OCCUPATION WITH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
J. Renton
Matthew 21: 1–10; Luke 7: 47–49; 8: 22–25; 12: 40–44
I would just like to call attention to our Lord Jesus Christ from these scriptures. He is to be the blessed occupation of our hearts, and to be our great object in life down here. We were reading about the thoughts and intents of the heart, and our thoughts are to be towards Him and our intents, intentions ought to be what is for Him, for His glory, for His pleasure; and for the advancement of His interests, the expanding of His interests down here as far as we are able.
So this first scripture describes the coming of the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem, where God rendered testimony to who was there. It is a kind of foreshadowing of what will yet take place actually when the Lord comes to reign; when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. That is about to take place, He is coming to reign. Here He comes to die.
Jerusalem in this gospel is opposed to the Lord Jesus, although it is called the city of the great King, but this passage gives testimony to what will yet take place. God did not have His beloved Son, although He was rejected, come into Jerusalem without some testimony being rendered as to who He was. So that is our privilege now; ere the Lord Jesus comes to reign publicly, it is our privilege to have Him reigning in our hearts, ascribing to Him worthiness and the glory that belongs to Him at the present time. It says here, “the whole city was moved”, it is quite a remarkable expression, “saying, Who is this?” Who is so great as to cause all this testimony to be rendered, as He entered into Jerusalem?
It was only momentary in this city, it goes on to speak about the children crying in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21: 15). The Pharisees were indignant, but they could not do a thing about it; the Lord says, “Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Matthew 21: 16). It is good to look forward, it helps us in testimony, to look forward to the time when the Lord will come in publicly, because all testimony to Him has that in view. In our lives, in our allegiance to Him, we are only rendering testimony to what is yet to be public, the great moment when the Lord Jesus will take over His inheritance. All things belong to Him. He is the Heir of all things. He has not yet taken over His inheritance, but He is about to, and it is good to realise that any testimony we render at the moment is testimony to what will yet be public when the Lord Jesus comes. It heartens us because we may meet with opposition and reproach, and not much reception; but just let us bear in mind that what we are giving testimony to is what will yet happen publicly in this very world in which we are. He will transform this world by means of judgment. The gospel is not going to convert the world, the world is not going to improve by the preaching of the gospel; the world itself is not but individuals are going to be secured to have part in this testimony that meantime is being rendered. The writer quotes, “Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass”. It will yet be true, as I have said.
Psalm 24 says, “Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in” (Psalm 24: 7). That will be actual, it will actually happen in this world. The question is raised in that psalm—“Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle” (verse 8). He is going to prove Himself mighty in battle, overcoming every enemy; every enemy is going to be overcome, all opposition will be subdued, and the King of glory will yet come in. It heartens us to be assured that this moment is going to arrive. The section from Psalm 93 to Psalm 100 is a section by itself and is worthwhile reading. These psalms speak of Jehovah reigning; it is the Lord coming in, coming in to His own. Psalm 93 says, “Jehovah reigneth, he hath clothed himself with majesty—Jehovah hath clothed himself, he hath girded himself with strength” (verse 1). Then we have in Psalm 97, “Jehovah reigneth—let the earth be glad, let the many isles rejoice “(verse 1); and in Psalm 99,
“Jehovah reigneth—let the peoples tremble. He sitteth between the cherubim, let the earth be moved” (verse 1). Psalm 100 is the conclusion of that section, when the Lord will have actually arrived as King and been publicly acknowledged. In the testimony we render now, whether it is in the preaching, open air preaching, or speaking to individual souls, or, what may be as important as anything, in our individual lives, we are bearing testimony to the fact that the Lord Jesus is yet going to come publicly. As we have been taught, any testimony now has in view the day of display when the Lord Jesus will reign.
As He entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” He will come to be wondered at in all that believe; what a day that will be! It is the great hope of our hearts! The hope of our hearts of course, the hope of the church, is the actual coming of the Lord at the rapture, but that has in view His public appearing. Let us have heart in the testimony now because any allegiance to Him, any place He has in our hearts as individuals, is testimony to what will yet be seen universally. God will see to it! God saw to it that there was testimony rendered in this city of Jerusalem. In spite of all the opposition, there was the multitude praising and casting their garments before the Lord Jesus, the meek and lowly One.
