RELATIONSHIP WITH
GOD.
IV. THE REVELATION OF THE FATHER
IN THE OTHER GOSPELS.
IN pursuance of our subject, we must now turn to the other
Gospels. We have seen traced out in that of John the revelation, first, of what
the Father does in the activity of divine grace to those who need life, and
deserve judgment; and next, how He cares for those whom He has given to His
Son. Coming to the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord first presents Him as the One
with whom those, who are disciples in truth, are brought into relationship, and
have become partakers of the divine nature. His character, therefore, and His
ways are to furnish them with instruction for their walk through this scene. So
the Lord often calls Him "your Father," besides speaking of Him at times as His
Father ; for obviously there might be occasions when He could only fittingly
speak of Him in relation to Himself. Two examples will make this
plain.
For the first, let us turn to Matt. xv. 13, where He replied to
His disciples, on being told that the scribes and Pharisees who came from
Jerusalem were offended by His rebuke, "Every plant which My heavenly Father
hath not planted shall be rooted up." Now, what were His words in John vi. 44,
45? "No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent Me, draw him :
and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And
they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard from the
Father, and hath learned, cometh unto Me." It is plain, since they rejected His
teaching, that they had not heard from the Father. They were not God's
children. Had He said on that occasion "your Father" it would have reminded the
disciples of the relationship in which they were to God; but saying "My
heavenly Father" the Lord would impress on all the absolute necessity of
hearkening to His Father, and of being plants of His planting.
A second
example is met with in Matt, xviii. 10, where the Lord is warning the disciples
against despising a little child, assigning as a reason, that " in the heavens
their angels" (i.e., those of the heavenly host who represent them in the
presence of God)" do always behold the face of My Father which is in the
heavens." "My Father" He said, not "their Father" because it was not here a
question of the relationship of the little child to God. The angelic ministry
referred to is quite independent of that, being God's provision for the
creature as such. Their need of salvation is taught in succeeding verses. But
when addressing disciples, taking them on the ground of their profession, He
tells them of His Father as their Father. None but He of course could
understand the full blessedness implied in such a relationship. Still, where it
existsd it was a very real thing. His Father was the Father of all those who
were His disciples in truth. Such, as born of God, were partakers of the divine
nature ; hence the character and ways of their Father should be displayed by
them. No one on earth has seen God the Father ; yet something of Him should be
learned by men from the walk, the daily life, of the Lord's disciples ; and
their Father would be glorified, as men saw that which was right, and owned
that it was right, practised by His disciples. Of this the Lord speaks in the
sermon on the mount: " Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father which is in the heavens" (v. 16).
Something of what He is would thus be set forth.
A new motive is here
presented. Ezekiel had declared that the name of God was profaned among the
Gentiles by the people of Israel, captives in a foreign land, and there
manifesting by their evil ways what they were. Now, ere God can sanctify His
name through their restoration (Ezek. xxxvi. 20, 23), the Lord taught His
disciples of the opportunity and of the service entrusted to them in causing,
by their good works, men around them to glorify their Father who is in the
heavens. As His people, Israel ought to have shown the Gentiles what it was
that was well-pleasing to God. As His children, the disciples should be
illustrations of the moral character of their Father.
In daily life this
should be ; but there would be occasions to call for it in a special way. Of
such He reminded them when giving directions for their conduct under
persecution ; for, loving their enemies, praying for their persecutors, and
being merciful as their heavenly Father is merciful, they would be His sons who
maketh His sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the
just and on the unjust. Thus they would be perfect, as their heavenly Father is
perfect, profiting by the revelation given of Him who is kind to the unthankful
and to the evil (Matt. v. 44-48 ; Luke vi. 35, 36). The Lord had spoken of
persecutions to which they might be exposed, and persecutions at the hand of
those who professed true zeal for God, and who were reckoned on earth amongst
God's people. The Highest, then, whilst owning them as His sons, would not of
necessity shield them from the hatred and opposition of their fellows. Rather
would it be the occasion to show forth who and what was their
Father.
But more. If God was their Father, they had to do with Him who
seeth in secret, as well as to represent Him in their ways before men. He seeth
in secret: this was to be remembered when engaged in those things which are
commonly known amongst men as religious duties. So the Master continued His
instruction : "Take heed that ye do not your righteousness* before men, to be
seen of them ; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in the
heavens" (vi. i).
* "Righteousness," not "alms," is the better reading
here.
In a threefold way could they practice this - viz., in almsgiving
(2-4), in prayer (5-15), and in fasting (16-18); but in whichever of these ways
they practised righteousness, remembering from whom was their reward, they were
to do it to Him who seeth in secret. This the Lord impressed on them. Their
Father's eye was on them. Their Father was well acquainted with that which they
were doing; He would not forget it. " Thy Father which seeth in secret shall
reward thee" **
** "Openly" should probably be omitted in each
case.
