THE LORD SEEN IN HOUSES
[p. 427] THE LORD SEEN IN HOUSES
Matthew 2:1,2; Matthew 2:11,12; Matthew 26:6 - 13; Matthew 26:17 - 30
JT What came into my mind is that the gospels prepare us for the house of God. I thought of this gospel particularly because the Lord is seen in houses, seen acting or serving in houses perhaps more frequently in it than in the others. The last house mentioned in this gospel is that in which the Lord’s supper was instituted, and a consideration of this house, I think, will enable us to apprehend the conditions under which the Lord’s supper is rightly celebrated. The first house in this gospel in which the Lord is seen is in the passage read, that is in chapter 2 where the wise men find Him. Indeed it furnishes, I think, a key to this subject because the star rests over it. There is that which guides, as divinely ordered, to where Jesus is; so that no believer need be in the dark. If he is wise, if he is prepared for light, he will get light, and that light will guide him to Christ, and to where He is known and where He is.
Ques Do you mean known in relation to the assembly?
JT That is it. That is where He is to be found now.
Ques Is light from heaven directed there?
JT Yes, that is what I thought. No one should be in the dark as to where Christ is because there is light furnished for us. The wise men were able to discern it and they followed it.
Ques Is that star always shining spiritually?
JT Well, I think there is what corresponds with it. The light from heaven always directs to where Christ is recognised on earth. Personally He is in heaven and the light comes from Him there, but it directs us to where He is recognised on earth. So that in the last house you have not a star, but as it says in Mark and in Luke a man carrying a pitcher of water directs them to the spot. That is, the man with the pitcher of water has reference to the operation of the Spirit, the guidance you get from spiritual ministry.
The star has reference to heavenly light. If you are exercised as to where the Lord’s supper is rightly celebrated, the man with a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him into the house that he enters. Indeed the light from heaven, as it says, stood over the house, the place where the little Child was; when the wise men saw it they rejoiced.
Ques Would you say that in Matthew the star represents the character of the light, and in Mark and Luke you get the Spirit of God using human instrumentality?
JT I think so. The star is what is outside; it is the testimony of the heavens whereas the Spirit on earth is implied in the man bearing a pitcher of water; so you follow him. It is most interesting to see in Matthew how the first house mentioned suggests that the Lord is cared for — “the little child with Mary his mother”. It is not that personally He needs care now, for He cares for all things. He created everything; He upholdeth all things by the word of His power. But in regard to His interests on earth He is cared for, and it is the concern of every christian that He is cared for, and that His rights are looked after, and that conditions are suitable to Him. So in Matthew 2 emphasis is laid on the mother, “the little child and his mother”. He was then a little Child, our Lord Jesus, and He was in the care of one who was best suited for the service, His mother; but He is always mentioned before His mother. It is not the mother and the little Child, but “the little child and his mother”. The mother served Him and cared for Him. So that these wise men are set up in Matthew as a model for us; they are governed by the light that they had, and when the star stood over the place where the little Child was they rejoiced with great joy. Then they came into the house, and when they came in they worshipped Him. I think that is a suggestion that the Spirit of God would expand and work out later in a spiritual way. It is mentioned in the very beginning so that we may understand what God values. It is not a mere historical incident, but an incident of great value to heaven, and God intends that it should be reached in a spiritual way.
Ques Would that be why you get Mary represented in Luke’s gospel in a priestly [p. 429] character?
JT Well, she qualifies in Luke to be the mother of Christ. More is made of her in Luke than in Matthew, and more is made of Joseph in Matthew because Matthew is occupied with the Heir. It is the “Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David”, but in Luke it is the human side because Christ is connected with Adam there. You have not got this incident in Luke at all. It is the royal side in Matthew; we are specially reminded that we have to do with a great personage, who calls for respect and worship. It is the King.
Ques What would answer to this light today?
