WALKING IN THE WAY
[p. 82] WALKING IN THE WAY
Isaiah 30: 21; Genesis 24: 27; John 6:16 - 21
I wish to speak about the way; particularly at the outset in regard to this voice the prophet heard behind him: “This is the way, walk ye in it”. And in referring to the way one is bound to introduce John’s gospel, which is the beginning, we may say, of every divine subject. It presents Christ in the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word”, John 1: 1. It directs everything and gives character to everything. “All things received being through him, and without him not one thing received being which has received being” (verse 3). And so, with regard to the great variety of divine subjects, touching each we have to begin with Christ, and as I said, with John’s presentation of Him. In that presentation of Him we have Christ saying, “I am the way”, John 14: 6. Just this afternoon one was impressed with the thought of how many things Jesus is said to be in John’s gospel. So that you can understand the exuberance of one who carried the message of Jesus to one sitting under his fig tree. Philip says, “We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, Jesus, the son of Joseph, who is from Nazareth”, John 1: 45. And so Nathanael names Him and adds to the already great and glorious list of the titles which John 1 affords; the titles of Jesus. It is a most luminous chapter in that sense; radiant with the divine glories shining in Jesus. The baptist calls attention to them, as one after another who is drawn to Jesus says something about Him.
And so it is that every one of us, as drawn to Jesus, is to add to the glories already there. Nathanael says, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel” (verse 49). That is the thought just now; to [p. 83] go over the ground of how many instances of that kind there are; and what is it but to draw us into the realm of His influence and glory? Not to detract from that glory, but to add to it. So you see a poor outcast woman in John 4; how she added to that glory! She says, “Is not he the Christ?” (verse 30). He told her He was; I do not know that He told anybody else; but He told her. It is most unexpected that she should be selected for that message. “I who speak to thee am he” (verse 26).
And again, He discloses Himself to another outcast in chapter 9 as the Son of God. “Thou hast both seen him, and he that speaks with thee is he” (verse 37). He was the Son of God; and as regards the way, He is it. There are many other things that Christ is said to be; but He is the way. It is not that He shows it, but He is it. The idea in John is to draw us to Christ personally, each of us in a personal way, to be drawn out of the darkness into the light of Christ; so that we might see that whatever it is that concerns us, that exercises our souls, will find a solution. The light will shine for us there. So that Martha says to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day”. But the Lord says, “I am the resurrection and the life”, John 11: 25. It is not ‘I shall be’ but “I am”. So that John would suggest to us, and impress us, that we must be in Christ in our spiritual history. We, as alongside of Philip, have found Him. And so He says to Philip later, “Am I so long a time with you, and thou hast not known me, Philip?” John 14: 9. This was said because Jesus had said to Philip, “I am the way” (verse 6), and Philip had said, “Lord, shew us the Father”. He would have the Father shown, but the Lord says, “Am I so long a time with you, and thou hast not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the Father”. He is taken out from amongst his fellow-apostles and brethren; he is just put out,
[p. 84] as it were, by himself and attention is called to him; he did not know something that he ought to have known. How many of us can stand such a test as that? How much we should know that we have not known, and do not know! And the Lord would, from time to time, call attention to us. We may think we are going on well; but, it may be in a Bible-reading or in an address that one discloses unexpectedly to himself his ignorance; and it is inexcusable. “Am I so long a time with you, and thou hast not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the Father”. The Father was there; it was not the Person of the Father that was the point; but all the holy traits and features of the Father were there; they were visibly there so as to be known. So that the Lord could say, “He that has seen me has seen the Father”. There are two Persons; but one Person, the Father, is perfectly portrayed in the Son.
Well then, I am speaking about the way. The Lord says, “I am the way”. So that John would have us begin with that if we seek to be in the way. So I go on to Isaiah, to point out this verse I read. It really means that whether turning to the right hand or to the left you hear a voice saying, “This is the way”. This is important because it calls attention to what is practically visible, knowable, an existent thing. So that no one should be in the dark; no one should be in a bypath or in a blind alley: “This is the way”. There is such a thing as that. John calls attention to practical things, knowable things, concrete things that are to be seen and heard and felt. It is a principle with him; that which we have seen, that which we have heard, that which our hands have handled, etc.; that which was from the beginning. That — the thing. Palpable things were in a Man. And amongst the things is the way. He is the way.
