VOL. XXIX APRIL 1946 NO.
4 The Power of His Resurrection"The Lord is risen indeed."
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh, SINCE THE
Scriptures clearly state that Jesus "was raised again for our justification,"
and since we therefore can have no hope for the present or the future, and cannot enter
into the presence of God with our prayers or our sacrifices without righteousness being
reckoned to us, we do well to make sure that our faith in the resurrection of our Lord is
based on well established evidence. Fortunately for us there was a brother living at the
time of that event who has become known as "Doubting Thomas." We have learned
how much doubting we can do in the day of walking almost by sight, so it would
seem-becoming for us not to think of Brother Thomas under that title so condemnatory to
ourselves, but as the one whose outstanding doubting has done much to establish our faith
in the resurrection of our Lord. The fact
that Thomas and all the other doubters among his companions, for many if not all were of
the same mind, were positively convinced that Jesus had, risen, is the strongest possible
corroboration of the claim that our Lord "yet liveth to make intercession for
us." If, in advance of the event, the disciples 'had been certain that the third
day would restore their loved One to them, all would have been at the tomb "very
early in the morning," "when it was yet dark" that they might not miss one
precious moment of that fellowship. (Luke 24:1; John 20:1.) The accounts do tell us of
several (Luke 24:10) that were thus on hand "at the rising of the sun" "as
it began to dawn". (Mark 16:2; Matt. 28:1); however, they came not to
greet a risen Savior, but to embalm a dead body. If there had been no doubters in that
day, and all had- come from the sepulchre announcing that they had seen and talked with
the One who had hung on the cross three days before, the public we would have said, and we
today would fear, that their eagerness to believe had conjured up a vision of the beloved
form and voice. Surely some who recalled the teaching of Jesus when He "began to show
unto His disciples how that He must . be killed and be raised
again the third day" (Matt. 16:21), would have discovered some imaginary grounds for
believing the resurrection had taken place. A few
moments with Thomas and his bewildered companions, so like ourselves, should prove of
profit to us. But first let us note something that critics might label an error in the
records. Using a new number to designate the little band of Apostles now that Judas had
gone -and no one had yet been appointed to take his bishopric, Luke says that
on the evening of the first Sunday the "eleven gathered." (Luke 24:36.) John
(John 22:24) relates that "Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with
them." That of course means that actually there were only ten of the Apostles
present. The solution is easily discovered by those who desire to believe the inspired
record, and who know of the custom of using numbers as names. An older example of this
custom is "the Sanhedrin," the seventy, appointed by Moses. In this case also
they met as "the Seventy" even though several of their number were absent. THE NATURAL MIND RECEIVETH NOTDoubtless no
meeting of the Twelve had ever been filled with such, intense interest as their first
gathering after the crucifixion of their Lord. Probably there was much speculation as to
the cause and meaning of His submission to death, for they had not yet learned that truth is never discovered by that
process. There would be a discussion of the many things their Lord had said to prepare
them for that sad event; in fact that meeting could run well into the night without a
moment's lagging of interest. But the events of that very day were the points of greatest
interest in their discussion, for had not "Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Joanna (the wife of Herod's steward), and Salome, and the other women that were
with them" (Mark 16:1; Luke 8:3; 24:10) seen two angels at the tomb of Jesus who
indirectly and gently chided them for their bringing of spices for the anointing of the dead body: "Why seek ye the
living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24:5, 6.) Then "Mary
Magdalene had seen the Lord," at first believing Him to be the gardener, and came and
told the disciples. "And they, when they had heard that He was alive, and had been
seen of her, believed not. They too were
of the doubters. The report of the women seemed to them as idle tales and they believed
them not (John 20:16; Luke 24:10) though doubtless the women had repeated to them, and
perhaps more than once, the words of the angel, "Remember how He' spake unto you
when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of
sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." In the midst
of their discussion of all these things, there was a knock at the closed door and two
excited brothers were admitted, Cleopas and his companion, who had gone to the little
town of Emmaus earlier in the day, and who had returned to Jerusalem since the hour of the
evening meal. Apparently the "Eleven" succeeded in telling their story first,
but in true oriental fashion entirely ignored the women who had seen the risen Lord:
"The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon." They "believed
not" the story of the sisters, 'but now they had the testimony of an Apostle and
could say, "He is really risen." However precious those moments with the
risen Lord were to the repentant Mary Magdalene and broken-hearted Peter, with his
unfaithfulness vividly fresh in mind, their brevity must have been the occasion of
considerable wonderment as the tale of the two from Emmaus unfolded itself. We do not know
how many of the seven and a half, or twenty miles (which latter all the early Christian
writers say it was), they walked to that village with the Stranger. When He appeared, to
allay their fears He accosted them with the usual Eastern salutation: "Peace be
with you." There is a
strange custom among the Easterners, as there seems always to have been, of accepting
without hesitation this salutation as a guarantee of their safety, however fierce
looking the stranger may be that accosts them with it, and though they know their danger
of being robbed or even murdered by any stranger. So, following the usual custom, our two
brothers gladly took advantage of the added safety this noble appearing Stranger afforded them. He soon inquired as to the cause of
their sadness. They expressed astonishment that He would not have surmised it. Surely He
was a stranger in Israel. Briefly they related the perfidy of the chief priests and
rulers in delivering Jesus to be crucified, of their blighted hopes regarding the
restoration of Israel to prominence, and of "certain women ... which were early at
the sepulchre" and claimed to have seen angels who said Jesus was alive. While
relating these incidents, they were proving their lack of faith by hastening their steps
far from the place where they should have made every sacrifice to be, the place where
Jesus' promise to return on the third day would most probably be fulfilled. Perhaps there
was a little consciousness of guilt, for the three days was one point mentioned to
"the Stranger." A TEACHER WHO SURPASSED JESUS OF NAZARETHThe
conversation that followed revealed this Stranger, through whom much of the veil that
obscured the teachings of their sacred writings had been removed, as an even more
wonderful teacher than their Lord. His first words were a reproof: "O thoughtless
ones [Rotherham], and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken: ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at
Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning Himself, And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and He made as
though He would have gone further. But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it
is 'toward evening, and the day is far spent. And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with
them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were
opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight. And they said one to
another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while
He opened to us the Scriptures. And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem,
and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them." (Luke
24:25-33.) Evidently our Lord was more of a formalist than some of His followers, since
"He was known of them in the breaking of bread," probably using some form of
blessing the bread which they had heard from His lips frequently. As the two
were recounting these things, suddenly all were startled to see Jesus standing in their
midst with strange, new powers to which doors that were shut "for fear of the
Jews" offered no hindrance. Again, His greeting was, "Peace be unto you."
