In these scriptures I have read there is something very solemn for our consideration, and yet there is blessed encouragement—the Lord's encouragement, and we do well to thank God for all His grace and mercy to us, and take courage.
The scriptures show us that it is becoming in a day of gloom, when everything seems against us, when everything wears a dark aspect, to do as David did at Ziklag: he encouraged himself in the Lord his God. His followers who had left everything, and for love of him shared his rejection, were now ready to stone him, and he was shut up to the Lord.
This was one way in which David was a man after God's own heart—he ever turned to the Lord. When his guilt was so great that no provision of the law in the dispensation in which he lived would meet his case, he cast himself upon the multitude of God's tender mercies. Never distrust the love of Christ, but ever turn to Him, and you will be after God's own heart.
We were reminded to-day of the prayer of Epaphras. I think he had been greatly used of the Lord at Colosse, but had been neglected; yet he loved them, as Paul loved the Corinthians, and could say, though the more abundantly, I love you, the less I be loved. And that is just the liberty we have down here—by love to serve one another; not to be looking every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. How deeply interested we ought to be in the things of Christ! May our hearts go out in prayer for all the church, every day!
The character of Epaphras' prayer is well worth notice; he agonized for them, and desired that they might stand perfect and complete—in all the will of God. The service of prayer is open to every brother and sister. If we were subject and obedient in nine-tenths and doing our own will in the other tenth, can we say that we are doing His will at all? Some take the law as a rule of life, but what is God's standard for His beloved children? Himself. Far beyond the claims of the law. “Be ye therefore imitators of God as beloved children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.”
It is sweet to realize, however much we fail, there is never any failure in the Head of the body; the members may sadly fail, but not the Head. And the body will be complete in glory, for the Lord would not be satisfied to be in the glory and leave one member out.
This time the Lord calls a day— “In that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you” —a day that extends from Pentecost to the Rapture, and is characterized by the presence of the Holy Ghost on earth. We who are indwelt by the Holy Ghost are one Spirit with the Lord: we are joined to Him, are members of Him as Head, and of each other.
These scriptures, in picture, bring before us the grace of God in beginning to form the church, and our blessed privileges and responsibilities up to the very end. These two chapters in John are brimful of precious truth. It is not often we get dispensational pictures in John, but there are some-; and here we get first the portion of the church, and afterward that of the remnant; and the Lord showing the wonderful superiority of the place we are in.
You will remember that Thomas who represents the Jewish remnant, said, “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.” He was not present on the first occasion when we get a picture of the church, but the Lord appeared again the next first day of the week, and Thomas was there; so the Lord said to him, “Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithless, but believing.” Thomas was at once convinced and said, “My Lord and my God.” Then Jesus said to him, “Thomas because thou hast seen me thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” They will look on Him, by and by, and mourn: real repentance will be wrought in them. The Lord does not say “Blessed Thomas,” but blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. That is characteristic of the present time. “Whom not having seen ye love, in Whom though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
On this evening of the resurrection day the disciples were assembled, the doors being shut for fear of the Jews. They knew what the Jews had done to their Master, and He had told them “If they have persecuted me they will also persecute you,” so they were a trembling, fearful, company. There they were, not knowing what was going to transpire—a gloomy prospect for them. But Jesus knew all about them: all about their sorrows and fears, and knew the gladness it would bring to their hearts to have Him in their midst. So, “the same day at evening... came Jesus.” Jesus, the sweetest name in heaven and earth. There is no name or love like His, our safe, unfailing Friend.
“Earthly friends may fail or leave us;
One day soothe, the next day grieve us;
But this Friend will ne'er deceive us;
Oh, how He loves!”
His love never changes, and in Him we have an infinite ocean of blessedness that is never diminished. A little drop of which is enough to snake our cup run over! This Jesus is the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever—the blessed One Who loved His own and loved them to the end, Who had died for them, Who had gone through all the woes of Calvary for them, and had exhausted all the wrath of God for them! In the type the fire consumed the sacrifice, in the Anti-type the sacrifice exhausted the fire but the love is not changed, that remains undiminished, and when we are in the glory the Lord will not love us more than He does now.
It rejoices our hearts to think there is no place He likes so well as in the midst of His redeemed. In John 18:22And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples. (John 18:2)—How did Judas know the place? The Spirit tells us “Jesus oft-times resorted thither with His disciples.” He loved to have them all to Himself, and it is the same Jesus, the unchanging One up in the glory, yet with us here; He cannot give up that place. It is the joy of His heart to be the center of His saints. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst.” How much there is contained in that verse. Where two or three, divine limit; are gathered (not “meeting"), divine separation; to My name, divine authority; there am I, divine presence; in the midst, divine center.
What a delightful thing I we might have been left in some human religious system, but God has brought us to Christ's name, and we have everything in Him. Will He be satisfied in the glory without occupying the same place? Not at all. In John 17 He expresses His will once. Unbosoming Himself to His Father, we are allowed to hear, and He says “Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” He will have us all around Himself. How blessed! the same Jesus Who gathered them around Himself on the Mount of Olives, the same One Who came into their midst when gathered on the first day of the week. But if unchanging He changes everything for them. Here in verse 20 is the living, loving, triumphant Lord Jesus, the center of the company, occupying the place He loves so well. If this were better understood how we should have more at the meeting—knowing that it gives Him joy to have us there. He said, “Peace be unto you.” I don't believe it was just an ordinary salutation. He had made peace, by the blood of His cross, and brought that peace to them. “And He showed them His hands and His side” —the tokens of His passion, telling of a love that was strong as death, which many waters could not quench, though deep did call unto deep at the noise of Jehovah's water spouts, and all His waves and billows passed over His holy soul! How much we owe Him, and what a sense of indebtedness should possess our souls! How much there is to draw out our souls to Him in praise and worship!
(To be continued)