THE WORK AND THE WORKMEN
THE WORK AND THE WORKMEN
2 Timothy 2:15; Zechariah 13:5,6; Luke 17:7 - 10; Mark 13:34,35
I have in mind in linking up these four scriptures together, to speak of the work and the workmen. It is not my thought to confine my remarks to those who are, as we say, actively engaged in the Lord’s work, but that all may see that it is a time of work, calling for work-people; some, as we may say in ordinary language, skilled, others relatively unskilled, but all responsible to have a part in the work. Of old, as you will remember, the Levites representing the saints from this point of view, were numbered from a month old and upward (Numbers 2:15); all were held for service, and the service which we speak of as levitical was no light service. The word in Numbers 4:3 implies labour, toil, and so, having this in view, the Lord Jesus, who is “the prince of princes of the Levites” (Numbers 3:32), sets out for us the true idea of workmanship; indeed, it begins with God Himself. We are therefore in no mean company, however menial our part may be in the work. It is a work in which God Himself has His part. The Lord says, “My Father worketh hitherto”, John 5:17. God had wrought in what we speak of as the material universe, the workmanship being pieced out by the day, and indeed it is only a day at a time even with God Himself. The work was by the day, each day having its own work; but He ceased from His labour, we are told, having finished it.
But the Lord does not allude to that when He says, “My Father worketh hitherto” John 5:17. He alludes to a subsequent work, which began immediately on the [p. 352] incoming of sin, as, for example, the clothing by which Adam and Eve were clothed was the workmanship of God. And so the Lord Jesus becoming Man takes it up; and He says, “and I work” John 5:17. I hope to touch presently on the manner and spirit of His work.
In the apostle Paul we have that work carried on connected, as we may say, with one man. Others, indeed, had been taken up, as we know, but he says that he laboured more abundantly than they all. I wish you to note the recurrence, the frequency of the recurrence of the words ‘work’, ‘workmen’ and ‘workmanship’ in his epistles, his epistles having in mind as a feature to induce the spirit of working and to discredit the spirit of idleness. And not only that, but in him we get what we get in God, what we get in Christ, that is to say, completion of work. You will all remember how the Lord upbraids the assembly at Sardis, saying, “I have not found thy works complete before my God” Revelation 3:2. Whatever they may have been before men, they were not complete before God. Much has been done, and is being done in what assumes to be the assembly, much that draws out the praise and admiration of men; notables of history, divines come under review as great workers, highly approved and commended by men; but in our work, beloved, it is with God we have to do. And so the Lord says, “I have not found thy works complete before my God” Revelation 3:2. That church stands over against workers who complete what is given them to do, or what they undertake to do; hence, as I have been saying, God finished His work — the work was completed. The Lord Jesus Christ finished His work; as He said, “I have completed the work which thou gavest that I should do it” (John 17:4), and so of Paul — honoured as he thus is, as in many other respects — after his first missionary journey with Barnabas, it is said of them that they finished the work which had been entrusted to them (see Acts 14:26) — a most important feature,
[p. 353] for whilst there is a disposition, especially among the young, to take up service, very often, as with John Mark, it is left off and left unfinished; it is said of him he “had not gone with them to the work” Acts 15:38.
Now I want to show you from Zechariah — coming back to Timothy later — how the spirit of workmanship appeared in Christ. The earlier verses of chapter 13 speak of false prophecy, of which, alas! there is much at the present time, and what comes out is that in the latter day the father and the mother of a false prophet will put him to death. We are thus notified of the importance of the disallowance of natural feelings and affections in regard of those who serve. We know how Barnabas was affected in regard of John Mark; it was natural affection, and resulted in the severance of the two great servants who together had fulfilled the work that had been given them, and for which they had been committed to the grace of God. Mothers favouring their sons, fathers favouring their sons, and sisters favouring their brothers, all has to be dealt with, and refused, if the work is to go on according to God in a true levitical way. And so in the chapter it goes on to speak of the prophet denouncing all this, and refusing to wear hairy garments to deceive. Garments worn to distinguish us for service are disallowed in this passage, even although they be hairy ones — garments which may cause us discomfort; for the flesh goes a long way in order to obtain religious distinction and reputation. What we speak of as ‘the cloth’ is disallowed.
And then the Lord, as I understand it, says, “I am no prophet”. Wonderful remark! indicating His complete self-abnegation and refusal of religious reputation in this world. I need not remark, beloved, how much a prophet He was — the Prophet of God. I am speaking of His own attitude publicly, His [p. 354] attitude and spirit; there was no attempt to build up or establish religious reputation, He was just an ordinary man, as He says, “The Son of man has come eating and drinking” Matthew 11:19. He came in a most ordinary way — a carpenter — as we are told in the gospels. How unlike a prophet according to man’s thought! No hairy garment to deceive or mere fleshly self-abnegation in order to establish religious reputation; all that is abhorrent to God. The reputation to be acquired, as it was in the Lord Himself, was moral; it soon came to light, but He said, “I am no prophet”; “for man acquired me as bondman from my youth”. Think of that! You say, I am a servant of God; but what about being a servant of man? That may be too menial. One is afraid of people who class themselves as servants of God, not that I am denying there are such, surely, but I am speaking now of those who call themselves thus. How easily we may endeavour to clothe ourselves with dignity in a public way!
