CHAPTER 4: 12; CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4: 12; CHAPTER 5
FER In chapter 1 we had Christ’s name; in chapter 2 His identification with Israel’s history; in chapter 3 John Baptist’s testimony and Jesus baptised and owned as God’s beloved Son; and in the first part of chapter 4 the temptation, all a sort of moral sequence; now, in the latter part of the chapter, we have His entrance upon His ministry, John being put in prison being in a sense the signal.
Rem With regard to John Baptist, does he not carry on Elijah’s ministry, beginning at the place where Elijah left off — the Jordan? Then it is carried on in the book of Revelation in the two witnesses. It is the continued testimony of Elijah. The temptations are arranged according to the structure of each gospel. Matthew gives Man, Messiah, and Son of man; Luke, Man, Son of man, Messiah. Matthew presenting Messiah, brings Messiah in second; Luke presenting Man, brings Son of man second.
FER It says of John that he should go in the spirit and power of Elijah.
[p. 46] Ques Does the Lord expect His own rejection in thus going into Galilee?
FER I think He does. Galilee was the proper scene of His service; but there is another thing, prophecy was fulfilled.
Rem In going into Galilee He identifies Himself with the despised few.
FER In a certain sense the prophecy stands by for the future. When the Assyrian came up in the past the people had not had a great light, when he comes up in the future they have had a great light, the darkness will not be as it was in the past. “The people which sat in darkness saw great light”. That is in connection with Christ’s presence. The light was connected with His own Person, He was the Light. It is very interesting to see the connection of a quotation, the quotation helps you greatly to see the meaning of its connection. Quotations are made in a very intelligent way.
Rem But often they are made in a surprising way.
FER Yes, and they often throw a reflex light upon the passage from which they are taken. The service begins here, verse 17. It is the starting point. Jesus takes up John the baptist’s testimony. You see a little lower down He went about all Galilee. It is not that all this took place just at that time, but it is the remarkable form His service took. It is repeated almost word for word at the close of chapter 9.
Rem The kingdom here bears upon the kingdom in Daniel 2: 44. That, of course, is the millennial kingdom.
FER I think the force of it in the mind of a Jew was pretty definite. The whole burden of the prophets led them to look for a good time to come.
Rem Acts 1 shows that very clearly, asking the Lord whether He would restore the kingdom to Israel.
FER Everything portended it. Christ was to sit upon David’s throne, the promises of God had to be fulfilled.
Ques Is that called the kingdom of heaven? It is not so called in the prophets.
FER I do not doubt that the idea is in Daniel. The king had to learn that the heavens rule.
Rem And that does assume the rule of the heavenly kingdom.
FER It assumes the rule of what God has set in the heaven. I do not think it is the vague and indefinite idea of the rule of heaven, but of what God has set in heaven. The form in which it comes to us is the authority of the Lord, that is the kingdom of heaven to us practically. The Lord is set in heaven, the church is not set there yet. I quite admit that in the future it takes the definite form of the kingdom of the Son of man, but in that day you get the saints associated with Christ in rule, they reign with Him.
Ques What are we to understand was before the mind of the Lord when He said, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”?
FER The general idea; you could not tell what form the kingdom would assume; what really came in were the mysteries of the kingdom, that is, the kingdom did not come out in a manifest form, mysteries are in contrast to what is manifested.
Ques Would it be right to say that the kingdom was presented to the Jew as the responsible man?
FER Yes, only we must remember that the Lord said from the beginning, “Ye must be born again”. You do not get the mysteries of the kingdom until the Lord takes the place of the sower. Repentance is in view of the kingdom.
Ques I suppose you have the blessing of man on the earth in the Lord healing diseases?
FER I think you have the definite setting forth of what God was to Israel in the Lord’s ministry. Up to this it is the perfect setting forth of man, now it is [p. 48] the perfect setting forth of God in a Man, all that God was towards His people, preaching, teaching, healing, made up the service. The idea of preaching is heralding what was to come, teaching is more moral, and the healing sets forth the power of God superior to everything that man was subject to.
Rem Miracles are called the power of the world to come.
FER Yes. God will show His power to relieve man from every evil by which man is afflicted. It is in the grace of God to do it. People scoff at miracles, but to scoff at miracles is to leave God out. It is in His power to relieve man of every evil by which he is afflicted, the only question involved is the righteousness of God because these things are the fruit of sin, scoffing at miracles only shows gross moral incapacity in those who do it.
