THE LORD'S HOLY EMOTIONS
THE LORD’S HOLY EMOTIONS
John 11:41 - 43; John 12:27 - 30; John 17:1,26
JT Allusion was made this morning in thanksgiving to the Lord’s holy emotions, and these scriptures serve to enlarge on this holy subject. It is a question whether we should have to look at John or Luke. In Luke we had a word from chapter 10, in which the Lord rejoices in spirit in a certain setting. The section in Luke treats of the Lord’s reception into heaven. It says at the beginning of chapter 10, after it is said “when the days of His receiving up were fulfilled” (Luke 9:51). He sent out seventy disciples into every city and place where He was about to come. The thought in His mind was how He would be received on earth. The present time would be in His mind when the saints are in the light of the assembly and the fulness of Paul’s doctrine.
These seventy returned speaking of the success they had in their service. The Lord speaks to them of their heavenly calling, of their names being written in heaven. He rejoices in spirit on saying that, as if He would have them on heavenly lines. Then there is the parable of the man who fell among thieves, and the development of the principle of the neighbour, and the local assembly is indicated in a certain village where they were received into a certain woman’s house. The conditions were not altogether suitable in Martha’s house. Chapter 11 opens up Christ’s thought for man and indicates the truth of assembly conditions which would give the Lord comfort. The prayer would bring out assembly furnishings. This is the setting of the Lord’s holy emotions in Luke.
In John we have the extension of this thought in these chapters. We might profit, especially in view of the assembly meetings here in this city, in seeing that the Lord not only comes in theoretically but actually and gives a holy impulse to the assembly.
[p. 100] In chapter 11, for the sake of those who were hearing, the Lord lifted up His eyes to heaven. It says it was on account of the crowd. Then in chapter 12 He says, “Not on my account has this voice come, but on yours”, that is, things happened for their instruction. The Lord had the present time in mind in this instruction and we are to learn from the speaking of God in the assembly. The impulse from Christ as Head serves in that way.
AGL When you speak of assembly meetings what have you in mind?
JT The meeting we had here this morning for the breaking of bread. The only meeting spoken of the saints as together in assembly alludes to their attitude as together, that is, they are the assembly themselves. The assembly convened bears on all that follows throughout the week.
WJY Is your suggestion that the way in which the Lord speaks to the Father is instruction for us as coming together?
JT Well, I thought that. The Lord said it was on account of those who stood by; it was for their education.
WJY I think that is very helpful.
JT We are prone to be governed by theory in our meetings and I thought we should come to see more definitely that the Lord does come, but not in a corporeal way. He is in heaven; He has been received into the heavenlies. He is up there in a corporeal sense, but comes here nevertheless. Christianity is a spiritual thing. The Holy Spirit is a real Person here and is the means whereby the Lord comes here. The Lord sees the conditions and would take the opportunity, when our minds are engaged in recalling Him, to come into the assembly in a spiritual sense and give us to feel spiritually that He is present. This is a wonderful thing. Jehovah came angelically of old. An angel came to Gideon, but Jehovah was there. Now there is a greater Mediator. So the Lord comes and we must be ready for Him; recalling Him in our minds is an opportunity [p. 101] He would seize to come in. His presence would give impulse in that way.
HTR Can we realise His presence in the morning meeting?
JT That is what it speaks of. It is an occasion that the Lord would use to make Himself felt. It is love’s opportunity as we have nothing else before us as assembled together but to call Him to mind in the Supper. He is more interested than we are, and so would be ready to come in at that time.
PDS How does the ministry of the sanctuary, the true tabernacle, stand in relation to that?
JT That is the idea effected. The Lord being on our side, as we said. He is the objective to us; we worship and adore Him. He said to Peter “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me”, (John 13:8). On our side, as known amongst us, the ministry of the sanctuary fits. He is with us: He takes the lead. In this way impulse is given from the Head.
WJY Is your thought that His intimacy in speaking to the Father and the response from heaven is an indication of what is open to us?
JT These scriptures give a clue to it. There are results, at least, in chapter 12. In chapter 11 Jesus lifts up His eyes on high. “On high” is moral as over against the ordinary or common level of things here. This section is the section of His holy emotions because on approaching the grave of Lazarus (verse 33) He was deeply moved in spirit, or groaned, and was troubled. The first word is ‘groaned’ and the second, ‘shuddered’. Then in verse 35 “Jesus wept”. This is a remarkable scripture bringing out the reality of His manhood in regard of the conditions there. He was affected by them; then in verse 41, “Jesus lifted up His eyes on high and said. Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me; but I knew that thou always hearest me; but on account of the crowd who stand around I have said it, that they may believe that thou has sent me”,
PDS Is the suggestion that what was around caused Him to groan and shudder, while on high everything delighted Him?
