FINDING SOMETHING TO DO
John’s gospel has a character of its own. At the end of the gospel, John tells us that: “Many other signs therefore also Jesus did before his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name”, John 20:30,31. What marks John’s gospel is what Jesus did, not so much what His disciples did. In the other gospels, the Lord instructed those that were following Him, those that were to be apostles, about what to do. He gave them commissions and sent them out; in Luke’s gospel He sent out the seventy. We do not get any of that in John’s gospel. It has often been said of John’s gospel that it is what the Lord does Himself. There is not much made of His own by way of service in this gospel.
I thought that if this is the case, then what Jesus did ask them to do in John’s gospel must have significance. In this incident, “Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks, distributed them to those that were set down”. In the other gospels, the disciples distributed the food. But in John, He did ask them to do some things. “Make the men sit down”; that is one thing He asked His own to do. Another was, “Gather together the fragments which are over and above, that nothing may be lost”. The Lord did not do that, His disciples did that. Therefore I thought it would be interesting to note some of the things in this gospel that the disciples did or were asked to do. I think you will find that they are simple things, but important. So Jesus said: “Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place”. That would facilitate the Lord in what He did. It is as though His disciples were to make these persons restful so that they could feed, and benefit from the Lord’s service to them. Then there was nothing to be left, nothing to be wasted; “Gather together the fragments”. That is something we can all do, gather together fragments. We can gather individually or we can gather when we are together. Take something away and do not let it be lost, think upon it afterwards, benefit from it for yourself as having gathered up some impression, some substance. It is a simple thing; no one might know that you are doing it, but we can gather up something from what the Lord has given us. There is another thing that the Lord asks His own to do and it is “that ye love one another”, John 13:34. That is a simple thing. Our brother has been speaking about the love of Christ. He asks us to love one another, He asks us to wash one another’s feet (John 13:14).
Sometimes the disciples did things in this gospel which the Lord did not ask them to do. In chapter 4, they went away to buy provisions; the Lord never asked them to do that. Later, they went fishing; the Lord never asked them to do that. So there was no fruit from that. There are very few examples of the Lord directing them and asking them to do things in John’s gospel because He did most of it Himself. It is to bring out His glory, His ability in what He can do. I think that it marks the end of the dispensation because John’s gospel is written for the end, but Jesus did ask them to do certain things. A number of times, He asked them to love one another, which shows the importance of that. I have been affected and impressed by His own love, His personal love. Love is a simple thing; the youngest can express it. We all can, and we appreciate it. Another thing that the Lord asked the disciples to do was in John 21, “Cast the net at the right side of the ship and ye will find. They cast therefore, and they could no longer draw it, from the multitude of fishes”, John 21:6. They had set out on this expedition on their own initiative and it was fruitless, but once they came under the Lord’s direction and He asked them to do something, there was a great result from it. They must have been downcast but as under the Lord’s direction, there was a great result. It is important for us to be kept close to Him and to be exercised that what we do is under His direction, then there will be benefit from it. It was the Lord that provided the food here; it is what the Lord does. He provided it, then said “Come and dine”, John 21:12.
At the end of John’s gospel the Lord gave Peter a commission; He said to him, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15) and then He said “Shepherd my sheep”, and “Feed my sheep”. That was the Lord giving Peter something to do. How important that side of things is, “Feed my lambs”, “Shepherd my sheep” and “Feed my sheep”. Peter had this special commission from the Lord and He fulfilled it. How necessary is shepherding and feeding. It is quite a simple thing in one way, but it brings into relief what the Lord does in this gospel. He does so much and that is a feature of the last days. Peter and John are seen in the beginning of the Acts. Peter was very active, but not so John; he was held in reserve and he wrote later. John’s writings were the last in the Scriptures; he wrote for our time and he brings the glory of Christ before us in a remarkable way, brings before us throughout this gospel what the Lord does Himself. So none apart from the Lord are doing great things in this gospel, yet in some instances, His own are under the Lord’s direction in simple things. I think that is our portion at the end of the dispensation – filling out simple functions. We are all in the body, we all have a function, none are outstanding; but if that is the case, it is all intended to point to the glory of Christ and what He is doing. It must be an attractive thing to be under the direction and guidance of such a Person.
May we find something to do as keeping near to the Lord. We can all gather up something as loving one another, we can all contribute to making the saints restful, and be under the Lord’s direction in view of getting food for them. May the Lord bless these simple thoughts.
Word in meeting for ministry, Dundee
3 June 2014
G.B. Grant
EXTRACT (Cont’d)
… Do you accept that this is the main point? … in the gospel, the light that first comes to you is the light of the end, it is "the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ" (2 Cor.4:4). The light comes from the finish, though it begins with you where you are, and conducts you to the finish … If that end is mine, it is from that end I actually derive all the way. My income is from thence, the Holy Spirit comes from thence.
… Luke's gospel shows that you are not saved for earth, but saved for heaven. From whence, then, do you get your joys? From heaven! "Who has died for us … that we may live together with him" (1 Thess. 5:10). That is the end, the proper hope of the Christian; and you are actually deriving your present enjoyments from that end.
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