CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER (5)
[p. 315] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER (5)
JT It is thought that we might pursue our subject, that is, Christ in the believer according to the various features by which He is known. We have so far looked at John the baptist, the woman of Samaria, Peter in chapter 6, and the man in chapter 9 whose eyes were opened. We were engaged with him this morning, and saw in him one who represents the believer as having Christ in him as the Son of God.
This subject leads to the collective side of our position, but time does not allow of our entering into that side. It is thought therefore to finish the thought with Mary of Bethany. The collective side is seen in Colossians, where it is said that Christ is in the saints, involving the mystery, “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Then in Ephesians 3 the prayer of the apostle is “that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts”. These are collective thoughts. It is what is intimated by the Lord’s remarks in this gospel in chapter 14, in relation to the coming of the Comforter, “In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you”. If we are to be established, these facts have to be understood.
Mary of Bethany furnishes an interesting example really, and in order to see how she develops in this sense we ought to refer to Luke’s gospel (chapter 10:39), in which she is first mentioned as having sat down at the feet of Jesus, listening to His word. That passage is the clue to what shines out in these chapters in John. While her sister Martha was occupied with service, she was listening to what Jesus was saying. That is, it was the governing principle at that time, according to Luke.
[p. 316] Luke 9 tells us about the scene on the mount when the Lord was transfigured. The voice said, “This is my beloved Son: hear him”. That is the governing word in that section of Luke. Mary was in keeping with the truth governing the position, so that I think if we are to come into this great matter we are speaking of, it is clear that we must observe what governs the position, what particular truth it is that is outstanding. God had drawn attention to His beloved Son, and that He was to be heard. Mary of Bethany is introduced to us here for the first time, and this is what is stated of her. She is criticised severely by her sister, but the Lord defends her.
These passages in John’s gospel show that great progress had been made in Martha, so that she and Mary and Lazarus form a family, and the section in John 12 has all this in mind. So Mary is seen as occupied with the Lord, as we might say, in a spiritual way. What marks her is that she is wholly spiritual, so that spirituality will be the main thought before us. Christ is to be apprehended in us in a spiritual way, so that He becomes the Object of our worship and service.
HEF When you speak of these three as belonging to a family, have you in mind that they are typical of the family of God?
JT That is what I had in mind. It is said, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus”. It is a family of one brother and two sisters, not the parental side. It paves the way for what is developed later in this gospel, the great truths developed as to the Father, but you have the family first.
HEF So do you mean that the glory of the Son of God is specially connected with the family thought?
JT Clearly it is a divine thought, entering into divine counsels. It is the final thought, so that the kingdom is delivered up “to him who is God and Father” (1 Corinthians 15:24).
HEF So that the family thought goes on into eternity.
JT Quite. This section brings out the family in the sense of brothers and sisters, not the Father yet. The truth so far as has come before us leads to this. We can regard each other in a family way as Christ is in us as the Son of God. That is the thought in chapter 9, then chapter 10 is the Shepherd and the sheep, the saints viewed as entirely under the care of Christ, and together as one flock. So that these three at Bethany seem to furnish an occasion for bringing out the love that He had for the family.
JR The death of Lazarus in chapter 11 seems to break up the family on natural lines, so that they might enter into the family of God on spiritual lines.
JT That is the thought exactly, so that the Lord deliberately stays away so that Lazarus might die.
HEF So that our links in this setting are beyond the reach of death.
JT That is the thought. The scene at Bethany in chapter 12 is “where was the dead man Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from among the dead”. It gives character to the scene, and what Mary does here brings out that one in the circle has been gathering up and developing spiritually. This alludes back to Luke 10, where she is listening to Jesus, listening to what He is saying, His word. As our brother was praying, it is the thing the Lord would impress upon us, what He is saying today by the Spirit. Whoever it may be coming through, listen to what the Lord is saying. “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says”.
SWR How are family conditions maintained now in view of the present state of church ruin?
