THE NEED OF BEING WITH THE LORD IN HIS MOVEMENTS
W. McKillop
What struck me, beloved brethren, in these passages is the need of being with the Lord in His movements. Our brother referred in prayer to our going outside the camp in order to be with Him testimonially where He is, and I thought these two passages might be of some spiritual profit. In John’s gospel these two men followed Him because they were attracted. The Lord did not invite them, did not say anything to them, until He saw them following, but they were affected and attracted by the sacrificial walk because what John said to these disciples was
“Behold the Lamb of God”. He said that “looking at Jesus as he walked”. John no doubt was affected in his own soul by the sacrificial walk of the Lord, so He says, “Behold the Lamb of God”. I suppose it is intended by the Spirit of God that this title of Christ should affect us, and lead us to follow Him in what is sacrificial. So “the two disciples heard him speaking, and followed Jesus”. John was a great man, and it was right that they were with him at this point, but now they are attracted by the glory of a greater, by the glory of the Lamb of God.
So they heard him speaking and followed Jesus. “But Jesus having turned, and seeing them following, says to them, what seek ye?” I think the Lord is interested in what we are seeking as we follow Him—assuming that all of us are following Him. In a way it is quite right to follow with the brethren, but the divine thought would be that we should follow the brethren as they follow Christ. That Person is the great centre of things for us. So they said to Him, “Rabbi ... where abidest thou?” No doubt they were interested in where such a Person, walking sacrificially, I think that is a very practical question for exercised persons to address to the Lord today, “Where abidest thou?”
It might be said, Well He abides in heaven at the Father’s right hand and of course that is doctrinally true, but where is He abiding currently in regard of the testimony and the service of God? So they said, “Where abidest thou?” He says to them, “Come and see”. It is wonderful what being attracted by the Lord’s sacrificial walk opened up to these two. If we think of the sufferings of Christ as related to the testimony at the present moment, it is wonderful what will open up to us as we follow Him. “They went therefore, and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day”. It must have been a wonderful experience for these two. Andrew is named, so we know who that was, but the fact that one is not named means it is open to us to take up this way of following Christ, “And they abode with him that day”, which would be the assembly day, not the day of Israel, not the day of the millennium, but the assembly day.
I read in Mark because there is a contrast there which I think is more testing for us. John 1: 37 is that we can move ourselves on the principle of attraction as affected by hearing and seeing. But in Mark’s gospel the Lord would impress us with the fact that He is the One in charge, He is Son over God’s house. So it says, after He had fed this multitude, “And immediately he compelled his disciples to go on board ship”. I think we often forget that this enters into the Lord’s ways with us. He is delighted, of course, if we are attracted by Him but then He reserves the right to compel us, which means that our wills are surrendered and we come under His. “And immediately he compelled his disciples to go on board ship, and to go on before to the other side to Bethsaida, while he sends the crowd away”. That is, the Lord is doing something and these disciples had no part in it. They had part in feeding the multitude, but they had no part in this. It says, “And, having dismissed them”, that is the crowd, “he departed into the mountain to pray”. That brings before us the Lord’s present position in heaven and His priestly service there, but it relates to the position we are in down here. He compels His disciples to go on board ship and “he departed into the mountain to pray. And when evening was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea”. That is our present position, we are in the midst of the nations but not of them, “and he alone upon the land”.
The Lord is the only One who is actually in resurrection, and the power of resurrection is to be known by us, but the Lord is the first-fruits from among the dead. He alone is in resurrection but, as on the mountain, “seeing them labouring in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them, about the fourth watch of the night he comes to them walking on the sea”. I suppose the fourth watch of the night is getting close to the morning and the Lord is taking account of us as in this position, “the midst of the sea”, and “the wind was contrary to them”.
If we think of the satanic wind blowing around the earth how contrary to us it is, and so He comes to them walking on the sea. Well I think that is to encourage us; He comes to them walking on the sea. And then it adds, “and would have passed them by”. No doubt the Lord wanted to see whether they were alert, what their exercises were, what their desire was to have Him with them in the ship. He would have passed them by. “But they, seeing him walking on the sea, thought that it was an apparition, and cried out. For all saw him and were troubled”. It showed the low state that marked them; although they were in the midst of the sea and the wind was contrary to them, they should have known who it was.
It is a constant test for us to understand, as we take account of the assembly, how the Lord is moving and whether He would make to pass us by to see whether we are spiritually alert.
“And immediately he spoke with them, and says to them, Be of good courage—it is I; be not afraid”. That was the wonderful grace of the Lord. How quickly He acted to rectify their state so that they would understand who it was. “And he went up to them into the ship, and the wind fell”. How wonderful to find the Lord’s intervention in matters, although we may be somewhat in a low state, labouring and rowing and the wind contrary, and our low state leading us to not discern the Lord immediately or properly, yet in His grace He spoke immediately with them, “and says to them, Be of good courage”. There is a great need for courage at the present time because there is so much that is contrary, so many things Satan is raising up. I suppose courage is the opposite of being discouraged. He says, “Be of good courage—it is I; be not afraid. And he went up to them into the ship, and the wind fell”.
The whole matter is resolved by the Lord coming into where they were and, I am assured, beloved brethren, that the Lord loves to come into the testimonial position where we are and assure us saying, “It is I; be not afraid”. Often I think our courage is tested because of things that happen and have happened, and so on. But if He comes to us into the ship it assures us about everything. As we have been saying recently, He comes to us on the first day of the week and, having come to us, then He is also with us throughout the week and will say, whenever it is needed, “Be of good courage—it is I; be not afraid”. May the Lord bless the word.
Word in meeting for ministry, Ormond Beach/Bunnell
12 April 2005