Ministry by J. Taylor
– Part Three
The Glory of the Son of God
and Priesthood

The need for this ministry is even greater now than it was in 1932.

G.A.R.

Rem. There are a certain number of signs through the gospel, so it would help if you would enumerate them.

J.T. They are:

1. The water made wine (2: 1-12);
2. the nobleman's son healed (4: 46-54);
3. the impotent man healed (5: 1-16);
4. the multitude fed (6: 1-14);
5. Christ walking on the water (6: 15-21);
6. the blind man's eyes opened (9);
7. Lazarus raised (11);
8. the voice from heaven (12: 28-30);
9. Christ's enemies falling to the ground when He said "I am" (18: 6);
10. His own resurrection (20);
11. the condition of the grave clothes,
12. the appearance of the angels,
13. Christ's appearance to Mary,
14. His coming in through closed doors to the disciples (all in 20);
15. finally His manifestation to Peter and those with him (21).

• The Jews asked, "What sign shewest thou to us, that thou doest these things?"

• Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up". "He spoke of the temple of his body".

Ques. Are they cumulative and all leading up to a climax, so to speak?

J.T. I think the climax is the appearance of Christ after He arose. That is the great end in view, to draw us into the spiritual realm where Christ is known as outside of what is material, coming through closed doors.

• The end of chapter 20 says, "Many other signs therefore also Jesus did before his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name", John 20: 30-31.

• It is as if the writer intended us to consider specially the first twenty chapters. The great end in view is to draw us into the spiritual realm, the world in which Christ is apprehended outside of what is material, and I am sure we all own the immensity of that.

Rem. The signs were in the presence of His disciples.

J.T. That would show, as already said, that the disciples were in view – that they might believe.

H.E.S. Your thought is of the spiritual realm as seen in chapter 20.

J.T. Yes, the spiritual realm is especially opened up in chapter 20, which of course we shall come to towards the end of our meetings.

• What is before us today is the manifestation of Christ's glory for faith, and it may help to compare this with the first reference to His glory in chapter 1.

• As become flesh His glory is contemplated by certain persons: it will help to compare those two features of His glory, John 1: 14 and John 2: 11.

Ques. How do you distinguish them, the contemplation of the glory and the manifestation?

J.T. The first, as I understand it, is what I should refer to as private, seen by certain persons. It alludes to what was apprehended spiritually throughout the whole course of the Lord's sojourn here among His own. The writer of the Acts refers to

• the period "in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day in which he was taken up", Acts 1: 21-22.

• During that period I apprehend there were opportunities for discerning what was there, the relations between Himself and His Father – a very wonderful suggestion. As become flesh He dwelt among us:
  • "The Word became flesh and dwelt", or tabernacled, "among us", (John 1: 14)

  • which I suppose alluded to provisional circumstances, that they were not final. His position then was not final or fixed, it was provisional, but such as would bring within our range results that are final, what He is with the Father.

Ques. Is that His personal glory?

J.T. Yes, His glory particularly as loved: "a glory as of an only-begotten with a father", John 1: 14.

G.W.W. You laid emphasis on the word 'tabernacled'.

J.T. I thought it alluded to the transient, provisional position He had taken up.

• You see, it is 'with' or alongside the Father. It is not His service there, nor His activities mediatorially, but what He is with the Father.

• You want to think of Jesus according to all the lovableness and affection involved in such a relation: "an only-begotten with a father".

Ques. I was wondering, that being so, whether "full of grace and truth" would bring in mediatorship?

J.T. That is what they are intended to convey about Him. He was "full of grace and truth". They would be there, and that, I think, is the secret of the word 'sent' in John's gospel. It is that side of things; He is sent.

• He was there with the Father, full of all that was needed in His mediatorial service, and He came out thus. His personal position is alluded to, and what was seen there, not His activities.

Ques. Would you distinguish between what is moral and what is personal?

J.T. What they contemplated was personal. It was a question of a divine Person become flesh:

• "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us", John 1: 14,

• meaning that He was where they could see Him, but then He is not spoken of as 'with' them. He "dwelt among us" is general, but the point is He was contemplated as "with a father".

• It is the secret really of understanding the economy of this gospel, that is to say, the Father and the Son. If we are to see the precious, blessed relations that existed and the glory of them, it is the glory as of an only one with a father.

• Any one contemplating that would understand the economy of John's gospel, which is that
  • "the Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand", John 3: 35.

• The contemplation of the relations between the Father and the Son is what gives lustre to everything.

Ques. Would that be characteristic? It is not the Father, but "as of an only-begotten with a father".

J.T. Yes; it is a relation well known among men, employed to indicate to us what was contemplated; that is to say, the peculiar glory of the relations between the Lord as Man here with the Father.

E.J.McB. Would Abraham and Isaac going together be a figure of it? Genesis 22

J.T. Yes, indeed! The converse between them is very beautiful, pointing unmistakably to what we are now considering.

W.C.G. How does the sentence in John's epistle fit in:

"The eternal life, which was with the Father", 1 John 1: 2?

J.T. It fits in exactly, but it is not there the Person that is in view, but the thing that was in Him: "that eternal life".

• Some have assumed that that alluded to a past eternity, what He was in Deity, but it is not so at all. It refers to what He was as Man here. It is there eternal life is apprehended:
  • "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes; that which we contemplated, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life; (and the life has been manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us)", 1 John 1: 1-2.

Ques. Is the thought here that whilst He was the Word become flesh and dwelling amongst them in grace and truth, they contemplated His glory as with the Father?

J.T. That is the idea. The tabernacling would mean that He moved about.

• We read of "all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us", Acts 1: 21.

• They had thus opportunity of seeing in varied circumstances this beautiful thing that was discerned by some, this beautiful relation between the Father and the Son.
  • It is said in Luke that "by day he was teaching in the temple, and by night, going out, he remained abroad on the mountain called the mount of Olives", Luke 21: 37.

• What was He doing there? That is the idea of His secret relations.

Rem. What was quoted from the epistle has reference to incarnation and not to the past eternity.

J.T. Obviously; it is a question of "that eternal life", which is Christ as Man, so that the first allusion to life in chapter 1 of the gospel is,

• "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" verse 4.

• It was in Him as Man that light shone.

Ques. Is the thought that the life He lived here became the light of men? How could we know the Lord apart from the life He lived here?

J.T. John 1: 1-3 contemplates the Lord's eternal personality. He was in the beginning with God, and was God, and all things received being through Him.

