THE ABUNDANCE OF THE SEAS (1)
THE ABUNDANCE OF THE SEAS (1)
JT I hope the Lord will give something a little outside of what most of us understand in this gospel. Certain features have occurred to one. First there is the abruptness with which the writer introduces his subject, which reminds us of secret history with God. We have public history; but persons being introduced abruptly without any previous history being given would suggest the perfect knowledge God has of those He takes up for service, they take it up as having had educative relations with Himself. The introduction of John the Baptist here is in line with this, as also that of the Lord Himself, “Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ, Son of God”. The same thing appears in certain characters of the Old Testament. Aaron and Elijah particularly are introduced in the service without their previous history being given; the first being typical of all Levites, because he is formally called “the Levite”; besides, in speaking of him to Moses God intimates His acquaintance with him, both as to his speaking ability and his heart. Elijah comes in with authority. If one has authority in service there can be no question of one’s previous relations with God. Then there is certain teaching in relation to the sea this gospel in which the Lord may help us later.
FHE Why is the Lord introduced as “Son of God” rather than as Son of Abraham and Son of David as in Matthew?
JT I think it is in regard to the dignity and finality of the service; that personality necessarily marks those who are serving; not only that there is history with God,
[p. 2] but personality through family relationship. This applies to the Lord Himself, although in Person of course He is unique; but the personality involved in family relationship underlies all service, as seen in the Levites, who were all firstborn ones. This family dignity is owned and confirmed by God as the result of a secret history pleasing to Him. Thus here the voice from heaven to Christ is, “Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight”.
EuR Have you any thought why it begins, “Beginning of the glad tidings”?
JT The idea is that the vessel is, fully in the thing.
I am speaking now of ourselves, but this is seen in the Lord, who is our example in everything. Paul’s ministry did not begin properly until Acts 13 although he had served before. This gospel treats specially of Levitical principles, not the Levitical principles that are the subject: in the book of Joshua, but as in Numbers. We have to take account of the Levites from the standpoint of Numbers, and also from the standpoint of Joshua. In the latter they are seen as typically heavenly, exerting heavenly influence. In Numbers the Levite entered into service at the age of twenty-five, but thirty was the age at which he began his service properly.
MWB Would you contrast the line of service in Mark with that in John? I was wondering whether you had in mind the more formal kind of service as in Mark.
JT Exactly.. John treats of the Lord’s service as proceeding from Himself without any regard to the principles that should govern the Levite. That is, He does not wait for John to be cast into prison, but proceeds of himself. In the others he waits for this occurrence.
MWB Yes; you referred to Acts 13 in regard to the apostle, but he had preached before that; there is a contrast.
JT Yes; his proper beginning was as sent out by [p. 3] the Holy Spirit. That is, there might be a good deal of previous work, and very good work too, but the beginning of a man’s service is when God formally recognizes him as called into service. That is what is in mind here: “Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ, Son of God”. Therefore the Spirit goes back to the prophet, not resting only on the Person of the Son of God as in John; He is observing the Levitical principles. So that He goes on immediately to cite the prophet in regard to John the Baptist.
EuR So in transferring this to ourselves after the link with the brethren and the assembly. Is that what you had in mind?
JT Yes. One has often thought of the dual transaction of Acts 13 the transaction with the Lord directly, and then the transaction with the brethren, which Saul had. These two things go together in regard of the way for the Levitical position; at Antioch they lay their hands on him as the Holy Spirit recognized him. Ananias represented the brethren at Damascus.
JJ Does that verse shew that Paul had a good deal of influence in the writing of this gospel?
JT Mark is the writer undoubtedly, and you can understand how the Holy Spirit would use him as conversant with Paul’s gospel, that is, the gospel of the Son of God.
JJ Yes; I thought of the fine word at the end of 2 Timothy about Mark: “He is serviceable to me for ministry”,(2 Timothy 4:11).
