We may have observed in John's Gospel the zealous and decided way in which the Lord Jesus sets aside all honor which man might bring to Him, in order that He may establish the grace of God, or the love of the Father, to poor sinners. In that Gospel, He shines in the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father, as full of grace; and He will not shine in any other glory. Men may propose to honor Him as a Teacher of heavenly secrets, as a Doer of wonders, as One suited to be great in the world, as a Judge or as a King; but He sets all aside with marked and indignant earnestness, and will be received only as the witness of the Father, the minister of grace to sinners.
This gives character to the Lord's way in the Gospel by John.
In a corresponding way, we may see how zealously, so to speak, all through Scripture, God sets aside all that would stand as in company with Christ to share His place with Him, (and, still more, all that would dare or affect to displace Him,) that He may fix and I establish Him as His one great ordinance.
There is, let me say, a very blessed correspondency between these two things. In John's Gospel, or during His ministry here among us, Christ the Son is zealous in hiding Himself, that the grace of God, the secret of the bosom of the Father, may appear: and God, at all times, during the different dispensations, is zealous that CHRIST, and CHRIST ONLY, should be accepted and honored as His own one great ordinance.
Of this latter truth, I would notice some striking pledges and witnesses, as we pass down the current of Scripture.
Nadab and Abihu, with bold and infidel daring, set aside the fire which had come down from heaven. That fire, symbolically, expressed the acceptance of the services of Aaron, and was, in this way, the seal which God was putting upon Christ and His work; for He is the true Aaron and the true Victim, the Priest and the Sacrifice for God.
The hand of God awfully and peremptorily judges this sin, by slaying them on the spot. Penal fire avenged the strange fire which had displaced the fire which had borne witness to Christ. This is full of meaning. (See Lev. 10)
Moses and Aaron exposed themselves in like manner, though not indeed in like measure. They trespassed against the Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. It was not in the spirit of infidel daring, like Nadab and Abihu. No indeed. Far otherwise. It was, through sudden temptation, under the provoking of the people. But still they did dishonor God's great ordinance at the water of Meribah. They did not sanctify God in using the rod with the Rock, according to the divine word. Moses spake unadvisedly with his lips. He trespassed against the Rock which followed Israel, and that Rock was Christ; and that is enough. He and Aaron are judged for this sin. They are told that they shall not bring the people into the land -a judgment which is never repented of. God is not to be moved from avenging the wrongs of Christ upon His choicest servants, be they who they may, even a Moses and an Aaron. The judgment was pronounced on the spot, and maintained till it was executed to the -very letter. There was a great moral distance, I know, and, as I have already said, between the offense of Nadab and his brother, and that of Moses and his brother. The haste and unadvisedness of the latter are surely not to be condemned, as the bold, infidel insult of the former. But still, God avenged the controversy of Christ upon each and all of them. (See Num. 20). When we come to New Testament times, we find the same jealousy touching the honors of the Christ in the mind of God. In ignorance, as not knowing what he said, or not knowing any better, Peter, on the holy hill, proposed to give equal place to Moses, Elias, and Jesus. But "the excellent glory" could not be silent then. The honor of Christ is not to suffer at the hand of any one. It may be but ignorance, and not unadvisedness, as with Moses; or infidel presumption, as with Nadab-it may be neither scorn nor temper, but only from want of knowing better. Still, God's hand or God's voice will be ready to avenge the dishonor of His Christ. The voice from the excellent glory lets Peter know that " the Beloved Son" alone is to be heard. (See Luke 9)
Then, what God thus, by hand or voice, began to do in this matter, the Spirit in His vessels continues to do. God in the excellent glory, the Holy Ghost in His vessels, and, I may add, every saint, are one in this zeal and jealousy.