JT Yes, in anticipation of the power about to be exercised. Now He is in glory, but as coming in amongst us He is still capable of being affected by what He finds amongst His people: whether sorrow or joy. He is affected by it.
WAS It is said that He was known in the breaking of bread. How does He come in?
JT I think that this gives a clue from Luke’s point of view. Luke tells us that He was made known in the breaking of bread, in keeping with what He had said already “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19) — calling Me to mind. The breaking of the loaf calls to mind. It is a question of the state of one’s mind and is arrived at practically; we are capable of recalling things to mind, engaged with one thing at a time. The Lord would have first place in our minds.
AGL In what character would you expect the Lord to come in at that time?
JT He comes in as Head in a spiritual way. It is His assembly that He is dealing with as its Head. He is Head of it. At Emmaus He took the place of Head although the head was there in the house. We must apprehend this.
WHS Who would the crowd represent?
JT The suggestion is of persons profiting by hearing what passed.
WH When you speak of the Lord being affected by conditions, do you mean that which the Lord takes account of; He is affected by the moral conditions amongst His people?
JT Yes, the Lord is affected by the moral conditions of His assembly.
WH So that if there are right moral conditions He will [p. 103] rejoice.
JT Yes. He is a Man; He says, “A spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see me having” (Luke 24:39). He feels as we do, rejoicing if He finds happy conditions.
PDS Would the piece of broiled fish and the honeycomb be in keeping with this — something that was enjoyed among them?
JT The point there is “Have ye anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41) and they had. It tests us all as to what we have in our respective localities that the Lord can take account of, that He can partake of. He did not ask for something specific. They had some fish and honeycomb, and He partook of it.
WH What do they suggest?
JT Fish suggest the thought of the sovereignty of God. No one knows what is in the sea but God; He knows what is there. Broiled means that it has been brought under the fire. Then the honeycomb suggests what is mutual, what is not regulated by the clerical principle, but by the mutual principle. The honeycomb is that in which all have part.
WJY Is the Supper to help us in our conditions?
JT I think it is. It is to bring us together in affection and in principle before we sit down. As we sit down it brings us near to one another in affection, not only in body. That comes by brotherhood. It is always in that way. In Acts 2:1 it says, “They were all together in one place” and at the end of the chapter it says that “All that believed were together” (Acts 2:44) — it does not say in one place; that is, they were together in principle and together in affections. That they were together comes out in a real way: there is a realm of love; the undercurrent is affection. So that if we are sitting together for half an hour whilst the emblems are being passed round we enjoy the time. It is not irksome and we should not lose a minute.
WJY I wondered whether it might set us at rest. The love expressed in the Supper might prepare us for what [p. 104] comes after.
JT I think it does. The Lord comes into the conditions. He is not disturbed when He comes into Martha’s house. We may receive Him, but conditions may not be right, I take it that the Lord would desire that the conditions might be right when He comes. In John 20:19, He says “Peace be unto you”. It would appear that there was nothing to reprove there. They were glad when they saw Him, and then He says again to them, “Peace be unto you” (John 20:19) as if He confirms it. We are too theoretical, not feeling enough about it, not really believing. John constantly asserts the idea of believing. Believing is a great general principle.
WJY Is it right to regard the Supper as the principle on which the Lord ministers to us?
JT Well, it works out that way. We have something in our mind. We set out in the morning with the one thought of the Lord in our minds, that He is not here but absent. The idea permeates our minds that He is not here but is to be recalled: we would like Him here. That is what He observes. The Supper brings to mind what He said when He instituted it. The bread and cup recall Him to our minds. The Holy Spirit is always with us and His function in the assembly is to make it all a reality. So I believe what I confess.
AGL In chapter 14, the Lord speaks of the Spirit abiding with us. Then He says, “I will not leave you orphans, I am coming to you” (John 14:18).
JT Living is contingent on the presence of the Comforter. In chapter 14, He sees us spiritually. He comes in that spiritual way. So that the Lord comes in alone, filling our minds and affections, and gives impulse; the thing is to wait on that. Here He lifts up His eyes to the Father and He thanks the Father that He had heard Him.
WH Would you say that the Lord shows us an example that we should lift up our eyes in that [p. 105] sense?
JT What we look at on high is not current in religious circles. It alludes to us. “Jerusalem above is free (Galatians 4:26)”. This is not on the level of man’s way.
WH That is very important.
GGS With reference to the Lord finding something in our midst, does the Lord set us in our localities for that reason?
JT I think so. What we have is in a collective way.
GGS He would see to it that it is so.