"But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit,"
not yet having entered into their inheritance of Jesus' final legacy: "Peace I
leave with you, My peace I give unto you." (John 14:27.) Our Master knew what trifles
could deprive them, and us, of that, precious peace. To allay their fears by convincing
them that they were not seeing a spirit, which human beings cannot see, and because they
did not yet know that He had been "put to death flesh, but made alive in the
spirit," He showed them His hands and His feet and said. "Handle Me and see; for
a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have." (Luke 24:39, 40.) As further
evidence that what they were seeing was flesh and blood, He ate in their presence, and
then before parting from them, breathed on the Apostles the power of forgiving sins
through the Holy Spirit. Our Lord was
not teaching His disciples what they were to anticipate seeing in glory, but that He was
alive. They were not yet spirit begotten and they must be taught through their natural
senses, When they were spirit begotten, they could understand that "now the Lord is
that spirit," and could "come and go like the wind." In the same way,
"It Both not yet appear what we shall be [for all the natural man can see when he
looks at us now is a fleshly body], but we know that when He shall appear [to us in His
spirit body as He appeared to one who was "as though born out of due season"],
we shall be like Him [having laid aside our fleshly bodies in death], for [that is, this proves it] we shall see
Him as He is [not as He was, nor as we were before our change]." - 1 Pet. 3:18; 2
Cor. 3:17; 1 John 3:2. The various accounts do not tell us
how many times Thomas during the week that followed heard of "the best meeting we
have ever had" and of how the Lord had appeared to them and of the discussion that
had followed as the two brothers from Emmaus told all He had unfolded of the Scriptures
concerning Himself. Thomas seems to have made the same reply to every one: "Except
I shall see in His hands the print of the nails [the evidence that satisfied the
disciples], and [additionally] put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my
hand into His side, I will not believe I'o some this might seem to be an example of
extreme unbelief, and unwillingness to receive the testimony of the Ten as to the
experiences through which they had passed. Yet to other minds it would not seem so
strange. Some of us would find it difficult to believe from any lips that a person whom we
had three days before seen dead and laid in the tomb had manifested by his presence to
others that he was again alive; and especially hard would it be to believe that he had
appeared when the doors were shut, and had disappeared, the doors still being shut.* We
rather fear that had we been in St. Thomas' place we would have been inclined to say,
'Show us how that could be.' We would have experienced the same difficulty, and would
likely have said, 'You think you saw something; you believe you are telling the truth, but
we think that you have been deceived.'" - R5625, Feb. 1, 1915. -------------------------------------------------- *This same
expression is used regarding the temple doors when closed at night, and of course they
were locked for the safe keeping of its treasures. In classic literature this expression
is used regarding prison doors. PROOF NECESSARY TO BELIEFIt is the
contention of the Lord's people that they must demand proof for everything they believe.
On this basis some would say that Thomas was the one that was right and the others to be
blamed for credulity. Thomas was right in asking for proof, but not right in asking for
his proof. Nor is he to be commended for setting his judgment above that of his fellow
Apostles without an impartial consideration of their grounds for belief. A week later
the brethren came together again, "and Thomas with them." (John 20:26.) Of this
meeting we are told little except that "the doors being shut, Jesus stood in the
midst"; and, the natural mind would say: What consternation must have filled the
heart of Thomas as he thought of that week of doubting; and how the brethren must have
trembled for him in anticipation of the condemnation that must now be his by the One into
whose hands the Father had now committed all judgment. More likely there was no time for
such thoughts to be formed. Rather love and repentance would be uppermost as Jesus' gaze
was turned full upon him. There followed no long discourse or doctrinal discussion such as
might have come from some disciples; but merely, "Thomas, 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." Then what a privilege was given our Brother Thomas! He
was permitted to be the first one to confess his faith in his risen Lord with the words:
"My Lord and my God." Do we ask what miracle had brought him to believe on the
same proof the others had given for their belief? For there is no evidence he moved a
finger to touch the wounds. We think we know the answer: It seems to have been the same
miracle that has been worked for every doubter since that day. Jesus by repeating his very
words expressing doubt, and thus telling him that He had been present to hear those words
and read his heart all that week, humbled him; by His loving, tacit forgiveness He won
from him allegiance beyond anything given before. The One who had been his Lord he was
now ready to recognize as the One to whom had been given all power in heaven and in earth,
his God, the One to whom his allegiance was irrevocably given. We know too
little of the temperament of Thomas to surmise with assurance as to the cause of his
difficulty. On a previous occasion when Jesus had insisted on going into a danger
zone, Thomas had insisted on going along to "die with Him." Perhaps this was
boastfulness; but we prefer to believe that loving loyalty and devotion led him to make
that remark. He may have reasoned: What use would there be of my living on if the One in
whom are bound up all my hopes is gone? May it not have been that same sentiment which
kept him from the meeting on that first Sunday night? Whatever the answer there was one
redeeming quality that carried him through to victory -
he could not for long deprive himself of fellowship. When the second Sunday
arrived, he was there with his fellows; love was too strong to stand a longer separation.
From that meeting he went forth a faithful witness that the Lord was risen indeed. This
was not because he had seen wound prints, but because He had seen love and forgiveness in
Jesus' eyes and heard compassion in His tone. The Apostles
were to be special witnesses to the resurrection, and so when Judas' place was to be
filled this was a qualification required of his successor. To this end Saul of Tarsus
had one fleeting glimpse of the Lord; but he saw not wound prints and flesh and bones,
things that spirit beings do no have; but there shone upon him a light "above the
brightness of the sun at noonday." This is a suggestion of the revelation to be shared
by all who are born into the heavenly Kingdom. To have that vision in the flesh, Paul had
to be "as one born out of due season." Our Lord is
risen indeed, and our present vision of Him can be brighter than the light of heaven's orb
at midday, and brighter than the shining of the Millennial sun at its meridian, if some
veil does not intervene. Though perhaps each saint must confess that there has been much
of pride, much of doubting, much of self-seeking, ours can be a most effective witness to
the glory and the power of the risen Lord-His power manifested in the transformation
worked in lives transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ; His glory shining, though dimly, from hearts entirely devoted to Him,
lights in the world. May we
doubters learn to prove to a doubting world that "He is risen indeed." Does not
the death and resurrection of our Lord give us a picture of what must be in progress in
the life of every Christian day by day. Dead with Christ, and risen with Christ! How
perfectly is this shown forth in the ordinance of baptism. "Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are
buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
"Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of
the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. (Rom. 6:3,4; Col. 2:12.) Our life
is bound up, and our union with Him is, in His death and resurrection. We look back upon
that solemn moment when we were immersed beneath the water and then raised again from the
parted wave, thereby declaring our conformity to His death and our fellowship in His
resurrection. First the burial-death-in order to a resurrection to "walk in newness
of life." As one has expressed it: "We sign the death warrant to our natural
man" - the flesh. Death not only to sin, but death "with Him," who
"knew no sin." This means crucifying and putting off the old man, with all its
human aspirations. There can be no entrance into the "power of His resurrection"
except through conformity to His death. The buried
form is raised up again from the water in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. No
sooner are we "buried with Him in baptism" than we have the word, "Now is
Christ risen from the dead," and "wherein also ye are risen with Him through the
faith of the operation
of God who hath raised
Him from the dead. " 'Blessed is He who, now looking into the grave where he was
buried with Christ, sees what God sees, what the angels see, the winding sheet of Adam's
curse put off from him and folded up forever, and the linen clothes of a legal
righteousness laid by themselves. And thrice blessed is he who hears concerning himself
the glad announcement, 'He is not here, but is risen,' and so is enabled to go forth in
the joy of the resurrection, to 'walk in newness of life.' . . . So closely does the
symbol thus press upon the reality, that Paul in that bold 'Know ye not,' seems to appeal
to the believer's baptism as the experience of his Lord's death and
resurrection" - our covenant to die daily to all fleshly desires and to walk in
newness of life by abiding in Christ. Shall we not most earnestly seek to illustrate the
beauty of this death symbol by reflecting it in a consecrated and self-denying life. LIFE THROUGH DEATHWhile it may
be clear how we may be "conformed to His death," the question may remain, How
may we even now "know the power of His
resurrection"? "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" is
the dying process; "Ye are risen with Christ, seek those things which are
above," is the corresponding "living," resurrection process. On the one
hand there is the "dying daily" of the, flesh; on the other, the inward man is
being "renewed day by day." And just so "the cross and the resurrection
extend their influence and exert their power over the Christian's entire earthly
history." There is
therefore a twofold work in progress in the life of the Christian, a constant battle
between the flesh and the spirit. We do not, however, depend upon our own resources for
the victory, for the Lord is our refuge and strength. It' is not a matter of merely
improving the old man, but there is a development of a "new creature." St. Paul
says, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." There are now two
natures-the one from Adam, and the other derived from Christ -- begotten of His spirit.
