"LEST WE OFFEND"

“LEST WE OFFEND”

Matthew 17:1-5, Matthew 17:24-27; Matthew 18:1-10, Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 10:9-16, Acts 10:34-38, Acts 10:44-48

What I have in mind to speak a little about, dear brethren, might be summed up in what might be called divine interruptions. On each of the three occasions of which we read, we find God, or the Lord, interrupting Peter; each of them refers to Peter, and hence would indicate something of great importance. For God is the God of patience, and indeed this marks Divine Persons in dealing with men. This is witnessed in a wonderful way with Job. Think of how God waited for Job — Job and his three friends went on speaking, as recorded in chapter after chapter, and Job goes on till he finishes, and then, as it were, he puts his signature to all he has said, and signs it. (Job 31: 35. New Trans.) And then he continues his self-justification — a word or two more: “If my land cry against me, or the furrows likewise thereof complain, if I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life: let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.” And God does not speak till Job finishes, nor His representative Elihu. The words of Job were ended, and the words of his three friends were ended, and then Elihu speaks for God, longing to speak, “as wine which hath no vent — ready to burst like new bottles,” and says “I will answer thee — God is greater than man.” Then when Elihu has finished, God speaks: “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” “Will you condemn Me that you might be righteous?” God been listening day after day, day after day, until Job had finished, showing that when God does not wait till man is finished, it is of such importance that it is worthy of our profound attention.

While Peter was speaking, God interrupts him. God speaks; He does not wait for Peter to finish. Then when Peter refers to the Lord paying tribute, it says: “The Lord anticipated Peter” — did not wait for Peter to begin speaking. And in Acts, while Peter was speaking, God acts. One desires that the Lord might give us some impression of what is behind this. I do not want to dwell much on the Mount of Transfiguration tonight — wonderful scene! that has often brought worship from the hearts of the saints. But what I wanted to dwell on a little was that Peter says, “It is good for us to be here; if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias,” as indeed Mark says, “not knowing what he said.” God wants us to know what we say when we speak in the Divine presence.

Peter overlooks and does not preserve the unique glory of Christ “one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias,” and while he was speaking a voice came out of the cloud: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” One feels, dear brethren, the Lord is helping us as to the unique glory of Christ — nothing and no one must be put on the same platform as Christ. The tabernacle was built for the Ark, and the Ark is Christ. So we can see from the interruption of Peter that God will come in to secure in our hearts the unique pre-eminence of Christ. This has been so all down the history of the church; you find constantly the Spirit of God is intervening to preserve in our hearts the unique and special place of Christ. He does not stand on the same platform as even the greatest servant of Christ.

Let us follow on a little with regard to Peter’s statement lower down in the chapter. They come to Peter and ask, “Does your Master pay tribute?” and he says, “Yes,” without any qualification. Peter has just been one of the three on the Mount — he has seen the Lord’s face shine as the sun. What power, what glory, what majesty we see in the sun! — an expression of kingship according to God — it rules the day. And the Lord’s face had been seen by Peter, as the sun shining in all its brilliance. And they come and say, “Does your Master pay tribute?”

And Peter says, “Yes.” Do you think the Lord is going to let that pass? Then Peter has seen His raiment as white as the light — what blessed purity marked His garments, so different from ours! for, dear brethren, we all recognise that we are part of those who have washed their robes and made them white. We have to wash every action — I do not think there is one action, speaking generally, but needs some sort of cleansing as to our motive, our object. But Peter sees One whose raiment was white as the light, and they come to him and say, “Does your Master pay tribute?” Peter says, “Yes.” He had heard a voice. “Such a voice from the excellent glory.” I have no doubt that no one had ever heard a voice like that — not only that the words were wonderful, but such a voice — a voice that disclosed the supreme place that the Son of God had in the affections of the Father. We who are parents of children know a little of the way a father would speak to his son — such a voice, only infinitely greater: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear Him.” And they come and say, “Does your Master pay tribute?” “Yes.” Peter had heard on the Mount that the Lord must be the speaker and all must listen to Him. Then they come down from the mountain, and a mighty demon is there, one that the Lord speaks of as this kind — there were some manifestly more powerful than others.

Peter sees this blessed One rebuke the demon and cast him out. They say, “Does your Master pay tribute?” and Peter says, “Yes.” The Lord could not let that pass, and He anticipates Peter. Our Master is under tribute to no one; you might as well say the sun is under tribute. Could men demand tribute of the sun? Think of Peter saying “Yes.” “Then,” says the Lord, “are the sons free.” You can’t claim from sons, only from strangers. The Lord will not allow anything to pass that is derogatory to His Person. And then He says something which is one of the most wonderful statements in scripture: “Lest we offend,” and, linking Peter with Himself, says, “for Me and thee.” Then another ray of wonderful glory shines out — He says, “Go to the sea and cast an hook and take up the fish that first cometh up” — all is in His hands. How this would have brought home to Peter how wrong he was — the One who had everything in His hand, even to each fish! Dear brethren, let the light of that into our hearts, “lest we offend.” This glorious One whose face has shone as the sun, whose raiment was white as the light, to whom a voice had come from the excellent glory, “Hear Him,” this One who has control of the powers of darkness and can order demons to leave, and who holds the waters in His hands, could say, “Lest we offend.” He would render what none had title to claim rather than offend, and links Peter with Him — “for Me and thee.” How different is Christ to the natural man! He would not offend any, and He wants Peter to see the position clearly, and be like Him.