So the Lord says, “I am a tiller of the ground; for man acquired me as bondman from my youth”. This is how the greatest of all servants undertook His ministry. It is presented as a model for us, and no one need hope to aspire to any effective service in any other spirit than in that which is indicated here. He says, “man acquired me”. If you look at it from that point of view, it may involve what is menial. The great apostle said, “Ourselves your bondmen for Jesus’ sake” 2 Corinthians 4:5. And so the Lord here is a tiller of the ground, acquired by man as a bondman to keep cattle. And then in His service others inquire, “What are those wounds in thy hands?” Acquired in service; marvellous to see that in serving He acquired wounds in His hands! Let us not forget, beloved, that in the service of the Lord the wounds will come — are sure to come. If we serve as Christ did, if we decline honour from man as [p. 355] He did, and if we avoid appealing to men’s feelings and sensibilities as He did, we shall incur their disapproval, we shall incur their opposition, we shall incur wounds from them. These things are not inviting, but it is only kindness that brethren should understand that the service of God involves wounds. Where did He receive the wounds? In the house of His friends — not from the heathen, not from those who are without, as we speak, but from those who are professedly friends. The most vicious of all wounds are such, but we may expect them. One could easily show — not only in the Lord’s life, but also in that of the apostles, particularly Paul’s — how such wounds were inflicted upon the very hands that served. Paul says, “These hands have ministered to my wants, and to those who were with me” Acts 20:34. Hands are the symbols of power in service, and the very service only incurred the wounds.
I do not go on to speak of other wounds, received governmentally, although we may come under the government of God in our service, for the sword came against the man who is Jehovah’s fellow (verse 7). But while we may incur the government of God, and we must expect His governmental dealings with us, yet we shall never endure anything like what is spoken of here. Our Lord went on to the cross; He received wounds from God; these were vicarious. I do not dwell on them, but they touch the heart; He served men as acquired by them to serve, and He received wounds from them, but then He went on and received wounds from God. Such was His part, beloved brethren, and path of service! There was the smiting of the Shepherd; I would only speak of it, if I may, in the light of government. The government of God is to be respected. The Lord is said in Hebrews to be at the right hand of the throne of God. He is presented at the right hand in many aspects in Hebrews, but in chapter 12, where the [p. 356] discipline of God is in view, and where the race is in view, He is at the right hand of the throne of God. The throne of God represents His government. At the present time the position of Christ as at the right hand of the throne of God implies discipline, it implies chastening; not punitive, but for our good; “for who is the son that the father chastens not?” (Hebrews 12:7) and “Ye endure for chastening, God conducts himself towards you as towards sons” Hebrews 12:7. We must expect discipline, yea, we value it as we understand it. The throne here is that at the right hand of which Christ sits, having run the whole course of faith — “the leader and completer of faith” Hebrews 12:2.
I want now to go on to Luke, to show from the Lord’s words how He intended that His apostles should be marked as workmen by His own spirit and ways. You will observe in looking at the passage that the apostles, as such, had asked that their faith might be increased. The passage deals with his apostles; the word is “apostles” there, not ‘disciples’, as is usual. Now apostleship, as I understand it, implies representation, it implies authority. The Lord intended that as going out of this world, He should be represented in it. When here He maintained divine authority in heavenly grace, as He said to His opponents, “That ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralysed man, I say to thee, Arise, and take up thy little couch and go to thine house” Luke 5:24. The miracle was to establish that He had authority, and the apostles in Luke represent His authority. I think that Luke makes more of apostleship than the other writers, for it is essential to the effective working of grace. The apostles were to be furnished; they were to be able to say to the sycamine tree, “Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea” (Luke 17:6); that is to say, all that stood in the way of grace should be removed, and it was [p. 357] removed. Judaism in all its power was removed. Then what comes to light is workmanship; the Lord emphasises that, and He calls upon them to consider. “Which of you is there who having a bondman ploughing or shepherding?” You may say, I have never thought of such work as that in the service of God. But it is wholesome to see that what is in view is the most onerous kind of work. The Lord had set it out in Himself, He was a tiller of the ground, and to till the ground we must plough. Ploughing is perhaps one of the most arduous labours of a farmer, or a husbandman, but without it there could be no crop. You see, therefore, beloved, what a task lay before the apostles of Christ. They were not to be men known as leaders in this world, filling up the halls of fame of this world; they were not to be that; they were to be ploughers of the field, tillers of the soil; and then they were to feed and take care of the cattle. The service of God implies the most arduous and menial kind of work, first ploughing the soil, and then caring for the cattle.