This is the way. So that as companying with Jesus,
[p. 85] the apostles would be able to give you a concrete answer to any inquiry. “We have found him”, says Philip. And the woman in John 4 says, “Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done: is not he the Christ?” (verse 29). It is there; it is this thing, this Person.
Well, is there no application of this today? There is. And anyone walking in the dark is walking in the dark at his own expense. He is inexcusable in it; for this applies: “This is the way, walk ye in it”.
This may be enlarged upon. It is Jesus; it is Christ; but it is the Spirit here now. Christ is not here personally; He is above, but the Spirit is here and has taken on the saints, operating in them, bringing out the great features of Christ in them; so that the way is visible, and anyone out of it is inexcusably out of it. There is no excuse for anybody. The matter is insistent: “This is the way”. Wherever you turn you hear a voice saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it”.
Abraham’s servant I have selected as an example for us. The chapter is well-known to us. It is a very long chapter and a very rich chapter. It begins on a high level spiritually, and it ends on a high level, and is maintained throughout on a high spiritual level. Genesis 24 is typically the great assembly chapter of the Old Testament. There are others; but it is the leading assembly chapter of the Old Testament, and every one of us needs to look into it and spend a good deal of time in it. It is a chapter to roam in; there is scope in it. It begins with an old brother; they have their place. Abraham was old, but he is very spiritual and very definite in his spirituality. He would have all around him as spiritual as he was: his son’s wife, for instance. That is a constant concern to fathers and mothers; sons’ wives and daughters’ husbands. Abraham is concerned about the prospective wife of his son. She [p. 86] was to be spiritual or none at all. Unspiritual wives and husbands are detrimental to the testimony. And hence this chapter, among other things, guides us, parents and young people, too, as to prospective wives and husbands.
Abraham engages the eldest servant of his house. We are not told his name. It is more important that he is the eldest servant. He causes him to swear in regard to the prospective wife of his son; and the servant is equal to the oath. There is no discrepancy in this long chapter in anybody. It is a wonderful chapter to roam about in, as it were. This servant went on his errand. He was in the way; he was definitely in the way. He was under a charge, on spiritual lines. For, however spiritual we are down here, it is well to remember that we are always under a charge. Even if speaking to God in assembly, speaking to Him in the greatest liberty, that of sonship, consciously so, I am always under charge while I am down here. Restrictions above will be different, if there are any; but down here we are always under a charge. This great servant was under a charge, under an oath. Abraham caused him to swear; and he was true to his oath, he was true to his committal. He was under a definite charge from the greatest man at the moment: that is, Abraham. And now we arrive at this verse.
One could say quite a little about the graces of Rebecca. For it is not simply a question of a woman, but a person suitable for Isaac; in the antitype, suitable for Christ. It is a church matter; it is an assembly matter. And if we are not engaged in assembly matters, what are we? Of what interest are we to heaven? The assembly is the great absorbing interest to heaven today. It never ceased to be since Pentecost. Who is there here who is not in it? God would draw us into it — this assembly matter. And what this servant says is, “I being in the way,
[p. 87] Jehovah has led me to the house of my master’s brethren”, Genesis 24:27. Now I want you to weigh these words: “the house of my master’s brethren”. Is there not such a house today? There is. The Lord made it His business to find it; to reach it; the first day after He rose from the dead. Some of the brethren were astray that day. Maybe there are some here tonight who are straying. We often allude to those two that went to Emmaus that day. Had you listened to them, ordinarily, you would have thought they were remarkable believers. They were talking about Christ. But they had their backs on the assembly. We may talk about Christ and His things, too; talk very like those who are with Him actually, who have not gone astray; we know their ways and their language, and we use it; but our backs are on the assembly. Such were those two going to Emmaus. The Lord brought them back; at least He manifested Himself to them and they went back. He did not tell them to go; it was the manifestation of Christ. He is the beginning of everything. He is the beginning of recovery if I go astray. They came back to the company and they were talking about Jesus in the company. How different from talking about Him with their backs to the company! What little thought or love or spiritual feeling is attached to any such conversation! People who have their backs to the assembly; maybe talking against those who are really in it — they may talk well as far as words go, but where is the spiritual power? But now they are back in the company and they are speaking about Jesus as a Person known in the breaking of bread. That is how He is really known. They were now, as it were, in the house of their Master’s brethren. That is where they were; in Jerusalem. They were not in the way when the Lord found them; they were out of the way. They were going away from Jerusalem. That was not the way.
