PRIESTHOOD

^[p. 252] PRIESTHOOD

Luke 11:1-4; Luke 11:11; Luke 11:13; Luke 1:39-64

What is in mind at this time is to speak about priesthood. Yesterday, we had the dispensation of God as the subject for our service, and it may be stated now that this dispensation is maintained by priesthood. The system as we spoke of it, for it is a system, is maintained by Christ in heaven. He is High Priest above, High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, which denotes that He is a divine Person. On the other hand, the system is maintained by the Holy Spirit here on earth. That is to say, all is upheld and maintained in function by Christ in heaven on the one hand, and the Holy Spirit here on earth on the other. Hence the invulnerability of the system. It cannot be overthrown, for it rests on the foundation of God, which stands. Whatever happens on man’s side, the foundation of God stands, and that is because of two divine Persons active in relation to it, one in heaven, and another on earth, of whom the Lord said, calling Him the Comforter, “another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever”. So that we may count on the maintenance of the system until the end of the dispensation. The Spirit is here until then, and He has never been withdrawn. He remains here, and Christ remains above.

In the types, we have allusions to Christ ceasing to be High Priest. “The death of the high priest which was anointed with the holy oil” is referred to in Numbers 35. That is, a certain thing happens; it is the termination of something. That would be so in the type, which refers to the ordinary high priest in Israel, but now we are speaking of Christ; not that He dies. He has died for sin once, but now He lives for ever. The figure just means that He ^[p. 253] ceases to be Priest. That is to say, as to Christ, that He will give up the position of priesthood, through which we are maintained here while He is on the Father’s throne, but He will soon take His own throne, and rule the nations from that throne. So that there will be then a change of dispensation, but as was said last night, the present dispensation remains and will remain while Christ is on high as Priest and the Spirit is here. So the position is unaltered up to the present moment.

Now what is in mind is not so much to call attention to the priesthood of Christ and the service of the Holy Spirit here below, although keeping these two great facts always before us, but to call attention to priesthood among the brethren, priesthood in the saints. Peter says we are “a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”. What one has observed is that there is a great shortage of priests, and that among those who may be regarded as priests, a great shortage of power to carry out priestly service; hence the weakness of the meetings. We have to take account of the feelings of sisters too; they are not permitted to speak in the assembly, but have to wait for the brothers to speak, because their function is to speak. If there is to be prayer, they are to pray. If there is to be praise, they are to praise. If there is to be ministry, they are to minister. Sisters are debarred the service, but they are not debarred from the service of priesthood in another sense; that is to say, they are to pray as the brothers are, but in their own setting; they are to pray without ceasing, as the brothers are.

I have read this scripture in Luke 11 to call attention to the idea of teaching on these points. It is clear that we are not simply to know certain things through reading the Scriptures or ministry, but we are to be taught them; and so here we have the Lord, as it says, “in a certain place, praying”. We are not told what place it was, but it is simply said that the Lord was in a certain place; and He was praying, and “when he had ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples”. I have read this in view of what has been said, that whether brothers or sisters, we are to be taught to pray. In fact, we have to be taught everything that belongs to Christianity, not that one may not learn from the Scriptures, of course, for we can, but the principle with God is teaching, and one great matter that God is teaching is prayer. We are to be taught how to pray, and in saying this, I mean that we are to be taught how to develop priesthood. We learn everything from Christ; in Christianity, everything; He employs others subordinate to Himself, yet He is the Teacher, as He Himself said, “One is your instructor and all ye are brethren”, Matthew 23. Christ is the Teacher, and therefore none of us should be wanting in ability to serve in a priestly way, wanting in the ability to pray. That is an immense thing, and we would encourage you in it, for there is a grave shortage of those who really pray, even amongst ourselves.