Ques Would you say these miracles were specially in connection with the new testimony that God was establishing?
FER You can look at miracles as vouchers of testimony, but then they were more than that, because they were the expression of God’s goodness. It is important to see that the Lord becomes a centre. No prophet ever gathered to himself. No one but Christ could take such a place. He takes it before He enters upon service. It brings in such an important point, that is, association with Him. You do not get it fully here, of course. I think association with Christ is one of the great truths of Scripture. There is association with Christ in the church and also in the kingdom. In the Revelation you get the 144,000 on Mount Zion, they are in association with Christ. They are the only company, I think, in the Revelation to which a character is given. I fancy they answer pretty much to what is set forth in Matthew 5. They are not a heavenly company, but they sing the song, and no one could learn it but themselves. In Matthew 5 [p. 49] it is not Christianity exactly, it is so morally, of course, but it is characteristic of a people who are on earth.
Rem The salt of the earth.
Rem Associated with Christ.
FER Yes, that is the great point, the 144,000 never leave Him.
Rem They are with Christ in earthly circumstances.
Rem That is the actual remnant by-and-by.
FER Yes, but I think the 144,000 are a special company with special privileges.
Rem It is interesting to see how God has determined to associate men with Himself.
FER I think that comes out here in the beginning, and at the close the Lord says, “Ye are they who have continued with me in my temptations”. Eating and drinking imply the place in association with Christ and the apostles, each have their distinctive place, they sit on thrones.
Rem You cannot identify in every respect the whole of this chapter 5 as belonging to us, the Lord’s prayer for instance.
FER No, although you may get many things which morally apply to us. I do not think you find association in the Old Testament. It is the great thought of Christianity.
Rem “Behold I and the children which God hath given me”, was the beginning of that association.
Rem In the gospel of Mark the Lord calls the disciples that they might be with Him.
Ques Do you say there is association in the church and in the kingdom?
FER Yes. I see in Thessalonians, that although it does not unfold Christian privilege as in Ephesians, yet you are with Christ in the kingdom, you are waiting for and coming with the Lord.
Ques Why are the Thessalonians addressed as in God [p. 50] the Father?
FER Because they were in the truth of it, the Father had been revealed to them and they stood in the truth of it.
Ques Does the term, “kingdom of the Father”, give the heavenly side and the kingdom of the Son of man the earthly?
FER It has been thought so, I do not know that I have tested it. One great principle is, that things are stated on broader ground in the gospels than in the epistles. The epistles are written more to Christians, and do not in general go beyond what applies to them and to the church. In the Revelation there is no distinction between the church and the Old Testament saints in the elders of chapter 5.
Ques Would you say that with regard to the epistle to Romans?
F.E.R. Yes, why not?
Ques Because in chapters 2 and 3 He takes up the Jew and the Gentiles, and eternal life comes in as a reward.
FER It is only the introduction, and refers not to blessing but the responsibility of man, but it is in view of Christian blessing.
Ques Do you think the crowds were following the Lord in a natural way at the close of chapter 4, and He begins His sayings in chapter 5 to show to them the kind of people who were to go into the kingdom?
FER I think the going up into a mountain signified that His teaching was outside this world.
Rem I have thought the mountain was the seat of authority, just as Moses had done before.
FER Well, I daresay it is that, too, but to me it is more the position the Lord took, more His place outside the world. It was a continual habit with Him to go up into a mountain. He is not here as a legislator, but as a teacher, I fancy.
Ques Does not Hebrews 8 show that Moses was shown heavenly things on [p. 51] the mount?
FER Yes, I think so. If people are perfectly indifferent to the state of things here on earth they will get no instruction, if they are content to remain down here on the earth and do not go up after the Lord.
Rem It does not say the crowds went up, but the disciples did.
Rem The Lord draws a moral picture of Himself.
Rem And shows the kind of people who were to go in to the kingdom. I think the people thought they were all right, that is what comes out in the question of Nicodemus.
Ques Would you give us a little outline of these chapters 5, 6 and 7?
