Now my eye rests on Jesus: I find the Lord from heaven a Man.
Do I look at myself? At all around? What do I see? Enough to break my heart, if there be a heart to be broken. But a rest is here! A Man who satisfied God—this blessed Man on earth, in the presence of God, looking to God, and an object of God! Not Messiah purging His floor, but Him in whom God’s thoughts are all folded up—not man perishing before the moth, but Jesus the Son of Man, not merely coming down from Abraham and David, “which was the son of Adam, which was the Son of God” (Luke 3:21, 22, 3821Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Luke 3:21‑22)
38Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. (Luke 3:38)). “The second Man, the last Adam, the quickening Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:4545And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)).
What a relief; for what is man? What is one’s self when the heart’s sin is known—giving up God for an apple from the beginning hitherto! But now a Man, a blessed Man appears, and praying. The dependent Man: for dependence is the essence of a perfect man. Truly we see God shining all through, but yet in Jesus the dependent Man, in the place and condition of perfectness as man.
The root of sin in us is self-will, independence. Here my heart has rest. A dependent Man in the midst of sorrow, but perfectly with God in all; in humiliation or in glory, it makes no difference as to this; the perfect is ever the dependent one.
And when that blessed heart thus expressed its dependence, did He get no answer? “The heavens opened.” Does heaven open thus on me? It is open to me, no doubt, but I pray because it is open; It opened because He prayed. I come and look up because the heavens were opened on Him.
It is indeed a lovely picture of grace, and we may be bold to say that the Father loved to look down, in the midst of all sin, on His beloved Son (John 8:2929And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29)). Nothing but what was divine could thus awaken God’s heart; and yet it was the lowly perfect Man. He takes not the place of His eternal glory as Creator, the Son of God—He stoops and is baptized. He says, “In Thee do I put My trust, Thou art My Lord” (Psa. 163I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. (Psalm 18:3)), and the Holy Ghost descends like a dove on Him—fit emblem of that spotless Man!—fit resting place for the Spirit in the deluge of this world. And how sweet, too, that Jesus is pointed out to us as God’s object.
I know the way the Father feels about Him. I am made His intimate, and admitted to hear Him expressing His affection for His Son, to see the links reformed between God and man.
Thus I get rest, and my heart finds communion with God in His beloved Son. It is only the believer who enjoys it, but the link is there. And if I find that in and about me which distresses the soul, I have that in Him which is unfailing joy and comfort. With Him let heaven and earth be turned upside down, and still I have rest. What blessedness for the heart to have the Object God Himself is occupied with!