JT Well, in the Acts you see heaven asserting itself. In Acts 2 they were all together in one place with one accord and they heard a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house. It is not now to guide to the house but to fill it. The house was already there, as it were, in the saints, but it was not yet filled with the sound from heaven. So that heaven asserts itself in the Acts; first in the sound, so that there should be no room for human sounds. You see the modern so-called houses of God are filled with different sounds. Earthly music and choirs, and all that appeals to the flesh, are often found in modern so-called houses of God. Everything is intended to appeal to the flesh, but God intimates at the very outset that His house is not to be filled with any such sound. It is a sound from heaven. The sound from heaven filled the house where they were sitting. Then in chapter 9 we have a light from heaven. That light shines all around about Saul and he is directed to the saints. He is to go to Damascus and it would be told him there what he should do; so Ananias meets him in Damascus. The heavenly light puts the believer in touch with what owns Christ on earth. So that Ananias meets Saul and says, “Saul, brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus that appeared to thee in the way”, Acts 9: 17. That is the greeting that met him. So that heavenly light guides to that on earth which recognises Christ. “The Lord has sent me, Jesus”, Ananias says, “that appeared to thee in the way in which thou camest”. So that Saul, the fruit of the light from heaven, is linked up with what owned Christ in [p. 430] Damascus. Presently he is with them and preaches among them that Jesus is the Son of God. He was a great acquisition, but primarily he was connected with what owned Christ on earth.
In Acts 10 heaven asserts itself in the sheet come down which had enclosed in it what should form the house. That may seem a very extraordinary thing to say because the sheet contained four-footed beasts and creeping things — all kinds of beasts, they were all there. God intimated from heaven that what He would recognise upon earth would not take account of man’s religious discriminations at all, but He was going to act universally, and that His house should be composed of persons from all nations; so He says: “What God has cleansed”. The sheet comes down and goes up finally into heaven, as if God were to say: ‘I am going to have all these up here; if you do not care for them down there they are suitable to me up here’. That excludes all human religious discriminations. Peter had prejudices but this voice from heaven dissipated them. It says: “What God has cleansed”. There is great light in that. If God has cleansed a man, even although he be like a lion or a bear, we have to put up with him.
Rem That is to show Peter that God is no respecter of persons.
JT So that we have to go outside the pale of human discriminations. It was making the way clear for Cornelius and his company. I only mention that because it indicates what the light from heaven is. As we observed in these three references in the Acts, we are prepared for the christian company spoken of as the house. “Whose house are we”, it says, and there are no national discriminations recognised. The house of God is a universal suggestion; He first intimates what He is going to accept in heaven so that we might be prepared to accept it on earth. The sheet was drawn up into heaven again and it remained there. If you are not prepared to put up with certain people on earth you will have to put up with them there!
Ques. Who are the “we”?
JT All christians, all true believers, are of the house [p. 431] of God. But then, it is one thing to be of the house of God but another thing to be in the recognition of the principles that govern it. We are not in the enjoyment of it unless we recognise its principles. The first thing, I think, is the light from heaven; it came and stood over the place where the little child was. That is the thing, for every christian to find out where Christ is and where He is cared for, where they are who care for His interests. The house of God is really a heavenly thing on earth, the sheet from heaven indicated that.
Rem If we do not take account of the light from heaven we do not get into the house.
JT No. The heavenly light is available to all christians, but it is a question of following it now.
Rem One who followed this light would not be found in a solitary pathway.
JT No, he would have a company: those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
The next house we find in Matthew is Peter’s, where his wife’s mother was sick of a fever. That will not do in a house. A woman sick of a fever will not care much for the Lord; she would be thinking of herself. So the different houses in Matthew lead up to a recognition of this great principle in the second chapter. It is obvious that feverish conditions are not compatible with what we get in chapter 2. There were no feverish conditions in the house in which the wise men found Christ; the little Child and His mother were there. But the Lord touched the feverish woman’s hand and the fever left her, and she arose and served Him. She is ready to look after the Lord now. The Lord healed her and made her useful.
Rem She would be in accord with the Lord’s mother then.
JT Well, I thought so. She was brought into accord with what we find in the second chapter. “She arose and served him”, Matthew 8: 15. He is the King, the One to be served. So that we are thus far brought into accord with the second chapter. It is a word, I think, for every one of us as to what I am doing for Christ. She arose and served Him. He must have the first place in the house.
Rem “He touched her hand”, it says.
JT That means she would be eligible for service. There are many persons who are feverish, excited and flurried, and occupied with themselves. Well, that will not do in the house. Here she is in the house of Peter, one who was to be a great servant, and the Lord healed her, and she arose and served Him. I feel how fitting it is that a woman should thus be occupied in serving the Lord. It says in Luke: They “ministered to him of their substance”. So we go on in the book and I think we find the next house is Levi’s, in chapter 9: “And Jesus, passing on thence, saw a man sitting at the tax-office, called Matthew, and says to him, Follow me. And he rose up and followed him. And it came to pass, as he lay at table in the house, that behold, many tax-gatherers and sinners came and lay at table with Jesus and his disciples”, (verses 9, 10). Now we come to another thing: the people in the house are such that you might not care for. They are tax-gatherers and sinners, and He lies at table with them. That is a test, whether we are prepared to lie down at table with the most disreputable people in the town; how are we going to surmount that?