So as He actually entered Jerusalem in His pathway here, we can be assured that the Lord Jesus will come publicly into His own.
Now in Luke 7 we have the question asked, “Who is this who forgives also sins?” Now at the present moment the Lord is forgiving sins. He is the
One who is coming to reign; the One who is coming to deal with every enemy. In that section of the Psalms, from 93 to 100, it speaks of “O God of vengeances” (Psalm 94: 1), the Lord is going to take vengeance, it is right that it should be so; dealing in unsparing judgment with every opposition. Meantime He is the One who forgives sins. What a blessed thing to know the Lord Jesus as the One who forgives sins. This woman in Luke 7 knew what it was to have her sins forgiven. That is a great matter! It is a great matter, to be known not only once and for all, when we have to do with the Lord Jesus, when we come to know Him and commit ourselves to Him, and know our sins forgiven, for we often sin afterwards; we sin much after we have been converted. He is the One who forgives sins. He is in that forgiving attitude. The work, the righteous work has been accomplished, as we often say in the glad tidings, and need to repeat over and over again. That work was undertaken by Him at such cost to Himself and He is the One who characteristically forgives sins. What a matter that is to know Jesus as the One who forgives sins, whatever the sins may be.
We were speaking about our hearts being searched, searched by the Spirit, searched by the word of God. That searching may discover some things that are wrong, some things that have been done that have not been right; whether things individually, things in our households, or maybe things amongst us locally have been done that could not stand the light. Jesus is the One who forgives sins as we have to do with Him about these things. He forgives sins. He has a forgiving attitude. What an encouragement therefore to invite His searching, and in the searching to be searched by Him as to anything that has not been right. He would not hold anything against us. He is ready to forgive; but then, they have to be confessed you see as this woman did. She was a sinner, and knew she was a sinner. She must have had some searching of conscience, she must have been searched, she took the place of being a sinner, and
came at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears. Her whole being was moved in appreciation of this One who forgives sins. It is the critics who say,
“Who is this who forgives also sins?” He said to the Pharisee, “Her many sins are forgiven”.
Then He said to the woman, “Thy sins are forgiven”. So that she would have nothing at all on her conscience, nothing that she has done because she has been searched in that way. We could not be consciously in the presence of Jesus without being searched, but then He is the One who forgives sins.
There is a way, dear brethren, of getting every matter put right; no matter what it is, there is a way of getting every matter put right. Some of us have been involved in wrong things and have been under wrong influence, but we are responsible for being under wrong influence.
We have had to face these things but we have found the One who forgives sins; it is His present attitude. He is the One who forgives sins, it is good that we should all appreciate the Lord Jesus as the One who forgives sins. “Who is this”, they say, “who forgives also sins?”
Then He said to the woman, “Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace”. He is the One who forgives sins, it is the present attitude of the Lord Jesus. Let us all take advantage of it. The Saviour is not only for unbelievers, the One who forgives sins is for believers too; so there would be nothing outstanding. This woman went in peace with nothing outstanding. The searching we have spoken of would be in view of every matter being settled, nothing outstanding, but every matter being settled. “Who is this who forgives also sins?” It is characteristic, it is His present attitude to forgive sins; no matter what it is you have done. He is in a forgiving attitude.
In the next scripture we read we have, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” These persons were astonished, they were His own disciples. He was in the ship with His
disciples. He left the direction of the ship to them apparently because it says, “he fell asleep”; that is like the situation at the present time, the Lord leaves things in our hands, our localities, the Lord leaves things with us, He is absent. It says, “he entered into a ship, himself and his disciples; and he said to them, Let us pass over to the other side of the lake; and they set off from shore”, that is He initiates this movement, “And as they sailed, he fell asleep”. Now that is the situation. We are set in localities, whether we are many or few, and the Lord leaves things in our hands as with the disciples here.