And these two dwelling together are constantly at war! and thus we see that the
development of the Christian lies in two directions: the subjecting, repressing, and
mortifying of the natural man; the nourishing, developing, and renewing of the spiritual.
The mortifying of the flesh, the daily subduing of its affections and desires, the
bringing of the whole body under the dominion of the cross is vital to the believer's
growth in holiness. Not only 'by denying the Lord, but by "minding earthly
things," living for them instead of being dead to them, can we become "enemies
of the cross of Christ." If the disciple accepts joyfully the dispensations and
providences of God, and thus takes up the cross instead of enduring it like Simon the
Cyrenean by compulsion, he has become an offerer instead of a victim, experiencing in
his own body the sufferings of his Lord, whereby he is perfected. Our salvation is not
only from death, but through death. "He that loseth his life for
My sake shall find it." Were this
crucial test of discipleship, the willing surrender of self in all its forms, its will,
its pleasures, its righteousness, insisted on by all who name the name of Christ, we
fear it would be found that the offense of the cross had not yet ceased. Yet, on the other
hand, if all who are Christ's gave evidence of the holy triumph there is in giving up all
to Him; the deep joy in being partakers of His sufferings, the blessed life that comes
through daily death in Him, how powerfully would the, glory of the
cross be vindicated. No one has ever yet found self-gratification compatible with strong
spiritual growth. "Fleshly desires war against the soul." Never will they be
allies. But as we
have intimated, there is the exact counterpart of this "death" process in the
Christian life; namely, that abiding in Christ, and that growing up in all things into Him
which is the end and object of our withdrawing from self and this mortifying in all things
of our members which are on the earth. No amount or kind of self-denial can make one
holier unless 'this be the means of bringing him into more intimate fellowship with
Christ. Every retreat from the life of the flesh must be followed by a deeper entering
into the life of the Spirit. "Selfdenial, is, according to its degree, a parting
company with Adam that we may not walk after the flesh; but prayer and faith and love and
obedience must accompany, as the means of joining ourselves more entirely to Christ,
and of abiding in Him, that we may 'so walk even as He walked.' The life of God must be
daily replacing within the soul what death has taken away, filling each void made by
self-denial with some positive blessing, and causing every spot from which a natural
affection has been uprooted, to spring up with some divine affection." "This
is life eternal that they might know Thee." And we know Him by daily acquainting
ourselves with Him through faith and prayer, through a diligent searching of the
Scriptures, through a constant walking in the Spirit. Every duty of the Christian has a
direct relation to this result. By a devout contemplation of the character of Christ, His
image is insensibly reproduced in the life of the believer. By communion one enters into
fellowship with Christ, by meditation he enters into conformity to Him -- "His life
constantly imparted, and His character constantly reflected." "We all with
open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." We do not wait till we have
perfected self-denial before we begin our growth into Christ. The two processes must ever
be going on together. How significant St. Paul's repeated admonition: "Put ye
off" and "Put ye on." "Seeing that ye have put off the old man with
his deeds, and have put on the new man." This is the ideal, and the whole course of
the Christian life must consist in the transferring of this ideal into the
actual-progressive sanctification. When we awake in the morning of our resurrection,
our putting off and putting on will be consummated; we will then have been fully conformed
to His death, and know in its fullness the "power of His resurrection," even
"when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put
on immortality." - P. E. Thomson. "Let Us Go On""Therefore, leaving the first
principles, . . . let us go on." -Heb. 6:1. We cannot know all the burdens borne by others, but we may be sure that each heart knows its own bitterness, and none are so strong as to be above the need of a brother's helping hand. This seems particularly true today! It has always been so, and unselfish service has been the exceptional thing. Ponder those words of Paul as he writes to his Philippian brethren about sending Timothy to them in his own stead, "For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." (Phil. 2:20,21.) To be such as Timothy in this unselfish devotion to others is surely a desirable thing in our own day and hour. Are we then of those who can forget personal interests, conveniences, exclusive circles, preferred terms and usages, pitch our tent by the side of the upward road and be a friend to all? If so, how may we do this? Let us think of one very beautiful way. Some there are who have passed the time of life in which strength was theirs to come and go finding fellowship with kindred minds. Some others are isolated and lonely in their separation, being far from those with whom they would love to talk over the things of the Lord so dear to their own hearts. We can think of some on beds of sickness, striving to bear with patience the illness by which their days are made one long test of patient endurance. Do we not know some of these dear ones, and are we not in duty bound to think of them in some practical and sympathetic way? In laying down our life for the brethren should these not be considered a first and very special obligation? To those who would inquire how to do this we will say, Write them a letter, beginning like the Apostle Paul's with a cheering message of salutation and ending with a benedicton like his, and rest assured God will use that service as a part of His unfailing watch care over one of His little ones. Does some
one say, "That is all very well for some who can write in such a manner, but as for me, I cannot compose a letter conveying
the helpfulness troubled hearts may need." Yes, but remember that rod in the hand
of Moses, and what God did by it. Remember, too, the question comes to us all, "What is that in thine
hand?" What reverent heart can meditate on God's Word from day to day without having
"some new rich gem appear"? Pass it on, it helped you, and may help another. 'Its
expression will deepen the good impression on your own heart, and extend its influence
into another heart. A little bit of verse comes your way and its words sing a sweet
refrain into your own heart, or perhaps it lifts your thoughts to God in prayer. Pass it
on! The mail can carry it across the miles to another, and for all you know God may have
chosen you as His angel messenger to lift a burden from the mind of one for whom He cares.