[p. 88] They were far astray. They had no sense of their darkness, or where they were.
When the Lord approached them and asked why they were downcast, they said, “Thou sojournest alone in Jerusalem, and dost not know what has taken place in it in these days?” Luke 24: 18. These are important people that can talk like that. But are they? They have their backs to the assembly. But now they are in it. They are in the house of their Master’s brethren. What a house that is! What warmth there is there! I am speaking from Luke’s account now, but if I turn to John what I find is that the Lord came. “Jesus came and stood in the midst, and says to them, Peace be to you”, John 20: 19. It was the house of His brethren. The doors were shut: “the doors shut where the disciples were, through fear of the Jews”, meaning legal people; religious people; current religious people. They stood for that. They stood for the current accepted religion of the day. The doors were shut against them; they do not belong to the house of “my master’s brethren”. No. The doors were shut against them; but not against Jesus. “Jesus came and stood in the midst”. What a moment that was! Well, I have to admit there were some not there; one, anyway. The two erring ones were there, doubtless. They had come back. I have no doubt that John’s account in chapter 20 refers to the same incident, but the brethren say nothing according to John; nor is there any perturbation at all, but the wonderful fact of the presence of Jesus in the midst.
Why is it? They are characteristically the brethren.
It is the house of their Master’s brethren. That is where you will find all the news about the assembly. They are ‘in the know’ of assembly matters there. Already the message had come from the lips of the ascending Christ: “Go to my brethren and say to them” (verse 17).
[p. 89] They are restful; they are ready for the visit.
It is the house of their Master’s brethren. That is what it is; and He is there Himself. But this man says, “I being in the way, Jehovah has led me to the house of my master’s brethren” (verse 27). Why am I not there? If I am not, I am not in the way. Maybe I have turned out of it. We know there were those, according to the gospels, who did leave it. They came into it and left it. If I have turned out of it, the Lord is not leading me in my way. I may think my way is all right. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes”, Proverbs 12: 15. But it is not the divine way. There is no divine leading; there is no definiteness. There is an uncertainty; there is a want of joy; there is a want of satisfaction; there is no peace. There is no growth; there is no formation according to God. I am losing everything. I am not in the way.
This man was in the way. “I being in the way, Jehovah has led me to the house of my master’s brethren”. You cannot afford to be out of it. Thomas was absent when the Lord came in. It is a remarkable thing that we do not get any account of his whereabouts in his absence from the company of his Master’s brethren. The Spirit of God leaves us with out that. We do get an account of the other two; they went to Emmaus. We get a very vivid and detailed account of them; a most touching account. But we get no account of the whereabouts of Thomas. Where was he? He was a twin. Was he with his brother? We do not know whether his brother was a Christian; we are not told. But his name means ‘twin’. Was he with his twin brother? Where was he? I cannot say. I can tell you something about him later, in the next chapter. I can tell you where he was then. He went fishing. He was capable of that sort of thing. But where was he now when all these wonderful things were happening, so interesting [p. 90] to heaven? The Lord Jesus Himself has risen from the dead, and moving in His love and wisdom visited His brethren. Where was this one? It does not even say that the Lord missed him. He does not say anything about him. For when the Lord comes into the assembly, whilst He feels the absence of some, still He goes on. Let us never think that He is depending on us to go on.
