FOLLOWING
Substance of remarks on John 21: 20
Benjamin T Fawcett
I have thought to link this scripture in a few words with what has been before us: the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death and His place in resurrection - as showing in some measure how these things may be entered into. It is good for us to meditate on these things - on the yearning desire of His heart indicating that He would not be alone. We have considered the dark path, the depths He had to descend to so that distance between man and God might be completely and eternally removed for faith; but when we seek to enter on what resurrection involves, I admit it is a difficult subject, and will be so to every exercised heart. It contemplates a complete break with natural things around, because of one supreme Object filling our heart and shaping our pathway - the Lord Jesus Christ in glory. We get in the disciple described here the picture of one who would follow the Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection, and, as indicated this afternoon, we shall find this cannot be accomplished without the Holy Spirit. The young man in Mark 14: 51 followed the Lord only for a certain distance. It was an impossible journey for a man in his natural state. Again, in that supreme moment when the Lord was about to undergo the cross, when the suffering and shame lay before Him, the agonies of Gethsemane, and all that the cross involved in His being forsaken of God, let us remember that those who were closest to Him also forsook Him and fled - He was left alone to face the enemy.
Thus we see what man is unless there is a power outside to take possession of him and give strength for walk. When the Lord was with His own, they knew they could revert to Him; a divine Person was there to shelter and to shield; but when He was delivered to the enemy, they all forsook Him and fled. It would be the same today were it not that another divine Person has come down from the glory and is here present to sustain and encourage, to fill the poor, weak, failing heart with heavenly joy so that we can be lifted above the oppositions, the trials and persecutions of this world.
In our scripture we have the characteristics of the soul that will remain by the grace of God - without exalting man - until the Lord comes again. In the power of the Holy Ghost, He will have followers. We have seen what we are naturally and that we must face. It may be said by some here - ‘We are not advanced in these spiritual truths and we find it hard to get on’, and so forth; but what was true of the follower of our blessed Lord then is possible for every one of us now. The scripture abundantly vindicates this assertion. Turning about, Peter “seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following”; Jesus fills the vision of the writer of this word, he has no desire to name himself, but he has one simple fact to emphasise, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. You may not have an accurate knowledge of scripture - I say this for encouragement, I do not want to imply that it is not well to have an accurate knowledge of scripture, it is, it is intensely important; again, you may say you have not capacity - memory fails; however this may be, every believer is privileged to know consciously that he is loved by the Lord Jesus. No height of learning, no great memory or ability is required to grasp that the One who died for me loves me. This is the characteristic of the disciple who was to follow the Lord to the end.
Another thought is beautifully brought before us in the words, “which also leaned on his breast at supper”. There is no self-assertion; he knew a place where there was found a response and a solace for every longing in his breast and he could recline there. So may each believer here. John could then refer to the Lord for an answer to an important question when it was needful he should have light. No great ability was needful for this, but simply the consciousness that he was loved by, and was in the confidence, of the Lord.
Here, then, are the characteristics of a follower until the Lord comes. The one who responded to His love got light when he wanted it, and so the simple believer close to the heart of the Lord may be in the good now of what is set forth in this scripture.
Rochester NY
29th May 1909
Note: the author was born in Northern Ireland in 1856, and was local latterly in Plainfield NJ, where he died in 1934.