to bring out things that have been there all the time; none of the words of Jesus can be lost, hence the importance of such meetings. Brethren coming together in dependence on the Lord give the Comforter such an opportunity. He is here in the name of Christ, teaching us all things, and bringing to our remembrance all the things that the Lord has said to us.
John 15:25 - 27; John 16:1 - 15
J.T. We were saying yesterday evening at Valence, that the Holy Spirit as the Comforter is viewed as with the saints collectively, in chapter 14. In chapters 3, 4 and 7, the Spirit is seen in relation to individual believers; but now, as the Comforter, He is with us collectively. In chapter 14, it is what He is for the saints; whereas in chapter 15 He is connected with testimony; "he shall bear witness concerning me"; and in chapter 16, connected with conflict. So this subject is presented under three headings: firstly, what He is for the saints; secondly, what He is in the setting forth of the testimony; and thirdly, what He is in conflict.
Ques. Would you say we begin by apprehending what He is for us?
J.T. Yes, certainly. We have to experience what He is for us, before we can be with Him in testimony and conflict. We were seeing yesterday evening that He will be with the saints as another Comforter. The Lord Jesus was the Comforter when He was down here, but He was about to leave them, so the Spirit would be another Comforter during His absence. By virtue of the presence of the Spirit here as Comforter the Lord will come to us, to His own, to His disciples. It then says, "He shall teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all the things which I have said to you", John 14:26. So chapter 14 teaches us what He is for us, and as was said yesterday evening, verse 26 has a special bearing on these last days; in assembly history many things have been forgotten, hence the importance that He should bring all these things to our remembrance.
Ques. Why is He called the Holy Spirit in verse 26?
J.T. You mean He is not called the Holy Spirit
earlier in the chapter, but is referred to as the Spirit of truth? What is contemplated in verse 26 is what we have already touched, that is, that during the history of the assembly many defiling things have entered, and I believe it is because of this defilement that we find the expression used in this verse. The temple of God is holy, and according to 1 Corinthians 3, it has been corrupted; in view of this it does not seem strange that the appellation 'Holy Spirit' is used. The Holy Spirit will "teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all the things which I have said to you". The holy things taught by the apostles were corrupted by the defiled mind of man, and the Holy Spirit is now occupied in recovering them for us. It says, "all things" and then, "all the things which I have said to you". Divisions have taken place in the history of the church; in each division certain parts of the truth have been pressed, whilst other parts have been neglected; hence the expression, "all the things", repeated here, is important. There are some who say that certain things are not essential to the truth; but everything in the truth is essential.
Rem. There are two thoughts; the Spirit "shall teach" and "bring to your remembrance".
J.T. Yes, teaching is in view of making the truth penetrate our souls by means of gift, the Holy Spirit fitting persons to teach the saints. Then He brings to our remembrance the things the Lord has said, implying that they may be forgotten.
Rem. In the letter to Philadelphia, the Lord presents Himself as the holy and the true.
J.T. Yes, and He says, "Thou hast kept the word of my patience" (Revelation 3:10), that is to say, the things had not been forgotten. The thought of remembrance is linked with the Supper, where the object is to remember the Lord Jesus; and if we remember Him, we must recall what He has said, and the Holy Spirit helps us in this. We all know how poor our minds are, and how easily we forget
things, so it is an encouragement to see how the Spirit recalls what we have known, but have forgotten; so chapter 14 is very encouraging, showing what the Spirit is for us.
Ques. What is meant when it says of the Spirit, ''that he may be with you for ever''?
J.T. Is it not an encouragement to think that He will never leave us? The Lord Jesus has gone away; the apostles are no longer here; brothers who were leaders have been likewise removed, one after another. All that causes sorrow; but the Spirit abides with us for ever, so John speaks in Revelation of the Spirit and the bride saying "Come" to Jesus.
Ques. What do you understand by the expression "for ever"?
J.T. The thing continues, it has no end. If it says that the Spirit will be with us for ever, it implies that others go, but He never goes away. We have the blessed Comforter with us till the end of the assembly's sojourn down here. That should encourage us, and the proof of it is seen in that things are constantly called to our remembrance. Honoured men in earlier times have served the Lord in ministry; others have followed, and the Holy Spirit uses them as well.
Rem. I suppose it could hardly be said that these are new revelations, but that He shows things in divine light; they were there, but had been forgotten.
J.T. Just so; however, in the letters to the seven assemblies, even to Laodicea, the last, it is said, "He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies", Revelation 3:22. It is a matter of "what the Spirit says". It may be that He presses certain parts of the truth that have been forgotten, or foreseeing certain conditions which have not yet arisen. He uses the truth to enable saints to meet them. For instance, when Peter, referring to John, asked, "What of this man?" the Lord replied, "If I will that he abide until I come, what is that to thee?" John 21:22. They then thought that the Lord
meant that he would not die, but "Jesus did not say to him, He does not die", but the thought remains that something is left for the saints right up to the Lord's coming. John abiding until the Lord comes suggests that, when He comes, there will be those dwelling here till then, and to that moment there will be provision for the saints in all that the Spirit provides. Thus the Lord says in Matthew, "I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age", Matthew 28:20. The Lord Himself is with us until that time, not corporeally, nor is He here in Person, but we have His presence in the Spirit.
This truly is very encouraging and strengthening, so we ought not to give up, for the Holy Spirit is with us. At the end of chapter 15, we see that the Comforter is sent by the Lord Himself; "whom I will send to you from (with) the Father". This is to encourage us. The divine conditions are expressed in terms intelligible to us; that is the reason why it says the Spirit will be sent from with, it expresses thoughts we may understand. The Holy Spirit has been with the Father, alongside Him, so that He is fully conversant with His thoughts concerning Jesus; "He shall bear witness concerning me"; emphasis being on the word "He".
Ques. In chapter 14, the Father is said to send the Spirit, while in chapter 15, the Lord Himself sends Him. What are we to learn from this?
J.T. It is something to be noted. In chapter 14:26, the Father sends Him in the name of the Son; here it says, "whom I will send to you from the Father". The three divine Persons are remarkably linked in these instructions. These chapters 13 to 17 lead us into the circle of divine Persons, and into what goes on there. In these two verses we have the statement that the Spirit having come, He would bear witness, then that the twelve apostles themselves would bear witness. "And ye too bear witness, because ye are with me from the beginning". The Spirit would bear witness as having been with the Father, as knowing perfectly the
Father's thoughts about Christ; the apostles also would be able to bear witness of Him. By the Spirit bearing witness, I understand that He would make use of other persons than the apostles, such as Stephen, Philip and particularly the apostle Paul; Barnabas too, and many others could be mentioned up till the present moment. "Ye too bear witness, because ye are with me from the beginning" is connected more with apostolic testimony, which is based on the fact that certain ones were with the Lord during His ministry here.
Ques. As there were two divine Persons concerned in the gift of the Spirit, does it imply complete harmony of thought between them?
J.T. Yes, between the Father and the Son.
Ques. Does the expression "from the beginning" link on with chapter 1, to the time when the Spirit descended upon the Lord?
J.T. That is how I understand it. After the Spirit came upon the Lord Jesus at the time of His baptism, He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness forty days, tempted of the devil, according to Luke's account. Then He is seen in testimony and preaching, and then He gathers His disciples. So I understand that they were with Him from that time. When an apostle had to be chosen in place of Judas, it had to be someone who had been with Christ from the beginning. Luke speaks of them as having been "eyewitnesses of and attendants on the Word", Luke 1:2.
Ques. Is the expression "from the beginning" in verse 2, the same beginning that John speaks of in his first epistle?
J.T. Yes, it says there, "That which was from the beginning"; John is speaking of what they had seen. He says, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only begotten with a father)", John 1:14. Their attention was drawn to Him and they contemplated Him so that they are able to speak of Him as bearing witness of Him.
Ques. Have we the apostles' witness in the Scriptures, and the witness of the Spirit more in spiritual ministry?
J.T. The ministry of the apostles is set out in the Scriptures so that we can understand what it was, but we have only a very small part of it. We have, for instance, the Spirit's ministry in connection with Stephen, who is a good illustration, then Philip, and above all, the ministry of the apostle Paul. It must be remembered, however, that while the apostles who accompanied the Lord are viewed here by themselves, they ministered in the power of the Spirit; but they have a distinct place as having been with the Lord from the beginning of His ministry, and were specially qualified to represent Him authoritatively. The apostle John says, "That which we have seen and heard we report to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ", 1 John 1:3. They had therefore a particular place in the testimony as a result of that fellowship.
Ques. Do we find the Spirit's witness in chapter 5 in John's first epistle?
J.T. Yes, that is important. "They that bear witness are three: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood", there the apostles are not included. It says, "This is he that came by water and blood", and "it is the Spirit that bears witness", 1 John 5:6 - 8. We conclude from this that the witness of the Spirit continues right through the dispensation.
Chapter 16 is what has been termed a battlefield, and presents the Spirit in this setting. The Lord said, "These things I have spoken unto you that ye may not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues; but the hour is coming that every one who kills you will think to render service to God", then He continues, "but I have spoken these things to you, that when their hour shall have come, ye may remember them, that I have said them unto you ... but I say the truth to you,
it is profitable for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you". Then from verses 8 to 11 we see the great result of the presence of the Spirit down here in the conflict. The world is manifestly exposed to anyone having eyes to see. It is a great advantage for a general conducting a battle, if he is fully informed of the position and circumstances of the opposing army. This is what the Spirit has done; He has exposed everything before our eyes; conviction or demonstration implies that everything there is exposed; sin, righteousness and judgment. "He will bring demonstration to the world, of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe on me; of righteousness, because I go away to my Father, and ye behold me no longer; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged" .
Rem. It is not that the world is convicted, but the thing is demonstrated.
Ques. Who is the ruler of this world referred to here?
Ques. Is it the same as "the lawless one" in 2 Thessalonians 2:8?
J.T. That is the man of sin. In the Revelation, three persons are referred to,: the dragon which is Satan, the beast and the second beast; there is thus a trinity of evil. Satan is the dragon, the Lord Himself refers to him as the ruler of the world also in John 14:30.
Ques. Is it of the Spirit that it says, "there is he who restrains", 2 Thessalonians 2:7?
J.T. Yes, there is "he who restrains" (verse 7), and "that which restrains" (verse 6). It is a matter of the Spirit, but there are other things which hinder the revelation of the man of sin.
These verses indicate what the Spirit has demonstrated. Christ has been rejected ignominiously and nailed to the cross, whilst these men were known as His disciples. God was about to declare, so to speak,
whether He approved of Christ, or whether the Jews were right; and He did so publicly when the Spirit came down at Pentecost. The action of the Spirit at Pentecost brought to light all these things; sin has been exposed, the Jews and whoever had eyes to see were convicted. In this first preaching, Peter charged the Jews with the murder of Christ; "ye, by the hand of lawless men, have crucified and slain", Acts 2:23. Peter declared that in such power, that nobody having a conscience could fail to be convicted. He then told them that "God has made him, this Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36) in heaven; that is righteousness. Then the ruler of this world is judged; it is now only a matter of time before he will be cast into the lake of fire for ever. If we understand this, if we grasp the great demonstration the Spirit has made, we shall be conscious of victory. What has taken place during the last 1900 years does not alter at all what was done previously.
Ques. What period of time is referred to in verse 5; "I go to him that has sent me"?
J.T. That refers to the Lord as sent by the Father.
Rem. He was not exactly sent from heaven; but being here, He was sent to serve in ministry.
J.T. Yes, "him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world" -- sanctified, then sent. The Lord refers to His disciples in the same way as having been sent into the world for witness. The thought of being sent is after the Lord Jesus became Man and took a bondman's form. Jehovah said elsewhere to Isaiah, "Whom shall I send", and he replied, "Here am I, send me", Isaiah 6:8. That is seen perfectly in Jesus as a Man down here. Compare also Isaiah 42.
Ques. What difference is there between "sanctified" and "sent" as connected with the Lord?
J.T. "Sanctified" in this sense means that He was set apart for the object referred to, and He was committed to it. "Sent" would suggest that He was under
the orders of another. The word 'sent' has a great place in this gospel.
Ques. Do the two words refer to different times, or to the same time?
J.T. They are two consecutive thoughts; firstly sanctification, then He is sent.
Ques. Is it as a divine Person He says, "I come"; then having come, He is sanctified and sent?
J.T. Yes, "Coming into the world", Hebrews 10:5. It was His own act, but as Man He is in a position of obedience.
Ques. Would you say that the Spirit came of His own accord?
J.T. Yes, it says that He descended upon Christ, but in the Son become Man, and taking a bondman's form, the Spirit came into these conditions and in that connection, is said to be sent from heaven.
We have now other great matters here in verse 13: "But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth". Not only does He present the truth to us, but guides us into it. The presence of the Spirit here is a very important matter; to be guided into all the truth involves His influence upon us and with us.
