THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST (5)
[p. 88] THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST (5)
Acts 7:54 - 60; Acts 8:1 - 3; Acts 16:19 - 33; Revelation 21:21
JT At our last reading we dwelt on the sufferings of Christ as seen in “the twelve apostles of the Lamb”, and recorded in the early chapters of Acts. On this occasion we might look at the same sufferings endured by Stephen and the assembly itself; also the sufferings sustained by Paul, which link our thoughts with the gates of pearl of the holy city.
The precious stones were alluded to as probably being the outcome of great pressure in the earth. They are seen in the foundations of the wall of the city as answering to the twelve apostles. 2 Corinthians 1:5 was alluded to as showing that the sufferings of Christ were rightly connected with the apostle and with the assembly; he says, “even as the sufferings of the Christ abound towards us”; so that we are entitled to speak of the sufferings of the saints as the sufferings of Christ. Reference to the twelve precious stones specified by name in Revelation 21, as the twelve foundations of the wall of the city (each stone bearing the name of an apostle) is very suggestive of the pressure of suffering passed through, having in view the formation that God intends shall appear in the heavenly city; that is, what is foundational and stable. Then there is the pearl, which is well known as the product of suffering. I believe that we may rightly regard Philippi as answering to the pearl. It stands peculiarly in relation to suffering experienced by Paul, Silas, and others there, and was the gateway to Europe from the East, viewed in relation to the testimony. The sufferings endured at Philippi peculiarly correspond with the heavenly city, and the apostle stresses sufferings and unity in his letter [p. 89] to the Philippians.
ANW Is it of value to point out that the pearl is identified with the sea, and these precious stones with the earth?
JT That is quite suggestive; it shows God’s great resources from which He draws, as occasion demands, when addressing us.
AFM The epistle to the Philippians confirms what you were saying about the formation of the pearl, and is very suggestive. The work at Philippi was rich in fruits, so that the apostle could write to them as he did.
JT Well, I thought the wording of the letter to them, being so full of affection and tender, personal feeling, through links being formed in suffering, would point to the pearl, and inasmuch as the assembly was marked by unity, what was lacking in that respect was urged fervently by the apostle; and then that assembly was marked by fellowship in the gospel from the very beginning, which is the administrative feature, as to that in which God shines out, and this corresponds with the gates of pearl.
JS In the opening of Acts 8 all are scattered “except the apostles”. Do you regard the apostles as having withstood the pressure?
JT It would seem that they stood their ground. The pressure must have been very great in Jerusalem, and, as we were remarking previously, they may have been influenced by metropolitan sentiments; yet I think the Lord would protect them from criticism, and would show that their work was perfect.
JS Their foundation remains stable.
JT Quite; so that the further work extending out was also on a solid basis, and the subsequent part Jerusalem took in relation to the work abroad among the nations confirms this. There is no doubt, however, that the metropolitan spirit soon became fixed at Jerusalem, and it was more and more [p. 90] manifest as the testimony proceeded, as the epistle to the Galatians witnesses, also Paul’s final visit there.
CAM Why do such adverse forces focus themselves so much on one man — Stephen?
JT It looks as if the Lord took him up and fitted him as one suited to reflect what He had in His mind at this juncture; instead of taking up one of the apostles, the Lord took up Stephen. It was no reflection on the apostles, because Stephen was the fruit of their labours. He was not an independent element, but one appointed by them for deaconship. He was distinctly an assembly man, carrying the confidence of the assembly and commended by them for deaconship, so that the apostles laid their hands on him; he fully represents the assembly and the apostles; then we see how the work of God in him prepares for the heavenly side of the truth; his face was “as the face of an angel” in the presence of his persecutors.
CAM Deaconship as exercised by Stephen would imply that he is a representative of those that serve the saints?
JT Yes; a deacon is not necessarily a gift, but one who serves in a material way, in visiting the saints and in ministering to their temporal needs.
WGT The apostles established the deacons in Acts 6, and gave themselves up to prayer and ministry of the word. That is how Stephen, one of the seven, came into prominence.
