LUKE WRITES WITH METHOD
[p. 47] LUKE WRITES WITH METHOD
Luke 6:12 - 19; Luke 10:20 - 22
Luke writes, as he tells us, with method, and I suppose that method is not simply chronological. I take it his method is moral, he arranges his subjects methodically, in order to present the truth in such a way that it should be expressive of God and of His grace, and also that it might be intelligible and acceptable to man. With this end in view, he removes every possible hindrance, so that the prejudices of men should not be aroused; that men should be in no way at a disadvantage when the truth is presented to them. So he introduces his narrative here with a peculiar incident, in which the Lord Jesus is seen descending from the mount with His disciples to a level place. But before descending He is presented to us as spending a whole night in prayer to God. This is not as John presents things. John records that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son”, John 3:16 but Luke works this out as seen and developed in the ministry and walk of Christ, so that one is impressed with the sense of what Elihu said, “My terror shall not make thee afraid”, Job 33:7. Luke takes pains in this way to present the Lord as allaying every prejudice in the heart of man, hence in his gospel — in his methodical presentation of the truth — he unfolds the grace of God as brought out in Christ, not indeed in the terse and concise way that John does, but according to the moral order which is characteristic of his writings. John says, “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”, John 1:17 but Luke breaks that up for us in a methodical way. So he begins by saying, “he went out into the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God”. What the Lord said to His Father in all that night is not [p. 48] recorded. It will doubtless be included in those books that John speaks of, that would fill the world if they were written, but they have not been written: John 17 does not give us this prayer. It was not uttered in the hearing of the disciples. “He went out into the mountain to pray”, it says, “and he spent the night in prayer to God”; that is, a Man mediatorially with God. Then it goes on, “when it was day”, that is, the time of working — when it arrived, He says, ‘Now I am going to associate men with Me — men known to others — some fishermen — some tax-gatherers, and so forth: I am going to associate these with Myself in approaching humanity’. So it says, “when it was day he called his disciples”; and then He made a selection. It is a mediatorial scene, that is, the activity of Christ in carrying the gospel in the most effective way from God, to man in the plain, is seen. It is Christ, and Christ mediatorially. “There is ... one mediator” the word tells us, “between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”. 1 Timothy 2:5 So the Lord calls His disciples apart in order to make His momentous choice, not thinking of their dignity, but of the men on the plain — the lepers, the demon-possessed, the paralytics, all the sin-stricken and sin-sorrowing of the plain — these were in His mind. The whole race of mankind was before Him — none less — for He was the Son of man, and all that fell to man was His; not only the assets, but the liabilities. We must not forget there were assets, for God has indicated these, and they stood awaiting Christ’s coming: dominion over creation, the throne of David, and priesthood — all these came under Christ. But then the liabilities — terrible and far-reaching in their nature — were His also. Let us think of that — that I was a liability; I was no asset; and the Lord had to take account of my affairs, and to meet them in death; nevertheless, when it came to Him, He shirked nothing.
[p. 49] So He called His disciples, and chose twelve who should be His associates in the mission that He was about to undertake. It is well to have before our souls the care and forethought with which the Lord Jesus in becoming Man took up His work. He nominates twelve men, whom, it says, also He named apostles. It was an official act, and all the official acts of Christ were with good in view. He had before Him the welfare of others. It was no question of ennobling those twelve men; the point was to do the work; the nobility and honour would await them (that we shall speak of later); the point in the Lord’s mind was that they should get on to the plain as fast as possible and with the best equipment. The need was on the plain: every sinner was there: the ‘no-difference’ doctrine of Paul belongs to the plain. Judaism was national — a sort of mountain towering above all others, whereas Paul brought in the ‘no-difference’ doctrine, which answers to the scripture we have here: “having descended with them, he stood on a level place”; and he brought it in in a peculiar way, not only announcing ‘no difference’, but acting on the ‘no-difference’ principle. He could say to Peter at Antioch: You are not acting it. Peter had drawn back, turning the saints aside from the principle of the plain. Paul held to it and says, “I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed”. Galatians 2:11 Is there anyone holding preferential position in the things of God? There can be no such position from the divine side manward. So Paul says, “Unto the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews”. 1 Corinthians 9:20 I got on their level, he says — that is the idea of the plain: I became “all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”. 1 Corinthians 9:22 He was entirely in accord with the mission of Christ; he had no thought of his own dignity. Let no one think that a preacher is above his congregation; he must come down to their level,
[p. 50] and below them, if he is to help them. Paul became all things. Whatever men made him — whatever indignity was laid upon him — he was ready to accept it in order to reach precious souls.