• Nothing is said of light in these verses, but we have it in verse 4: "the life was the light of men".

• It is what was there in that connection, that is, the life was exclusively for men. It does not go beyond men, great and glorious as it is; it was not for angels, it is for men, and it shone in Him as a Man.

• It could not shine otherwise to be intelligible to us. Verses 4-13 form an epitome of Christ's presence in this world and its results.

A.S.L. Verse 4 is one of those reciprocal expressions that can be put either way.

J.T. The parts of the statement are of equal value, showing when you come to John's gospel that what shines is a tangible thing, that there is something substantial behind it.

• When God said, "Let there be light, and there was light", Genesis 1: 3,

• we are not told what the light was; it is simply light, but in this gospel the light is the result of something substantial.

A.S.L. Is it the light of the love of God:

• "The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him", verse 18?

• Is the light that is shining, the full revelation of God in Christ?

J.T. I think verse 18 is greater than verse 4. The word 'revelation' is not there.

• "The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him", John 1: 18.

• The declaration of God goes beyond the light of life. We ought to distinguish between those two verses.

A.S.L. I was thinking too of another verse:

• "The darkness is passing and the true light already shines", 1 John 2: 8.

• What is that "true light"?

J.T. It is the same idea carried forward in John's epistle, only in John 1: 4 it is what shone in Christ, and in John's epistle it is what shines in the saints.

• That is, the light that shone into our souls becomes life in our souls and in turn shines as "true light" to others.

A.S.L. How would you define the expression "true light"?

J.T. Well, it is to expose the false things that were coming in. John's epistle is to show that the life was a tangible thing; it was not something abstract or theoretic, but tangible.

• It says in the first chapter, that which we have seen, heard, and handled concerning the word of life, but in chapter 2, it is in the saints. In measure, what it was in Him, it is in the saints.

A.S.L. "Which thing is true in him and in you", 1 John 2: 8.

J.T. The extension of the testimony was dispersing the darkness.

A.S.L. Then the true light has already shone.

J.T. It is shining in the saints. Of course, Christ is the life always, but John's epistle deals with it as in the saints.

Rem. Is the distinction between declaration and revelation of great importance? I feel the Lord is helping us as to this.

J.T. I think it is, because the import of declaration is to bring God out; it is not to remove a veil.

• The original word for revelation implies a veil removed that what it concealed may be seen.

• Declaration is God brought out, which is a different idea, and has in view our limitations, that we are not capable of looking in to see all that is there in the Deity. But the "only-begotten Son" brings God out, declares Him.

A.S.L. Would that be at all analogous to the verse in Colossians 1, where He is spoken of as the "image of the invisible God", Colossians 1: 15?

J.T. That would carry representation too, but declaration is a strong word, involving that God is brought out.

Ques. Would you connect declaration with God and revelation with the Father?

J.T. "No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him", John 1: 18.

• The declaration includes both I think. I should not like to leave out what is conveyed in the title Father, because in John's gospel the Father is the name of God which conveys grace and affection; He does not judge anyone.

Ques. Would the declaration of God include what was ministered by the Lord during His life as well as in His death?

J.T. It would include both. God is there, and no one but the Son could declare Him. The Person was Himself divine. So all that God is, was brought out. Whether it were understood or not, there it was.

S.J.B.C. Do you think the pronoun "him" is left out (verse 18) because it is the declaration of the Father and the Son? The article is left out in regard to God; it is an abstract statement, and the declaration has been made as far as our spiritual capacity can take it in.

J.T. The article is before 'Father'; I think the Father is there very definitely. The declaration of God involves the Father and the Son. The Declarer has part in what is declared.

• The omissions you mention and the emphasis on 'he' in the verse, place the declaration and the Declarer in greater prominence.

• For the declaration of God a divine Person came into manhood and was owned in it as Son. The preposition "in" (Greek eis ) in verse 18 indicates that the Lord as Man had come into the position spoken of.

H.F.N. Would you say a little more in regard to your remark as to revelation?

J.T. Many have the idea that it is just the removal of a veil for us to look in. Of course, there is revelation, as the Lord says,

• "No one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son is pleased to reveal him" Luke 10: 22.

• There is the thought of seeing the Father, but it is in the Son, in Christ as Man, that we see the Father.

• It is not a veil removed for us to look into the relations of deity before incarnation; the suggestion is, of what is there in the Son. It involves what is most precious.

• The Lord calls the attention of certain persons to the Father in such a way that the Father is seen.

• There is a difference between Christ revealing the Father to certain persons, and the Father being in Him to be seen by all. The latter would be included in John 1: 18. Compare John 14: 8-11 and John 15: 24.

F.S.M. Revelation is connected rather with the sense of sight, whereas declaration is more what is heard.

J.T. The idea in declaration could be illustrated by a case at court. The case is fully set out so as to be intelligible to all concerned. The matter in question is brought out by certain substantial, incontrovertible evidences.

• The declaration of God is public. It is not to certain persons only.

D.L.H. Is there not in declaration the idea of showing in a public way? The word used in Romans 3: 25 is "showing forth". God's righteousness is shown in the mercy seat. It is there for all.

J.T. It is there whether people see it or not. The word in John 1: 18 is the strongest as to what we are dealing with, that is God coming out, not only in Christ in a personal sense, but in certain things that happened.

J.J. Is there the thought of interpretation in John 1: 18?

J.T. Interpretation is not strong enough as to what is in view.

A.S.L. Is it not the idea of setting forth or making manifest?

J.T. It is the idea of bringing a thing out to where you are; whether it is to your intelligence or to your heart, the thing is brought out. God is declared by the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father.

M.W.B. With regard to revelation does it imply a work in the soul, as referring to some specific person?

J.T. I think so. It is the Lord selecting persons to reveal to. The word is used in the last book of the Bible, but it is the same idea; it is the

• "Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show to his bondmen", Revelation 1: 1.

• It conveys the restricted thought – to certain persons.

A.S.L. There are the two words in John 17, "manifested" and "made known".

J.T. The manifestation in verse 6 would be the Father's name made evident so as to be readily grasped; "made known" would be that the Lord had instructed the disciples as to it, and would do so. Verse 26 is deeper than verse 6.

Eu.R. Would you say a word as to light in distinction to what you have been saying as to revelation? Is light more limited?

J.T. Well, it is the light of life. Life is necessarily more limited than God; that is all I was thinking. Life is spoken of by itself, and this helps us to understand John's epistle. John's gospel is God, the epistle rather the life.