JT Yes; he qualified; but took no short cuts to prominence in his service. He obtained for himself a good degree and much boldness in the faith. That is the way it is presented; it is what Stephen was personally; so that this spiritual dignity and honour of suffering is, we may say, within the range of any Christian. Deaconship may be exercised by sisters as well as brothers, see Romans 16:1. Philippi was [p. 91] peculiarly distinguished in that way. The deacons are mentioned in the apostle’s address (Philippians 1:1).
WGT Would it not appear that the apostles looked on Stephen’s work as inferior?
JT It was inferior, but still was essential. In fact the deacons were appointed to meet an effort by the devil to force cleavage among the saints.
ABP Does not chapter 6 show that Stephen not only graced the position, but he developed in it; because when he was chosen, it says he was full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and then later it says: “Stephen, full of grace and power”. Evidently he had used the Spirit.
CAM One striking feature about Stephen is that he knew the history of God’s people including their sufferings, from the beginning, and spoke of them in a remarkable way.
JT He is an example for young brothers in view of ministry; that they should be acquainted with the history of the testimony. There is nothing more important than the testimony, and hence the history of it is of prime importance; nor can any brother serve effectually without having a full outline of it in his mind.
AR Stephen started with the God of glory and finished by seeing the glory of God. One might say it is a complete outline.
JT One starting with the God of glory is not thinking of his own glory. Moses says to God, “Let me see thy glory” (Exodus 33:18); it could not be shown then; but Stephen “saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God”.
WGT What does that involve in the ministry — seeing the glory of God?
JT Well, it is God shining out; for glory is the shining out of what He is in love, all that shone out in Jesus; hence it is said, “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”, (2 Corinthians 4:6). It is brought to us intelligibly in that way.
AFM Do we not need to avail ourselves of any reliable account of the history of the testimony in suffering?
JT Of course, we have only a tithe of the martyrs and of the history of their martyrdom, but they will all appear and shine in the heavenly city, and we must wait for it. But any authentic records of the sufferings of Christ in the members of the assembly down through the ages, are pure gold. The ten days of tribulation the Lord speaks of to Smyrna allude to an extended period of suffering by the saints — the sufferings of Christ in them.
CAM I suppose those sufferings in themselves have a purifying effect in a general way on the spirits of the saints. Is it not encouraging to see that in Stephen there is a man who can sketch the line of faith all the way down?
JT Yes. It is an unbroken line.
JS The cutting off of Stephen here does not break it. It still goes on; and I suppose you would link that on with the apostle Paul?
JT Stephen, in a sense, begins a line of suffering, and his martyrdom has a great place, for we read of the tribulation that took place on the occasion. It was a beginning of a persecution as distinguished from the twelve; and I think it culminates in the heavenly city, but converging on the gates rather than on the foundations.
JS What do you have in mind when you say, a new kind of persecution since Stephen?
JT Well, it is on account of the more heavenly side of the truth. His face was as that of an angel and those in the council saw it, which I think should be noticed.
JS Was it because the traits of the heavenly [p. 93] man were shining out in Stephen that the enemy became so infuriated against him?
JT Yes. That is met by the same grace that shone in Christ on the cross; and, I believe, is involved in the “one pearl” of the gates; i.e., the unity of the assembly developed in sufferings is the answer in grace to the malice of man’s heart. Stephen knelt down and said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”. What a testimony that was! It was the heavenly character of the testimony harmonising with what the Lord said on the cross “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). It was the fulness of the heavenly side of the testimony, as Ephesians 1:7 says, “according to the riches of his grace”, and “God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love”, (chapter 2:4).
JS The Lord would have sustained him in a special way, so that he displayed this marvellous spirit.
JT That is what we should count on in any suffering for Him — that in whatever little measure we may share in it, we should maintain the spirit of grace, because persecutions are apt to provoke us. In Acts 16, you see how great the apostle Paul and Silas were in the prison, but there was a drop in Paul’s testimony later when he required the magistrates to come and take them out of the prison. So we need to watch ourselves lest we be resentful when things happen which occasion persecution.
