THE LORD’S PERSONAL INTEREST AND LOVE
J. Renton
I recall that our brother whom the Lord has just taken read this verse in Luke 24 in very similar circumstances not so long ago. He pointed out that the conversing and reasoning of the two persons in this chapter were because they were bereaved and somewhat bewildered, and he suggested that there might be reasoning with some regarding why the Lord had taken to Himself a brother devoted to Him and His work, whom we would have thought was much needed; but he emphasized that “Jesus himself drawing nigh, went with them”. I desire to add now that these two persons who were bereaved and somewhat bewildered were the subjects of the personal interest of the Lord Jesus; “Jesus himself drawing night, went with them”.
Not only were these persons the subjects of the Lord’s personal interest, but the Lord desired that they should be conscious of being the subjects of His own personal interest. It is a great comfort, dear friends, to be conscious of the personal interest of One so great as our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who believe on Him are the subjects of the personal interest of “Jesus himself”. From verse 18 to verse 24 the Lord listened to them as they poured out their feelings to Him. What they said was somewhat mixed, but the Lord listened to them, “went with them”. Because they were the subjects of His own personal interest, Jesus Himself listened. Then in verses 25, 26 and 27, they listened to Him. The Lord will listen to us. He will enter into our inmost feelings about things, and then He has something to say, and there is comfort in listening to Him.
Among other things, He “interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24: 27). The comfort is in the things concerning Himself. What is natural ends in death. Links so precious, which are of God, end in death, nevermore to be taken up again; but there is comfort in listening to the things concerning Himself. Jesus Himself is the antecedent in all these verses which follow, Jesus Himself, in the intimacy which He would desire to have with each one of us.
So at this moment we can think of those who sorrow most and we can say that they are the subjects of the Lord’s own personal interest. Our brother was the subject of the Lord’s own personal interest; not only was but is. His interest in our brother goes on into eternity; it never ceases. It is because of His interest in him that He has taken him to be with Himself.
Now in John 11 there was a family who were the subjects of the Lord’s own personal love and these persons were conscious of being loved by Him. There is nothing more comforting, dear friends, than to realize that we are the subjects of the Lord’s own personal affection.
Lazarus was sick and his sisters sent to the Lord saying, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick”. They knew Him and trusted Him, and they could count on His personal love. How John writes these verses is very interesting—“There was a certain man sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and Martha her sister. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick” (John 11: 1, 2). But then in verse 5 it says, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus”. Each one was the subject of the Lord’s own, personal affection. Mary is mentioned first and she is commended for what she did outstandingly in response to the Lord Jesus personally; but in verse 5. Martha is mentioned first. They sent to the Lord, saying, “he whom thou lovest is sick”. I commend especially to those who sorrow most at this time that there is blessed comfort in knowing that each is the subject of the Lord’s own personal affection.
The apostle Paul could speak of One who had loved him and had given Himself for him, and we who trust in our Lord Jesus and His finished work can all take that ground. I need not say that our brother was loved and was no doubt conscious of being the subject of the Lord’s own personal affection. If there was one thing that marked our brother it is that he was loved. He had a place in our hearts. The very fact that so many are here today would be a witness to the fact that he was much loved by those who knew him; but he was loved most of all—and is loved most of all—by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. May the sense of being the subjects of the Lord’s own personal interest, and the sense of being the subjects of the Lord’s own personal love, comfort every heart.
Words at the burial of M. B. Thompson, Aberdeen
23 March 1983