JT No one could be more serviceable than the writer of this gospel, and the apostle must have had great concern, about the continuance of the ministry. Mark would greatly help to promote it. That the apostle could thus speak of Mark, as he was about to pass out of the service himself bears, I believe, on [p. 4] this gospel.
FHB I thought the verse (Hebrews 12:23) you called attention to would shew that all levitical service should be carried out in the light of sonship.
PL So the Levites are the firstborn. Would that link up with the “Son of God”?
JT Yes; each one was a firstborn, and what I think we may see in that connection is that it would imply the influence of heaven in our service; not merely that we have a personality, but our position is heaven. As the seventy return and record their great success in the service, the Lord says, “Yet in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subjected to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the heavens”, (Luke 10:20). That takes one out of the undue influence of success in the service; the servant retires into the greatness of his heavenly position, and that is really the great safeguard for us in successful service.
HD'AC Why does Paul say, “He is serviceable to me for ministry”? Why not to the saints or the brethren?
JT I suppose he was profitable to him personally, and that is why he wanted him to be with him. The apostle’s ministry in Rome would be largely in writing “The parchments” would indicate this, and Mark would serve in this connection.
EuR Was the Lord Himself the pattern of that retirement when service was apparently unsuccessful, when He said, “I thank thee, O Father”?
JT It is just at that point He says that. It is in Matthew you get that feature, where His rejection is very evident. He retires into the sense of what He was with His Father who had “hid these things from the wise and prudent”. But in Luke what occasions the praise is that their names are written in heaven; and then He speaks to the Father as to this, that He had revealed “these things” to the babes, and hidden them from the wise and prudent, and then He goes on to speak to His Father about Himself, that “no one knows who the Son is but the Father,
[p. 5] and who the Father is but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son is pleased to reveal him”, Luke 10:22. Then He turns to the disciples, as much as to say, all this is to influence you so that they should not be unduly occupied with their success. We should, of course, thank God for the success, but the retirement into the thought of what one is in heaven, is deliverance, and maintains the balance.
Ques Do you regard Mark’s gospel as indicating Christ serving here as a model?
JT Yes; as the “Son of God”.
EuR Is it your thought that the Son of God here is based more on Luke’s gospel: “The holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God”?
JT It is “shall be called” personality acquired. The title is after certain history; of course the Person was there, but came out in Him as man is in view.
EuR And then, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” and then His baptism is based on that.
JT Quite; the Father’s voice speaks of what He found in Him.
HES Are both thoughts of dignity given in Exodus 4, where God says, “Israel is my son, my firstborn ... . Let my son go, that he may serve me”?
JT Yes; all that came out in Christ.
Ques Does the character of the service in Mark involve that a vessel shall be given over to it entirely?
JT Yes; addicted to it.
Rem We may take up service in an incidental sort of way, such as preaching the gospel on the Lord’s day, and forget the levitical side during the other days of the week.
Ques Would you say what was in your mind in referring to the Levites in Numbers and in Joshua? What is [p. 6] the distinction?
JT Numbers, in general, gives the toilsome side, we “labour and suffer reproach”. The word used in Numbers 4, for the Levite calling involves strenuous work (Compare 2 Timothy 1:8,2:3); whereas Joshua generally treats of the Levites as priests, and that they have no inheritance here on earth. The book emphasises their heavenly position and privileges, particularly that besides the sacrifices of the Lord they had forty eight cities in Israel, meaning that they would not be heavenly only, but persons in cities, apprehending the idea of a city. The idea of a city is accentuated in the forty-eight that their influence should flow out universally city wise. It implies, therefore, an understanding of the thought of God in a city; that was to be seen in the Levites in the way of influence. Their commonwealth was in heaven; and so the great thing from that point of view would be heavenly influence, but citywise, not simply the idea of heaven, but the idea of a city; for that is the way heaven takes form finally in its relation with the earth. That is, it comes out concretely in an intelligent, understandable way; because a city is a known idea, and God graciously comes into our range in known ideas. Heaven, as a place is hardly known to men.
Ques Would “forty eight” imply administration universally?