Ques. What is meant by "all the truth"?
J.T. Nothing is omitted. We have spoken of the Spirit in relation to "all things" and to "all the things which I have said to you", consequently we can never think that any truth is not essential. That bears upon the idea of denominations; each denomination presses a certain side of the truth, or else perverts it in view of defending its own views; whilst those who recognise the assembly as the temple of God want all the truth and the Holy Spirit makes it known to us. I remember once having a conversation with a distinguished preacher who was on independent and so-called open ground. I spoke to him of fellowship and he replied, 'I know the truth is there, but I will not touch it'. He was not
ready to accept all the truth. I think that is what is in mind here. If I am in a position where room is not made for all the truth, I have to leave it.
There is another beautiful thought in verse 13: "He shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming". This suggests the humble place the Spirit has taken as hearing and announcing things. Then we read, "He shall glorify me", so that any teaching, or system, which has not Christ as Object and Centre, is not of the Spirit. What has been termed orthodox for 1600 years has cast a shadow on the Person of Christ. Those maintaining so-called orthodoxy have made out that Christ was Son in the Deity. Sonship suggests inferiority. That is not glorifying Him; He is equal with the Father, and to insist on this, is to glorify Christ; those who refuse this truth are not glorifying Him.
John 20:19 - 23; Revelation 22:16 - 21
J.T. We shall remember that the object of these readings in the gospel of John is to bring before us the positive side of christianity, and the reference to the Spirit in John 20 links on with what we have already considered. The Holy Spirit there is presented as breath; the Lord "breathed into them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit". We noticed how the Spirit descended as a dove, a substantial thing; then He is spoken of as wind, suggesting what can be heard and felt, which is equally real; then as water, and as the Comforter. All these types or titles involve something substantial and practical, as distinct from doctrine. Here we have breath, which is similar to the wind in chapter 3, but obviously suggesting a more precious thought, for the act of breathing "into them" suggests intimacy. What the disciples now had in them was the breath of Christ; they would live in His life, and His Spirit must set them in movement.
Ques. Does this breathing correspond to what Jehovah breathed into Adam, when man became a living soul?
J.T. Yes; however, that was simply that Adam might live as a man or as a creature, in the sense that he received his spirit or vital existence from God. By the breath of God he became a living soul in contrast with animals, which are also living souls, but not by the breath of God. Life is in them, but Ecclesiastes says that their spirit goes "downwards to the earth" (Ecclesiastes 3:21), while the spirit of man returns "unto God who gave it", Ecclesiastes 12:7. It also says in Proverbs that, "Man's spirit is the lamp of Jehovah" (Proverbs 20:27), showing how God intervenes in relation to man's conscience. Here it is a question of the breath of the last Adam, who is said to be a quickening
spirit, we are therefore rendered capable of living in His life.
Ques. What is the difference between the breath of the last Adam, and the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles?
Rem. I was going to ask the same question, noticing that on the day of Pentecost there came suddenly a sound out of heaven of a violent impetuous blowing.
J.T. In John, it is the life of Christ. The life we have is not only that of the risen Man, but the life of the ascended Man. Before coming into the midst of His disciples, He sent them a message, "I ascend to my Father, and your Father", John 20:17. It is the breath of the Man who ascended. This is a pattern of what took place at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down. It says of that day, that "there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit". What appeared at Pentecost shows that there had to be displacement to make room for the Spirit. "There came suddenly a sound out of heaven as of a violent impetuous blowing, and filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" Acts 2:2 - 4. These were evidences of power; the violent wind and the fire seem to set the flesh aside; the parted tongues would indicate that the testimony would be presented in every language. This result was seen effectively: "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth". The violent and impetuous wind was a symbol of power, while the fire purifies, and the tongues enabled them to express themselves. The testimony was to be preached to all nations; the tongues alluding to what happened in the land of Shinar where God confounded the language of the whole earth. That was now to be overcome. What the Lord did in John 20 seems to show the intimate
relations existing between Him and His disciples in the testimony; they must have His Spirit. He does not say, 'Receive my breath', but "Receive Holy Spirit" (without the article). It is the same character of things in Acts 2:4, "Filled with [the] Holy Spirit", but when they began to speak it says, "the Spirit", the article is there (verse 4).
Ques. Is it just to say that in John 20 we have an application of what took place in Acts?
J.T. Yes it is special; in John we have simply a pattern; the thing itself took place when the Lord had been glorified. Before that time, "the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John 7:39), so John 20 gives us a pattern of a particular feature of what was about to happen. Although He had not yet gone into heaven, He sends them a message, saying, "I ascend"; that is to say, that the thought of ascension preceded the moment when He breathed into His disciples.
Rem. The Lord Jesus Himself had told them that they would be baptised with the Holy Spirit after now not many days.
J.T. They had to wait in the city until they were. This statement in John 20 is in view of bringing out the relationship existing between these persons and the Lord, that they were His brethren, the brethren of the One who was ascending to "my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God". In addition to sending this message by Mary of Magdala, the Lord Himself came; the importance He attaches to them is clearly seen; He came to where His disciples were. It was the first day of the week, a new beginning. The testimony was to be presented by these great persons, and they were to receive His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, showing the confidence He had in them. It was a new and blessed thought that the Lord can trust us as having His Spirit. "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained"; moreover He says, "As the Father sent me
forth, I also send you". The fact of correspondence with Him thus is striking, and shows what christianity was at the beginning, what these men were like, not just what they were going to preach or to teach, but what they were.
Ques. What is the meaning of the passage, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them"?
J.T. I think it has in view the last days when we have to come in contact with brethren in different sects, who are held responsible for the sins of that sect to which they belong; or it may also be that they are personally guilty. If we contact such with a view to helping them, the Lord would say to us in so many words, 'Do not overwhelm them by charging them with sin'. If they are exercised men or women, you can rest assured that they will judge the sin, and, of course, you will help them to judge their sins, for sin it is even if they are ignorant of it, and the Lord gives us liberty to forgive it in order that they may be in fellowship with us. I think it can be understood in this way. On the other hand, there may be those who have walked in the truth, yet who have got away from it, such as those who have been involved in division; we may find, perhaps, that their sins should remain; so the Lord declares that, whether we remit or retain their sins, He confirms what we do.
Ques. Is that why they received the Holy Spirit?
J.T. I think so; so that we should act in holiness in such cases.
Ques. What is meant in the passage, "As the Father sent me forth, I also send you"?
J.T. It shows how, in their place in the testimony, they were to be in correspondence to the position of Christ. No christian could take this place today; it is specially apostolic. Yet here they are not called apostles; in a sense they were greater than that as Christ's brethren. He speaks of them as having been with Him from the beginning, so they were specially qualified.
In his epistle John says, "Our fellowship is indeed with the Father", 1 John 1:3. The Spirit of Christ is called Holy Spirit, I think, being in His place down here. The Father had put all things into the hands of Christ, indicating that He had complete confidence in Him. Here the Lord puts certain things into the hands of the disciples, because He had confidence in them. Can the Lord have confidence in me? Could He entrust something to me?
Ques. Before He breathed into them and sent them, the Lord showed them His hands and His side. Is this similar to what is said in Song of Songs 2:6, "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me"?
J.T. His hands signify more than the support of our head, they denote what He has done for us; His side denotes His love for us. Evidently He will continue to undertake for us. If His right hand embraces us, and His left hand supports us, it indicates that on the one hand, there is support for our mind, and on the other for our affections. But here there is more than that; His hands and His side are reminders of what He has done, and of the greatness of His love.
In closing, we might refer to the verses read in the Revelation, which are in line with what we are saying, suggesting something substantial and practical. Not only we may take the water of life, but it must be taken; it is there. It is not just a question of light but of something tangible, something we take; not even something we drink, but what is taken.
Ques. In the sense of appropriating it?
J.T. Just so. "Let him that is athirst come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely". He that is athirst, and he that will, may take it, showing how liberal is the provision. But what we notice in this is the announcement of the Lord's coming in verse 20; He says, "Yea, I come quickly", but in verse 16, He announces Himself, "I am the root and offspring of
David, the bright and morning star". There is nothing more interesting in the Revelation than seeing David introduced there; this bearing on the last days. This typifies Christ as Head, and the great service of song carried on in the most skilful way.
Rem. There are two thoughts, "Root" and "Offspring".
J.T. The root suggests His deity, in keeping rather with the gospel of John; the offspring refers to His royal rights as in Matthew.
Ques. Is it connected with His genealogy?
J;T. Yes, Matthew is the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham; while at the beginning of the gospel by John we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God", John 1:1. It is a question of His deity, the root of David. The Lord, therefore, asks a question of His opposers in the gospel, "How do they say that the Christ is David's son ... David therefore calls him Lord, and how is he his son?" (Luke 20:41 - 44)
Ques. Does the title "morning star" suggest another thought?
J.T. Yes, it is the beginning of the millennium which is announced by the "bright and morning star". We are here and the Lord is saying that He is coming quickly.
Ques. Is the Spirit working to produce this response from the church?
J.T. You can see how the thing is brought about today. The Spirit is working to bring the assembly, or at least a part of it, into accord with Himself, so that on Christ presenting Himself, the assembly says with the Spirit, "Come".
Rem. We are privileged to know Him now as the bright and morning star.
J.T. Just so; that is the important point. He is known thus before the day breaks. Those who are
asleep during the night do not see the star; those who love the Lord watch and see it.
Ques. Is the star connected with the church, and the sun more with the kingdom?
J.T. The sun rules the day universally. The thought of the star is that it announces the day; you see it and know that day is near. Those seeing it, long for it and say, "Come".
Ques. With reference to the formation now by the Spirit, who will lead us to say, "Come", is it not good to be able to say always, "It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us ..." (Acts 15:28)?
J.T. It is of importance for us to be in accord with the Spirit. It is not only what He does in us, or for us, but He glorifies Christ and we are thus brought into harmony with the Spirit, so that "The Spirit and the bride say, Come". It is not the Spirit with the bride, but the Spirit and the bride, the two together; the Spirit is saying it and the bride is saying it too.
Rem. We should be jealously concerned to maintain the rights of Christ in a scene where He is completely unknown.
J.T. Yes, if we are in the current of the Holy Spirit's activities, we are drawn to His side.
Rem. The thought that the whole universe will be subjected to Christ is very precious to those who love Him.
J.T. The Spirit is here as "another Comforter"; we come gradually to know His mind as being drawn to Him.
Before closing, I should like the brethren to understand clearly the thought in connection with David. The Lord announces Himself as "the root and offspring of David". As we were remarking, David represents headship, and Christ is Head to the assembly. The wisdom which is seen in the assembly, according to the epistle to the Ephesians, comes from Christ as Head. David was a skilful man and an excellent musician in
view of the service of God, so we can understand why he brings Solomon on the throne with himself. When the service of God was inaugurated, sonship as seen in Solomon was introduced by David in a special way. In this connection, we have the division of the Levites; they numbered thirty-eight thousand in the time of David, and were divided according to the principle of the number twenty-four. What is remarkable is that there were four thousand singers, and four thousand doorkeepers, as if the singing had to be protected from any intrusion. The doorkeepers would prevent anything entering which would hinder the service, such as human innovations. We have to understand all this before we can grasp what the Lord means, in referring to David here. He was the root and offspring of David, the Lord suggesting in this that He had in mind the last days of the assembly's sojourn here, and is drawing our attention to what He is seeking amongst us, namely, intelligence in service and in worship. When we assemble for the service of God, we should be under the control of Christ as Head, in order that nothing natural or sentimental should creep into the service, but that all should be according to His own example and instruction. For example, He lifted up His eyes on high, saying, "I praise thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth", Matthew 11:25. He thus indicates to us how to serve God and worship Him.
Ques. Is that why reference is made to David in the letter to Philadelphia?
J.T. It is the same thought; He shuts and no one can open; He opens and no one can shut. Hence, "the Spirit and the bride say, Come", a touching expression, showing how the Spirit seeks to draw us to Himself, so that we may be ready to welcome the Lord Jesus, and to hail the glorious day of His appearing.
J.T. I have in mind to speak of the Lord's supper in relation to the service of God in the assembly. The Lord has been bringing this subject before His own for several years, and consequently the Supper is, generally speaking, better understood than it was before, also the assembly, and the service of God as carried on now in the assembly. Luke gives us in general terms, public order, continuing and confirming Paul's ministry. John also confirms Paul's ministry, but more on the inward and spiritual side. Hence, instead of giving us an account of the Supper as is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, John quotes in detail the words uttered by the Lord, the same night that the Supper was instituted. In chapter 17, the Lord, after having spoken at length, lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, "Father", so showing the way to His disciples. He wished them to understand that He had in mind to lead them to the Father, and that they might be able to say, "Father" to God. Luke, therefore, gives us the public side of assembly order in connection with the Supper, and John, the inward and spiritual side which accompanies it. If we do not observe these two sides together, neither the public side nor the inward side will be what they ought to be.
