Life is a sacred thing. It belongs to God. Man lost it at the beginning, and it then turned to God: so that, when now enjoyed, it is received from God. Adam, as soon as he lost it, was taught to know that he could never of himself regain it. Cherubim, with flaming sword, were set at the gate of the garden, to keep every way the way of the tree of life. He might, and he did receive it, through the Word of Truth, the promise of God, the gospel of a bruised and yet victorious Jesus, a dead and risen Saviour. But in himself he had it not, and of himself he never could regain it; and as surely, never transmit it to us. God took it back entirely to Himself—it belongs to Him—and we who have it, have it by gift from Him.
This is afterward told to Noah, though by another symbol than that of the cherubim guarding the way of the tree of life. Flesh was given to Noah to eat; but the blood was not given with it, for the blood was the life, and man had lost that, and could not recover it, (Gen. 9) and this same ordinance, that blood was not to be eaten, was continued under the Law, to the same end. (Lev. 17)
We, therefore, as of Adam, ought to be full of thoughts of death in ourselves; but Christ may be full of thoughts of life in Himself. Nay, He must be so. We may see the proof of this presently; but here we may just say, it becomes Him to be as full of thoughts of life in Himself, as it becomes us to be full of thoughts of death in ourselves.
Accordingly He gives blood to us to drink, saying, “drink ye all of it”—“except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” And so when He had risen from the dead, this life which He had pledged from the beginning, He actually, really, solemnly, and formally imparted, breathing on His elect, and saying, “receive ye the Holy Ghost.”
This is life which cannot be touched. The murderous stones may disfigure Stephen’s present tabernacle, take it down roughly, or tear it to pieces; but his life in Christ is unharmed, his spirit takes its journey homeward— “absent from the body, present with the Lord”—there awaiting a clothing worthy of itself—eternal life itself— “that immortality may be swallowed up of life.”
This life is hid. God has put it where of old He put His own law, in Christ, the ark. The life was forfeited by Adam, and God has secured it in Christ. The law was broken by man, so that Moses cast down the tables at the foot of the hill, and God put them into the ark. His honor and our life are thus secured alike.
God coming into this world, where death is reigning, must come as the living God, as the one who purposes to overthrow death and to give life again. Life, in victorious strength, to those who had been the captives of the power of death. Surely, we may say, it is in such glory as this that He must act and show Himself in such a world where sin is reigning unto death. And so we are taught to know it to be. And the faith that apprehends Him, the faith that is of the operation of God, knows Christ, and sees Him in that glory.
And this is “the Rock.” It is God in victorious life, and the church is built upon Christ as such Rock, as the Lord of Life in victory over the power of death. And, therefore, it is unassailable. The gates of Hell shall not prevail. Life in Adam was to be tested, it was tested, and yielded to the power of death. The life we have from our Rock has been already tested and proved, and stood in victorious strength, so that we get eternal, infallible life. “The last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” And, as we said, it becomes Him to be full of thought of life in Himself; and John’s gospel shows our Lord to us as taking this knowledge of Himself.
This gives that gospel its precious, characteristic glory. The Spirit, in the evangelist, recognizes this at the beginning, for, speaking of Jesus, he says, (Chapter 1:4), “in Him was life.” In Chapter 2:19, the Lord Himself recognizes this, saying, “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” and He spake of the temple of His body.
In Chapter 3, after teaching the need of being born again, He anticipates his being lifted up on the cross for the purpose of imparting “eternal life;” and, immediately afterward, speaks of the Father’s purpose in the mission of the Son being for the same end.
In Chapter 4 He speaks of Himself as working in the track of the Father, as the source and communicator of life. In Chapter 6 His thoughts are all about life, I may say it is His subject throughout His discourse to the people. In Chapter 7 He stands as at the head of the river of life, ready to turn its abundant streams through the bellies of all thirsty ones who will come to Him. In Chapter 8 He declares Himself to be the “Light of life,” and announces the blessed, victorious character of that life which He carries, and which He imparts, saying, “if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death.”
Chaps. 9, 10 close His public ministry: and, as commenting upon what it was, He says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
But after this, in a retired scene of service, at the grave of Lazarus of Bethany, we find the same mind in Him very fully expressed. All around Him are full of thoughts of death. Disciples, Martha, Mary, their friends, all alike are talking of death. But Jesus has no thought but of life. This is most blessedly characteristic. And in order to display the life that he carried in himself for sinners in its full glory and triumph, He remains where He was till the sickness of His friend had ended in death; and then He goes (as God Almighty to Sarah) as the quickener of the dead— “the resurrection and the life.”
This is abundant to show us, as I said, that life is what the son of man sees in Himself, and through Him imparted to others, all through this gospel of John. He surely was entitled to be full of thoughts of this precious mystery, and He was full of them.
But I would add, that when at the end of this gospel, the evangelist himself speaks again, as he had done at the beginning, it is of life connected with Jesus he speaks. “These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
J. G. B.