FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY
[p. 87] FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY
My object in reading this scripture is to seek to show that the great end in John’s ministry is to bring about in the saints a state of faith and of spirituality, especially the latter. This chapter particularly presents the climax of the instruction, and my hope is that each of us may be led to emulate this remarkable woman, Mary Magdalene, who seems to stand out as the representative believer from John’s point of view. Mary of Bethany expresses Luke’s standpoint; she ministers to the heart of Christ here; that is the thought connected with Bethany, but John presents the heavenly position. Not that he presents the fact of the ascension as Luke and Mark do, but he leads us on to the spiritual apprehension of the heavenly position, set out in Christ as ascended. Now this remarkable woman is let into the secret of it; she comes into the good of it spiritually.
Having this great end in view, the apostle and evangelist, John, hangs all he has to say on certain “signs”, which he says were done by the Lord in the presence of His disciples. They are not presented as done publicly, to convince men, but as instruction for the disciples. Luke presents the works of the Lord in their public bearing, for he sets forth Christ as expressive of grace here, but John selects particular works of the Lord, such as suit the object he has in view. Hence if we are attentive to the Spirit, and if there is corresponding exercise with us, we shall become believers as John looks for them, and we shall become spiritual and heavenly. In that way we shall answer to the mind of God, not only in regard to His millennial thoughts, but those thoughts of His which are, so to say, of permanent bearing, eternal thoughts, as we read elsewhere, “afterwards that which is spiritual”. It is that “afterwards” which the Spirit would impress upon us in this gospel, “that which is spiritual”.
So the first sign here shows the Lord’s rebuke on the intrusion of what is natural into that which is divine. The natural is the snare today. We see many governed by family considerations, governed by nature. So this sign comes in to deliver us. The whole scene presents what is natural, for it is the occasion of a marriage, and that is pre-eminently an occasion for nature to assert itself. Well, the Lord was invited to this marriage, and not only the Lord, but His disciples also, showing that the principal actors in the event were not indifferent to Him. They represent such as have a certain appreciation of Christ, they would not leave Him out, and yet He is only invited as One of the guests; He was not known as supreme. His mother was there also. Mothers, if they are spiritual, become wonderful instruments in the hand of God for the promotion of what is spiritual. We see that in Timothy’s mother. What a contribution to the assembly we see in her, through her education of Timothy. The question I would raise with mothers is, What is each mother contributing to the assembly of God? You may wonder that I speak to the mothers, but there are many such, and I desire to raise exercise.
Thank God for the mothers if they are spiritual. Timothy’s mother, instead of being on the line of nature, was on the line of faith, and it is only as mothers are on that line, that they can minister to the assembly of God, through their education of their children. Timothy is a typical man for the last days, and in him we can see the value of spiritual mothering in the house of God, if I may so express it. The mother of Jesus here was on natural lines, and she says, “They have no wine”. She is intruding her natural link with the Lord into His service. Now as [p. 89] I said, this is largely pattern for us, and as I have spoken to the mothers, so now I would speak to the young man. Jesus says, “Woman, what have I to do with thee?” That was seemingly a hard way to speak to a mother, but nothing is too hard if it is a question of the intrusion of nature into the things of God; if it is a question of robbing God of His due from me in regard to His service. The Lord would utterly refuse the claims of nature in divine things. Israel might have its natural claim to Him, but that claim must be deferred; it was not the moment for the introduction of that claim, and His mother falls into her place of subjection. The natural is subordinated to what is spiritual, for the dispensation is marked by spirituality.
Well, this sign comes in to show that spirituality begins in every one of us, in subjection to Christ, as the mother says here, “Whatsoever he says to you, do it”. I would say to us all: Let not nature intrude itself into our relations with God, let us refuse it and rebuke it, as the Lord did here. When the work of the Lord was finished, He graciously directs that His mother should be cared for, but she must not intrude in regard to what is spiritual, on the ground of nature. So this is the beginning of signs, and in the initial sign we can see what is in the mind of the Spirit with regard to believers. It is a question of disciples of Christ, and the first sign to them teaches the refusal of natural ties in the things of God. Such would recognise it in its place, but we have to learn to refuse it entirely in regard to our service to God; it can have no place there. In my relation to God, all must be on spiritual lines, nature must not intrude there.