(4, 6, 18). What encouragement! and at the same time, what a
wholesome reminder! There is something, too, very gracious in the Lord's
teaching here. " Thy Father," He said, not " your Father," referring thereby to
the birth-tie formed between each true disciple and God. Each can say, " He is
my Father;" and, if finding himself alone on earth from whatever cause, with
none to turn to here, there is always that eye looking down on him, the eye of
his Father who seeth in secret. The eye of his Father. One sees in Ps. cxxxix.
what an uneasy feeling the saint experiences under the sense of God's eye being
on him, till he gets hold of God's thoughts (14-18). The eye of my Father being
on me should produce no such uneasiness ; rather the contrary, assured that
neither locality nor darkness can hinder that eye resting on me. On Peter at
midnight, sleeping between two soldiers in prison, and on Paul at night in the
storm, when for many days neither sun nor stars had appeared, that eye looked
down. The lights in heaven could be obscured by clouds or thickness ; but
nothing comes between our Father's eye and the object it would rest on, for He
seeth in secret: a word of comfort, yet a word of warning also ; for is there
not a danger of forgetting before whom we are, and who beholds us ?
The
Lord now speaks of prayer. Vain repetitions are needless, for "your Father," He
declared,"knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him " (8). He not
only sees each one, but knows all about each one, being cognisant of all that
of which each has need. What confidence should this impart. God is my Father,
and He knows what things I have need of before I ask Him. But how often has
each one surely in the past forgotten this, even if there have been times when
the soul has stayed itself on the remembrance of it. Is prayer then unneeded, a
useless exercise? It is unneeded as the medium for informing God of what it is
that we are in want; but it is not an exercise thrown away, when the child
unbosoms and unburdens itself to its Father who is in heaven ; for it is the
appointed way of relief for the heart of the creature thus to pour out its
requests to God. So the Lord goes on to teach the disciples how they were to
pray, and in doing so teaches them about the Father, who has a kingdom, who
daily cares for His children, and who can act in grace, forgiving them when
they have sinned.
As to His kingdom, it will come, so they are told to
pray for it - a kingdom which embraces heaven and earth, a kingdom really
bounded only by the limits of created things, a kingdom which shall last for
ever and ever. For doubtless the petition, "Thy kingdom come," looks on beyond
millennial times for its full accomplishment, even to the eternal state, when,
all things having been subdued to the Son, He Himself shall be subject unto Him
that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all; for then He will
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father (i Cor. xv. 25-28). Yet
ere this is effected, to which we are taught to look forward, the heavenly
saints will experience an answer to this petition in measure, as they will
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father throughout the millennial
reign of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. xiii. 43). For it is our Father's good
pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke xii. 32); but into it only those on earth
now enter who do His will (Matt. vii. 21).
If any ask who is our
heavenly Father, the answer comes, It is God, who shall reign with undisputed
sway for ever and ever. All that has resisted His authority, and everyone who
has attempted to thwart His purposes, will then be completely and finally
vanquished. Nor that only, but for ever and ever will such be obliged to
acknowledge His might, and the impossibility of successful resistance to His
will. Now, sin is rampant on earth ; ere long, it will seem to triumph for a
season. But He who is our Father will triumph fully in the end. To that He
looks forward, and teaches His children to do the same. For it is not from lack
of power that He has not already interposed. His will is done in heaven; it
will be certainly done on earth. Nor is it from lack of interest in His saints
that He lets them suffer. He is their Father; but He waits till the set time
has come to deal finally with the power of darkness. His long-suffering is
salvation (2 Pet. iii. 15). Of this, each one of His children is an
illustration.
Almighty power then is His, yet combined with tender pity
and constant thought for His children here on earth. Of old, in the wilderness,
Israel experienced Jehovah's care, as they went forth on the week-day mornings
to gather the needed supply of manna provided for that large encampment whilst
they were taking their rest. They slept, but Jehovah was working - raining down
for them food for the coming day, in the strength of which they could go forth
for the ordinary occupations of life. Now, His children are to acknowledge and
to prove that He daily cares for them. It is the part of a father to provide
for his children ; it is characteristic of our Father that He cares daily for
His. "Give us this day our daily bread," teaches that, and the Lord's
instruction about the birds and the lilies is to impress it on us (Matt. vi.