Eu.R. In chapter 3 it says, "Light is come into the world", John 3: 19.

J.T. Christ was the "true light". John was not the true light:

• "The true light was that which, coming into the world, lightens every man", John 1: 9.

• It sheds light on everything, and that is the Person of Jesus; God shone in Him.

Ques. "They … have known truly that I came out from thee, and have believed that thou sentest me", John 17: 8; would that be declaration?

J.T. The Lord is telling His Father about the disciples, how they had come into things. What He says of the disciples in John 17, while involving declaration, is more revelation.

• I am sure the Lord would help us as to the distinction between the glory contemplated (verse 14) and the glory manifested (verse 18).

• I believe the glory contemplated is the secret of coming into the economy that is opened up to us in this gospel, the relations between the Father and the Son, the beautiful relations and affections that were seen, and then the truth that subsisted in Him,
  • so that in His public service those who companied with Him were intelligent as to what He was doing and saying.

• But when He begins to perform signs He is calling attention to Himself in a public way, that He might be believed on.

Ques. Would you say what was indicated in the "beginning of signs"?

J.T. It was on the third day, as you will notice. Therefore, it is a complete testimony, and comes in, I think, as confirmatory of the teaching that is opened up in chapter 1.

• Chapters 1 and 2 stand together as an introduction to the book, so that this being on the third day directs us back to the other days. There is development in the truth that had been the testimony of John the baptist leading to followers of Jesus.

• That was the beginning of discipleship and these disciples begin to gather other disciples. In the first instance Andrew finds Simon, pointing to material for the church, then the Lord finds Philip, and Philip finds Nathanael, pointing to the remnant of Israel.

• Then the third day is the culmination of all this, in which you have not relief for man indicated, but positive blessing; that is, the first sign is joy brought in. The Lord has come, not merely to set things right, but to bring in positive joy, and thus
  • "he manifested his glory and his disciples believed on him".

Ques. Would you say that the signs indicate the great moral results that flow from verse 18 of chapter 1?

J.T. Quite so. The millennial day will show the great results of what is indicated in chapter 1.

Ques. Would this first sign manifesting His glory embrace both the millennial day and the present day of the Spirit?

J.T. Yes, Scripture has always a moral significance. Our concern now is to see not only the primary application of any sign but its present bearing, and I think we ought to be prepared for positive joy, that the Lord can bring in the very best at the end.

J.J. You said at the beginning that the occurrences were mainly in reference to Judaea; why is this in Cana of Galilee?

J.T. I think it is to help us as to the position of the testimony now. Whilst His activities are mainly in relation to the public body, there is what is in Cana of Galilee, and the real thing goes on there. Compare Isaiah 9: 1.

• So the first three signs are in Galilee, but it is as having come out of Judaea. It is an important matter that as having come up out of Judaea He performs these signs.

• It opens up the position for the moment, that there is something outside the great public system; the Lord honours that and brings in positive blessing there in household conditions.

P.L. Would that be Philadelphia?

J.T. That would be the bearing of it.

Ques. Would you connect reproach with Galilee?

J.T. That is what it means, viewed from the stand-point of Jerusalem, and so at the end of the sign, the Lord is said to have

• "descended to Capernaum, he and his mother and his brethren and his disciples; and there they abode not many days".

• I think the allusion is to the Lord recognising the Jewish remnant. The sign relates to the millennium; but the subsequent period is "not many days", that is the Lord's relations with the remnant for a little while before He takes up the church.

• So the next part of the chapter alludes to the truth of the assembly, but those few days which He spent with His mother and brethren and disciples, bear on the position in the early part of Acts. But it is only a few days awaiting Paul's ministry, which brought those few days to an end.

C.H.W. Does the thought of His glory manifested there refer to Him as Christ the Son of God? I was wondering whether it is contrasted with the glory of God in chapter 11.

J.T. "His glory" here is general, giving character to all the signs. In this connection His disciples are said to have believed on Him.

Rem. Those "not many days" would be practically ended when Paul says,

• "Lo, we turn to the gentiles", Acts 13: 46.

J.T. That is what I understand. Christ rebukes His mother because she associated herself with Him on natural lines, yet He does recognise her in the testimony, for He descends to Capernaum with her, which I think refers to His ministry in a sphere of special testimony. Compare Matthew 11: 23.

Rem. The connection you make between "not many days" at Capernaum and the early part of Acts is most interesting and instructive, and seems to indicate the line of the operation of the Spirit which prepares for the assembly to emerge out of the remnant, and so be ready for Paul's ministry.

J.T. That is what I understand; and then the cleansing of the temple which the Lord calls His Father's house, is another reference to that.

• They said it was forty and six years in building, which was quite to be expected from them, for the natural man makes much of what he has. But the Lord did not intend to refer to Herod's great structure. He did not mean to honour Herod at all; He was thinking of His Father's house.

• They said it took forty and six years to build, but He spoke of the temple of His body. Now we are coming into something that fits in with Paul; it is the inner side, something that would contain the whole mind of God, which Israel never did nor could.

• So, when He was raised from the dead His disciples believed the Scriptures and the things which Jesus had said. You have the full bearing of the Scriptures and the things that Jesus said at the end of the chapter, which I think brings us on to ground on which there is preparation for the assembly.

E.J.McB. I was very interested in your reference to the Lord remaining some days with the remnant of Israel. It was rather intended to lead them out to the new thing.

J.T. "Not many days" does not suggest that the circumstances suited His heart; He had something more than that before Him. It was a combination of His mother and brethren and disciples; His disciples come last.

• Presently the first two disappear and the disciples will be everything, for that is the point; His disciples believed on Him, not yet His mother and His brethren.

P.L. In Acts 1 the disciples are referred to and then His mother and brethren; the order is reversed.

J.T. The order in Acts 1 is really the apostles first, those who represented Christ, and I think that Mary and the Lord's brethren in the upper room, mentioned last, have a spiritual significance.

• They are where they can be influenced and moulded, and withal they had, because of their special relations with Him, much that even Peter could not have. This especially refers to His mother.

• It is when we are in accord with our relative importance that we are of true value. The upper room in Acts 1 has the assembly in view.

E.J.McB. Do I understand that the secret of John lies in the fact that we have a joy that is beyond any known joy here – the new wine?

J.T. Yes. That is the first sign which shows the character of the present position. It is not merely a question of setting things right, but that there is positive joy for all, and if we are not in possession of that there will be very little testimony.

