PRIESTHOOD AND SERVICE (2)
PRIESTHOOD AND SERVICE (2)
JT For those who were not here yesterday afternoon, it will be good to go back over what occupied us in the first chapter of this gospel. We noticed that we could carry on the service of God in an outward way and be lacking in faith, as was the case with Zacharias. He was a priest serving God in the order of his course; he had prayed that God would give him a son, but when God announced to him through the angel that he would have one, he did not believe. Consequently he had to pass through divine discipline, the end of which was to make him a real priest, in the spiritual sense; when his tongue was loosed, he opened his mouth, and spoke, praising God. It is sad to see many of our dear brothers in the meetings, dumb like Zacharias. The divine thought for all believers is that they should be priests “to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”, (1 Peter 2:5). These sacrifices are largely “the fruit of the lips confessing his name”, (Hebrews 13:15). Do all the brothers here in St. Etienne take part in the meeting?
Rem A true priest should always have a word for God and a word for men.
JT If a priest has power with God, he will certainly have power with men. It is said of Zacharias first of all that he blessed God (”his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue, and he spake, blessing God”) and then he prophesied; the very words of his prophecy are given to us, he said, “Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, because he has visited and wrought redemption for his people, and raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of David his servant”. He is alluding to Christ, and then he speaks to his own son: “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; to give knowledge of deliverance to his people [p. 9] by the remission of their sins on account of the bowels of mercy of our God; wherein the dayspring from on high has visited us”, verse 76. He gives to his son the place which belongs to him before the Lord; so every true priest gives to Christ the place due to Him, as well as giving to His servants the place due to them.
Rem A priest would never make Mary or John the baptist an object of adoration.
EP Satan has always tried to turn away God’s people from what is true; he does his utmost to rob God and to rob the brethren. The living water in John 4:14 ascends to God, “springing up into eternal life”, while in chapter 7 that same water flows out for the blessing of men. I do not think that we give sufficient place to the living water.
JT It is remarkable to see here how the priest passes from the order of Aaron to the order of Melchisedec; he is a priest in a spiritual sense and he can bless men. A priest gives a unique place to the Lord Jesus, the most distinguished saint can never be on the same level. According to Zacharias, John was to be called “prophet of the Highest”, for he was to go before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways, and it is said of the child, placed before God in this way, that he grew and was strengthened in spirit.
Ques Is it right to say that a priest is not only in line with the truth, but also with the compassions of God?
JT Yes. A child marked out as “prophet of the Highest” would have an exaggerated place in the thoughts of his father, unless the latter was truly spiritual. Unless we are spiritual, we shall give to our children or to the Lord’s servants a greater place than becomes them.
Rem John the baptist was content with the place accorded to him, provided that Christ should increase, and when two of his disciples heard him speak of Jesus, he was pleased to see them follow Him.
JT It says that “the child grew and was strengthened in spirit”; it is more important to be strengthened in one’s spirit than strengthened in one’s body. “And he was in the deserts until the day of his shewing to Israel”. The deserts are places from which the flesh can derive no strength; that is where John was found before his “shewing to Israel”. When our children are to be brought amongst the brethren, it is not necessary that they should be well educated nor marked by fleshly energy; for the testimony to continue, the children take the place of their parents, and hence it is important that they should be nurtured according to Christ and that they should have spiritual sensibilities.
In the second chapter, we have the introduction of the Lord Himself; He is now to rule, and man will be tested in every way by Him. This testing is seen first with the shepherds, but particularly with Mary, the Lord’s mother, for although she was greatly honoured in being the mother of Jesus, she too had to take her place in relation to Christ.
PG I was thinking of the first epistle of Peter, where the same order in connection with the priesthood is observed, first towards God, “a holy priesthood” (chapter 2:5), then towards men, “a royal priesthood” (chapter 2:9).
JT Luke develops the subject of priesthood in the first chapter, but in the second, Christ is brought forward, first as a little child, then at the age of twelve. A believer’s growth corresponds to the Lord’s age, as we see in this chapter. Mary represents spiritual experience, in verse 19, “Mary kept all these things in her mind, pondering them in her heart”. Although she was the Lord’s mother according to the flesh, yet she had to grow spiritually, like others; her spiritual stature had to increase according to the Lord’s age.
