TRUSTWORTHINESS
Luke 8: 15; 11: 34-36; 24: 45-49
I thought we might profitably continue the subject of trustworthiness and how, from another standpoint, we might see the kind of persons the Lord can trust. There is a sense in which the Lord leaves things to us even if we are not trustworthy. The fact of the matter is that things get into our hands in any case. The Lord speaks about the faithful steward (Luke 12: 42), but there were also those who were unfaithful in that chapter. They were left with his interests, his matters; they took on responsibility for them. Some were unfaithful, but some were faithful. So we would desire to be faithful stewards, that is, worthy of the Lord’s trust.
In this parable of the sower there were four different kinds of ground. It brings in the side of our responsibility. We were looking at John’s gospel and the side of sovereignty, God’s sovereign operations in new birth. There would be no one worthy of trust without God’s sovereign operations—that is one side of the matter. But here it is a matter of the ground, the soil, and that would bring in responsibility. We are responsible to provide certain soil for the seed. The seed is the word of God, and God is active in His word. It is a question of having ears to hear, of providing soil that the word may fall into and produce fruit. Only one of these four kinds of soil brings forth fruit to perfection. There is the wayside, which is hardened soil, where the seed is unable to sink in or to penetrate. It suggests a crust of casualness and carelessness, with no crevice for the seed to get in. Then there is the rocky ground. As it says in another version, there is no depth of earth, there is merely superficiality. There seems to be joy but in time of trial persons fall away. Tests will come as to whether the word of God has taken root or has not. This would apply to receiving the word initially, but it would also apply to believers, because God would give us His word continually. Not only do we provide soil at the beginning of our soul history, but we are meant to provide suitable soil all through our lives as the word of God comes to us continually. The Lord speaks in chapter 4 about man living by every word of God, Luke 4: 4. Therefore the believer is to hear the word of God not only initially but continually.
The great test is the kind of soil. There is that which falls where the thorns are. We know what cares and riches and pleasures are. These choke the word so that it is unproductive. This would also apply to believers as to whether the word is effective when it comes to us. But then this fourth kind of soil is “an honest and good heart”. It is a matter of being frank and honest, not pretending anything, not being superficial, but being genuine and exercised. The good ground does not come automatically; it does not come without exercise, and honestly facing what the word conveys. The absence of pretension, the honest and good heart, is what is needed, keeping the word. The Lord says in John 14 “He that has my commandments and keeps them …”, John 14: 21. We are to keep His commandments, value them, treasure them, and be exercised to answer to them. This is the honest and good heart, which would provide an answer to the word of God when it comes to us. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4: 4); the believer is meant to live by God’s word. His word, the logos, is what the expression of His mind is. We would never know the mind of God apart from His word. The Lord Jesus Himself is the Word. He is the full expression of what is in the mind of God. Men would never know what is in God’s mind apart from the Logos, and God is constantly expressing what is in His mind. The great need is for ears to hear what He is saying—good ground will “bring forth fruit with patience”. It involves exercise and endurance, and overcoming difficulties; not being turned aside or deflected, but bringing forth fruit with patience. It is meant to be a continual exercise with us that we should provide this good ground, so there would not only be satisfaction for believers, but fruit for God, an answer to what He may express as to His mind at any time.
We often speak as if it were difficult to get God’s mind. In one sense it is, but that is because of difficulties with us. There is no difficulty on God’s side. God would not deprive us of His mind; He would not from His side make it difficult. If anyone of us would with an honest and good heart desire to have God’s mind about any matter, especially as to His interests, He would tell us what His mind is. The difficulty is on our side. We may be governed by preference or prejudice, whereas the honest and good heart has no ulterior motive, no other object, but is genuine and real; the word is received and kept, and it brings forth fruit with patience. We are all responsible as believers to provide this good ground in our own links with the Father, with the Lord Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit. The good ground is what we are meant to provide, that the word is received, and there is an answer to it for God’s pleasure.
