THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN AND THE LIGHT OF LIFE
[p. 94] THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN AND THE LIGHT OF LIFE
Matthew 2:1 - 12; Matthew 4:12 - 16; John 8: 12; Philippians 4:8
I have in mind to present from these scriptures some thoughts as to guidance — guidance by what is in the heavens, what I might designate as entirely objective, and then guidance by what is on the earth — that is, the light of heaven and the light of life. These two means of guidance are collateral; that is, they run together and should not be separated. We find them early, the first is in the record of the fourth day in Genesis 1, and the second is in the fifth and sixth days. The principle of life precedes this — in the third day of Genesis l — and that is not accidental, it is designed, the divine thought obviously being that the principle of life exists; otherwise guidance, or the means of guidance, would have no force, for inanimate things need no guidance. Nor would there be anything answering at all to God in the universe aside from life, for God is the living God. So the principle of life is seen in the third day. It is but the principle, as I said, the law of life; that is, vegetable life, a kind of figure much used in Scripture as to life — that is life according to God — and is only capable in persons. The figure is applied to persons, even as to the Lord Himself as “the grain of wheat falling into the ground”. John 12:24. And so the principle of life being there, we have the luminaries set up in the heavens which divide between the night and the day, to be for signs, for years, for seasons. And they stand, they are in a way fixed and so may be likened in some sense to principles. Principles are fixed and unvarying, whereas life is pliable and so the full thought of it awaited the incarnation of the Lord Jesus. Hence we have,
“[p. 95] In him was life; and the life was the light of men”. John 1:4. That is not heavenly — not that He does not remain life, for as in heaven He remains what He was, He is the same in that respect, His condition being changed He remains the Same — but “In him was life, and the life was the light of men”, not ‘is‘ but “was the light of men” John 1:4 refers to Him as here, to the great principle of life. All the thoughts of life set out in Genesis found their answer perfectly in the Lord Jesus. So we have the two thoughts: one the heavenly, referring in the main to Matthew, and the light of life found in the main in John. It is John that tells us that “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not”. John 1:4,5.
As to the kind of light it is, it is not what we are ordinarily accustomed to, because darkness must go in the presence of light ordinarily, but the nature of the darkness is that it remains. It will go, of course; the whole universe will be cleared of darkness, but the nature of the darkness in man is that it stays. Notwithstanding the brilliancy of the light “the darkness comprehended it not”. John 1:5. Now it is disappearing — “the true light now shineth”. 1 John 2:8. It is passing — not past. In whatever measure the principle is active, there is a testimony to it, that principle is active and the darkness is passing. One may apply it to oneself and discern how in his history darkness began to move until he became light, so that we may say the darkness is passing for him. The principle is active and will be active until every bit of darkness has been dispelled.
Well now, the magi came in for consideration in regard to the heavenly side of the truth, or the light. They represent a class that is what you would call educated or scientific persons, which God takes account of, for He is not a respecter of persons. He certainly will not reject a man because he is educated. The rather will He come into his circumstances whatever [p. 96] they may be. Even if they be university circumstances, God can come into them and does. In one sense these things are of little importance to God. He may come into a palace or university as into a house or a coal mine. He operates where men are, because they are men. The light is the light of men, whether wise men or ignorant men. And so these men saw the star of the Messiah, King of Judah, they had perception enough, they perceived, there was something more than natural ability to see this star. They saw it, and were affected by the sight; that is to say they were amenable to a divine intervention. They were capable of being affected by a divine intervention in their own circumstances and they removed. That is one great principle in regard to light or guidance, one moves according to it. But then one may make a start and miss, for we are not given to understand they prayed about the matter. I was remarking that life preceded in Scripture the thought of light or guidance, and it is entirely fulfilled in Matthew, for the life was there. Speaking reverently about the Lord, He is expressly called “the young child” Matthew 2:14 in this chapter. Although the life was there, it was there, we may say, in principle. It was there, all that He is was there, all that He is personally for you cannot alter His Person. How He could be there is another matter, we have to leave that, it is beyond us. I am speaking of what was external and it was a “little child”. A small thought, but it was there. And so there was something in heaven in communion with the movements under heaven. We get it later in John, too, “the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man”, John 1:51 that is, they begin with Him. But I am speaking now of the principle of life, however small it was, it was there, for the chapter opens with it — “Jesus having been born in Bethlehem”. The thing