JT It is administration in an influential way. The heavenly city is light and rule, but rule of a most benign kind.
EJMcB And is your idea that it comes out now as it will do by and by?
JT Yes. You lay hold of the idea of a city, and it works out in your influence. It takes a person out of his individuality and sets him in relation to the city; particularly the cities of refuge, because those belonged to the levites; that there should be the continuance of grace; this was to be maintained amongst them.
HD'AC Those forming the heavenly city have [p. 7] learned to exert city influence here before they come out in it.
JT And one can see that the standpoint of Joshua is most important, but perhaps not much observed by us in our service. It takes us out of ruts and parties into a very high altitude where we are the distributors of grace in an ordered way, as in a city; so that it is distributed with intelligence. If our influence is only based on gift, we miss the teaching of Joshua.
EuR Are you suggesting that our relations in our localities should take character from these cities, and that it is of great importance for a Levite to have a sense of being part of that heavenly administration?
JT Yes. The ‘suburbs’ might at any time be examined as a test. Comparatively the suburbs were small, but they were large enough as a test as to what influence really there was. So, if I go to a locality and I am with God, I discern what kind of influence there is there whether it is heavenly; if so, it should be extended.
EuR What does the suburb suggest to us?
JT The immediate vicinity; sufficient to prove whether you have influence with God, We can test ourselves in that way.
Ques Were they not the same measurement as the ark was in front of the children of Israel as they crossed the Jordan, two thousand cubits?
JT Yes. The distance, therefore, was not great; but it was enough to test just what influence was being exercised in any of those forty-eight cities, whether anything good was being done. So you can test the influence of the saints by the immediate vicinity.
JJ How do you account for this gospel beginning with the wilderness in contrast to what you said?
JT That is a very important thing too, because the wilderness does not minister to the flesh. When the angel told Philip to go down to the road from Jerusalem [p. 8] to Gaza, he told him it was a desert Philip would soon find this out, but he is specially told of it. That is to say, the servant has to make up his mind to that. It was said of John the baptist, in his private history, that he dwelt “in the deserts”, not only in the desert, but in the deserts, shewing he had a variety of desert experience.
EuR Then that has a place with us as to committing ourselves to the position. It says of Zion, “All my springs are in thee”, (Psalm 87:7); as accepting the position of service we are not to expect anything but wilderness conditions. If devoted to the service of the Lord, our springs are elsewhere.
JT That is the idea. In kindness to you the Lord would convey that it is not an easy path; He said to one who followed Him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the heaven roosting places, but the Son of man has not where he may lay his head”, (Luke 9:58). It is kindness because young people setting out in the Lord’s service are sure to be disappointed unless they understand what is involved and know where to turn for support and provision.
JJ Do you think the desert experience of Philip was the balance to the success he had in Samaria?
JT Yes. And it is in that way he is honoured progressively. First, as he accepts the direction of the angel and goes into the desert, the Spirit speaks to him. That is progressive honour. It is greater thing for the Holy Spirit to speak to him than an angel; and then he joins himself to the chariot, and conducts himself in such a manner that the Holy Spirit lays bald of him entirely, and catches him away. That would impress upon us that it is a question of how we conduct ourselves in the service.
EuR So in regard of the Lord Jesus here, the Spirit comes upon Him early in this chapter, and then drives Him into the wilderness.
JT Quite. That is another thing in Mark that [p. 9] the Lord recoiled from having to do with Satan. He is driven by the Spirit here. The true levite does not seek out contact with the devil, but he does not refuse it if he has to face it. Then another thing here is that the word from heaven is to Himself, which is important; that you are made conscious that you are pleasing to God.
MWB Do you associate that with the idea of personality?
JT Of course His divinity underlies all, but it is acquired personality here; as also in Luke: He “shall be called Son of God”. It is His personal excellence in private life, and so God is now acquainting Him from heaven with His delight in Him, which is very precious. We should not mar that with any self-occupation in service, any dwelling on our ability or success.
