THE MAN CHRIST JESUS
[p. 237] THE MAN CHRIST JESUS
1 Timothy 2:5; Psalm 105:17; Numbers 12:3
The testimony of Christ as Man has a great place in Scripture. Indeed, we are told that the “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”, Revelation 19:10 meaning that the prophets, in the spirit of them, called attention to Jesus, and in the last great prophecy of Scripture, the book of Revelation, the Lord speaks to those who love Him as “I, Jesus”. That book unfolds to us the appearance in Europe of His terrible rival, the man of sin, for Satan, taking account of the man Christ Jesus, the Man of the prophets, the Man of the gospels, the Man of the apostolic epistles, seeks to rival Him, and his workings to that end have continued almost from the earliest days of Christianity. For, as we are told, “The mystery of iniquity doth already work”; 2 Thessalonians 2:7 even in the days of Paul it had begun, and it has worked ever since. God has graciously held in check the result of that working, but, in due course, He will remove the check, and then shall appear he whose coming, as we are told, is after the working of Satan — the man of sin shall be revealed. A most appalling prospect, but, as God is pleased to remove the barrier, he shall appear, he shall be revealed. These elements have long existed, and, as God removes His hand, they will all take form in one man, and he shall appear whose coming is after the working of Satan in all deceivableness.
Now, in view of this terrible fact, which none of us should ignore, the importance of the testimony of Jesus is evident; that we should have in our souls, dear brethren, a right conception of the Man — as it is said here — the Man Christ Jesus. As He was about to die, you will recall, Pilate brought Him forth, and called attention to Him, as if, under God, the Man [p. 238] should be presented to Israel, to His murderers, ere they committed that foul deed — His crucifixion. He brought forth Christ from the judgment hall, and he says, “Behold the man”. John 19:5. It is as if God would call attention to Him in that hour, as if there were no other, for really, measured up in accordance with divine requirements, there was no other. God had found in Him His delight; He had come under God’s eye in His life here from the outset; the divine idea of manhood had developed and matured, and now it was about to be tested to the utmost, and before the test, under God, Pilate brings Him forth and presents Him, saying, “Behold the man”. John 19:5. It is, indeed, a voice that, as it were, sounds throughout Scripture. Pilate little understood the full import of the Man to whom he called attention, but for the moment he was acting under God, just as earlier the High Priest had said that one man should die for the people — should die for the nation. God thus ordered it, that those who had little interest in Christ — His enemies, indeed — should call attention to Him.
So the testimony of Scripture is before one this afternoon as regards the Man. It is laid upon my heart, because of the importance of having clearly in our souls a conception of Him, in view of the awful revelation that is about to be made of the man of sin, so that we may not be deceived in any sense, for we are told that the second beast had two horns, as a lamb. That is, there shall be an imitation of Christ; Satan’s great weapon to oppose the truth is imitation. As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so today Satan is withstanding the truth of the Person of Jesus by imitation. It is seen everywhere at the present time, and it is about to culminate in the second beast, who is said to have two horns, as a lamb. Think for a moment of the audacity of the enemy in imitating the Man of Isaiah 53, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter”, Isaiah 53:7.
we are told, “and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation, for his life was taken from the earth”. Isaiah 53:7,8.
Such is the testimony of prophecy, beloved friends, in regard to this Man, and I dwell for a moment on the preaching of Him as we get it in Philip. You will remember that Philip in Samaria preached “the Christ” Acts 8:5 — one who does everything for God and for man; but then he is directed to go into the desert, and in the desert he meets the Ethiopian — he is definitely called an Ethiopian — who was returning from Jerusalem, and who was reading, we are told, from the prophet Esaias. He was reading the testimony of Jesus. And it says Philip began at the same scripture, that is Isaiah 53, and announced unto him Jesus. The Man Christ Jesus, you see, has reference to the Ethiopian as He has to the European or the Asiatic. Under divine direction, undoubtedly, this Ethiopian was reading the prophet Isaiah — and that remarkable chapter, which is above all others the testimony of Jesus. The Man whom God approves of, the Man whom God has set over all, the Head of every man now, is the One of whom that chapter speaks. “Philip”, it says, “preached unto him Jesus”. Acts 8:35. The Ethiopian believed the testimony of Jesus. I wonder if we have all believed that testimony? The eunuch believed, and Jesus became the object of his affections. That is what I want to get before us, beloved friends, that we may so apprehend the Man that He shall control our affections and our lives; otherwise we are sure to come under the influence, in one way or another, of the man that is about to be revealed, the features of whom, as I said, already exist. So the eunuch says, “Here is water”. Acts 8:36. You see where Christ has entrance into the heart there is no deferring of identification with Him.
