THE HYMN AND THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
[p. 318] THE HYMN AND THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
Matthew 26:30; Acts 1:12 - 14; Ephesians 5:15 - 20; Philippians 3:3
This scripture in Matthew is intended, I believe, to suggest to us the level on which the Lord desired us to be in this dispensation. It is a level necessarily higher than that on which the saints of old stood, and as He set the saints out on it He intended it to be maintained. There is always a tendency with us to drift downward, and so the ministry of the epistle to the Ephesians, I believe, is intended to maintain us on the high level indicated in the exit from the Lord’s supper at its institution, to Olivet. You will remember how in reaching Ephesus it is said that Paul came in by the upper districts (Acts 19:1), and it is to be remarked that in speaking to this assembly later, the Lord Himself reminds her that she had fallen; that is, there had been a drop from the position in which she had been placed.
So my exercise at this time is that we might see that there is a level proper to christianity, proper to the assembly, and that means are supplied whereby we may maintain that level. Not that any new supplies have been furnished, for all that is requisite for the assembly was furnished at the outset; there has been nothing new; every contingency was foreknown and considered for, and ample supplies furnished. So that if we pray for things according to Ephesians, we pray to Him who does exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think; but the answers are “according to the power that worketh in us” Ephesians 3:20; the answers are in relation to what is already here. It would never do to intimate that God had overlooked anything. If Moses complained of his burden, which he did, he has an addition of seventy [p. 319] persons to help him, but the power was not increased; the power that they had was taken from Moses. It is a question, therefore, of understanding what is supplied, and using it. God helps us to use it; He can do that, and prayer brings Him in in that way. He helps us to use what there is, but He has furnished us richly, and that, I believe, is what the mount of Olives represents. The Lord went to it by Himself, according to John’s account (John 8:1); others went to their own homes, but their own homes, however attractive and comfortable, however full of natural affection, could never supply what Olivet supplied. The Lord went to the mount of Olives alone, as seen in John, but in Matthew and Mark He goes in a mutual way — He goes there with the disciples. As you will observe, it is in the plural: “And having sung a hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives”. Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26. It was a very remarkable occasion; there had been none like it before, nor has there been since; it was a transitional occasion. Great care is required in transitional seasons, so that in passing from one state and order of things to another we should not confuse or mix the lesser with the greater. The passover was the ending up of the old, and the Lord partook of it, declaring that He never should thus do so again; when He did it again it would be in a new way in His Father’s kingdom. There was an ending of that, of an order of things marked by types and shadows — not a spiritual order of things, although spiritual things were typified in them, but an order of things that appealed to the eye, marked by what was seen. It was a period, as I said, of types and shadows, and the danger is, in passing from that into a spiritual order of things, that the material should be carried into the spiritual. That is what has come about in christendom; overlooking that the Lord ended the literal typical system at the passover, christendom has [p. 320] gone back to it in one form or another. As the Lord’s supper had been instituted, symbolising the new order of things, they went to the mount of Olives; the food should now be His body. Everything now would hinge on what had come out, not in sacrifices of bulls and goats and a heifer’s ashes, but in Himself — “A body”, He says, “hast thou prepared me”. Hebrews 10:5. He had come in thus; He had come in saying, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God”, Hebrews 10:7 that was in the volume of the book. The principle of every book that can be acceptable or profitable must be that. Matthew begins with, “Book of the generation of Jesus Christ”, Matthew 1:1 and “in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God”. Psalm 40:7. He had come into that in which God’s will was done. The types and shadows had pointed forward to that, and now the body was there; and it was to be the food. “Take, eat”, He says. It is no longer the passover, but Himself — “Take, eat: this is my body”. Matthew 26:26. That was to be the food. You can understand how all this refers to spiritual food, not material.
Then it says, “Having sung a hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives”. You can understand how all the types of singing and musical instruments entered into that moment. The Lord understood perfectly the ministry of David. Matthew brings in the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David. David was the king, but he was also the musician — the sweet psalmist of Israel — one of the leading features of his ministry was music. The Lord understood that perfectly; we may be sure that all the skill of David was there, and more than that, and it would enter into that hymn in which undoubtedly He had part. All the best feeling was there; all that is spiritual, all that the Old Testament pointed to typically, was now there.
