DIVINE RESOURCES
[p. 419] DIVINE RESOURCES
I have before me to speak about divine resources. To be here for God, it is essential that we should understand something of these resources. For it is not only that we are set up in dignity by the Lord’s hand, but that dignity has to be maintained and it can only be maintained as we draw upon divine resources. John’s ministry, I think, represents these resources, especially in view of what might appear to be the collapse and entire ruin of all that was set up in the power of the Holy Spirit at the beginning.
John represents a reserve; and it is important to bear in mind that God is never taken by surprise; we have here in this scripture what covers it in a very concise way: “he himself knew what he would do”. Every contingency which might arise has been foreseen, and provided for. We read in the book of Proverbs: “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the glory of kings is to search out a thing”, Proverbs 25:2. The latter are those in an administrative position. But God, being what He is — God is love — can conceal that which, when disclosed, becomes the joy and sustenance of His loved ones. He has made everything, as we are told again in the Proverbs: “Jehovah hath wrought everything on his own account, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil”, Proverbs 16:4. Everything is under His hand and He makes it subserve His love. I do not know anything, in a way, that is greater than the rights of God in love. Wisdom is the handmaid of love; love is the most skilful of all things; this is seen in God concealing what, when disclosed, is the joy and sustenance of His people. It is his glory to furnish His people with delightful surprises; He can do [p. 420] that. But in the meanwhile we are tested: “this he said to prove” Philip. The more we are proved, the greater will be the surprise and the delight enjoyed when the divine end is reached.
Philip was a worthy man, he and Andrew are coupled together here, as you will observe; they are indeed coupled together thrice in this gospel; they shine as moved by coming into contact with Christ. Andrew was one of those who had heard John speak about Jesus; having heard him speak of Jesus as He walked, as “the Lamb of God”, he followed Jesus. He is one of the two first followers of Jesus in this gospel. To be a follower of Jesus is within the range of the youngest, and it is certainly the obligation of the oldest. Andrew gives a lead in this gospel. Then Philip was found by the Lord as He went into Galilee; he also followed Jesus, and in following Him he thought of others; as it says: “Philip findeth Nathaniel”.
He sought out others, and he says to Nathaniel, “We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, Jesus, the son of Joseph, who is from Nazareth”, John 1:45. He was not only a follower of Jesus, as called upon to follow, he knew the Scriptures, and he knew that Moses wrote about Jesus, and the prophets wrote about Him. He was a man who could afford to be tested. He and Andrew are found later, as the Greeks come up to Jesus; he was not only interested in Nathaniel — “an Israelite indeed” (John 1:47) — he was also interested in the Greeks. He is the kind of man that the Lord proves, so as to bring out what is there, and in the Lord’s disclosure of what He Himself does, such a man is greatly augmented. He and Andrew come together to tell Jesus about the Greeks; John 12:20 - 22. The Gentiles were represented in those who now seek Jesus, an indication of the worldwide testimony that was about to follow; which includes Paul’s ministry.
[p. 421] The whole earth is for the Son of man; in the meanwhile He takes out of it material for His assembly. Andrew and Philip together tell Jesus that the Greeks have come. It was a great moment for Christ; He understood it perfectly; He says immediately: “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified”, John 12:23. The habitable earth, which belongs to Him, shall pass over into His hands, but He says: “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone”, John 12:24. In this great matter, as in others, He knew what He would do — He would die. So John says, “he himself knew what he would do”. Doubtless Andrew and Philip understood but little of what was necessary to bring the habitable earth under the indisputable sway of Jesus the Son of man, but He knew what He would do to bring about universal dominion. He had a way for the conquering of the habitable earth never understood by the so called conquerors who had appeared hitherto. Their thought was to climb to the summit of universal dominion on the dead bodies of others; they had no regard for life or property. Perhaps human life was never more cheap than it has been during our own time; it has been made cheap, as ambitious men sought the path to glory over the dead bodies of their fellows. But Jesus knew Himself what He would do. He would die Himself. The corn of wheat would fall into the ground and die.
In view of the incoming of sin through Adam’s fall, it was known what was to be done. God was not taken by surprise, He knew what He would do; He would send His Son to die. And what a death! As the passage I referred to shows: “this he said signifying what death he should die”, John 12:33 He was lifted up from the earth, and as lifted up He says; I “will draw all to me”, John 12:32. Material is determined by its attraction to such a Centre. The flesh will never move towards an Object like that, it will never move [p. 422] towards Him. Hence the material that He can use and identify Himself with, is brought to light in those He drew to Himself as “lifted up”. By these shame is accepted, reproach is accepted, as the apostle said: “We have become a spectacle to the world.. we are become as the offscouring of the world, the refuse of all, until now”, 1 Corinthians 4:9 - 13. He never relinquished that, God had set him to be that; as he further says, “God has set us the apostles for the last”, 1 Corinthians 4:9. There was nothing for the flesh in that path, and it is the path that leads to the glory and universal dominion of the Son of man; we shall share in it as His followers.
