FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
[p. 169] FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
There are two features which mark the gospel that I wish to refer to this evening amongst others, namely, that on the one hand, God in announcing His glad tidings draws near to men in Christ, so as to encourage confidence in Himself; and on the other hand, that He works in men.
First, He would draw near to men in such wise as to disarm prejudice and induce confidence and self-judgment. Luke has this line particularly in view in his gospel, so that he presents the Lord as coming in in the simplest possible way, as the angel announced to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord”. The shepherds were abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night, “and lo, an angel of the Lord was there by them”. He was there to announce to them this wonderful news.
And so throughout Luke’s narrative we have the Lord coming near to man. He would go into the house of any one who invited Him; even if a proud Pharisee, such as Simon (chapter 7), invited Him. He would go in, in order to bring the wonderful grace that He had brought to earth to that man. Simon invited Him in a patronising kind of way. The Lord of glory was there. Simon did not know it, but He was there, and He brought to that board all the grace of heaven. He brought it there, and Simon could have it; He had brought it into his house, to his table. It was there for him, but Simon did not know it; he did not avail himself of what was there. Michael and Gabriel knew what was going on — they knew who the Person present there was; Gabriel had announced His coming to Mary; they would, as [p. 170] we may well assume, wonder at the Pharisee. The Lord of glory was there at Simon’s table, but Simon did not know Him; he was utterly heedless, neither realising his own need, nor the grace that had come near to him.
“Simon”, the Lord says, “I have somewhat to say unto thee”. Hearer, place yourself now in Simon’s position. The Lord says, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both”. Note the word ‘frankly’. The grace of heaven had come nigh; it was by him. Sinner, the Lord would speak to you now. In Luke things are made present. The angel says, “Unto you is born this day”. I say to you tonight, on the authority of Scripture, that not only is the Saviour born to you, but He has died and risen and gone to heaven. There could not possibly be a greater offer to you than this, for Christ, in whom is redemption and who gives the Spirit to men, is presented to you today. Are you prepared to receive Him? Simon was not.
The Lord, when He spoke at Nazareth, said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”. But it is one thing to have it fulfilled in your ears, and another to have it fulfilled in your heart. Is the scripture that announces forgiveness fulfilled in your heart? Forgiveness is preached to you; “through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins”. “Simon”, says the Lord, “I have somewhat to say unto thee”. And so He would speak to sinners here now. You owe five hundred pence, although perhaps on your own reckoning you owe but fifty. The woman owed five hundred; forgiveness is for her; her five hundred pence is wiped out, and your fifty pence debt is wiped out; you are both in the same position; both debtors were forgiven, for that is God’s attitude today in grace. Not that Simon’s debt was just a small debt. Another Pharisee, in a later day, who had come to reckon up his debt, said he was the “chief of sinners”, 1 Timothy 1: 15. Think of the depth of self-judgment that marked that man, who had called himself a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee! Simon’s estimate of himself could not be God’s estimate; but whatever it was, the Lord said, “When they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both”. So that remission was announced to Simon at his table. What an opportunity for him God remitted His claim against Simon. Think of the claims God has upon every one of us — all guilty before Him; He remits those claims. He can do this righteously, for Christ gave Himself a ransom for all. The Lord directed “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”. Consider it! God remits His claim against you through the death of Christ, that He might give you the Holy Spirit and that you might be free to serve Him.
That is how the matter stands. Luke pursues that line. And when afterwards the house is brought in, he says, “Come, for all things are now ready”. But alas! they all began to make excuse; then the master of the house says to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring here the poor and crippled and lame and blind”, Luke 14: 21. Now think of the forbearing grace of God, as Luke presents it. The city was Jerusalem, where Jesus had been put to death. The leaders had already been addressed by God’s messengers — the prophets — and they had killed one after another. Now God says, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind”. He pursues men into the lanes. The preaching was to begin at Jerusalem; whether it was the high priest,
[p. 172] or Pilate, or Herod, or the scribes or Pharisees — they were all bidden. But then the grace pursued the men in the streets and lanes of the city — “the dregs of society”, as they would be regarded.
