THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PRESENTED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL (5)

^[p. 62] THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PRESENTED IN JOHN’S GOSPEL (5)

John 20:19 - 23; Revelation 22:16 - 21

JT We shall remember that the object of these readings in the gospel of John is to bring before us the positive side of christianity, and the reference to the Spirit in John 20 links on with what we have already considered. The Holy Spirit there is presented as breath; the Lord “breathed into them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit”. We noticed how the Spirit descended as a dove, a substantial thing; then He is spoken of as wind, suggesting what can be heard and felt, which is equally real; then as water, and as the Comforter. All these types or titles involve something substantial and practical, as distinct from doctrine. Here we have breath, which is similar to the wind in chapter 3, but obviously suggesting a more precious thought, for the act of breathing “into them” suggests intimacy. What the disciples now had in them was the breath of Christ; they would live in His life, and His Spirit must set them in movement.

Ques Does this breathing correspond to what Jehovah breathed into Adam, when man became a living soul?

JT Yes; however, that was simply that Adam might live as a man or as a creature, in the sense that he received his spirit or vital existence from God. By the breath of God he became a living soul in contrast with animals, which are also living souls, but not by the breath of God. Life is in them, but Ecclesiastes says that their spirit goes “downwards to the earth” (Ecclesiastes 3:21), while the spirit of man returns “unto God who gave it”, Ecclesiastes 12:7. It also says in Proverbs that, “Man’s spirit is the lamp of Jehovah” (Proverbs 20:27), showing how God intervenes in relation to man’s conscience. Here it is a question of the breath of the last Adam, who is said to be a quickening ^[p. 63] spirit, we are therefore rendered capable of living in His life.

Ques What is the difference between the breath of the last Adam, and the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles?

Rem I was going to ask the same question, noticing that on the day of Pentecost there came suddenly a sound out of heaven of a violent impetuous blowing.

JT In John, it is the life of Christ. The life we have is not only that of the risen Man, but the life of the ascended Man. Before coming into the midst of His disciples, He sent them a message, “I ascend to my Father, and your Father”, John 20:17. It is the breath of the Man who ascended. This is a pattern of what took place at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down. It says of that day, that “there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”. What appeared at Pentecost shows that there had to be displacement to make room for the Spirit. “There came suddenly a sound out of heaven as of a violent impetuous blowing, and filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” Acts 2:2 - 4. These were evidences of power; the violent wind and the fire seem to set the flesh aside; the parted tongues would indicate that the testimony would be presented in every language. This result was seen effectively: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth”. The violent and impetuous wind was a symbol of power, while the fire purifies, and the tongues enabled them to express themselves. The testimony was to be preached to all nations; the tongues alluding to what happened in the land of Shinar where God confounded the language of the whole earth. That was now to be overcome. What the Lord did in John 20 seems to show the intimate ^[p. 64] relations existing between Him and His disciples in the testimony; they must have His Spirit. He does not say, ‘Receive my breath’, but “Receive Holy Spirit” (without the article). It is the same character of things in Acts 2:4, “Filled with [the] Holy Spirit”, but when they began to speak it says, “the Spirit”, the article is there (verse 4).

Ques Is it just to say that in John 20 we have an application of what took place in Acts?

JT Yes it is special; in John we have simply a pattern; the thing itself took place when the Lord had been glorified. Before that time, “the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified” (John 7:39), so John 20 gives us a pattern of a particular feature of what was about to happen. Although He had not yet gone into heaven, He sends them a message, saying, “I ascend”; that is to say, that the thought of ascension preceded the moment when He breathed into His disciples.

Rem The Lord Jesus Himself had told them that they would be baptised with the Holy Spirit after now not many days.

JT They had to wait in the city until they were. This statement in John 20 is in view of bringing out the relationship existing between these persons and the Lord, that they were His brethren, the brethren of the One who was ascending to “my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God”. In addition to sending this message by Mary of Magdala, the Lord Himself came; the importance He attaches to them is clearly seen; He came to where His disciples were. It was the first day of the week, a new beginning. The testimony was to be presented by these great persons, and they were to receive His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, showing the confidence He had in them. It was a new and blessed thought that the Lord can trust us as having His Spirit. “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained”; moreover He says, “As the Father sent me forth, I also send you”. The fact of correspondence with Him thus is striking, and shows what christianity was at the beginning, what these men were like, not just what they were going to preach or to teach, but what they were.

Ques What is the meaning of the passage, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them”?

JT I think it has in view the last days when we have to come in contact with brethren in different sects, who are held responsible for the sins of that sect to which they belong; or it may also be that they are personally guilty. If we contact such with a view to helping them, the Lord would say to us in so many words, ‘Do not overwhelm them by charging them with sin’. If they are exercised men or women, you can rest assured that they will judge the sin, and, of course, you will help them to judge their sins, for sin it is even if they are ignorant of it, and the Lord gives us liberty to forgive it in order that they may be in fellowship with us. I think it can be understood in this way. On the other hand, there may be those who have walked in the truth, yet who have got away from it, such as those who have been involved in division; we may find, perhaps, that their sins should remain; so the Lord declares that, whether we remit or retain their sins, He confirms what we do.

Ques Is that why they received the Holy Spirit?

JT I think so; so that we should act in holiness in such cases.

Ques What is meant in the passage, “As the Father sent me forth, I also send you”?

JT It shows how, in their place in the testimony, they were to be in correspondence to the position of Christ. No christian could take this place today; it is specially apostolic. Yet here they are not called apostles; in a sense they were greater than that as Christ’s brethren. He speaks of them as having been with Him from the beginning, so they were specially qualified.