The disciple in Luke 11, whoever he was, asked the Lord to teach them to pray, and obviously it was because the Lord Himself had been praying. One does not hesitate to suggest that there was something particular about the Lord in the attitude of prayer, and as to this or aught else in the service of God, we have to learn everything from the Lord; and so here the disciple said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray”. He did not ask the Lord to teach him, showing that he was not selfish, nor did he count himself to be over the heads of others, nor desire to be at an advantage among them; he wanted all to be taught.

^[p. 255] In John 20, Mary Magdalene had the message, and she showed no indication of any feeling that she had something distinguishing her above others. The Lord sent her with the message, and He told her what to say to His disciples, “Go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God”, and she went and told these things to the disciples. She made no parade of the fact that she was the only one who had such a message. It is very comely in any of us, especially in sisters, not to make any show of things, even if you are the first to know something. Mary simply went and told them that “she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her”. I am mentioning this to show the comeliness that belongs to sisters.

Now, in this case in Luke 11, it was a brother, and he was just a disciple, but he did not ask the Lord to teach him to pray, as if to make a parade of something that he had. No, he says, “teach us to pray”; and so it is that the chapter teaches us about priesthood, for praying is a priestly function. The Lord responds to the wish of this disciple, and no doubt they greatly valued it, for the instruction in all probability supplied what the disciple would say at some time as he prayed. The Lord would perchance say to the disciples, ‘I would like you to know how to pray, to see how I pray, and to know what words to use’. How appropriate then is the desire of this disciple, in saying, “Lord, teach us to pray”. In answering, I suppose, the Lord would have the full meaning of the word pray in His mind, so that the disciple should be a true priest; and indeed all the disciples.

Now Zacharias, who is the main subject in the beginning of this gospel, was a priest, and he was fulfilling his priestly service at the altar of incense at the hour of prayer. This shows that he was accustomed ^[p. 256] to pray, but apparently, as the chapter shows, he did not know how to pray, and hence he had to be taught, and he was taught, so that he became a true priest. He had never really been one before, as far as we can see, although he is called one, and served as one, but he was simply a legal priest, a Jewish priest, whereas Luke has in mind Christian priests, priests after the order of Christ. Zacharias was within the temple at the hour of prayer when incense should arise, but he was stricken dumb. I leave that there, so that we can have it in our minds. He was stricken dumb, and he remained dumb for nine months. There is a sequel to it, a very great one, and a very precious one too.

The Lord proceeds patiently to instruct the disciples, no doubt far beyond what the disciple expected. “He said to them, When ye pray, say, Father, thy name be hallowed, thy kingdom come: give us our needed bread for each day; and remit us our sins; for we also remit to every one indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation”. They were evidently attentive and He then proceeded to say more; even as we learn in Luke 19: 11, that “as they were listening to these things he added and spake a parable”. They had been hearing something from Christ and because they were attentive, “he added and spake a parable”. So here we read in the fifth verse, “And he said to them, Who among you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, let me have three loaves”. So the Lord goes on with His teaching in this chapter, giving in an extended way the instruction that the disciples asked for. He enlarged on the matter for them, beginning with the prayer that was suitable to the Father, as He said, “When ye pray, say, Father”. That was suitable, but He goes on to the eleventh verse and says, “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will ^[p. 257] he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him”. This is one of the most important scriptures I can bring before you as to the point in question. The Lord in His instruction rises above the disciple’s question, who asked Him to teach them to pray. He teaches them to pray, but He goes further, and He leads them to the Father.

Now, I think I may take the opportunity of just stopping there, dear brethren, and asking you to consider this matter, how the Lord in this instruction begins with ourselves and ends with His Father and the greatness of what His Father would give if anyone asked of Him, namely, the Holy Spirit. Now, let us stop to think, as we are praying. Some of us here may not have the Holy Spirit. There are many who have not, who are nevertheless the subjects of the work of God, yet do not know enough, they do not know redemption. Through bad teaching or through negligence, they do not know enough, as Jehovah says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. That is a solemn word, but how true it is. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. The Lord is giving us knowledge here as to the Father, and as to prayer, and as to the possibilities of prayer, and what the Father might give as we pray. “How much rather shall the Father, who is of heaven, give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” That great and glorious gift is available to those who pray, and therefore, I would urge anyone here, who is not sure as to the Holy Spirit, to get to God about it, and ask, as the Lord says, in the plainest possible language. “If therefore, ye being evil, know how to give good gifts to your ^[p. 258] children, how much more shall the Father who is of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Do not tell me that it is dispensational truth. It is the truth; direct truth from God, and it applies to every person who believes, and I am urging the necessity of believing.