[p. 240] Let us not defer for a moment complete identification with this Man; as was said to Rebecca, “Wilt thou go with this man?” The eunuch had no hesitation; he says, “Here is water” Acts 8:36 — a most remarkable thing in the desert, but you may be sure that where God is working there will be all the requisites of complete identification with Christ. The water was there. “Here is water”, he says; “what doth hinder me to be baptised?” Acts 8:36. And they went down — Philip and the eunuch — into the water together. That is, there was in Philip the spirit of the Man Christ Jesus. He would not stand on the dry land, and see his brother go into the water. He would go into the water with him. What a spectacle for heaven to see those two dear men, one a black man and the other an Asiatic, standing together in the water! And Philip baptised him, and we are told the eunuch went on his way rejoicing, and Philip was caught away by the Spirit of God, and was found at Azotus. You may say, “Why did not Philip stay with him and teach him; or why did he not direct him back to Jerusalem, so that he might be instructed by the apostles?” No, the Man Christ Jesus has universal power. He can direct, and teach, and preserve a man in Ethiopia, as if that man were in Jerusalem. I speak thus for the encouragement of individuals here who may have anxiety as to the future. If you commit yourself to Christ, you need have no anxiety, even though the will of God takes you into the centre of this continent. You may be assured that the Lord Jesus can take care of you. You see He has universal dominion and power, and it matters nothing where you are, or what race you belong to, so as you commit yourself definitely to Jesus He will take care of you. The eunuch had the knowledge of Jesus in his soul, and he had committed himself definitely to Him in baptism — so he could go on his way rejoicing.
Now I want just to dwell on the two passages in [p. 241] the Old Testament. You see in Psalm 105 that God called for a famine and broke the whole staff of bread. Why did God do that? To bring out His resources in a Man. Everything converges on Christ. You see, whatever happens in the history of the race is to bring out what the Man is. God has His Man, and He loves to bring out the perfections and the power and the resources that are in that Man. So it says, “He sent a man before them”. I wanted just to dwell for a moment on the feature of the Man Christ Jesus that is presented in Joseph. He appears at the very outset as a type of Christ. When he was born Jacob spoke of leaving Syria — a very remarkable suggestion, for, as the light of Jesus comes into your soul, the next thing is, are you prepared to move with Him? He is not dwelling in this world. His life is taken from the earth. The man of sin will be set up in this world. It is his sphere. He comes in his own name, and he intends to set himself up here, whereas the life of Jesus was taken from this world, and as He comes into your soul you move. That is the suggestion — you move. Jacob spoke of leaving Syria as Joseph was born; Genesis 30:25. So, also, as he meets with his brother Esau, and causes his family to pass before him, Joseph goes before Rachel. I have spoken of this frequently, because I enjoy it so much. I enjoy the thought of the pre-eminence of Christ even in His infancy, and, unless you learn to acknowledge the pre-eminence of Jesus in your soul, you will not be formed after Him. So, as Jacob met with Esau, and as they all passed before Esau and did obeisance, Joseph passed on before his mother. He had the pre-eminence. Then, at the age of seventeen, we are told, he is definitely loved of his father. How beautifully Joseph stands out there, at the immature age of seventeen, as the object of his father’s affection! And he brought back to his father the report of the evil discourse of his brethren.
[p. 242] How beautifully the traits of Jesus shine in Joseph. You see, God intends that these traits should appear even in the youngest believer. As a young man, or a young woman, the light of Christ comes into your soul, and you hear filthy conversation, and you abhor it. The theatres and the picture shows all suggest what is filthy. If I come, at the age of seventeen, into those traits, so beautifully expressed in Joseph, I shall not be found in association with those who use filthy language — “their evil discourse”.
Then, again, we find that he had the light of God in his soul. I think of Jesus here in this world — the Man, all the light of God was there. He says, “I am the light of the world”, John 8:12 and so Joseph says to his brethren, “I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright”. Genesis 37:7. Can the man of sin raise the dead? No, beloved. He may imitate, and bring fire down from heaven, as the magicians of Egypt did. But can he raise the dead? No. When Moses brought forth the lice, we are told the magicians said, “This is the finger of God”. Exodus 8:19. It was the power of God in a man. Jesus is declared to be Son of God with power, by resurrection. In the type His sheaf stood upright. It was impossible that He should be holden of death. What a fact to get into our souls as to Jesus!
Then, again, Joseph had another dream, and he says, “Behold the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me”. Genesis 37:9. It is Christ in heaven — the glad tidings that Jesus is the Christ. That is really what is bound up in this dream, Principalities and powers and authorities are subject to Him. You see what strength of soul we acquire as we pursue Scripture, and get into our souls the testimony of it about Jesus.
But Joseph is spoken of as in prison. You see how the man whom God sent before them portrays [p. 243] the life of Jesus. His soul came into irons, we are told. His feet were hurt by fetters, until the time came when what he saw came about. That is, what he saw in his two dreams — His power in resurrection and His position in heaven. All that has come about now; the iron has entered His soul, beloved; and His feet were made fast in the fetters; but God has taken Him out of it, the pains of death have been loosed. He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. So that we see how the Man shines out in Joseph. And in that prison he speaks of the life of Jesus in a most wonderful way. The cupbearer of Pharaoh told his dream, and it was darkness to him, but to Joseph it was light, and it was light about the life of Jesus. He says, “A vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded; its blossoms shot forth; its clusters ripened into grapes”. Genesis 40:9,10. What a perfect presentation, as one might say, of the life of Jesus! So that the man whom God sent before them portrays in a wonderful way the life of Jesus.
