THE WAY OF LOVE
THE WAY OF LOVE
JT In chapter 13 the Lord shows the way of love, and you are impressed in these verses with the emphasis laid on their love. Even the gift of the Spirit, the Comforter, hinges on their love. Paul had learned the way of love; he had learned it from Christ or he could not have shown it. Speaking of a thing is not showing it so chapter 13 is pre-eminently the showing of love — the way of it. What we have had bears on this. In 1 Samuel 18 we see how David became an object of love to Jonathan, and then to all Israel. The Psalms furnish us with illustrations of this love, in Psalm 45:1 particularly: “My heart is inditing a good matter ... touching the King”.
A contribution is not necessarily always from the heart. Poets ransack dictionaries and other writers to bring in materials with which to paint their word-pictures. The most respected of them were very little morally. Were they to speak out all that was in their hearts, the reading would be very poor and demoralising. Where the heart is allowed to play, we get what is abased. The Psalmist’s heart was purified by faith. The King was the object of his heart. Solomon said in the book of Proverbs, “Son, give me thine heart”, Proverbs 23:26 and again, “Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life”. Proverbs 4:23. I think this chapter in John would include for the disciples all these scriptures. Their bearing would be clearly seen by the disciples. The Lord had shown them the way. “Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end”, John 13: 1. He washes the disciples’ feet; He did that as an example. He showed them the way, and so the commandment was that they should have love [p. 370] among themselves; that they should be known as disciples of His after having love among themselves.
RSS The new commandment was not merely that they should love one another, but that they should love one another as He had loved them; John 13: 34.
JT There can be no water really without love. Although we may apply the water in a legal way, unless there is love behind it, it does not wash. Love would supply the towel as well as the water. What underlies the whole teaching in John is the new birth. There can be no issues of life in the heart unless one is born anew. Chapter 4 is the Spirit in the believer.
HG Paul says to the Corinthians, “The more abundantly I love you the less I be loved”, 2 Corinthians 12: 16. He did not love them because of the love he found amongst them.
JT 1 and 2 Corinthians may be taken as an opening up of these scriptures in at least one disciple. They illustrate the teaching in Paul. He loved like the Lord. Peter was refractory. It is a love that overcomes opposition in its objects. Before we can arrive at reciprocal affections (love amongst ourselves) we have to surmount obstacles in those we would serve. Peter raised a barrier, “Thou shalt never wash my feet”. John 13:8. How many a brother takes a strong attitude like that when you would seek to help him! He hinders you, but love as it was in Christ rises above that. The Lord says, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me”. John 13:8. The brethren might not care so much about one. John would teach us to be lovable. If you were possessed with the love of Christ as Paul had it, you would be lovable. It is worth our while to have part with a lovable person.
HG I was thinking of Asher: “Let him be acceptable to his brethren”, Deuteronomy 33: 24.
JT A brother is born for adversity. He shines [p. 371] where he exists. It is worth your while to have part with him. Are you going to forego what this brother who has ministered divine things to you is going on with? You get many who enjoy things that the Lord is pleased to give us, but they never think of having part in them with those through whom they come from the Lord. They are not concerned about having their feet washed. If I want to be with those who love, I am prepared to accept this service so that I might have part with them. I suppose that at Corinth before the first letter was written there was very little sense of the need of Paul any more. They could get on without him.
GWH Do you not think that love specially comes in after we partake of the Lord’s supper?
JT Yes. The presence of the Comforter amongst them would develop and support the love that was there. The presence of the Comforter here maintains love in the full height of chapter 13; how great is the thought in the chapter. The thing is shown. Is it worth one’s while to have part in the things that He is going on with? Peter loved the Lord and could not brook being separated from Him. He was prepared for anything rather than to be separated from Christ; but how many there are who seemingly enjoy things which are being ministered to them, and yet it never occurs to them that they should have part in them. I think Jonathan represents that class. His soul was knit to David’s and he knew that David would be king, but he prefers to remain in the house of Saul. He had no part with David. He desired a part with David in the future.
HG Washing of feet leads to detachment from things here.
JT In chapter 14 He was taking a position on high, and the Holy Spirit would maintain the disciples in the love shown in chapter 13. There is a remarkable correspondence between Daniel and John.
[p. 372] Daniel is said to be greatly beloved. You have both Gabriel and Michael mentioned, the two leading angelic dignitaries in heaven, and then “a certain man” Daniel 10:5 comes without his name being announced (chapter 10), but he is clothed in linen. He comes to Daniel whom he would help. Daniel had been three weeks fasting and praying and confessing his sins and the sins of his fathers, and then this heavenly visitant arrives. Daniel was a man “greatly beloved”. He embraced in his affections all the interests of God, all the people of God, but he was now without strength; he was unable to stand up in the presence of this great personage. A man stood by him and touched him and he was strengthened. That is what love may look for. He is able thus to listen to what the heavenly visitant says. I think John would show what love may expect. Daniel was a beloved one, for he loved.