We perhaps know the beautiful word of Elizabeth as to Mary, “Blessed is she that has believed”. She could hardly have said anything more blessed and greater at that time. “Blessed is she that has believed”. What I am saying is for faith; it is for the believer, and the very greatest gift that God can give to us is the Holy Spirit. He gave His Son to die for us, and He gives the Holy Spirit to us. The Son and the Spirit are both blessed divine Persons; one of Them as having become Man, has died for us, and the other is given to us and works in us so as to fit us for God, and for the assembly, but also to fit us for our place in heaven. We cannot afford to go into heaven without suitable education for the place, and God is educating us so that we should know. “And we shall know”, says Hosea. “We shall follow on to know Jehovah”. Divine things are to be known. Why not avail ourselves of them? We need them if we are to be priests unto God, and that is my point. So the Lord says, “How much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them who ask him?”

Now having said so much, and I hope that what I have said is clear, I want to show that the passage read from chapter 1 affords three notable examples of persons who became priests in the true sense, priests in the Christian sense, as I might say. I can cite others too, because Luke affords many examples of priesthood, but he gives these three, and there is not time to speak of more. The first one in mind is Elizabeth; the second is Mary, the Lord’s mother, and the third is Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband.

^[p. 259] Those three are recorded or presented in this chapter as typical of what I am saying, not simply typical of Jewish priests, but of Christian priests. Luke would transfer our thoughts to Christianity, and above all he would instruct us in the truth of priesthood according to Christianity, to deliver us from the error of the many who have returned to the Jewish system of priesthood. I do not hesitate to say that many of the Protestant denominations have returned to the Jewish system, and this is true of Christendom in general; they have returned to Judaism or paganism.

It is a fact that in the early days of Christianity the apostle Paul, who is the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews, had to write to the Jewish Christians, and Peter also wrote to them, to set aside in their souls the legal system, for they had returned to it. The assemblies of Galatia had also returned to it, and the apostle Paul had to labour with them in order that they might renounce what they had returned to. The whole teaching of these epistles is to set out the error of returning to Judaism or paganism, of returning to what we have left in becoming nominal Christians, because leaving nominal Christianity means apostasy, and one great point in the epistle to the Hebrews is to warn and deliver from apostasy. It says in chapter 6, for instance, “For it is impossible to renew again to repentance those once enlightened, and who have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God, and the works of power of the age to come, and have fallen away”. Read the chapter for yourself, when you have opportunity. There is no hope for ever for such persons. You will understand, beloved friends, that I am seeking to testify the truth as the opportunity is open to me, and what I say is the ^[p. 260] truth. If we renounce the truth, and go back from Christianity, it is apostasy, and that is what the epistle to the Hebrews teaches, saying, “It is impossible to renew again to repentance those once enlightened, and who have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God, and the works of power of the age to come, and have fallen away”.