25-34 ; Luke xii. 22-31). "Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are ye not much better than they? "Again, "Are not two sparrows sold for
a farthing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore ; ye
are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. x. 29-31). To guard us from
anxious care, we are told that our Father feedeth the birds. To keep the heart
calm and confident in danger from enemies, the Lord reminds His own that they
are of more value than many sparrows. Yet how slow, surely many a one will say,
is he to learn these lessons based on the revelation of the Father.
But
not only are we dependent creatures, we are also sinful creatures, and need,
how often, forgiveness at His hand. Yet this will our Father extend to us, if
we act as His children, showing a forgiving spirit towards others (Matt. vi.
12, 14, 15); and a later revelation reminds us that failure on our part does
not break the link of relationship between the saint and God (i John ii. i). A
most gracious intimation for the heart when it may specially need
it.
All-powerful, then in the universe, yet ministering to the weakest,
forgiving the undeserving, and willing to direct and to deliver His children
from evil; such is our Father as set forth in this prayer by His Son. Nor need
we fear to trouble Him by presenting our requests. Though He is God, who orders
all things in heaven and earth, He would set each one perfectly free before Him
to tell out his wants, since His Son has told us, "Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; .... If
ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your Father which is in the heavens give good things to them that
ask Him" (Matt. vii. 7-11). Another branch of this subject should be noticed,
viz., the feelings of the Father's heart as revealed in the Word. And, first,
in relation to Him who is His well-beloved Son? In the hearing of many dull of
understanding, and unable to appreciate the truth which He was revealing, the
Son, ever in the bosom of the Father, told out, as He only could, some of the
secrets of that bosom, both when speaking in parables and when speaking plainly
to those around Him.
In two parables He set this forth : the one, that
of the husbandmen and the vineyard ; the other, that of the marriage supper for
the king's son. In the former, related by the three evangelists, Matthew, Mark,
and Luke, the preciousness of the Son to the Father is declared. Messenger
after messenger had been sent by the owner of the vineyard to receive its
fruits from the husbandmen, but all in vain. What, then, was to be done? The
husbandmen had slighted the messengers, and worse, had even put some of them to
death, thus evidencing the spirit which animated them, and showing the
treatment they justly deserved at the hands of the owner of the vineyard. But
he was slow to anger, unwilling, if it could be averted, to pour out on them
the vials of his wrath. Not a word had come from the husbandmen expressing
regret for the past and promising amendment in the future. No suppliant came
seeking for the owner's forgiveness. Obdurate these men had proved ;
unsoftened, unsubdued they remained. What could be done? In Luke xx. 13, the
lord of the vineyard is described as taking counsel with himself. "What shall I
do? I will send my beloved son." In Mark (xii. 6), the preciousness of that son
to his father is dwelt upon. He had yet "one, a beloved son ; he sent him last
unto them, saying, They will reverence my son." Knowing, as we do, of whom the
Lord spake - of His Father and of Himself we are taught the Father's affection
for His Son, as the object to Him most precious; willing, indeed, to send Him,
but only as the last resource!
In the parable of the marriage supper for
the king's son, found in Matt. xxii. 1-14, we are taught of the Father's
delight in His Son, and of the desire that others should share His joy. But all
this fell on hearts estranged from God. The effect of the first parable on such
was to make the chief priests and Pharisees seek to lay hands on Him; the
effect of the second parable was to make the Pharisees take counsel to entangle
Him in His talk. Known, of course, to the Lord beforehand was all this, yet it
did not deter Him from uttering those parables; for if the chief priests and
Pharisees could hear them unmoved, others might profit by them, and many in
after ages get refreshment from what He then unfolded of the feelings towards
Him of His Father's heart, which brings out to us the greatness of the grace
displayed in sending His Son. Yet not till we see Him in the glory conferred on
Him by His Father (John xvii. 24), gazing on Him as arrayed in all the tokens
of His Father's love, shall we understand as far as creatures can understand
it, what divine parental love is in its fulness.
Yet, thank God, we are
not to be spectators merely of its display. We too share, and shall share for
ever, in the Father's love, of which the Lord spake when on earth. To whom it
can flow forth, we read ; and the parable of the prodigal son illustrates it,
as the father therein welcomes to his bosom the one who had sinned against
heaven and before him. We know of what the Lord was really speaking, desirous
to acquaint men with His Father, and to tell out something of His love. Many
and many a one has found light and warmth flow into his heart as he has perused
that parable ; and, if the Lord tarries, many more may experience the same
blessing. The story is told so touchingly; the scene is described so
graphically. None need be afraid to cast themselves on His. father. None can
say they cannot understand what it was the Lord intended to teach, yet none can
fathom the love of which He was speaking. Thank God, none are asked to do that;
but they are invited to share in it.
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Chapter Five