The disciples of John Baptist were somewhat moved by the multitude seeming to pass by their master for the younger Jesus. They resent this-as Joshua, ages before, had done in the cause of his master Moses, when Eldad and Medad began their prophesying. But John, in all gentleness, and yet in all decisiveness, answers this. As in the name of all the prophets, as standing at the end of the line of them, and uttering their mind, he hides himself, that Christ alone may be seen and heard. " A man can receive nothing except it be given him from above"-" He must increase, I decrease," he says, replying to the words of His disciples. Though but a vessel of the Spirit, though but an Elias, he speaks the language of the excellent glory on the holy hill. The voice of God there called away Moses and the prophets from the eye and from the ear of Peter; so here, John's word withdraws himself and all his fellow-servants, the Bridegroom's friends, from the eye and ear of his disciples, (and indeed from all beside,) that the same " Beloved Son" may alone be known Or thought of. " John" and " the excellent glory" have, in this way, the same mind about Jesus the Christ, God's great ordinance. (See John 3) This is all consistent, and all blessed. The glory as on high, and the Spirit in His vessels here, are agreeing together to give all honor to the Son.
After John, we listen to the epistles; each of them, in its way, does this same service. It is jealous over Christ, careful to maintain His place and honors for Him alone. But in that to the Hebrews, we see this purpose prevailing in the mind of the Spirit throughout; I may say, it gives its character to that epistle.
That epistle is a setting aside one thing after another, in order to leave the Lord Jesus, the Christ, God's great ordinance, only before us; and having brought him in, to keep Him there; and each thing, as it comes up, is set aside with a strong, decided hand, as in ancient days, the days of Nadab and Abihu, or of Moses and Aaron.
Angels are first withdrawn from our sight, and He, who has obtained a more excellent name than they, is brought in; and this, too, upon the authority of scripture after scripture. (Chapter 1;2)
Moses is then set aside, as but a servant in the house of another, and He, Jesus the Christ, the Son, is brought in as lord over His own house. (Chapter 3)
Joshua is to give place, as one who gave Israel no rest, while Jesus, the true Joshua, is revealed as giving God's own rest to us. (Chapter 4)
Aaron, the priest, is then shown as yielding to Christ, the true Melchisedek, the Priest in the power of an endless life. (Chapter 5-7)
The old covenant vanishes before that covenant of which Christ is the Mediator, and which abides now forever. (Chapter 8)
The sanctuary under the law is taken down, and the better and more perfect one, where Christ serves, is raised in the stead of it. (Chapter 9)
The victim provided for the altar by the law is slain no more, and the one sacrifice of Christ is established in its efficacy forever. (Chapter 10)
Thus, God's great ordinance is set in. its place. Christ is brought in, and all, one after another, have to go out. Angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron, the old covenant, the first tabernacle, the legal sacrifices, are made to leave the scene, that He and He alone may fill it, and being brought in, after this manner, by the Spirit, Christ is set before us forever-as we read just at the end of the epistle, " Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever."
All is thus in earnest and consistent jealousy around Jesus, from first to last. The hand of God avenging, the voice of the Father rebuking, the Spirit in His living vessels or in His written oracles renouncing, all slight upon Him, the Christ of God, God's one great ordinance.
And what has thus been done by the divine hand and voice, and by the Holy Ghost in His authorized authoritative ministers, is still done, and that every day and all the earth over, by all elect, and ransomed sinners. The faith of the saint is one, with all beside, in this jealousy.
Paul, as a saint, will say, as Paul, as an inspired teacher, will teach, " God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." And again, " Christ is all." John will say, with intense jealousy watching over the name of Jesus, " if there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed." This jealousy touching Him, this glorying only in Him, is the common instinctive property of every renewed mind, the inwrought, and thus, indeed, the natural sense and judgment of every saved soul.
What harmonies are these! Harmonies of heaven and of earth, of all times and dispensations, of the excellent glory and of poor earthen vessels! And the harmonies that utter the song or form the music, take for their subject a theme of loftiest conception, and of most precious and joyous meaning-the glory and worth of the Lord Jesus, the Christ of God, who is to know no one to emulate Him throughout the eternal ages.