Reading: Mark
8:27,29; John 17:3.
"But who say ye
that I am?"
That is a word
addressed to disciples in immediate personal touch with Christ, who have
listened to Him, who have followed Him, who have moved from place to place with
Him, who have seen His works; and yet He felt it necessary and evidently
important to interrogate and challenge them. They had heard expressions of the
popular mind about Him. He knew that they were moving amongst men who
would not give expression of their thoughts audibly in His own presence, but who
talked about Him as people always do of certain individuals in their absence,
and say what they think.
The disciples
were in touch with the public mind to some extent, and answered Him according to
what they had heard men saying about Him. Then He turned directly upon
them, and said, "But". Catch the full force of the word. He might have said,
'Yes, and I suppose you agree with them? Do you agree with these opinions, these
ideas? Which of them is your own mind?' The putting in of that "but" seems to
demand a different position on their part. It is as though He said, 'That is all
very well, but I expect something else from you.' "But who say ye that
I
am?"
'Who do you say that I am, you who have the greater privilege and
opportunity of closer contacts, more intimate association?' Upon the answer to
His interrogation of the disciples - not only the verbal answer, the theoretical
reply, but the nature, the meaning, the depth, the strength of that answer - so
much hangs for the disciples, we might even say everything depends on it.
It is the
entire question of our knowledge of Christ. It is more than that: it is the
knowledge of God in Christ. That is the Lord's word to disciples. It is a
question of knowing God in Christ. Too much, and too often, even we who are the
Lord's have mentally kept a gap between God and Christ, between Christ and God.
The removal of that gap makes a tremendous difference when it is done in a
spiritual way.
The Lord Jesus
said on this whole matter: "This is life eternal, that they may know You, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent". Here we have the answer
to every enquiry and quest of the human heart. Let the need be what it may, the
meeting of that need is in these words: "...that they may know You, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ".
We must not
divide that statement into two. There is no such thing as knowing "Thee, the
only true God" apart and alone or separate from Jesus Christ. There is no
possibility of knowing Jesus Christ in a true way without knowing the only true
God. These two are one. This is one thing. It is not new doctrine, but there is
a meaning there for all of us which perhaps we have not grasped. God in Christ
is the end of all human heart need. It is the perfection of satisfaction, it is
the heart gratifying knowledge. It is our need.
What would your
answer be if you were asked simply to state what you conceive your deepest, your
greatest need to be? Think for a moment what you would answer, what you would
set down on a slip of paper as being your deepest need. The answers, no doubt,
would be various, and perhaps numerous. Many answers would have to do with
victory in this way or in that, light in this way or in that. All the answers
would be different things. Now let us say, with considered emphasis, that the
need of every one of us, deepest and greatest, is of the knowledge of God in
Christ. Given that every need is met, every desire and quest of the human heart
is answered in Him. That may not sound very helpful, but we have not got very
far yet. If you were to stay with that, and go to the Lord with that and in
earnest seeking of Him ask Him to explain that to you, if you made this prayer
to the Lord sincerely: "Lord, show me how the knowledge of Thyself, Eternal,
Infinite, Almighty God in Jesus Christ, answers my deepest and greatest need",
you would be on the right road, and would be in the way of making a new
discovery. This is our need, if we did but know it, and it covers the whole
ground; the knowledge, not of God, not of Christ only, but of God in Christ.
Not only is
this our need, but this is God's aim with us. God's aim with us is to bring us
into the knowledge of Himself in Christ. That goes further than you may realise
at the moment. The trials and difficulties of spiritual life are countless, and
we seek to get through these trials by asking the Lord for certain things: that
He will act and work, that He will do something or He will show something. It
may be as to our spiritual life, and we have conceived that if only we can have
such-and-such a blessing, or such-and-such a revelation or enlightenment, we can
go through our trial, we shall triumph in our trial or escape from it. Or it may
be to do with our service: if only the Lord would do this or that in relation to
His work and our place in it, that would be the solution of our problem.