Then it says, “And as they sailed, he fell asleep; and a sudden squall of wind came down on the lake”. That sometimes happens, a sudden squall of wind. Other incidents speak of the wind being contrary, and that is true also. If we are set in responsibility, if the Lord puts us in a position of responsibility the wind is always contrary; the enemy is always opposed, he never lets up, as we were reminded he is attacking on all fronts. That is constant, there is a constant contrary wind; but here it is a sudden squall of wind, an unexpectedly sudden squall, and that happens too. It says, “they were filled with water, and were in danger”. This is Luke’s account of it, they were in danger. Then, “coming to him they woke him up, saying, Master, master, we perish”. But what they come to is astonishment, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” It is good to be reminded that the Lord is always in charge, and the Lord is able for every situation no matter what arises, no matter how sudden or severe the squall is. There will be squalls as long as we are here. This is the attack of the enemy, the winds would suggest that; the wind would suggest the source of this squall, and the water would be the disturbing results. “But he, rising up, rebuked the wind and the raging of the water; and they ceased, and there was a calm”.
It is good, dear brethren, to be confident of this, that there is One who is able for every situation whatever may arise in our local settings. This is like a locality here, they were in a right ship, the Lord had set this movement on. Just as when we begin to break bread in a place, provided it is under the Lord’s direction, something is established for Him, and He leaves us to work things out. If we have established a breaking of bread in a place, and are assured that it is under the Lord’s direction, He would leave things to us. On the one hand the wind is always contrary, there is always the constant opposition of the enemy, but also, sometimes, there are sudden squalls of wind, certain times when the enemy appears in a sudden and violent way. It is good to know that there is One who commands even the winds and the water and they obey Him. There is One who is in control. He was asleep, that is He was not active, but He was, nevertheless, in control. The Lord is absent, and leaves things with us, nevertheless, He is in control. They say, “Master” here; that word Master is interesting, it is One who is over others, One who is in control. So it says, “And, being afraid, they were astonished, saying to one another, Who then is this ...?”
It is good to be increased in our appreciation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who forgives sins. How wonderful to get to know One who has this constant attitude of forgiving sins! As they are confessed sins we would know forgiveness as this woman did here, because He said to her, “Thy sins are forgiven”. That is she had the assurance that her sins were forgiven. He is the One who forgives sins. He is the One who commands, the One who commands the winds and the water, the One who is in control in every situation. The Lord came to them when the wind was contrary, that is in other parables where the wind was consistently contrary, the Lord came to them. But here they woke Him up, and He intervenes in the situation. I thought these exclamations regarding the Lord Jesus would be for our encouragement in our local settings, because we need encouragement.
There is always the wind contrary, and sometimes there are these sudden attempts of the enemy to overthrow, to fill with water, to sink the ship, to frustrate what the Lord sets on. The enemy will try this over and over again, but this exclamation is “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
Now in Luke 12, it is again a matter that we work out in localities. The Lord says, “Fear not, little flock, for it has been the good pleasure of your Father to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12: 32). It suggests defenceless persons here in dependence upon God. Then verse 35, “Let your loins be girded about, and lamps burning”, that is the testimony in the absence of our Lord Jesus Christ; then “and ye like men who wait their own lord ... that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately”. That may refer to the Lord’s coming for us, but I would think it refers more to the Lord being prepared to come into our circumstances, come into our localities, for our cheer and encouragement, because it says, “Blessed are those bondmen whom the Lord on coming shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he will gird himself and make them recline at table, and coming up will serve them”. Then it says,
“And if he come in the second watch, and come in the third watch, and find them thus, blessed are those bondmen”. It does not say, If He come in the second watch, or come in the third watch. He may come in both. It shows how ready the Lord is to come near to us, to make His presence known, if only we were ready to open to Him. It says, in verse 36,
“whenever he may leave the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately”. The Lord would come to us often, come to us in our gatherings, make Himself known. He would be pleased to do that. Maybe sometimes we are not ready to recognise the Lord coming in and helping and supporting. May we know more of it, that when he comes and knocks, we may open to him immediately. This might be more difficult in
some of the localities where we have larger numbers because we tend to be more active in the readings for instance, we tend sometimes to be very active, and maybe sometimes the Lord does not get in; whereas in smaller localities there may be more need, and more experience of dependence, of the Lord coming in and helping us. So it says, “if he come in the second watch, and come in the third watch”, not or but “and”; that means the Lord would come to us often. We would desire, would we not, that when He comes and knocks we may be ready to open to Him immediately. In the Laodicean epistle the Lord says, “Behold, I stand at the door and am knocking; if any one hear my voice and open the door, I will come in unto him and sup with him, and he with me”, Revelation 3: 20. The Lord would be greatly desirous of coming into all our occasions. We therefore need to be ready, as it says in verse 40, “And ye therefore, be ye ready”.
