THE CHURCH IN PATTERN

THE CHURCH IN PATTERN

(John 20)

My impression is that you would distort the divine order if you make John 20 universal, or extend it beyond the ^[p. 69] church. You will bear in mind that the Lord is rejected in John, so that the Jews are called “the world” in John 15. Now are fulfilled the words — “And will glorify it again” (John 12: 28). The Lord is risen. Hence what relates specially to Himself is the beginning of the new order. The first creation finished with a man — Adam; Adam fell, and all that creation was made subject to vanity. Now the new has come, and it begins with the “second man out of heaven”. Hence I repeat, the circle of interest to His heart is the bride, which we find here in its two-fold aspect — heart and hands — Mary Magdalene represents the one, and the eleven the other. The finest trait of the heart is there in perfection. She gathers, as has been said, the disciples; all are there except Thomas (who represents the Jew, who looks for the Messiah as visible to the natural eye), but he is at length in this hallowed circle (verse 26) which is administration for Christ here on the earth; indeed, as in one sense, it will be during the millennium. There is no administration, as far as I see, connected with the kingdom save through the new Jerusalem. When Lazarus was raised you might say there was then the opening for universal display on the earth, and as to fact, our Lord’s entry as King took place the next day.

JND makes John 21 a millennial scene. Peter was out of the current of the Lord’s mind when he proposed to go a-fishing.

In conclusion, I may add that it is deeply interesting to apprehend from the word of God the portion of and promises to each company of His saints, if it were only to open out to us the peculiar distinctiveness of our own portion. It helps one to have the subject raised.