THE ASSEMBLY IN VIEW IN THE GOSPEL
[p. 446] THE ASSEMBLY IN VIEW IN THE GOSPEL
Luke 4: 38, 39; Luke 7: 44 - 47; Luke 8: 45 - 48; Luke 10: 39, 42; Luke 13: 11 - 13
In my remarks, dear brethren, although they are intended to be initial and foundational, I have the assembly in mind. Luke is not, as Matthew, specially an ecclesiastical gospel, but the assembly is in mind. The writer being the travelling companion of Paul, who was minister of the assembly and who shared his sufferings in some measure, and knew something of the breathings of the heart of the great apostle, could not but be imbued by the Spirit with the thought of the assembly, in writing his gospel. It is peculiarly evangelical, as we are all perhaps aware. No other gospel or book has such a variety of evangelical touches as Luke. It is Jesus come down, taking the lowest place in order to be low enough for all, in order to be near to all, for men are in view and not any particular nation. The angelic host at the outset celebrates the mind of heaven in regard to what had transpired at Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men”, Luke 2:14. This remarkable, as I may say, poetic pronouncement is uttered on the occasion of the birth of Jesus. “Unto you”, said the angel earlier, “is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (verse 11); a wide outlook is thus contemplated. Humanity is in mind as the area or material in relation to which the evangelical operations of God should proceed. It bows the heart, and appeals peculiarly to the needy soul. No gospel takes a more touching account of human need.
While this is everywhere stamped on the book, the divine need is also there; something too often forgotten by us, that there is such a thing as divine need, and moreover, that in meeting human need God has His own need in His heart: “For of him, and through him,
[p. 447] and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever”, Romans 11:36. We shall never be right unless we are standing in that setting. He had His own need in mind, and the need of His beloved Son, speaking reverently. God is foreshadowed in Abraham, who having a son, desired that he should not be alone. He was not to be alone, and so we find with Isaac, as a type of Christ as risen from the dead, that he remains, as it were, in the elevation of the mount on which he was in figure offered up. Abraham returned with his young men and went to Beersheba, but nothing is said of Isaac descending. Instead of this, we immediately have the introduction of Rebecca and the great concern of Abraham that his son should have a companion in his own realm; for the companionship of the assembly for Christ is in heavenly places. It may be here for the moment in Sarah’s tent, but its destiny is in heavenly places. It is a question of the need of Christ, a question of the need of His love. Love has needs, and so we find in this gospel, as in the others, “the Lord has need of it”. In meeting our need, He has in mind to gratify His own, hence, every one who has become a subject of the gospel is claimed by the Lord for the assembly. The Lord will not be satisfied, I would say to anyone here who has not come to this, until you do come to it, until you say with the rest of us that we are not our own, we are bought with a price; we are Christ’s, we are for Him; till then you have not answered to His desire. As it is said, that ye should be “to another, who has been raised up from among the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God”, Romans 7:4. Let no one assume that the relief that has come into his soul through the gospel is the end of the matter. The end of the matter is the heart of God, the divine needs; God would have Christ and the assembly. If you have not yielded yourself to Him, He claims you now for the assembly; He needs you; your place is vacant, so to speak — it should not be so. The Lord puts in His [p. 448] claim. Do not deny Him. It says, He “loved the assembly”, of which you in His mind form part, “and has delivered himself up for it”, Ephesians 5:25.
Now, I want to work out as fully as the time allows, from these women, an amplification of what I have said. Luke furnishes us with these five women, and they stand in his narrative in relation to one another, not promiscuously, but constructively. The thought of construction is an important idea to get into our minds. That is to say, the woman in chapter 4, prepares for the woman in chapter 7, and so on. The first great thought is simple, as indeed I hope you will see; it is subjection. It is said in the epistle to the Ephesians that “the assembly is subjected to the Christ”, chapter 5:24. It is the divine mind that is thus conveyed to us, for that is to be her place and attitude; “subjected to the Christ”, The relief that comes to this woman in chapter 4 makes way for this; the relief, as it were, synchronises in the result that the Lord intended, and I doubt whether anyone really profits by the gospel as the Lord intends, save that the result He has in mind synchronises with the relief, God must come into the mind as relief is enjoyed, if things are normal. This is an important matter, and applies to young believers, or to those who may be old in years, but have never yet come to it — the Lord has need of them, for He has relieved them for a purpose. So the first thing, as I said, is subjection. The Lord, as you will observe here, stood over this woman. Think of who it was that stood over her. Picture the scene: a feverish person — Peter’s wife’s mother, as in his house was in circumstances tending to irritability; but, however provocative a set of circumstances may be, there is no excuse for irritability. The work of God cannot go on in our souls in a feverish condition. The Lord is teaching us to be restful, to learn to lie fallow, to be in His hand, as clay in the hand of the potter. The Lord stood over her. What an impression it must have conveyed to her soul! Such [p. 449] a One! It was more than a mere figure. The Lord is never a mere figure; He is a real Person, and a Person of influence. Whether He speaks or otherwise, the influence is there, and if He stands over you when you are in a state of impatience, a state of feverishness, it is to impress you with His moral authority. In such a state you are no material for Him, and so there must be a change, and that change comes about in the recognition of Him in His authority; not here official authority, but that which is suggested in the majestic Personage that stands over you. It must be so. He is Lord of all; even if we do not admit it, the authority is always present in Him.