Now we find the Lord formally accrediting the apostles as His representatives, and in this connection it is interesting to note that it does not say He sent them (this He did afterwards), but “he came down with them”. It is what one has just been asking the Lord to do — to come with us. The remarkable thing here is that it does not say that they came with Him, but He with them, that is, they are to do the work now. It is very wonderful that God should take up men to set forth the gospel, for angels are mightier than men, but He is pleased to take up men — men who are restored in their right hand. We find, in the incident that precedes this, the Lord going into the synagogue and healing the man whose hand was withered. The right hand must be healed. “The heart of a wise man is at his right hand”, Ecclesiastes 10:2 that is, in other words, the servant of Christ is actuated by love. So his right hand must be stretched out and healed; he is to be actuated by his heart, not by his head — actuated by love for souls.
And now the Lord descends with His disciples to a level place. Where are you tonight? Are you prepared to take a humble place with the race of humanity, acknowledging that you are no different from all others? See the kind of people who were on the plain! — “a great multitude of the people, ... and those that were beset by unclean spirits”. Note it says that first they “came to hear”. Are you prepared to hear what Christ has to say to you tonight? This meeting is in order that you may be spoken to in grace, and the Lord would raise the question with you as to whether you came to hear. Now that is an important point. It first says, they came to hear Him; and secondly, to be healed of their diseases. That is the [p. 51] moral order. They were not only affected in regard to their diseases, they wanted to hear. We read of one who says, “I will hear what God the Lord will speak; for he will speak peace unto his people”. Psalm 85:8 What would the Lord say to you? He would speak to you according to the state of your soul, but He is not limited to that. In speaking to Mary He was not addressing her according to the state of her soul; we are simply told that He was speaking and she was hearing. She was an advanced hearer, we might say. It is of moment, not only to hear what the Lord would say to you personally, but to give ear to whatever He says. Poor Zedekiah said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah 37:17 He was not prepared for the word that came, for that word was terrible. Jerusalem was to be destroyed and sacked, and the kingdom taken away from the poor king: it was a dreadful word, nevertheless, it was “a word from the Lord”. But whilst the Lord speaks to you, as I was saying, according to your need, He speaks other things, and we want to hear whatever He says. Everything He says is of value, so Mary was listening, we are told, to what He was saying. He is the Word of God, and He is not limited to the need of my soul; He speaks of God. So in the narrative in this chapter we find they “came to hear”. The Lord has got a word for you. He would remind you of your need of Him. After all, you will not gain much in your endeavour to find satisfaction in the world if that is what you are after. I have seen a good bit of it, though not like Solomon; I have seen it in passing, but Solomon saw it and tasted it by the help of God. No one can say that today. Any man who goes in for the world today has to do so at his own expense, but it was not so with Solomon; he had ability, intelligence and means, so he drank of all the rivers. “All the rivers”, he tells us, “run into the sea; yet the sea is not full”. Ecclesiastes 1:7 It was his own poor heart he had in view. It [p. 52] was a big heart, as he was a great man, and the rivers all turned into it, and yet he was unsatisfied. So we may say with the little bit you have got, and the little bit I have got — there is no satisfaction. You may obtain it according to your price, to the extent of sixpence or a shilling, a pound, or one hundred pounds, whatever your means may be. If you have the means of a Rockefeller you could buy it to any extent, and yet, like that poor man, you might not, perhaps, be able to digest a single meal. However much your means, you cannot be satisfied with what you buy, for the elements of satisfaction are not there. I am stating things that all may know, but they are timely things to say. War is over, and Satan is busy seeking to rearrange and readjust things to satisfy his votaries of whom, alas! the greater number of the world consists; he is active, I say, and rearranging his affairs so that he might lull to sleep the exercises which have arisen in the hearts of men. God would stir up, by means of all that men have passed through, a sense of responsibility towards Himself; a sense, too, of all that obtains in the world — its wickedness and woe, and Satan is working to allay all that by the racecourse and places of amusement. But the elements of satisfaction are wanting: “Her guests are in the depths of hell”, Proverbs 9:18 we are told. Terrible language! — the world in that character setting itself under Satan’s direction to decoy and destroy the souls of men. Well, wisdom, in face of all this, lifts up her voice. “Wisdom is justified of all her children” Luke 7:35; and her children appear in this gospel. So now we find the Lord Jesus, having come down, associates with Himself twelve men to relieve those on the plain. That is what He is doing tonight, coming down to your level, endeavouring to impress you with the sense that He is near you, so that virtue, which is available for you from Himself, might be imparted to you. So first the people hear; then they want to be healed; and then it says, “all the crowd sought to touch him”. There is a general movement in the multitude towards the Lord. Are you prepared to make a move in that direction? As having come down to your level, He has placed Himself where He can be touched, becoming one of us, as it were, in His grace, for it says, “power went out from him, and healed all”. How beautiful is His grace! I would appeal to you if you have any need in your soul to come and touch Him. Lay hold of Christ on the principle of faith, for, after all, the word is not far from you; you have not to go to heaven, or to the depths, “the word is near thee”, the apostle says, “in thy mouth and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach”. Romans 10:8 How terrible is the responsibility of a child of christian parents, brought up in a christian home, and taught to read the word and to pray. The word is near you; it is all about you. Are you to put it away? And what is that word? It is “the word of faith, which we preach: that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from among the dead, thou shalt be saved”. Romans 10:9 How beautiful! How simple! Mark you, I am not now referring to what I am saying; I am speaking of what you have in your heart and mouth, that is, “the word of faith, which we preach”. And then it goes on to say, “If thou shalt confess ... thou shalt be saved”, Romans 10: 9. May I appeal to anyone who has not come to a decision to lay hold of the word in this way. I can remember when I did. It came about in the most simple and unexpected and unpremeditated way, but I never faltered after that. You believe, and confess that Jesus is Lord. You lift up a standard in the presence of the enemy; you own Christ publicly as your Lord, and you believe in your heart privately with God.