When He reached the mountain in Matthew 28, the appointed mountain, some of them doubted. Whether one of them was Thomas, we are not told. Very likely. Some doubted, but the Lord does not stop to settle the doubt; He says, “Go ... and make disciples of all the nations”. He went on. Let us never think that the Lord cannot get on without us; not that He does not need us; but still He can carry on without us. He will find others. He does not inquire about anybody. “Jesus came and stood in the midst, and says to them, Peace be to you”. There is not a word about Thomas; and yet Thomas was missing that wonderful occasion. Where was he? Was he spending a quiet evening with his twin brother on the line of nature? How often that happens! The meetings are missed because of some natural pleasure. He might tell you he had not seen his brother for some time and he thought he would go and see him; and he leaves the brethren behind; and the Lord comes and never inquires for him. Someone might think that does not speak well of Christ. But it does. Because we are dealing with a certain thing. He is in the house of His brethren and it is not the place for mourning. There is a time for everything as Solomon tells us: A time to love, and a time to hate; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. And when the Lord came into the midst of His brethren, according to John, He came into the [p. 91] sphere of love. Love was restful there. And so He says, “Peace be to you”. There is no perturbation; no fear. No. They were glad because they saw the Lord. Think of that! It is not because they were brethren. Of course, I am glad I am a brother. But not at that time. The point is they saw the Lord. The Lord says, That is the idea. I have brought greatness in; now I want to consolidate the greatness. “Jesus said therefore again to them, Peace be to you”; think of that — again. Think of missing such a transaction as that! Think of the Lord of glory breathing into you and saying, “as the Father sent me forth, I also send you” (verse 21). Thomas missed all that. It was the house of His brethren, and when He came into it, He came in for enjoyment; and He caused them enjoyment. And Thomas missed it. It is the house of His brethren.
That is what we get in this chapter in Genesis. I could say much more. As I said, it is a chapter to roam in; to move about in. Everywhere you move it is the realm of Christ in the assembly and the Spirit’s activities in relation to it. Can we afford to miss this, dear brethren? The Lord is appealing to us. It is the house of His brethren. We belong there; and if we are in the way, He will lead us there. If He is not leading us, and we are not in the way — we may talk well, but we are not in the way — and not being in the way, the Spirit is not leading us to the house of His Master’s brethren.
Well now, before closing I want to say a word about John 6. It is another long chapter; the longest in this book. It is a chapter to be lived in, too. It is the great constitutional chapter of John’s gospel. It finishes up with the food for a heavenly constitution, the food for eternal life. “For my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink” (verse 55). He says, I give those two things. The chapter begins with the feeding of the multitude; the Lord does it [p. 92] Himself, although the authorised version would lead us to believe that the disciples were employed; but the better version shows that the Lord did it Himself. He is carrying on; that is John’s line.
And so it is a wonderful chapter, opening up the great thought of eternal life and the sustenance for it. So that in the end of it, Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast words of life eternal” (verse 68), “and we have believed and known that thou art the holy one of God”. That is this chapter.
Well now, the verses I read call attention to the disciples going down to the sea. They are going of themselves. I want to dwell on that for a little; how persons in the way move of themselves. You say, The Lord has not shown me to do this, and you sit quiet because of this. But then, you see, there are things to be done and you are not doing them. There is a way to be taken and you are not taking it. The Lord says to the disciples, You give them to eat.
Why are you not doing it? Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. And if the way is there, why do you not take it and stay in it? You will find that the Lord will lead you to the house of His brethren if you stay in it.
Now we are told that the disciples went down to the sea. The Lord, as it says in verse 15, “knowing that they were going to come and seize him, that they might make him king, departed again to the mountain himself alone”. That is what He did. He did that properly. Every movement is perfect. He was going up to pray according to another gospel. Let the Lord take His way. Doubtless the disciples felt that He was not with them; but it says, “But when evening was come, his disciples went down to the sea, and having gone on board ship, they went over the sea to Capernaum” (verses 16, 17). They had something in their minds. What they had in their minds was evidently according to the mind of Christ; and [p. 93] they were to find how difficult the way was, and how He would come in and support them in it. They had a definite thing in their minds. Another feature of brethren who are not going on with God is indefiniteness.
