PRIESTHOOD AND SERVICE (8)
[p. 65] PRIESTHOOD AND SERVICE (8)
JT The first verse which we have read should be noted: the Lord “descended with them”, with the apostles, and “stood on a level place”. He now has chosen servants with whom He can be identified. Henceforth His servants are going to be His representatives. “A level place” indicates that the Lord had come down within the range of men. To come down and be found within the reach of men, in a level place, is a divine principle; there is dignity in such a descent. The twelve are under His hand in this way, having the right to act in love. Those who labour should be, so to say, supple in their service; the number twelve can be divided in various ways, so it is that those who form part of this number can be supple so that the service can be carried on in love, without envy. Peter asks the Lord, “Lord, and what of this man?” Being in the Lord’s hands, the twelve had to be managed according to His good pleasure. So the Lord says to Peter, “If I will that he abide until I come, what is that to thee?” The great point is the Lord’s will: “If I will”, (John 21:21,22). We should always act on the principle which the twelve express; the Lord has many servants, and He never commits Himself to one only, therefore, in subjection to the Lord, I must serve in relation with them.
EP That means that one is not above others, but that one works with them.
JT There are those who are above others, on account of gifts, but it is not less true that they work together. Here we see that Peter is in front, and Matthew 10:2 emphasises this fact, “first, Simon, who was called Peter”.
DF Service is not limited then to ministry of the word by those who are evangelists, teachers, etc.
JT Certainly [p. 66] not.
DF There are young people here who may doubt if they have any part in the service.
JT We said this morning that there were seventy others. We are called to serve one another in love, for the service of God is very extensive. In their service at Jerusalem, the twelve devoted themselves to the ministry of the word and did not undertake the service of tables, but that service existed and has continued, as the service of the deacons.
EP Deacons did what Solomon speaks of in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might”.
JT It is a service which sisters fill out, according to the instructions given by Paul to Timothy. As is said in Ephesians 4:7, “To each one of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ”, so that we may do what our hand finds to do. We read in Acts 11, that those who had been scattered abroad continued to preach the word, they were working together with the same objective. God has never intended to divide His people, having one part undertaking His service while the other part does not; every christian is a levite engaged for service.
NKM You mentioned instructions given to Timothy; what were you alluding to?
JT Instructions are given for brothers, and then for sisters called to the same service in 1 Timothy 3.
PL Often a more delicate touch is found with the sisters than with the brothers in the service of deacons. You mean that brothers should be exercised about the sisters being connected with them in the same service?
JT It is good to bring to the service all that one can. The number of levites employed by David and Solomon shows the range of the service of God — a great number can be employed. By standing in a level place, a place is not sought above others but a place where others are, and this is a principle which human religion [p. 67] denies. For example, to be a bishop, a cardinal or pope does not indicate that one is on the level of others but the contrary, while a great servant under the Lord’s hand makes himself all things in order to serve others.
NKM Christ is here in the midst of them as one who serves.
JT We see here that men seize the occasion (verse 17); they were not content to listen to the Lord, but since He was within their reach, they wanted to touch Him. The Lord touched the leper, but now it is men who touch the Lord. “Power went out from him and healed all”. Not only did Jesus heal them, but power too went out from Him; what a reservoir of resources within the reach of men!
PL Could one say that an assembly in a locality, according to 1 Corinthians 12, is to continue what is of Christ from this point of view?
JT The power which came from Him is the power which forms the assembly. In chapter 8:46 we see a woman affected by this power which comes from the Lord. “Power has gone out from me”, He says. The power comes to me because I touch the Lord. This woman shows an assembly feature, that of transparency. At first she had sought to hide that the Lord’s power had affected her, but then she came to His feet to declare for what reason she had touched Him. She had a secret disease and had gone to all the physicians. Now however, she had faith, faith to touch may-be but the hem of His garment. Many persons are believers, but only at a distance. The Lord can help us, even if we are far off, as it was with the centurion’s bondman. There is a certain disease of which we are cured only as we touch the Lord.
PL Where do you get that in the epistles?
JT In Romans 7 and 8, where power is shown.
EP It says, too, in chapter 10:13, “For every one [p. 68] whosoever, who shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved”. His name is pronounced, and it is claimed that His name “is a strong tower” (Proverbs 18:10).
JT That is how salvation comes: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. There is then too this question of touching Him, which is more intimate.
CR That implies movement on our part.
JT The Lord come down into a level place is so within the reach of men, so accessible that the woman can touch the hem of His garment. It is a basic principle of the assembly. The Lord called this woman, Daughter; she shows us the character of assembly material, which is subjective. It is important to note that the Lord calls her, Daughter, which is a family term. All that the assembly is comes from Christ. The epistle to the Romans gives us the elements which form the assembly. The Lord said, “Who has touched me? ... Some one has touched me”. He was conscious of power having gone out from Him. The assembly is in this way a display, an extension of what He is Himself. The power promotes healing and forms something which remains.