Well now, I want to show, as I said, that these three persons, Elizabeth, Mary, and Zacharias, are illustrations of the Christian priesthood. The Lord’s teaching, as I have been speaking of it in chapter 11, is to show how it could be effected, for it is a question of being taught how to pray. Let us remember, dear brethren, and let us be touched by it, that the Lord Himself as here upon earth had His ears opened morning by morning as a learner, that He might know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Isaiah prophetically records that. Is it not marvellous, that the Lord should say that, and yet He is “over all, God blessed for ever”? He became so low, to teach us to pray, and to teach us all other things, and show us how to learn, by Himself taking the place of a learner before God. He is not learning in Luke 11, He is teaching, and indeed, He is no longer in the place of learning, but He was in it. The disciple asked Him to teach them to pray, and He teaches them, and I am seeking to show you now that these three persons in Luke 1 are intended to instruct us by example, because that is the divine way. Hence the Lord says Himself in Matthew 11, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. He would give us rest, knowing how many of us are in the throes of anxiety as to our soul’s state. We do not know the way out, but the way out is often by example, and that way is Christ. He says, “I am the way”. Everything is to be learned from Him, and so He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. That is by example, and “ye shall find rest for your souls”.

As I said, Elizabeth, Mary and Zacharias here, are three illustrations of transfer through instruction out of Judaism into Christian priesthood. I know full well how much the word priest is attached to certain religious leaders, but I am not referring to that kind of priesthood. Elizabeth and Mary and Zacharias did not develop into that kind of priesthood, for they really left the Jewish system, and they are examples of the true Christian priesthood. The remarks of Elizabeth are very beautiful; many of us have been charmed by what is presented in the chapter as to these two women in the hill country of Judea. Priesthood belongs to heaven, for it is a heavenly priesthood, and Christ is our model. Elizabeth’s remarks are most touching, but she does not say as much as Mary, for she did not know as much. She did not advance so much; she had not had such intercourse with divine Persons as Mary had. I have no need to remind you of what I am saying. What intercourse Mary, the mother of our Lord, had with divine Persons. “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee”, the scripture says, “and power of the Highest overshadow thee, wherefore the holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God”. He was the Son of God as born in time, as becoming incarnate. Mary had that experience, through the power of the Highest overshadowing her, and the Holy Spirit coming upon her. To be priests we have to understand that, and what I am saying will help us to do so.

The prophet Malachi instructs us, saying that “the priest’s lips should keep knowledge”, meaning that he is not to be silent. If he has anything to ^[p. 262] say, he says it. He has power to do so, for God has given him power, the power of expression. “The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and at his mouth they seek the law”. Elizabeth is seen thus here, and her remarks are charming. I have often said that, and I do not hesitate to say it now. The verses from 39 onwards are before me now in speaking. “And Mary, rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste”. The hill country is not simply a physical idea; it refers to what is elevated; that is to say, the priesthood of God is elevated; it is not on the level of men. Mary went “to a city of Judah, and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, as Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit”. Now that is what I am speaking of. She was filled with the Holy Spirit. That is in keeping with what I have been speaking of, that the Holy Spirit is available to those who pray. Elizabeth at this particular time was filled with the Holy Spirit, and as such she is a priest. And so it is, that in the power of the Holy Spirit she says to Mary who had come to her, “Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”. Elizabeth is speaking as a priest, and I appeal to the sisters as to this matter. How beautiful are her words! She is speaking to her sister, her cousin, of course, but her sister spiritually, and in speaking to her, she calls her the mother of her Lord. Mary speaks next, but Elizabeth finishes in saying, “And blessed is she that has believed”. I have already touched on that, because what I am speaking of depends on faith. It is a question of laying hold of the truth by faith. Mary believed, and Elizabeth is celebrating the fact that she believed. She believed what Gabriel told her, and Elizabeth says, “there shall be a fulfilment of the things spoken to her from the Lord”. There is assurance as we have faith.

Now Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord” She is a worshipper. She has become that. She is one of the three of whom I am speaking, and she is a worshipper. She is intelligent in what she says, and our worship should be intelligent. Our words at the Lord’s supper should be intelligent, and intelligible, as it is said, “I speak as to intelligent persons”, and that is the point here. Mary says, “For he has looked upon the low estate of his bondmaid, for behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done to me great things, and holy is his name; and his mercy is to generations and generations to them that fear him. He has wrought strength with his arm; he has scattered haughty ones in the thought of their heart. He has put down rulers from thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich empty. He has helped Israel his servant, in order to remember mercy, (as he spoke to our fathers), to Abraham and to his seed for ever”. That is Mary’s tribute at this wonderful time, and it is worship. It is a tribute of worship to God in the light of the wonderful things that had taken place. She becomes a priest, but more than a priest, she becomes a worshipper. She is a sister, and she is a worshipper, and she is intelligent and what she says is intelligible.