• The faith of the disciples is in relation to that joy, and it is brought about by vessels being filled with water up to the brim.

• And as they are filled, the Lord says,
  • "Draw out now".

• It is a fitting sign to be first, but in a moral sense it indicates what is happening. "Draw out now" from such full water-pots, and you have the very best wine.

Ques. Why is it six?

J.T. It is beyond five, which is the human number. I suppose there is allusion to something to be added for completion; the addition of the water is the complete exercise.

P.L. Would you have a suggestion of this in Nehemiah, you have the purifying and then the singing, the great joy that follows?

J.T. You have there what corresponds. This sign throws light on the whole inquiry. We are dealing with positive blessing, brought in on the third day.

• "His disciples believed on him";

• it does not say His mother or His brethren did.

Ques. What would be the idea of the vessels being stone vessels?

J.T. I think to give you the idea of permanency.

Eu.R. Is there importance in Mary's word,

• "Whatever he may say to you, do".

J.T. She qualifies there, in saying that, but there is nothing said as to her believing. It is His disciples; that is the idea.

G.J.E. Would you say in connection with what we have in chapters 1 and 2 of the gospel of John and the joy indicated, that it is carried forward in the first chapter of the epistle where it says

• "that your joy may be full", 1 John 1: 4?

J.T. That suggestion is helpful and opens up something of the prominence of the water in the epistle; the water is given before the blood.

• Coming into the joy of eternal life begins with the water; the vessels being filled up to the brim, the Lord turns what is in them into the occasion of joy.

Ques. You said the water comes before the blood; you are referring to the order in John's epistle?

J.T. Yes, it throws light on the position as was remarked. I believe the difficulty in entering on eternal life is from the non-application of the water, or, if it be applied, not filling up to the brim.

• Filling up to the brim means the exclusion of all else. It is what purifies; the stone vessels were for purification.

Ques. Then do you connect the joy with the joy of eternal life?

J.T. Surely; it is the millennial day which is the period for the display of eternal life. It is commanded in Zion, and the nations go into it.

Ques. Then would chapter 6 where it is a question of eating His flesh and drinking His blood be for the continuance of it?

J.T. Quite so; to support us in it now.

J.J. Do you think verse 10 covers the whole of the present period from beginning to end?

J.T. "Every man sets on first the good wine, and when men have well drunk, then the inferior; thou hast kept the good wine till now".

• In its present bearing it covers the whole period, but it is properly millennial in its application. It is the public thing. The millennial day is the day of eternal life, and therefore it is the best kept to the last;
  • but the Lord would have us have the best, although we get it in a different way.

• We get it in a faith period which is the time of special blessedness. They get it in the time of sight.

• In the book of Revelation there are seven blessednesses available. Special blessednesses are of course above the ordinary, and while this sign primarily alludes to the millennial day, believers have it now.
  • As the Lord says, "Blessed they who have not seen and have believed", John 20: 29.

• One golden thread running through John's gospel is faith, the person who believes misses nothing; he gets the very best, even the companionship of the Father, and the Son, chapter 14: 23.

Ques. Is the expression "Draw out now" for our present enjoyment?

J.T. Exactly; it is a question of drawing out now what is there.

Ques. Why did the Lord have to be invited? What follows is consequent upon that, is it not?

J.T. The passage shows how the Lord in His service takes advantage of ordinary circumstances. This was a very ordinary circumstance in Cana of Galilee and the Lord took advantage of it.

• It is just possible that He was linked in some way with the family by personal relations, but He uses the opportunity to bring in the best.

S.J.B.C. Going back to the water for a moment, do you think this chapter is life out of death?

J.T. It is purification; it was "according to the purification of the Jews".

• It is the water that purifies; the idea of purification in a vessel, that is, in you or in me.

• It is the idea of the application of the death of Christ so that the Lord can change it into an occasion of joy, and that would be life.

H.F.N. Does the best involve the whole of John's ministry as reserved for the saints in these last days?

J.T. That is just the point. In this first sign in which the Lord manifests His glory that we might believe on Him, we begin with what is best and that is kept to the last.

M.W.B. In that connection what link do you see between the glory manifested here and the glory which they beheld?

J.T. The glory they contemplated was a question of the relations between Him and His Father, but this glory comes out in the Lord's service. The former is the greater of the two; it is linked up with His Father.

M.W.B. I wondered whether the wine would imply the enjoyment connected with the intimacy of that relationship into which we may be brought now through redemption.

J.T. I think that is right. It may be carried intelligently and profitably into John's epistle. We are not to be content with anything less than the fulness of joy.

Ques. Just what do you mean by lower affections?

J.T. Those organs with which water has to do. It is not the Spirit as viewed in the sense of "breath" as in chapter 20, but the Spirit in the sense of 'water' having deliverance in view.

• In chapter 20 the breathing contemplates representation, the disciples being sent out, but chapter 4 is more deliverance: it is living water; the woman understood that her body was to be a vessel.

A.F.M. Would you mind distinguishing between the water in the waterpots and the water indicated by the Lord to the woman?

J.T. In the first case, as we saw this morning, the use of the vessels was for purification; they allude to persons as receiving that which brings about a change in them. It is the idea of a complete change from one substance to another.

• Chapter 4 contemplates permanent satisfaction, as drinking the water that Christ gives we never thirst (verse 14).

• Whilst change takes place, it is not in the thing, but in its activities; it becomes in the believer
  • "a fountain of water, springing up", John 4: 14.

• Then I think the importance of the believer's household, as in John's gospel, ought to be noted, because the setting is in relation to the Lord's sojourn in Samaria; as to which, nothing is said, of anyone entertaining Him; there is nothing as to suitable accommodation.

Ques. Does the fact that it is emphasised that this was again in Cana of Galilee suggest that the one is the carrying on of the other?

J.T. I think so. It is a sort of sequel; it was after He came out of Judaea; showing that it is something outside the realm of ordinary religious profession.

• "The Galileans received him", John 4: 45.

P.L. Does it link up with the two believing households in the second and third epistles of John – that of the elect lady, and Gaius?

J.T. The idea is carried through there very clearly; here it is,

• "He believed, himself and his whole house", verse 53.

A.F.M. Is there a connection between the woman receiving the water, the men of Samaria, and the believing household?

J.T. There is clearly. The Samaritans were enlightened through the woman. They desired Him to stay there and He stayed two days, but there is nothing said about suitable accommodation for Him there.