You cannot care for cattle save by getting up early. Jacob is the great type in Scripture of one who cared for cattle: “In the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night” Genesis 31:40. Cattle need continual attention; he who cares for them has to be attendant on them at all times. But the master after all that the servant has done when he comes in says, “Prepare ... and gird thyself and serve me”. The servant might say, I have done something, I have done a hard day’s work, it is surely my due that I should now be waited on. How many of the Lord’s professing servants expect that, expect to have the very best! I am not now speaking of what is their due, for Paul insists that he who preaches the gospel should live of the gospel; that is another side to what I have in view; but the servant here comes in and the Master says, ‘Set on for Me’; of what [p. 358] value is all this toil save as I get something out of it? Christ must get something out of the toil; it is not for yourself at all. You may think you are deserving of something out of it! No; it is for the Master; you set on for me, let me eat and drink. You see thus the position which service implies; what exercise, what humiliation. The keenest thing of all is the humiliating feature of the service. And then you have to say yourself (not that others should say it for you, but you have to say yourself), ‘I am an unprofitable bondman’, and the most striking thing of all, “we have done what it was our duty to do”.
I turn now to Mark’s gospel, and, as you might expect, it is not there the onerous nature of the work, the arduous character of it, but the work itself, and what yours is to be; that is to say, it is a question of distribution, for one is not to do all the work, as it says, “he has given some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers” Ephesians 4:11. There is variety in the workmen and in the work, and the Lord is the distributor. And so He speaks about the man going out of the country, going a long way, and the house being left. Note it is not now ploughing or looking after cattle; these are not mentioned; but it is the house. There is the house here, and the Lord says He gives authority to His bondmen, or as it should read, the authority. I have been speaking about authority in apostles; the apostles have gone, but the authority has not gone; it remains — “the authority” relative to the house. We must never overlook that the authority has been given; He gave the authority, it says, and to each one his work; that is Mark.
Now we come to what I may call the dignity side; the house is not the field, there is no ploughing or shepherding needed in the house, it is the family sphere. You will understand when I speak of ploughing or shepherding I have the spiritual thoughts in [p. 359] view, as each has to do with the saints. When you come to the house we are in the family, and what is needed is authority. If I plough, I need skill, and I need physical strength; and so, too, in looking after cattle. No doubt a cow recognises certain authority in a man, but that is creational; that is what God has set in the creation; but when we come to the family the authority must be moral. It is based on affection; it is based on family relationships; and the authority is given, and it exists in the house. It is a question of what is moral, and the power one may exercise through moral weight in the house. Timothy and Titus give specific instructions as to the authority in regard of those who care for the assembly, but we have also to remember that government is a gift. There are persons who have authority in government who may never qualify according to Timothy and Titus. Paul had the gift of government; he had moral power given him of God to influence the saints in the way of authority. And so here the Lord gave the authority, and then to every man his work. We may be sure that whilst speaking of the arduous character of the work, and the menial and humiliating character of it, that the Lord will never give us more to do than we are equal to, and the work He gives us to do we are qualified for — to each one his work; and He will support us in it; hence it is to be carried on on the principle of the measure of faith, and the grace that He gives. We are to carry on the work according to the apportionment, whatever it may be, and then according to the measure of faith and of grace that the Lord gives. You see, therefore, how poised, how regulated everything is in service, so that the work of God should not be impeded, that it should go on, each knowing what his part is, and doing it according to the example of Christ, and of the apostle Paul.
Having said all this, it is only a question now of [p. 360] appeal. The need is great at the present time; as the Lord said to His disciples, “Lift up your eyes and behold the fields, for they are already white to harvest” John 4:35. The need is great, but whilst that is so, He will not accept workmen save on His own terms, and He makes it perfectly plain what you may expect — the present portion. What you will have by-and-by I have not touched on, but you may depend upon it that God is no man’s debtor and for every bit of work you do for Christ you will find in the doing of it ample compensation.
Now in coming to Timothy, which is for the last days, it is still by way of appeal. The apostle says, “Strive diligently to present thyself, ... a workman that has not to be ashamed,” 2 Timothy 2:15. That is the word for us at the present time — the time of 2 Timothy. But although we are in a day of small things, and notwithstanding the irregular outward appearance of things, yet the work has to go on, but it is to go on according to divine order, “Strive diligently to present thyself approved to God ... cutting in a straight line the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15. The word of truth is brought in here as the great working material. No doubt people of the world wonder why we have always got our Bibles. The workmen of God are never to be without them. But now here it is not only a question of having the holy writings, but the passage tells us how important they are: “Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching ... that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16,17.
And now I only add a word as to the importance of using the Scriptures aright. One is very conscious of one’s inability to use them rightly, but one is encouraged to speak of the importance of cutting in a straight line the word of truth, that is to say, of not using them for any other purpose than the establishment of the truth. Let Scripture speak for itself, learn how to use them according to their own [p. 361] proper setting; they will thus furnish the man of God unto every good work.
May the Lord help us! As I said, the need is great, but the Lord will have the work carried on on His own terms according to His own way, and He looks for men to take up the service.