JT And He comes in and recognises what is there and is pleased with it. Martha’s case needed adjustment, there were many things, whereas it is profitable to have one thing in our minds, not many.
WJY Would the lifting up of our eyes on high indicate that we look beyond all that which has to do with sin and death?
JT Just so. It is leading in that direction. In chapter 17, He lifted up His eyes to heaven. Heaven is a place. The thought of “on high” takes us out beyond man’s range of things.
PDS In both scriptures the looking up leads to the Father.
JT “Lift up now thine eyes”,(Genesis 13:14) God said to Abraham. Faith taught him to do that very early. Abraham was challenged as to what he could do in counting the stars. It belongs to us to look up. In Jacob there is the thought of the ladder linking him with what is above. It is the Spirit’s means of communication, The Lord comes down here and we go up. It is in the power of the Spirit, not in mental action. The Spirit takes part in these heavenly things,
“And see, the Spirit’s power
Has ope’d the heavenly door”. (74:5)
WHS Would you say that the outcome of the impulse from the Head is that there would be a similar thing in the assembly?
JT We learn in Luke 11 to pray to the Father. It is the first word that He says in the prayer.
PDS The Lord says “I knew that thou always hearest me”. Would we have the same confidence?
JT It is a question of confidence; every Christian should cultivate that. The Lord says “Enter into thy chamber ... pray to thy Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6). Every Christian should acquire the sense of confidence that God hears.
WHS It is a question of right feelings or right speaking in connection with what exists immediately around. We are not detached from it. We are up against the realities of being here in this scene.
JT So that we are not stilted in our minds, but on our feet dealing with actual conditions.
HC Was not this seen in the Lord in His pathway involving the will of God: the holy emotions came out from His heart, pleasurable to God?
JT Quite so. What struck me was how our incidents affect Him. He is capable of being affected by incidents, known beforehand, but as they come up He is affected by them. That should be a great incentive for us to have conditions suitable for Him, as they affect Him. So we should rejoice in spirit, we should rejoice that our names are written in heaven. He opened up a vista for them of what heaven would be. Hebrews 12:22,23 alludes to a great system of things set up in Christ in heaven, “Ye have come to mount Zion; and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem; and to myriads of angels, the universal gathering; and to the assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven”. This caused joy, the joy set before Him, and so He rejoiced in spirit and praised God, If He were with us and did that there would be an impulse. We are a living organism which is sensitive, extremely so.
WJY In looking up He is conscious both of the thoughts and power of God, although surrounded by that which speaks of sin and death?
JT Quite so. Here in John 11 He is conscious of power, but He groans and weeps as He looks on the [p. 107] negative side of what sin had effected. Now on the positive side we see how God is meeting what is negative with holy buoyancy. The assembly is the realm for all these things.
PDS I would like a little help as to the feelings of the Lord in regard to what takes place on earth. He groaned; He wept.
JT He said to Saul “Why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4) He feels the persecution. He feels the joy and sorrow of what there is amongst us, conscious of it in the service of God. He sings in the midst, that is. He sings organically. What He has got here He uses. Headship indicates that He is the mind governing the assembly as He is amongst us.
WAS Would you say that spiritual emotions today are a continuation of the emotions of Christ and so, as such, reach the ear and heart of the Father?
JT The Lord is affecting our organism with the view of praise to God. Christ is the sweet psalmist of Israel; “Thou ... inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). He would go on and establish this great thing, the assembly, in the midst of which He praises God.
DD Is an instrument often strings applicable here?
JT It is stringed instruments; it is more refined. There are no wind instruments in heaven: the harp is the only instrument in heaven.
PDS Is “To the chief Musician. On my stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:19), a help?
JT Yes Habakkuk helps. His prayer touches various notes and then reaches “high places”.
WJY Is the thought of leading the praises a characteristic one?
JT Characteristic. That is what I had in mind; then it becomes concrete.
DD Is ‘ten’ the thought of responsibility?
JT Very likely. We have a remarkable song; one has often thought of the new song in the Revelation. Revelation deals with prophetic matters and keeps [p. 108] the atmosphere on the proper level in principle. In chapter 14, verse 2, it says “And I heard a voice out of the heaven as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of great thunder. And the voice which I heard was as of harp-singers harping with their harps; and they sing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song save the one hundred and forty-four thousand who were bought from the earth” (Revelation 14:2,3). Their attitude is becoming. Revelation maintains the level of things. What a great matter this was! A loud sound and yet in perfect harmony. It was a new song, nothing hackneyed. We need to be kept in freshness. Only the hundred and forty-four thousand learn this: how exalted and exclusive this is!