had happened, the life was there, and the star alluded to it. The star had in [p. 97] mind that it should be reached, and so it is always the principle pointing to where the life is, however small it may be, however obscure it may be. We must never divorce the principle from the thing that it leads to. Now the wise men saw the star, “Jesus having been born”, it was a fact. It was no longer a question of promise. They saw His star in the east and came to worship Him. But they do not come to the right place, no doubt governed by their natural thoughts; where would He be but in the royal city? But it was not in the royal city, nor did the star indicate that it was in the royal city. There is no connection between the star and Jerusalem. I call it the royal city, Matthew calls it the royal city, but for the moment it was where Herod was, in the days of Herod. But there is a great connection between the fact that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem and the star, and it was for them to find out, to find a way to the spot where the life was. I use the word ‘life’, but it was the Lord Jesus, the Person was there, as I said before, in wonderful mystery infinitely beyond any research of men, He was there. I am speaking of what is external, and they came to Jerusalem. Now, dear brethren, what I deduce from all this is that the star is accurate, it is unerring, which points to Christ, which points to what is here, to what is to be found. Whatever the outward appearance is, it is unerring. And so the wise men missed it in coming to Jerusalem. Not that God did not over-rule what they were doing, for they sought “the young child”. Their object was right, they came a long way, and it is to their credit, but then do they pray? Do they ask God who sent the star and showed it to them, as to just how they should find the blessed Person? For guidance is not a matter for a year, it is a continual thing, it is a momentary thing. I have got to get it for every step, and I have got to watch for the indication because there are so many things, so many currents, that may [p. 98] defile me, unknowingly even. There was the great current of national repute and politics. These men were conversant with Jerusalem and what it stood for — it was the capital of the Jewish territory — but then would Jehovah have directed them to the would-be murderer of Jesus? We shall never be guided in that direction if we seek guidance from heaven. They found their way to Jerusalem. I suppose the best roads led in that direction. They arrived at Jerusalem, and say, “Where is the king of the Jews?” A very worthy question — but then I have to be wary as to the persons I enquire from. What kind of answer will they give me and what effect will my question have on them? May it stir up motives of which the flesh is so capable which will lead to disaster? They were evidently questioning in Jerusalem in a very irregular sort of way, but the tidings came to the ears of the king and although the king is worldly wise enough as to the persons who are likely to know and they give him a sort of correct answer, yet this does not make up for the great mistake of being governed by natural thoughts, so ready to come up with each one of us. It is the most momentous matter possible for us. “We have seen his star in the east”. They said, “We have seen it” — they were not seeing it now, not that they were not scanning the heavens for it. They were, as it were, labouring under their own charges. Did they not miss it? Did they not look behind to see where the star was moving? There is no intelligence. But now they move again, they come in the direction of the little Child and they see the star. That is to say, I am out of range of natural thoughts now — the star does not belong to that realm. Whatever my motive the star is out of all that and as soon as I move out of that realm the star appears, and I am capable of being impressed. How beautiful it is, “they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”. Who of us has not had [p. 99] some experience of that? When that heavenly light comes into the soul it points to Christ always. Who of us has not had the joy of a ray of light from heaven directing the heart to Jesus? Directing, it may be, to some great feature of His Person. How great a joy it is; the Lord would encourage us to such experiences. “They rejoiced with exceeding great joy”, and the star stayed over the house where the little Child was. “The little child” or “the young child”, the Spirit would impress that it is not great externally, not yet. It is to fill the universe, as in John the Lord says, “I am the light of the world”. It is a little Child, but it is to the same purpose. As a matter of fact, it is how we all reach Him — in a small way to begin with. But when there is divine guidance, when clear of the natural realm, what joy of heart when I see the star and I know definitely that it is leading me; that there is nothing else in vision now but the sought one — the little Child. The King of the Jews was now in their minds, that is what they had in mind — the great thought — but for the moment it was where the little Child was. If they had been governed by natural thoughts it was a very absurd sort of place. There would be nothing to answer to their national thoughts, it appeared, a little child with its mother. However little, it was what they sought. No hesitation — no questioning — for questioning denotes uncertainty. Now they are certain, there is no mistake. The natural heart might say, ‘Well, there does not look to be much reality there’. But it was there, and there was no hesitation with them now. So you see that as we come out of the natural, the star would direct us to the light.