I could not put the gospel in a simpler way to you.
[p. 54] I do not pretend to be a ‘plain’ man, but I would endeavour to be one tonight. I would present the gospel as I see it. Christ has come down with His apostles to the plain, to heal men, and it remains for you now to confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and to believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the dead. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). If anyone were to ask me why I have got a mouth, I should reply, ‘To confess Christ with’, and the first use I am to make of my heart is to believe on Him. He is presented thus to me that my heart should believe on this blessed Man raised from the dead.
And now one word as to the other side. While Christ accords power to those who present the gospel on the plain, their honour and dignity is not there. The occasion of rejoicing of the people of God is that their names are written in heaven. The seventy come back and say, “even the demons are subject to us through thy name”. Luke 10:17 What a testimony! They came back victorious and occupied with their victory. Like many of us, we are all disposed to live in what marks us in testimony and in service, but the Lord does not give us power for service in order that we should live in that. That is a peculiar kind of power intended for service, but not to live on. The occasion of our joy is elsewhere. The life, privilege, honour and dignity of Christ all lie elsewhere; they lie outside of man. So the Lord says, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven”. Luke 10:18 That is a greater victory. ‘You are talking of what has happened on earth’, He would say, ‘but I saw Satan fall from heaven’. How beautiful! Think of your name written in heaven: think of my name written there! In travelling about the world one has to write one’s name a good many times — one’s name, age, mother’s name, and whereabouts — all that [p. 55] information has to be furnished. But what I would say is, you will not have to give this in heaven, your name is already recorded there eternally, your name is actually written there. When the matter of books comes up, we find that the book of life is brought in as a further testimony in regard to the lost. The books are opened, it says, and the dead are judged according to their works. The works are recorded, according to those books. The word is ‘books’, suggestive of a number — a reflection which fills the heart with sorrow as one thinks of the vast numbers of this poor race classified with the ‘dead’ — “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God”. Revelation 20:12 Terrible thought! But then it says, another book (not books) was opened, for all the names of the redeemed are in one book; the thought of unity is there, all the names of the redeemed are written. Now, it is noticeable that it does not come into view at the translation, it is not searched in order to find whether my name is there before I go up, it comes into view a thousand years later in connection with the lost. The other books are opened first, and there is abundance to condemn, but it is as if God said, ‘Lest there should be any mistake, I shall look in the book of life, and see if your name is inscribed there’. In order that every conscience may be satisfied that there is no possible hope for the lost, no kind of exemption for them, God opens this book. Are you prepared to have your name entered in the book of life? It is a serious matter, for records are being constantly kept, and your responsibility is put down against you. The book of life is a special book in which the names of the saints are inscribed in legible characters. They are perfectly readable and cannot be erased. It says in Revelation, in the address to Sardis, “I will not blot his name out of the book of life”. Revelation 3:5 It does not say any are blotted out, the statement is made in order to assure the redeemed that [p. 56] their names are not blotted out. If Christ does not blot them out, who can?
But here what we find is that our names are registered in heaven. Think of that, that my name is written in heaven. How it should sink into every christian’s heart! You rejoice in that. I have often raised the question with myself, as to whether I ever did rejoice in it. There is a book which is called ‘Who’s Who’ in which is entered the name of every person of importance in the United Kingdom, their ancestry, rank, etc. When I go up to heaven, how many of those men shall I see there? There is a book in heaven after the pattern of ‘Who’s Who’, and the name of every heavenly christian is there. So the Lord says, “Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”, and then He rejoices — the Lord rejoices — in spirit. In following the gospel narrative how one’s heart is drawn out to the Lord in all the woes of His path; so when one comes to a point like this — one of the bright spots in His sojourn here — how one rejoices. When He touches the thought of heaven, immediately He thinks of the Father, of His counsels, of His abode, of all that He has before Him, and He rejoices in spirit, for nothing of all the Father’s counsels shall fail, everything will come to pass, so we shall each have our place in heaven according to the Father’s appointment.
What a prospect for us as drawing nigh to the end! One can be conscious of a spirit of expectation arising in the hearts of the people of God. As the world goes down in utter confusion, so the hopes of the saints grow brighter. So the Lord rejoices in spirit; may not we rejoice with Him, for not only are our names written in heaven, but the effectuation of the counsels of God is nigh. May God bless His word!