So they went down to the sea and entered into a ship and went over the sea toward Capernaum. We are told later, as I will point out, that it is called “land”. They were really going to land. It was towards Capernaum, but we are told later in verse 21, “and immediately the ship was at the land to which they went”. Land. That is what I want you to keep in mind in the few remarks I have to make. They had something definite in their minds. I would urge this matter of definiteness. Even if the Lord has gone up on high and is not with us, yet in a general way we know the way. It is made clear to us. We are not in any doubt about it. We take it; we struggle in it. It says they rowed twenty-five or thirty furlongs. That was real work against a storm. They had no steam power to help them or electrical power either. They rowed. It was real work. Now, understand what I am speaking of. They are definitely going somewhere; and the sequel shows that it was generally in the right direction. Let us look into the matter. What are we doing? Where are we? They went down to the sea and took ship and went toward Capernaum. A storm arose; it was dark; and Jesus had not come to them. How many of us have been in such circumstances! We get pictures of ourselves in the Scriptures. We are definitely going somewhere; we have no doubt about the way we are taking; thank God! But still, things are not clear. It was dark and the Lord had not come. They are going at their own charges. But they are rowing.
They are making headway. I can always tell where I am spiritually if I examine the facts of the case.
What was I a year ago? What headway was I [p. 94] making? Have I made any since? If I look into the facts I can see whether I have, or otherwise. If you have made twenty-five or thirty furlongs, you have done something. The Lord is going to accredit you with it. You will notice what it says, “the sea was agitated by a strong wind blowing”. Why was that? Satan’s activities. He will not let us alone. If we are in any way moving in the right direction, he is against us. Let us not give way. They kept on rowing. It says they rowed twenty-five or thirty furlongs. The Spirit gives full credit. “Having rowed then about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they see Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the ship; and they were frightened. But he says to them, It is I: be not afraid. They were willing therefore to receive him into the ship” (verses 19 - 21). What a scene this is! “Coming near the ship”; not yet coming into it; but He says, I am with you; keep on. You are in the right direction. Things are dark and difficult, but I am coming toward you. It is the Lord in the distance; He is coming. He is not very far from any of us under those circumstances. How the Lord is looking down at every dark moment. You are making headway, that is the point. It is real work rowing against the storm. The Lord says, I like that; I am going to help you.
You have often observed what is depicted here. How the Lord comes in when things seem at their very worst. He comes in and all is changed. And now He says, “It is I” They were afraid. He was drawing nigh to the ship and they were afraid, but He says to them, “It is I: be not afraid”. How restful they would become! One knows it well; better than one can express it. What restfulness! It is the Lord! It is all well now. There may be adjustments needed, but He is here. It is Himself. What can we do without Him? We may row twenty five or thirty stadia, but can we go forty? Maybe [p. 95] not. He comes in when we need Him most. “It is I: be not afraid. They were willing therefore to receive him into the ship”. They were not too jubilant about it, which is in keeping with the circumstances. They were under great pressure, and you have to make allowances for brethren when they are down a bit. They are under great pressure. It is the Lord. There is faith there; there is belief there. It is Himself and they are willing; they belong to His willing people. We read about that in the Canticles. He was upon the chariots of His willing people. Let Him in the chariot and you will see how smoothly things will go. It is the boat of His willing people here. They were willing to receive Him. And so we read, “and immediately the ship was at the land to which they went” (verse 21). How speedily we reach the end when we let Him in! They were willing to receive Him. It is not quite the same feeling we get in chapter 20, when they were glad when they saw Him; but still they were willing. Our salvation lies in being subject. They were willing to receive Him, and immediately the ship was at the land to which they went. The point is, I am with you. You are in the main right. I have joined you to get you to the end, and you are at it now. The point is being in the way; being led in it. And if there be toiling and anxiety, the Lord will not fail us. He will come in at the right time and we will be at the land to which we go.