Then, you will observe in the passage, that He rebuked the fever. There is much of this feverishness, especially in large cities where pressure is great. As time goes on, it seems as if the pressure of circumstances increases, and saints have to be fortified against what is peculiarly current, to learn how to be free from perturbation, fretfulness, and complainingness. Christ in His personal authority comes into the soul and subdues it, for that is the idea. He stood over her and then He rebuked the fever in her, for it is a question of a disease. He rebuked the disease and the fever left her and “she arose and ministered unto them”. In a little way she is an assembly person. The Lord intends it so. She served them. It is a believer’s household that is before us here. It is the house of Peter. Possibly some of them had provoked her, but she served them. She is not selective as to whom she serves; she is not to be one of those who make special friends amongst the brethren. Special friendships provoke partisan feeling and resentment, and militate against the work of God in His people. Whether it be all in the household, or all in the local company, or all within one’s range, one is actuated by the spirit of Christ, serving all. How are we to serve? It is in a new way; it is “in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter”, Romans 7:6; I believe this [p. 450] principle begins here. Luke is building up something beginning with this woman, and he leaves her in subjection and service; activity in the service of the saints is greatly needed.
The next woman is the well-known one in chapter 7. She is a lover of Christ. I do not know of any term that may be applied to us which is more forceful in a way than to say that he or she is a lover of Christ. It is a wonderful distinction to be reckoned amongst the lovers of Christ. I hope no one here is exempt. I speak feelingly, for Scripture says, “If any one love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha”, 1 Corinthians 16:22. We cannot afford to be reckoned amongst such. Let us range ourselves with the lovers of Christ; He deserves our affection. Now this woman is not presented to us as a subject of direct service on the part of anyone. There are many such today who have come into the truth as breathing the spirit of the testimony of the time. Chapter 7 of Luke is designed to convey to us the character of the dispensation throughout. A great evangelical influence has come in and God is operating in relation to it. The south wind is blowing; God can bring in the south wind when needed. This chapter indicates what is current, that an evangelical spirit prevails. That is seen where the spirit of the dispensation is restored and maintained in any little measure — a very great matter. So that she is not presented to us as the subject of any particular service. It is as if she breathed the air of the moment. And what a moment it is! Happy is every one who has lungs spiritually capable of taking in the holy evangelical air that is intended to mark the time!
Whence is she? Who has told her about Jesus? We are not told, but she knows about Him. Let no one complain that they have not been told. He is to be known. Do not complain that you have not been told that the sun is in the heavens; it is foolish. Jesus is in [p. 451] the front in this chapter. There is an evangelical current, and this woman breathed of it. She is a lover of Jesus. He says so; she does not. I would rather have Him say that I am a lover of His than that I should say so. Think of Him saying to any of you, You are a lover of mine, yea, telling others about it. “He turned to the woman”; she is in His mind for the moment. Here it is love begotten by benefit. That is the initial kind of love that enters into christianity. God comes down beside you and relieves you, whether directly or indirectly, and you love on account of the benefit, a great result. The Lord commends it; He says of her, “she loved much”. That word “much” in His mouth is much. Think of Him saying it of one who hitherto had been a poor sinner of the city! Does it not appeal to you, that Christ needs lovers? He needs them in a personal way and also for the assembly. I am not fit for the assembly if I am not a lover of Christ; but if I am a lover of Christ I must surely accede to His request in the Supper and also in other respects. Let me show it. This woman showed it; that is the point. “Seest thou ... ?” He says. He was looking at her Himself. Think of that! He had already turned to her. Think of the Lord of glory turning to you, and calling the attention of others to you! How attentive the angels would be when the Lord speaks thus of any one! Even when we repent the angels take notice, there is movement in heaven. How much more when our affections become active toward Christ, and when He says, This one is a lover of Mine. She belongs to the assembly in principle. He is securing one and another, each representing some feature, and this is one of the great features. May God grant that not one may leave this hall other than as a lover of Christ! There are those here who it may be do not love Christ. No others will be in heaven than those who love Christ. You want to be there; but it must be in suited dress. The activity of love is the shining out of glory. Moses and Elijah, “two men”,
as they are called, “appeared in glory”, speaking to Jesus. They were lovers of Christ.