Now, that is
not the case. The fact is this, that what God is after is not to do things for
you and for me, not to impart things to you and to me, not to show things to you
and to me, but to bring us to some fresh apprehension of God in Christ. The
whole matter is a divinely personal matter. It is the realisation of the Person
which is going to result, firstly, primarily, and for evermore, not in doing
things, not in activities, not in rejoicing in truth, but in worship. Worship is
the first, the continuous and the final factor in the knowledge of God in
Christ, and is basic to everything else in our relation to Him. True worship
only springs from a heart discovery of Himself.
Take your
Bible, especially the New Testament, and especially the forty days after the
resurrection (if you want that narrowed down to something that you can grasp),
and see if that is not true. It was not because He did or said certain things
that they worshipped, but because they discovered Him in a way in which they had
never known Him before.
God's dealings
with us are governed by this supreme aim: that He might make known to us Himself
in Christ; but this comes by illumination, and that illumination is by the touch
of Christ.
Chapter 8 of
Mark's Gospel is a wonderful chapter. You will find few richer chapters. It
begins with the feeding of the multitude. That resolves itself into something in
the nature of a dialogue, an altercation. "We have no bread." 'Have you
forgotten the feeding of the five thousand, the feeding of the four thousand? Do
you not understand? Why did I feed the five thousand, and why did I feed the
four thousand? It all hangs upon that question. Have you not seen through yet?'
Then a blind man comes out of the city. That touch of the Lord Jesus upon his
eyes causes him finally to see all things clearly. 'Do you not understand? Are
you not getting through to the meaning of this? Who do men say that I am? But
who do you say that I am?' It is all of a piece. What is the feeding for?
To convey something.
You are not dealing with ordinary men here. You are dealing
with God in Christ. What you need is your eyes to be touched, the finger of the
Anointed upon you to see all things. 'Who do you say that I am? One day you will
see all things clearly. You are only seeing men as trees walking now, seeing
with imperfect vision, but one day you will see all things clearly, and you will
understand, you will see God in Christ, you will know Who I am, but before ever
that can be, the Son of Man must be rejected and slain and the third day rise
again.' Then, as demonstrating that he was only seeing men as trees walking,
Peter said: "No Lord, never!" and to him the Lord said, "For you are not
setting your mind on God's interest's, but man's". 'You are not seeing, Peter,
although you made the declaration, "You are the Christ"; but one day
Peter, you will see all things clearly, Who I am - God in Christ. You will have
to have the touch of the hand of the risen Lord, and this is life eternal
(deathless life, on that side of the grave), to know the only true God, and
Jesus Christ... as One.'
Is it not
impressive that Mark 8, with all that it contains in knowledge of God in Christ,
full, clear knowledge, hangs upon the Son of Man being crucified and raised?
John 17 is the chapter of the High Priestly prayer in the presence of the Altar,
the Cross. To know is by way of the Cross. In Mark 8 He said, "Except a man
take up his cross and follow Me, he cannot be my disciple". He might have
said (for this is the meaning), "He cannot know Me", for what is the object of a
disciple but to be taught to know his Master? You have to let go your own life
to have this knowledge.
Our whole need
is in this direction. Is it heart satisfaction? Surely that is the need of every
one of us. Then the Lord
Jesus will say to us, "I
am the bread of
life."
'This is life eternal: to know Me, in the fulness of My Being, God in Christ,
with full satisfaction of heart. It is not something that I am going to give,
not something that I am going to do with you or for you, it is your heart
apprehension of Me. Your discovery of Me is going to answer all your craving:
I am the bread of life.'
Is it
illumination? So we go on praying, Lord give me light; Lord show me this, show
me that. He will answer, 'I am the light of the world. When you have come
to see Me, to know Me truly, in a heart way, you have illumination.' You may not
have a verbal answer to all your enquiries, but you have got a heart answer, you
are settled on your problems, you know the Lord.
Is it access to
the place where the Lord is with His own, from which place all who do not know
Him in this way are excluded? Do you want to be in fellowship with His own?