JT Well, it is a very difficult matter, because ecclesiastical conditions, as they are called, I mean [p. 318] the public conditions, do not promote family feelings, therefore it is incumbent upon us to leave all that so as to greet each other as brethren. The fact that I am in the ecclesiastical system does not mean that I am not a brother. I may be a brother, but then it is incumbent upon me to leave that in order to reach the family circle.
HS So that it was a good thing in Abraham, in preserving the family circle and condition of things, to have trained men in his own house to restore his brother.
JT That is very good. He was a characteristic brother, and he was a heavenly man as well, so that he is dwelling by the oaks of Mamre. He is at Hebron, dwelling in the light of another world which we have already spoken of this morning. The Son of God brings in another world, and Abraham was dwelling there by the oaks of Mamre, and as his brother was captured, he had three hundred and eighteen military men, trained in his house. We do not hear of them until the brother is captured. Evidently their use was to rescue the brother. It was done at great hazard to themselves, and self-sacrifice, but they pursued and were victorious and restored Lot, restored the brother. That brings out the necessity for military training such as we were having this morning. It is significant in chapter 9 how the man develops military ability, in the way he stood up against the religious leaders who were attacking Christ. They said Christ was a sinful man, and no one who loves Him will fail to defend Him against such a statement as that. You must put on your sword, your armour, when Christ is attacked, and also when the brother is captured, to rescue him. It certainly is a very extensive matter, because there are so many brethren who are still in the camp, as it is called, the religious camp.
[p. 319] SWR I suppose the quality of the armour is greater than the numbers in the army, hence we are not canvassing for numbers, but for the hearts that are true to Christ.
JT That is the point. Numbers were evidently great with this confederation of kings that captured Lot, very much greater than those with Abraham, but Abraham’s were men trained in his own house.
We were speaking on Saturday of those who left John and followed Jesus, and when the Lord turned and enquired what they sought, “they said to him, Rabbi ... where abidest thou? He says to them, Come and see. They went therefore, and saw where he abode”. Training will begin there. The Lord said, “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants had fought” (John 18:36). We do not fight on that line at all; it is a spiritual matter.
JSG Would you say that the Father’s affections are now enjoyed?
JT That is what chapter 11 of this gospel develops. The family begins with the Father, but in a spiritual way you have the family before the Father, the Father taking us on characteristically because we are suitable to the family. Mary and Martha would not be suitable for the family as presented in Luke, but now we have the two together. The point is to get the brethren together with family feelings and affections. God is not ashamed of us; He has taken us on.
JR Is your thought that the privileges of the house of God as set out in the Corinthian epistle are only enjoyed where there are family affections? Is that the power of the position?
JT The idea in the Lord’s supper is to draw us together. It is intended to maintain us in practical righteousness and order, intended to affect us both as to order, and as to food and drink, so that we move on as come together in assembly, to the family [p. 320] thought. We touch one another. Mary and Martha, as first presented to us in Scripture, are not fit at all to represent the family of God. Mary is, but not Martha; she criticises her sister and therefore spoils the family idea.
HS Is the family circle and condition of things secured when Joseph tells his brethren to bring their father and dwell near him in Goshen?
JT Yes, they were the family of Jacob from the outset but they discredited him. There was a terrible condition in the house of Jacob after they sold Joseph; a deceptive condition because hatred and murder were there, but they quite glibly talked about the father. They were not right, and that is the position today. There are many brethren who are not right, not in relation to one another as a family. Hence if you see a brother you know in any human organisation you can say to him, ‘You are my brother and I am yours, but you are where I cannot be. You are where the family feelings cannot be developed’. What Joseph did was to bring about a family condition, and then he says, “And tell my father of all my glory in Egypt”.
HS Would you say that family conditions are maintained by walking in the Spirit so that we have family feelings and affections for one another?
JT That is right, and Martha came into this; she is helped, you know. She is a different Martha in John to what she was in Luke. There are many brothers and sisters like that. You can see they are getting help; you can see they are coming into the idea of the family.
Ques Would you say that the removal of Lazarus made room for Christ as Head of the family?