In his epistle John says, “Our fellowship is indeed with the Father”, 1 John 1:3. The Spirit of Christ is called Holy Spirit, I think, being in His place down here. The Father had put all things into the hands of Christ, indicating that He had complete confidence in Him. Here the Lord puts certain things into the hands of the disciples, because He had confidence in them. Can the Lord have confidence in me? Could He entrust something to me?

Ques Before He breathed into them and sent them, the Lord showed them His hands and His side. Is this similar to what is said in Song of Songs 2:6, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me”?

JT His hands signify more than the support of our head, they denote what He has done for us; His side denotes His love for us. Evidently He will continue to undertake for us. If His right hand embraces us, and His left hand supports us, it indicates that on the one hand, there is support for our mind, and on the other for our affections. But here there is more than that; His hands and His side are reminders of what He has done, and of the greatness of His love.

In closing, we might refer to the verses read in the Revelation, which are in line with what we are saying, suggesting something substantial and practical. Not only we may take the water of life, but it must be taken; it is there. It is not just a question of light but of something tangible, something we take; not even something we drink, but what is taken.

Ques In the sense of appropriating it?

JT Just so. “Let him that is athirst come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely”. He that is athirst, and he that will, may take it, showing how liberal is the provision. But what we notice in this is the announcement of the Lord’s coming in verse 20; He says, “Yea, I come quickly”, but in verse 16, He announces Himself, “I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star”. There is nothing more interesting in the Revelation than seeing David introduced there; this bearing on the last days. This typifies Christ as Head, and the great service of song carried on in the most skilful way.

Rem There are two thoughts, “Root” and “Offspring”.

JT The root suggests His deity, in keeping rather with the gospel of John; the offspring refers to His royal rights as in Matthew.

Ques Is it connected with His genealogy?

J;T. Yes, Matthew is the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham; while at the beginning of the gospel by John we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”, John 1:1. It is a question of His deity, the root of David. The Lord, therefore, asks a question of His opposers in the gospel, “How do they say that the Christ is David’s son ... David therefore calls him Lord, and how is he his son?” (Luke 20:41 - 44)

Ques Does the title “morning star” suggest another thought?

JT Yes, it is the beginning of the millennium which is announced by the “bright and morning star”. We are here and the Lord is saying that He is coming quickly.

Ques Is the Spirit working to produce this response from the church?

JT You can see how the thing is brought about today. The Spirit is working to bring the assembly, or at least a part of it, into accord with Himself, so that on Christ presenting Himself, the assembly says with the Spirit, “Come”.

Rem We are privileged to know Him now as the bright and morning star.

JT Just so; that is the important point. He is known thus before the day breaks. Those who are ^[p. 68] asleep during the night do not see the star; those who love the Lord watch and see it.

Ques Is the star connected with the church, and the sun more with the kingdom?

JT The sun rules the day universally. The thought of the star is that it announces the day; you see it and know that day is near. Those seeing it, long for it and say, “Come”.

Ques With reference to the formation now by the Spirit, who will lead us to say, “Come”, is it not good to be able to say always, “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us ...” (Acts 15:28)?

JT It is of importance for us to be in accord with the Spirit. It is not only what He does in us, or for us, but He glorifies Christ and we are thus brought into harmony with the Spirit, so that “The Spirit and the bride say, Come”. It is not the Spirit with the bride, but the Spirit and the bride, the two together; the Spirit is saying it and the bride is saying it too.

Rem We should be jealously concerned to maintain the rights of Christ in a scene where He is completely unknown.

JT Yes, if we are in the current of the Holy Spirit’s activities, we are drawn to His side.

Rem The thought that the whole universe will be subjected to Christ is very precious to those who love Him.

JT The Spirit is here as “another Comforter”; we come gradually to know His mind as being drawn to Him.

Before closing, I should like the brethren to understand clearly the thought in connection with David. The Lord announces Himself as “the root and offspring of David”. As we were remarking, David represents headship, and Christ is Head to the assembly. The wisdom which is seen in the assembly, according to the epistle to the Ephesians, comes from Christ as Head. David was a skilful man and an excellent musician in ^[p. 69] view of the service of God, so we can understand why he brings Solomon on the throne with himself. When the service of God was inaugurated, sonship as seen in Solomon was introduced by David in a special way. In this connection, we have the division of the Levites; they numbered thirty-eight thousand in the time of David, and were divided according to the principle of the number twenty-four. What is remarkable is that there were four thousand singers, and four thousand doorkeepers, as if the singing had to be protected from any intrusion. The doorkeepers would prevent anything entering which would hinder the service, such as human innovations. We have to understand all this before we can grasp what the Lord means, in referring to David here. He was the root and offspring of David, the Lord suggesting in this that He had in mind the last days of the assembly’s sojourn here, and is drawing our attention to what He is seeking amongst us, namely, intelligence in service and in worship. When we assemble for the service of God, we should be under the control of Christ as Head, in order that nothing natural or sentimental should creep into the service, but that all should be according to His own example and instruction. For example, He lifted up His eyes on high, saying, “I praise thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth”, Matthew 11:25. He thus indicates to us how to serve God and worship Him.

Ques Is that why reference is made to David in the letter to Philadelphia?

JT It is the same thought; He shuts and no one can open; He opens and no one can shut. Hence, “the Spirit and the bride say, Come”, a touching expression, showing how the Spirit seeks to draw us to Himself, so that we may be ready to welcome the Lord Jesus, and to hail the glorious day of His appearing.