The principles are as true, as fixed, as any heavenly body and they always point to what is of Christ on earth, you may be sure of that.
Well now, I would not dwell on what is so well known to us, that is, the beautiful movement of their [p. 100] hearts. They worship, and they were not empty-handed men, not mere professors curiously seeking to see this great personage. No, they were worshippers; they were in keeping with the requirement of the Old Testament, that no one should appear before God empty-handed. They had gold and frankincense and myrrh, beautiful tribute to the now suffering Saviour. He had come to suffer, murder was all around Him and that in high places. Well might they have the myrrh! How beautifully it fitted! They are amenable to heavenly guidance. They will never go back to Jerusalem again. Let us one and all, young and old, learn to renounce the realm of the natural, it is always uncertain and darkening. The principles of light point to life, they point to Jesus, however obscure. He is there, and if we wait we will find Him. Well, in the next chapter, we have not the little Child but the Man. The thing is in full activity, when He heard that John was cast into prison, that is, the time for service had arrived. There is no idea of His serving as a little child. Now His time for service has arrived, He has overcome the wicked one. You might say that He would have known of John being cast into prison, but He heard. He is the true Man here, taking account of things and as John was cast into prison His time for service is come. He is in Nazareth. He has been to Bethlehem — the wise men saw Him in Bethlehem — but He is now in Nazareth, the place where He was brought up and He went into Capernaum, which is a suggestion that He had no natural thoughts — no thoughts of comfort — in His service. Capernaum was a much less healthy place than Nazareth, several hundreds of feet below the level of the sea. There was no attraction for anyone there naturally, save as they have another motive, and the Lord Jesus had another motive. He was going down to serve and to die. You can understand the radiancy of the light now, it is not in one’s own self-exaltation,
[p. 101] there is no light in that; the antichrist exalts himself — his coming is after the working of the devil. Whereas we find Jesus went down, and you can quite understand what radiancy of light there was. And so you have here that “light is sprung up” — not going down, but sprung up, as you will see, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, ... The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up”. It was not shining down from the stars now; I wish you to notice that, dear brethren, because we are now on the lines of light as guidance, as yet that is, for people are sitting in darkness. How much of that there is abroad in christendom! “Sitting in darkness”, unaware of the terrible pall of darkness that rests upon them. But here is light springing up in the midst of them. It has sprung up in the midst of them, as one often thinks of the Lord Jesus, He dwelt in Capernaum, either rented or borrowed a house — what a thing it would be to live next door to Jesus! What lessons to be learned! When the woman of Shunem saw the man passing by her door she took notice of him. She said he was a holy man of God. What should I think if I lived next door to Jesus, what conclusion would I come to? Peter says, “Thou art the holy one of God”. John 6:69. What minute things Jesus would have done; He says, “I am among you as he that serveth”. Luke 22:27. What would He not do? What light there was! You never saw a man act like that, speak like that! It might be about the most trivial things, as we speak, but He was subject as to them, and every word would be light.