PL “Mine elect in whom my soul delighteth!” (Isaiah 42: 1).
HD'AC The temptation, bringing out His perfection as Man, greatly aroused Satan.
HH We should appreciate the wilderness setting as that, which does not minister to the flesh, and so helps to establish us on the line of what it is to be for God here.
HES Are you suggesting that a servant has a dual experience — experience with God and wilderness experience?
JT Quite; John “was in the deserts, until the day of his shewing to Israel”, (Luke 1: 80). The world is definitely given up, and you do not minister to the flesh; you deny the flesh; otherwise you will not accept the service in all its glory. This, no doubt, explains Mark’s breakdown. As accepting the wilderness we find what God can be to us in our service.
Ques Is that what you meant by secret history with God?
JT Exactly.
PL John is in the deserts before he is baptising in the [p. 10] wilderness.
JT Quite; and we see what moral power there was in his baptism. He would convey to you something of the idea of the crossing of the Red Sea, which introduces into the wilderness.
Ques Would John’s clothing shew the idea of wilderness history before he attempts his public service?
JT Yes. Camel’s hair; camels stand the wilderness well. Then his food was “locusts and wild honey”, so the wilderness was not new to him as he commenced to serve. It is well to train oneself to self denial. Paul says, “I buffet my body, and lead it captive”, (1 Corinthians 9:27).
RB All this is in keeping with the Lord coming from Nazareth of Galilee. I am thinking of the secret place He had with God as accepting reproach.
JT It is very touching to think of the Son of God, the Creator of the universe, being in such obscurity and reproach all those years. It was “a town called Nazareth” a place of no reputation. Thus He was called a Nazaraean, answering to the testimony of the prophets as to His reproach, (Matthew 2:23).
Now the next thing is the character of the Lord’s first gospel address, as it were. He waited for John to be delivered up and then “came into Galilee preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and saying. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn nigh; repent and believe in the glad tidings”. That is very short, and it is His first recorded address. It contains The substance of what He preached in Galilee.
EJMcB It is far reaching. Do you think the emphasis lies on the repentance as making the position possible for the glad tidings?
JT Exactly. We are speaking from the standpoint of the preacher or servant, and he should know that the glad tidings will not be effective without repentance in those who hear.
EJMcB Do you not think that is the value of the wilderness [p. 11] experience?
JT Yes. John the baptist knew what the flesh was; he had proved it “in the deserts”, and so preached “the baptism of repentance”. The Lord continues that note, calling on people to repent. Then, notice it is not simply believe the glad tidings but believe in them. No believer can take it all in at once; but you have such a sense of the magnificence of the gospel as hearing it, that it is a question of the believer believing in the thing; that there is such a thing as the gospel, and that it has to be gone into, and explored, so to speak, in all its wonders. That is, the idea of preaching is to convey a right thought at the start; that you do not minimize the gospel; you do not bring it down to a verse of scripture; but you convey to the hearers that a wonderful thing has come in, how God has come out in Christ for their deliverance and blessing. The Lord in Mark almost personifies the gospel.
EJMcB So you want people really to believe in the thing.
JT And then to look into it and see what is in it. The epistle to the Romans opens up the gospel, but I believe in it to begin with.
MWB Believing is like an open door that leads you into an immense storehouse.
JT That is what I thought.
MWB One feels what vast resources there are.
JT Do you present it that way?
MWB I should like to.
JT One only raises the question because it is important that you should convey to the hearer that there is such a thing as that. The Lord’s first address is that of course He would say other things, but that conveys the great thought, that there is such a wonderful thing come in, and that is “glad tidings”, and one is to believe in them.
RB Then do you mean that the power of the preacher lies largely in his believing in the glad tidings?
JT [p. 12] The gospel must be effective in him if it is to be so in his hearers. If I am a son in conscious dignity, I am more than a forgiven person. I enjoy forgiveness, but I am more than that. I have come into the light and good of Paul’s gospel. As the apostle says. God “was pleased to reveal his Son in me”. (Galatians 1:16).