APf Why is the thought of vengeance introduced in Revelation 6:10 in connection with martyrs?
JT They belong to another family of saints, not to the assembly, and correspond more to the Psalms; the subjects of suffering in that book frequently cry for vengeance, too, but those that form the assembly are on a higher plane, and that is what is before us just now. The grace that is to mark us in suffering [p. 94] is in correspondence with the gates of the city, and what God is as in administration there.
ANW Psalm 21 calls for vengeance; whereas Psalm 22 does not.
JT Psalm 22 is grace; the answer to God forsaking Christ on the cross.
ANW You have the deepest sufferings, but no vengeance.
AR Stephen did not whisper but “cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”. He was powerful in testimony and marked by grace in his suffering.
JT Yes; no doubt all present heard. What a testimony it was in answer to the stones of hatred hurled at him! That is what he says, and he knelt down to say it, showing the composure of mind he had. In the terrible ordeal of stoning he knelt down to pray for his murderers.
WFK He was full of the Holy Spirit.
JT Yes; showing what power was there!
FNP As was said, Stephen corresponded to the Lord on the cross. The Lord said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
JT That is the idea of the pearl; the assembly itself being the expression of Christ — not in judgment, but in grace.
JEH Would you say that the attitude of mind, expressed in the rejection and crucifixion of Christ, was continued here in relation to Stephen?
JT That is what is meant. I think Stephen represents what was to be developed. The assembly was to be the vessel for the display of Christ — His body — and the Lord alludes to that when He says to Saul, “why dost thou persecute me?” As if to say, What are these people doing against you? Grace was in the assembly, seen in suffering without resentment.
NMcC One was thinking of the suddenness of the ending of Stephen’s testimony. Would it indicate [p. 95] that sufferings are not to be confined to distinguished men, but also to be distributed, and experienced by all?
JT That is just what comes out here. First it says, “Saul was consenting to his being killed”; and then it says, “there arose a great persecution against the assembly”, the whole body is now to be brought into it; Saul entered into the houses in his persecuting zeal, dragging off men and women and delivering them to prison.
ANW It is the assembly which was in Jerusalem in verse 1; and evidently the whole assembly is contemplated in verse 3.
JT Just so. Saul entered “into the houses one after another”. That is to be noted. What did he find in those houses? He found Christ in character — brothers and sisters and their children permeated with the spirit of Christ.
JEH He was, as it were, looking for Christ, to persecute Him.
JT Paul tells us later that he thought he ought to do much against the name of Jesus the Nazaraean, and he found in the houses of the saints what was in character Jesus the Nazaraean. That is what the Lord alluded to when He said, “Why dost thou persecute me?” As if to say, Saul, you went into such a house, what did you find there? He would have to say, I found there a beautiful spirited man who did not try to drive me out of his house. As James said, “ye have condemned, ye have killed the just; he does not resist you”, (chapter 5:6).
NMcC So that what we have of Stephen, Paul, and Silas is written not only for a record, but to show us what we should be like.
JT That is right. If the Lord allowed physical persecution today, what would some officer of the law find who might enter your house to drag you before a tribunal?
CAM [p. 96] Saul would see in those houses of the saints rays of the same glory he had seen in Stephen.
FHL The record of Stephen’s burial is short and striking.
JT We do not get much account of the burial of the saints in the New Testament; this one being the exception. I suppose Stephen’s burial has a dispensational significance in that the hopes of Israel were for the moment buried there; God was taking up something else now in relation to the assembly.
CAM I suppose the martyrdom of Stephen was the Jews’ answer to God’s presentation of Christ to them in resurrection. They would not have that Man to reign over them.
JT Exactly; the stoning of Stephen has that significance.
AFM In verse 1 of chapter 8 we read that “Saul was consenting to his being killed”. I was wondering whether the spirit of Christ exhibited in Stephen caused Saul to consent to his death, and possibly to start on the terrible course of persecution he pursued.
