TIME
[p. 23] TIME
The link one had in mind in reading these scriptures is the great thought of time. Abroad in the world, there is a great shortage of manpower, but this is governed by shortage of time; and shortage of time is evident in our gatherings, so that we are enjoined to redeem the time. One feels that considerable time is lost in our gatherings for want of readiness, for want of preparation. The first scripture contemplates that the Lord, when the hour was come, placed Himself at table, the twelve apostles with Him. “And when the hour was come, he placed himself at table, and the twelve apostles with him” (verse 14)- It is clear enough that there was no time lost. The Lord being on time, those who might join with Him administratively were also there. They are with Him. We are together with each other, and each is to function as opportunity affords, but the time is not to wait for us. So the hour was come, and what an hour it was! It could not but be the beginning of the hour, clearly. The scripture implies this, that the hour was there and that this is the very beginning of it. They did not have to remain idle. The Lord placed Himself, we are told. That was an action entering into the service.
It belonged to the service. The idea of place enters into assembly matters as well as time, but time is mentioned first. It did not have to wait. The Lord is active in placing Himself. He was not placed or directed to His place. It was an action that belonged to the service; otherwise, the seat and the time would remain idle, but neither happened, and what thoughts for us, dear brethren, entered into the meaning of the hour and the place, in view of Him who now moved in the service. He had acted Himself in placing [p. 24] Himself at table. It was the passover, but it was a great matter involving these points which enter into what has come down to us, what belongs to assembly activity or service; so, dear brethren, what I am remarking cannot fail to have some effect upon us in regard to lateness and irregularity in assembly matters.
The assembly is the greatest thing in the universe outside of divine Persons. They are, of course, Persons, but the assembly is the greatest thing and has the first place in the universe; so that it is to be observed by those who are of it, and they will not fail to observe what belongs to it; so it should not be interfered with, for each person in it, included in it, is to function, and if we are absent or late, we fail; so, dear brethren, I need not enlarge on what I have said. These remarks have no hidden meaning, but they bear on us here particularly in this great city where there is considerable want of observation of what is proper to assembly order in service. So the Lord is in His place, and the twelve apostles are with Him. He selected them, and they were selected by Him in view of this very position, as were other disciples like them, in view of the greatest position in the whole universe. They were selected in view of that, and it is said they, the twelve apostles, were with Him. It is just the apostles, in the original, and the twelve are implied evidently, because even Judas is said to be there. They were with Him, and the hour, the functioning time had arrived; it arrived here some minutes ago, a good few minutes ago, and they wait for us. Others who were here on time had to wait, too, and maybe, I may say, the Lord had to wait, for we are not exactly in assembly as when we are assembled at the Supper, for He then comes to us as the bread is broken. Here we are more conscious that He is with us on the principle of where “two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them”. So that an assembly position [p. 25] such as this implies that the Lord is here and here as we are here, however few it is. I do not say He comes first. He makes His presence known in the midst of them, not in the midst of chairs but in the midst of persons, and being in the midst, it is to do something or influence those who do something. It is a time of functioning, and the Lord is ready to support us in what we do, a very precious suggestion. Those who take part as I am seeking to do now would count on the Lord to support them. He said, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you” (verse 15). No one surely would want to arrive after that, for he or she would be late or miss it. Clearly He could not have done it by Himself, nor is any assembly function done by any person by himself; I mean, he is doing it in relation to others. So here the Lord says, “With you”. The apostles were with Him, but now He says, ‘I desire to eat this passover with you‘ — what a thought!
Well now, Mark enlarges on the way of this. Administration was in mind in the position in Luke; the twelve are with Him. They were there in relation to Him, and what He says applies to those with whom He is in relation: “With you”, He says. And I may say, dear brethren, that those two words in the verses read, imply the whole dispensation, what the Lord has in mind, what things were in His mind, what feelings! How soon He gave expression to them, to His desires and to His own inward feelings. We cannot miss any of these; they go down the ages. The twelve apostles, indicating the administrative principle, were in His mind. They would carry on, and they did carry on. The opening chapters of the Acts show they did, and how well they did it, too, and how they would call for others coming after them.
Now Mark says, “The Lord therefore, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God”. The writer of the Hebrews tells us that He entered in, but this is a levitical matter [p. 26] and He is taken up. We are told elsewhere that He was received up in glory. Luke says of Him, “And it came to pass as he was blessing them, he was separated from them and was carried up into heaven” (chapter 24: 51). He had spoken but Mark says He was taken up into heaven and as there He acted, “and sat at the right hand of God”. There is no suggestion of an invitation extended, dear brethren. We have to learn how to think of divine Persons and their relation to One Another, but it is clear enough that the Lord had personal liberty in entering the place. He was taken up. That was one thing, but He sat at the right hand of God. There is no suggestion of any aid extended to Him, or proposal or invitation. It is the liberty He had too, but the taking of this position is another thing. It is not His own position. He had a position, and had it there no doubt, His throne would be there. The Lord knew what seat to take. He is going to take another seat later-His own throne, but He is now on His Father’s throne. We are not told that here: we are told that He took a place at the right hand. He sat at the right hand of God. Its very meaning is that the position is a fixed one. It is not merely a temporary one, although it would be in another sense, but it is now unoccupied for centuries — His own throne. We cannot assume anything in a material way, but we cannot assume that it was not there. The Lord knew exactly the position there, and He knew the seat He should take. It was at the right hand. He understood perfectly as He entered there that the service henceforth would be the very best. The young man was at the right hand, too, and the Lord takes the right-hand position, and that is the position that anyone that says anything here tonight is to understand; that he is to take the right-hand position. It is an out-and-out matter. It is not a weak matter, it is in power, and the speaker is to be at the right hand, wholly conscious of power, in what [p. 27] is said, and in whatever is said or done afterwards. They are not called apostles here. “And they, going forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs following upon it” (verse 20). Only a few words that enter into the position of the next speaker (and I hope there will be one or two, not more) but the position is opened as one sits down, or even if he does not, the Holy Spirit may anticipate his sitting down and give a word to another. This enters into the position, and the position views us as being ready, so that the thing goes on, “the Lord working with them”. It is now a question of another time, and the Lord had spoken to them. “And they, going forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs following upon it”. The word is to be confirmed. I hope the few words I am venturing to say will be confirmed, because it is urgent, and this thought should have a place with us, that the assembly should function as the time comes, and we should be respectful as to it and all that enters into it, that no time is lost, for it is very scarce. Assembly time is very scarce, so I trust the Lord will confirm and help.