The nearness to Himself to which the Lord invites the soul—the intimacy with which He invests the heart of a believing sinner, it is most blessed for us to know. He does not deal with us in the style of a patron or benefactor: the world is full of that principle. " They that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors." Luke 22:2525And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. (Luke 22:25). Man will be ready enough to confer benefits in the character of a benefactor or patron, occupying all the while the distant place of both conscious and confessed superiority, but this is not Jesus-He can say, "Not as the world giveth give I unto you. "-He brings His dependent one very near to Him, He lets him know and feel that He is dealing with him as a kinsman rather than as a patron. But that makes all the difference in the world. I am bold to say that heaven depends upon this difference. The expected heaven of the soul, and which in spirit it tastes now, depends on the Lord Jesus not acting with us on the principle of a patron, heaven would then be only a well-ordered world of human principles and benevolences, and what a thing that would be I Is. it the condescendings of a great one that we see in Christ?-" I am among you as one that serveth," says He. Is it the distant and courtly benevolence of a superior that we receive from Him? " The glory which Thou gavest Me, I have given them," is not of that kind. He is, it is eternally true " Master and Lord," and He would have us know Him such, but He sits at our table with us; as of old He could command Moses to take off his shoes in His presence, but speak to him face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.
And was it not thus to perfection in the days of His flesh on earth? Every case, I may say, tells us so-it was never the style of a mere benefactor, the distance and elevation of a patron, " He bore our sicknesses, and carried our sorrows." Just look at Him at Jacob's well. A woman was there who had the most exalted thoughts of Him. " I know that Messias cometh, who is called Christ; when He is come, He will tell us all things." -This was her high and just sense of the Messiah, not knowing that He to whom she was thus speaking face to face, could say immediately in answer to her, "I that speak unto thee am He." But where was He, the exalted Christ all this time? Sitting on one stone with her, talking with her as they had met together by the side of a well, and where (in order to give her entire ease in His presence) He had asked her for a drink of water-was this patronage after the manner of men? Was this the distance and condescension of a superior? Was this heaven or the world, man or God? Condescension, or the world, will confer what favor you please, but will have the elevation of a superior, and the reserve of a dependent kept and honored. But heaven, or love, acts not thus. Blessed, blessed, be God, Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, was kinsman to them He befriended, and as a kinsman He acted, and not as a patron. He seeks to bring us near-to invest our hearts with ease and confidence. He visits us, nay, He comes to us upon our invitation, as He went and dwelt two days with the Samaritans who came out and sought His company at the report of the woman of the well. He asks a favor from' our hand, that we may take a favor from His without reserve-He will drink out of our pitcher while opening His eternal fountains for us, and eat of our kid at the tent door, while revealing eternal secrets to us. (Gen. 18. John 4)
And so it was (as another once observed) after He rose from the dead-He meets His disciples at the table again, gets the dinner ready for them, but tells them to help him to load the board. All this being. still the way of love, and of heaven. He has now done with His sorrow and His humiliation in the world, it is true, but He has not done with this essential way of love-He is still the kinsman and not the patron. (John 21:8-148And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. (John 21:8‑14).)