JT Quite so; in that paragraph the Holy Spirit makes the incident stand out. It says, “And Saul was consenting to his being killed”. He was consenting to the death of such a man.
Ques Would you say the death of Stephen with its environments was really the birth-place of the apostle Paul?
JT I think that is right. He came into contact with the spirit of Christ there. Undoubtedly some impression was made which linked with later events.
ABP The Lord was putting the “goads” there — “it is hard for thee to kick against goads”, (Acts 26:14).
JT Yes; some impression had been made on Saul, for his conscience was pricking him, but not until the Lord brought him down did he give way to his conscience; the Lord says, “it is hard for thee”. I think that is one of the finest expressions of grace you can get. Saul was the Lord’s greatest human enemy, and yet He said to him “it is hard for thee” — as if the Lord sympathised with him.
JS So you see God’s ways in grace, in judgment, and in government. His conscience was no doubt reached on this occasion.
JT In His governmental care for His people the Lord removed Saul as a persecutor, but in His grace He converted him. The allusion to the goads is touching as showing the Lord’s sympathy even for such a man.
WGT Would you regard Saul as a figure of the remnant?
JT Yes; he said he was an abortion — saved before the time. Paul was “a delineation of those about to believe on him to life eternal”, (1 Timothy 1:16). The Lord appeared unto him as one born out of due time; that is, not born after the time, but before the time. If it were an allusion to Pentecost, he was born after the time, but it was an allusion to the coming day when the remnant will be brought in; as such he was born before the time. I judge this latter is what Paul means.
CAM It puts a greatness of meaning on the word “delineation”, especially if it includes those who follow the assembly.
JT You can see how God’s earthly people will be brought in by and by — on the ground of pure mercy. No one deserved mercy less than Saul, but God took him up to make him a delineation, so that the blackest sinner on earth need not fear, since such an one as this has been taken up; I believe it will be of great comfort to the remnant by and by when they are convicted of the murder of Christ. In Leviticus 23 the memorial of blowing of trumpets takes place before the day of atonement, which is for conviction [p. 98] of sin. It will be the awakening of the Jews by some powerful testimony, and their conviction will be deep; but they will have encouragement by examples such as this. Paul is a delineation for them, as mercy was shown him, so it will be shown to them.
CAM With reference to the pearl of Matthew 13, I wanted to ask whether it would be right to say that the Lord saw its glories when here upon earth?
JT I think He saw it in the disciples. He had come in as the Messiah; the porter had opened the door to Him and He would confirm the promises made to the fathers; but in doing that this precious thing, greater than Israel ever was or could be, came to His mind; He saw it in the disciples in some way, so that the Lord could speak of “having found one pearl of great value”.
WGT With regard to the houses Saul entered in his persecuting zeal, would they correspond with the passover night in Egypt — the same spirit seen in all the houses of Israel is now found in the houses of the saints in Jerusalem.
JT Yes, it was the spirit of Christ in the houses, and indicates the place the houses of the saints have in the testimony, and hence Acts 16 corresponds. The household of the jailor was secured and becomes the depository of grace, as also the house of Lydia. It is a question of what is found in the households of the brethren, should an agent of persecution enter; would he find the house full of novels and newspapers and that sort of thing? That is the world itself; it is not Christ; there is nothing there to persecute!
AR Saul of Tarsus would have passed such a house by!
JT Yes, he would have looked in and said, This is not the house of a Christian.
AR Does not the power of the testimony largely lie in what our houses are?
JT It does. It is remarkable the place [p. 99] the household has acquired in the history of the testimony in recent times.
AFM The first allusion to the pearl is connected with “the kingdom of the heavens”, as if to show that the saints in this setting must come under the recognition and rule of heaven.
JT Matthew is the assembly gospel. It is the only one in which the assembly is formally mentioned. It contains a great deal about houses and the Lord Jesus as in them. The wise men from the East found Him in the house. So one important question today is, What is in one’s house? If a persecutor comes in and looks around and sees worldly things on the table, cards and what not, he would say, This is not the house I want. The world loves its own and would commend that, but it will not commend holy conversation and prayer and the reading of the Scriptures in the morning.
