MINISTRY IN LONDON (1)
J.C.Evershed
I have been feeling somewhat lately, dear brethren, the need of being nearer to the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. When I was quite young it was often said, Keep close to the cross. One would have done better to have taken more heed to it. There is need to be near the sufferings of the Lord Jesus.
It is a vast subject and much has been written about it and I do not pretend to be able to expound it, but we have here what must have touched the Lord's heart as the time went on. First of all the scripture speaks of “the feast of unleavened bread" (v 1), and then "the day of unleavened bread" (v.7), and then "when the hour was come" (v 14). It is not that one wanted to limit the side of enjoyment of Christianity, but I believe it leaves with us just that need of being nearer to His sorrows.
The feast of unleavened bread would for us be an exercise, as it was when it was convened, that they had to exclude all that was in the way of what would puff up. The way was made for the people to have occasion to learn the truth and consider its bearing as it is now. We have it in the Scriptures. "The passover drew nigh" - what must the Lord have felt as the passover time came. He would not feel in any way limited in His affections for His own, but rather did He look to them for consolation in the midst of His sorrows. I am sure they meant very much to the Lord Jesus. If we are faithful where we need to suffer on account of limitations, we would regard it as the Lord being pleased and He would promote it.
Then it comes to "the day of unleavened bread" when the passover was to be killed. No-one would know the Lord's mind fully as to that. They would be considering things but the Lord would have in mind that He was going to suffer Himself. And then ''when the hour was come, he placed himself at table". The Lord was going to feed them well, one might say, and what a feast it was, dear brethren! - the word as to "His own" and what He would have Himself in the time of the kingdom and then what He would have in the saints of this dispensation in the Supper being instituted in order that the counsels of God may be furthered; and the Lord would suffer for it. Of course, there are actual sufferings later in this chapter, and in the following chapters there are many ways in which the Lord suffered. It would often solve some of our problems, I feel, if one were closer to the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. In His Name.