Ques What instruction do we get from the fact that shepherds are spoken of, in the first instance?
JT They were not occupied with their own [p. 11] interests, but with their flocks, whilst most other people were in the towns. The shepherds were keeping their flocks during the night-watches; they were abiding in the fields. Priestly features are developed in those who do not uphold their own interests.
HCh God speaks to them in the night and reveals Himself to them because they were concerned with His creatures instead of spending their time in the amusements of the town.
JT It is interesting to compare the way in which the light comes to the shepherds with the appearance of the light to the magi, in Matthew’s gospel, who were, so to speak, learned men belonging to the scientific class. They saw His star in the east; it is remarkable that they should have known that it was His star, for there was with them, in their heart, a connection with the work of God. They were particularly concerned with the creation, and it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1); this is the testimony to the nations, and God was working by means of it. The shepherds here were concerned with living creatures; they are not self-centred men. Much is said in Scripture of shepherds, indeed it was the occupation of the first man of faith, Abel, and like him these shepherds were abiding in the fields, and then an angel of the Lord was there by them.
HCh Whereas the magi were occupied with the creation, the shepherds were concerned with creatures.
JT They were looking after living things, sheep, instead of being occupied with the stars.
HCh Therefore the “glory of the Lord shone round about them”.
JT They were concerned with living creatures. The fifth day of creation brings in what is living — living souls. Solomon speaks of the vegetable world and animal life too: “He spoke of the trees, from the cedar-tree that is on Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of cattle, and of [p. 12] fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes”, (1 Kings 4:33). All this brings us to the great thought of life which God had in view, and which should concern a priest. Malachi speaks of the covenant made with Levi, “My covenant with him was of life and peace”, (Malachi 2:5). God’s priest should be concerned with living persons.
Rem Those who take the place of priests in the religious systems are concerned with things and not with living souls.
JT It says that “an angel of the Lord was there by them”; he enlightens them about Christ, who had come into the world, and that God, in compassion, had drawn near to men that Christ was born for them.
EP Have the magi, in one sense, become priests? They found the little Child, and offered to Him gold, incense and myrrh.
JT That is priestly in the sense of reverence.
EP The magi followed the light; we are often dumb, because we do not follow the light which is given to us. We have much light, but do we wholly follow it?
JT The magi, having to do with great persons of this world, went to Jerusalem. Those who are highly placed in this world thereby lose the advantages which the heavenly light confers upon them; on the other hand, the shepherds did not belong to this class and coming into Bethlehem, they had undoubtedly sought out the stables.
Rem It is important to note that “in that (same) country” where most people were anxious about the inns, the shepherds were taking care of their sheep; the two things were going on at the same time — “in that (same) country”.
JT The shepherds were in complete accord with the circumstances in which the Lord Jesus came into this world. The magi had nothing to do with mangers or sheepfolds; they would, no doubt, represent men from universities, but God does not take account of [p. 13] the rank a man has down here, and He makes His light to shine for them as for the shepherds, though these latter have the advantage of them.
HCh The shepherds returned with joy, “glorifying and praising God for all things which they had heard and seen”.
JT They shew out particularly the features of a priest.
EP When David had put the ark in the tent which he had spread for it, it says that he offered to Jehovah burnt-offerings and peace-offerings; then he blessed the people, dealing to each a loaf of bread and a measure of wine and a raisin-cake. After that David returned to bless his household; that is the way in which a priest acts.
JT With regard to the shepherds, it is important that the angel is “with them”; the angel is not said to be with Zacharias, but that he was “on the right of the altar of incense”. The communication to the shepherds made by the angel introduces the heavenly host, so that these shepherds, making such humble beginnings, are suddenly by a host of the heavenly army saying in praising tones, “Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth peace, good pleasure in men”. Now the shepherds can pursue their service, for it is as if heaven had come down to them, and this is the true idea of the assembly, which should be the reflection of what is happening in heaven. These angels would not make use of means which were current in religious circles, they had their own way of acting. We see, as we consider Gabriel at the right of the altar of incense, what is the attitude of a true priest, and had we heard the words of the angels as they said, “Glory to God”, we should have understood how God is to be praised.