NMcC One would ask whether you confine the sufferings of Christ as seen in the assembly to the believer standing for Christ and His rights. Or does it mean inward hidden suffering?
JT Sufferings endured inwardly, as the result of bad teaching, or want of deliverance, are not included. On the other hand, keen suffering comes from your near relatives, neighbours, fellow workers and the like. The keenest kind is endured from them as you are faithful to the Lord — “And all indeed who desire to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”, (2 Timothy 3:12). That is, those who are of the new order of man seen in Him. The world abominates it, and hence you find yourself ostracised in spirit by it.
ANW Would you mind explaining the use of the word “testimony”?
JT Testimony is what God presents, and means the same as witness; hence you find the ark of the testimony, and the tent of the testimony. The ark of the testimony implies what was in the ark, presented on God’s part to men. What was in the tent of testimony, too, was what God would present to men. Christ is it and it is presented in the saints now in the power of the Spirit. What we are engaged with now is, that if we suffer from men because of this presentation, what spirit do we manifest? We are to exhibit grace, like Stephen did, who, I believe, is the prototype of this for all of us. He was like each one of us, just a sinner taken up by God, and he comes into this grace and prominence through faithfulness. No doubt he had special support, but it is not said of him, as it is of Paul, that he was an elect vessel, or that the Lord stood by him and strengthened him, and that is what, I believe, the Lord would teach us. He is therefore an example for us all, to maintain the spirit that was seen in Christ, and also seen in Stephen, in suffering. The passage before us would stress that this spirit of Christ should be seen in the houses of the saints.
ABP Is there not a great deal about us that is not according to God? And in order to be brought into line with the testimony we have to be brought through sufferings or trials, which are disciplinary, but is it possible that if we accept these sufferings at the hand of the Lord, they may be turned into profitable sufferings that might even be called the sufferings of Christ?
Ques Is that where we get on to the administrative side — as suffering we exhibit grace?
JT The “administrative side” is good, because that is the climax of what we are talking about. As persecuted I become an administrator of grace. That is the principle — “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. The Lord is administering grace: Stephen was administering grace when he said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”. In all these circumstances of suffering, the thing is to maintain the spirit of dependence on God, and [p. 101] thus acquire moral power to administer His grace to men. This principle is strikingly exemplified in Joseph.
JTJr Is that the result of the Lord breathing into the disciples; (John 20:22)?
JT Yes.
AFM Paul and Silas got the jailor through the manifestation of this spirit.
JT The jailor says, “Sirs”. He is very respectful. A little while before he would have addressed them very differently. Now he says, “Sirs, what must I do that I may be saved?” They are administrators now, and they are that collectively. That is the idea of the pearl, the administration of grace meets the hatred.
ANW So that in the heavenly city, although there are twelve gates, whatever gate I arrive at, the one thing, grace, is suggested to me.
JT That is what I thought. Each gate “was of one pearl”, and complete in itself, but uniform with the others.
APT The jailor laid the table for Paul and Silas.
JT Now he is administrating in his house, but they had administered the grace of heaven to him first. “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house”.
FHL There are three gates on each side of the city.
JT The bearing is universal.
AR Do you mean that administering grace now equips the saints so that they will know how to do it perfectly in the millennial day?
JT Exactly; the apostle’s letter to Philippi indicates unity among the brethren there, tempered with suffering. I believed they answered to the pearl.
APT The jailor brought Paul and Silas into his house; it had become, through grace, a suited place for them and for [p. 102] the brethren.
JT Exactly; I think Lydia had gained the first place in this sense in Philippi. In Luke 10:5 - 7, you get, “And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace to this house. And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it ... and in the same house abide”. I think the house of a “son of peace” implied headquarters for grace, and Lydia acquired that place. So that when Paul and Silas left the prison, “they came to Lydia”. The jailor’s house was another institution opened up to the apostles where their needs were administered to.