Shall we pray, O Lord, bring me in? He will answer, "I am the door."
'When you know personally who I am, God in Christ, you are in. There is no way
in except by the knowledge of Me. This is the place of life eternal.'
Are we seeking
leadership, protection, that the Lord shall assume responsibility for us and for
all our future, and protect us, look after us? Shall we ask to be led? Shall we
ask for protection? He will answer, "I
am the
shepherd."
Do we want to know the Life which
overcomes death and is victorious? Shall we pray for victorious Life? He will
answer, "I am the resurrection and the life."
We shall not
stay with these sevenfold occurrences of the words, "I am"; we just mention
them, but only seek to indicate the point. "I know that he will rise again in
the resurrection on the last day", said Martha (John 11:24). That is making
the resurrection a matter of time. "I am..." 'When I am here, time goes;
is dismissed for ever. Have Me, and the last day is here.' It is the knowledge
of the Person that means everything.
Is it that we
are seeking fulness of attainment, reaching out to attain to the fullest, to the
whole thought of God? Oh, how many ways we have of seeking to realise that heart
desire for full attainment. We pray this way and that, and for many things which
we think will bring us into fulness. The Lord will answer, "I am the way, the
truth and the life." 'Have Me and you have got everything.'
Do we want to
escape from barrenness and fruitlessness of life, to come to the place where
life will have something to show for God's satisfaction; not emptiness and
barrenness but fruitfulness of that kind which will give Him pleasure? How are
you seeking to be fruitful, by what means? You ask the Lord in many ways about
fruit-bearing, He will answer, "I am the Vine." You cannot bear fruit
unless you are in the fruit-bearing Vine, and if you abide in Him, you will bear
fruit. It is as natural and spontaneous as anything can be; it is a question of
knowing abiding union with Him. It is a matter of knowing Him.
All these
things should bring to us heart rest. I have not been the least of those who
have striven, and agonised, and strained, and pressed and reached out for all
that the Lord would have, all that is possible. It is possible to wear yourself
right out, and kill yourself in a spiritual quest, and the Lord at last says to
our hearts: "If you only know Me, things will happen; it will all come to
pass without any of your strain, struggle and agony. I am going to bear
this fruit. I will bear it through you by way of union and fellowship. Remember
that the holy, blessed secret of fellowship is just resting in Me, abiding in
Me."
If you saw all
the branches of the vine every day groaning and agonising, and writhing in order
to bear their fruit, you would see something which is altogether unnatural. As a
matter of fact you will see nothing of the kind. You will see them abiding there
and bearing fruit. It is what we often speak of as the rest of faith.
What is behind
the rest of faith? It is not bringing yourself to a passive state, when you
inwardly sink down and say, I am just going to rest. It is knowing the Lord,
God in Christ; for the way in which God has joined Himself to us is in
Christ, not apart, and the way in which we have been joined to God is in Christ,
not apart. The answer to every need is knowing Him in this way.
His answer is
comprehensive. The Lord's ability to crowd vast ranges into small phrases is
amazing. He compasses the whole range of human need, and answers every heart cry
in a simple sentence of two words: "I am".
I cry for
resurrection, for Life, for something to happen, for a filling, a consciousness,
a sensation, a movement, an energy, a "something". The Lord's answer is, "I
am the resurrection and the Life at any moment, in My will, anywhere." Oh
that we might live on that "any moment - anywhere", because of Him! He would woo
us away from subjects, experiences, teachings to propagate. Such a course has
done much harm. The people of God are divided into groups, larger or smaller,
around some thing, some experience, some truth, and the all-embracing and
all-uniting reality is lost. Away, then, with things, experiences, truths, to
Him. "This is life eternal, that they may know You, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom You have sent". 'Do you not understand? Who do you say
that I am?' With a touch of divine illumination in your heart you see the
thing that you have known so long. Only the Lord can do that. That is the
direction of inquiry. The Lord set our hearts on that.