WH Do the words suggest intelligence and the harps emotion?
JT Very good. The first song we have in Scripture bears that character: “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to Jehovah, and spoke, saying (Exodus 15:1) ...”. There were words, beautiful, intelligent, poetic, and we go right on from deliverance from Egypt into the sanctuary, “The Sanctuary, Lord, that thy hands have prepared” (Exodus 15:17). The song rose, ascended. Then Miriam comes out with her tambour and all the women followed her with tambours and with dances, and they also sing. There were not only words but there was a state in Israel which was equal to the song. The Lord looks for that. Miriam would represent the subjective side; there was something, though it was little. It was the measure of Israel at that time; it was little, but valued. It would emphasise the importance of keeping in tune.
WJY Those who were not in tune said it thundered.
JT Quite so. In John 12 the people did not understand the voice.
AGL What is the voice from heaven in the next [p. 109] chapter?
JT In chapter 12 the Lord is speaking about His death. In verse 23 it says, “Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bears much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it, and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If any one serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall be my servant. And if any one serve me, him shall the Father honour”, (John 12:24 - 26). All that is in His mind when this happened, so that He says, “Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But on account of this have I come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name”. Then there came a voice from heaven saying, “I both have glorified and will glorify it again”. That is, the Lord is affected by what is said and He looks for us to be affected by what passes. He speaks to the Father and there comes the answer from heaven, the interchange between divine Persons. It is great to be able to hear this voice from heaven full of assurance and confidence.
WAS We should recognise that voice as the Father’s voice.
JT Yes. That is how it is presented. When the Lord came up out of Jordan it was the same. Unmistakably the Father’s voice from heaven addressed the Lord as ‘my Son’. Here it is simply, “I both have glorified and will glorify it again”. Heaven is announcing His power in the resurrection of Christ: any intervention from heaven would involve power. When they prayed at Jerusalem, in Acts 4, the place was shaken; power is conveyed.
PDS Do we gather that the Father would speak from heaven today?
JT That is, what comes in in the assembly comes [p. 110] from heaven.
WJY People would recognise the glory of Christ as in resurrection, and not in cathedrals and the works of man’s hand.
JT That is what you see in His second remark. God was unfolding His glory to the assembly.
PDS Surely it would affect us very greatly always to have the Father’s glory before us like this?
JT What a sense of God intervening! Speaking to Him in this sense implies divine intervention; our souls are enveloped with something; the introduction of power resulting in that the place where they were assembled was shaken and that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
PDS If a company loves the Lord in that way is the Father bound to come in?
JT That is, the Lord is in our midst as Head. He links us up with heaven in a dignified way. He links us up with a dignified heavenly company. He brings out the greatness of what we are connected with. We can understand how in the type in Exodus 40:34 “the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle”. There was complete correspondence with what is in heaven.
In chapter 17 we come to the Lord’s direct speaking to His Father. The whole chapter is an account of His prayer to the Father. It is entirely about the saints and at the end of it is “that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them”.
PDS In chapter 12 it is “Father, glorify thy name”, and in chapter 17 it is “Father ... glorify thy Son”.
JT I think that glorifying His name is in resurrection — “Raised ... by the glory of the Father”,(Romans 6:4) while glorifying the Son would give Him a place up there in heaven.
WJY While He is unique, would you say that intimacy with God is possible on our part?
JT Well, that is what is in mind, that we might know how to speak to the Father.
PDS [p. 111] Is this a priestly prayer or something beyond that?
JT It is one divine Person speaking to another. It is on a higher level. The priest maintains and guards what is due to God. He lifts up His eyes to heaven, to the abode of the Father in a sense, and is concerned about the hour. The hour had come. He says “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee”. He still has in mind the glorification of the Father.
PDS In the last verse it says, “I have made known to them thy name”. Is this an advance on the first part of the chapter?
JT In verse 6 it is “manifested”; here it is “made known to them thy name”. It is a real service that He has rendered to them; it involved an inward process of instruction, so that they really knew it.
PDS Would the inward process result in what it speaks of in the first part of the verse?
JT “The love with which thou hast loved me may be in them”, that is, the kind of love with which the Father loves the Son is in the saints: it is that kind of love, in keeping with the Father’s love for the Son: we have part in that love.
PDS That is, consciously.
JT It is the Father’s love for the Son; and so we are qualified to have part in the assembly.
WHW “I have made known to them thy name, and will make it known”. Is that His personal activity in the assembly today?
JT ‘Will make it known’ is more continuous. That is the allusion in chapter 20, Chapter 20 is in resurrection when the Lord says “I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God” (John 20:17).
PDS Is that continued today?
JT We are brought into it, it is something new, it is education.