Now the other side, the second feature I have already indicated, is that the gospel involves God’s work in men’s souls. John presents the gospel from that side, and so the Lord, according to John, says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him”. You may say, I do not realise the drawing; but if you have a thirst after righteousness, any craving after God, then I would encourage you by letting you know that that is the effect of God’s work in your soul. God is working with you; the very fact that you are here tonight may be taken as an evidence of the work of God in you. If you have come to spend an hour religiously there is no moral value in that; but if you have come with any kind of desire to hear the word of God, then I say, God is working with you. The flesh would not have brought it about; it is the work of God.
Now there is a third feature mentioned, and that is what you get in Mark; that not only has God drawn near to man, but that the evangelical spirit is in the world today. What you see here in chapter 8 is that others brought the blind man to the Lord. It does not say the Lord found him, nor does it say that he sought or found the Lord. “They” — whoever they were — brought him to Jesus. God’s work in His people leads them into sympathy with you; I believe that God would effect in us all that evangelical spirit. The need around us is appalling; there is blindness, deafness, dumbness and lameness; there is leprosy and palsy and what not. All these spiritual maladies prevail; have we got a heart? Here they bring him to the Lord. Those who brought the blind man to the Lord had an evangelical spirit.
[p. 173] Having said that I shall dwell now on how the Lord treats this blind man. Those who brought him besought Jesus to touch him. There is not one Christian here who may not be engaged in this blessed work. There is no gift necessary for it; not but that the Lord furnishes every one with a certain gift, for every one of us has received grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ (Ephesians 4: 7), but for such work as this you do not need a special gift. What you need for it is a love for souls. As we Christians know, there are such things as love to God, love to Christ, love to one another; but then there is also the love that God has manifested to the world. It is a love that rises above the sin of the world and takes account of the need of men; it is, in other words, what we may call an evangelical love. The apostle, writing to Titus, speaks about “the kindness and love to man of our Saviour God”, Titus 3: 4. That is the love that takes account of need as it is in men, whoever they may be. God is no respecter of persons, and therefore there is not a believer in this company or in the world who may not be engaged in the service indicated in verse 22. “They bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him”. We can all do that service; it may be wife, or husband, or child, son or daughter, neighbour, employer or employee — we can bring them to the Lord, we can pray for them. Every one of us may be engaged in this service of which Mark speaks.
So they brought him to the Lord, and besought Him to touch him, “and he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town”. Towns have in modern days assumed great proportions; there are far more people living in cities and towns than years ago. We have huge cities, with millions of people, and these cities we know have become centres of sin. God calls our attention in Revelation 11 to His “two witnesses”. They witnessed every day for [p. 174] one thousand two hundred and sixty days — witnessed for God. The “beast” arises and slays them, and for three days their bodies lie in the street of the great world-city. We are told what that city is “which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified”. Does not that touch your heart — “where also our Lord was crucified”? It is very important for us to understand things spiritually; then we shall see the true moral character of things in the cities, and the danger that they afford to the young, indeed, to all of us.
The Lord took the man by the hand, and led him out of the town. One would love to see this in many. Everyone knows how many have been destroyed spiritually in the towns. The Lord takes this man out of the town. Young men, young women, beware of the towns! Satan is working in these places; you do not know “that the dead are there”. The “strange woman” resides there, with all her allurements — in the theatre and in all other shameless places, but “her guests are in the depths of hell”. So you have in Luke 8 the man who came out of the city, who had devils a long time, and wore no clothes. The enemy himself has designed some of the shameless costumes that people wear. The shamelessness of modern times issues from that city in France which, like Corinth of old, is famed for its wickedness.
The Lord took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. How very different from sitting in the theatre, to be sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in one’s right mind, like the man who had the demons! One would warn young people. Come to the Lord; turn your back on the city. He has got all you need; He will satisfy your heart and mind. Some young people say, I must read something for my mind. There is more in Christ than can satisfy your mind. Then, as regards clothing, the [p. 175] very first clothes that were ever made were made by God — the Lord God made coats for Adam and Eve and clothed them. Modern fashions are not made in that style. God made what they needed to cover them. What do you get today? “Bring forth the best robe” What is the best robe? Get that word ‘best’ into your heart — God’s best. I could not define God’s best; what I can do is to bow down and admire the magnitude of the grace that brings out the best robe for me.