Then in the next sign, connected with Cana of Galilee, in chapter 4 we see a man captured for God, and not only the man himself, but his whole house. If nature is allowed in your house, you cannot look [p. 90] for what is spiritual in your children. So here we find a nobleman, one with a certain status in this world; he was, as we say, a man of means and position. Well what discloses itself with regard to him is that his child is at the point of death; his position and status and nobility is powerless to relieve him or his house of the ravages of disease and death. I would raise the question, How is it with our houses? Are we living in our natural nobility? Are we boasting in our worldly status? It will be powerless to relieve in the moment of death. The escape is in faith. In the first sign the Lord secures the faith of His disciples. That glorious Man manifested forth His glory; the bridegroom and the bride are not the chief objects in the feast, but it becomes an occasion of His manifesting forth Christ’s glory.
Then later in the chapter we get an additional thought. The Jews ask what sign He would show, and He answers, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”. He spake of the temple of His body, and when He arose from the dead it says, “His disciples remembered that he had said this unto them, and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken”. Do we believe the scripture? I have great anxiety as to the effort of the enemy to undermine and undervalue the Old Testament scriptures; it is to those scriptures that this passage refers. In Luke it tells us that He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. So that it was a great point with the Lord; and here, too, we are told they remembered what He had said, and “they believed the scriptures and the word which Jesus had spoken”. It was in the light of the resurrection of Christ that all was recalled to remembrance, and they believed the scriptures. Now the nobleman in chapter 4 believed “and his whole house”; that is, the man came into the appreciation of Christ as the One who [p. 91] quickens. What a triumph for Christ, not only to have secured the faith of His disciples, but now of this nobleman and his house with him. Henceforth, instead of considering for the nobility of his house, he would consider for Christ and for God. That is the effect of the second sign.
Then the next sign implies public power. As regards power, the nobleman was no better off than the impotent man at the pool, but as the subject of the ministry of the Lord, the man becomes a testimony to the power of God. Then next we have what sustains that power, the living bread. It is the Son of man, clothed with humility, coming down from heaven in order that He might die. Think of it! He died! Think of the reproach of it! It is His flesh that He gives for the life of the world, and in the eating of it we are sustained in power. Eating His flesh is intensely spiritual; to make it an ordinance is just Romanism, but as the Lord says Himself, the “words that I speak unto you are spirit and life”. His flesh is meat indeed, and His blood drink indeed. It is in thus eating and drinking that one gets a spiritual constitution which enables one to be nothing at all in this world, but to live to God; one can afford to let all go that has to do with our place in this world as one feeds on this wonderful food. What a constitution it builds up, so that one is happy and free with God, though deprived of all else. There is spiritual sustenance in this food which will maintain us in life.
The following sign takes place in one who is “of age”. That is, he is competent to look after himself; he can give an account of himself. Can we give an account of ourselves spiritually Revelation 1 and Revelation 2 enable the believer to determine his position ecclesiastically, but if we are “of age” spiritually we shall be enabled to give an account of ourselves in every other relation, and to speak in a spiritual way as [p. 92] saints. We shall know things which are the heritage of saints. And how? Because He has given us an understanding, and we know all things spiritually. Such an one can give an account of himself. This man could; he could trace the steps in his knowledge of Christ. The soul renders homage to the Son of God. The works of God were manifested in him, and the evidence of it is that he renders homage to the Son of God. So he that represents the work of God, the one of full age, can give account of himself, and can do homage to the Son of God. The Lord asks him, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” and he replies, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe?” Then when the Lord says, I that speak to thee am he, he replies, “Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him”. What a spiritual result of the work of God I He recognises Him as the Son of God!
The next sign, again, shows that to the believer death is removed from the spirit, the pressure of death is removed. In chapter 11 the great point reached is that death marks a moment when the heart of Christ is moved towards His people; it is then, at that moment, that we learn the sympathy of Christ. He loved all the family at Bethany, and this chapter presents how He estimated the pressure of death upon them. He knew just how it affected them, and His heart was moved towards them. It is a wonderful thing for us to have the sense of this, that He estimates our grief and that He is moved about us. In having to do with saints in bereavement, one is ever reminded of the Lord’s tender consideration for His saints in their affliction. How He estimates the pressure of death.