It was no longer literal harps and cymbals and other musical instruments, the period for these had [p. 321] passed. There is nothing we must be on our guard against more than the literality of the types; we have to understand them spiritually — that it is not now a question of literal musical instruments, but of what is spiritual. They sang a hymn and went out to the mount of Olives, thus plainly intimating that for the maintenance of this new order of things the literality must be shut out, that we must not go back to what has been discarded, what, as it says elsewhere, was grown old and aged. We are brought into the great antitype of music by the Spirit of God; they sang a hymn and went out to the mount of Olives. The source of supply now is there; the Spirit is plainly intimated in ‘olives’; it is the link with heaven. All that is requisite now for the service of God, for bringing out the best feelings in the people of God, lies in the Holy Spirit. I want now, having said that much, to pass on to the Acts, where the Lord is seen going into heaven. In the end of Luke He is carried into heaven. “He led them out”, we are told, “as far as to Bethany” Luke 24:50; that is to say, the saints are seen as under the Lord’s leadership — an important thing. He led them to a point “as far as to”, not beyond. In Luke He ascends from Bethany; He is carried up into heaven, but in the Acts the cloud receives Him, and He goes up from Olivet; at least they return from that point, as if they understand that it is now the time of faith; He was received “out of their sight”. Acts 1:9. He was no longer visible to the naked eye. It is not now a question of what the eye can see; it is “God’s dispensation, which is in faith”, 1 Timothy 1:4. They return to the city from that point, from Olivet, as if they understood that there lay the resources for them. In entering the city, they come from Olivet. Earlier the Lord had done exactly the same thing. Having gone to the mount of Olives for the night, He returns early in the morning to the city, and was [p. 322] in the temple teaching; John 8:1,2. But these go to the “upper room” from the mount of Olives. They instinctively go there. The Lord had already left the temple and departed from it; Matthew tells us that; Matthew 24:1. In the exit from the passover supper, having instituted His own supper, He left all the types behind in their literality; that order of things was to obtain no longer; all was now in Himself. “Take eat: this is my body”. Matthew 26:26. It was all in Himself; that was the idea.
In their going out to the mount of Olives, having sung a hymn, we are reminded that the dispensation in its highest features, the best feelings and affections of it, can only be maintained by the Spirit. The Lord had also left the buildings in connection with which the types stood. He left them and departed. They are left behind for ever for those who understand the mount of Olives. He had told the disciples privately, as sitting on Olivet, when it should happen that not a stone was to be left upon a stone which would not be thrown down of all these buildings. They were important buildings even in the eyes of the disciples at that time. Corresponding buildings today are important in the sight of some of the people of God, but the Lord departed from the buildings of the temple and announced their complete destruction.
Now they go into the city, it says, and they go up to the upper room; note they go up to it; it is a question of moral elevation now. Olivet stands above the city, and represents the power of the Spirit, that which links us with heaven, but the upper room is in the midst of the city for us. That means that we are set here surrounded by everything that tends to drag us down, particularly in a religious way, so in the light of that what they do is very significant, they go up to the upper room. That means that we go down in the eyes of the religionists; it is degradation in their eyes, but it is moral elevation to depart from [p. 323] and ignore what is antiquated, what is revered from antiquity, and which indeed has had divine sanction in years gone by, but which is now left behind for ever. To ignore that which is popular and that which everybody recognises for the sake of the truth means reproach and suffering, but it means moral elevation.
They went up to the upper room; and what follows plainly indicates that it was moral elevation, because of the kind of persons who were there. No ecclesiastical dignitaries were present; those who had a place in Jerusalem, such as Annas and Caiaphas, would not go there. As the moral elevation is understood, you go to the upper room, though going down in the eyes of religionists, but you are confirmed immediately by the persons you find in the place. Who are there? Both Peter and James and John, and all the other apostles. What about these apostles, who are they? They have no status whatever in the religious world, no ordination, no ‘cloth’, no religious education such as warrants the cloth. Who then are these people? They are the chosen representatives of Christ — that is who they are. He has ordained them, He has made His selection of these very persons that they might be with Him, as we are told elsewhere. They are in high favour in heaven, and that is important, for in the long run heaven will have the last word; they are well known there, as the Lord said, “Your names are written in heaven”. Luke 10:20, They are an excellent company; if you say anything against Christ there, you will soon find that it will be resented; they will not brook any attack on Him, either on His Person or His work. His interests are cared for by them.
