ADMINISTRATION IN THE HANDS OF THE SON
[p. 196] ADMINISTRATION IN THE HANDS OF THE SON
John 3: 35; John 4: 14; John 6: 27; John 21: 20 - 25
Before speaking on what I have specially on my mind, I wish to call attention to John, the writer of this gospel, so I have read this passage in the last chapter. His writings have many peculiarities, as compared with other apostolic and evangelistic writings, for the New Testament, with the exception of the Apocalypse, which is a prophetic writing, may be classified under these two heads.
One thing which I think may he noted is that John brings in, in a special way, fatherly and brotherly interest. The Apocalypse is distinguished by the brotherly spirit. The gospel is the narrative of a loved one, a very touching ground on which to write. The Apocalypse is by the brother; that, too, has its own voice. The epistle is mainly the address of a father. In other words, John’s writings may be grouped under these three heads, loved one, brother, and father. Now, in speaking of the brother which is perhaps the most prominent feature with us, in these last days, I would remark that the thought appears in the introduction of nearly all the collective epistles of Paul; Romans is an exception. He writes to the Romans as an apostle, and his concern is to make known the gospel; to declare, as he says, the gospel of God, to which he was separated. But in writing letters which involve discipline, he invariably connects the brother with him in his writing; that is to say, he blends apostolic authority with brotherly interest and sympathy. So, in his first letter to Corinth, he has Sosthenes, and in the second, Timothy; and if the things are exceptionally serious, as in Galatia, he says, “all the brethren with me”. If all the brethren are joined in a judgment, it is a serious matter for those who are judged, and the matter was
[p. 197] serious among the Galatians. I only remark these things so that you may have before you the manner in which the Scriptures were presented to the saints.
Returning to John, we learn from him, that it was he who wrote his gospel. He tells us in chapter 21: 24, that “This is the disciple”. It is as much as to say, ‘The Lord has designated me a reserve man, ad I want you to understand that what I have written is an evidence of the reserve’. It is, as it were, the Lord bringing up His reserves, and that in view of final and complete victory; let there be no mistake about that! It is not that these are all the reserves; this gospel is only part of what is infinite. We need have no fear as to the results of that in which we are engaged, though it is a warfare of the most strenuous nature, if we have faith. If we have not faith, John is entirely outside of our range. Have we any fear, if we have faith? None whatever, for John, after saying, “This is the disciple which testifieth of these things and wrote these things”, immediately adds, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written”. There is much more, John tells us, that he or others could write, if the Lord so ordered it, but it was not necessary, for all the reserves, so to speak, that were required had been brought up. “There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one; the world itself could not contain the books that should be written”. I suppose it is the conjecture of a loved one. We see thus that there is an infinitude behind this; the full account and amplification of the ministry of Christ would mean infinitude. How encouraging to realise that all this is, so to speak, in the rear, while all that is necessary has been brought forward! This gospel is not all [p. 198] that could be written, it is all that is needed. It is in view of the break-down of what was official, of what was set up under apostolic service and ministry. This gospel comes to those whom it may concern, to those who have faith, in order that they should be supported. If there should be only one such, he lacks nothing; that is the import of the gospel of John.
I would call attention to the fact that John enlarges on Christ’s position as administrating the things of God. He brings Christ forward first of all, in chapter 3, as loved of the Father. You do not find a king appointing a prime minister because he loves him; that is hardly to be expected; administration in this world is not on the ground of affection. The more one considers what is going on in the world, the more hopeless the position is, as regards government, but in this passage, John 3: 35, we are told that “The Father loves the Son”. It is a very beautiful statement, and then it goes on, “and has given all things to be in his hand”. That is to say, the Father loves the Son, and on the ground of that, you have administration given into the hand of the Son. The Father has given all things into His hand. What I would seek to show is that the administration of the Son is in order to bring in what God is. It is surely of all moment, in testimony, that what God is should be made apparent; so that, after stating that things are given into the hand of the Son, the evangelist goes on to say, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not (or is not subject to) the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him”. Believing on the Person brings one into everlasting life. The emphasis is not on “he that believeth”, but on “the Son”. Anyone not subject, does not even see life, but wrath abides on him. That is how things stood after the testimony of the Son was presented in Paul. He [p. 199] announced Jesus as the Son of God, and those who were not subject to the Son, those who refused to submit, should not even see life, but the wrath of God would abide on them. It describes the Jewish position.