Well, in this chapter we see how He relieves their spirits from it, and the result is seen in the next chapter, where they make Him a supper. What beautiful spiritual touches the Spirit gives to the narrative! Then six days before the passover Jesus [p. 93] came to Bethany, and there they made Him a supper. Think of that! It is all for Him; that is the result which comes about through the service of Christ in these signs. It is a family scene, but the paramount Object of the supper is Christ. Every exercise amongst us ought to bring about fresh movement of soul in regard to Christ. He comes in and removes the pressure of death that He may have an increased place in our minds and hearts. They did it, they made the supper; they were all affected, and the Lord gets His place. There was a time when Lazarus had first place in the hearts of Martha and Mary, but now the Lord has that place; He is pre-eminent. It is a resurrection scene, a Colossian scene, so to speak, brought about as the effect of the signs upon the hearts and minds of believers. We find saints who have come into the light of Christ risen from the dead, and not only so, but they are risen with Him. It is quickening that enables you to take up the position in your soul. We live with Christ in our hearts and minds, that is the effect of quickening. You may ask: Do we do that while still in the body? Yes, I can take account of myself as risen with Christ; I am in the life of Christ, and very free in it, too.
Then when we come to the last and greatest sign, for chapter 21 is an appendix, we are lifted at once on to heavenly ground. This sign takes you out of the world in spirit, not out of the earth, but as another has said, the Lord here presents “an out-of-the-world, heavenly condition of life and being”. We are brought into what is entirely spiritual and heavenly. These are the primary thoughts of God. God is a Spirit, and God is love, and in thus revealing Himself to us it must be in view of having a spiritual race of people, and a people marked by love. Since God is a Spirit and God is love, He will surround Himself with spiritual men, and men who love. By-and-by we shall be raised in spiritual bodies, but already [p. 94] according to John the saints are spiritual. God intends to surround Himself with spiritual men, and this gospel shows how God would develop in us a state of spirituality. It is the same with the apostle Paul; he, too, aims at the saints becoming spiritual, so he says in 2 Corinthians, “if any one be in Christ, there is new creation”. He does not say he is a new creature, but simply “new creation”; it is a wide expanse, the breadth and length and depth and height of the all things that are of God.
Now in John 20 Mary Magdalene represents the spiritual progress which is developed in the gospel; the height of the position is set forth in her. Chapter 12 is a resurrection scene, but that does not go far enough, great as it is. It does not give the full height of the thoughts of God. So Mary is seen here remaining at the sepulchre of Christ. The others believed, but they went away. Peter and John looked into the sepulchre, and they saw and believed, but they went home. Mary is detained at the sepulchre — she does not go home. I would ask: Is there enough to attract our hearts away from our homes? or are our homes governed by nature? Such homes have a tremendous pull upon the heart. Only the love of Christ will be enough to draw us from our homes. Well, Mary stood at the sepulchre weeping, and as she wept she stooped and looked into the sepulchre and saw two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They were there in the full recognition of the dignity of the One who had been there, but He was there no longer, and they cannot satisfy the heart of Mary. She turned away from them, and then she saw the Lord. It was all spiritual, and so she did not know Him, but He manifests Himself to her in calling her by name. He says, “Mary!” It is as if He would say to her, I know you, I know your heart, I, know all about you; but you must be [p. 95] regulated, your connection with Me is to be wholly spiritual, and wholly in regard to My Father in heaven. “Touch me not ... for I am not yet ascended but go to my brethren”.
She was not to be alone in the blessedness of the new position, and afterwards Mary would say, I could not be alone, I must have the brethren. Spiritual affections take in the brethren. “My brethren” the Lord calls them. Love appreciates that; the more one goes on, the more one appreciates the brethren — the brethren of Christ! Hence in Ephesians, which corresponds largely to John, we are spoken of as “raised up together”. Mary would not desire to go on alone, no, it is “raised up together, and made to sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus”.
“Thy saints, O Lord, with Thee in glory met”. (160:8)
If we are to have them there, why not here, and so He says, “Go, tell my brethren, I ascend”. The message is the great climax of the instruction in the thoughts of the Lord. “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God”. She went and told them these things, and that she had seen the Lord; that was her portion, she had seen the Lord. Then the same day at even Jesus came. I think the word “came” has to be dwelt upon. He comes to such as have faith and spirituality. Where saints are together in this way, as those in whom there is faith and spirituality, He will come; “then came Jesus and stood in the midst”. We shall experience it. Then so that they might be equal to this great light and sustained in it, He breathed into them and said, “Receive ye Holy Spirit”. Whom does He send? Those who are with Him before the Father; the Lord would commit Himself to them; He will send them. So He says, “whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them”. All that you [p. 96] do upon earth I will ratify in heaven, but that is true for those in whom there is faith and spirituality.
I would commend to you the urgency of these things. God would have us to be spiritual, and He would have us love!