NOTES ON SCRIPTURE 1895 NO. 18

NOTES ON SCRIPTURE 1895 ^[p. 62] NO. 18

Leviticus 23:4,17; John 1:29-38

It is very interesting to see that the first feasts of the year for Israel were types of the grace of God. The death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the descent of the Holy Spirit, are set forth in the passover, the wave-sheaf of the first-fruits, and the feast of weeks; while the “two wave-loaves”, the new meat-offering offered after fifty days, typify the believing company all together before God.

Now in John we learn the grace; God does not abate His righteousness, but He provides the lamb Himself; He removes the offence from His own side. This is marvellous grace. He laid help upon One that was mighty, His own arm brought salvation, sin is taken away. Where there is a man after the flesh there is sin. There is no justification from sin but by death; he that is dead is freed from sin, sin is condemned. He bare our sins in His own body on the tree. This He did once when He offered up Himself. The moment He died (see Matthew 27: 51) the veil was rent from the top to the bottom, the distance has gone from God’s side. Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. All that is contrary to God has been removed for ever in the cross, but He who has effected all this on the cross has been raised from the dead. He is the wave-sheaf, and now from Him risen the Holy Spirit is sent down that we should be according to God here. There is no improvement in the flesh, but every act and thought is to spring from the Holy Spirit, the fountain which is in you, springing up unto eternal life. The two disciples who leave John (verse 37), the man under the law, not only follow Jesus, but true to the spiritual sentiment, they want to be with Him where He abides. Like the wave-loaves, they are gathered together in one.