Rem I suppose there would be a change when Christ works in their hearts.
JT Nevertheless there are their reputations and we have to face that, whether we can sit down with the most disreputable people, but those whom God has cleansed. Their hearts are changed, but nevertheless their public history stands.
Ques Is the answer found in verse 13: “I will have mercy and not sacrifice?”
JT Yes, that is what we have to learn, but it shows how testing it is. How we have got to be prepared to surrender our natural feelings and pride. The Lord is to determine who is to be in the house; I cannot determine who is to be in the house. It is a very great test, you know.
Rem Those who object have to realise that they have to come in on the ground of mercy themselves.
JT Exactly. Saul of Tarsus had to find that out. He had to take his place with the most disreputable although [p. 433] he had been the proudest man living. Everybody has to bow to the principles of the house.
Ques I suppose we have to bow to the principles in the house when inside?
JT Yes, we have to “learn what that is — I will have mercy and not sacrifice; for I have not come to call righteous men but sinners”, Matthew 9: 13. That is the principle. You have got to learn that, and of course there are other principles which have to be learned. As regards the people of God, Paul says, Consider your calling, not many noble, etc.; there are some. I suppose they become a test to the poorer ones, but those generally called are a humble people. “Consider your calling”, it says. If we do take account of the christians of the world the apostle’s thought is maintained. It is from the lower and middle classes, as we speak, that God calls. He does call some from the nobles, but not many. It does not say: ‘not any’, but “not many”.
I do not know of anything that tests us more, in a way, than the generality of those with whom we have to walk, because we have to bow to God’s will and learn this principle.
Rem We are on the ground of death and resurrection; all mere human distinction has disappeared.
JT You have got to learn as Paul did. He fell to the ground and was thus on the one level of everybody, because we are all taken out of the dust. We have got to accept that.
Now, you will see in this chapter that the Lord is again found in a house — that of the ruler, and here we come to a lot of noise, “flute-players” as it says in verse 23, “and the crowd making a tumult”. Well, that will not do in the house of God. As I was remarking, the so called houses of God today have the flute-players and a lot of noise. It is not the noise from heaven.
Ques Does that principle work in us individually? We may not have flutes outwardly.
JT Just so; mere hymn singing and anything that appeals to the flesh is of this kind. We want what is heavenly; the noise from heaven filled the house. The Lord put out all the flute-players and those making a noise, because they [p. 434] only interfere with the power of the Spirit in the house. The little girl is raised after these are put out, showing that we have to put away all these things from our houses if our children are to be brought up in what is spiritual. These things that come in through the roof, that we “listen-in” to, they let in the noise and filth of this world. Using them, you are turning your ear to the filthy world instead of to heaven.
Rem That puts it in a serious way. Sometimes we let these things in on account of the children.
JT It does, indeed. Here it is a little girl of twelve years; such are the ones who are affected by it. Children get polluted by these things. The Lord put them all out. He “saw the flute-players and the crowd making a tumult”, and He said, “Withdraw, for the damsel is not dead, but sleeps. And they derided him”. That is what you find. The Lord’s word is derided where all these things are admitted.
Ques Does it suggest that the believer’s house should be in accord with God’s house?
JT Surely.
Rem This is a scene of death spoken of here.
JT It is a question of spiritual death for us. With this child it was literal but in our case it is spiritual. So He put out the crowd and “went in and took her hand; and the damsel rose up. And the fame of it went out into all that land”. So that now we have a damsel alive in the house; we are making progress. There is a constructive line through this gospel preparing us for the house of God. Now we have a living girl, made alive by Christ; He links Himself with her. It is not simply a “touch” here; He took her hand and the damsel rose up. He is identified with her now, and you can understand, I think, that there is a link with Christ when He takes her hand.
Ques Does it suggest liberty?
JT Quite. It is a great thing to get a personal link with Christ in the house.
Then, it says: “Jesus passed on thence”, verse 27. “And their eyes were opened”, verse 30. Now your eyes are opened so that you see things in the house; you feel [p. 435] how suitable that is. Being made to live, and having a link with Christ, you have your eyes opened and see everything. You see the things of God now in their true relation.
Rem You see that which is suitable to Him now.
JT Quite.
Rem The first thing after getting one’s sight is that one would recognise the Lord; the blind man recognised the Lord Jesus.