But then God must be made known, so the Son proceeds to make Him known. Hence the Lord, in speaking to the woman at the well says, “If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water”. It is a question of God; that is how matters stand in John 4. The Son would make God known, and God is known in the gift of the Holy Spirit, for it is what He gives.. He is known in my soul by what He gives to me. He is known objectively by what He gives for me, that is chapter 3, but then I am to know Him in what He gives to me. The point is, not exactly what I receive, it is what He gives. The giving is greater than the receiving, for it must be connected with the Giver; that is John 4. The gift is according to the Giver, not according to the receiver. We must never limit anything to our own capacity. In John 3: 34, it says, “God giveth not the Spirit by measure”. The principle is that the Spirit is given unlimitedly in Christianity. No one of us receives it in that way, but I worship God in the light of the gift. I worship God because of what He gives. Worship is brought in, in chapter 4, worship of the Father. The worship is of One who gives. What I receive enables me to worship, but the gift must be viewed in connection with the Giver. It must be taken into account objectively in regard to the Giver, not in regard to the receiver.
Now, John 6 speaks of the Son of man who administers. The Lord says in verse 27, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son [p. 200] of man shall give unto you; for him hath God the Father sealed”. That is, Christ as Son of man, and so I apprehend that in chapter 6 the thought is to bring man in for God. It is the Son of man sealed, it is not loved here, although in chapter 3 the same Person is spoken of as loved. Here He is presented as sealed of the Father, so that we take account of the Lord as Man, as Son of man. I do not know if you have clearly in your minds, or if I, what is signified in the term used here: “The meat which endureth unto everlasting life”. It is that which the Son of man; the sealed One of the Father, is to give.
If we refer to the book of Ezekiel, the point of it appears to be life. It presents to us the Son of man. Ezekiel is designated Son of man a great many times. He does not so designate himself, it is Jehovah who designates him in that way. In the beginning of his ministry he had a vision outside the limits of Israel, and he describes to us in the first chapter what he sees. He says, “Above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire”. I do not dwell on what he says, but what I apprehend is, that it is a figure of Christ as Son of man. In the loins, or the seat of the affection, being referred to upward and downward, I believe you have all that man is for God in Christ, and all that God is for man in Christ. There is the working of affection, as one might say, upward and downward. Wonderful vision! There on the throne, in the brightest spot, there is a man.
[p. 201] So, in John 6, He is sealed, as I apprehend, in order to bring in man for God in life. That is what the chapter presents to us, hence the administration in His hands is for life, that we might have food such as is requisite for life. In other words, the Son of man would have a human family after His own pattern. In Proverbs 8 it is said, that Wisdom’s delights were in the habitable parts of God’s earth, and in the sons of men. What kind of inhabitants were there?. In Hebrews 2 we are told, that God “has not subjected to angels the habitable world which is to come, of which we speak; but one has testified somewhere, saying, What is man that thou rememberest him, or Son of man that thou visitest him”? All is put under the Son of man, and He brings in the inhabitants. He says in John 6:54, of the one who eats His flesh and drinks His blood, that He “will raise him up at the last day”. Believers in Christ will appear in the last day on the earth. Daniel will be one who will stand in his lot in the last day. It is very blessed that one is to stand in one’s lot where death occurs, where burial occurs; the Lord says; “I will raise him up at the last day”. He will raise up Israel at the last day, according to Ezekiel. In other words, He is to be over the habitable earth, filled with inhabitants after His own pattern. He is heir, as Son of man, to everything that belonged to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham and to David; as to these last two He is said in Matthew to be Son of David, Son of Abraham. Everything that was designated in regard to these men falls to Christ as Son of man. Now, how does He effectuate these things? The Father seals Him and He brings in a human family patterned after Himself. I would commend to you that word patterned. I have remarked that in regard to the material world there is no pattern mentioned, but when you come to the figurative representation of things in the heavens, you must have it, and the [p. 202] pattern of everything is Christ. So that the Son of man is pattern of the whole human family. He brings in a population upon earth, and the inhabitants are all like himself. They are brought in and caused to live, according to this chapter, by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of man. I would commend to you the importance in these last days of those two points. The administration of the Son, as involving the introduction and maintenance here of what God is, in the gift of the Spirit, on the one hand; and on the other, the maintenance in us, by our eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of man, of what man is according to the thought of God. In no other way can you have a generation according to Christ, than by eating the food which the Son of man gives, which is His flesh given “for the life of the world”.
May the Lord bless all we have heard today. There is a voice to us in regard to food, and in regard to the Administrator, the One through whom everything comes. The Spirit, as received from the Father, is given by the hand of Christ, and the food by which we enjoy eternal life also comes to us from the hand of Christ.