Ask any of them what he thinks of Christ — ask Peter what he thinks of Christ. Well, he would say, that question was asked me by the Lord Himself, and I said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Matthew 16:16. He would also say, I was very poor in regard of that confession on frequent occasions, but [p. 324] the Lord corrected me, and I have learned from His correction and I know that that confession is true, for that is who He is. He told me also that flesh and blood had not revealed it to me. Peter would say to you, if you were inquiring from him, I advise you to keep away from flesh and blood in regard of the things of God; it is not to be trusted; the religion of the day is founded on it; it is a question of what man is, man in the flesh as recognised by current religion. It is just the world whitewashed by christianity; and Peter would tell you that the Lord said to him, “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven”. Matthew 16:17.
And again, if you had asked John about Christ, what a word you would get from him! Take his gospel, his epistles, and the Revelation, and see what he would say to you, and how the Person of Christ would be guarded by him. And so every one of them in that upper room had his own view of Christ. They were perfectly united in their view. Their appreciation of Christ was a perfect blend; but each had his own view, and you would be assured by your visit that that was the right spot. As a lover of Christ you would want to be there and nowhere else. It means reproach, it means suffering; like the man in John 9, you will be cast out as soon as they know it, but you have a wonderful company which you may call your own, and to which you may go, and that company is in that room; so go up to it. They went up, it says, to the upper room, and that is what they found.
Then what marked these people was not only that they had light about Christ, not only did they love Him, but they understood that if they were to be maintained in their then state and feeling, they must pray. The dispensation can only be maintained in relation to the Spirit. Prayer brings His power in and makes it effective. The Holy Spirit had not yet [p. 325] come in, but Olivet reminds them of it; the Lord’s relations with Olivet and those who had just come in from it remind them of the Spirit. The Lord had told them to tarry in Jerusalem till they should be endued with power from on high. The promise of My Father, as He says, was coming, and they were to remain in the city until then, but in remaining there they were not inactive. They gave themselves to prayer, not merely once a week as at the ‘prayer meeting’, but they gave themselves to it. It is the one thing they felt the necessity of above all others, if they were to be maintained at the level indicated by the Lord when the hymn was sung, and when they went out to the mount of Olives.
Then besides this certain women were there; “with several women”, it says, bringing in what we call currently the subjective, affectionate side. It says, “several”, for the assembly of God is composed not only of men, but also of women and even children, although they are not mentioned here. Luke brings that in in the most touching manner, as you might expect from Him. In chapter 8 you have the composition of the assembly in principle. The first is the man — the demoniac from whom the demons were cast out; he is seen sitting, clothed and sensible at the feet of Jesus. He can be entrusted with things; he can take care of things. The Lord indeed does entrust him; He says, “Return to thine house and relate how great things God has done for thee”. Luke 8:39. The man wanted to be with Him but the Lord could entrust him, so He says, “Return to thine house and relate how great things God has done for thee”, that is to say, he represents the intelligent, trustworthy, competent side of the assembly.
Then the next case is the woman who had the issue of blood, and who is healed by the Lord. She represents the subjective, affectionate, feeling side, that which estimates all according to God; what marked [p. 326] her at the outset was that she thought she could get healed and remain healed, secretly. That will never do in the assembly; to receive from Christ, to be healed, and others not to know it, will not do. If you hide that, you will hide something else. It is a dangerous thing to be hiding something from the assembly. We know that the wisdom of God is hidden there, that all is hidden there by God because it is a trustworthy vessel, but we are not to hide from one another. So the Lord says, “Virtue is gone out of me”, Luke 8:46 and He will not have it that way. You cannot be secretive with the brethren, you must be transparent. Peter and the others say, “Master, the multitude throng thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” Luke 8:45. But then the Lord is perfectly conscious of what is in Him, as He is also of everything that goes out of Him, so He says, “Virtue is gone out of me”. He went by that. He knows what is going on, and so this woman, it says, falls down before all and tells all the truth; that is transparency; you cannot have the assembly without transparency. Hiding things from one another the Lord will not have. Then He calls her “Daughter”, that is to say, she is owned in a parental way; she is now in family relationship with Christ.