JT These men evidently had faith. The Lord put it on their faith. Now we have arrived at actual faith in the house, and things are put on that principle. We have got to learn these great things by faith, because the dispensation of God is in faith. In the little girl it was more the parents and the external conditions; it is a matter of great importance to have right conditions for young people. But after that they have to learn things for themselves. So He puts it on their faith: “Do ye believe that I am able to do this?” He knew what was there; He would bring it out. It is when they come into the house, verse 28.
Rem He leads them into the house and that is where He opens their eyes for them to get light.
JT Exactly. Now there are several other instances, but the most notable, I think, is in chapter 13 where the Lord went into the house. He left one house (verse 1) and went into another (verse 36). The disciples are specially in view here, persons who have learned from Him; they see that He can expound things. So that the expositions of Scripture are all in the house. You get them as you recognise the house. “Expound to us the parable of the darnel of the field”, and He did so; we are now approaching the assembly and it is important that we should have an understanding of the darnel: how that christians and the imitations of christians should be allowed to grow together. The Lord expounds the parable; they are to grow together, and the darnel is not to be rooted out. The time has not yet come for judgment; we have to be patient. But, before He finishes He brings in the truth of the assembly and the darnel has no place there, because it goes on to say: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hid in the field,
[p. 436] which a man having found has hid, and for the joy of it goes and sells all whatever he has, and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls; and having found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all whatever he had and bought it” (verses 44 - 46). Three parables about the assembly are opened up in the house. You see how we progress in this gospel. The true followers of Christ are with Him, and they seize their opportunity and ask for an exposition, and He gives them far more than they ask for. That shows us the richness of the house. Besides the exposition of the parable of the darnel, He gives them three parables of the truth of the assembly, according to what it is in His own eyes: the treasure, the pearl, and the fish. These are all private; they belong to the inner circle, so to speak.
Ques Do you mean that it is only in the house that the truth of the assembly can be known?
JT Exactly. One who is not in fellowship cannot understand the assembly. They do not understand it unless they accept the fellowship which marks off God’s people.
Rem It is noticeable in the instances we have been looking at, that, if there is anything living, it is to be found only in the house.
JT Just so. Well now, after this the Lord says: “Have ye understood all these things?” Because, as He proceeds, He wants to carry His disciples with Him; He would not go ahead of them. So, “Jesus says to them, Have ye understood all these things? They say to him, Yea, Lord. And he said to them, For this reason every scribe discipled to the kingdom of the heavens is like a man that is a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old”, Matthew 13:51, 52. That is as you arrive here you are a householder yourself; you have treasures and you bring out of these treasures things new and old. Notice it is a “scribe”, because I think writing enters into this. We have got to learn to write if we are to get hold of these things.
Ques. In what way?
JT Writing puts things down accurately for reference. God shows the value of [p. 437] writing.
Rem He wrote His law down.
JT Yes, He did. John specially emphasises the value of writing: “I have written to you”, “I write to you”, the past and the present.
Rem If you have the truth you must let it out.
JT We have now the truth accurately on record; the thing is there to be referred to.
Ques Do you mean actually writing things down?
JT It is well to get hold of the principle of accuracy; our minds are very treacherous. We are very inaccurate and God is absolutely accurate. The more you read Scripture the more you are impressed with its accuracy. Every word has a meaning; therefore the scribe would be accurate. Ezra is a typical scribe of Scripture. He was “a ready scribe in the law of Moses”. You are not loose in your thoughts; you have things accurately. A scribe is accurate. Conference makes a ready man, but writing makes an accurate man.
Ques Will you say a word as to the things new and old?
JT These are the things the Lord has taught you; you are discipled to the kingdom of the heavens. You have the new things first; they must come first. The question is of the Lord Himself. The old things are things referred to in the Old Testament; they are very valuable. The older and more antique a thing is the more valuable it is. How delightful the things of the Old Testament become as you see how they speak of Christ!
I think the next house is in chapter 17, where the question of the tribute was raised. Peter came into the house, and “Jesus anticipated him, saying, What dost thou think, Simon? the kings of the earth, from whom do they receive custom or tribute? from their own sons or from strangers? Peter says to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then are the sons free”, Matthew 17:25, 26. That is, you get the knowledge of sonship in the house. All that follows in chapter 18 is based on this instruction; the sons are free. We are free in the house.
Rem Sons are intelligent.
JT Quite. That leads up to the truth of the assembly, and our conduct in it, in chapter 18.