How magnificent the gospel is! The man who was shameless, who did not live in any house — how many there are like that — is now sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed; he is ready to come and sit down with the Lord’s people and read the holy scriptures. He is in his right mind. That is the effect of the gospel, and that is what the man came into who was led out of the town. It is well worth while coming out of the city. Think of the city that Abraham looked for! “He hath prepared for them a city”. There shall be nothing lacking in that city; it will satisfy every desire of our minds and hearts.
Then further we read that the Lord spat on the blind man’s eyes. The service is rendered outside the town. Then the Lord asked him if he beheld anything; “and the man looked up”. It is well when people begin to look up, because they are looking in the right direction; “Lift up your eyes”, the Lord said to His disciples. Naturally we are looking down, like the woman that was bent with an infirmity; Luke 13. This man looked up, and said, “I see men as trees, walking”. His view was distorted. This is the case with many a young Christian — and many an old one, too. We may thank the Lord for having some sight, but the Lord is not satisfied with that. He would not be satisfied with our vision being distorted, our seeing things out of proportion. Many of us need the second touch of the [p. 176] Lord. In the first touch the Lord did spit on his eyes; the spittle refers to the Lord’s perfect humanity, and we may introduce into it the sacrifice He made, the work He accomplished, otherwise no blessing could come to us. Then He puts His hands again upon his eyes. The first touch is the Lord’s identification with us in His humanity and death. How wonderful that the holy, spotless Son of God identified Himself with us in death! But He put His hand on him again (verse 25). It is the second touch many of us need. I put it to you as to whether you see everything clearly; whether you apprehend Christ in heaven, whether you apprehend the meaning of His death, and whether you see all men and all things in relation to Christ. If not, you need the Lord’s hands placed on your eyes the second time.
So the Lord put His hands again upon the man’s eyes, and made him look up, and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. He saw everything in its right proportions. That is what is so essential for the people of God. The gospel is not only for those who do not believe, but for those who do believe. The gospel of John was written for believers, because they did not believe enough. Why is it that so many people sit “behind”? I go and speak to them; I find that most of them are believers. Why do they not take the Lord’s supper? They do not see things clearly, otherwise they would. They can give an account of their conversion, and one rejoices in that; but what about the second touch? He put His hands again on his eyes, and then he saw all things clearly. And so in regard of many other things one might mention, there are believers who do not see clearly. When a believer sees everything clearly, then he is spiritual, for the spiritual discerns all things; 1 Corinthians 2: 15, 16. The second touch involves that we have received the Holy Spirit. It is a very good inquiry for every one to make, as to whether he has received [p. 177] the Holy Spirit. If you have, make room for Him, so that your vision may be clear. As already remarked, it is said in Corinthians “the spiritual discerns all things”.
One word more: the Lord sent this man away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town”. He saw clearly, but this is not town news; it is not for the newspapers; it is spiritual news, it belongs to the house. If you have got eyesight, show it to your family. You will show it in having respect for your parents. You cannot be right outside if you are wrong in your house; but if right inside then everybody will notice a great change. You will no longer be found giving out news in the town. “Nor tell it to any in the town”. You may wonder why it should not be told in the town. The woman of Samaria told the men in the town; she became an evangelist, but the Lord had a definite object in view when He warned this man about the town. To young people who have got blessing I would say, note the Lord’s word and take heed, neither go into the town nor tell it to any in the town; you want to keep to the house. A believer’s household is a clean place, where you can eat of the meat offering (Leviticus 6: 9); the manhood of Christ is seen and appropriated there.
The end of the chapter (Mark 8) shows where we are led to. The Lord inquired of His disciples as to who He was. Peter answers, “Thou art the Christ”. It is no longer men as trees, walking, but a Man in heaven. That is what the Lord would bring us to; the gospel presents that Man to us, and we are led on by the Holy Spirit, as believers, to apprehend Him as He is where He is.