Well, we are to look for these things, dear brethren, what is springing up. That is to say, the work of the Spirit of God in the saints. That is the idea, there is that here that springs up, as in life the earth was to yield; so Christ is to spring up, that is the idea of life. The well springs up. “In him was life” — it was not in any other — “and the life was the light of men”. John 1:4,. And here it was in Capernaum, shining all around — no wonder the Lord says, “And thou, Capernaum, who hast been raised up to heaven, shalt be brought down even to hades”. Matthew 11:23, Luke 10:15. And so now, relatively, the true light is shining, dear brethren, however little it may be, it is shining in the saints of God, and it is for me to see it, that is what I am speaking about — look out for the light. And so in John 8 you have the expression “light of life”, that is just what I am leading up to. The Lord had been doing much in the way of stooping down and the Spirit of God speaks about His actions in that well-known chapter. He stooped down and then He lifted Himself up — remarkable expressions — and He stooped down again and He lifted Himself up. These were remarkable actions and everyone of them was full of light — light was radiant in all of them. As Jacob says, “I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah”. Genesis 49:18. What shone there came from no other than the Messiah. His speaking and ways pointed unmistakably to His Person and so in this verse I have read He says, “I am the light of the world”. Can anybody dispute it? No one! No one would, there was unmistakable evidence of it there — He, the Light of life, was there — who could dare to deny it? The saints could never be that, they “shine as lights in the world”, Philippians 2:15 but He was the light of it! Of no other person could that be said but God Himself! But then He says, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. And so this gospel is intended to unfold, among other things, of course, the deity of Christ, His Person is in the gospel, but it is intended to disclose thoughts as to principles of the “light of life” here on earth. It is not that He is in heaven, it is the light on earth here. He is the Light of life, not simply light, but the Light of life; and that is the point — [p. 103] in all our uncertainties there is the unmistakable guidance of the star, that is, fixed principles, and then there is the guidance accruing from the work of the Spirit of God in the saints. There is something in them that is in accord with Christ. It is the work of God, but nevertheless it is the true light. The one is the complement of the other, it is the question of the Spirit of God being here working in the saints, so the same life is here. It may be obscure, but if we watch carefully enough we will see it, and if I see it it is for me. It is none other than the work of God and I must identify myself with the work of God. I should never look for it aside from righteousness. I should be looking in a false direction if I look in any other direction than after righteousness, “every one who practises righteousness is begotten of him”. 1 John 2:29. Where righteousness is I can look for it. In Haggai we have the thought of the priest being asked if anyone bear holy flesh in his garment, will that make what the garment touches holy? No! The priest says it will not. I may have the best doctrines, as we say, in the Bible, but a garment that is unholy can never be made holy by this. Then again it says, if a man is unclean by reason of touching a dead person, will he render different articles of food clean? No! He will render them unclean. If he is unclean, will the priest make them unclean? Yes, he will, the priest will make them unclean. Whereas if I am holy and I touch the unholy thing, I am made unclean. You see how “evil communications corrupt good manners”. 1 Corinthians 15:33. But good manners will not change bad manners. I have to separate, that is the principle. There is no way out of it; and so, as I was saying, the light of life is connected with righteousness. It must have righteousness as its fundamental. The structure is built up on righteousness.
I just turn in closing to Philippians, that well-known verse. It is a beautiful epistle on this subject; it is [p. 104] the complement really of Ephesians. Ephesians is the great doctrinal epistle for the heavenly calling of the assembly, but Philippians is the working out of it in the saints — a beautiful epistle for the guidance of life among the saints of God. Now you will find the apostle is guided by that very principle when he went to Philippi, he went out by the riverside. The word of God began in that connection, the roots were well set, that is Philippians. There was much in Philippi, the principle was “that ye may judge of and approve the things that are more excellent” Philippians 1:10 — however much you may have added to it. So that this verse helps in what I am speaking of, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. Now these are the evidences of life, however little — “if there be any”, “whatsoever” — think on them. So that we are to live in the realm of the positive, of what is of God; “think on these things”, he says. I read the verse because it amplifies in detail what I am speaking of, that the Philippian saints, more spiritual perhaps than any of us would think we are, are enjoined to this, not to be occupied with what is evil, but to look for the good, however little. How are we to find it? I do not look for these things amongst unrighteousness. The Spirit of Christ was manifested in a remarkable way in that place, in Paul, in Silas, and so there was the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in them, but there was to be an addition, they were to be continued, as he says, whatever there was in the way of truth — “whatsoever things are true”; next whatsoever there was in the way of purity, “whatsoever things are pure”, “whatsoever things ... think on these things”. There may be much else where they are, we can admit, but [p. 105] if I am on the line of pure gold that belongs to the river, spoken of so early in Genesis, I will see it “and the gold of that land is good”; Genesis 2:12 and the eye that understands mining for gold will see it, he will keep to it so as to get what is pure. Beloved, keep to that line, it becomes guidance for you, so that the light of life is there.
Well, that is what I had in mind, dear brethren, to put before you. I think that it is of God, that is, the principles of light, they are fixed principles of God for guidance and the work of God in men’s souls.