Ques. Is not announcing the death of the Lord until He comes connected with the public side?
J.T. Yes, but the public act will be without power unless we are in the enjoyment of the side presented by John. If we follow Luke's teaching and omit what John gives, we shall become theorists and lack spiritual power.
Rem. What will give us spiritual power, is to do
it in love. Our hearts will be led to respond to the thought and desire of the Lord in the Supper.
J.T. Yes. The teaching of John 13, 14, 15 and 16 represents the spiritual side underlying the Supper. The ministry of John in these chapters leads further than the Supper, reaching to the heavenly side where we have understanding of the Father, and where we realise also, according to chapter 20, that we are Christ's brethren, His Father is our Father, and His God our God.
It may be helpful to some here, if not to all, to indicate the way by which we arrive at an understanding of the assembly in its public character; that is to say, the kind of place it is in which the Supper is partaken of according to the mind of God. We find this instruction in Luke 22:7 - 13; where it says in verse 8, "He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the passover for us, that we may eat it ... there make ready". The Lord could have told them the name of the street, and the number of the house, so to speak, but instead of that, He told them that they would meet a man bearing a pitcher of water.
Ques. Would you say a few words about Peter and John; and why Peter is mentioned before John.
J.T. That opens up an interesting subject. Peter represents, I think, the Lord's authority. He said to him elsewhere, "I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens" (Matthew 16:19), indicating that Peter has authority. On the other hand, John was the disciple who was in the bosom of Jesus; that is to say, he represents the love side. In a local assembly we need both authority and love.
Ques. Will you say a little more about needing both authority and love in a local assembly?
J.T. We need to see to it that authority and love are there. Peter represents the Lord's authority, which was seen in the elders in the early days of the church's history. It appears today in those who are marked by moral worth among the saints; those who take care of
the assembly, and watch that nothing that is contrary to the Lord is allowed there. They are marked by discernment as to what is suitable for God's house; their behaviour is such as is outlined in 1 Timothy 3:15, "In order that thou mayest know how one ought to conduct oneself in God's house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth".
Rem. That should help us to understand that authority must be maintained, according to the Scriptures, for the glory of God.
J.T. In maintaining authority, and in sympathising with the saints in this way, you make them understand that you love them.
Ques. What difference is there in the authority as represented by Peter, and by the master of the house?
J.T. Peter and John are from the Lord's side, His envoys. The master of the house alludes to the responsible element actually in a locality. This element is viewed as already existing, but it is put to the test by the request of Peter and John, "Where is the guest-chamber". This was the message, "The teacher says to thee, Where is the guest-chamber where I may eat the passover with my disciples?" The Lord sends the message under the name of 'Teacher', that is to say, if christians in this town are altogether taught of God, they will regard the Teacher; they will respect His message. If on the other hand they have a party or sectarian spirit, they will not heed this message. This man raised no question. The Lord said, "He will show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready". The secret of the readiness of this man to acknowledge the message lies in the fact that a man carrying a pitcher of water had entered his house.
Ques. What does the man with the pitcher of water suggest?
J.T. He suggests more than a creed: a creed is not represented by a pitcher of water, for it may be anything from 300 to 1,000 years old, and however good it is it
is the work of man, and lacks freshness. A pitcher of water carried by a man is carried intelligently. You may be sure that he went to fetch fresh water; it was a pitcher that a man could carry, suggesting that it was drinking water, refreshing, and I believe that the fact that the man carrying it entered the house, immediately accounts for the Lord's request. Hence unless fresh water is brought into a meeting, the Lord's rights will not be recognised there; at the end of this gospel, when the Lord came into the midst of His disciples, He asked them, "Have ye anything here to eat?" Luke 24:41. We are tested as to what we have in the house; if we do not bring in some water -- in other words, some living ministry, nothing will be done. Some believers may be present, certainly, but what the Lord asks for, is "something to eat". We are all tested as to our religious associations; is there any refreshment, or anything to eat in a spiritual way in the associations in which we are?
Ques. Do you think the Lord is still asking, "Where is the guest-chamber"?
J.T. That is what this passage teaches; it is written for our teaching; have I learnt the lesson?
Ques. How can we acquire what is refreshing? Do we get it as together or as individuals?
J.T. In the way it is set here, the question is, Is there a man carrying a pitcher of water into the house? In other words, if I am exercised to find the place where I should be in fellowship, I should look diligently for the existence of this principle, "a man ... carrying an earthen pitcher of water". It is not an empty pitcher, so I can follow him and find water there. He has water in his pitcher, therefore I follow him. Where that man is, there is ministry; he is carrying something. The woman of Samaria came to the well with her pitcher empty, to get it filled, but she met the Lord Jesus who spoke to her of living water and "the water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water,
springing up into eternal life", John 4:14. The woman then left her waterpot and went to the city. She had living water in herself; that is the idea, a living ministry in earthen vessels, in persons such as we. This passage shows how we can get guidance as to the place where we should take the Supper. The Lord said, "He will show you a large upper room furnished". The word "large" implies that there is plenty of room there, spiritually alluding to the greatness of the assembly. How much room there is for every believer in the assembly! It is an upper room; it is not a cathedral nor a church, which are on earth level; there is no moral elevation in such structures. Since the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, there has been no stone building which has had the slightest moral worth. It is a matter today of a spiritual house having moral elevation, as is said of believers in the epistle to the Hebrews, "Whose house are we" (Hebrews 3:6), and "Ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit", Ephesians 2:22. This passage therefore, teaches us the moral conditions necessary to celebrate the Supper.
Ques. Why was it that the room was furnished, yet the passover was not prepared? The disciples had to make that ready themselves.
J.T. It was a question as to what those whom the Lord sent were to do. Christ must always be presented.
Ques. Will you say a word about those who were sent?
J.T. Peter and John represent the authority of the Lord in this matter; they were the ones who had to make ready. So it says that the three thousand, who were converted in Jerusalem, persevered in the teaching of the apostles -- not in the teaching of Luther, nor of Wesley, nor of Calvin, but in the teaching of the apostles, of those who represent the Lord's authority. All christians who desire to move in accordance with God's thoughts must come to this. It is not that the teaching of the men I have just referred to was not more or less
right, but they are not representative of the Lord in the same way as the apostles. The three thousand, it says, "persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers", Acts 2:42. In the place where we find that fellowship, we shall be sure to find the Lord's supper. Apart from the teaching and fellowship of the apostles we cannot have the Supper. It may appear to be the Supper, but the apostle Paul would say, "It is not ... the Lord's supper", 1 Corinthians 11:20. The Lord said, "There make ready", and it was Peter and John who made ready. Then comes the eating: certainly it was the passover that was immediately in view, but for us the teaching of the passover is in 1 Corinthians 5, where we are to keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. This opens the way for the Lord's supper in 1 Corinthians 11.
Ques. Would you say briefly the difference between the passover and the Supper?
J.T. As we were remarking, the passover is spiritually the death of Christ for us; that is, the death in which God judged man in the most unsparing way. "For also our passover, Christ, has been sacrificed; so that let us celebrate the feast ... with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth", 1 Corinthians 5:7,8; it is the death of Christ. On the one hand we have God settling the sin question, and on the other hand, the unleavened bread which has to be eaten for seven days, for the duration of the feast. In other words, in my everyday life, at home or at work, I walk in self-judgment, in accord with the death of Christ. I am sincere in whatever I do; there is to be sincerity and truth. We thus keep the passover and can meet together, can sit down in assembly, and partake of the Supper.
Ques. Do we keep the passover during the week, and take the Supper on Lord's day?
J.T. We keep the feast, but not in a formal way as we do the Supper. It speaks of "our passover", then it says, "Let us celebrate the feast". In our passage the
Lord says that although He then ate the passover with them, "I will not eat any more at all of it"; that particular feast ended there. In the gospel of John, it is called, "the passover of the Jews", (John 11:55) showing that it had lost its spiritual character. Now it is "our passover", the antitype of Exodus 12.
Rem. In a practical way, applying the passover to our everyday life, it is what the apostle said, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus", 2 Corinthians 4:10.
J.T. Just so. It is a question of the way we judge ourselves every day, at home, at work, or wherever we may be.
Rem. It involves separation from all that surrounds us in the world.
J.T. Yes, we should sit down in assembly as self-judged persons: "Let a man prove himself", 1 Corinthians 11:28.
Ques. Is Peter always before John; the side of righteousness before remembrance in love?
J.T. Authority must be maintained before love can have free course. These then are the conditions in which the Supper is taken. The apostle says that "the Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was delivered up, took bread, and having given thanks broke it", (1 Corinthians 11:23,24) indicating what occurred when the Lord instituted the Supper. We should observe what the Lord has said, so that the order followed may be in accord with the mind of God.
Now, I would like to say a few words in connection with John 17. There are so many things to say about the way in which the Supper opens the way for the service of God in the assembly. It should be noticed that in Luke 22 and in 1 Corinthians 11, the Supper, or the breaking of bread, is a memorial of Christ; that is to say, we recall Christ in this particular way. He is absent; He has been rejected by men, and crucified. He has gone into heaven; He is no longer here. Those who love Him should remember Him, and do so in the way He Himself appointed. As we are thus calling Him
to mind, He comes to us, and as we realise His presence in our midst, as in Luke and John, we acknowledge Him as Head amongst us, and worship Him. He is the Minister of the sanctuary, and He leads the service. Certainly He makes use of the saints in thanksgivings, and by the Spirit He helps us, but it is He who leads in the assembly. It says in Hebrews 8:2 that He is "minister of the holy places and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord has pitched, and not man". He leads the service of God in the assembly. Hence, in thanksgiving, and when giving out hymns in this part of the assembly service, we should make a distinction and not make use of hymns, or thanksgivings addressed to the Lord, but rather to God the Father. This is why, at the beginning of John 17 it says, "Jesus spoke, and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come".
Ques. "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of the lips confessing his name", Hebrews 13:15. Is that the thought?
Rem. At the beginning of the meeting then, it is suitable to sing hymns addressed to Christ, and praise and thanksgiving to Him, but after the Supper, would our hymns and our thanksgiving as led by Christ as Head, be addressed rather to the Father?
J.T. The Supper, the Lord's supper, is the beginning of the meeting, when we have the Lord before us. We partake of the bread which is his body, and of the cup which is the new covenant in His blood, so that we are impressed by the love of Christ. The new covenant is not made with the assembly, but is between God and the house of Israel and Judah, yet it manifests love. The Spirit sheds abroad in our hearts God's love. So while speaking to the Lord Jesus in the Supper, we go on in the service to speak to God, as in new relations. If, therefore, we realise that the Lord Jesus comes into our midst, He leads His brethren, as it says in Hebrews, "He is not ashamed to call them brethren", (Hebrews 2:11)
and sings praise in the midst of the assembly. Jesus "lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father", and we touch assembly ground when we say, "Father". Jesus is the Son of God, and we are sons of God, as brethren of Christ. The service of God continues on this ground, and those who take part in the assembly should follow this movement, both in hymns and thanksgivings.
Ques. In practice, we often seem to fail to reach the Father; is that because we are not responsive?
J.T. It is because we are not sufficiently exercised about it, and not sufficiently prepared for assembly ground.
Rem. Possibly although we may sing the best hymns, we do not really enter into these things.
1 Corinthians 5:8; Exodus 12:1 - 20
J.T. It is proposed that we should consider today the subject of the passover and the feast of unleavened bread; and tomorrow, if the Lord will, the subject of fellowship. The verse read in 1 Corinthians 5 indicates the significance of the passover in Exodus. The ordinance is there transferred to us, for it says, "our passover", and "let us celebrate the feast". In this particular instance, we have instruction as to Old Testament types transferred to those who form the assembly at the present time. You will observe that the passover is in relation to sin, but the Supper, whilst having in mind the Lord's death, is not in view of teaching us how the sin question was met, but is a witness of Christ's love for us. The passover is referred to in 1 Corinthians 5, and this chapter takes up the matter of assembly discipline.
Rem. We have thought that the Lord's supper was the feast, yet the only reference to a feast is in relation to the passover.
J.T. Yes, the Lord's supper is not called a feast. The only reference that could be made is in Jude 12, "These are spots in your love-feasts, feasting together with you without fear, pasturing themselves". The Lord's supper could be included in these love-feasts. They are "your love-feasts"; that is, feast of christians.
Rem. The Supper had degenerated to a feast at Corinth, for instance.
J.T. That was gross irregularity.
Rem. Paul said, "In this point I do not praise".
J.T. More still, he said, "When ye come therefore together into one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper" (1 Corinthians 11:20), yet Jude would show that christians have feasts, not worldly or disorderly ones, but love-
feasts. I think that the word 'feast' in 1 Corinthians 5:8 alludes simply to the feast of unleavened bread, indicating that the saints should keep this feast; that we should all eat unleavened bread in our daily occupations. For us, this bread is "sincerity" and "truth".