A.F.M. Do they not say something more than the woman? It says,

• "When therefore the Samaritans came to him they asked him to abide with them, and he abode there two days. And more a great deal believed on account of his word; and they said to the woman, It is no longer on account of thy saying that we believe, for we have heard him ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world", John 4: 40-42.

• Was not that a point of advance to bring about assembly conditions in Samaria?

J.T. No doubt, but there is nothing to indicate any accommodation for the Lord as yet; it is said,

• "He abode there two days".

• There may be reception of light and appreciation of Christ in an evangelical way as "the Saviour of the world", without suitable accommodation. Of course the Lord valued the desire of the Samaritans, but the setting of the believing household here is significant.

• The Lord is dealing with the truth in relation to man's whole moral being in chapter 3 and the body in chapter 4; so that the whole person is involved in the two chapters, and then we have a believing household.

• We cannot have a believing household save as we are dealt with radically, by getting to the root of things. Our being has to be dealt with in the new birth of chapter 3 and in the living water of chapter 4.

• The body is affected so that the woman becomes a son of light in this respect. It is said in chapter 12,
  • "While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may become sons of light", John 12: 36.

• I think she becomes a son of light in regard of her body, and the nobleman becomes a son of light in regard of his house; but the body involves that it is a question of the person, whether one becomes a vessel of what is spiritual. The fact that the woman left her waterpot indicates that she understood this.

J.J. Would it be right to say that the household in John 4 corresponds with Paul's ministry to the Corinthians, which you were speaking of as the temple of His body, and then the household in chapter 12 with Ephesians? Are those two households the outcome of the two lines?

J.T. Well, we have the households of Chloe and Stephanas in Corinthians; they were reliable persons. In the household of Chloe it was shown that there was full sympathy as regards the conditions in the assembly at Corinth,

• so that what was discerned by those of that house was the state of division amongst the Corinthians, though they did not say anything about it in their letter to Paul – nor was anything said about the wicked person in chapter 5.

• That chapter is based on a report, by whom we do not know, but chapter 1 speaks of the showing of the division at Corinth, which is a most important matter.

• It was the real difficulty there, so that I have no doubt the idea of the nobleman's household in chapter 4 may be taken to represent what was at Corinth. In this respect the Lord had something for Himself there, and it linked on with Paul.

• The house in chapter 12 of this gospel is not named; but it was a house in which things could be done for Christ without much being said.

• A great affair took place as the Lord reached Bethany, but it was not marked by words. It was a place of silent spirituality, so that I think we may see the import in this way, of believing households.

F.I. The condition in the house here was the result of the son being made to live. What is the significance of that?

J.T. I think we have to note the thought of the son. There are two words used. The Holy Spirit says that the man besought the Lord in regard of his son (verse 47).

• He speaks of him as a 'child' to the Lord, but the Lord calls him son (verse 50). When the man arrived at his house it says,
  • "The father therefore knew that it was in that hour in which Jesus said to him. Thy son lives; and he believed".

• The idea of a nobleman and his child is dropped at the end; it is now the father and the son (verse 53). The radical truth of chapters 3 and 4 prepare for the believing household.

• Of course, much more is involved, but it is remarkable that this second sign comes in at the end of the instruction of chapters 3 and 4, so that it is not now a nobleman, a distinguished person in this world, whose son was healed, but a father.

H.M.S. Would you tell us what is the force of the answer of the Lord Jesus to the nobleman,

• "Unless ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe",

• because we might have thought that the very fact of the father coming to the Lord Jesus was a sufficient proof of his belief?

J.T. I think it is a general statement as to how things were, "unless ye see". The Lord would convey to us that we ought to be able to believe without signs and wonders.

• Of course the signs are to the intent that we should believe, but as we increase in spirituality we believe things without signs.

H.E.S. Is the idea in John's gospel generally that all that is natural is to be set aside so that what is spiritual may be introduced?

J.T. That is what I thought we might note specially; that is, in these two chapters, the dealing with what we are morally, from top to bottom.

E.J.McB. Do you think that the woman was purified by the word the Lord had spoken to her? and that the nobleman represented the corresponding conditions of family life in the home, brought to pass by the Lord coming back to the city where He had brought in the true joy, and then putting it into the family setting?

J.T. Yes. The believing household in this chapter will be seen later as bearing on the general position, so I think what has just been suggested ought to be weighed over; that is,

• the dealing with the moral being radically in its entirety, and then the person in relation to his body,

• because unless these are understood we may have light in our households, but not the simple, primary thought of God – the father and the son. We finish with this in verse 53. The Father is a primary thought, and belongs to God, and so is the Son.

P.L. Would the thought of the circumcision of his household by Abraham answer a little to chapter 3 in that way, and would the relationships of father and son seen in Abraham and Isaac be the result?

J.T. That is very good. In Genesis 17 circumcision is introduced into the house. There was no Isaac there as yet, but the principle of circumcision is introduced, and the test would be: Will Abraham maintain it?

• "God", it says, "went up", having "left off talking with him", Genesis 17: 22.

• He broke off the conversation as if it would be resumed, but that it would remain for Jehovah to see whether the resulting conditions would be suitable.

• Well, we are told that Abraham circumcised all the males in his house; it was thorough. That is, the house is now on the principle, not of the flesh, but of the Spirit.
  • "We are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh", Philippians 3: 3.

• Then, following on that in chapter 18, Abraham is in the tent door in the heat of the day, showing that he was not governed by fleshly feelings; he was not overcome by the heat; he was in vigour, and Jehovah comes. Three men come to him, and then you have the full thought of Isaac introduced.

• His house is right, but the world is not right, and so the destruction of Sodom follows. We see in this gospel that God intends to put houses right. He will put the world right too, that is to say, the judgment of it will come, so that it should be a suitable place for Isaac.

• But in the meantime the principle of the world to come is to be seen in the believer's house, in the father and the son. Therefore the importance of considering chapter 3: "Except any one be born anew", born throughout as we might call it.

• It is not merely another time, but a radical dealing with the person.
  • "Except any one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God", John 3: 3, nor enter into it.

W.C.G. Does it correspond with the word in the epistle,

• "If what ye have heard from the beginning abides in you, ye also shall abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise which he has promised us, life eternal", 1 John 2: 24-25?

• Is it on that line?

J.T. I think so. It is the permanency of divine dealing with us in our moral being, and then in a judicial way, the Son of man lifted up (chap. 3: 14-15).

