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GRACE MAINTAINED

JT The thought in mind is that John represents the grace side of the believer’s position. Paul represents the doctrinal side, while John, coming in at the end, is left mysteriously, to be available for the Lord’s will, and represents what is here in that sense in view of the end. Grace prevails from the very outset of John’s instruction, life also, and it is intended to affect and characterise us to the very end. It is thus that the verses in chapter 20 afford an example of the Lord’s way at the beginning, and those in chapter 21 His way at the end.

In chapter 21 there is no regard for the Lord’s rights but independence on the part of leading servants, yet the Lord has no rebuke or penalty for their conduct; all through the chapter it is grace, though much could be said in the way of condemnation, showing how long the Lord can bear with us in maintaining the character of the dispensation. The brethren will see that it opens up much.

Rem It is said in chapter 1 that “grace and truth subsists through Jesus Christ”.

JT The word subsists, which is in the singular, shows it is there in a very pronounced way; so Paul speaks of “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus”. Then we have “of his fulness we all have received, and grace upon grace”. It is there in Him; but upon the saints it is the spirit of the anointing.

Ques Is grace preservative?

JT It is viewed as in Christ first, then we are said to have received it, hence in chapter 1 we have “grace upon grace”. In chapter 21 the disciples are found in independence, thoughtless of the Lord’s rights. Verses 2 and 3 read: “There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael who was of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two ^[p. 143] others of his disciples. Simon Peter says to them, I go to fish. They say to him, We also come with thee. They went forth and went on board, and that night took nothing”. Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael, and the sons of Zebedee, were well known persons, and two more are not named. The company was a fair representation of what there was at that time and also bearing a clear allusion to the closing days. In John’s gospel the Lord shows how long He can bear with those He has trusted with something.

Ques Is it a matter of the testimony being presented?

JT Yes, I thought that; there are seven of them, a fair representation of what there is at the present time and of how the Lord can bear with us, making way for Himself to come in and help us as needed. He did not simply appear with rations for them, but He prepared for them to dine; a dignified thought was in His mind. The Holy Spirit would help us to understand this. Some active men are being deflected and the Lord is showing what He can do, and how He can restore us and go on with us. So that in the end we see they had taken one hundred and fifty-three great fishes, the Lord helping them in this.

WSS In chapter 20 things were right. Does that show the liberty in which the Lord moves when the saints are governed by the truth? In chapter 21 we can see His movements when things are wrong.

JT Chapter 20 is normal Christianity, showing us how to forgive sins and how to retain them, forgiveness being put first.

WSS What the Lord does in chapter 21 would show how He restores things to normality when they are abnormal.

JT Quite so. It also shows that the leading man has to die, that is Peter. The Lord gives to him the service of feeding the lambs and shepherding the sheep. John also has his work, but the Lord however does not say what John is ^[p. 144] to do.

Ques Would this bear on the peace of chapter 14?

JT Yes, He left it with them; but here He is present with them, inaugurating the system He has in mind, setting it up in grace and the Holy Spirit’s power, not simply the gift of the Holy Spirit, but His breathing it into them. He was affecting them inwardly, which will be seen in its results, involving the retention of sins if necessary.

Ques Would there be a link with Peter and John in Acts 3 and Peter’s words “Look on us”?

JT That is good. There is something to be seen there; it was not a question of what they knew, but of what could be seen in them. In John 9 the man whose eyes were opened speaks of what had happened to him, as he speaks to the neighbours, but to the Pharisees he speaks in the present tense. “I washed and I see”, not ‘I saw’. The point being what is seen now, which is generally in mind in John’s writings.

Ques Is there therefore something to be seen in this way in the disciples although they were marked by independence?

JT I thought so. If anyone had said anything at that point to Peter or John or Nathanael they would have had an answer then, not what they may have said previously. At the same time they were disobedient and selfish; though it is Peter that says “I go to fish”, all are on the same line, not thinking of the Lord and His interests. How long He waits, for He knows what each one is capable of! Here He is setting them up in a dignified way, not simply that they were fed, but He invites them to dine, showing that there was something to be seen in them as a result of His service.

Rem This incident would remain in their minds as expressing “grace upon grace”.

JT It was that. It was His own doing. Grace was there in plenty, not scantily and they had received it: “of his fulness we all have received, and grace upon grace”. That was at the beginning, but He would have ^[p. 145] the same in mind at the end, and then, if anything is wrong, it would show itself.

AM There is only one reference to the Father in the section we read, chapter 20: 21.

JT Yes, it brings out the position of the servants as sent ones. The Lord was sent, so the question now comes up as to our being sent.

Ques Does this refer to voluntary work or to our being sent?

JT Well, there is really no voluntary work. You cannot say you can go when you like or when you can. It is imperative to recognise this; or the testimony would fail unless there are those who hold to this principle as an obligation.