The supply of such little gems of thought is unlimited. Such things can speak truths-
we need -to remember. Gather them along your way as you study, note them in your general
reading, have them in readiness for passing on, and thus by using what is at hand some
soul may be nerved to pass victoriously "through the coming surge again." Think, then,
of the invalids, and the aged who can no longer go up to the house of the Lord as in other
days. Remember that sometimes life's circumstances can make the last weary miles seem
exceedingly long and hard. To you and to me let them be Jesus going over that last hard
hump in the road, and what would we not do for Him? Oh, what joy can come as we use that
which is in our hand in such ways as this, then know that our Lord is saying, "Ye did
it unto Me." Our day of
such service is nearly over if we are interpreting the signs aright. This day of greatest
privilege has also its greatest measure of subtle deceptions. The danger of
"majoring on the minors" is a very real one. The seeming great may easily be
take-n for the really great. The need is great for a clear understanding of what is
now most important in the sight of our Lord and Master. "Now abideth faith, hope,
love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Let us in coming days keep
the full import of this gem from the pen of the Apostle Paul before our mind, and prove
that we have truly passed from death unto life by our love for and deep interest in the
brethren. It is important that we remember that we cannot make our own calling sure unless
we help our brother make his election certain. Those words of Joseph to his brethren
long ago may now be thought of as being on the lips of Him whom Joseph so beautifully
portrayed, saying to us as Joseph said regarding a broth; er left behind, "Ye shall
not see My face except your brother be with you." Let us not neglect one such whom we
may help today. May we, during the year before us, seek to excel in being sons of
consolation, true comforters of the brethren. - J. J. Blackburn Rest in the Lord
"For we which have believed do
enter into rest." - Heb. 4:3. The jubilee,
which of course followed the forty ninth year, was the time of beginning again. Each
family went back to the old homestead that had been apportioned to it when Israel entered
the promised land. If misfortune, improvidence, or sickness had caused the sale of the
land, it was returned in fee simple to the original possessors, debts were cancelled, and
truly Israel began living over again. This fiftieth jubilee year typified the Grand
jubilee period following the Millennial reign of Jesus. Above, we said that the Jew had
these rest periods, but history shows that actually very few of the Sabbaths were kept in
accord with the Law's requirements. One would
think that the Jew, promised that God would look out for him, and told that, "You
only have I known of all the families of the earth," would have been glad to let God
workout His purposes in Judah. One would think that after they had slipped away from Him,
only a little reminder by way of chastisement would be needed to bring them back into
cooperation with God, to the restful condition of trusting in and obeying Him. Each of
us; no doubt has marveled that the Jews were so stiff-necked as not to heed the Prophets;
and after the repeated punishments in the form of captivities, plagues, crop failures,
and troubles untold, not to heed Jesus, sent to them by the Heavenly Father. Evidently,
similar thoughts were going through Jesus' mind when He spoke the parable of the
householder. (Matt. 21:3391.) The immediate meaning of course was, that Israel was the
vineyard, set up with great demonstrations of divine power in Canaan. The former
inhabitants were dispossessed and nothing left undone to enable Israel to keep the Law,
to faithfully perform the typical sacrifices, and other features of the ceremonial law,
and to bring forth the fruits of Rest in God. But those who sat in Moses' seat in charge
of Israel, used their positions for their own gain and aggrandizement. They it was who
persecuted Jeremiah, and it was they who killed Jesus by their conspiracies. The Jew was
not content to be a small nation ruled over by prophets, but demanded a king. The Jew
could not bring himself to let the land lie idle each seventh year. Their greed would not
let them pay the tithe or tenth of their increase to God. The sacrifices of the temple
were wasteful. To have to give back the land and cancel all accounts receivable each
fiftieth year was too much for the Jew's acquisitiveness; they just could not do it. So when
Jesus came 'preaching, Keep the Law, repent of your sins, submit to the Romans for
"My Kingdom is not of this world," that His followers should not fight, it was
too much for the proud, hypocritical, ambitious Scribes and Pharisees. They noted how the
common people received Jesus gladly, and they thought, "If He continues, He will
completely stop our plans," so they just had to kill Jesus. For they did not want
to Rest in God. They wanted to rebel against the Roman yoke. They wanted a Messiah that
would make of them a great nation and give them positions of importance in the Kingdom. So
they killed the Lord of Glory, and God cast them off. Even today the trouble is on Israel
just as the Jews of Jesus' day said, "His blood be on us and on our children." St. Paul
says in the fourth chapter, "Some must enter into God's Rest," and since the
Jews would not, "then we which have believed do enter into rest." In Genesis
2:2, 3, it is recorded that after the creation of the earth, the animals, and finally Adam
and Eve, God rested from all His work which He had created and made. Brother Russell in
Scripture Studies Vol. VI, Chapter I, has shown good reason to believe that the first six
days of the Creative Week were each seven thousand years long, and that the seventh is
also seven thousand years in duration. This seventh day started after, the creation of
Adam and Eve, and will continue until the end of the Millennial reign of Christ. God has
been resting "from all His works" during the reign of sin and death. This,
therefore, is the "Rest of God" to which the saints are invited. In Romans,
chapter eleven, St. Paul says that if the natural tame olive branches-the Jews-were broken
off through unbelief, it would also be easy for the wild olive branches-the Gentiles (who
were grafted in to take the place of the cast-off Jew) to be broken off. Again in Hebrews,
the fourth chapter, verse eleven (Heb. 4:11), he says: "Let us labor therefore to
enter into that rest lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." God's
rest has not been a rest of inactivity, and neither is our rest in God to be a lazy
man's rest. It takes vigilance, careful planning and agonizing labor to enter into God's
rest. It is not easy and effortless for the Christian to deny himself, to stop doing his
own work, destroy his natural ambitions, and instead to work the works of Him that
called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. And Satan is
always at hand to aid and abet our flesh and the world in ensnaring us into denial of our
consecration. In all things, the Jew was an ensample -- a type. In his falling away, his
unbelief, his wilfulness, he typed the Gospel Church. Even in the casting away of the Jewish nation they are typical of the
casting off of the Nominal Church. - 1 Cor. 10:1-14. Here we
stand in 1940, [written in that year] in a world that is on fire; the winds of war are
breaking up what remains of the Gentile beastly governments. When wars have weakened the
old governments, the earthquakes finish the work, and social revolutionary governments
replace the antitypical Ahab and Jezebel governments; but the revolutionary governments
are unstable, and, already we see evidence of the swift approach of the fire of anarchy.
Men's hearts are "failing them for fear and for looking after those things coming on
the earth," even as with those at our Lord's first advent. The still small voice of
Millennial peace, happiness, and good will to men, has not yet been heard. (Luke 21:26; 1
Kings 19:11-13.) And in the Church is mirrored the same hectic conditions as prevail in
the world. Are the sparks of the worldly conflagration falling in our backyards? Are we
being forced into quarrelsomeness toward one another by worldly mindedness, and are these
conditions causing us to lose our Rest in the Lord? If so, let us heed Psa. 116:7:
"Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee For Thou hast delivered my soul from
death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." Today we
hear in the Church demands for more and greater works. Is this our inheritance of Jewish
longings for power and bigness? Have we forgotten Jesus' words, "Fear not little flock,
it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." During the earlier days of the Gospel
Age, there were cathedrals, and alliances with earthly governments to impress the world,
and feed the vanity of the false husbandmen of the Gospel Vineyard. They even invented the
Hell of torment and did away with the Millennial opportunity for life, to force more
people into their false church organizations. Organizations that endeavor "to draw
away disciples after themselves" generally resort to accusation, insinuation and
inuendo, in claiming that all but they are leaving the Truth. At first, cautiously, by
implication, but later, emboldened by success in deception, and flattered by the
adulation of their followers, these dictator and self-constituted judges and' heads over
the Lord's people openly proclaim themselves the one channel. (Acts 20:28-35.) This
channel deception is very old. The Papacy started it with its doctrine that the Pope is
the Vicegerent of Christ. Likewise these later claimants to being the One channel of
purity of doctrine, overlook that Jesus said, "I am the way, the Truth and the
Life." He is
the channel. A Turk
relates, that when young, he became so interested in the worship of Allah that he
frequently arose at night to read the Koran and meditate on heavenly things. One night,
his father seeing the light, asked what he was doing at that late hour. "0,"
said the son, "See I read the Koran and think of Allah and the Prophet, while your
other sons are so careless and worldly that they sleep." The father replied,
"I would rather son, that you sleep, than that you awake and speak evil of your