• Then there is the competent witness to bring in heavenly things; and in chapter 4: the body of the believer; because what we are morally is expressed in our bodies, and the body has to be dealt with.
  • "The body is dead on account of sin",

• we are told in Romans 8: 10, which enters into chapter 4, so that the woman understands now that she is a vessel herself. She had brought out the waterpot for water, but she does not take it back with her.

• She leaves it at the well and goes back herself and goes to the men of the city. That would mean her body was dead; she had no fear of them. She is in power, she is evidently superior now to the influences that hitherto would have damaged her.

H.E.S. Is it not the thought that now she is free from natural influences and thoughts and is moved only by what is spiritual?

J.T. Yes. The history of the woman has to be taken into account if you are to understand the force of the use of her body, that is, the body is dead, and without making any mention of the body, she leaves her waterpot, clearly implying that she herself could carry things, that she was a vessel of what the Lord was speaking of.

F.C.H. What would be the bearing of water in chapter 3?

• "Except any one be born of water and of Spirit", John 3: 5.

J.T. It is the testimony of death entering into the fibre of our being. It is a divine operation. It is not new creation, but birth, involving things in principle, as in a babe, to be developed later.

A.M.H. Are you including more in chapter 3 than the sovereign act of God in relation to new birth? You referred to Romans 8. Do you include the first seven chapters in John 4?

J.T. Chapters 3 and 4 enter into Romans 1-8. Here the new birth is the sovereign act of God, but it involves a process in me, in that it is "born of water and of Spirit".

• The person is in some sense responsible as acted upon. It is not the idea of being dead and made to live; it is the idea of birth, which no one can define. But there it is in its effects. It is a mysterious thing, but the babe carries all the members that are to be developed.

A.M.H. You say it brings in an element of responsibility?

J.T. In the sense that it is not a dead person made to live, nor one created, as in Adam's case. Adam was not born at all, he was created; but here it is birth.

Ques. Does the water involve that the intelligence of the person is taken account of?

J.T. Well, I think there is something in that. I should not like to say much beyond what I have said.

• It is not a dead person acted upon, but a person with a moral being, and this transaction of God must affect the person throughout.

• It involves what is seen in a birth, that is to say, all the elements are there that may be developed into a man.

S.J.B.C. The Lord said, "Except a man be born again". The individuality remains. It is the same person, so Nicodemus understood it that way:

• "How can a man be born when he is old", John 3: 4?

J.T. The personality remains. I do not like to build too much upon it, but it is the person who has been dealt with, a person with a previous history, and it is anyone. "Except any one be born anew", whether it be a religious man, or otherwise, this must happen.

Eu.R. The Lord says, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit", John 3: 6. Would that give the idea of definiteness to what is born in that way?

J.T. Yes. It does not say that which is born of water is water; the water is just a testimony to the death of Christ, but 'Spirit' is positive, there is something there, and, I believe, all that will be developed later in the man.

Eu.R. What is the bearing of verse 16 upon it?

• "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal", John 3: 16.

J.T. That is, of course, the great testimony as to the love of God. The teaching runs into that, but the great features for us now as to our formation, are in the new birth and the lifting up of the Son of man.

• These are two radical ideas: ideas that deal with things, not in their effects, but at the roots. The understanding of these truths enables us to appropriate and enjoy the love of God and eternal life.

S.J.B.C. I suppose it would bring in the heavenly things afterwards, the Son of man being lifted up and eternal life.

J.T. The passage treats of God dealing with the moral question thoroughly. Much difficulty arises in souls because the truth of John 3 and 4 is not understood.

G.W.W. Is your thought that this radical dealing with things has in view a complete moral change in the person?

J.T. Yes; the identity is the same, but he is completely changed, changed in the sense of a new texture in his moral being, and new things produced on the principle of birth.

• It is not a change as in 2 Corinthians 3, through something presented objectively. It is a transaction inwardly which is seen in its effects.
  • "The wind blows where it will", the Lord says, "and thou hearest its voice, but knowest not whence it comes and where it goes; thus is every one that is born of the Spirit", John 3: 8.

• You cannot explain it, but there is a definite result manifest.

G.W.W. So the divine thought is, that moral effects will follow that action.

J.T. That is it. Then the uplifting of the Son of man deals with all that I come to realise as obnoxious to God – the flesh. That is dealt with judicially in the cross, in the Lord Jesus being lifted up.

• Then, chapter 4 is the Spirit making all that a matter of known power in the soul, so that the person – spirit, soul and body – is secured for the testimony, because if I am not secured for the testimony I am not of much value morally. The point is to be secured for the testimony.

G.W.W. Does that touch on 2 Corinthians 3?

J.T. Well, it would, but John is dealing with what happens inside of us, as already said.

G.W.W. You were thinking of the perfect moral transformation that new birth has in view. I wondered whether chapter 4 might at all link on with that work in 2 Corinthians 3, the moral transformation that is effected by the Spirit.

J.T. There is a link, only the change in 2 Corinthians 3 is said to be the result of beholding the glory of the Lord.

A.S.L. Does Paul speak of new birth? Peter does.

J.T. Peter speaks of it in a more advanced way, as born by the word of God, 1 Peter 1: 23.

A.S.L. Why do you think Paul does not speak of it?

J.T. Paul's ministry was toward the nations; it was not toward the Jewish world. John is dealing with the religious world.

• In this world, men pride themselves on being religious, but the Lord says, "Except any one be born anew"; it is to bring out the uselessness of the flesh, although most refined religiously.

A.S.L. Is that not why the Lord speaks of new birth to Nicodemus?

J.T. Yes. It is important to notice that it is the person that is dealt with. It is the whole moral being that is dealt with, and then corresponding with that, the body in chapter 4. It is expressed here in the fact that the woman left her waterpot.

D.L.H. When you speak of the body are you referring to the human body?

J.T. Yes, the woman's body.

D.L.H. Is not that referred to by the Lord when He says,

• "Shall be in him a well of water"?

• Does not that refer to the idea of the body?

J.T. Just so; the whole person is in view in the teaching of the chapter.

Ques. What had the Spirit in view when He said in chapter 2,

• "But he spoke of the temple of his body", John 2: 21?

J.T. The Lord had His own body in view; it was there that the whole mind of God was; not in the temple that Herod had built in forty and six years; it was in the Lord's own body that the light was, where all inquiry was to be made.

D.L.H. And the church has that character now.

J.T. It leads us on to Paul's ground in Corinthians and Ephesians. In 1 Corinthians 3 it is local, and in Ephesians 2: 21 it bears on the coming world.

