THE SPHERE WHERE CHRIST IS KNOWN
THE SPHERE WHERE CHRIST IS KNOWN
I have a few simple thoughts which I desire to put together in connection with the Lord as viewed in three aspects. First at the passover, the second at the Supper and the third in the garden. There is a good deal for souls to reflect upon in these relations in which Christ is viewed. I wish to engage you for a moment with them, and to shew you how the believer today may be guided into the sphere where Christ is known. The Lord suggested that the passover should be prepared and be celebrated in a place that was to be discovered by certain indications. These indications given by the Lord to the disciples are illustrative of how the believer today may be guided into the sphere where Christ’s interests are. In that sphere we find certain elements — some divine, beloved friends, and some alas, the fruit of the working of the flesh.
I wish to shew you the sphere where Christ has influence. There must be a suitable place where He can celebrate the passover with His disciples. No one observant fails to recognise the exceedingly perplexing condition that prevails today. What is needed is guidance. Without guidance we are sure to miss the way or defile the spot — the spot influenced by the Lord Jesus. There is guidance to be discerned by those with affection, those who desire to reach the spot influenced by the Lord Jesus. That there is a spot is certain, but many of the Lord’s people are unacquainted with it. I wish to shew you that the Lord Jesus gives guidance, and how it is discerned. First, [p. 2] the man with the pitcher of water — he is a very interesting man, if you are interested. It is not simply a man (using a pitcher of water as a figure) with the direct teaching; teaching is to have the Spirit behind it, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. I want you to discover the Spirit’s guiding.
The man with the pitcher of water is very interesting to those who have a need — those with spiritual thirst. If you are thirsting after righteousness, that man has something for you. He is not stationary, he is in movement. You want to keep your eye on him; if you want to know where he is going, follow him, he leads you on, “There shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water”. Directly you become exercised in regard to God’s things, someone will meet you; one who has something for you will meet you. I am not wishing to direct you to an individual; the Holy Spirit is here, and He has taken up His abode in vessels, in men. The word is an “earthen pitcher”, the Holy Spirit takes up His position in men.
Directly you are exercised, the Spirit will meet you; He is in movement. If there is anything one desires to see, it is movement. Immediately you come into touch with the activities of the Spirit, you find there is a movement in a certain direction; but the question is, do you move? You may say that was a wonderful meeting, that was wonderful ministry: but do you move? The disciples were to follow the man with the pitcher of water. He entered into a house. I shall here call attention to another feature. The goodman of the house expected Christ; keep your eye on that man. Directly you get into the house, you find the house has an owner, “Say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?” The goodman of the house respected and recognised the word of Christ. He understood something of teaching. The Lord says, “He shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready”. If you want to reach the spot where Christ has influence you must look for the recognition of His authority. I would not place my foot where the authority of Christ is questioned. It is no place for you. Look for these marks — the man with the pitcher of water, and the recognition by the owner of the house [p. 3] of the Teacher or Master. It is a day of lawlessness in which we live. The authority of Christ is rejected. In 2 Timothy 2 we have a perfect exhortation: “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity”. You must recognise the authority of the Lord. There is no possible hope for the preservation of the testimony apart from recognising His authority. The next thing is, the room is furnished. If anything marks the religious world, it is furniture. You find people very particular in regard to furnishing. I want to shew you that furniture is important: you do not want a choir — an important part of furnishing in the religious world — it is a confession of the absence of the true Singer. The Lord Jesus is the sweet Psalmist of Israel. He is the true David — He alone leads the choir — the spiritual choir. David placed the ark in Zion, and composed a psalm to be sung. God’s house is a house of song; that you will not find in the furnishings around. There is not an atom of furniture according to God in the religious forms. Today all true furniture is divine.
I now come to another indication; the upper room. The Spirit never uses a word without a purpose. The upper room is, in a way, secluded from the earth, and divinely furnished. I cannot describe the furniture of the assembly, but it is the spot where the Lord meets with His disciples. Everything is there for the celebration of the passover. Enter! I have only indicated it to you, specially for young souls, so that they might have guidance into the circle influenced by the Lord Jesus. In that room the twelve were with Him. He says to them, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you”. I am not saying the passover is the Supper, or the Supper the passover, I am only speaking of the Lord’s desire. As you enter that circle the Lord impresses you with His desire. When the Supper was instituted — when He gave them the cup He said, “Drink ye all of it” — no one was to be absent.