brethren." Friends, we
may loan or sell books, play phonographs, distribute thousands of tracts and preach
glowing sermons, but if we are not "Resting in the Lord" and doing all as unto Him,
our work is in vain. We may go to five meetings a week, but if these act tivities only
cause us to become self righteous, to "mark" our brethren, to point the finger
of scorn at others, it is a pitiful waste of time. We need no feverish
excitement of work. Let us do with our might what our hands find to do, but still rest
in faith. If all the servants are not sealed in' their foreheads, the winds of trouble
will be held back until this has been accomplished. (Rev. 7:1-4.) As New Creatures we have
ceased from our works as God did from His. The Church is not our church or yours,
nor any one's but God's. This preaching
of the Gospel is God's work. So we should lay down our lives for the brethren, and leave
the results with God. We should "preach the word. Be instant in season and out of
season," and yet be in that peaceful, restful, and hopeful attitude of heart -- resting in faith. Rest implies
dependence. When we rest physically, we relax all our muscles and rely upon something or
some one. Standing erect illustrates self-sufficiency and the opposite of rest. Standing
is accomplished by sets of muscles pulling the bony frame-work of the body. One set in
the frontal portion pulls the body forward. Opposed to this, another set of muscles in the
posterior portion pulls the bony structure backward. By the tension of the two the body
is from within balanced from -front to back. Similar muscles on the right and left side
keep the body from falling sidewise from the erect. A portion of the brain is devoted to
keeping us in balance, and so perfect is the organism, that no thought is required. We
usually lie horizontally when we rest. We depend on a bed, spring, and mattress to keep
us from falling. So it is with the Christian, we must depend upon God to fight our
battles: to work His great work in us: to bring order out of chaos in the world and in the
Church. HOLDING FAST THE CONFIDENCE AND REJOICING OF THE HOPE When the children of Ammon, Moab
and Mt. Seir, allied themselves and invaded Judah (2 Chron. 20), Jahaziel, a Levite,
received this message from God's spirit to Jehoshaphat: "Do not be afraid or
dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
Tomorrow you will find the invader by the Cliff of Ziz, at the end of the brook, before
the wilderness of Jeruel. You shall not need to fight, set yourselves, stand still and see
the salvation of the Lord with you." Here was one case where the leaders
of Israel really entered into God's rest. Jehoshaphat believed the message and organized
the people into great choral groups to march before the army, singing and praising as they
went. Modern
military leaders know the inspiring effect upon their men, and the terrifying effect upon
the enemy of a singing army. Possibly, the Jews were above the clouds in the hills, and
the invaders, coming up the side of the Cliff of Ziz, through a fog. Imagine hearing a
great company of men while marching sing a stirring song, such as "Mine eyes can see
the glory of the Presence of the Lord; He is trampling out the winepress where His grapes
of wrath are stored." And the hills take up the echoes and reverberate the thunder of
the intonations. Judah's arrogance in thrusting aside all idea of concealment and
surprise; their utter disregard of carefulness in not waiting behind intrenchments,
walls, or rivers for the invaders to attack-this apparent lack of strategy may have been
the more subtle as it probably portended to the invaders a confidence which struck terror
to the hords of Israel's enemies and disorganized them. Regardless
of what natural means may have been used, the account merely says, "And when they
began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushments against Ammon, Moab and Mt. Seir, and
they were smitten." Then is described how the three allied armies turned on each other and destroyed themselves. The
end of the account is, "So the Kingdom of Jehoshaphat had repose and God gave him
Rest all round about." Jehoshaphat had to go out to meet the enemy. Judah had to
exercise faith and trust in God. If they had stayed in Jerusalem, no ambushments would
have smitten the invaders. If they had not sung, the enemy would not have fought one
another in their confusion. So we must step out on God's promises and labor to enter
into His rest, if we would have God fight our battles. Friends, let
us "begin to sing and praise" and let the Lord fight our battles for us, while
we Rest in Faith. B.
F. Hollister. Comforters of the Brethren"What is that in thine
hand?" - Exodus 4:2. THIS
QUESTION, we remember, was asked of Moses as he stood before the Lord after having been
commissioned to deliver his brethren from their bondage in Egypt. Viewing the task given
him, Moses confessed himself impotent to undertake it, being, as he thought, wholly
without ability or equipment for the task. Then it was that God drew his attention to the
rod he held in his hand, revealing that his rod was all he needed since he was going
'forth under God's command. What he had in his hand, if used as God directed, would
accomplish the defeat of Pharaoh's might and enable Moses to liberate his burdened
brethren. As he used that rod in this way what great things were brought to pass thereby.
What great things God can do with any simple instrument given over to His hand for use!
With his rod Moses performed his miracles before the arrogant ruler of Egypt; when he
lifted it over the waters of the Red Sea a :pathway was made for the fleeing hosts of
Israel; and at the rock it brought forth a refreshing stream to quench their thirst. At a later
time we have the rod of Aaron introduced, which we may use also to illustrate some
important lessons always timely for us. It was used to demonstrate God's approval of
Aaron as high priest, and stamp his service with the divine blessing. When it had served
its purpose, it was placed with other things in the ark of the Most Holy to be a perpetual
memorial of God's beneficent overruling. Just simple rods these were until God called them
into use, but how great their service became when employed according to His word. But this
same question comes to us also. God continues to ask of us, "What is that in thine
hand?" as we stand before Him and remember that we too are called to serve His cause
and people however feeble our ability may seem to us. To us the word is clearly spoken,
"It is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful." (1 Cor. 4:2.) We are
to remember also that all present opportunities are important, for "the night cometh
when no man can work." (John 9:4.) And the implications in yet another text should
not be missed. It is "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might."
(Eccl. 9:10.) There are no vacations in the Lord's service for those who recognize the
force of these Scriptures, neither need there be any idle hands so long as strength
remains in the hands to act, or in the heart to pray for one another. The word is,
"Be instant in season, and out of season." But so of. ten the question is asked,
"What can I do? Where is there a place for me in the Lord's service? I can not go
forth to preach the good word as others are privileged to do. Life for me is hedged about
with so many hindrances limiting both time and means,. what, therefore, can I do but stand
unable to take a place among those who serve in worth-while ways? Too often
this attitude illustrates a serious misunderstanding; a real failure to properly
interpret those words, "Do with thy might what thy hands find to do." Correctly
interpreted, these words must mean that a search is made for something to do. They cannot
mean a listless sitting down bemoaning an enforced idleness, waiting for something to be
thrust into empty hands. The Word is, "He that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened." (Luke 11:10.) Those who look around in sincerity for a
corner to brighten will usually find that corner just where they are. If we are ready to
be used in that which seems least, using faithfully what is already in our hands, a way will be shown in which we may have our
place in a general service, and certainly a place in lending helping hands to others with
us along life's upward, and ofttimes difficult way. If thus ready to be used, our little
rods, like those of Moses and Aaron, will reveal how God can be glorified in our humble
service, and make the instruments used bud and.blossom and bear fruit in a perpetual
memorial, of His grace. Kind words can never die; unselfish service is recorded in heaven,
and the words of Jesus are still wonderfully, so blessedly true. "Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." - Matt.
25:40. Let us,
then, give faithful heed to the question God may be asking some of us right now,
"What is that in thine hand?" Surely we want to be of those to whom our Master
can say, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matt. 25:21.) In line with this
commendation it is seen how frequently the Scriptures reveal that the greatest of
privileges can be easily overlooked. It was so when Mary poured out her fragrant
ointment upon her Lord, while that great act of love seemed so secondary to what others
considered much more important, for "there were some that had indignation within
themselves, and. said, Why was this waste of the ointment made." (Mark 14:4.) Such
opportunities at hand, but neglected, are yet to be brought home to some with a
startling reality when they hear the words of condemnation, "Inasmuch as ye did it
not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me." - Matt. 25:45. The context
of this statement reveals that those addressed experienced a real surprise. How, they
would ask, could the Lord be so near to us, needing our help and we saw Him not? This is the
point we need to remember lest we too miss the disguises in which our Lord may be near to
us, testing our alertness to serve Him. Even now while we discuss the presence of the Lord
in these Age-ending times, let us not forget that He is unmistakably present in His
"little ones" yet to be found in the earth. Therefore above all other present
hour privileges afforded us, none can compare with a service by which we are helping
others to bear their burdens, supporting the weak, and comforting those who mourn.