And then follows a great deal of instruction about not offending — nearly a chapter under the blessed influence of this One Who says, “Lest we offend.” He takes a little child and puts him in the midst, and warns against offending such. The seriousness of offending such is so great that, “better for him that a mill stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” And then the Lord says, “If thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee” — the Lord wants His people to be marked by non-offence like Himself. If necessary, the movements of our hands should be limited rather than offend — whatever we do with our hands, write letters maybe, do we offend? The One who was so great says, “Lest we offend.” Dear brethren, let us consider it when our hands move, when we begin some activity with our hands, let us read this: “Lest we offend,” “Me and thee,” is the Lord’s desire in this connection! And our feet, the path we tread, the places we go to, the movements of the saints, are they giving offence? Accept restriction rather than do that. And our eyes, our outlook; better to be limited than have an outlook which is damaging to ourselves and others. The Lord would have correspondence to Himself with every saint, “Me and thee,” to be true. It is worth suffering, worth having one hand, one foot, one eye go, if “Me and thee” is true, in not giving offence.

Now you can see clearly the great power of what follows — “If thy brother shall trespass against thee.” An individual who has travelled such a road as has been indicated and does not give offence at any cost, when he comes to see the brother who has trespassed against him, what power he will have! So often we have given offence, spoken bitter words, etc. If the brother will not hear him, then take one or two more like that — what power then! and then the whole assembly, if necessary, all marked by non-offence on their side. If he will not hear the assembly, then “let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” If a person would not hear Christ, there is no hope for him, and the assembly normally is like Him. Each member like Him, not just a number of human beings in a room, not merely those who know the Lord even, but characterised by the Spirit of Christ. If he will not hear the assembly, then that is the final word. Dear brethren, what I feel we want is the power that goes with non-offence on our part, the Spirit of the One in Matthew 17, who said, “lest we offend,” “give it for Me and thee.”

Well, one would just add a word about Acts 10. The Father interrupts Peter on the mount, saying, “This is My beloved Son.” The Lord Himself anticipates Peter so that he should understand something of the true position of Christ and the spirit of non-offence expressed in “Me and thee”; but here the Holy Spirit interrupts. It says, “While Peter yet spake, the Holy Ghost fell on all those who heard the word.” That wonderful movement in the latter part of Acts was something Peter never reckoned upon, and in order that Peter should be prepared for it, he became in an ecstasy. Do we go up into the house-top to pray? That is where ecstasies come — above the level of our own things; not that one would belittle praying about our own affairs for one moment, but this is above the level of our own things; we move up in our outlook in relation to what is of God, of heaven. So Peter is prepared with an ecstasy, and then a sheet comes down from heaven, indicating that heaven is moving, and in the sheet Peter sees four-footed beasts, wild beasts, creeping things and fowls of the air. And Peter says in answer to the word — kill and eat, “Not so, Lord.” He had never eaten creeping things in his life, not one; or yet wild beasts, and he never reckoned that God could cleanse wild beasts. How patient the Lord is as the Teacher! “What God has cleansed, that call not thou common,” and this was done three times. Then come Cornelius’ messengers, and later Peter begins to speak, and while speaking the Holy Ghost fell on all those who heard. Fell is a word which indicates affection, not like the fall of Babylon; but we get it in Luke where the Father ran and fell on the son’s neck. What one observed was that while Peter was speaking there is indicated the joy heaven has in embracing the Gentiles. Even then, Peter doesn’t quite accept the position, and speaks in a negative way: “Can any man forbid water?” But God acted, and he could say later, “Who was I, that I could withstand God?” What I think we can see in this is the delight of heaven in the extension of the word of God. Sometimes heaven acts quickly. The Father ran. As we get nearer the end, and we are undoubtedly near it, I think we have to be prepared for heaven to act directly, and to act quickly. We must not limit God — we must not limit God or the Spirit. God will maintain till the end the unique place of Christ. If any of us speak in a way that is derogatory to Christ, heaven will interrupt, and God will make clear His thoughts of His beloved Son. Though we are linked with Him in many ways, He is unique, and we love it to be so. None can make claims on Christ, none can claim tribute from Him; but although He is so great, He will not offend. And this is the only way for us to take up difficulties amongst us. And then there is the urgency of embracing the Gentiles. We love to think of it, for we are Gentiles ourselves — heaven was urgent in bringing us in. May we have such a spirit in our hearts, that we long for an extension of His work, even in quarters that we hardly would have expected it — to be prepared for divine activities.