Ques Is that the sort of spirit that comes out in Isaiah saying “send me”?

JT Yes, he says that because he was fit for it. He had gone through the experience involved in the “glowing coal” and he had seen the Lord, and was therefore in a fit condition to be sent.

Ques How do brethren arrive at the consciousness of being sent today?

JT Well, a hundred and twenty years ago certain persons became conscious that there was something to be maintained. They began to get together having the truth of prophecy before them firstly, and we are profiting by this today. Now the question is, as having the Spirit, are we holding the truth? The Spirit is here as He was at the beginning. It is a question of how much we make room for His service when we pray; Jude says “praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God”.

Rem It was the Holy Spirit who said: “Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”.

JT Just so. The Lord said, “I also send you”, in John 20. The “I” is somewhat emphatic in accord with John’s general practice in writing. He would ^[p. 146] emphasise the Persons, and he thus uses the personal pronoun. The Lord has sent us and the sooner we take that on and act on it the better.

WSS Things may be weak but the obligation is to go on.

JT Just so.

Rem You are speaking to us all, not only to the servants.

JT Quite, it is not a local matter only but for all. Are we standing in what we have received? Paul speaks of our standing in the things we have received (1 Corinthians 15: 1). The Lord says here “Receive the Holy Spirit”.

Ques The “doors being shut” is mentioned twice. Does that suggest the vital importance of attending to this matter?

JT It is a divine principle to maintain a certain secrecy, for a sense of mystery attaches to our position in the truth; things are not open to everyone to look into. The doors are to be shut in a spiritual sense, to exclude all that hinders.

Ques Is the testimony dominated by the first day of the week?

JT Yes, it is greatly stressed in chapter 20, and that shows that the service should be carried on unhindered. The doors were shut, not simply closed. “The doors shut where the disciples were”. These were the circumstances in which the disciples were found, and Jesus came there.

Rem There were conditions therefore to which He could come, and He showed His hands and His side to them there.

JT Quite. The Lord did not want to be disturbed in such a holy and precious time, He had the assembly according to what it is in His own mind before Him. Then there was the grace of their being sent, and He breathed into them saying “Receive the Holy Spirit: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained”. This is ^[p. 147] the whole matter; the Lord wants these conditions amongst the saints. It is an intimate matter, involving His own breathing; not as at Pentecost.

WSS Would that involve the Spirit of Christ in the saints today, working out in the remission of sins?

JT Yes, sins are remitted; hence it is in the present tense, it is not to be delayed ‘till next Lord’s day’, which is often the custom.

LP If an issue arises among us and remission is given, is it not then a completed matter?

JT Yes, it is completed. It is a present thing; they are remitted.

JCMW The Lord speaks “to them”, we are told. Would this imply that they would be conscious inwardly of the remission?

JT Quite. The Lord would have much pleasure in that, and how much more we, too, should enjoy forgiving more than retaining. It is a joyous matter, if sins are really judged, that they are to be remitted and forgotten.

WSS We have to ask ourselves whether we are really in line with the spirit of the dispensation.

JT Quite so, Galatians 6 bears on that, referring to one being taken in some fault, not overtaken by it, but taken in it. The word is “restore such a one”; that is in effect, set him up as he was before.

W S. S. This would be a serious fault, not a momentary slip, and yet restoration is in view.

JT Quite, “ye who are spiritual restore such a one”; that is, he is set up unimpaired.

Ques What determines whether sins are remitted or retained?

JT The meetings of assembly character. But if there is real self-judgment there must be remission and there will be joy in this. Otherwise Satan may get an advantage.

Ques Would the trespass offering bear on all ^[p. 148] this?

JT The types help much. In the inauguration of the assembly we have the gospels which are necessarily short, as if words were spared by the writers, but now we have the Spirit who is patiently opening up the truth to the brethren, using all the Scriptures. At no time has there been so much opening up of the truth and the question is, Are we going in for it, having in mind the great objective, the service of God on the first day of the week?

Rem As to Peter’s recovery; he is said to have wept bitterly.

JT The spirit of the whole thought of recovery was there; there can be no recovery apart from self-judgment.

Ques What is the significance of “Children, have ye anything to eat”?

JT It is a term of parental affection; the Lord is appealing to the erring ones. In Isaiah 9 we have the term “Father of Eternity” or ‘Father of the age’; Christ takes the attitude of Father toward the disciples in this chapter.

Ques What is involved in the eating?

JT It shows the Lord’s gracious sympathy toward them. He raises the question as to whether we have something to eat. This question is raised in Luke 12 and the Lord says: “Blessed is that bondman whom his lord on coming shall find doing thus”, that is, administering food to His household.

AM Would the absence of food cause weakness and lead to breakdown? Is the inward side lacking?