Well now, she is the second. I am speaking briefly, and the third is Zacharias and he has a good deal to say. Zacharias is well known to us, but as I said before, I cannot say of him as Elizabeth said of Mary, ‘Blessed is he that hath believed’. It is not said that he believed, but it was a fact nevertheless that he came into a state of faith. In principle, he came into the knowledge of Christian priesthood.

^[p. 264] And so as John the baptist was born, the neighbours and her cousins spoke to Elizabeth. We have to notice these neighbours and cousins, because they are apt to be very natural, for natural feelings are very likely to lay hold of persons in these cases. Natural sentiments tend to deprive us of the quality of priesthood. And so it says of Elizabeth, that “her neighbours and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called it after the name of his father, Zacharias”. That is what the kinsfolk would do; they would say, ‘His name must be the same as his father’s name, and his grandfather’s name’. Well, that is not heaven’s thought. Heaven has other thoughts. And so it says, “his mother [that is Elizabeth] answering said, No;” she is a spiritual woman now. She is not any longer simply of the daughters of Aaron, as she is called in verse 5. That is another thing to notice. Her husband was a son of Aaron; the sons of Aaron were called priests in relation to their father, but not so the daughters. Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron, and no doubt would cherish the fact that she was a priestess, so to speak. But now when they say of the son that was born, Call him Zacharias, she says, “No”. She had become spiritual. I am not saying that she would say that, but that is the fact in her soul, that she becomes spiritual, and I am humbly insisting on the brethren becoming spiritual, and going in for priesthood, to know how to pray, and know how to worship, and whatever else requires to be done. There is what sisters can do, and what brothers can do. And so here, Elizabeth says ‘No’. The cousins say, He must be called after his father. He is his firstborn. That is just how cousins and grandmothers are apt to speak; whereas what we are engaged with now is not what we do naturally,

^[p. 265] but what we should do spiritually. What was imperative spiritually, and imperative at the moment, was that his babe should be called John. Thank God, Elizabeth and Zacharias are of one mind.

How important it is that husbands and wives should be of one mind, and in matters of this kind especially, that is, as they bear on the service of God, on the testimony, and on the priesthood. And so it says, “There is no one among thy kinsfolk who is called by this name. And they made signs to his father as to what he might wish it to be called”. He had been dumb for nine months or so, had no power to serve even in the temple. And, of course, it is right that the father should name the child, although Eve named her first child, but Seth named his, and gave him a name that was suitable; Enosh. He was a poor dying man, that is what Seth said.

And so finally, “they made signs to his father as to what he might wish it to be called. And having asked for a writing table, he wrote, saying, John is his name”. It is firm and it is settled. Let no one ever raise a question about this name. He is John the baptist, his name has come down the ages to us as a witness to Christ. As the Lord said, There is none greater born of women than John the baptist. The cousins would have him called Zacharias, and spoil the whole matter if they could, but Zacharias is proof against that. He has now become spiritual, and therefore become priestly. He asked for a writing table and wrote, “His name is John”. And they all marvelled. His mouth was opened immediately, showing that he was on spiritual lines now, and what does it say? “His mouth was opened immediately and his tongue, and he spake blessing God”. He is the priest and speaks to God.

I would just finish now, leaving the brethren having these facts in their minds, and the importance of priesthood, and the scarcity of true priesthood.

^[p. 266] One hopes that there may be more of it, and that it may be understood, as we build on the truth I have just set out, and what I have illustrated in those three persons.