"Comforters of the brethren" are none too numerous, and yet what a rating such
service is given by the great Shepherd of the fold. The law and love of Christ demand that
we be alert to "support the weak, and not to please ourselves" -- pleasing
ourselves perhaps in being more ready to attach ourselves and our service to those who
need us the least. Bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ is the
surest way of gaining His approval, and herein is the best evidence that we have caught
His Spirit of loving solicitude for others. There is a
word which includes all of us however we may be circumstanced, aside from illness or
other insurmountable conditions, and that word is, "By this we have known love,
because He laid down His life on our behalf; and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren." - 1 John 3:16Diaglott. As to how
this may be done by others, a personal experience may illustrate. A line of service can
be recommended paying very large dividends on a little investment of time and talent. The
character of this service is suggested in, the following lines: . . .
"Had I but heard One breath
of applause, one cheering word -- One cry of
'Courage!' amid the strife, So weighted
for me with death or life -- How would it
have nerved my soul to strain Through the
whirl of the coming surge again." We cannot
know all the burdens borne by others, but we may be sure that each heart knows its own
bitterness, and none are so strong as to be above the need of a brother's helping hand.
This seems particularly true today! It has always been so, and unselfish service has been
the exceptional thing. Ponder those words of Paul as he writes to his Philippian brethren
about sending Timothy to them in his own stead, "For I have no man likeminded, who
will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus
Christ's." (Phil. 2:20,21.) To be such as Timothy in this unselfish devotion to
others is surely a desirable thing in our own
day and hour. Are we then of those who can forget personal interests, conveniences,
exclusive circles, preferred terms and usages, pitch our tent by the side of the upward
road and be a friend to all? If so, how may we do this? Let us think of one very beautiful way. Some
there are who have passed the time of life in which strength was theirs to come and go
finding fellowship with kindred minds. Some others are isolated and lonely in their
separation, being far from those with whom they would love to talk over the things of the
Lord so dear to their own hearts. We can think of some on beds of sickness, striving to
bear with patience the illness by which their days are made one long test of patient
endurance. Do we not know some of these dear ones, and are we not in duty bound to think
of them in some practical and sympathetic way? In laying down our life for the brethren
should these not be considered a first and very special obligation? To those who would
inquire how to do this we will say, Write them a letter, beginning like the Apostle Paul's
with a cheering message of salutation and ending with a benedicton like his, and rest
assured God will use that service as a part of His unfailing watchcare over one of His
little ones. Does some
one say, "That is all very well for some who can write in such a manner, but as for me, I cannot compose a letter conveying
the helpfulness troubled hearts may need." Yes, but remember that rod in the hand
of Moses, and what God did by it. Remember, too, the question comes to us all, "What is that in thine
hand?" What reverent heart can meditate on God's Word from day to day without having
"some new rich gem appear"? Pass it on, it helped you, and may help another. 'Its
expression will deepen the good impression on your own heart, and extend its influence
into another heart. A little bit of verse comes your way and its words sing a sweet
refrain into your own heart, or perhaps it lifts your thoughts to God in prayer. Pass it
on! The mail can carry it across the miles to another, and for all you know God may have
chosen you as His angel messenger to lift a burden from the mind of one for whom He cares.
The supply of such little gems of thought is unlimited. Such things can speak truths-
we need -to remember. Gather them along your way as you study, note them in your general
reading, have them in readiness for passing on, and thus by using what is at hand some
soul may be nerved to pass victoriously "through the coming surge again." Think, then,
of the invalids, and the aged who can no longer go up to the house of the Lord as in other
days. Remember that sometimes life's circumstances can make the last weary miles seem
exceedingly long and hard. To you and to me let them be Jesus going over that last hard
hump in the road, and what would we not do for Him? Oh, what joy can come as we use that
which is in our hand in such ways as this, then know that our Lord is saying, "Ye did
it unto Me." Our day of
such service is nearly over if we are interpreting the signs aright. This day of greatest
privilege has also its greatest measure of subtle deceptions. The danger of
"majoring on the minors" is a very real one. The seeming great may easily be
take-n for the really great. The need is great for a clear understanding of what is
now most important in the sight of our Lord and Master. "Now abideth faith, hope,
love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Let us in coming days keep
the full import of this gem from the pen of the Apostle Paul before our mind, and prove
that we have truly passed from death unto life by our love for and deep interest in the
brethren. It is important that we remember that we cannot make our own calling sure unless
we help our brother make his election certain. Those words of Joseph to his brethren
long ago may now be thought of as being on the lips of Him whom Joseph so beautifully
portrayed, saying to us as Joseph said regarding a broth; er left behind, "Ye shall
not see My face except your brother be with you." Let us not neglect one such whom we
may help today. May we, during the year before us, seek to excell in being sons of
consolation, true comforters of the brethren. The Crisis of the World"Now is the judgment of this
world; now shall the prince of this world OUR READERS
will recall that in the September and October issues of this journal we con sidered a
passage in the twelfth chapter of St. John's Gospel, wherein the final crisis hour of our
Lord is vividly portrayed. In this and the succeeding issue we propose to consider that
passage further. In the previous issues our subject was "The Crisis of the
Christ," our attention being directed, more especially, to the manner in which He met
that crisis, as reflected in His prayer: "Father, glorify Thy name." Here we
desire to notice more particularly that portion of the passage in which our Lord is led to
speak of "The Crisis of the World." In this connection we shall hope also to
inquire somewhat into the remarkable prediction with which the passage closes. Our text,
then, will consist of verses 31 and 32: "Now is the judgment of this world" (or,
more literally, "Now is a crisis of this world"), "now shall the prince of
this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
Myself." - John 12:31, 32. Am. R. V. In our
previous meditations we discussed, among other things, the probable purpose of the visit
of these Greeks who "would see Jesus," concluding that they had come "to
announce their adhesion to His cause, and even, if tradition may be trusted, to invite Him
to abandon the ungrateful Jews, and to go with them to some foreign court, in which they
were authorized to assure Him of an honorable reception." We noted, too, that, on
seeing these Gentiles approach Him in the attitude of faith and reverence, our Lord
"turned to His disciples, and exclaimed, with a tone of serious yet joyful
satisfaction, 'The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified!' for in the
homage of these Greeks, He found a prediction of the obedience unto life eternal of the
whole Gentile world," in due time. "That He
knew how He was to be glorified, on what terms He was to draw all men unto Himself, is
evident from the fact that He instantly began to speak to His new disciples of the grain
of wheat which must die if it is to bring forth fruit, to teach them that no man
can save his life, except by losing it, and to invite them to follow Him in the path of
self-sacrifice if they would be glorified together with Him." We saw, too,
that "for a moment His soul was 'troubled,' that is, agitated and confused by the
suggestion which the Greeks had thrown out; and for a moment He pauses to consider whether
He might save the world without loading it with the guilt of His death, whether by turning
to the Gentiles, and teaching and saving them, He might not secure the salvation
of the world. 'What shall I say?' He cries. 'Shall I say, Father, save Me from
this hour, from this dark fate: No, I cannot say that. It was to bear this fate that I
have come- to this hour. I can only say, Father, glorify Thy Name, reveal
Thy character, especially Thy character as a Father; let it be seen in a form so
illustrious and convincing that all may know and believe that Thou art their Father; --
know and believe that Thy love shrinks from no sacrifice by which their welfare may be
secured.'" This, we
endeavored to show, is the true meaning of our Lord's prayer in this crisis hour of His, and moreover
that it implies the true ideal of prayer for us to copy. "It teaches us both how to
pray and what to ask for, if we would pray as we ought. When our souls are
troubled, and we are tempted to say:. 'Father, save us from this hour, save us
from the risks, pains, losses, burdens, strokes we fear,' however natural, however
pardonable such a prayer may be, we should remember -- if we are to be true followers of
Christ, we must remember-that there is a far nobler and higher prayer than
this, and strive to cry from the heart, 'Father, glorify Thy Name; Father we accept
any risk, any pain, any loss, any burden, any stroke, by which Thy Name, Thy
character, Thy love, may be illustrated, by which Thy truth may be brought home to our
fellows or ourselves, and the borders of Thy Kingdom may be advanced, even as our Master
embraced the cross, and freely devoted Himself to death for us all.'" A VOICE FROM HEAVEN REPLIES'This, then,
was the burden of our Lord's prayer at the supreme crisis of His history. And to that
prayer a Voice from heaven replied. That the occasion was worthy of that miraculous
answer is evident, the moment we remember what it was. "At each previous crisis of
our Lord's history, when He had solemnly devoted Himself to the work His Father had given
Him to do, the voice of God had been heard accepting and approving His
self-consecration:at His Baptism, when He consciously dedicated Himself to fulfilling the
righteous and loving will of God; at His Transfiguration, when He devoted Himself to 'the
exodus He was to accomplish at Jerusalem,' the death by which He was to glorify God, the
sacrifice by which He was to finish His work. And now, once more, when, with the cross
full in view, He freely embraces the cross; when He refuses to pray: 'Father, save Me from
this hour;' when His only cry is, 'Father, glorify Thy Name, reveal Thy character,
manifest Thy fatherly and redeeming love,' the great Voice from heaven responds to His
renewed act of self devotion with the assurance: 'I both have glorified it, and will
glorify it again.' "When
should we expect to hear the voice of God if not at such supreme moments as these? And
yet, as Jesus Himself assures us, whether the Voice said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased; hear ye Him,' or, 'I both have glorified My name and will glorify it
again,' it came, not for His sake, but for the sake of them that stood by. He needed no miracle to assure Him of
the Father's love. He
knew that the Father
heard Him always. Miracles are a condescension to human needs, and to human infirmities,
in which He did not share. They were given to teach and assure His disciples; not to teach
and assure Him. They are recorded for our instruction, not for His honor. They
are not meant even for those who can believe without seeing, but for those who must see
before they can believe. "And
this miracle had a very special warrant and justification. It was wrought mainly for the
sake of some new disciples -- to confirm the faith of certain Greeks who had come to Him.