I refer particularly to the fact that “he himself knew what he would do”. Philip and Andrew were worthy men; and one’s appeal is to oneself and to all, as to how we are, as measured by these men; but notwithstanding their worth they were tested, for they were deficient in the matter of supplies.
Look abroad on the millions of humanity, as relying on one’s own resources, what can one do? In thinking of these millions of men, women and children, one’s comfort is that God knows what He will do. “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Genesis 18:25. We may rest there; faith rests there. God needs not to give account of any of His matters; He reserves His rights and He may conceal a matter; it is His glory to conceal a matter. Is it a case of any weakness or deficiency? Far from it; God will disclose in due time how He will meet the problem of the heathen nations. It will be wonderful in our eyes when He discloses it; indeed, the book of Revelation, rightly understood, is the unfolding of the secret; John represents that side; he instructs us that God knows what He will do.
The hook of Revelation unveils the future, for that is what it means; the Apocalypse, or unfolding of everything that is now secret or complex; the [p. 423] Judge of all the earth shall do right. The book of Revelation is the opening up of that. We see there round about the throne four and twenty elders, representing intelligence acquired by experience with God. We see there the rainbow; God forgets nothing in His everlasting faithfulness to the creation. The creation is coming in for blessing; God remembers His bow, and so the creatures are living now, representing power, firmness, intelligence, and rapidity. In carrying out His purpose in regard to creation, it will be seen that God’s love is behind everything — that if God conceals a matter, it is His glory; we shall see that glory in the working out of that wonderful book, the Apocalypse, which was given to John, the man of reserve, as we may say, who “was in the island called Patmos, for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus”, Revelation 1:9. The companion and brother of the saints discloses to us the divine secrets.
But these two men were deficient as regards supply. I speak of this particularly, now in view of the evangelisation of the untold millions I referred to. Although Christians may not be able to undertake it now, we do not give them up, for 2 Timothy 2 stands. The more we are with God, the more we have the whole race before us; the position is not changed at all. Whilst Christ is on the Father’s throne, the race of man is before God, for He is “light for the revelation of the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32); that is, for bringing of them to view. They are under God’s eye, every one of them. We have to accept, dear brethren, our circumscription. Whilst we may not be called to meet the need of the millions, there are the five thousand, a known number, these have to be met, and Philip and Andrew were deficient as to this.
Philip says, “two hundred penny-worth of bread is not sufficient for them”, even suppose it is two hundred penny-worth, could faith not meet that
[p. 424] amount? One is often humbled at one’s niggardliness, when one thinks of what God has done. Andrew says, “There is a little boy here”, he minimises what is there; he had “five barley loaves and two small fishes”. Not only is that which is existent minimised, but evidently it is held loosely, for why should the food be entrusted to a “little boy” when there is so much need? Well, that is what we find here, even in those two dear men; and I speak of them because they represent what we might consider spiritual men of note. I speak of them because, whilst one rejoices in such men, and thanks God for them, yet, we cannot but deplore the deficiency, the great want as to how to meet the need that comes immediately within our range. The five thousand were there, the need was there, and notwithstanding the worthiness of the men, they were deficient.
I speak of this, dear brethren, lest there may be any assumption or self-satisfaction with us. The position we are in, is a very, very humbling one — externally small, and weak. It is not, however, to be despised, for “who hath despised the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10. Divine resources are unlimited, but there is very little drawing upon them. The thing is to know how to draw upon them; to be in the secret of the Lord, and know what He will do.
As we go on, if the Lord is pleased to leave us here, further contingencies will arise; we may be sure of that. We may be sure anyway of the presence of spiritual need all around; it comes within our range, it is at our doors, and so the Lord would teach us by this incident what He can do as we look to Him. If we make room for Him, He will supply much more than is needed; for after the five thousand were fed, there were twelve baskets full, from the five barley loaves and the two small fishes. We have to note here that the Lord gave the food directly to the crowd. Jesus “distributed to those that were set down”, is the correct reading of the passage; John 6:11. When I refer to the “crowd”, I have in my mind all the Lord’s people. If there is anything given to us in the way of food, the Lord has the whole assembly in His mind. It is a comfort to know, that whilst we have not direct access to them all, the Lord has. He gave the food with His own hands (having blessed it) to the multitude.
I think that is how matters stand since the breakdown of the church as set up by the apostles. The saints are all known to the Lord. “The Lord knows those that are his”, 2 Timothy 2:19. He knows how to carry the food to them that He blesses, and there is enough to carry on a gracious administration after they are all fed. That is what the Lord can do, dear brethren, and we prove it as we look to Him.