FER I think the principles that are found in Titus 2 come out in them. We are to live soberly, righteously and godly. Chapter 5 is righteousness. Chapter 6 brings in what has direct reference to God, piety; and chapter 7 is more sobriety. Chapter 5 is a wonderful chapter, you get the rebuking of the two great principles of evil, violence and corruption; and then we have “Love your enemies”, that is the character of God coming out. At the first you get evil rebuked, but the positive thing is the character of God coming out. It is a most wonderful epitome of righteousness according to God.
Ques Does James make any allusion to this in the royal law?
FER It is more than the royal law, it is the character of God: the royal law is the law written in the heart. Here it is the character of God, it is thus we are sons of the Father, not actually begotten, but we come out in that moral likeness. I do not think the Lord could propound any line of conduct inferior to His own.
Rem He was what He taught.
FER Yes, and others were to be that, too. What you get is, “Ye are the salt”, and then “Let your light shine”. It is a wonderful chapter. The springs of evil are judged and it is not a law written in your hearts, but love your enemies, the character of God comes out in practice, for when you come to faithfulness and not recompensing evil, it is what the Lord was here.
Rem It is what gives power to testimony.
FER Yes, and we come up very poorly to it.
Rem You are to be what Christ was in the world.
FER Yes, you may say it was impossible for Him to propound a line of conduct which was inferior to His own.
Rem But then you would say it needs the Spirit to carry it out; you can hardly take up this chapter without that, or you would be making the people all legal.
FER Well, I think it is a great thing to set before people what they ought to be; when you come to the millennium, when everything is ordered according to God, a great deal of this will not apply, you will not have to love your enemies and no man will smite you on the cheek.
Rem This is introductory to the establishment of the kingdom.
FER You prove yourselves to be children of the Father.
Rem I think that is where the teaching touches us, because we are in circumstances where the opposition is not removed.
FER I think we show up poorly in all this, we know well how readily we resent any offence, as if God resented; it would be all up with us if He did.
Ques What is the fulfilling of the law in verse 17?
FER As far as I understand it, it all depended upon the Lord; but He will not have a slight put upon it. He maintains the law, because it expressed the authority of God. All had to be fulfilled, nothing should [p. 53] pass away.
Rem He was there to make everything good for God.
FER Yes, the law was to be vindicated; and not only that, but the transgressions which were under it were to be put away; but here it is not law, not even the spirituality of it, that He was insisting upon.
Rem They might have thought He was making light of it because of this, and therefore He says this.
FER The Lord brings in something further than an eye for an eye; you are beyond that here, you are to love your enemies.
Rem In these passages He is putting Himself in contrast to the law, “But I say unto you”.
Ques What is the righteousness of the law fulfilled in us? Similar to what we are reading here?
FER No, I do not think it comes up to it; the righteous requirement of the law was not loving your enemies, the righteousness which is of God is.
Ques Does it stand restricted to that in Romans 8?
FER You may fulfil a great deal more, but the immediate point there is the fulfilment of the righteous requirement of the law by those who walk in the Spirit.
Rem Being Son of the Father would carry us farther?
FER Yes, because we have the character of God there.
Ques Do we see the Lord here as Prophet?
FER I think it is more as teacher. He is expounding the character which is according to God, suited for association with Himself.
Ques What does Romans 13: 10 mean, “Love is the fulfilling of the law”?
FER It is there the “fulness of the law”, that is what is adequate for the full display of a thing, just as the church, the body, is the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. You have got what is adequate for the display of Christ in the body. So here, if you have [p. 54] got love you have got what is adequate for the carrying of it out; if you have got love you may go beyond law, but you have got what is sufficient for the carrying out of its commands; but I think we understand righteousness very poorly because we have got a lot of legality hanging about us, and do not understand that our righteousness is that we must act as God has dealt with us. I say it is positively unrighteous in me to act differently from how I have been acted towards. If God loves me, I ought to love.
Rem Our responsibility is to display what God is.
FER The church is to be here the expression of the grace of God.
Ques That we might become the righteousness of God in Him?
Rem But that is not practical.
FER No; but you cannot help being affected by what you are, and therefore it is not apart from what is practical in that way, nor do I think it will be in the future.
Rem The full result is, that you come out like Christ. The moral effect in the soul now is, that you become like Him, you are on that line.
FER Yes, it is all a new creation.