the Fourth Week after Easter
Daily Devotionals
Mornings and Evenings with Jesus
Of his fulness have all we received. - John 1:16.
WE may observe the reception here acknowledged. We are all naturally destitute; what the apostle said of himself-“In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing”-will apply to all naturally. The fall left us without strength,-without righteousness, wisdom, peace, and joy. We are all in ourselves as so many cells of emptiness, and neither creatures nor angels can fill us. We can say, with Newton,-
“The help of men and angels join’d
Can never reach my case;
Nor can I hope relief to find
But from thy boundless grace.”
First, let us particularly observe that there is, according to this language, a real communication from him to us. There are some religious professors who say, “We are for everything in Christ.” So are we too; but here is the difference:-they are for every thing in Christ to remain there, while they remain the same in themselves: but the true believer is seeking every thing in him as the source, for we must receive from him in order that we may be made new creatures; and from him we receive wisdom to guide us, strength to aid us, and peace to tranquillize us, according to the promise of the Saviour:-“The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life;” and according to the promise of the new covenant:-“ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean. From all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.” The tree conveys its prolific juices into the branches. What branches? Those branches in it, and no other. And, says the Saviour, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. Pie that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me- that is, separate from me-ye can do nothing.”
Secondly, We may observe the extensiveness of it. “All we have received.” It is the language of all the people of God in every age and country, and under whatever dispensation they may be found. There has been only one fountain of living waters; therefore all who have been supplied were supplied from that fountain. It was here that Abraham drank, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the noble army of martyrs. The dying thief drank of it too; all the illustrious characters on the brow of the hill, and all the inferior ones at its side and in the vale; all these, if they were collected together, would bear their united testimony to him. Well, this will be the case by-and-by, “when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.” In that day each will say, “I was blind, and he opened my eyes; I was dead, and he quickened me to life; I was a slave, and he redeemed me by his precious blood;” and though ten thousand times ten thousand will unite in the song and swell the chorus, there will not be one discordant note, but each and all will say, “Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, to him be glory forever and ever.”
But, though all receive from his fulness, all do not receive equally. Even the good ground yielded some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred fold. All Christians are trees of righteousness, but all are not of the same size. How tall some of these trees are! What a space they occupy! What a shadow they stretch around them! and how the birds lodge in the branches thereof! But others are shrubs; yet they too are in the garden of the Lord.
What a difference we see between the centurion who was satisfied with the Saviour’s word, and poor Thomas, who could believe no further than he could see and hear! What a difference between Abraham and his nephew Lot! and yet Lot is called “just Lot” too.
Behold, thy King cometh. - Matthew 21:5.
THERE is observable throughout the whole of the Redeemer’s history a wonderful combination of abasement and grandeur. This could be exemplified in various instances; but, especially, by what is called his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. In one view nothing could be more humiliating than this scene. He entered in order to suffer and to die on a cross, between two thieves; and he rode on an ass. The thing itself was not degrading: it was common in the East for princes and judges to ride on asses. But let us observe the appendages here. The animal was borrowed. It was untrained; “a colt, the foal of an ass, on which never man rode.” It was completely unfurnished, and one of the company threw his garments across its back for the Saviour’s accommodation. And who were his attendants, his guards, his heralds-at-arms, on this occasion? None of the priests, or scribes, or chief citizens of Jerusalem, but the common people; who were considered as not knowing the law-as accursed. And yet here, even here, we behold his glory, “the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
For, First, The transactions had been predicted ages before by the Spirit of prophecy. Secondly, It showed the Omniscience of the Saviour, that he well knew the place and position of the two animals-the colt tied to the mother, where two ways met; and it evinced his Omnipotence, in making the owner willing to give it up for the use of a stranger. And he was surrounded with acclamations which could not be suppressed; the whole multitude of the disciples began to “rejoice, and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;” saying, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Among the multitude were found some of the old haughty hypocrites, the Pharisees, and they immediately said, “Master, rebuke thy disciples.” It is very unseemly, besides it is liable to be very injurious. It is dangerous; it may gender a tumult. It is outrageous; it will bring all sober and rational religion into contempt. It is vanity in him who receives it, and indiscretion in them that offer it. They deserved no reply; but Jesus answered and said unto them, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
The phrase is susceptible of three meanings; and it is not easy to determine which was the leading sentiment in the mind of the Saviour. He would intimate, first, that the silence would be vile; secondly, that it would be difficult; and, thirdly, that it would be useless. That, should they be induced to hold their peace, nothing would be gained, for others would immediately rise up in their place who would make as much noise, and perhaps a great deal more.