There is just another word as regards chapter 21, a chapter well-known to us. What I want to show is that He has fish by Him, unknown to the disciples. The Lord takes up what we have and increases it, so that it meets existing need, and there is enough over. But then there is, besides that, what He has by Him that we may know nothing of In chapter 4 He said: “I have meat to eat that ye know not of”, John 4:32. He had food which He speaks of as doing the will of Him that sent Him, and finishing His work. That was His meat, He had that by Him. They had gone into the city to buy bread; but He had that, He has always got His own reserve by Him.
In this chapter 21, Jesus asks them: “Children, have ye anything to eat?” John 21:5. We are not dealing here with brothers like Philip and Andrew, we are dealing with a party. I would not speak slightingly of the great apostle Peter, but he leads a party here: “I go to fish”, (John 21:3) he says. “They say to him, we also come with thee” (John 21:3); and off they go on an expedition without the Lord; they were truly disciples, truly [p. 426] believers, but they had gone off, on an expedition on their own account. Alas! that often happens, but He says: “Children”, as if to reassure their hearts such is His way! Restoration in the hand of the Lord is a wonderful service. “Children”, He says — it is a parental reference — “have ye anything to eat?” John 21:5. It was right that the parent should think of the need of the children, notwithstanding their self-willed ways; He never changes in His parental feelings towards us, for “the fathers should lay up for the children” that great principle is fully set out in Christ, however we may wander. He says: “Children, have ye anything to eat?” John 21:5. They answered Him, “No”. They had nothing to eat. How could they have anything to eat? Many have turned away, alas! from the path of faith and righteousness, and they have nothing to eat. It is for those who have food to feed them, for they are starving; the Lord feels for them, and He would minister to them and restore them, for it is a time of recovery.
The Holy Spirit is working for the recovery of the saints at the present time. Here they had nothing to eat, and the Lord says: “Cast the net at the right side of the ship and ye will find”, John 21:6. They now act under His direction, and they have a vast haul. I suppose the sea denotes the sphere of the sovereign resources of God, and the fishes represent these resources. But when they came to land they found the Lord had by Him there a fish on the fire; there was a fire, fish laid thereon, and bread. I refer to this because it represents what the Lord has always, outside and above what we may be acquainted with, He has always got something. Whilst the apostles had the mind of God, yet certain features have been emphasised since, to meet current needs. The Lord always kept something by Him; and He has got something by Him now. As they got to land, there was the fire, and the fish laid thereon, and bread.
[p. 427] It was not their fish; not even one of the hundred and fifty-three; it was what the Lord had, just where He got it we cannot tell. The resources of the deep are at His disposal. He can send a Peter, with one hook and one line, to catch one fish in which there was one piece of money. Divine resources are at His disposal for all emergencies.
It is interesting to revert, by way of contrast, to the company at Jerusalem, in Luke 24. They had not been fishing on their own account, yet when the Lord asks them: “Have ye anything here to eat? And They gave him part of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb”, Luke 24:41,42. It was there. They had learned to draw upon divine resources, and those resources were allied with mutual brotherly feeling: “they gave him part of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb; and he took it and ate before them”, Luke 24:42. They were equal to the occasion. “Have ye anything here to eat?” Luke 24:41. One has often raised that question in companies of the saints; have ye anything to eat here? You may speak of nice meetings elsewhere, but what have you got here?
It is grateful to the Lord to find in any company a broiled fish and a honeycomb, but we cannot but feel for our brethren who have gone fishing on their own account, and thus, have nothing to eat. The Lord feels for them: He has got resources by Him for His people in all circumstances. He says: “Come and dine”. The Lord reserves that right: He reserves the right to ask us to come and dine. He is pleased to take of our repast too. He sat at meat at Emmaus; we are not told that He did eat there, but “having taken the bread, he blessed it, and having broken it, gave it to them”, Luke 24:30. He ate where the disciples were assembled at Jerusalem, as I said. He went to the company, amid they were telling the brethren at Jerusalem of the occasion at Emmaus, and “how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread”, Luke 24:35. And He ate there; it does not say He blessed. The point is they had a fish, and He partook of it.
But in the passage before us He provided for those who had nothing. It is a question of divine resources. Here it is fish and bread; there is nothing said of a honeycomb; recovery is in view, and until this is reached there can be no right mutual feeling; mutuality without recovery is corruption. To have a mutual state of things without self-judgment is corrupting. But an unrestored person needs food before he is restored; he must be fed before he is recovered. The Lord says: “Come and dine”; and having dined He has to deal with Peter’s soul. He had that fish and bread for Peter first. There is always something He has got by Him as a matter of resource, which we are to find out.