JT It was making room for His greatness to shine in the family, that Christ should be seen in His greatness. “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it”. The family is brought in in the presence of the glory. That is what is needed. You behold it on that line. John’s gospel is intended to bring in family conditions. That is, if you meet a brother in any of these denominations, and you begin to speak to him in relation to John’s gospel, you can go with him a long way and he with you, whatever the associations. You can say to him, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things received being through him, and without him not one thing received being which has received being. In him was life, and the life was the light of men”. That is the way John’s gospel begins to speak about Christ, and what is it for but to bring in His greatness, and every christian in the world will listen to that, if he is a christian at all. If you get them occupied with the glory of Christ, you can go a long way together. You can then bring up the question of associations; it will not be so easy to talk then. Many will go away back, but anyway that is the way to proceed to get to the family, the brethren.
ADR Is righteousness a feature of the family?
JT I think that is right. We have in 2 Timothy 2, “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”. In fact that is simply the way of reaching the family, following these things, righteousness, faith, love and peace.. There are a great many brethren; we have no idea how many there are, but whatever their associations, if they are christians, they are still brethren, and the brethren can say, ‘I have a family claim on you’.
Rem As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet Him.
JT Showing that she had got help somewhere. We remember her past history. What we are dealing [p. 322] with now involves that, we have the thought of past history. You might say, ‘I knew Martha a few years back, she was very difficult to get on with, but she is different now’. As soon as she heard the Lord was coming she went to meet Him, and the Lord appreciated that, and she had a remarkable conversation with Him, so that she finally says in answer to His question in chapter 11:26, “Believest thou this?”, “Yea, Lord; I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, who should come into the world”. She has got help and is a different sister now from what she used to be. That is what we should look out for.
That links us with the man in chapter 9; the Son of God is in him, the Lord has seen to that. Now He is in Martha in the same way. “I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God”. Then she goes and calls her sister, showing that she is in right relations with her sister. The Lord does not go to Mary. She sat still in the house. It seems to me there is a little defect there. Martha came to meet Him, and Mary has to come to where Martha met the Lord. The Lord is acting with great skill here to bring the sisters truly together.
HK We get the statement that “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus”. Would the thought of being loved intimately by the Lord work out in the family setting?
JT Loved as a family, that is the idea. The Lord allowed Lazarus to die so as to bring in this new thought, that He might be known as never before. His glory shone in the resurrection.
JR He would be glorified by that. Does it mean in their affections?
JT Exactly.
Rem You made a remark about Mary sitting still in the same [p. 323] place.
JT I think it shows Martha is thoroughly adjusted in regard to Mary. She is not making anything of the fact that she went to Jesus first. She went away secretly and told her, “The teacher is come and calls thee”. It does not say earlier that the Lord asked for Mary, but Martha told her that, and then Mary came to where the Lord was.
HS Is it right on hearing that a brother or sister is sick to tell the Lord about it before sending for a doctor or ministering any aid? It says in verse 3, “The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick”. As a mark of respect and honour you would communicate it to Him first, although He knows all things.
JT Quite so. You mean you tell the Lord first. It is due to Him and due to you, and due to the person who is sick. What is done can only be done with the Lord, “for without me ye can do nothing”. You must bring the Lord into it. The sisters told Him about Lazarus. He is very deliberate about it, because He has in view this great thought of the family, that He might be known in the greatness of His Person in that circle. That is really how recovery is effected today, by the greatness of Christ being brought to the attention of the brethren. It is the great thought in John’s gospel, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him” (John 4:10).
HS So if I am in Kingston and I hear of a brother being sick in Port Antonio, I am affected by his sickness. I should take it up in exercise before the Lord.
JT Exactly; and how much more so when it is a question of spiritual sickness. There is so much of that. The brethren are suffering from disease so that you tell the Lord about it.
[p. 324] SWR Martha hears that the Lord is coming. Would you apply that thought to the saints of this dispensation being stirred up to get things put right?
JT That is good. I am sure it applies in that way. The facts are stated in chapter 11:17. “Jesus therefore on arriving found him to have been four days already in the tomb. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia off”. It discloses that it was near to Jerusalem. “And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, that they might console them concerning their brother. Martha then, when she heard Jesus is coming, went to meet him”. That is your thought. Matthew 25 says, “Behold, the bridegroom; go forth to meet him”.