PL In Romans 8, we have the feeling of family relationship, and we cry, “Abba, Father”. There is the deliverance, but more still, for this touch has given the feeling of an intimate relationship, of filial relation.
NKM We have not received a spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of adoption.
JT In the beginning of Romans 7, the thought of marriage comes out, and all flows from this secret and intimate thought.
NKM The Person is in view, so that it does not say, “What shall deliver me?” but “Who shall deliver me?”
JT “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord”, (verse 25).
Then in chapter 8, we are “in Christ”, and at the end of that chapter no one can separate us from the love of Christ.
PL As Lord He touches us on the part of God, but we touch Him too as Priest, as the One who is on our side.
JT Jesus lifts up His eyes on His disciples and says that they are “blessed”; that is the line followed in the expounding of the truth. What follows shows that this power received from Him develops its characteristic traits. The Lord says that they are poor, hungry, that they weep, and that they will be persecuted, but they are blessed in all these connections, blessed, I suppose, in the sense of being privileged persons.
PL They are blessed to bear the features of the Anointed of God.
Rem We have to accept the present circumstances, which in any case are in God’s hand.
JT This chapter shows and develops the features of the new garment and the new skins. The Lord shows us the details, which we must go into, especially what is connected with the garment. A garment is not considered only as a whole, but it is to be seen in detail; it is necessary to see how divine principles are there combined together.
PL And these details imply the character of Christ in all the details of His perfect path down here.
JT The Lord speaks of His words: “Every one that comes to me, and hears my words and does them, I will shew you to whom he is like”, (verse 47). The thought is set out in detail. Many call Him, Lord, Lord, but do not the things which the Lord tells them to do. “Everyone that comes to me, and hears my words and does them, I will shew you to whom he is like”, the Lord says, and gives them the illustration of this man, going into the smallest details, as in the making of a coat which is made [p. 70] up of details.
NKM The Lord lifts up His eyes on His disciples; He can see already these details in them.
PL The veil of the tabernacle was of very delicate making, of fine cotton, which represents the Lord in the way in which Luke considers Him.
JT The veil was a work “of embroidery”, actually a very delicate work. Before closing, let us just glance at what we read in chapter 7, which follows on all the previous speaking: “When he had completed all his words in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum”, as if to show that there was in Capernaum a certain state of things which connected with what He had said.
PL The Lord has access into a locality through those who are the fruit of His teaching.
JT We see the range and extent of His principles and His words. The Lord’s teaching spread afar, so that even those whom He had never met were under His influence. Those who put His words into practice have an influence which spreads abroad. It is remarkable to claim that those whom Jesus had never met had been influenced by Him; such was the state of things at Capernaum. The centurion and the Jews were fully in agreement.
NKM What are we to gather from that?
JT It is a question of our personal and individual influence, as well as the influence which a whole company can exert. Luke presents an atmosphere brought about as progress is made. The Jews and the centurion, who were of antagonistic races, are in real agreement. The centurion sent the elders of the Jews to Jesus, so recognising their privileges and the rights which they had as to the Lord personally.
PL Have we in this account the anticipation of the combining of Jew and gentile in the assembly?
JT In these circumstances it would be easy to meet together. In the extension of the gospel, we see [p. 71] that the eunuch was a good link between Ethiopia and his own people (Acts 8), as too was the centurion of Caesarea (Acts 10). Then again Philippi, “which is the first city of that part of Macedonia, a colony”, (Acts 16:12) was the gate of entry for the gospel into Europe. Here there is already a link between the east and the west; this link is seen later, and in a very distinct way, in Lydia who was of Asia but doing business in Europe.
PL So the government of God is favourable in our circumstances for the testimony.
JT We would not wish to do anything to estrange the public. In presenting the truth at Philippi, the apostle would not accept any flattery.
PL Persecution comes through refusing flattery.
JT The fact is that there was a remarkable state at Capernaum. The Lord is recognised as being able to act anywhere without having to make a movement, and the centurion recognised this by saying that he himself was under the authority of another. Caesar could do anything in the world without having to move. How much more by a single word could the Lord do as He wished!
NKM “But say by a word” — a single word — “and my servant shall be healed”.
PL We have this thought in Joseph: “His bow abideth firm, and the arms of his hands are supple by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob”, (Genesis 49:29). In contrast with the sword, the bow indicates operations at a distance.
Rem And “his branches shoot over the wall”, (verse 22).
JT Joseph was lord of all the country of Egypt and all was done at his word. It is good to see that the Lord’s position extends throughout the world. At one word on His part a man can be converted in China as well as elsewhere. Now all that should characterise us in our service; it is a great encouragement to prayer.
NKM In this way, one would wish to be more like [p. 72] the centurion.
JT The Lord draws our attention to faith: “Not even in Israel have I found so great faith”.
PL The great apostle of the gentiles was blessed by a word from the Lord, and he went everywhere, bearing witness to the Lord’s operations by his ministry which spreads through the whole world.
EP If the Lord’s thoughts are hidden in our hearts, it will not be difficult to have them on our lips in fulfilling our service.