JT Well, there were seven of them and they should have had something to eat, but they had taken nothing. In Luke 24 the Lord says, “Have ye anything here to eat?” But it was not that in John 21, for He had it all ready for them; “they see a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread”.

Rem If the right kind of food is ministered, the rod would not be needed as Paul ^[p. 149] suggests.

JT Well, the Lord did not use the rod; it was left for a later period, not now. That is the word for us now; how long He can bear with us. He knew what was there in them, it would come out in time. The unfaithfulness was not really deep.

Ques In view of the abundance of ministry there is at the present time, is it a question of how we answer to it?

JT Yes, on this occasion He gives them a meal, but at another time He asks them to provide food for others. If you get something from the Lord and give it out, it will enlarge as you do so.

Rem May we have a further word as to the dining?

JT It is a question of the truth as opened up for the mind; it involves knowing how to proceed. For instance, we have the Lord’s supper which opens up the service of God. We are to know what to do; it is not simply the setting of the table, though that is necessary, but there is the eating of the bread and the drinking of the cup, intelligence teaching us what to do. We are not irregular as they were at Corinth; we are accustomed to eating properly, in a dignified manner.

Ques Is there significance in the right side of the ship?

JT The right side would be the place of power. In Mark the man in white was at the right side of the sepulchre, and in Luke, the angel who appeared to Zacharias was on the right side of the altar.

Rem “Children” is a term of endearment, but “Come and dine” is on a more dignified level and would link with the first day of the week.

JT That is so. Later in the chapter, we again have the thought of feeding, the Lord telling Peter to feed His lambs, then to shepherd His sheep, and then to feed His sheep. These are things to be done. We are now at the end, but the feeding and the shepherding are to continue.

^[p. 150] WSS Peter had been a voluntary worker at the beginning of the chapter, but at the end he comes under the Lord’s control.

JT Yes, he is to feed the lambs and the sheep; it is a matter of obligation.

Rem What John said was used to recover the others.

JT He was one of them, of course, but “if any one love me” was also true of John. John represents that more than gift; it is the spirit of the man, and what characterised him in this sense.

Rem Thomas was on the wrong side too, and in the lead next to Peter.

JT Well, Thomas is spoken of here as Didymus. How can that be brought in to the things of God? It implies a special link with someone else. He is not mentioned in chapter 20 until after the matter of remission and retention of sins. They say to him “We have seen the Lord”. That is a fine bit of news, but he does not seem to value it, though Mary had told them. He says, “Unless I see ... I will not believe”. A remarkable thing to say. Why should he say it? Why should he boldly discredit what the other disciples had said? It was a strong negative, his will was in it. Why should any one take up such an attitude implying that the brethren are wrong, as if to say, You go your way and I go mine; that leads to division.

Rem Grace overcomes all that.

JT Well, I think so. If there is anyone here like Thomas let him be overcome by grace and be forgiven.

Rem “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”.

JT Yes.

AM May there be unity in a wrong sense, as here, involving giving a false lead, leading to a wrong combination among the brethren; the Lord broke up this combination: it was His action.

JT Yes, but He did it ^[p. 151] in grace.

WSS The three names mentioned were all connected with the Jewish line of things as if there were a going back to the old dispensation.

JT The Lord met the whole movement in grace and broke it up.

Rem The impression one gains is, that if a serious position arises involving many persons, the situation can be saved by the introduction of grace.

JT I think that, but how few there are who can be relied on today! We may be met with the expression: “I go to fish”. Even as in the years preceding us, such things have been said, meaning, I want my own way. A leading man wanting his own way may act so as to divide the brethren, and cause serious scattering. All such things must be met in grace, but in firmness.

Rem So grace is on the throne. It reigns through righteousness already. Is this implied in the reference to “the third time”? (see verses 14, 17).

JT Just so, the reign of grace is going on, hence the reference to “the third time”.

Ques Would there be special significance in the bread? It is easier to understand the thought of the fish and its origin, but it says, “Jesus comes and takes the bread and gives it to them”.

JT Well, we have the thought of bread explained in Psalm 104, verses 14, 15. Bread is given for man’s support and strengthening, oil to make his face to shine, and wine to gladden his heart. God would thus maintain us in life and loyalty to the truth.

Ques Do we see here love coming into action, when John says, “It is the Lord”?

JT That is wonderful. What a lead John gives, in saying “It is the Lord” — Himself — He was amongst them.

Ques Why is the miracle of great fishes needed? It is not like the showing of His hands and His side in ^[p. 152] chapter 20. Here the case has to be proved to them miraculously.

JT Quite so. Things in chapter 20 are normal, but here they are abnormal, so that a sign is needed. John gives signs as divine evidence, and this is one of them. Here the truth had to be proved miraculously.

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