AFM The suggestion of “a son of peace” is helpful, yet I suppose that Paul with headquarters at Lydia’s house would have gladly accepted an invitation from the jailor for a meal, had he remained at Philippi; and he would have been open to have fellowship with other brethren in like manner.
NMcC Do you think we have it in mind enough, when we are tested for the Lord’s sake, that as we go through the testing with the Lord, He will give us a place in the day of administration?
JT You do not want to put it off until that day! The thing is to administer to the persecutor when persecuted. The jailor was the persecutor, he put their feet in the stocks; but when the time came, they administered to him in grace.
WGT There was a testimony to all the prisoners, but I suppose the Lord really had in mind the jailor and his house.
JT The prisoners heard the singing and praise, which was a touching testimony, but the administration was to the jailor, which brings out the true position. The immediate persecutor is administered to by those whom he persecutes. It is a wonderful triumph of the grace of God in His people.
CAM The result in Philippi was an assembly marked by sympathy with Paul and sustained [p. 103] fellowship in the gospel.
JT They had fellowship in the gospel from the “first day until now”. That is the pearl in the gate; they were with Paul in the administration of grace.
JS In Stephen and in Paul you see more the qualities of the pearl; whereas in the twelve, the distinctive features of the precious stones.
JT I think so — the twelve are foundational. What was set up at Jerusalem stood; and that is, I believe, what is meant in the “twelve foundations” — the apostles’ work was perfect.
AFM Will you tell us in what particular way the twelve apostles ministered in relation to the city, besides being foundational? There was not only the foundation of the wall of the city, but the street?
JT The apostles are not connected with that especially. The point is that they laid such a foundation that a superstructure such as the heavenly city could rest upon it! In Acts 8, when the work of God spread into Samaria, the apostles cared for it; they “sent to them Peter and John”. Then when the work of conversion took place at Antioch, tidings of these things “reached the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem”, showing what was there — energetic sympathy that would stretch out to them and to what God was doing everywhere.
WB-w There is no other foundation today.
APf “The firm foundation of God stands”, (2 Timothy 2:19).
Ques Acts 16:26 refers to the foundations of the prison and to the doors. Would it not suggest that the world’s system has its foundations and its doors, but there was being introduced into Philippi new foundations and new gates, as it were, which would entirely overthrow what was there?
JT That is right. The foundation of God stands; the foundation of the world does not.
APT I was thinking about God as seen in this chapter. It says that Lydia worshipped God, and that Paul and Silas sang praises to God, and finally [p. 104] the Philippian jailor believed in God. That is a glorious result of the testimony as presented, is it not?
JT It is in keeping with “For of him, and through him, and for him are all things: to him be glory for ever”, (Romans 11:36).
CAM The singing seems to be an intimation of the mind of God as to what was to be found in the assembly in Philippi.
APT There would hardly be an organ in the jail!
JT Well, the saints singing is greater than an organ. The only instrument of music in heaven is a harp — a stringed instrument. I believe that Paul and Silas were stringed instruments. The Lord would regard them as His stringed instruments — instruments of the Chief Musician; the singing of these sufferers was thus an exalted testimony to the prisoners.
JEH They were in “high places”, (Habakkuk 3:19).
ABP This was praise that developed out of suffering and prayer. Is there not a peculiar quality to such praise — suffering, prayer, and praise? Is that not a remarkable ascent?
JT Yes I think that is very suggestive. It says in Habakkuk 3:1 “A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth”, and then it ends with: “Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, And he maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, And he will make me walk upon my high places”. To the “chief Musician. On my stringed instruments” (verses 18,19); that is, he rises from prayer to praise.
ANW Habakkuk begins with a burden and follows with a prayer and ends with praise.
JHE In Psalm 22, we have the Lord saying,
“[p. 105] My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (verse 1), and then singing: “in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee”, verse 22 ...
ABP Psalm 22:3 says, “thou that dwellest amid the praises of Israel”. The Lord had that before Him on the cross in His suffering, and praise out of suffering seems to be of the most excellent quality.
JT I believe the instruments are developed in suffering, but Psalm 22 is the basis of the praises of Israel.