His words, the words reported in the immediate context, contain, as we have seen, His
Gospel to the Gentiles, an epitome of the whole substance of the teaching which, in larger
and more various forms, He had already given to the Jews. Was it not appropriate that
this brief Gospel to the Gentiles should be confirmed by a sign from heaven? that, so to
speak, these Greeks, and the Gospel to these Greeks, should have a miracle all to
themselves? Can you not understand how profoundly they would be impressed by an audible
response to the prayer of Jesus, by a great Voice sounding out of heaven? how their faith
would be ratified and strengthened by it? how they would talk of it when they got home and
allege it as a proof that they had not followed cunningly devised fables in bowing down
before the power and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ? how they would affirm that they
had been eye-witnesses of His majesty, when He received honor and glory from God the
Father, and had heard the Voice that came out of heaven while they were with Him in the
holy temple?" JESUS ECHOES AND INTERPRETS His FATHER'S VOICEIn that
voice, however, some who stood by "heard nothing but a clap of thunder; while others
heard a voice indeed, and a voice loud, and clear, and sweet as that of an angel, but knew
not whence it came, nor what it said. Jesus knew, however, and in our text He both echoes
and interprets that Divine utterance. He knew that the Father had already glorified His name, for He
says: 'Now is there a judgment of this world.' And He knew that the
Father would glorify it again, for He says: 'The
prince of the world shall
be cast out.'" We say that
these words of Jesus echo and interpret the words of His Father. But perhaps their
connection is not quite clear to you, and you may be asking: In what way do they do so?
What is the connection between the Father's words: "I have already glorified My
name," and the words of Jesus: "Now is a judgment of this world"? And
further, What is the connection between the Father's words, "I will glorify My name
again," and the words of Jesus: "The prince of this world shall be cast
out"? To answer
these questions it is but necessary to ask one further question: How had the Father already glorified His
name? And the answer to that question you know. For had not the
Father accomplished this through His Son's own faithful walk and ministry? None ever had
been used before to bring such honor, such glory to the Father's name as had He. By every
expression of righteous indignation against sin wherever found; by every loving word;
by every gracious act, He had manifested, not merely His own character, but that of His
Father. And because of this, men were under a test, a judgment, which they had not
previously experienced, at least in so marked a degree. A crisis had been reached in
their affairs. The manner in which they reacted to the Light of the World who had been in
their midst would disclose their own characters unerringly, and so when the voice from
heaven declares, "I have already glorified My name," our Lord Jesus understands
the reference is to His own faithful walk, and declares
in His turn: "Now
there is a crisis of
this world." But this
glorification of the Father's name through the Son's obedience, magnificent though it was,
was small when compared to the far greater honor His Son would bring to His Name when
raised to Almighty power. As yet He had magnified His Father's name only within the
confines of one small nation, that of Israel, and His Father's name, notwithstanding. all His matchless ministry, was still
very imperfectly understood, even by the best of these. Indeed only a few days before His
death, Philip, one of the chosen twelve, makes the astonishing, and what, to our Lord,
must have been the disheartening request, "Lord, show us the Father." As if He
had not done so in a most wonderful way throughout the whole of His ministry! But the
Father, looking forward to the time when all should know Him, from the least to the
greatest, when the knowledge of Himself would not be confined 'to one small nation but
would embrace the Gentiles too, when the knowledge of Himself would fill the earth as the
waters cover the mighty deep the Father, we say, looking forward to the still greater
honor which His Son would bring to His name during the Gospel and Millennial Ages,
declares further: "And I will glorify it again." While the Son, fully
understanding His Father, makes reply: "The prince of this world shall be cast out." And so we
reach the main intention, the ruling significance of our text. "In the events then
transpiring around Him, and in the prophetic emotions they excited within Him, Christ
found a signal, or sign of three spiritual transactions of the widest scope, of the
gravest moment; a sign, first, of the judgment of this world; second, of the expulsion of
its former and, usurping lord; and third, of the accession of its true and lawful Prince. Let us try to
see what He saw, and as He saw it." THE CRISIS OF THE WORLDAnd first,
then, as to the judgment of this world. We have already pointed out that the literal
meaning here is crisis, a crisis through which the world was then, and for that
matter still is passing. And from what has already been said, it must surely be apparent
to all, that when our Lord speaks of Himself, or of the glorification of Himself by the
death of the cross, as a crisis of the world, He cannot mean less than this, "that
the attitude which men take to Him, or to the death in which He most of all reveals the
fatherly, redeeming love of God, determines what their character is, and must
ultimately determine what their conditions shall be. If they recognize His goodness, if
they respond to the love which He reveals, they prove themselves capable of eternal life;
while if they do not, they pronounce themselves unworthy of eternal life, and, for the
present, at least, incapable of it." For
consider: Christ is, on all sides, confessed to be at least the wisest of teachers, the
best of men. To us who believe more than this, who believe Him to be the Only-begotten of
God, one in purpose and spirit with the Father, "His death is, admittedly, not only
the supreme proof of His own love for men, but also the supreme revelation of God's
fatherly and saving love for us all." When, therefore, He is placed before us in a
true light, the attitude we assume toward Him must be a decisive and supreme test of our
character. If we have any love for goodness, we cannot but love Him. If we
are at all disposed to acknowledge God to be the author of our being, the Father of our
spirits, if we are at all disposed to carry ourselves as His children, "the Cross
in which we see His redeeming love to be stronger than death, and able to take away our
sins, cannot but move us to the very heart, and quicken in our hearts responses of love
and obedience. Here is God, not in nature only, but in history,-God, manifest, as the
Apostle writes, in the flesh, visible to our eyes, bearing our infirmities, casting our
sins upon and behind His back, praying and beseeching us to be reconciled to Himself. And
if we can behold this august yet pathetic spectacle unmoved, what more can He do for us?
by what can we be convinced? persuaded? redeemed? To be indifferent to the best,
the best in thought and conduct, the best in wisdom and love, the best in God as
well as in man-is not that to stand self-condemned? Is it not to resist the best that is
in ourselves, the highest promptings of our own judgment and conscience and heart?