[p. 438] The next house is in chapter 26, the house of Simon the leper. Now it is a question of the kind of man whose house you are in. He has not got a very good public reputation. A leper is not a man the people would seek after: “Simon the leper”.
Then the next house is the house in which the Lord’s supper is instituted and that is perhaps the most interesting of all. I think it is the culmination of all because the Teacher is recognised there. I think we have arrived at the assembly as it is in Corinthians if the Master is recognised in it; it is a question of “the Lord’s commandment”.
Ques Whom does the man with the pitcher of water represent?
JT That is the work of the Spirit as we were saying. Here it is: “Go into the city unto such a one, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is near, I will keep the passover in thy house with my disciples” (verse 18). And it says that the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; there is no question about it. That is the test of every religious denomination on earth. Has the Lord Jesus the right of way in it? Has He to say the word and it is done, or is it the word of somebody else? Every christian in the world professes that Jesus is his Teacher, but the test is are you prepared to bow if the Teacher says so and so? That is the test.
Rem We have to come back to the word to determine what is the Lord’s teaching.
JT Well, you have: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord”, 1 Corinthians 14: 37. 1 Corinthians is the Lord’s commandment; it expresses His will and wish. It is the teaching which should govern the assembly.
Rem Following the Holy Spirit would bring all into the position of one accord in one place.
JT It would.
Ques You said, He meets you. In what way would you apply it now?
JT It is the present ministry of the Spirit. It is for [p. 439] everybody, not for a certain class of christians, and if one is exercised that meets him, as it were. If he follows it to its source he finds where the Lord is. Many take a little water and stay where they are; they do not follow the man. The thing is to “follow him into the house where he goes in”. The Lord has raised up a wonderful ministry during the past hundred years and that ministry is for the whole assembly, and anyone who follows it finds where the Lord is recognised.
Rem No matter how ignorant we may be, if we are exercised He will lead us there.
JT Yes. In this house He is eating. There is something now for us for our souls: “As they were eating” is mentioned twice. First He challenged them as to who should betray Him. Then, secondly, as they were eating He institutes the Supper; in arriving at this house we come to where the Lord’s supper was celebrated, where there is food, and it leads to the mount of Olives. After they had partaken of the Lord’s supper they sang a hymn and went to the mount of Olives. It leads you out of the world into heavenly associations. The mount of Olives is, I believe, the link with heaven by the Spirit, so the way is opened to us. We are led right out of the world as we pursue this line.
Ques Do you think that making ready on their part is similar to the suggestion of the right conditions to which He can come?
JT Quite. In Luke it is a large upper room furnished.
Ques Would you say that as they eat in this house that which is opposed is exposed?
JT Just so; Judas is exposed. He does not even say “Lord”; he says “Rabbi”. No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Spirit. We are all exposed as to where we are in the light of this house. It is where the authority and teaching of the Lord are recognised and all that is contrary is exposed. But then there is food in it; they were eating. Our souls are nourished there; “Take, eat: this is my body”. There is nothing said about remembrance there because it is a question of food — “Take, eat: this is my body”, and [p. 440] so with the cup. Then they sing a hymn and go to the mount of Olives. It does not say that the Lord sang the hymn; they sang it. They are brought into accord with God in this house, and they sing together; it is a mutual thing, and they went to the mount of Olives, which is the link with heaven, as already said. He takes the whole company with Him, as we may say.
Ques Would you say the house furnished would be our being complete in Christ?
JT Well, I think the furnishings are 1 Corinthians.
The assembly is regulated by the Lord’s commandment.
Everything there is suitable for the celebration of the Lord’s supper. You will see how much is said as to the order in which the saints are to be, in chapter 11 particularly. “The head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God”, verse 3. These furnishings are necessary; also: “authority on her head, on account of the angels”, verse 10. Then again we come together “in assembly” to eat the Lord’s supper; that is another furnishing. We do not eat it at home; we eat it in right relation when we come together in assembly.
Rem This would give the Lord His right place. When we come together in assembly He would lead us into the Father’s presence.
JT Quite.
Rem Matthew closes with the suggestion that these things are still here.
JT Yes. We have come back to the idea in chapter 2: Christ is all now. The wise men rejoiced with great joy when they arrived at where He was. What we find in chapter 26 corresponds.
Rem It gives a fresh interest to the book of Matthew to look at it in that way.
JT I think it does; it greatly helps. It leads us up to the dispensation of God which is in faith, and that involves His house.