MUTUALITY

^[p. 97] MUTUALITY

Luke 24:33 - 40; John 20:19 - 23

The word mutuality has been much in my mind today, and it is the word I wish to speak about from these scriptures to show that Christianity in its inception was to be marked by this.

The Lord in leaving His disciples on earth and going to the Father, took great pains to fortify them in view of the varied contingencies which would arise during the period of His absence, and I need not remind you that His words were not simply local in their bearing; they show the end from the beginning; indeed one might say that the gospel narratives are rarely, if at all, local. They are on the divine platform, it being the divine mind for them to be narrated and left with us. Their bearing is general and universal, so that in treating of the truth from different points of view they treat of it in its entirety, at least in principle. The epistles no doubt give details, but the gospels set out the truth in its general bearing, and this especially as referring to the truth of the assembly.

The Lord at the close of His sojourn on earth, having withdrawn from His public service, devoted Himself to the company He had drawn around Himself. He was about to suffer, and He had them in His mind, He was not thinking of the nation now, but the “you”, the tiny band of whom He had previously spoken as “a little flock”. He loved to regard them in that light. He said, “Fear not, little flock, for it has been the good pleasure of your Father to give you the kingdom”, Luke 12:32. It was the Father’s pleasure and He would prepare them for that, and for occupying here on earth until His return. So He devoted Himself to them, especially on the last night, the night of His betrayal, and the disciple John is specially ^[p. 98] selected by the Spirit as the vessel to enlarge on that evening. The disciple John, who styles himself as “that disciple ... whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7) was humble and unpretentious as to himself, yet enjoying the greatest thoughts and privileges. He had access to the heart of Jesus. He was, we may say, the antitype of the Urim and Thummim. Hence he was qualified to be taken up by the Spirit to narrate for us the occurrences of that last evening. He lived to be a very old man, and I have not a doubt that he reverted continuously to that time. It was the evening of all evenings to him, the evening in which he received impressions that never left him.

So he tells us in this whole chapter and the four following ones, about what happened, what the Lord Jesus did on that night. It is an account in which every one who loves Jesus delights, for he lives in what is there. The Lord, at the end of His discourse in connection with feet-washing and His betrayal, said, “A new commandment I give to you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34) That ye love one another: it is an enforced statement, and then to reinforce this He said, “By this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves”, John 13:35. Yourselves. Have we that? It is this word that I dwell on for a moment, for it conveys to us the thought I have in my mind, namely, mutuality. The word “yourselves” refers to John and James and Peter, Matthew, Thomas and all the others. It is a word that conveys mutuality. We are to have love amongst us.

Now before I dwell further on this point I wish to remind you that in John’s gospel the Lord places Himself, as it were, in the centre of a vast expanse, an expanse far exceeding what we call ‘the solar system’ The Lord was “the true light ... which ... lightens every man”, John 1:9. The light was impartial. The word impartiality may be conveniently grouped ^[p. 99] with mutuality. If you are partial you will not be mutual. If you are impartial you will arrive at mutuality. The Lord Jesus shone “on every man”, not every Jew merely. John says further, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men”, John 1:4. Dear brethren, let me press this on you and on myself, let us not refuse to be tested by that one statement. The Lord Jesus sets forth the great idea of impartiality. Christians are to be impartial. James says we are to act “without partiality”.

John tells us in chapter 13 that supper being ended, Jesus took a towel and water and washed the disciples’ feet. He might have requested that one of His disciples should help. No: there is to be no help in feet washing. You are to do it yourself. Do not say you cannot. The Lord did it Himself without any aid. Martha had complained that she did not get any help. There was ground for it from the natural point of view, but none at all from the spiritual. In service you do not seek it. The Lord was pleased to gird Himself. He took water, poured it into a basin, and washed the feet of each disciple. He did it. What a model for us! He says, “Do ye know what I have done to you?”, John 13:12. Doubtless we all know the letter of that wonderful chapter, but have we understood it? “Ye call me the Teacher and the Lord, and ye say well, for I am [so]. If I therefore, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet”, John 13:13 - 14. It is not that Peter should wash John’s, and that John should wash Peter’s in return; that is not the idea in “one another”. “One another” is a mutual expression.

Now to proceed. Judas then went out, and this new commandment was given. I have no doubt that Judas’ defection and betrayal of Jesus had brought into evidence their need of love amongst themselves. He had already probed them, in saying, “one of you”. They looked on one another, but each said, “Is it I?” Let us thus turn it on ourselves. That is the sure way of eating the sin offering. Do not say, “It is he”, but “Is it I?” Apparently they did not know Judas then. It is one of the twelve, “He it is to whom I, after I have dipped the morsel, give it”, John 13:26. “What thou doest, do quickly”. Jesus knew what was in Judas’ heart to do. It was to be done quickly. And as he received the morsel Satan entered into Judas, and he went out, and it was night. Judas was the leader of the betrayal and hatred against Christ; he is the inaugurator of the anti-Christian world. “He went out”, and took out into the world that which had never been there before, the spirit of the betrayal of the Lord Jesus. He left the circle in which Christ was, so there was the necessity for a new commandment in regard to them. Let us never be satisfied with our love for Christ. It is not anything like what it should be. In Peter’s case love was so hidden that apparently only the Lord knew it, but it was there. The Lord would have others know of your love for Him. Our love for Him is proved by our love for each other.