Is it not to adjudge ourselves incapable of virtue, of religion, of all that
constitutes the proper life of man?" It is no
mere matter of theory, brethren, of which we now speak, nor is it a matter which concerns
only the world, not the Church, but it is a truth "which enters into and determines
the whole current and bent of our practical life in the most decisive way. If we
acknowledge that in Christ we find the highest revelation of the name, or character of
God; or even if we do less than this, if we do but acknowledge that in Christ we find the
highest human wisdom, the best human goodness, and a love so disinterested,
so wide and deep, so unfathomable and unchangeable that it might well be, called Divine --
if we acknowledge this, and yet, when the decisive test is applied to our characters we
make no response to it; if His wisdom does not command our admiration, and shape our
conduct; if His goodness does not elicit our love; if His purity does not call forth our
homage, we are judged and condemned, self-judged, and self-condemned. To do nothing is,
in such a case, to do all. It is to show that there is nothing in us which answers and
corresponds to the solemn and moving spectacle which has been unfolded before us. If we
will not have this Man to reign over us, it can be only because we do not want to
be ruled by the Wisest and the Best, nor even by that which is wisest and best in our own
nature. A crisis has come to us, a judgment, and we, alas, have been tried and found
wanting. CHOOSE YE TODAY WHOM YE WILL SERVE"It
matters comparatively little what it is that we suffer to influence our decision. If we
are so plunged in the pursuit of gain and self-indulgence that we do not attend as we
should, to the revelation of the Divine grace and love in the glorification of the Son of Man, we are judged, we have both judged
and condemned ourselves. If we are so occupied in the pursuits, innocent, lawful or even
praiseworthy in themselves, so absorbed in laudable studies or in the culture and
enjoyment of our domestic affairs, or in our devotion to the conduct of our many interests
and affairs that we have no leisure or heart for the love and service of the Son of Man,
still we are judged; we have judged and condemned ourselves. Religion itself, or what we
take for religion may be our hindrance. On the one hand, we may be so preoccupied with
the doctrines, or the controversies, or the outward service of the Church, as to miss
Christ Himself, and the power of His life, and the obedience of His will; and on the
other hand we may be so pre-occupied with questions of evidence, with doubts and answers
to doubt, with the scientific and logical side of religion, as to have never listened with
the heart to the simple message of righteousness and love, which Christ came to deliver,
and which, if we did but listen to it, would at once commend itself to our hearts. But in
either case, in every case, we are judged by our rejection of Him, or by our indifference
to Himself -- judged, self-condemned. The hour has come in which we should
have glorified the Son of Man, and we did not know that the hour had struck, and that the
Kingdom of heaven had come nigh unto us. In the time of our visitation we did
not accept the things of our peace." A WORD OF EXHORTATIONOh! brethren,
before God we charge you, even as we charge ourselves, that you look to yourselves, that
you lose not a full reward. For this text, while it
speaks of a judgment, a crisis, of the world is of vital concern also to the Church.
Sometimes, i,t is true, we distinguish the Church from the world. And we do
so properly. The Scriptures make this distinction, and it is therefore proper that we
should do so. But no such distinction is made in this text, except, indeed, that a
judgment, a crisis, which embraces, or will yet embrace, the whole world, must
necessarily begin, as an inspired writer tells us, at the house of God. And if there
should be any one whose eye, perchance, should fall on this page, who feels that his or
her life is not all that it should be, who perhaps has never yet made a whole-hearted
consecration to God, or who, having done so, is yet conscious that having made the vow of
consecration, he or she has been lax in its performance, and is wondering, with the
Adversary at his or her elbow, whether or not it is now too late, let us say, with all the
earnestness and power of which we are capable, that it is not too late--yet. But let us
also say, that to such an one it is quite evident a crisis has come. And it behooves that
one to call upon God, with all that is within him, to help him meet it aright. "Every
coming of Christ to our conscience, through. His Word, and Spirit, is a judgment, a
crisis, one of many. This is as truly an acceptable time, a day of salvation, as
any that has gone before it. And if we now admit Christ to be Wisest and Best, and
therefore the true judge and Ruler of men; if, in His death on the tree, we find a supreme
proof of the fact that God is our Father, and loves us well enough to make any sacrifice
in order to redeem us out of the hand of our iniquities, if we commit ourselves to Him
in faith and love and obedience, this hour of judgment, this crisis hour, will prove an
hour of salvation to us." For let it be carefully noted, this crisis "is not at
all what those who think of judgment only in its severer aspect would have anticipated.
Christ does not say: 'Now is a judgment or crisis of this world; now shall the world be condemned.'
On the contrary, He virtually says: 'Now is a judgment of this world, now shall the
world be saved.' For the judgment is to issue in the expulsion of the usurping
prince of this world, and the enthronement.of its true Prince. The one is to be 'cast
out'; the other is to be 'lifted up,' that He may draw all men unto Himself." But we
must leave the consideration of this glorious prediction until our next issue. - P. L. Read. Encouraging MessagesDearly
Beloved Brethren: I often write
you of my afflictions, not that I complain about them, knowing they must come, but being
so isolated from all the Lord's brethren, and feeling the need of help and comfort, I
think of you as being real friends in time of need and stress. . Now I need
your fervent prayers more than I have ever needed anything, because I have just lost my
husband. He died last week, and I am all alone in the world except for my sister who
lives with her children far from me. Although my husband never accepted the truth as we
know it, he had Faith in God, and called on Him for help in his sickness. Although
neighbors have been helpful, they cannot help enough to take away my grief and sorrow, and
am left alone with my Lord and God, whose precious promises I claim and try to bring to
mind constantly to keep my heart from breaking. I received my
"Herald" just after my husband's death, and there was the most comfort I had
been given, in that wonderful poem, "I understand." I said, Lord, this was
written for me, and Thy brethren' have sent it just at the moment I needed it most. I
thanked our heavenly Father for reminding me so quickly of the suffering of Another, who
died that our sufferings might be over when He delivers us from all sorrow. How glad I
will be to get a letter soon to tell me you also "understand." In His Name, Mrs.
S. R. -- Ill. Dear
Brethren: Greetings! It is many
years now since you so very kindly commenced sending me the Journal and I feel now that
at least I ought to send you my grateful thanks. I am grateful
to the Heavenly Father for His many blessings and chastisements of the last 30 years. As I
put my mind back, retrospectively over this period of time, my "truth time," I
am conscious of how little I have accomplished. But I realize He is my all-sufficiency and
as such I rest content. Would you
please continue sending me the Journal on the same terms as previously. I am not going to
weary you with the reasons why I am compelled to do this, but it is my privilege to be one of the "Lord's
poor," and how many lessons one learns from that. I pray that
the Journal may be blessed and used, as also its authors all in His service. 'The time is
drawing short now, and the Lord's people are waiting, all in His Grace. Thanking you
for all your ministrations, I am Yours in Him, V.
S. - Eng. --------------------
|