GM These angels then got much more than the magi.
EP Because God reveals these things, not [p. 14] to the wise and prudent, but to babes. The great ones are ashamed to learn, and if we are ashamed to learn, we shall never learn anything.
JT God is concerned with the magi in their own circumstances; they saw the star and “rejoiced with exceeding great joy”.
Rem And they fell down before Him, so losing their greatness in the contemplation of the Lord’s beauty.
JT Luke occupies us with the lowly way in which the Lord Jesus came into this world, giving details of it to a person of importance in this world, the “most excellent Theophilus”. God can work in the hearts of all, without regard for their social rank; the rich and the poor meet together in Luke, and Jehovah is the Maker of them all.
Rem This principle is seen further on in this gospel; in chapter 19, Zacchaeus, who was rich, follows on after the blind beggar at the end of chapter 18.
Ques From what we read in verse 15, could we say that the shepherds were true believers?
JT It was when the angels were departed from them, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us make our way then now as far as Bethlehem”; they spoke together in the light of heaven. The Lord delights to give us manifestations of Himself in the assembly, so that it is profitable to converse together, to talk as the shepherds did, before setting out for Bethlehem. Our conversation would take on a very different character from what it often has, if we knew what it is to be, so to speak, transported to heaven, and we should not have much interest for what is earthly. God does not take us to heaven, but He brings heaven to us. “Our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens”, (Philippians 3:20). The apostle encourages the Colossians to admonish one another “in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16); if God’s mind is revealed, we ought to seek to verify it by our experience,
as the shepherds who said, “Let us make our way then now as far as Bethlehem, and let us see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us”. They did not say, ‘Let us see if this thing has come to pass’, but “Let us see this thing that is come to pass”. There was desire to take account of the thing.
Rem They say nothing to the men before being assured of what has happened.
JT “They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger; and having seen it they made known about the country the thing which had been said to them concerning this child”. It is comely that young christians should speak at first only of the things which they have heard; later, they will get impressions to impart, but, like the shepherds here, they give out at the start what has been told them.
HCh Would you say a little about the expression of praise on the part of the angels? Would it be the result of the work of God? They say, “Glory to God”.
TD Do not those words apply fully to the day to come?
JT It says that He has “been seen of angels” (1 Timothy 3:16). It is the first time that angels have seen God in the person of the Babe.
EP Jesus came into this world as “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15); in this way God has been seen of men and of angels.
JT This heavenly visitation was intended to bring heaven to us, but it brings it to us substantially, so to speak, so that we understand what heaven is. In Genesis 28:12, Jehovah stood above the ladder, “And, behold, angels of God ascended and descended upon it”. Jacob had lain down in that place on the ground, yet even in that position so little suited to the house of God Jehovah Himself comes down to Jacob and speaks to him. He converses with him. Jacob names the place;
he “took the stone that he had made his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el”.
TD Were the angels aware of what God was bringing in on earth?
JT “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men!” This is just what Jacob discovered, that God was finding His good pleasure in him. Good pleasure in men could only be brought about by God coming into the midst of them; mankind was again clothed by Jesus. Later, God is justified in the Spirit, but here we have His manifestation in flesh. “And having seen it they made known about the country the thing which had been said to them concerning the child. And all who heard it wondered at the things said to them by the shepherds”. There is no suggestion of evangelisation in the testimony of the magi; what is said of them is that they returned by another way. They had been mistaken and made a wrong step in going to Herod, but they did not repeat their error; it is beautiful to see persons who so learn the lessons which have been taught them.
Rem The magi found the King, but the shepherds found the Saviour.
HCh It is lovely to see the shepherds making known the word which had been told them; in this way they became preachers of what they had heard.
JT It is interesting to compare the two incidents and to notice that the shepherds got more than the magi.
TD Luke gives the sympathetic side with the shepherds.
JT Yet the magi saw His star. A star is a distant object, so there are persons who receive light at a distance, but they must not be ignored for God takes account of them. Luke himself was concerned with a man of this kind; he wanted to put Theophilus into spiritual environment. We shall not have time to speak this [p. 17] morning of Simeon, nor of Mary. We shall take up Mary as one showing growth according to God; “Mary kept all these things in her mind, pondering them in her heart”.