HD'AC It is a vast world of light into which he has come and in which he lives.
WRP Would believing in the gospel suppose one’s affections have been won to it?
JT Yes; so that the preacher is enlarged inwardly. What I mean is this, Paul says that God had revealed His Son him, not to him, meaning there was room there; it is the idea of a vessel; there is such room within that God can operate in you and through you. The Son revealed in him, the believer is in the very centre of the vast system of blessing, which the gospel presents.
FSM Was not the apostle Paul conveying the idea when he said, “For I am not ashamed of the glad tidings; for it is God’s power to salvation, to every one that believes”? (Romans 1:16).
JT That is good. Do you present the gospel in this way?
FSM One would like to give the impression every time that it is vast and wonderful to one’s own soul.
JT That is the thing. In Romans the apostle begins, “Separated to God’s glad tidings … concerning his Son”. The Son of God is the centre, and theme of what is presented. Romans opens it up, but Ephesians completes it.
ASL And Romans speaks of His being the Son of David; this involves the kingdom. It says here that “the kingdom of God has drawn nigh”.
JT That is another thing; although God is referred to as King, it has Christ as Man in view, and David represented this. Hence Christ is said to have “come of David’s seed according to flesh”.
ASL I was thinking too of the close of the Acts where Paul “remained two whole years in his own hired lodging, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ”, (Acts 28:30,31). I should like to hear a little on that.
JT The idea of the kingdom of God brings in the One who can administer it, and that necessitates the seed of David. God had come in in Christ for man’s deliverance and blessing. The kingdom of God was there in the most tangible and practical way. The transfiguration in Mark is “the kingdom of God come in power”.
ASL So “Remember Jesus Christ raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, according to my glad tidings”, (2 Timothy 2:8).
JT The gospel of Matthew enlarges on that side. Christ is the “root of David”, which would be John’s gospel; and the “offspring of David”, which would be Matthew’s gospel; but even in treating of Him as the offspring of David His Person is always guarded. The introduction of David in 1 Samuel is as of Jesse, following Ruth. If I go backward through Jesse I must get to the root, but the forward movement is towards the offspring. So I am perfectly balanced as to the Person, even viewing Him as the offspring of David, as the One who administers the kingdom. The “child ... born” is the “Mighty God”, who governs “upon the throne of David”, (Isaiah 9).
ASL So he emphasizes the resurrection at the outset of Romans, and then again in Timothy, the sure mercies of David are in the risen Son of David.
JT That is it. He is “marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead”, (Romans 1:4), but He is officially “our Lord”; this implies the kingdom.
ASL I wanted some more help; you have been challenging some of us. If Paul preached the kingdom [p. 14] of God, how would you sum up his preaching? You have the verse here, a remarkably simple gospel address. He says, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn nigh; repent and believe in the glad tidings”. Is not the gospel that the kingdom of God has drawn nigh? That must be blessed glad tidings for men.
JT Quite. “The time is fulfilled”; that is the first thing, you understand the time. And then, “the kingdom of God has drawn nigh”. It was there Christ. It is the kingdom of God; God was active in grace, active practically in the ministry of Christ. That is how I understand it.
EJMcB Would “the time is fulfilled” indicate that the time of the flesh was over, and that thus wilderness conditions had begun; and that in the kingdom of God drawn nigh there is an entirely new vista opened up, and then the outcome is you enter into the vast blessedness that is consequent on the testimony of all this?
JT Quite; the servant thus understands the time, in which he is serving and the light that governs it. The kingdom is God active in grace.
HD'AC Really there in Christ’s Person.
JT That is what I was trying to make clear, His ministry is the thing. Ministry is representative of God in some sense, or it is not anything. It is representative too of the time and the overtures of God to men; so that the Lord told the seventy to say to the cities visited, “The kingdom of God is come nigh to you”, (Luke 10:9). It was operative in them. This involves the kind of person who is ministering.
EJMcB Is that why they were to take no resources, indicating that their resources were in what had drawn nigh?