In chapter 11 of this gospel we have the idea of the eye being simple. The eye being simple is very much like the honest and good heart. “The lamp of the body is thine eye—when thine eye is simple, thy whole body also is light; but when it is wicked, thy body also is dark”. It is how the light is received. The inlet for the light is the eye, and it is needful that the eye be simple; not complicated, not occupied with other things, but simple in the sense of being single as to object; not having many objects, but having one object. The Lord Jesus is to be the believer’s object. The eye is to be on Him, and on light from Him. “Thy whole body … is light” is what every one of us would desire to have, “not having any part dark”; not any obscure part somewhere, which will be so if the eye is not simple. It would involve the exposure of ourselves, the judging of ourselves. The light would do that so that there is no part dark. It is a very interesting possibility for every one of us. Just as the good ground is individual, this also is a matter of our own soul’s relations with God.
Joseph in the beginning of Matthew’s gospel was uncertain. He was not sure what to do regarding Mary. He was unwilling to expose her publicly, and purposed to put her away secretly. It says in verse 20 of Matthew 1—“while he pondered on these things”. We tend to consult with another. This was a real difficulty, a real problem in Joseph’s life, but he did not consult with anyone else. He pondered. He did not do anything immediately; he would be praying about it, have his own soul’s relations with God about it; he pondered. It illustrates the honest and good heart, and the simple eye; and while he pondered the angel of God appeared to him. There is an answer while he pondered. We might get on the telephone with somebody else, or write to somebody else—he pondered on these things. This needs to be developed as a habit with us that when things confront us we know how to ponder. Nehemiah, in a certain difficulty, consulted with himself, Neh 5: 7. He would be before God individually first; and then he remonstrated with others afterwards. The danger is to consult with others and be diverted or deflected, to follow somebody else’s idea, whereas the great need is honesty in our own relations with God. If a person honestly and with a simple eye gets before God, God will not withhold His mind regarding any particular matter. I am sure this is an important guide. Of course we have all failed; we all know what it is to consult others and get ourselves involved. We accepted things we should not have accepted. We should have learned these lessons in the past, and learn to be individually before God and derive His mind from Him. He will not withhold His mind from any one who is honest and simple as to his objective. Now such persons become trustworthy because they have their own link with God, and God can trust them, and they are worthy of His trust because they are persons to whom He can disclose His mind.
In Luke 24 there is the great matter of understanding; “Then he opened their understanding to understand”. This is greatly needed in our day. The Lord was about to leave the disciples and they were to remain in the city. This was a current matter existing at that time; and He opened their understanding to understand. In the day in which we are there are sometimes difficulties. The disciples thought things were difficult here. The word perplexity comes in in verse 4. We all know what it is to be in perplexity, but how good to have our understanding opened to understand. We need to understand God’s mind for us at the present juncture in the testimony. There is a certain setting in which we are, and it is important to understand it. It says here “He opened their understanding to understand the scriptures”. The Lord opened their understanding. It is what He does, and it is not only individual, it is collective too in a sense, to understand the position in which they were at the moment. The Spirit had not yet come; the Lord was about to leave them, and the promise of the Father was about to come upon them, but they were to remain in the city. They did that intelligently; they knew exactly where they were at that particular juncture. And it is good for us to know where we are. They did not arrive at this by their own efforts or by their own study. They had failed; they had disbelieved and were in perplexity, but the Lord so acts in his gathering. His shepherding care, that they were found together, and the Lord leaves them as a company who are committed to Him intelligently. We need to wait on the Lord that He will open our understanding as to the situation in which we are at this moment.
There is no doubt at all that the disciples loved the Lord. Even when they failed—even when Peter failed—they still had intense love for Christ. But while we are to have love for the Lord Jesus and be maintained in that, we need also intelligence. The Lord would have us not only affectionate but intelligent. We would give hundreds of thousands of believers on this earth credit for loving the Lord, but I wonder how many of us are really intelligent as the Lord would have us be. May the Lord help us all to understand, to be concerned to provide this good ground, this honest and good heart. May we be maintained with this simple eye, and may we have our understanding opened.
It is to interested persons that the Lord would grant the opening of their understanding. If we are not really interested, we will not get our understandings opened, but if we are really set and interested in this direction the Lord will be pleased to open our understanding so that we understand, and are believers here who are marked by genuine affection for Christ and who also have understanding.
VICTORIA BC
11th July 1978
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