Well, that is the woman, the next great component part of the assembly, as indicated in Luke 8; then the final element is the girl of twelve, and what comes out in connection with her is spirituality. You might not expect that in such a young person, but God intends it. He does not intend to foster the flesh in a child any more than in a grown person. Believers are to begin spiritually, not in a mixture of the flesh and the Spirit — of which we see so much. And so He says to Jairus, “Fear not: only believe, and she shall be made well”. Luke 8:50. Then He puts out of the house those weeping, who derided Him, and takes in there Peter and James and John, and the father and mother [p. 327] of the child. With Himself there were six — the most spiritual element; that was the idea. The seventh was the little girl; she was to be added alive — a perfect number in that sense, but all the fleshly element was shut out.
Then He takes her by the hand and calls her “Child”. Luke gives us that side, it is not ‘girl’ or ‘damsel’, but “child”, because here it is a question of youthfulness; it is a question of youthful energy, not fleshly energy, but youthful, fresh, spiritual life. It is a spiritual state of things, but withal there is freshness. Indeed, the “new man” in Colossians may be translated ‘young man’; it is the new fresh thing which God would have in the assembly. That is the idea from Luke’s point of view, the man, the woman, and the child — the child being the spiritual element. So here in Acts you have the women, “several women”, then the Lord’s mother and His brethren, so that all the interests of God are maintained; and that is to be kept in view. That which is in the, midst of the city is in perfect correspondence with the mount of Olives, representing the Holy Spirit come down from heaven; He came to that company. The Holy Spirit come down from heaven is the power by which this level of things is maintained.
Now I read in Ephesians so that you may see the thing directly stated. The apostle says, “Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit” — filled with the Spirit. There is abundant light in the epistle, but now he comes to the resources, the means or power whereby the thing is to be maintained at the high level indicated. Think of what is indicated in the epistle to the Ephesians, which I may call ‘our light’. We are enjoined, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come”! Isaiah 60:1. Ephesians is our light, and having it is one thing, but being maintained at the high level indicated is another, and that is the point; so he says, “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”.
[p. 328] It is not speaking to God, but a question of maintaining the right atmosphere in the hive, speaking figuratively; that is God’s thought, a certain warmth maintained there. We begin on the first day of the week with Christ and our associations with Him, but the point is to keep that up as having to go into the world. You go out warm, and you keep it up, hence prayer fits in beautifully, because it is thus that we are kept up. Much may follow to help us, but the great point is to be maintained through the week at the level you began with. That is to be a main concern, for after all the testimony is what we are outside.
Then Paul says, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. That is how the level is maintained, and so as speaking with one another under any circumstances, the point is what is the theme? what do we speak about together? Speaking in psalms and hymns means, as I understand it, that I appeal to the very best feelings you possess, not to the worst. If I bring up some criticism about you, or about something that you care for, it will draw out the worst feelings that you have; anyway it is calculated to do so, but if I speak to you in a psalm, or a hymn, or a spiritual song, I appeal to the best spiritual feeling that you have. I encourage you, I refresh you, and lead you to sing to the Lord, making melody in your heart. It is no longer the literal cymbal, or the harp, as used by David, but the human heart, the renewed heart of the christian that is the organ of song, of music now. “Making melody in your heart”, it says, “to the Lord, giving thanks ... unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
[p. 329] You can understand how simply the level is maintained, how the temperature, so to speak — the spiritual temperature — is kept up under these conditions. The Holy Spirit has room, and each being filled with Him there is no room for anything else.
Now in Philippians we have the confirmation of all this, in that the apostle says, “We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit”. “Beware”, he says, “of the concision”, that is, those who do not go all the way, who do not accept the death of Christ in its full bearing. Many of us retain certain features of the flesh; the good religious side, or social refinement, like Saul, as you will remember, who retained certain of the Amalekites’ sheep, and certain things that were devoted to destruction. “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep?” 1 Samuel 15:14. Samuel says. And then there was Agag himself, who came “delicately”, 1 Samuel 15:32. He was a refined man; and Saul had spared him. Many reserve certain things, and it is most damaging. The concision is that we do not go all the way. Beware of that, the apostle says. “We are the circumcision” — he accepted the death of Christ in its full bearing, in the “putting off of the body of the flesh”, the body of it; Colossians 2: 11. “We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh”. There you get the service of God maintained at the level instituted by Christ. We are taken out of the realm of literality, of sight-worship, and of man’s device; we are taken out of all that into the realm of the Spirit. We worship by the Spirit of God; the Lord said, “God is a spirit, and they who worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth”. John 4:24.