JT Exactly; all was furnished in the kingdom God.
JJ Would it be illustrated in 1 Kings 17? The widow thoroughly believed in Elijah at [p. 15] the end.
JT Exactly. Elijah had asserted the rights of God as operative in himself: “There shall not be dew these years, except by my word”, (1 Kings 17:1). That was a very remarkable thing to say, and it is what the widow of Zarephath came to; she came to an apprehension of it in her own house. All were proving the effects of the drought, but she was proving support in it. Besides, her son was restored to life. How real the power of God was in the prophet!
EuR Is your suggestion that if we are to be able to present the kingdom we need the Lord in His official character as Son of David, and that He puts the impression of Himself on our spirits as the Son of the Father’s love? Much has to take place with us in the way of liberation before we can give souls the touch, and impress them with the substance of what is available.
JT Quite.
ASL The kingdom of God was brought here and set forth in the Person and works of Christ; and those who through grace left everything and followed Him came into it and exercised the power of it; their preaching affected others similarly.
JT Quite; that is what came out in Acts 11. Through the preaching of those who were scattered they that believed were “added to the Lord”, and they were to “abide with the Lord”. All that proves they were really in the kingdom and that precedes our being brought into the church.
The next thing in our chapter is the Lord “walking by the sea of Galilee”, verse 16. The Servant is walking and walking in a certain relation. It introduces the subject of the sea in this gospel, which perhaps may be opened up to us. I only refer to it here because of the Lord’s walking by it, as if His service is to be in relation to it.
Ques Does the sea refer to the gentiles?
JT I think we shall see in Mark that the bearing of [p. 16] the sea is universal. There are other meanings to it, but there is a remarkable outlook world wide. There is the suggestion of territory beyond.
HE S. Is your thought that this glorious service is to be universal?
JT Yes. He walks by the sea, and that would tend to preclude at once undue, nationalism. That is the bearing of the sea. Here He is walking by it, a most interesting thing. Then, “He saw Simon, and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting out a net in the sea, for they were fishers. And Jesus said to them. Come after me, and I will make you become fishers of men”, verses 16,17. I only thought we might notice the result of this walking, the attractiveness of the Lord as before them, having in mind that He would make them fishers of men. That is, the service is towards men.
PL Would the position in the end of Mark be in accordance with this walking by the sea?
JT Quite. “Go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all the creation”, (Mark 16:15). Going into the world implies that I go into a hostile scene, but I have the creation, in view in Mark.
EuR Is it your thought that the attractiveness of the Lord was great enough to supersede the trawl nets and their fish?
JT Exactly, and I think the force of that comes in when the next two are called, that is, when you get the father and the servants.
Eu.R. How?
JT Because the great pull is seen when there is anything to be left of a social status in this world. It says of Simon and Andrew that they left their trawl nets, but to leave one’s business is not quite the same thing as leaving your father and the servants. Many leave the trawl nets, but asset leave the father and the servants. I mean, they never give up what social status attaches to them, and that always is fly in the ointment.
[p. 17] Ques Was that not true in Mark’s own case when he sailed away to Cyprus?
JT Quite; the natural drew him. The business is easily given up by many of us, but when the father and the servants have to be left, that is the real test, and that is what you get in James and John. There is complete deliverance in the divine call, not only from the things of business but from the influence of family connections and all that goes with these.
RB So it says, “They went away after him”.
JT That is good, meaning that the distance was definite.
EuR I was thinking this cuts two ways. There might be incentive on the part of those who consider themselves in some lower status becoming equal to those above them.
JT That is important, because the Lord’s service sometimes makes ‘gentlemen’ of us, but it was never intended to do that.
EuR It brings us into a new thing, which is greater than all social distinction.
JT The idea was, they were not to give up their calling, they were to be fishers still, but simply to change the kind of fish they were looking for; they were to be “fishers of men”.
EuR This would make us simple as to the sphere in which God has set us in His governmental ordering.