Having said so much about Joseph, I want to say a word about Moses, the next great vessel used in the testimony. You see the Spirit of God at this particular juncture in Moses’ life calls attention to the fact that he was the meekest man in all the earth. I ask you to dwell on that. It is not a mere incidental statement; it is said expressly to call attention to the man; none had a better opportunity of proving the manhood of Moses than Miriam, and yet you find her at this time opposing Moses. It is a very searching matter. She was his sister after the flesh, and was considerably older than Moses. She watched him, in his infancy, as he was in the ark. She knew him as a baby; she knew his history, and so did Aaron, for Aaron was two years older than Moses. How much they owed to Moses! They owed all their dignity, under God, to Moses, and yet they were [p. 244] arrayed in a combination against him. How aptly this describes the conditions which exist at the present time! You take Christendom.
What has given it its distinction in this world? Why, it is the light of Jesus. The introduction of the testimony of Jesus into Europe is most striking. It is said that “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” Acts 16:7 to go into Bithynia. Why? He wanted the testimony of Jesus in Europe; and so Europe has been enlightened. It has been lifted above the rest of the world through that testimony, and yet the greatest combination against Christ is there. It is at this point that the Spirit of God calls attention to the meekness of Moses. There is an awful combination against Jesus at the present time, but the believer knows that He is the meekest of men. “He was led as a lamb” — that is the type of meekness — “to the slaughter, and, as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth”. Isaiah 53:7. That is the testimony of Jesus. Miriam and Aaron combined against such a man. How awful is the guilt of Christendom, the guilt of Europe, I may say, for there it is that the combination has been formed against Jesus. And why did Aaron and Miriam oppose Moses here? Because he had married an Ethiopian. I beg of you to note the connection between that passage and Acts 8. An Ethiopian is brought. Japheth looks down on the African, but what about Jesus? Does He look down on the African? No. As you see the three races standing over against each other in Acts 8, Acts 9, and Acts 10 — the African, the Ethiopian, is enlightened first. The testimony of Jesus takes account of men. There is no ‘favoured nation clause’ in the gospel. The Man Christ Jesus is the Mediator between God and men, and the Ethiopian was as much a man as Philip or Paul. Paul had left Jerusalem, we might say, almost at the same time to go to Damascus as the Ethiopian had left to go south. The Ethiopian is [p. 245] converted first, and it is by the Spirit of Jesus. And so away in the north, at Damascus, the same Jesus is talking to the Asiatic. He says, “I am Jesus”. Acts 9:5. The same Jesus. He has the same rights over Saul as he had over the Ethiopian, and the Ethiopian was saved before Saul, and before Cornelius, the representative of Japheth. So Moses takes an Ethiopian wife, and Miriam and Aaron object. It was a family matter to them; family pride, you see, interfered, and they opposed the meekest man. How terrible that we should be found opposing Jesus. What is there in Him to oppose? What was Moses to Miriam and Aaron? Their best friend; under God they owed everything to Moses, and I say to everyone of us that we owe everything to Jesus.
Let us not be found arrayed, either by association, or by the adoption of principles, against Him. It is easy for even Christians to slip into opposition to Jesus. Satan darkens our minds, and we are found, perhaps quite unintentionally arrayed against Him. It is a serious matter that God should have to say to you, ‘Why should you oppose Him; He is the meekest Man in all the earth?’ The Lord says to Saul, “Why persecutest thou me?” Why should he persecute Jesus? “Who art thou, Lord?” He says, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest”. Let us see to it, dear brethren; let us look into our hearts and see if we are in any way persecuting Jesus. If I am not following His principles, and am not identified with Him and His people, I am very likely to be arrayed against Him, for He says, “He that is not with me is against me” — a very solemn word.
Well, now, the time is gone. I said all this to amplify the verses in Timothy. He says, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”. The Man who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony to be rendered in its own time. I wish every believer, as the result of [p. 246] this meeting, would take afresh into his soul the thought of the Man Christ Jesus. He gave Himself, it says, a ransom for all. Mark you, “for all”. Every man of this world was in His mind. “He sent a man before them”. That means that Jesus, sent before, had every one of us in His mind. Paul says He “loved me” — not ‘He loves me’, although that is absolutely true — but He “loved me, and gave himself for me”. I love to think of that. He was sent before me, and He loved me then. He loves me now, but He loved me then, and “gave himself for me”.
Let us take it to ourselves individually, as Paul did. He “gave himself”, he says, “for me”. The Lord bless the word to us.