Rem. When instituting the Supper, the Lord said that it was for all; "Drink ye all of it", Matthew 26:27.
Rem. In Corinth each took his own supper; some had much, others little.
J.T. They were eating and drinking as if they were at their own table. The feast of unleavened bread is really to keep us from sin.
Ques. Is not pride, the sin that leaven represents?
J.T. You mean that leaven rises; but that can mark every sin. In the chapter read, it says, "Ye are puffed up". The grossest sin had been committed there, yet the saints were puffed up. You may be sure that where such conduct marks the saints, the general state is affected. In verse 2 he says, "Ye are puffed up, and ye have not rather mourned, in order that he that has done this deed might be taken away out of the midst of you". That shows that leaven was active. If the brethren will read Exodus 12 at their leisure, they will notice that Moses gives an account from verses 21 to 28, of what the Lord had taught him. Moses did not refer to the unleavened bread, for the immediate object was the deliverance of the people from Egypt. When they actually came out of Egypt, they were in such haste that they could not bring any leaven. God now so orders that young people who are leaving the world, give up sin by the force of circumstances. "The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We are all dead men! And the people took their dough before it was leavened; their kneading-troughs bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders". God orders our circumstances for us when we are young, to keep us out of sin. Why were they obliged to leave in
haste; and why was leaven the only thing they could not carry away?
Ques. Do we have to learn that leaven is always present?
J.T. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves", (1 John 1:8) but God sometimes orders circumstances so that young people should not have an opportunity to sin; He orders their circumstances in grace with this in view. He does it to help them; so they had to leave Egypt without taking any leaven.
Ques. Is this what is referred to by John, "My children, these things I write to you in order that ye may not sin", 1 John 2:1?
J.T. The apostle was writing to saints, that they should not sin, but in the verse in Exodus we find God ordering circumstances to keep us from sin. Parents can count on this in regard of their children. Certainly, as we were saying, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves", and that applies to christians young and old. Being under obligation not to sin, we find this remarkable fact that God orders their circumstances in such a way that they cannot do so. "The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste. ... And the people took their dough before it was leavened; their kneading-troughs bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders".
Ques. Would you say that though it appeared hard and testing to them to leave the land in haste, yet it was God intervening in mercy for them, so that they should be compelled to take their dough before it was leavened?
J.T. Exodus gives an important line of instruction. Jehovah did not lead Israel by the way of the Philistines, for instance, lest they should be discouraged. Conflict might discourage the young believers. Also here we see how God allows the Egyptians to drive them out of the land, so that they should not have time to take any leaven. The young are thus protected in their parents'
house, if their parents are believers; this environment helps them as there is no leaven there. But it is when they go out into the world and earn their living that danger arises. God would, however, help them to avoid, in their work, associations which would lead them or encourage them to sin, and parents should be wise enough to keep their children from occupations and surroundings which would encourage sin in a special way.
Rem. We can then be thankful if the world hates us; it is our safeguard.
J.T. It is a protection for us. We can see it in the history of the children of God; when they are persecuted, they are kept. The Lord said to the assembly at Smyrna, "Ye shall have tribulation ten days", Revelation 2:10. He had nothing to rebuke in the saints in Smyrna. He had to reproach the saints in Ephesus, and in Pergamos, but tribulation manifestly preserved the saints in Smyrna. The tribulation that God allows in the history of young believers is a protection, to keep them from sin.
Ques. In connection with being 'kept', is this similar to what the Lord Jesus prayed in John 17:15, "I do not demand that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them out of evil"?
J.T. The prayer of the Lord was that we should be kept out of evil, and God provides in grace for this, at the beginning of our history.
Ques. Is it not possible to be kept out of Egypt, and yet have leaven in our homes?
J.T. I was about to remark about that, that in chapter 12 the commandment is in relation to households.
Rem. There are "father's houses" there.
J.T. Yes, but the feast of unleavened bread, whilst celebrated in houses, bears upon the assembly. It says, "Speak unto all the assembly of Israel". Two words
are used; in verse 3 it says, "the assembly", and in verse 6, "congregation". The assembly is the responsible element, whether all saints are there or not; the word congregation indicates that all are responsible, each individual in particular. The word assembly conveys the idea of a responsible body, even if all the saints are not present, but in the congregation each person is responsible.
Rem. As carrying out these thoughts it says, "The plague shall not be among you for destruction".
J.T. That is the plague of death. Death reigned in every house of the Egyptians, whilst the houses of the Israelites were preserved.
Ques. Is this seen typically in Eli's house? "I have declared to him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he hath known: because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not", 1 Samuel 3:13?
J.T. That verse is particularly important for fathers, for in Exodus 12:3 the lamb was "for a father's house". Eli the priest was unfaithful in connection with his house; "his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not". The influence of a believer's house is striking here, as the observance of the feast was what kept away the destructive plague. Fathers and mothers are often indulgent towards their children and, when they sin, excuse and justify them. Then death enters the house; death is there.
Ques. Does the teaching of this chapter apply on one hand to the households of believers, and on the other to the saints collectively?
J.T. That is what I think. If sin occurs in the home of one amongst us, we cannot just say, Ah well, it is his matter, for we are all responsible.
Rem. In 1 Timothy 3:5 it says, "If one does not know how to conduct his own house, how shall he take care of the assembly of God?"
J.T. One, like Eli, who does not know how to rule
his own house, is disqualified. A man cannot serve in the house of God unless he knows how to conduct his own house. Thus it is not suitable for a brother in whose house defilement is found, to take active part in the assembly. In a christian's house there may be things found which are beyond his control, but if he feels them, God will come in and order things for him.
Rem. Jehovah said of Abraham, "I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice", Genesis 18:19.
Ques. Was not the sin in Eli's house the consequence of his having spared the rod on his sons?
J.T. It says, "He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes", Proverbs 13:24.
Ques. There is a big difference between Abraham and Eli?
J.T. Abraham commanded his house after him. When God told him to circumcise his house, he did exactly as God said, and it was after that, that Jehovah came to him with two other persons, and said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? Since Abraham shall indeed become a great and mighty nation; and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice, in order that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham what he hath spoken of him", Genesis 18:17 - 19. The import of Abraham's faithfulness is seen in a remarkable way in these verses, the end being that Jehovah might bring upon him what He had said concerning him. This shows how our faithfulness brings about in a practical way an answer to the counsels of God's love concerning us.
Rem. Hence you would say that where these principles are not maintained in a gathering, the Lord would
hide things, and the Spirit will not communicate divine things.
J.T. The work of the Spirit would be hindered.
Ques. How are these principles to be maintained in a meeting?
J.T. The commandment in Exodus 12:15 - 19 is very clear, and bears upon not having leaven in our houses. Leaven should never be found in our houses. Allowing certain kinds of books, magazines and papers into the homes of christians will assuredly lead to sin, and if the houses of the saints are affected by leaven, we can be sure that it will slip into the assembly.
Rem. So it is of vital importance not only to have light in our dwellings, as in chapter 10, but to apply practically the death of Christ there too.
J.T. Yes. I may have my Bible on my bookshelf and all the current ministry, and also have novels there.
Rem. Leaven is not food for our souls.
J.T. It rises, which is a characteristic of sin, and it is infectious. It leavens the whole lump.
Rem. It is when Christ is insufficient for us that we use leaven.
J.T. Just so. Unleavened bread tends to reduce, but leaven puffs up.
Rem. Christ said, I am "altogether that which I also say to you", John 8:25.
J.T. It is not only that we should not have leaven in our bread, but we should not have it in our houses. Something might be allowed into our houses, a bad book, for instance, and a child may take it and read it and be harmed by it. There is a remarkable passage in the prophet Haggai 2:12,13, "If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food -- shall it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No. And Haggai said, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, is it become unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean".
This teaches us that a holy thing does not sanctify other things; then, "If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, is it become unclean?" The answer to this question shows that if I am marked by anything unclean, the uncleanness will multiply itself; that is the thought in the leaven, it is its activity.
We should be sincere and true; the unleavened bread should be of sincerity and truth.
Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:14 - 22; 1 John 1:7
J.T. During recent years the subject of fellowship has very rightly been receiving consideration amongst the people of God, as a right understanding of this subject is essential for the maintenance of our position in relation to the assembly. There is really only one fellowship, which we may view in its general and also its local setting; naturally it is the general bearing of it which comes first. It should be noticed that in 1 Corinthians 10 the apostle speaks of "the cup of blessing which we bless", and "the bread which we break". It will be noticed that the apostle frequently uses the word 'you' instead of 'we' in this epistle. When he says we, as in chapter 10, he is speaking in general terms: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of the Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Christ?" All this refers to what is general, whilst chapter 11, verse 18, refers to what the Corinthians were doing locally, "when ye come together in assembly". In chapter 1, verse 9, he says, "God is faithful, by whom ye have been called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord"; the saints local in Corinth had been called into the general fellowship; that is to say, the fellowship of God's Son.
Rem. This fellowship includes "all that in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ", 1 Corinthians 1:2.
J.T. Just so, it is the general idea, "all that in every place".
Ques. Does local fellowship depend on universal fellowship?
J.T. Yes; we should begin with this great thought, the fellowship of the Son of God; it is the same fellowship everywhere. There is only one fellowship, the
fellowship of the Son of God, but it comes into expression locally. The first thing to be noted is that in the beginning it was called the "fellowship of the apostles". The three thousand persons who were converted on the day of Pentecost "persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles", which implies that there were other fellowships in the world, but the fellowship of the apostles was established authoritatively.
Rem. The apostle John says, "Our fellowship is indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ", 1 John 1:3.
J.T. Showing that their fellowship was on a higher level than the ordinary fellowship in which we have part; it refers to the testimony. He wrote to the saints in order that "ye also may have fellowship with us"; then in verse 7, he speaks of having "fellowship with one another".
Ques. It refers here to fellowship "with the Father"; is there a difference?
J.T. Yes; it is God revealed in grace; it does not say "our Father", but "the Father", that is God known in grace maintaining His testimony down here, the Father and the Son working together in it, and They introduced the apostles into it.
Ques. Does the expression, "persevered ... in the fellowship" indicate that we have to strive to maintain this fellowship?
J.T. The idea of perseverance indicates that there is opposition. The teaching of the apostles had greater authority than that of Moses, and their fellowship was the outcome of their teaching. What does the word 'fellowship' mean practically? What do the brethren understand by this word?
Rem. We possess the same things and we enjoy them together.
J.T. In other words, we form an association, and all the members of the association are governed by the same thoughts and feelings.
Rem. It is an outward link in the testimony.
J.T. Just so; hence in chapter 10 we have its bearing on our everyday life and walk. The breaking of bread is the expression of it, but the thing expressed there must exist before we can have the breaking of bread.
Rem. It is good to add that it is the public and practical expression of our bond.
J.T. In everything I do, I am under obligation to my brethren locally and generally, as if each member of the association informed the others of what he is doing so that they could participate. Hence, if I am honest, my conscience will not permit me to do anything when my brethren are not looking, that I would not do when they are looking, for I involve them in all I do.
Rem. In other words we break bread once a week, but we should maintain the fellowship every day.
Rem. We think of one another as being in fellowship with one another.
J.T. All those breaking bread form part of the association, as we all partake of one loaf. It should be noted first that it is the apostles' fellowship, that is to say, it has divine authority; there are other fellowships, such as freemasons, and similar societies, but this one has divine authority, according to what we have read in the Acts. The fellowship of the apostles is authoritative because the apostles represented the Lord, and their fellowship included their doctrine. Other details are then added which show that the thing was put into practice in Jerusalem. It was evident that they were all one: "All that believed were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions and substance, and distributed them to all, according as any one might have need. And every day, being constantly in the temple with one accord, and breaking bread in the house, they received their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people; and the Lord added to the assembly daily those that were to be saved", Acts 2:44 - 47. There
was a practical expression of the fellowship, and each day the Lord added to the assembly.
Rem. This fellowship excludes all others.
J.T. Yes; if one, two or several persons form something themselves it cannot be compared with this fellowship. In 1845, a great division took place (at Bethesda) in which the principles of fellowship were ignored; by their independence those people ignored the fellowship of the Son of God; for if it is the fellowship of the apostles, their doctrine must govern it.
Rem. The fellowship cannot be varied according to circumstances; it is the fellowship of every day.
J.T. Just so, like Noah's ark, it passes through the scene of judgment, for it is the fellowship of Christ's death. In Acts 2 we have the authority emphasised, and in 1 Corinthians 1:9 the dignity attaching to it is stressed, it is the fellowship of the Son of God.
Rem. It is the "fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord".
J.T. "His Son" refers to His dignity, and "our Lord" to His authority. Then in chapter 10, we have the communion of His "blood" and the communion of His "body". In 2 Corinthians 13 we find the "communion of the Holy Spirit", and in John's epistle we "have fellowship with one another" (persons are involved).