It is not wise to tell the brethren that the Lord knows your heart. Make inquiries as to how much they know. Do they know anything about your love? It is a good question. How much do the brethren know of it? Peter says, “Lord, thou knowest that I love thee” (John 21:16); but did John know? The disciples evidently did not know Judas, and that he had no love for Christ. The presence of love amongst ourselves enables us to detect evil, and the good also is rightly estimated. If we take note of who contributes to the saints we shall soon find out who has love. The apostle says, if we have not love we are nothing. The Greeks did not have love, nor the Jews; no nations had it; on the contrary they were hateful and hating one another. What a terrible spectacle the nations present at the present time! But the Lord’s thought was that there should be a circle here marked by having love amongst themselves. It was ever to be there. What a stand-by it has been for Christians since. See how Christians love one another. They have love. It is manifest in their meetings and in their general relations to one another. They prove, we may be assured, that “love never fails”, 1 Corinthians 13:8.

Now Jude comes in at the end, in view of the great apostasy: “Beloved ... keep yourselves in the love of God”, Jude 20 - 21. No one of us is a source in himself, nor can we do without each other; there is to be mutual preservation. “Praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God”. The love of God always exists, but we are to keep ourselves in it. The Lord says, “When the Son of man comes, shall he indeed find faith”, Luke 18:8. One might add, Shall He find love. He has left the Spirit here and has given a new commandment that He might find love when He comes. If a brother fails, the Lord will not cease to shine on him. He will shine on his back; but how much better to be in the circle of the praying ones:

“Ye beloved ... praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God”, Jude 20 - 21. It becomes mutual. You get love from the same source from whence I get it, for it is entirely impartial. It produces impartiality in your soul and mine, and hence a mutual state of things will exist.

I want to show you further from Genesis how a state of things such as I have described invites a divine visitation, and this visitation is characterised by mutuality. You will have observed that the conditions were such as the Lord could delight in; in other words, Abraham was living up to his light. He was in a tent. The Lord had spoken to him about circumcision. He had changed his name and indicated to him that he was to be the father of many nations. His name was changed from Abram to Abraham. He was in the light of the almighty power of God.

“^[p. 102] Walk before my face and be perfect”, Genesis 17:1. God says. And now Abraham is in the full light of his calling. He is intelligent as to it. He is sitting in the door of his tent in the plain of Mamre. Abraham lifts up his eyes; previously he had been told that the land, north, south, east and west was his, according to counsel, but Abraham never dug the foundation of a house. He lived in a tent. In Hebrews the Spirit tells us he dwelt in tents by faith with Isaac and Jacob.

The Lord acknowledged the walk and ways of His servant. He comes to His servant; He comes in company, not alone. Abraham saw “three men”. Lot saw two angels, but Abraham said “My Lord”, though there were three. He was intelligent and humble, yet in perfect liberty, recognising what the Lord would condescend to. He knew the Lord, so be addresses Him, as the passage reads, “My Lord”, and “they said”, The principle of mutuality is there, dear brethren, but Abraham carefully addresses the Lord, which every one who loves Him, I am sure, would do. The apostle says, “No one can say, Lord Jesus, unless in [the power of the] Holy Spirit”, 1 Corinthians 12:3. That is a remarkable expression. It is an expression of affection and respect. The Lord is pleased to be amongst us in grace, so in answer to Abraham’s proposal it says, “they said”. It is to convey the simplicity and mutuality of this remarkable occasion. There was a mutual answer to the proposal of the patriarch, as if the Lord would set Abraham at perfect liberty. There were three visitors to converse with, and before whom he could set down a repast. “They said, So do as thou hast said”, Genesis 18:5. Is it not attractive? Is it not worth our while to bring about these conditions? It is. The conditions themselves involve blessing unspeakable.

How much is attained when a visitation of the Lord is secured. He approves what He finds according ^[p. 103] to His own mind. He takes a place amongst us as recognising mutual relations, although, of course, always pre-eminent. Compare Peter and the tribute money. “Take that and give it to them for me and thee”, Matthew 17:27. The Lord is the Firstborn among many brethren. His message by Mary was to the company who had been attracted to Him, who had continued with Him through His temptation. They were precious in His sight. They were to be regarded as His brethren. Earlier He had partaken of the passover with them. Here again we see mutuality: “with them”. The Lord graciously imparts to the scene of Mamre the spirit of mutuality. I believe this spirit of mutuality will be in heaven eternally. It is “Jesus alone with themselves”, Mark 9:8. It is marked by perfect simplicity, and yet fraught with infinite blessedness. It is simply “Jesus alone with themselves” — ourselves. In the meantime, as we are true to His principles, we enjoy His presence in our own circle. There will be suffering, but how can this compare with the enjoyment within, the presence of the Lord amongst us? May He give to understand it, dear brethren.