Then Peter said, “Lord, sayest thou this parable to us, or also to all?” And the Lord said,
“Who then is the faithful and prudent steward ...?” What is needed, dear brethren, is faithfulness and prudence and wisdom. “Who then ...?”, the Lord said; it is a challenge to us I think. Who will answer to this exercise to be faithful and prudent?—“Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give the measure of corn in season?” This is the great subject of food, the need for food in our localities. There is a need, of course, of teaching, there is a need of teaching; but maybe there is not the same lack of teaching as there is of food; what is needed is food “to give the measure of corn in season”, food in its season. How important that is, no matter what the season is! We were reading earlier about grace for seasonable help, seasonable, whatever the season may be; sometimes we need more help than others, so it is grace for seasonable help. Here it is, the measure of corn in season. There is a great need for the maintenance of the supply of food. The food would be
Christ, the presentation of Christ to our affections; because it would be food for our affections, not only food for our minds but food for our hearts, to strengthen us in having the Lord Jesus Himself as our great Object. We need food to be maintained in that attitude, and the Lord looks to some among His own to provide this food. “Blessed is that bondman whom his lord on coming shall find doing thus”.
May we answer to this exercise as to food. Did not the Lord say to Peter, recovered Peter at the end of John 21, “Feed my lambs” (John 21: 15)? How important that is! That would be young people that they may be fed, householdly and in the local gathering, “Feed my lambs”.
The Lord commissioned Peter to do it, and this faithful and prudent steward would have in mind to feed young people that belong to the Lord. We would like to see our young people being preserved and protected, and built up, especially as to what they have to face in the world around us. Then He says to Peter, “Shepherd my sheep” (John 21: 16) and “Feed my sheep” (John 21: 17). That was the Lord’s commission to Peter in this appendix to John’s gospel (John 21), which relates very much to our own time.
So the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent steward ...?” that is what the Lord said, Who is he? There would be such here I am sure, and such need to be encouraged to continue in this work of giving the measure of corn in season; the measure in its season, that is, just sufficient for each day or each occasion of gathering, just enough day by day, week by week, the measure of corn in season. Because we can only appropriate so much, it is a measured quantity, it is sufficient for the maintenance of the household, “Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his lord will set over his household ...?” This is not a matter of mere knowledge or being able to speak about things, but it is being able to maintain the food supply in season.
May the Lord encourage us, first of all to realise that any testimony we render, by what we say, or possibly more important by what we are, especially as loyal to the Lord Jesus in the time of His absence, has in view the great day of display, when the Lord will actually be universally acknowledged. I think we should delight to think of that. The day is soon coming when He is actually going to be universally acknowledged; none will say, no one will say to his brother, know ye the Lord for all shall know Him; the knowledge of the glory of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. What a day that is that is coming! I think it would lift up our hearts and encourage us. Then may we be helped to appreciate more the One who consistently forgives sins, encouraging us to invite all the searching that is needed in view of knowing what forgiveness is, and also the One who commands the very elements that are opposed to us; He commands them, commands the winds and the water and they obey Him.
He allows certain things to happen that we might the more appreciate Him as the One who commands all. Finally may He help us to take up the privilege and responsibility of providing food in our households and in our local settings, for His glory.
Address at Bendigo
5 June 1984