Rem. So it can be truly said that fellowship originates in the communion of His blood and of His body.
J.T. That is to say, of His death. If anyone entered the meeting room in Corinth on the first day of the week, he would see the emblems on the table. He might ask, What are these emblems? No doubt other fellowships had their emblems also; in the same street in Corinth there might be a Jewish synagogue, a heathen temple and perhaps a christian meeting room, and all three might be visited in succession. In the heathen temple, sacrifices were offered to idols; in the Jewish synagogue one might easily understand what was
happening, but on entering the christians' meeting room, the elements would be seen. This is the main point of chapter 10; what do they mean? The apostle speaks to the saints "as to intelligent persons: do ye judge what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of the Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Christ? Because we, being many, are one loaf, one body". The thought is expressed there in a most concrete way, and wherever you find a company of true christians you will find this. Believers are identified in these emblems with the death of the Lord Jesus. The blood is separate from the body. What a solemn matter for us to be identified with the One whom the world has rejected and put to death.
Ques. Is that why the cup is referred to first here?
J.T. It is a higher thought, as the cup is witness of the love of God; but the two together represent Christ as having died. The blood being separate from the body is a symbol of a dead Christ, but we have part in this communion; accepting it and being identified with it. But there is more than that in this fellowship, for Christ is raised and has ascended to heaven. The gospel is more than a testimony to a dead Christ, it is a testimony to Christ living and glorified, and in virtue of this, the Corinthians were saved, as the apostle said, "Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and ... he was buried; and ... he was raised the third day, according to the scriptures", 1 Corinthians 15:3,4. This testimony is for faith. The whole world can see the emblems, that is why we are publicly identified with a dead Christ, and the emblems signify that believers should walk in accord with that. If the emblems refer to the Lord Jesus as being dead, the question might be asked, Are the saints dead? The teaching of the epistle to the Romans runs parallel to the Corinthian epistle, and it says, "As many as have been baptised unto Christ Jesus, have been baptised unto his death. We have been buried therefore
with him by baptism unto death, in order that, even as Christ has been raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life ... . So also ye, reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus ... . Neither yield your members instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves to God as alive from among the dead, and your members instruments of righteousness to God" Romans 6:3 - 13. It is thus that the fellowship is maintained in a practical way.
Rem. Within the fellowship, each member is bound to the other as being delivered from the will of man.
J.T. That is why it says, "Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?" If I exercise my own will, I provoke the Lord to jealousy; hence a person who partook of the Lord's supper in Corinth would be inconsistent if he went into a Jewish synagogue or heathen temple and took part in the services there. So it says, "Ye cannot partake of the Lord's table, and of the table of demons".
Ques. What is meant by "the table of demons"?
J.T. Simply what the heathen were engaged with.
Rem. It is most important to understand rightly the Lord's table.
J.T. The apostle said, "I speak as to intelligent persons": he is speaking thus to each one of us. Each should ask himself 'What do I know of these things?' This epistle was not written to the elders in Corinth, but to all the saints at Corinth; that is why the apostle speaks to us as to intelligent persons, implying that we ought to know. He appeals to each one of us to judge what he says. Someone may say, 'I am not intelligent, I know nothing about these things'. It is good to confess that we do not know, but why do we not know?
Rem. All he says is connected with the Lord's table.
J.T. Evidently, only the Lord's table here alludes to the bread as distinct from the cup.
Rem. In connection with intelligent persons, you
just said that we may say, 'I am not intelligent', but 1 John 5:20 says, "We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding".
J.T. Yes, that is to say, the ability to understand things. In this epistle it says, "We have the mind of Christ", (1 Corinthians 2:16) the thinking faculty like Christ's. It is a christian characteristic, signifying that those having the Holy Spirit are taken account of in this way.
Rem. The fact that we have the Spirit should hinder us from saying that we are not intelligent.
Rem. Speaking of the teaching of the apostles, Paul said, "Think of what I say". This is important.
J.T. Why is it then that we are not all intelligent as to this great subject of fellowship? I think that the Spirit of God foresaw that it would present some difficulty, so He puts it as an obligation upon intelligent persons, and He appeals to us to judge what He says, to consider it, to analyse it, and to seek out its meaning.
Rem. It says that the Berean believers were "searching the scriptures if these things were so", Acts 17:11.
J.T. It is as if Paul had said, 'I do not want you to accept these things because it is I who say them; use your intelligence and carefully analyse what I say'.
Rem. It is an individual exercise, "do ye judge what I say".
J.T. It means judge what the apostle is saying here; he invites you to measure it and to understand. In the following chapter he says, "Let a man prove himself" (1 Corinthians 11:28) before partaking of the Lord's supper; but here, "Do ye judge what I say".
Ques. Is intelligence connected with affection?
J.T. Yes, it involves the Spirit too.
Rem. Mary became intelligent because she loved the Lord.
Rem. But here there is also the question of subjection.
Rem. With Lydia, the Lord opened her heart to attend to the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14).
J.T. It was the Lord's work, but here it is you who do it. There is one other thing: fellowship with one another. John says, "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another". It does not say 'we should have', but "we have".
Ques. Do we walk in the light as individuals?
J.T. As each walks in the light it follows that we are all in fellowship.
Rem. I was thinking of Achan's dark deed. Joshua said, "How hast thou troubled us!" Joshua 7:25.
J.T. A striking and solemn example of the thing we are speaking of; he was walking in darkness. "I saw among the spoils a beautiful mantle of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a golden bar of fifty shekels weight, and I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it", Joshua 7:21. That corresponds to what may happen in our houses today, to what is hidden there: the result of it is that there is no power in the meeting, and the thing is exposed, brought to light. If God is not helping a meeting, it is because there is something there not right, some evil that is not judged.
Luke 24:4; Acts 1:10,11; Luke 9:29,30
Each of these three passages presents two men, but in three different settings. In Luke 24 two men are at the place of Christ's resurrection; in Acts 1, two men are at the place of His ascension; and in Luke 9, two men are at the place of His glorification.
The incarnation, and Christ's work, His ascension and glorification have in view that men should be found in the realm which He has entered; thus a vast field of enquiry opens up, for this marvellous realm has the saints in view in relation to the counsels of God. This counsel relates to men, for when God created Adam He had Christ in view, because Adam was "the figure of him to come" (Romans 5:14); and it was a question not only of Christ personally but also of the assembly, for Moses says, "Male and female created he them", Genesis 1:27.
When the Lord Jesus became Man, it says, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4), which indicates that angels were not the immediate objects of the light, but that men were in view in the light which was shining. These three passages show that it is not only a matter of men on earth -- they will be blessed, and the knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Indeed, all shall know God from the little one among them unto the great one among them, not in any superficial or temporary way, but this knowledge will be abidingly impressed upon men, truly written in their minds and in their hearts. But these three passages have in mind the heavenly order of man; as it is said, "As we have borne the image of the one made of dust, we shall bear also the image of the heavenly one", 1 Corinthians 15:49. Heaven will therefore be inhabited by men, and they will enter there in the order presented in these passages. First we shall be raised or quickened. In writing to the Corinthians the apostle says, "Behold,
I tell you a mystery: We shall not all fall asleep" (verse 51). Many will fall asleep, that is to say, they will die, but those who will be living when the Lord Jesus comes will be transformed into conformity to His body of glory. Nevertheless there must be a changing for all, for it says, "the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed". Resurrection is particularly emphasised in 1 Corinthians 15, and, beloved brethren, we are all going to have part in the reality of the fact of resurrection. Resurrection is God's victory; "thanks to God, who gives us the victory by our Lord Jesus Christ".
The two men in Luke 24 were witnesses of this great occurrence; no doubt they were angels, but they are not referred to as such, for God presents them as men. He did not bring forward Moses or Elias at the sepulchre, but they were reserved for a higher thought -- that of representing the heavenly saints; they are representative of glorified men having bodies like Christ's body of glory. These two men at the sepulchre are witnesses to the fact that there must be men there, and that they must be 'raised men'. We must take account of their clothing described as "shining raiment", Luke 24:4. When we are raised we shall shine like this, these bodies of humiliation will be transformed into conformity to His body of glory. This does not mean that the shining should not exist now; it should exist; the divine thought is that in our testimony down here we should reflect the radiance of heaven. Alas! that it should not always be so; it should be a matter of exercise to us to "appear as lights in the world", Philippians 2:15. It may not always be true of us now, but it will be true of us for ever when we have received our bodies as raised from among the dead. As raised, we shall be conformed to Christ risen and glorified. The bodies which we shall receive will take character from Christ, not only as risen, but glorified. In John 7:39 we are told that "the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet
been glorified", the Spirit is here as having come from a glorified Christ, and eventually we shall have glorified bodies like Christ's glorified body. He "shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory", Philippians 3:21. But the first great thought, dear brethren, is that which appears in resurrection; either we shall come forth from the grave, if we have entered it, or if living we shall be changed and made like Christ as raised from among the dead.
In the second scripture it is a question of white clothing, the point now being the ascension, and the interval between the ascension and the return of Christ to the world. What should mark this interval is purity, for during this interval we are left in a corrupt world, so it is significant that these two men are in white clothing. The ascension bears upon the testimony down here, because the Lord will return, "This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall thus come in the manner in which ye have beheld him going into heaven", Acts 1:11. The idea of ascension should mark us, for it is to be understood while the assembly is sojourning on earth. It is a question of the manner of His going, and the manner of His return; in other words what marked Christ ought to mark us, and enters into the order of assembly service. That is why it says of the Lord in this chapter, "being assembled with them", the manner of His assembling with them indicating how we ought to assemble. The manner of His assembling and of His going away should be a guide to us in these things, for this reason we should never imitate man's way of doing things. When the Lord Jesus was about to speak of His assembly, He left the Pharisees and went away; then later on He tells His disciples to "see and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6), indicating thus that while we may have separated from people because of evil marking them, we may yet bring away some of their leaven. We might possibly even participate in the
service of God in the assembly in the same way as men carry on their religious services. These two men in white clothing would testify against that, their clothes setting forth purity, and their words indicating an order of things governed by the conduct and ways of Jesus. They do not refer only to His ascension, but to what His disciples saw when they beheld Him going into heaven, so that this order of man, as well as the manner of His going, may characterise the service of God in the interval between the ascension of Christ and His return. Compare 2 Kings 2:9 - 12.
In the third passage in Luke 9, the men appeared "in glory". Do we think about this kind of clothing, dear brethren? How do I appear in the assembly? How shall we appear soon in heaven? Not only shall we have white, shining raiment, but glorious garments. Much could be said about the way in which this glorious raiment is produced today. The contemplation of the glory of the Lord has much to do with it; "we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory", 2 Corinthians 3:18.
We may well ask ourselves, 'How do I enter the meeting-room? How do I sit down there? What is my heart filled with? What is occupying my mind?' These two men were speaking with Jesus. Am I glorious when I rise to speak to the Lord? I shall be made glorious if the Holy Spirit is free to operate in me, and when the love of God fills my heart my countenance will shine. How the Lord loves to look on such faces! On the other hand how grieved He is to see dull, unresponsive faces; the love of God filling my heart as I come into the meeting should make my face shine. These two men were speaking with Jesus; it does not say that Jesus was speaking with them. If I lift up my eyes to speak to Jesus does my face shine? Does it reflect the love produced in my heart by the Holy Spirit given to me? Stephen's face shone like the face of an
angel; that does not mean he was going to be an angel, for in glory we shall be men, but it means that Stephen was reflecting what was in heaven; likewise when the Lord Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven, what expression there was on His face! Not only did He pray or give thanks, but He "lifted up his eyes to heaven", (John 17:1) and this is what God is looking for in the assembly, that we should be able to lift up our eyes and be "all glorious", as is said of the king's daughter in Psalm 45. The Lord Jesus was in glory; "the fashion of his countenance became different", (Luke 9:29) suggesting what He is now, as John says, "as he is", 1 John 3:2. He is all glorious and if we are to come into the assembly to speak to Him, we must also appear "in glory".
These are the thoughts that were before me, dear brethren, and I wish above all to stress the thought of glory attaching to our position as men. The ministry that proceeded from Sinai began with glory, but christianity subsists in glory, and "we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory", 2 Corinthians 3:18. Let us then serve in the assembly in this glorious raiment with the same liberty as Moses and Elias; they spoke with Jesus in glory; the Lord would have us to understand that we can have such freedom in speaking to Him. Why should brothers remain seated in silence in the assembly, and not speak to the Lord? He says, "Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice", Song of Songs 2:14. Why should I refuse Him what He is looking for? He wants us to remember Him at the Supper, but He also is longing that we should speak to Him with faces shining with divine love. May the Lord bless these few thoughts.