Now the next woman is in chapter 8, representing the body of Christ. The body is said to be of Christ; Colossians 2:17. No other material but what is of Christ will do. Here a little, and there a little, but all of Christ; the members are formed out of Christ. Something of Christ entered into that feverish woman’s soul when He stood over her; something formative entered into the woman’s soul in chapter 7. He tells her that she had faith: “thy faith”, He said. He would not send her away otherwise. Those who have faith have some formation. Whatever was in her was greatly augmented, we may be sure, as He turned towards her. There was in this the radiation of the love in Him towards her. What an impression she would carry away! Think of what the effect would be when she went away! Suppose you had met her and made inquiry, how affecting her remarks would be. She was a lover of Christ and so was in principle a member of His body. And what the Spirit of God has in mind as to this third person is that she is likewise a member of Christ’s body; we can only be this as transparent. Opaque persons are not members of Christ’s body characteristically; double-mindedness and reserve are foreign to the body of Christ. There is no shining out of Christ through an opaque body. What is needed is transparency. She touched the Lord; she was going to be a secret disciple; she was going to get benefit secretly, and get away and enjoy her benefit, and forget the glorious Person out of whom the virtue came. Power had gone out of Him, power actually going out from His Person. He says, “virtue is gone out of me”, He was conscious of it. The disciples did not understand. This is a chapter of assembly material. We get the man sitting at the feet of Jesus, then the woman here, and the child later. It is a chapter specially requiring spiritual understanding. It was a secret matter with this woman, but the Lord will have things [p. 453] out, and things exposed by herself; for she exposes herself, and He allows that. He says, “Somebody hath touched me”, but He saw to it that she spoke for herself, that she told her own story. He spoke of the woman in chapter 7 in the most touching terms, as I have been saying. He is not commending this woman for the moment; He is calling her “Somebody”. That is not a family name. No one here wishes to be so named. A member of Christ is to have distinction. The Lord intended that this “Somebody” should become identified, and she fell down, a movement perhaps that is not very current with us. It belongs to christianity; it is one of the accredited movements of christianity. Prophetic ministry is calculated to cause people to fall down. Ministry is excellent that brings that about. Ministry should be of a searching character. So-called meetings for ministry should have the character of prophecy, of a word from God, a word that searches the inner parts, so that there is transparency. The man, it says in 1 Corinthians 14, who comes in, falls down; because somebody in prophetic power is ministering the truth. May God prosper meetings arranged for this purpose! They are His own ordering. They are intended to expose us to God, and, if necessary, to one another. The unbeliever coming in falls down, Scripture says, and confesses that “God is indeed amongst you”. What a great result that is! That is how assembly material is brought about. We may have a thousand listening to the word of God, but there can be no assembly material practically, aside from what I am saying, aside from transparency; and the prophetic ministry is intended for that, to search us through and through. We may as well face it now, for searched we shall be. The judgment seat of Christ indeed will bring everything out, but the apostle was facing it already. We do well to anticipate the judgment seat of Christ. This woman falls down and tells all the truth, and the Lord says, “Daughter”, as much as to [p. 454] say, You belong to the family now. It is not merely some unknown person in the crowd, but a known individual with a status in the family. How blessed that is! You must not miss it. The inner state is relieved by the power that went out of Christ, and formation was there as testified in the woman’s confession; that is what is implied — the body of Christ.