Ques What is the Comforter to us?
JT It is for every Christian to answer as to what he has found in Him. It is the Spirit known amongst us in a collective way, and what He can be to us so as to fit us to receive and enjoy the Lord as He comes to us; He was with them already. He was present in Christ.
EZ What is the difference between the individual receiving the Spirit and what we have here?
JT The individual side is treated in the earlier chapters of this gospel; this and the following chapters refer to the company. In the Acts He was amongst them collectively (chap 13), so that you have recorded: “The Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them”, Acts 13:2 and in Acts 15:28, “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us”. He is speaking as a divine Person. As Christ had been amongst them, so He is here “another Comforter”. The teaching up to chapter 12 has reference to the individual believer, here it is the company. He refers to the saints [p. 373] collectively; He shall be in you collectively. There are those who have the Spirit, in the sense in which He is presented in the gospel, who know little or nothing of Him as the Comforter, as known amongst the saints. What we get as gathered together is very different from what I may enjoy as walking in the Spirit (see Galatians 5: 16). These two things have to be seen as distinct. John 14 contemplates love. Love is the great underlying principle of the assembly; it had been shown. The Lord had shown it. The Holy Spirit here maintains it amongst us.
HG The only one who can wash feet is Christ; He uses others to do it, however.
JT The saints have things that they are going on with that it is worth the consideration of every Christian to have part in. There must be the washing. “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep which go up from the washing”, Song of Songs 6: 6. “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me”, John 13:8 the Lord says. It is of great importance that there should be that which is commendable or lovable in those who serve. Is it worth your while to have part in this or are you just a spectator? He has brought wonderful things into this world, and is opening up these things now. These things had already been spoken of, but now He sets them up here in a sanctified enclosure, and He proposes that His own should have part with Him in these things.
Ques Would you say tabernacle conditions?
JT Yes, He brought these things within the range of the Jews, but they would not receive them. He is going out of the world to the Father and is leaving them in the world, and His prayer would show that He would wish them to be sanctified. These things are open now to every believer, but the question is, Are you prepared for the washing? The sheep come up from the washing; things are to be set up in a sanctified company, that is to say, a [p. 374] company that loved Him. We are lifted out of this present world morally and brought into association with Christ, where He is. He sends the Spirit that there should be preserved here all these precious things. The Lord can come in by the Spirit; the door is left open. It is His own sphere that He has set up here.
From the fifteenth verse of John 14 you have an order of things set up by the Spirit. He says, “I wilt not leave you orphans, I am coming to you”. John 14:18. The Lord is taking a place on high; He has gone there as a Mediator, and He asks for the Spirit on our behalf. The Holy Spirit has come down from Christ as having been asked for as of the Father. It is in view of the testimony at the present time. In chapter 20 He breathes on them. Now the Spirit is here so that the appearings are not by an angel but by the Spirit.
HG There must be a certain inclination to go that way or you will not get the good of it.
JT You have not exactly gone up, but you have all the qualifications for going up. It is the circle, so that what is official is not so much in evidence as that there are those that love Him. It is love that underlies; the Spirit comes in in that connection. He would show them all things, and bring to their remembrance all that the Lord had said; He has promised to come.
There are three things: He comes to us, He manifests Himself, and then the Father and He come and make their abode. So that you have house conditions and privileges. If any one loved Him he would prove it by keeping His commandments, and you have the Father loving that person, and the Son loving that person, and the Son manifesting Himself to that person. The commandments save one from the errors of Christendom, but the word brings in what is positive. The communications [p. 375] of the Lord involved the assembly in its privileges. The keeping of that involves the material for the house. So that the Father and Son come and make their abode, and the conditions are there.
The commandments would involve Romans and Corinthians. The word would include the deeper spiritual teaching. There are three main thoughts here: First, “I am coining to you”, involving the normal conditions at the beginning; secondly, His manifestation, meaning that He is apprehended in a new way, there is something shown; thirdly, the house conditions and privileges in the Father and Son coming in and making their abode with him. Manifesting Himself means a fresh impression. There is something shown, as, for instance, His hand, as in Song of Songs 5. It is a great thing to see that. We should get a fresh impression every time. That explains the way the truth has come out; not that there has been any fresh revelation, but there has been emphasis laid on certain features. There may be features that have not been emphasised. John 20 and Ephesians go together, but this chapter more fits in with Corinthians and Colossians.