OL Would four days suggest that there are no conditions too difficult for the Lord to handle?
JT Quite so. It would have made no difference if it had been four centuries. The Lord could raise him if he had been four centuries in the grave. Corruption had set in, and that is what is meant, I think, but that did not hinder the Lord raising him.
AH Why did the Lord stay away for two days where He was?
JT Well, the Lord let him die so that he would be four days in the tomb. He was very deliberate. It was love acting with the greatest deliberation. It is never before, never behind, always on time, and moves according to calculation. The Lord waited so that there should be four days. We have to bear in mind that God made time and He is the first to use it.
HEF Do you think it means that we have to pass through what answers to these four days in our experience before arriving at the Lord’s thought in our souls?
JT He uses these experiences to bring out what He wanted to do, so that He should be known as the Son of God in resurrection. Already He had been marked off by the Father’s voice from heaven. Now the point is that He is “marked out Son of God ... by resurrection of the dead” (Romans 1:4). He is to be known in this way in our souls, because the family is under death, and the Son of God is to be marked off for us as raising the dead.
OL Does all this go to show there is no limitation to the power of God?
JT Exactly; “The surpassing, greatness of his power” (Ephesians 1:19) is seen in resurrection. The word is plural in Romans 1, meaning that it is the dead, however long, one thousand or four thousand years, or four days, it is the same thing, dead! A terrible thing, death having man in its grip. The Son of God is marked out by raising dead people.
HF Does this incident set forth that death invaded the family? “If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died”.
JT It invaded the family because He had not dealt with it as yet. Chapter 11 brings out how He faced death. It is a military chapter really. He is relieving the family of the pressure of death. He “was deeply moved in spirit”, resenting the power of death over the family as He draws near to it; He resented the thought of that power. He annuls death here, so as to relieve the family of the pressure of it.
OL He has the ability to say to us in our moral state, ‘Arise from among the dead’. We were in just the same place as Lazarus morally.
JT Yes. Here it is to bring out the power of the Son of God as in Romans 1, “Marked out Son of God in power”. He was marked out thus by the Scriptures, then by the Father’s voice from heaven, and John the baptist spoke of Him in that way. Now He is acting Himself and it marks Him out as Son of God. That is, He raises dead people. He calls attention to the terribleness of death holding the family of God, and He is resenting it in this chapter,
[p. 326] inward movements denoting His divine resentment of that enemy, and then He overthrows him, so that He is marked out Son of God, and is known in the family in this way. Romans is to build us up on this line.
JR What do we learn by the fact that “Jesus lifted up his eyes on high” and spoke to the Father (verse 41)?
JT It is an elevated line He is working on. He lifted up His eyes on high, it is very striking; He said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me; but I knew that thou always hearest me; but on account of the crowd who stand around I have said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And having said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth”. I suppose we are brought into the presence of moral elevation. He lifted up His eyes on high. In chapter 17 it says He “lifted up his eyes to heaven”. Here it is “on high”, a moral thought, I think.
AH Would you make any difference in the raising of the dead by Christ, and the raising of the dead by Elisha?
JT Well, it is the same power that wrought in the Old Testament, but there is not anything correspondingly so complete in the Old Testament as you get in Christ. So when John sent to Him from the prison to ask the Lord if He was the One who should come, or if they should look for another, the Lord quietly sends word back to John to tell him what was going on, and this was amongst the things that were going on, “Blind men see and lame walk; lepers are cleansed, and deaf hear; and dead are raised”. That is, this was not an isolated case, it was frequent, the power of the Son of God seen in raising dead people. It seems to mark the Lord’s [p. 327] ministry.
HF Would you connect what you are saying with John 5:25, “An hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that have heard shall live”?
JT No, that is moral. Farther down in that chapter you get calling out of the tombs (verse 28), “Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall go forth; those that have practised good, to resurrection of life, and those that have done evil, to resurrection of judgment”. That is the verse which corresponds with this, as regards the Lord calling Lazarus out of the tomb. The other is a moral thought, the voice of the Son of God quickens. We live as hearing it.