Well, passing on to Mary of Bethany, I need not say much, but you can see how she fits in here. It is another feature of the same person, we may say. We have a subject person serving all; we have a lover of Christ; we have a transparent person, searched through and through, and then recognised with family distinction. Now we have a person seeking intelligence, for surely intelligence must mark the assembly. When the apostle Paul addresses the saints in relation to the Lord’s supper he says, “I speak as to intelligent persons: do ye judge what I say”, 1 Corinthians 10:15. I should have that in mind now. The assembly is to be marked by the greatest intelligence. To be the companion of Christ, it must be so; one that can share His thoughts, enter into His feelings, sympathise with Him — she is called, “the Lamb’s wife”. The Lamb’s wife is His confidante. It is a remarkable thing that the wife comes out, before the bride. It means just what I am saying, intelligence as to the moment, intelligence as to what He is going on with, intelligence as to the dispensation. So that we understand Christ, we know headship. Let us think of this. What is headship to me? How can Christ be my Head if I am not in spiritual intelligence? Well, how am I to be spiritually intelligent? By sitting down and listening to Him. It is not a question of asking Him any particular thing or question, but listening to what He is saying, and if He sees you listening, He will say what you need, He will take account of your need, and He will lead you on to the vast range of things in His mind. Think of the mind of Christ, what is before Him! Paul says, “we have the mind of Christ”, 1 Corinthians 2:16. We can think like Him; that thought is implied. Now, Mary represents that side, and I do urgently appeal to you, I urge upon the brethren the need for intelligence, not simply that I know this or that truth, or the prophetic line, but the mind of Christ, what He is going on with. For that is the great thought. Am I going along with Christ, and having part with Him in all He is doing? I believe that is what is meant in the term, “the Lamb’s wife”; she is His confidante in the time of suffering. Mary sat at His feet, we are told, and the Lord says of her to a complaining sister, that she “hath chosen that good part”. There is no lack of this kind of complaint abroad. Why are we not evangelical? Why are we not of a missionary spirit? We may well let such questions search us through, but we want to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His word. Let that be the first thing in regard of requirements, in regard of service, in regard of activity; let us have His mind; we want His mind, and that is in the word. He discloses it in the word. She sat and listened to what He was saying, and the Lord defended her.
Finally, the well-known woman in chapter 13 presents the climax of the subject. It is another feature that belongs to the assembly. She was bent together, we are told, by the devil. It was no mere malady — rheumatism, or one of the many “isms” that pathology speaks of now. It was not a question of those things. That we get in chapter 8. The physicians did their best, but their best was their worst; she rather suffered from them. Now, it is an act of the devil. What do you think an act of this kind means? It is meant to rob Christ and God of what They are seeking. Think of the enemy having such an advantage over me that he is spoiling me for that for which I am apprehended. What is being worked out here is something for God. What is that something? That He might be glorified, and this woman does that when she is relieved. This [p. 456] is not said of any of the others. As I said, it is a constructive matter, and the end in view is that God is seeking something — and He gets it. How does He get it? She is loosed of her infirmity. The Lord calls to her; it is urgent. If the devil has done this to you, the Lord is calling to you about it now. The other woman was twelve years with her secret disease; this act of the devil took place eighteen years before. What was the intent of it? To defeat the divine purpose in the woman. She was a daughter of Abraham. The daughters and sons of Abraham are the objects of the bitterest satanic opposition. They belong to the family of faith. She belonged to the family of faith, and the devil said eighteen years before, I will defeat the divine intent in that woman, and so he bound her together.
This may be applied to some of us if we look back in our histories. It is well to do that. Where you have history given as here in years, it means that I am to look back in my history and see what has happened, and if things that have been bound by an act of the devil have not been righted, get them righted. It is not too late. The Lord called to her; it was urgent. “Thou art loosed”, He says. That was His mind, and then He lays His hands upon her, and she was made straight; she is made upright and she glorified God. Another great feature of the members of the assembly is uprightness. The Lord lays His hands upon her, and she stands upright. It means that He is identified with her. Now, this is the first time you get this feature, but you see, she is to glorify God in the assembly, as we may say. It is said in the great assembly epistle, Ephesians: “to him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages”, chapter 3:21. It is one of the finest statements that you can find, certainly in regard of the assembly. One is never tired of repeating it, and this woman enters into that. The Lord lays His hands upon her, not His hand only, but His hands. He would say now as to anyone like [p. 457] her, Satan has deprived Me of you for eighteen years; I want you for the assembly. He sings in the midst of the assembly, and He needs such as you to sing in the assembly where God is glorified. It is a wonderful thought that there is that here on earth today in which God is glorified, and I want to be in it too. I am sure everybody here who is sincerely a christian would say the same thing, I want to be in that in which God is glorified, not that in which man is glorified; the world is built up for the glory of man, but the Lord Jesus is building up something, preserving something, ordering something for the glory of God, where God is to be glorified, and that is what comes out here. She glorified God, and the Lord is identified with that, and I believe He is helping us greatly in view of it.
Well, may He help us now to follow up these thoughts and see how they bear on each of us in our local settings and in our universal setting as of the assembly, for His name’s sake.