Exodus 19:1 - 6; Numbers 11:1 - 3; Deuteronomy 25:17 - 19
In reading these passages I desire to point out the advantages there are in being near to God, and the disaster which overtakes those who hold themselves at a distance. In Psalm 148:14 it says, "He hath lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Hallelujah!" This verse is calculated to make us appreciate nearness to God, to make it attractive to us; "a people near unto him. Hallelujah!" This is what Jehovah had in view when He brought Israel out of Egypt; He said to them, "I have borne you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself", Exodus 19:4. He had not yet brought them into Canaan, but to Himself. He then indicates to them what they were to be, "Then shall ye be my own possession out of all the peoples -- and ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation".
It may be beneficial and exercising to speak for a moment to those who are holding themselves at a distance. We find in this passage in Numbers 11, that there were murmurings from those who were in the extremity of the camp; those who were choosing to occupy a position as far as possible from the divine dwelling. Outwardly they belonged to the camp, but they kept at the extremity of it. This reminds us, dear brethren, that if in our souls we keep at a distance from God and from His dwelling place we shall be inclined to complain. This spirit of complaint is found in such brothers and sisters; whilst those who are near to God and who enjoy assembly privileges do not complain. Those keeping near to God have no reason to complain; there will be no complaints in heaven. Complaints will only arise in our hearts if we keep at a distance from God
and from His dwelling place, such as at the extremity of the camp, at the border of the world, whence our eyes begin to turn towards the world.
God desires that we be near to Himself, and all those who love Him and who are still in the wilderness will keep near Him. When bringing His people out of Egypt, He speaks of those who love Him, He says that He shows "mercy unto thousands of them that love me", Exodus 20:6. There are still lovers of God on the earth, and such will seek to keep themselves near Him, because love hates the distance which separates it from its object. In like manner God hated the distance that existed between Himself and His people in Egypt, so He bore them on eagles' wings and brought them to Himself, desiring to dwell in their midst, and that they should make Him a dwelling place. The cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle; in other words He came to dwell in the habitation that the people had prepared for Him, and from it He spoke to His people and invited them to draw near to Him. They must come with their offerings; that is to say we must approach God having Christ in our hearts; it is through Him we have access by one Spirit to the Father. Thus dwelling with His people in the wilderness, God is sought after by those who love Him; those remaining in the extremity of the camp show no sign of love for God. It may be that we are the Lord's; the saints at Corinth certainly belonged to the Lord, they had the Spirit, but were in danger of being judged with the world, so God had to act towards them as He does towards unconverted people. Likewise we see Eutychus who also was in the upper room, seated at the window, whence he could look outside, to the world, instead of seeing all that was happening inside. God had placed His dwelling in the midst of His people whom He loved, and the love He had for Eutychus should have led him to draw near to Him, and not to look outside towards the world. In this
position that he was occupying by the window, Eutychus was overpowered by deep sleep, and fell from the third storey down to the bottom. This is an example of the danger to which one is exposed who keeps at a distance. Eutychus was not complaining, but he was overpowered by sleep and he fell. In our chapter in Numbers certain ones complained; they were not overcome by sleep, but they were complaining against God, "and the fire of Jehovah burned among them, and consumed some in the extremity of the camp".
It is possible, alas, dear brethren, to be only outwardly near to God, like Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, who offered strange fire. It is the activity of the will in one ministering in the assembly, like it was at Corinth, where believers were behaving wrongly even at the Lord's supper. This is a solemn matter, for the activity of self-will in the assembly is still more serious than it is outside, and may result in one coming under judgment for his wrong conduct in the assembly. However, I am speaking now of persons keeping in the extremity of the camp; they do not typify those who are active in the assembly, but rather those who neglect the meetings, preferring to remain at home rather than make the short journey necessary to be found amongst the saints; remaining at home they pass their time perhaps in worthless reading or in pleasure, or even in bad company. It is almost certain that such persons will be murmurers, and as such will come under the governmental ways of God. Their place in the meeting is empty. God takes account of seats that are empty instead of being filled by those who love Him, and the saints feel these absences too. So we find here that "the fire of Jehovah burned among them, and consumed some in the extremity of the camp". Take care of this, dear young friends, for although we are in the dispensation of grace, it says, "Our God is a consuming fire", Hebrews 12:29. It is not the God of Israel but "our God", the God of those who love Him. It is quite a normal thing for God
to be a consuming fire; nothing purifies better than fire, and those who love God in reality, are thankful for that which purifies. We certainly do not wish that anyone amongst us should be destroyed -- far be the thought! but God is a consuming fire, and we are glad that corruption should be destroyed. The apostle says, "If any one love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha", 1 Corinthians 16:22. There is no compromise with the flesh in the house of God. In the case of Nadab and Abihu there went out fire from before Jehovah and devoured them, because they had offered strange fire, this strange fire being evidence of self-will, and of the work of the enemy behind it. As I have already said, the Corinthians were in danger, through their evil conduct, of being judged with the world. "On this account", Paul says, "many among you are weak and infirm, and a good many are fallen asleep", 1 Corinthians 11:30. He tells them also, "If any one corrupt the temple of God, him shall God destroy", 1 Corinthians 3:17. It can be seen therefore how serious a matter it is that anyone amongst us should remain in the extremity of the camp.
Before returning to Exodus, I would like to speak about those who lagged behind through weakness (Deuteronomy 25:17,18). It says, "Remember what Amalek did unto thee on the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; how he met thee on the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all the feeble that lagged behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God". It is not there a question of self-will showing itself in murmuring, but a state of feebleness in those that lagged behind. We are exhorted to sustain the weak, and to "make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned aside; but that rather it may be healed", Hebrews 12:13. This is the responsibility of those who are strong, who should sustain the weak and not please themselves. However, it is not this side which is occupying us for the moment; I ought to ask myself, why I am weak, why have I to lag behind? Is there not
sufficient good food at my disposal? Or am I in a poor spiritual state of health which does not allow me to assimilate my food and develop a good constitution? Maybe I do not read the Scriptures, or do not meditate, or do not pray, or read the ministry that God places within my reach. In that case the remedy is in my own hands; it is for me then to judge my neglect, to turn to God about it, and to take advantage of the great amount of food that He has put at my disposal. If, on the other hand, I am not well, and I am ill, there is the Great Physician to turn to. The apostles had received power to cure diseases.
I believe the Spirit of God contemplates the possibility of an epidemic spreading amongst the saints; a contagious disease can spread in various localities. There are also instances of disease which is not contagious; but whether one or the other, there is the Great Physician; why not turn to Him? "Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there?" Jeremiah 8:22. Yes, both are there, and this Physician can cure all the various diseases we have just spoken of. The apostle Peter speaks of desiring earnestly "the pure mental milk of the word, that by it ye may grow", 1 Peter 2:2. It is a matter of the mental milk of the word, so that by means of such nourishment I should no longer remain in a state of infancy: instead of weakness, strength would be developed, such as would enable me to contend with the horses and face the Jordan in flood (Jeremiah 12:5). In David's time there were those who crossed the Jordan when it was overflowing its banks, a feat requiring both energy and strength. Why then, dear brethren, are there so many amongst us who lag behind because of weakness? The divine thought is that there should not be a single weak one amongst us. It says here that Amalek "smote the hindmost of thee, all the feeble that lagged behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary". You can see the danger they were exposed to; Amalek smote them. You are so weak in such a case
through lack of food, that the enemy works through the flesh in you and stumbles you; possibly you even cease to be in fellowship with your brethren.
Having looked at the danger there is in keeping at a distance, let us now speak for a moment of the blessings resulting from nearness. It says, "In the third month after the departure of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, the same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai ... and encamped in the wilderness", Exodus 19:1,2. The Spirit of God is thus taking account of the time that has passed, so to speak, from your conversion until now. The children of Israel were so attracted that they entered upon the wilderness. Later on God could say, "I remember for thee the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land not sown", Jeremiah 2:2. The word says, "they departed from Rephidim". Having engaged in the great battle of Rephidim, they are now considered to be warriors of God, and Amalek is powerless. This represents a believer who has discovered that the Holy Spirit has been given through the death of Christ, through His sufferings; not even by His ascension, but by the sufferings of Christ. The Israelites had thirsted, and had murmured, so God commanded Moses to come before Him with the elders of Israel, and with the staff with which he had smitten the river, and said to him, "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock on Horeb; and thou shalt strike the rock, and there shall come water out of it", Exodus 17:6. That refers to the sufferings of Christ in a way calculated to touch us. Jesus has been smitten; the water came out; that is to say, the Spirit was there. So we learn that we can only receive the Spirit through the sufferings of Jesus. In John 7:39 we learn that Jesus must be glorified before the Spirit would come; however, before being glorified He had to suffer. If He had entered into glory without these sufferings, we could not have received the Spirit. It is as we recognise
what we are according to flesh that the Spirit comes, so that the flesh in us might be kept in check. It is thus that the Spirit's coming is presented in this chapter, and so it is possible to obey and do what Jehovah requires in Exodus 19:5,6. Satan working in the flesh was overcome at the battle of Rephidim and the people are now in a normal position. They have departed from Rephidim, Moses having built an altar there; "Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi" (Exodus 17:15), meaning 'Jehovah my banner'. God Himself is our banner. It is a matter of the power of the Spirit of God in us, dear brethren, as we learn in the epistle to the Romans. So we have the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt; their departure from Rephidim, and their arrival in the wilderness of Sinai; they encamped in the wilderness before the mountain. All this is in type for the help of the saints, for God desires to give us as much as possible, so in verses 4 - 6 He makes a proposal to them. Does this not attract us? Can we be content to remain in the extremity of the camp, exposed to Amalek who falls on the hindmost of the people, on the feeble that lag behind? In spite of such a proposal on the part of God, can we do that, we, whom He calls His "own possession" or His "inheritance"? God says, "Jehovah's portion is his people; Jacob the lot of his inheritance", Deuteronomy 32:9. We need the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, so that we should know "what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints", Ephesians 1:18. God is stressing His eternal thoughts concerning us, that we should be near to Him, and responsive to the love that He has manifested in the power of the Spirit whom we have received. In view of all this, He says, "All the earth is mine".
God is bringing out that we are for Him, and therefore He is pleased to take up certain ones to form them so that they may render to Him intelligently the response that He expects. He is saying, so to speak, "I do not
seek yours, but you" (2 Corinthians 12:14); for "Every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle upon a thousand hills", Psalm 50:10. Not only does He want a treasure, but He also wants priests. "You shall be to me a kingdom of priests"; it is here not a matter of the family of one man, but of the whole company of priests, as the New Testament refers to it, "To him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father: to him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages", Revelation 1:5,6. That is the divine thought, dear brethren: we are a holy priesthood and finally a holy nation. National feeling is very active at the present time; there are great nations and small nations, and the great ones are not backward in asserting their greatness, but what is referred to here cannot be found on earth, a holy nation. For us it is more than a holy nation, for we belong to the assembly, and God has made us His sons. "When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, come of woman, come under law, that he might redeem those under law, that we might receive sonship. But because ye are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father", Galatians 4:4 - 6. Thus it is not a question only of a nation, but of a company of sons in the enjoyment of the nearness of this relationship, who are saying, "Abba, Father". Such are the great, blessed and dignified privileges, dear brethren, of those who are in relation with God through redemption, and who in this relationship address Him with the same liberty as He to them. Jesus in Gethsemane said to His Father, "Abba, Father"; so we also in this holy nearness, have the privilege of saying, "Abba, Father".
1 Samuel 30:11 - 35; 2 Kings 4:17 - 37; Genesis 45:21 - 28
The Spirit of God would have us prove the necessity of a living state amongst the saints. Many have light, and in certain circumstances they enjoy the light, but are not truly living. Then there are others who, after having had light, fall into a state of moral death; such are alluded to in Ephesians 5:14, "Wake up, thou that sleepest, and arise up from among the dead". Then there are still others in whom God has commenced a work, but who remain in a state of indecision. I would like to make use of these passages to illustrate these three conditions.
In the first passage read, a young man is referred to who had been associated with the world in opposition to God and His people. He says he is an Egyptian young man, servant of an Amalekite, at war with the people of God. Perhaps amongst my hearers are some young people like that; under the influence of others, serving the flesh; attacking the Cherethites who were serving God. The Amalekites also attacked what belonged to Judah; and Judah speaks of what God gives sovereignly to His people. Doubtless this young man did not personally hate either the Cherethites or Judah, but he represents one who is under the influence of the world and the flesh; he is under the power of the enemy and so speaks evil of God's people and of His sovereign choice. It then states that they attacked the south of Caleb. Now Caleb represents the saints as heavenly; as a young man he was not satisfied with the wilderness, nor did his thoughts return to Egypt, but he was determined to enter upon his heavenly part, and now the Amalekite army, of which this young Egyptian formed part, had attacked his territory. Why attack God's people who are taking possession of their heavenly
inheritance? Why do children of christian families criticise their parents, or their brother and sisters who are not worldly? One sometimes sees this; they do not like to hear heavenly things spoken of; they do not like meetings such as this, and complain about them; that is what this young man did, but he fell sick. Thank God for that illness! He was tired of life. Perhaps there is someone here this afternoon who is beginning to see that there are other things that matter, and beginning to make a difference between the service of God, and the service of the enemy. Beloved brethren, it is our responsibility in each local gathering to seek out such young people. They are perhaps tired of serving the world, so let us be watchful to discover those with such symptoms.