Rem The second chapter emphasises His glory. In this chapter we have before us the glory of God, and the glory of the Son of God.
JT Yes. The glory of God and the glory of the Son of God both go together, showing what a great work this is. It is the outstanding thought in John. This raising of Lazarus is only a prelude to what is spoken of in chapter 5. The Lord will call out all that are in their graves, both righteous and wicked dead, every one of them, only the righteous will hear one thousand years before the others, and evidently each one is called by name. “Lazarus, come forth”. It is very touching, the link there is with each of us. God has them in the cave of Machpelah, He knows where they are, and calls them by name. The wicked dead will come forth too by His power.
OMR Would you say one of the chief characteristics of the family of God is a living condition, what is vital and living marks them? Psalm 133 begins, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”. It ends by saying, “For there hath Jehovah commanded the blessing, life for evermore”.
[p. 328] JT Well, quite so. The family is marked out now, and the time is noticeable, the Lord acts in a certain time, two days in chapter 11, and in chapter 12 it is “six days before the passover”. The Lord is using time, He is going to have an enjoyable season. He knows now what is at Bethany, He brought the family happily together, and the point is Lazarus is there, who had been dead but “whom Jesus raised from among the dead”. So that conditions are present. Note the word ‘therefore’ here; it is used very frequently in the New Translation. ‘Therefore’ — conditions are sequential, and the Lord, knowing the conditions, is coming to enjoy them, knowing what awaits Him there. How beautiful that is in a local gathering. The Lord had been there before to rectify conditions, and now they are rectified He is coming to enjoy the results, the brethren meeting together in unity, and as we read in Psalm 133, the Lord commands the blessing there: He administers the blessing, that is, where there is unity among the brethren.
OMR Would you say the present joy is in the family circle, the glory of the Son of God being known among us?
JT Well, it is for the glory of God. It is shining out in this particular case, shining out in the resurrection, “How wilt thou then do in the swelling of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5). In order to understand family feelings and to enter the assembly properly we have to understand death, the swelling of Jordan. How will you do there? Chapter 11 is to dispose of that. It shows the power of God over death, and the power of the Son of God. Glory shines so much that when Christ is to be raised it says He was raised “by the glory of the Father”. You may say it was the power of the Father, but it says “the glory of the Father”.
HF Would you say this chapter 12 is a resurrection scene?
JT That is what we were speaking of, the company at Bethany where Lazarus was. The proper rendering is, “Where was the dead man Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from among the dead”. His previous visit found him dead, but now he is raised. He is coming to Bethany as having raised Lazarus, conditions are changed, death abolished in principle, and He is coming in to enjoy with the family the results of the abolition of death, in consequence of which family affections exist, and indeed, they all worship Him. Mary is the outstanding person spiritually. Lazarus was the outstanding person in whom He had wrought this miracle, but now the outstanding person becomes Mary. Chapter 11 says, “It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment”. She is the one in mind all the time; the brethren will observe that. It says, “Of the village of Mary and Martha her sister. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick”. She was in mind, that is the point; just as the blind man was the one in mind in chapter 9, so Mary is in mind in chapter 12.
AHn Would you say Mary had spiritual formation?
JT I would. She is the one in mind.
Rem I was thinking that family conditions might be maintained and enjoyed, as was pointed out yesterday in connection with the priestly family, so that the heart of God might be ministered to. It is not the rod of authority at Jordan, as at the Red Sea.
JT That is important. Our brother was pointing out that it is not the rod of God in authority in the swelling of Jordan, as at the Red Sea. It is the ark carried by the priests. When the priests’ feet touched [p. 330] the waters of Jordan they are driven back out of sight; there was no water in sight. The abolition of death is in mind: “Marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead” (Romans 1:4).
HS Would you say it was a restful spirit with Lazarus sitting there at the table? He was once sick and eventually died, and now he is alive to God, a risen life, an essential element to be there.