[p. 4] We have Him here in relation to the passover, the Supper, and the garden. The Passover has reference to His undergoing the judgment — being subject to God’s holy judgment with regard to sin. The Supper is the Lord’s affection for His people. The garden is His submission to the will of the Father. The garden is exclusively for the Father — the question of the Lord taking a body to do the Father’s will, “Not my will, but thine be done”. I have indicated the distinction between these three, and now wish to dwell on the Supper.
The Supper is not a meal we partake of in regard to our bodies. It was instituted after the passover, which He tasted according to what it meant — God’s holy judgment in regard to sin. He did not eat the Supper. He broke the bread. He appropriated the passover, but at the Supper He thinks of us. The Supper is entirely for believers, not for Israel, but for the assembly. It was instituted after the passover. The Lord broke the bread — that was His part in it, the Lord giving His body in death. He gave the Supper to us, and it remains with us. He gave it to the disciples, and afterwards it is given to the Gentiles by the apostle Paul. He leaves it with the assembly. The Lord has given His body in death; no other one could have done that. He did so, not as the passover or for the accomplishment of the Father’s will, but “my body which is given for you”. The Lord misses you, if you are not there. I was saying to some, the Lord has given us all the same food, and the same drink; and the object in it is, that there might be similarity. If christians are not alike, it is because they do not feed on the same food, and drink the same drink. We are all partakers of the one loaf. There is only one loaf. As it is broken, we are reminded of Christ, not as the passover, but as giving His body in death for us. You put forth your hand and partake of it, committing yourself to the communion of the saints. There is only one communion — the christian communion.
[p. 5] If it is not that, it is not to be recognised. We are all partakers of the same spiritual food — all been made to drink of the one Spirit, “Drink ye all of it”. Mark gives the bright side, “they all drank of it”. It would be a wonderful thing if christians were all drinking of the one Spirit — one Spirit in unity. We are not united against our will. Drink is enjoyment — except where the Lord drank the bitter cup. If all were to drink of the one Spirit there would be satisfaction, a common joy, unity — no effort in it. Unity is a necessity because of the common joy. Divine thoughts are held in common, and that produces unity. Sections, nationalism and the like, are judged. We hold in common the things of God given to us. If you partake of the loaf, and your associations outside are not in accord, you are inconsistent. In 2 Corinthians we have one common object in heaven, “We all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit”. There is a similarity between christians. If I meet a spiritual man here, and one at the other side of the world, there is a similarity.
I now want to dwell for a moment, on the condition that arose in the presence of all this, “Behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table” — a solemn statement! In the presence of all this light; there, where all that love was displayed, was the hand of the betrayer. Could Satan proceed further? The table was the spot where the Lord spread out the expression of His love; moreover the one who had loved Him, denied Him. Judas is typical of the Romish system. It has betrayed Him, and cannot be trusted. Protestantism has denied Him. You may not betray Him, and yet deny Him. The denial of Christ is simply that you have another name than His before you. There were a few names in Sardis (i.e. Protestantism) that were worthy and “they shall walk with me in white”. The [p. 6] Lord loves an open confession of His name. There is only one Name. It is remarkable that in the beginning of Acts they spoke of it as the Name — not another should be known. Remember how the Lord speaks of those who shall deny Him, and says “him will I also deny”. Things are reversed there — the person that denies Christ, is not worthy to be recognised in God’s world. Peter denied Him, yet loved Him. There were two elements at work — the hand of the betrayer; and Peter who gave way and denied Him. I only touch on Peter. It is of all importance that we should be faithful. If you confess Christ, all the power of God will support you. There is a power here, the power of the Spirit. Then “there was also a strife among them, which of them should be held to be the greatest”. These things are all familiar to us. We are exposed to ambition, especially if we have any little bit of gift. Then the Lord said to them “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them ... but ye shall not be so: but ... he that is chief, as he that doth serve”. Among the Gentiles they exercised authority, and such are called benefactors. But you cannot patronise the christian, you may have means, gift and education, but these things are not great enough. The great one in christianity is to be a servant, “Whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth”. If I am serving you tonight, it is by ministering a portion of meat to you.
The Lord puts the saints at His table, and ministers to them. That is the path for the man of gift, if after the pattern of Christ. The Lord takes a towel, pours water into a basin, girds Himself with the towel, retaining the servant’s place, and wipes their feet, with the towel wherewith He was girded. If serving, you are serving those who are greater than yourself. These things are grouped together by the Spirit in connection with the passover, the Supper, and Gethsemane.