Eu.R. In Corinthians the apostle brings the truth of the Spirit to bear on the bodies of believers 1 Corinthians 6.

J.J. Do you think the introduction of worship into chapter 4 is on account of what you have said – that the whole man has been radically dealt with in chapter 3?

J.T. Yes. The new birth has in view that we should be brought into accord with God. God is a Spirit and is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth; hence that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

J.J. You could not speak of worship apart from the clearance of the ground, which is seen in these chapters.

J.T. If you are to have worship, the outgoing of our affections Godward, you must see how essential it is to have the internals right. The psalmist calls upon 'all that is within' him to praise Jehovah (Psalm 103: 1).

• Think of that woman, of all the evil that had been within her; but now all is reversed. There is in principle purification, and the Spirit welling up, she could now call upon all that was within her to praise God. It is what is within us.

• Those who understand anatomy could tell us something about our bodies, but I do not think anybody understands the human body but God, and the things inside us that are so wonderfully formed for God's praise – the means of singing and all that, and those internal organs that act of themselves.

• How important it is that all should be purified and cleansed, so that every automatic, as well as every organ governed by the intelligence, should be called upon to praise God.

P.L. You get the expression, "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made", Psalm 139: 14.

J.T. It says, "Curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth" (verse 15).

• I believe it could be brought out that all the framework, all the cavities and membranes and so on, have been designed by God, that the believer might become a vessel of God's praise.

Rem. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your intelligent service", Romans 12: 1.

• I suppose the vessel of the woman in John 4 would be an expression of that.

J.T. Exactly, and the Holy Spirit says that she went to the men of the city, which I think reminds us that Christ being in us

• "the body is dead on account of sin, but the Spirit life on account of righteousness", Romans 8: 10.

• She was immune from their influences. Christ was now in her, so to speak.
  • "Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done: is not he the Christ?", John 4: 29.

A.S.L. So Peter could say, "Ye denied the Holy One and the Just", Acts 14: 3.

J.T. He was entirely free of the effect of his own denial of Him. If you are to bear witness you must be clear of the thing that had influenced you.

Ques. It says, "Go thy way". Is there instruction there for the obedience of faith? Does it suggest a new way?

J.T. It is simply 'go' here, but the passage says the man went his way.

• In Mark you have the way, meaning that it is the only way, the one the Lord Himself was on; and you have that carried on into Acts. Of Saul it is said that,
  • "if he found any who were of the way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem", Acts 9: 2;

• but here it is the man's way, meaning, I think, that the Lord had confidence in him, that he could be trusted.

W.W. Is it important that the man said, "Come down ere my child die", but Jesus said, "Go, thy son lives"? Is this according to John's gospel, connected with the thought of life, rather than healing?

J.T. I think that is right. But before we come to that, there is the effect of the woman's testimony and the desire on the part of the Samaritans to have the Lord stay with them, but there is nothing said about a house or accommodation for Him.

• That is to say, He is regarded as the Christ, and sought after, and believed on, and said to be the "Saviour of the world", but there is nothing said as to suitable accommodation, and hence we have this second sign resulting in a believing household.

A.F.M. Would Lydia be a contrast in opening her house for the testimony at Philippi?

J.T. That is the idea exactly. The Lord opened her heart to attend to the things spoken by Paul, but she was not content to listen merely. She opened her house to Paul.

• We may say. So and so is in town, I will go and hear him. That is very good, but what about suitable accommodation for him?

• Now the Samaritans went to Him and believed on Him and sought to have Him in the place. That was very well, but there is nothing said of accommodation. That is a very important side to the position, and I believe that is why this second sign comes in, so that you have living accommodation, a believing house with a father and a son.

F.S.M. Do I understand that in each sign there is some distinctive glory of the Son of God which would enhance Him in the vision of our souls, and which signifies some phase of His personal glory? In the first sign it was the provision of joy. What would be the special feature in relation to the Son of God in connection with the second sign?

J.T. I think it lies in the idea of father and son. "Thy son lives". On the ground of social status death was there, but it is no longer a nobleman and his child but a father and a son living. There is the suggestion of divine relations and affections in the house of God.

F.S.M. Is it a household in life?

J.T. Exactly, but I think it is life and dignity, not simply a child living but a son living. We reach the thought of God in this way – the Father and the Son.

D.L.H. When you speak of accommodation are you thinking of accommodation for Christ?

J.T. Yes, either for Him, or the testimony, or for others, such as Paul. For instance, as was remarked, the Lord opened the heart of Lydia to attend to the things spoken by Paul. Luke and Silas were there, but it was Paul.

• You have thus a woman whose house was available to him who specially represented the testimony of God. You get there a person who would attend to what Paul said.

• What a house that was; what holy converse would go on there. What would she talk about? About what Paul said. So it is a household setting of things in Philippi.

• Then you have the jailer. After he was converted, it says that
  • "he laid the table for them", Acts 16: 34.

• He did not bring Paul and Silas in to give them something to eat merely, but he washed their stripes and laid the table, indicating that the household was in dignity. His service to the apostle was a dignified service; the accommodation was suitable. That is what I think we should see here, as the result of this sign.

Ques. Is this thought of the Father and the Son the same in character as we have in chapter 1: 14

• "We have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father"?

J.T. I think the Lord wishes to accustom us in our houses to the economy of the Father and the Son; that is John's gospel. In the end of chapter 3 you have,

• "The Father loves the Son and has given all things to be in his hand", John 3: 35.

• So the economy is formally set up, and now you come into a believing house and you have a father and a son. There is some reflection of the divine economy in that house.

P.L. And what a living son we see in Onesimus returning and Paul saying,

• "Prepare me also a lodging", Philemon 22.

J.T. Onesimus would be no longer a servant but a son.

P.L. There are suitable conditions now, and accommodation for Paul.

J.T. How delightful would be the incoming of Paul to Philemon's house with Onesimus there! The conditions would be entirely suitable. After Paul leaves the prison at Philippi he goes to Lydia and sees the brethren.

H.M.S. In speaking of the work of God in this household is it the more remarkable because the man was a courtier? You spoke about John presenting the word in religious darkness; is there not also there the great element of worldliness?

• He may have been a Herodian, but the blessing extends all through the house; you have the father and the son, and then the servants are evidently affected.

J.T. It is the Lord dealing with what you might call the social side. This man does not represent the religious side but the social side; he was a courtier. He would go to court and would have correct manners, but now all is changed, and it is a father and a son.