Now David's men found this young Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. It is not said that David found him, it is the privilege of the saints to find such young men or women and bring them to Christ. They brought him to David; that seems to suggest that they were going to pray for him, commending him to the Lord. But it is noticeable that David did nothing to help this man in any direct way, showing what the saints can do in such circumstances. We are told, that they "gave him bread and he ate, and they gave him water to drink"; the saints provide such with whatever they need for strength. Jesus said as to Himself, "The bread of God is he who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world", John 6:33. It is a matter for us to see if we have such bread which could be eaten by a young man like that; it was bread, and he ate. What a victory when a young person gains some thought of Christ. Then it says "they gave him water to drink"; that is to say, something satisfying, for the world could satisfy him no longer. How good to have "water to drink" when one is thirsty.
Then they "gave him a piece of fig-cake and two raisin-cakes, and he ate". Notice that he ate what was
given him, and besides water to drink, he was given a piece of fig-cake -- not separate figs -- speaking of what the saints have in unity and holy love. When such holy unity is manifested amongst us, it is attractive to the young. Figs are particularly sweet, and here they are mingled together, "a cake of figs". You will recall the parable in Judges 9, when the trees asked the fig-tree to reign over them, it refused saying, "Should I leave my sweetness?" The fig-tree continued to bear sweet fruit. Young people love what is sweet, and they need it too. It says of this young man that "his spirit came again to him". How important it is to have such young people amongst us, in our meetings; young people who have been brought to live under the influence of Christ, and who have received carefully chosen food. They come to life, and instead of serving the enemy, they are able to fight him. Through this meal the young man is brought back to life, and comes under David's orders, instead of remaining with the Amalekites, governed by carnal tastes. He is no longer under the authority of Satan, but in principle he is under the direct influence of the Lord Jesus, fighting the good fight.
The second passage read is well known, often being used, very justly, to illustrate the gospel preaching. It should be noticed here that the child was given to his mother without her asking for him. If you will allow it, I will speak of this woman as a figure of a local assembly. She was a wealthy woman; a local gathering like Valence can be spiritually wealthy. She was rich, but she thought of the man of God; that is, of Christ, in type; she spoke of him to her husband, and they built a room for him. This room was occupied only by Elisha; the prophet did not simply live in the house with this woman and her husband. This signifies how Christ may have a place in a believer's house, but not the entire place. The feminine side dominates, it is a question more of the woman than her husband. Things should be in order in the assembly, so we should see
that Christ has His due place. That is what the husband represents here; he had little influence in his house, and if the husband has little influence, it implies that the woman has too much; local gatherings should watch that.
The child is promised, and given; that is to say, there is an addition to the assembly; then the child dies. One day, he went out to his father who was harvesting in the fields. It appears that the father had authority there, although he had little in the house, and the child said, "My head, my head!" His intellect had developed abnormally, in an unbalanced way; the trouble was in his head, and his father could do nothing for him. That does not mean that the Lord can do nothing, but the father was powerless; the state of things existing in the house did not allow the father to have the place due to him, so he sent the child to his mother -- what a poor state of things! -- but neither was she able to do anything. If that continues the meeting will die out; the child died at noon; he died at the very time he should have been most energetic.
However, there is need to take account of a very salutary element in a local gathering; that is, a real knowledge of the man of God. The husband says, "Why wilt thou go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath". Why should he speak of the sabbath when his son was dead? Should we wait until there is a special meeting like this in order to bring a child back to life? Should we not take up the matter immediately? This woman decides she will not allow herself to be dissuaded by her husband and has an ass saddled to enable her to reach the man of God. In such circumstances we must not be wrongly advised. The husband's suggestions are inspired by what is found in general around us; religious duties are only performed on certain feast days, new moon or sabbath; but faith says, 'It must be today, and only the man of God can meet the situation'. She knows where he is and goes to find him immediately. He is on mount Carmel, the place
of victory, and we should get the spirit of this, dear brethren, in order to meet such a situation where a young person dies spiritually. She found the man of God and is resolved not to leave him until he arrives at the house. She had already placed the child on the prophet's bed; he had to be placed, in type, where the Lord lay. The child must be raised with Christ, must be brought under His quickening influence, and he will come out from his grave. It is said that we are "buried with him in baptism, in which ye have been also raised with him through faith of the working of God ... and you ... he has quickened together with him", Colossians 2:12,13. This child is placed, so to speak, where the Lord lay; his mother put him on the prophet's bed.
Elisha is a type of Christ, although as a man he was marked by weakness, which we must not forget for one moment. He sent Gehazi with his staff, which represents his experience, but one may be as old as Methuselah and yet be quite incapable of awaking a child in this state. Experience is not enough, it is a matter of life, and of the power of God. Elisha therefore came himself and went up to the room; the staff had had no effect whatever, the child still had not revived. It is useless for elderly brothers or sisters to come and say ineffectual things, for it is a question of life; the kingdom of God is in power, and the excellence of the power must be of God. The death of Christ is necessary, and the power by which He was raised from among the dead. Elisha therefore "went in and shut the door upon them both, and prayed to Jehovah". There you are, dear brethren, that is what he did first; he closed the door, remaining alone with the child. The dead child is identified with Christ, for if he is to be raised, it is by the power of Christ, and then his progress will be normal. So Elisha "went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands". This young
man must become like Christ, he must breathe, see, and walk like Christ; what a beautiful picture of the work of Christ. Then it is a matter of discernment, as to how the young are getting on; "the flesh of the child grew warm"; a change is taking place, the young person is now beginning to get nearer to the brethren to find some warmth, he is no longer as cold as death.
It then says that the prophet "returned, and walked in the house to and fro" as if to show that all this was the result of the state existing in the house. Death had been caused by what was happening inside the house; it is not a matter only of the young person, but of the influence found amongst the saints. Perhaps there were bad books in the house, for the prophet "walked in the house". The Lord Jesus is seen as walking in the midst of seven golden lamps; He visits every locality, and nothing escapes Him, and if something of this kind exists He will show us its cause. The prophet himself "walked in the house to and fro; and went up and bent over him"; first he lay on the child, then he bent over him, and finally "the lad sneezed seven times, and the lad opened his eyes". If there is some young person here in this state, Christ, represented here by Elisha, is very near to you, to serve you in love. What affection the prophet shows in bending over the child; this should be seen amongst the brethren, an older brother or sister going to a young man or woman and bending over them in love.
He sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. What a wonderful thing to have opened eyes, and opened on Christ! and beloved brethren, that is what the young should be able to see in us! He sneezed seven times; his lungs were getting strong, he was alive. Then the prophet said to Gehazi, "Call this Shunammite"; she represents the local meeting. He said to her, "Take up thy son. And she came and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and she took up her son and went out". Applying this scene spiritually, what a
change there was in the house! This woman is touched, she takes up her son and goes out.
In the last passage read, Jacob is an old man, representative here of a believer who has become marked by weakness; in verse 26, "his heart fainted, for he did not believe them". This passage, as I understand it, refers to young brothers growing in the truth, but whose conduct has not been such as has inspired confidence in them by others; time is needed to overcome such lack of confidence. Jacob's sons had deceived him, and their behaviour to Joseph was cruel toward their father. If such conditions exist between young and old brethren, time is needed for it to be set right. These young men had a marvellous message for their father, and we can say too to our aged brethren that the Lord is giving us marvellous ministry; but if the older ones have no confidence in us, they will not believe us. Jacob's "heart fainted, for he did not believe them". It is a great matter to inspire confidence in our ministry, dear brethren; so we read that "they spoke to him all the words of Joseph, which he had spoken to them". They did not speak of their own thoughts, but they carried the message from Joseph. Is there a believer whose heart would not be touched by the word of Christ? They spoke to him all the words of Joseph. Is your heart hardened? the Lord's message is for you, it is for the elder brothers and sisters here; you must wake up from your spiritual lethargy, in order to be marked by life and to take part with your brethren in the meeting wholeheartedly.
"He saw the waggons that Joseph had sent to carry him". When Christ's word finds a way into your heart you begin to see things; you will see the strength which is able to carry you to the end. These are important things. Joseph had sent the waggons to carry Jacob, and when he saw them, "the spirit of Jacob their father revived". It is touching to see that his spirit revived when he received what corresponds to the ministry
the Lord is giving today, in power, and when he saw the Lord's provision to carry him to the end. "And Israel said, It is enough: Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die". It results in movement towards Christ. What a glorious result! May the Lord bless the word.
2 Kings 4:1 - 7; 1 Samuel 21:3,6 - 9; Luke 24:41 - 43
These scriptures illustrate how, either individually or as a local company, spiritual resources are obtained. Whether individually or collectively, there is a tendency to fail to recognise what we actually possess, and we are too much inclined to look to others, to look much too far away for the help we need. Naturally, whether as individuals or as local companies, we always should wait on the Lord, but, while doing so we should not disregard what He has already given us, what we already possess. It is right to help one another; we are exhorted to bear one another's burdens and the Spirit of God makes us capable of doing so, so we can count on one another.
The gifts that Christ has given from on high are never regarded in Scripture as being local, but are given to the assembly generally. They may be found perhaps in one special locality, but they are given to the assembly viewed in its entirety, at any given moment on earth. A gift found in Australia belongs just as much to the saints all over the world as to those who live in Australia; in the same way, a gift in France belongs to the whole church just as much as to those who are in France. This is important and saves us from making too much of those in our own locality. The brothers to whom the Lord has entrusted gift belong to the assembly, as Paul says, "All things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas ... all are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's", 1 Corinthians 3:22,23.
Our position, dear brethren, is in relation to God, which saves us from local or national feeling, but this also shows us that we can seek help outside of our own locality, because the gifts belong to us. Nevertheless,
we need to value rightly what each may have received from the Lord; that is, what he possesses in himself.
In the first passage read, Elisha asks the woman, "Tell me, what hast thou in the house?" If I speak to the Lord about what I already possess, He will teach me how to make use of it. This widow was in great distress. "The creditor is come to take my two children to be bondmen"; she could not meet her responsibilities. Romans teaches that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who do not walk according to flesh, but according to Spirit (Romans 8:4), yet this woman was unable to meet the just demands of the creditor. We all owe something; it says, "Owe no one anything, unless to love one another", Romans 13:8. We ought to love one another and are thus always indebted to the saints. If I find that I cannot love the saints I should be concerned about it. This woman felt it and cried saying, "The creditor is come to take my two children to be bondmen", and Elisha replied, "Tell me, what hast thou in the house?"
If a young believer feels he does not love the brethren, or that he is not serving them in love, and he comes to tell me about it, I would tell him to tell the Lord about it; that is what he should do. In a certain sense, Elisha here represents the Lord. What does he say? Does he offer the woman money to pay her debts? No; but why not? If such an one prayed, the Lord would say, 'Have you not received the Spirit?' Elisha said, "Tell me, what hast thou in the house?" Elisha can be considered here as a type of Christ; He has unsearchable riches. There is no limit to the resources at His disposal, yet He says, 'You have got something too; I have given it to you; what are you doing with what I have already given to you?' The woman replied, "Thy handmaid has not anything at all in the house but a pot of oil". She said, "Not anything at all", that was what filled her mind, but is a pot of oil not anything at all? It speaks typically of the Spirit of God; the fact that it
was in a pot shows the small place it had in the mind and heart of this woman. According to the New Testament believers are to be filled with the Spirit, but she was not, she had only a pot, apparently a small receptacle; in other words, she did not place much value on the oil nor had she thought of making use of it. Why not give it to the creditor? It had some value, showing that it represented the Spirit of God; if we make room for Him we shall then be able to meet all our obligations. The fact is, dear brethren, we are too much inclined to think of the Spirit in a theoretical way, and perhaps do not allow Him much place. According to Romans 8, if I have the Spirit, I am no longer in flesh, but in Spirit, so it is important to make room for Him.
As we have already noticed in our readings, the Spirit of God is a divine Person who, in grace, is pleased to indwell believers: "Ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise", Ephesians 1:13. Again, Paul says, "He that establishes us with you in Christ ... is God, who also has sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts", 2 Corinthians 1:21,22. God has given the Spirit in our hearts, and He sheds God's love there, introducing into our hearts something very precious, the love of God. As a result of His presence in my heart, I love God, and "All things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28); moreover, I love the brethren. These are the general features characteristic of the Spirit, and we all should take account of them, and make room for Him. This is just what the prophet said to her, verse 3: "Go, borrow for thyself vessels abroad from all thy neighbours, empty vessels; let it not be few; and go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels, and set aside what is full". Beloved brethren, we must understand spiritually what is seen here figuratively. When the prophet suggests borrowing vessels, he is suggesting that you and I must make room for the Spirit in ourselves; then "set aside what is full".