JT The thing is to see the greatness of the levitical idea governing the believer in his service. He is greater than the distinctions that men pride themselves in, and that is what the Lord would impress on us in Luke, saying, “your names are written in heaven”.
HD'AC What is the difference between forsaking the father and the hired servants?
JT “Leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants”; it is one idea. The father is left with the servants. It looks as if Zebedee had some little distinction, having ‘hired servants’. That John was known to the high priest would indicate this. The father is left with the servants; that is the position. You may enlarge this in modern times to any extent; the more the hired servants the greater the dignity. Can I leave that? Many have left the nets, but retain the social dignity.
Ques Do you think the trawl nets would suggest the implements of business, the ability to do things?
JT Yes; especially as it says they were using them; they were actually engaged in their calling.
EuR Is there importance in the fact that each of these men is called with a brother?
JT It is important to notice that. The family link is there, and one point would be that although there, it is to be superseded by the new order of things or merged in it. The next verse shews they have now entered into a new order of things. It says, not simply that He went, but “they go into Capernaum”. That is, I belong to this new companionship and everything must be subservient to it.
EuR So Capernaum is spoken of as being uniquely responsible because this wonderful service was carried on there.
JT They went into Capernaum five persons brought together under those extraordinary circumstances. Capernaum had now something that no other city ever had, that is, an order of things set up by the Lord Jesus, having as yet only four followers, but to be enlarged, so as to fill the universe. The greatest testimony was there.
JOS Would the fact that the Lord saw them imply a secret history as you said?
JT No doubt He had watched, over them. There is nothing in connection with all our histories, back to our forefathers, that He has not taken notice of in calling us; He knows it all. Then it goes on, “And straightway on the sabbath be entered into the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine”. That is the position here; He was not only preaching but teaching. The evangelist certainly should be able to teach, and there should be something distinctive about it; it should not be merely theoretic. Then there is the power over evil, and then the healing of Peter’s wife’s mother; that is to say, the household of one of the servants is attended to, because that is very often a difficulty with us, that our households are deranged and the service is to that extent hindered and marred. But the Lord puts that right and she serves them. Then in chapter 2 it says, “He entered again into Capernaum”; ‘again’ meaning there is another phase of the testimony to be brought into Capernaum; so it is not now a question of overcoming the devil, but of what went on in the house. “He entered again into Capernaum after several days, and it was reported that he was at the house”.
Ques Why is it He here?
JT In the first visit they entered into Capernaum, and I think we have the idea that God has introduced a great system of things marked by teaching with power. But, after all, the Lord is the doer of what is done, and every true Levite recognizes that. Then “after several days” that has to be noted “it was reported that he was at the house”. That is to say, there is no idea of advertising His coming. He is in the house and the report goes out. He is therefore not advertising before hand. What is done is as by Himself the disciples are not mentioned.
EJMcB J.N.D. gives a footnote indicating that He was ‘at home’.
JT That would shew there was some convenient house there, and He was free in it. The fact that the roof was broken through without any murmurings would shew He had secured a footing there.
Rem The Lord was living in the city at that time, (Matthew 4:[p. 20] 13).
EuR Would you suggest that is what we should have in our local conditions, room for the Lord to move in that way?
JT I should think so. “In the house” implies advantageous conditions, and so the friends of this impotent man had liberty to open the roof and let him down before the Lord. The point was to get him down there, and then we have the often noted transparency marking the whole operation, which is a very important thing in dealing with people in the house. All the circumstances are exposed nothing is hidden, because the bed on which he lay comes down.
EuR So in gospel labours we should not be content merely to take the gospel to souls, but to get them into those conditions where they can get their impotency healed.
JT That is right, here it is not the gospel carried to the man, but the man carried to Christ.
EJMcB The thing seems to have been done by four, who would correspond with the four the Lord had already secured.
JT Quite. The testimony was thus in Capernaum in a new way house wise; there is freedom and the service is correspondingly effective. They “glorified God, saying. We never saw it thus”, chapter 2:12.