• There are the manners of the divine economy, the economy of the Father and the Son.

G.W.W. And in the house, so that the distinctiveness of this new thing in Christianity is to find this moral answer in the household.

J.T. Exactly; it is not Christ and the assembly. John is not dealing with that, but with the economy of the Father and the Son, and it is that which is to be reflected in believing households.

H.F.N. Are the households in John on a higher spiritual level than in the other gospels? Does John lift them on to an entirely spiritual level?

J.T. Exactly. We have that here unmistakably, and then in chapter 12 the house filled with the odour of the ointment.

H.E.S. Is it the idea that this spiritual dignity that is coming in transcends all religious or social dignity?

J.T. Just so, and witnessed in believers.

A.F.M. Would you mind saying a word about the fever? It says,

• "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him".

J.T. I suppose that, like the condition in Peter's house, it is a condition of restlessness.

F.W.W. What is involved in believing here?

J.T. It is general, the word is, "He believed, himself and his whole house".

• The idea of believing had now become current and was understood; so if we say now that a person is a believer, we understand what is meant. It rather emphasises what we were saying, that the truth was making headway.

F.W.W. The truth was now becoming characteristic of households.

J.T. It says, "Himself and his whole house".

Ques. In chapter 2 it says, "Many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he wrought. But Jesus himself did not trust himself to them", John 2: 23-24; and here you have,

• "Unless ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe".

• Now it comes to the point that he does believe with all his house. Would that indicate an advance?

J.T. I think so; it goes further than the jailer's faith. He believed in relation to his house, but I think the faith here is attributed to every one in this man's house. "Himself and his whole house".

J.J. This morning you referred to the days; here it seems to be a question of hours. You have the sixth hour at the beginning of the chapter, and then the seventh hour.

J.T. Well, hours count. They do not come into the division of time in Genesis 1; it is simply day and night, but John remarks considerably on hours. I suppose he used the Roman way of reckoning time. Then the Lord said,

• "Are there not twelve hours in the day?", John 11: 9.

• On this day there was a great work done in this particular hour and the man took notice of it. It reminds us of the importance of detail in divine things.

W.R.P. Does the believing of verse 53 go beyond the believing of verse 50?

J.T. I am glad you call attention to that, because in verse 50 the Lord said,

• "Go, thy son lives. And the man believed the word which Jesus said to him, and went his way".

• But now in verse 53 it says, "The father therefore knew that it was in that hour in which Jesus said to him. Thy son lives; and he believed, himself and his whole house".

• I think it is in keeping with the idea in John of progressive faith. It is a question in John, among other things, of the work of God, and the man in chapter 9 is illustrative of this. It is progressive, and we are shown in that chapter the progress of the truth in a man's soul. It is very fine to see a man progressing and the light spreading to his house.

Ques. Is that seen in Timothy's mother? She believed as to the progress of things.

J.T. She was a believing woman; she would believe the testimony as it came to her; whatever came from God she would accept.

W.C.G. The great woman of Shunem made room for the prophet and got a living son 2 Kings 4.

H.M.S. Do you think this man had faith in the Saviour's power, which brought him to Jesus, and he believed His bare word, and then afterwards he believed on the Lord's Person, so that the sign had its full effect in his soul?

J.T. I think so. If you went into this man's house you would find he was, in a general way, a believer.

• I mean, he would not eliminate from his faith certain features of the truth as some do, as for instance household baptism. He would be a believer of any testimony God gave. Like Lydia and the things spoken by Paul, he would attend to those things.

• That is what I apprehend is meant by the second reference to believing; I think it is progressive.

D.L.H. Would you get something similar in 1 Peter where they tasted that the Lord is gracious and then,

• "To whom coming, a living stone, cast away indeed as worthless by men, but with God chosen, precious, yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house", 1 Peter 2: 4-5?

• Is that anything corresponding to what we have here?

J.T. That is a very good scripture to bear out the thought of progress being made. Having "tasted that the Lord is gracious", then you move towards Him, and are "being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ", 1 Peter 2: 3,5.

Ques. Would what you are saying about believing lead to the remark in the close of chapter 20?

• "That ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name", John 20: 31.

J.T. Exactly; this is an illustration. If the sign led this man to believe and his whole house, what about me and my house? That is the point. So that in chapter 12, the Lord said,

• "While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may become sons of light", John 12: 36.

• I think we see through these chapters sons of light. This man is a son of light in relation to his house. I want to be a son of light in relation to my body, and then in relation to my house.

P.L. So would you say in regard of John the evangelist that he was a son of light in relation to his house in that the Lord could commit His mother to him?

J.T. That is very beautiful; he "took her to his own home", John 19: 27.

• The Lord must have had the fullest confidence in that house, but, mark you, she was to be there as John's mother. She was not to be a visitor or one cared for by charity, but there as his own mother.

Rem. It is all the more beautiful because she had sons of her own. The Lord did not send her to their house.

J.T. The apostle John must have had an immense advantage in having the Lord's mother in the capacity of his mother. There it is a mother and son, but here a father and son.

H.D'A.C. The faith of this man was limited in the first case to just believing the word that Jesus had spoken, but in the second case there is no limit.

J.T. It is the general thought. If you went into this man's house, you would find he would be attending to all the things that were current as coming from Christ; the things that were unfolded were matters of consequence to him.

G.W.W. There would be a great difference between the state of the household in verse 50 and in verse 53; things would be very different, so that you would not expect to find in verse 50 the conditions that were in verse 53.

J.T. Just so; the servants were cognisant of the thing; they were in it.

• "Already, as he was going down, his servants met him and brought him word saying. Thy child lives. He enquired therefore from them the hour at which he got better. And they said to him. Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him".

• They knew; they were not careless servants in this matter. Hours count in the things of God, as well as days, weeks and years. John says,
  • "It is the last hour" 1 John 2: 18, and it denotes a crisis.

Ques. In verse 47 it speaks of the son being about to die; would that refer to Romans 8: 13?

• "If ye live according to flesh, ye are about to die",

• and the apostle goes on to speak about the "spirit of adoption".

J.T. Just so. He did not die, but he was about to die. I suppose it is the state of things marking Christians around us.

F.W.W. Would a similar process to this go on in our own souls as the Lord's glory is manifested to us? There is a great deal of difference between a dying child and a living son.

J.T. Just so. The effect of the ministry of Christ at the present time, is to bring us into dignity – the position of sons.