You will recall the teaching of John 2, in connection with the vessels which had to be filled with water. There is the way it should be filled; a vessel may be half, or three-quarters, or completely filled. Christ was always full of the Holy Spirit, but with us there are varying measures. It is important to see that I am at any rate partly filled; the prophet says, "Set aside what is full", what is put aside is full. The servants in John 2 filled the vessels to the brim, which should be the end in view, but a beginning must be made, and immediately the vessel is filled, it is put aside.
The passage continues, "And she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons: they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out. And it came to pass when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said to her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed". You see, dear brethren, that she shut the door, suggesting that she discussed the matter with nobody; she went to carry out the order the Lord had given. How precious it us to feel that one has exactly carried out the Lord's commandment. It is now a matter of continuing to fill; each vessel she filled impressed her with this thought of filling; let us think of it too, specially the younger ones. A marvellous result will be reached in my soul, I shall be spiritually rich; I have great hopes and I have in my possession the means of acquiring these riches. While this woman was filling the vessels one after the other, she would be thoroughly impressed with this thought, and the vessels, being filled one after the other, suggest that gradually I am reaching the end the Lord has in view for me. Her two sons are simply assistants; she had to carry out the service herself, they are not servants, but sons, suggesting in this way free persons that I can use, as liberty is in view here. I close the door on legal thoughts, sons being in harmony with what is being done. I am therefore perfectly free to carry out the work; the vessels are brought to me one after the other
by the sons, and I fill them; continue filling them, as the thought of filling has so impressed my mind.
The woman says to her son, "Bring me yet a vessel. And he said to her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed". Note specially that all the vessels were full; there must be none empty, they must be filled with the Spirit. Then in verse 7, we read that "she came and told the man of God and he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons on the rest". The sale of the oil is in view of my obtaining what I need, but its spiritual significance is that I must make use of the oil. In selling it I obtain a good price, so that it becomes a kind of currency. I can pay this one and that one, I can pay all my creditors. I must pay the brethren, I must love them and I can do it; the money is simply a figure of something of which I can conveniently make use. Then while doing that, while paying my debts, my living is assured. "Live thou and thy sons on the rest", not just for a day, nor for a year, but simply "live"; it is unlimited. I shall never again be in such a strait; my sons were about to become slaves; my members will never again be in bondage to sin, but I am free to serve God. My members, which the sons typify here, are yielded as instruments of righteousness to God and all the time I can live; it is life to serve God; to serve the brethren. To serve God, and to serve one another in love, is the most blessed of services.
You can now see how each individual believer can be enriched spiritually as knowing how to profit by the Holy Spirit which has been given to him. We need teaching for this, and it is given to us concerning this great subject in the epistle to the Romans.
The second part of my subject is found in the book of Samuel, and I will speak briefly of it. This chapter deals with David's rejection by Saul, which is a type of the period of Christ's rejection; a period when critical situations arise. We see how the priests of God should be ready to meet need, so here it says that David came
to Abimelech the priest, and in this case food was lacking. David here represents not only a rejected Christ, but also a priest, and from this time onward in his history we can see the priestly state developing in him. This state may be weak, as it is today, specially in young believers. In speaking of David in this way I am referring to chapter 23 where, although not of the priestly family, he enquired of Jehovah. So if he represents priestly features in a young believer it is obvious that such should have priestly food. So I would raise the question concerning brothers who take up priestly service; do they have priestly food? So we see that the saints are expected to have bread; I am responsible to have such a provision. In this city of Nob, David asks, "What is under thy hand? give me five loaves in my hand, or what may be found". There is only holy bread, the priests' food, there. I wonder if, in this locality, or in the localities represented here, we feed on Christ as Man. It is priestly food, what Christ is as Man before God. It is not manna here, which is indeed food for believers, but food for priests, as it says. The priest "gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the shew-loaves that were taken from before Jehovah, to put on hot bread in the day when they were taken away".
David then said to Abimelech, "And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, for the king's business was urgent. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of terebinths, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here". Here is another need, dear brethren; not only must we have food for the priests, but also weapons to defend the truth. Have we always that too in our respective localities? The truth must be defended by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The priest says, 'We have
a sword here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod'. The sword was there certainly, but wrapped up; nobody was using it. It was no ordinary sword, it was Goliath's, typical of death. Satan makes use of death to keep the people of God in bondage, "those who through fear of death through the whole of their life were subject to bondage", Hebrews 2:15. But the power of Satan has been annulled, and we read, "that through death he might annul him who has the might of death", Hebrews 2:14. The death of Christ involves that of the believer, and a believer applies it to himself: "Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth", Colossians 3:5.
This famous sword was wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod, it was not in use. It is as though the truth is wrapped in creeds without being used; what is the use of having a thing without making use of it? David says, "There is none like that: give it me". He could make use of it; it is the language of faith. If I understand that death has been annulled, taken out of the enemy's hands, what a victory that is. I am no longer afraid of it. "If, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live", Romans 8:13.
I will close, dear brethren, with this thought from Luke's gospel. The Lord Jesus when He was raised from the dead, came to His own as assembled. "He himself stood in their midst". This meeting at Jerusalem is representative of any gathering of saints, so then we see the Lord comes to us. We have already spoken of this in our readings. "I will not leave you orphans, I am coming to you", but when He comes He asks, "Have ye anything here to eat?" -- a very searching question for each local gathering. We may think perhaps that it is more a matter of what He has for us, but He asks, "Have ye anything here to eat?" David asked the priest at Nob to give him bread, but the Lord does not specify any particular food, but asks, "Have ye anything here to eat?" If the Lord asks us this we must take care how we answer Him; there may
be many things we are eating, which we should not be able before the Lord to admit was food. If we looked into the houses of the saints -- no matter where -- we should doubtless find many things being 'eaten', which we should not care to speak about to the Lord. Would you not feel ashamed to tell the Lord that you were feeding on magazines, newspapers or novels?
The disciples gave Him "part of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb; and he took it and ate before them". It seems that the disciples were quite sure that such food would please Him; they offered Him this piece of fish and some honey without hesitation, and He took it and ate before them. It is beautiful, dear brethren, how the Lord made this request and how they had something to give Him with such confidence. The Lord neither criticises nor complains, He simply ate it, removing all doubt, since He ate before them.
That is all I have to say. I trust you will understand the thought presented in these three passages; to know how spiritual resources can be acquired by an individual believer, or by a local gathering.
Luke 8:26 - 56
I have read this long passage having in mind to speak of assembly material as it is referred to in this chapter in a man, in a woman and in a child. Those who accept the gospel become assembly material. The gospel of the grace of God has in view the deliverance of man from the power of Satan, from the world, from sin and from death; but what God has before Him in thus saving man is to form the assembly.
In the epistle to the Corinthians, God addresses a company of christians in that city as "the assembly of God". It was composed of men and women, and doubtless young people too, who had been converted through Paul's ministry; they formed therefore what is termed, "the assembly of God which is in Corinth". Before they were converted, the Lord had said to Paul, "Fear not ... because I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:9,10); at an opportune moment, these people were called by the gospel, so that they are qualified to be "called saints". God's call reached them in the gospel, and they left the world, and as having the Spirit were constituted an assembly: "the assembly of God which is in Corinth". Although only a few members of the assembly may be available to God, there is here in Marseilles the assembly of God.
It should be noticed that it is a matter first of a man who had demons; then, of a woman who had a flux of blood for twelve years, and lastly of a young girl of twelve who was dead. The three cases can be referred to as three features in a believer, or in a wider way, as three features marking a local assembly.
In the man, "sitting, clothed and sensible, at the feet of Jesus", we see the result of the gracious service of Christ: he would represent the side of authority in a local assembly. It says that he was "sitting, clothed and sensible, at the feet of Jesus"; these are important
features to be found in a local company, and the presence of such a company in a wicked city is a marvellous triumph of God. The area referred to here is called elsewhere Decapolis, showing that it was characterised by the number of its cities, Decapolis meaning 'ten cities'. Beloved brethren, the present period is characterised by the multitudes of cities. Cities have existed in the world since the time of Cain, but at no period in the history of the world have there been as many cities as there are now; they indicate growth and concentration of wickedness. In this passage, the wickedness is viewed as acting specially upon the men, and, of course, it acts also upon women and children. Modern cities would hold little of interest for man according to flesh were it not for the amusements and attractions, often too shameful to describe, which are found there. It is, therefore, significant that Luke represents this man as coming "out of the city ... who had demons a long time, and put on no clothes, and did not abide in a house, but in the tombs".
Quite recently a brother told me that in his country the idea of a home did not exist; this reminded me how in the world the idea of a home is being abandoned. The enemy is seeking to break up the home circle, and is doing so universally. Concurrent with that is to be seen the power of Satan acting against the young, for there is no protection for them. A home is intended to be a protection for the young; God has conferred authority upon parents, and the object of such authority is to protect the young, specially in towns, and to save them from the terrible conditions existing there.
It says that this man "had demons a long time"; I do not suggest that anyone in this town has demons. The light of christianity which has spread over Europe has broken the power of demons in this way, but their power is still to be found in heathen countries. That does not imply that Satan has no power; he has; there are persons who have been in his power for a long time.
Very likely this was a young man who had left his home, despising the authority of his parents, and had no protection. He went where he would, wherever Satan led him, hence it says that he "had demons a long time". It adds that he "put on no clothes", which is a feature of modern times. The world is marked by a certain lack of modesty in dress and in behaviour. Satan delights in this, but God is dishonoured, for He made clothing for Adam and Eve when they were naked; He hates nakedness. This man was naked; he "put on no clothes", showing the kind of man he was. How had he acquired such features? He had given up the authority God had set up for his protection. He "did not abide in a house", in other words, he was uncontrollable, hence his terrible state. Now it says in a very significant way that he came to meet the Lord: "As he got out of the ship on the land, a certain man out of the city met him". Verbal distinctions are often very important in Scripture. It might be said with accuracy that the Lord met him, but the Spirit of God says that he met the Lord, and this is attributed to the man. In this connection I would say that often people come to meetings as though they have little or no interest, coming because a friend has invited them, but in doing so they come to where the Lord is. What a favourable position, dear brethren!
This man usually lived in the tombs. What a contrast between living in a tomb and coming to the meeting amongst the children of God! They do not live in tombs, they are living people. We do not go to tombs to look for living people, as the angels said to the women, "Why seek ye the living one among the dead", Luke 24:5. This man lived among the dead. In Proverbs 9:15 - 18, the foolish woman calls "passers-by who go right on their ways: Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither. And to him that is void of understanding she saith, Stolen waters are sweet, and the bread of secrecy is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; that her guests are in the depths of Sheol". That is
where this man was living; what a terrible state of things, dear young brethren! But he met the Lord. How often he must have thanked the Lord for this event! It may be that some of you here have tonight come in by invitation, and in doing so you will meet the Lord Jesus; He is here to help you. You may not have come seeking help, but He is here to help you. It is noticeable that when this man saw Jesus, "he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus Son of the Most High God? I beseech thee torment me not. For he had commanded the unclean spirit to go out from the man". It was really the demon speaking; so terrible was his condition that the demon spoke through him. It was an abnormal condition; a demon had actual control of him. But the Lord had commanded the unclean spirit to go out of the man, and it may be that the Lord is uttering a commandment this evening as to some of us here. You have behaved badly, having come under the power of sin, but you have met the Lord here this evening, and it may be that He is ordering this state of things to end for ever. Do I feel my state? Am I judging it? If so, I shall be thankful for His command. We must not dwell longer on this passage, but, as we all know, the demons go out of the man, and the people of the country "found the man ... sitting, clothed and sensible, at the feet of Jesus". What a marvellous change! What a triumph for God! What a deliverance for this man! Sitting at the feet of Jesus, never again will he be seen with no clothes, he is clothed and sensible.
That is the first of these three features, and I would add that a sober and balanced mind is of great value for the assembly. As I said earlier, the man represents the side of intelligent authority in the assembly. Authority must be maintained in the assembly, and this can only be as we have sober and balanced minds and sit at the feet of Jesus. This man would make an excellent brother, and Mary of Bethany an excellentWATER OF PURIFICATION (2)
WATER OF PURIFICATION (3)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PRESENTED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL (1)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PRESENTED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL (2)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PRESENTED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL (3)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PRESENTED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL (4)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PRESENTED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL (5)
THE LORD'S SUPPER AND THE SERVICE OF GOD IN THE ASSEMBLY
THE PASSOVER AND THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
FELLOWSHIP
TWO MEN
NEARNESS TO GOD
RETURN TO LIFE
HOW SPIRITUAL RESOURCES ARE OBTAINED
ASSEMBLY MATERIAL