JT He marks the status in Bethany “where was the dead man Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from among the dead”. Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. It is not Jesus sitting with Lazarus, but Lazarus with Jesus. This scene is equal to that. He has the supreme place and the Lord knew it. Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table. He marks the status of those sitting at table. Then Martha is still serving, but not complaining; she is a real sister, serving as a sister should serve, and Mary anoints the Lord with ointment which she has got. “Mary therefore” (notice the word ‘therefore’ here) “having taken a pound of ointment of pure nard of great price, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment”. That is the leading point in the passage, because it implies spiritual formation; she had the thing. It is one pound; measure is involved in that, and she has it. The Lord’s comment on it is, “Suffer her to have kept this for the day of my preparation for burial”. It is a matter of history, of spiritual history; she had kept it. It is not here an alabaster box, as it is in other gospels, but a measure of one pound, and kept from corruption by her. In truth she is the alabaster box, that is she loves “our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption” (Ephesians 6:24).
HF Did she apprehend the greatness of the Person who was going into death for her?
JT [p. 331] Obviously she discerned it. It is a question of spiritual understanding. She discerned He had to go that way; His feet were carrying Him that way. He is the true ark of the covenant. She says in that way, ‘This is my opportunity’, and she seizes it. A spiritual person always seizes an opportunity and uses it.
Rem The ark of the covenant rested in Jordan.
JT Quite so, death was abolished, that is the principle. Victory is there, showing that that person is in the good of all this. He “has the witness in himself” (1 John 5:10).
Rem It says in verse 9, “A great crowd therefore of the Jews knew that he was there; and they came, not because of Jesus only, but also that they might see Lazarus whom he raised from among the dead”.
JT Yes, they did not come to see Jesus only, but they came to see Him on account of Lazarus, who was witness to Jesus.
SWR So that the administration of power by the Lord began here, and He will eventually raise Lazarus for ever. In Romans 8:11 it says, “If the Spirit of him that has raised up Jesus from among the dead dwell in you, he that has raised up Christ from among the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies also on account of his Spirit which dwells in you”. Is there any connection?
JT Well, the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus is in us. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us will secure our quickening. It is not our raising there but quickening. Those that are living on the earth will be quickened; the dead will be raised by Christ Himself.
GRMc It does not say ‘dead‘ bodies, but “your mortal bodies” will be quickened.
JT That is right.
Ques The believer never will taste death; [p. 332] is that so?
JT That is what comes out in this section. The Lord said to Martha, “He that believes on me, though he have died, shall live; and every one who lives and believes on me shall never die”. Our attention was called to Romans 8, which speaks of our being quickened on account of the Spirit, that is our mortal bodies as living here on earth. That is what the Lord means here, “Every one who lives and believes on me shall never die”. Romans 8 deals with that; “He that believes on me, though he have died, shall live”. Firstly according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16 the Lord descends with an assembling shout and those that have died, live; then “every one who lives and believes” on Him shall never die, meaning that we shall be quickened according to the Spirit that dwells in us, “the Spirit of him that has raised up Jesus from among the dead”. That is really the position. The sleeping saints are raised first, then we shall be quickened according to the Spirit of God that dwells in us, so that it is the difference between the mortal body and the dead body; but it is the same power applied to each.
JNM Verse 3 says that “the house was filled with the odour of the ointment”. Would you say today, that the prayers of the saints form that odour to God?
JT Well, that is more than prayer. It is something kept in a measured way; it is more than prayer. It is a spiritual contribution to Christ. It is a good work performed on Him, and it fills all the house. It is like the contribution of a young brother in the assembly. The Lord is pleased with it, and the brethren are pleased with it too, and the odour fills the house. It is a collective thought, so the Lord comments upon it, in answer to what Judas says, “Suffer her to have kept this for the day of my preparation for burial; for ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always”. So that it is [p. 333] clearly an intelligent contribution that you would expect from a brother who has been accustomed to listening to what Jesus said, listening to His word. It is a question of spiritual history, culminating in this service, so that Christ is in her as spiritually apprehended, though one can hardly say in what particular character. She has developed intelligently as listening to what Jesus has been saying. She is equal to the assembly. It is a collective matter.
HS Would you connect that with the wise men bringing “gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11)?
JT Well, it is a good deal like that. They had the thing and brought it forth, “gold, and frankincense, and myrrh”.