01.17. Chapter 17 The Feet of Jesus—the Place of Strength

Chapter 17 The Feet of Jesus—the Place of Strength

"When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man! He laid His right hand on me, and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hell." Revelation 1:17-18

We commenced this volume with the consideration of ’many’ at the feet of Jesus, we now conclude it with the consideration of ’one’. The ’many’ were all sorts and conditions of men, who in mind and body were afflicted; the ’one’ is the beloved apostle—he who lay in the bosom of his Lord, and who now was in exile for His sake.

We are glad that it should be so—that whether through ’many’ or ’one’ it should be the same story—all mercy—all love. His cradle was love, His cross was love, His living was love, His death was love—it was all love when he was in this world. And what is more fit, than that we should be presented with a picture of love when the eternal world is unveiled to us also. The apostle hearing suddenly behind him the voice of a great trumpet, and seeing the glory of this wonderful Being, is overwhelmed by both sound and sight. He was simply and purely in the flesh; and as such could not stand up in presence of this majesty and overwhelming glory.

Though it was his beloved Lord—yet it was that Lord in glory; and that glory produced its natural result—the apostle fell at the feet of Christ.

There was no opportunity of reasoning, or of self reassurance; the amazing brilliancy and majesty of the Being before him, precluded that; the apostle fell at His feet like a dead man! Not even at the feet, could he have recovered strength if left to himself—for, as we have just seen, they were flashing with light and glory. They could not be held or embraced as in the times of Christ’s flesh, or even of that body, of whatever nature it was, in which he lived for awhile on earth between the resurrection and ascension. And now, even they, though the feet of Jesus, with their furnace-like glory—were enough to scorch the stoutest heart!

Under these, as under all circumstances of difficulty and distress—the relief comes from Christ Himself; and from Christ, by the manifestation of Himself. He speaks to the beloved apostle, reassures and comforts him by touch and word, saying, "Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hell."

Let us place in the following order the few thoughts which the nature and design of this volume suggest on this the last appearance in scripture of the feet of Jesus.

I. The apostle fallen as dead at the feet.

II. The apostle not allowed to remain as dead.

III. How the apostle was aroused from that death state—and comforted.

I. The position of John at the feet of his glorified Lord, is that of one as dead. Let us keep clearly before our minds that John, though the beloved apostle, was still simply a poor mortal in flesh and blood; and as such, had no inherent power to stand up beneath any spiritual manifestation, much less under such an overwhelming blaze of glory as that which he now saw. No doubt there will be abundant strength for sustaining such manifestations hereafter—but not now, unless there is special strengthening. John was conscious that he was flesh and blood, with all its sinfulness; and his acting was exactly conformable to the circumstances in which he found himself. When Paul had that wonderful vision, and heard sounds which it was not lawful for a man to utter, he had some suitability of nature given to him at the time, and for the time; for whether he was in the body or out of the body he could not tell. But John knew well enough that he was in the body, and that without any preparation of any kind be had seen the Lord in His glory.

Such were the natural effects of a vision of the Lord in His glory. We may pause for a moment to ask what will be its effect on the wicked, when the days of mercy are ended, and the only revelation of Jesus will be for judgment? It is a fearful thought. He will be able to destroy them, with the brightness of His appearing. When every eye shall see Him, and those also who pierced Him; what will be their sensations, when they look upon His body, as that which they bruised, pierced, insulted, scoffed, spat upon, and despised. For all such fearful deeds are laid to the account of the rejectors of the Lord; and now must they reckon concerning them with Him, as in His glorious body. And touching His body of glory—and our sin—the more special, the more glorious the manifestation of Christ to us; the more must it ever, from its very nature, waken in us a consciousness of our inability in ourselves—to stand before Him. We are ever panting after knowing more and more of Christ; and what, if some manifestation like this be sent to us—if, instead of seeing Him by the well-side weary, or with feet being anointed, or pierced, or manifesting themselves in witnessing love, as to the disciples—we are called upon to behold them burning like brass; and even then, only as parts of a great perfection of glory!

We cannot see anything of His glory and purity without being smitten with a consciousness of our sin—we must fall before Him.

We may well tremble at our being only in the flesh; and if left to ourselves might wish never to have any vision of Christ here, beyond what we believe flesh to be capable of bearing. But Jesus gives revelations from time to time, which the merely human body never could bear—which it never was constructed to bear; and for all such revelations, He will always give something which is beyond what is merely human in the way of strength. As is your day—so shall your strength be; as is your sorrow, as is the immense revelation of the divine majesty and your demerit, the one infinitely high, the other infinitely low—so shall be your strengthening and upholding from the Lord. The practical point which I wish to impress upon the reader is this: beloved as he may be of the Lord, yes, let me say of his Lord—there may come that upon him in his spiritual life, which as a manifestation of his Lord’s glory, yes, even of his Lord’s love, may be altogether too much for him.

It may be that, the reader’s experiences in Christian life have partaken more of the character of gloom than brightness; and that what he fears for the time to come is overwhelming from that source. Well, the same observation, holds good for him. This dead and overwhelmed state is not one in which it is the mind of Christ that any man should remain. Saul of Tarsus fallen to the ground—must not remain there. It may be necessary that we should fall to the ground, as the very physical frame will faint; but falling to the ground and staying there are two very different things. This is taught us in the fact that—

II. The apostle was not allowed to remain as one dead. And so our minds are at once brought back to Jesus again. It is the same Jesus on earth—and in glory, showing kindness to those who by any means are brought to His feet.

"By any means"—and so there is great security—security in the immense diversity of experiences of the people of God—of all; from the poor creature who, falling there, says, "God be merciful to me a sinner," up to a beloved apostle, or any disciple, overwhelmed with the majesty of the One he loves. Can we imagine any two people under more different circumstances than Saul of Tarsus—and John of Patmos? The one caught red-handed in murder, falls to the ground; and the other, in suffering for the very Lord who appeared, falls likewise. Of neither is it the will of the Holy One, that he should lie prostrate; to the trembling and astonished Saul the Lord says ’arise!’ and on John lying at His feet like one dead, He lays His hand and says, ’Do not be afraid!’

Diverse indeed are the acquaintanceships with the feet, and made in diverse ways. Everyone has its place; and all together they form a great ministry for the Church, for they help to give a more perfect image of Christ. And now this—the last one with which we are presented in the Scripture—comes in very beautifully. For though of necessity it shows Christ, the One whom we have known, admired, and loved so long in suffering—as brilliant beyond all the power of human sight to bear, still it shows us man lifted up so as to bear it; the very One who Overcame by His glory, giving the strength by which the vision of that glory could be borne.

It shows us more than this—even the man thus cast down raised up, for lengthened communion with the glorified One. We shall be lifted up to sustain the sight of the glorified One, and to hold communion with Him. We cannot imagine a manifestation of glory being pushed farther than this, or a mortal’s being in more need of support; the support is given—a witness to us that even poor disciples shall never be allowed to be overborne, no not even by the glory and majesty of their Lord. The position of the apostle was as that of one dead. It was not the mere fact that he saw a vision of the world of glory, which overwhelmed him. No doubt, at all times such visions have been too much for flesh and blood. Ezekiel, Daniel, Job—all were overcome by such sights; but here it was just the immensity and intensity of the glory which were too much for John.

Perhaps it was needful for our instruction that he should have thus fallen; that the nothingness of the flesh in itself, its lack of power even in the most favored should be proved; that we should learn that when there is about to be most filling, there shall be most emptying first. "Who is sufficient for these things?" was the teaching which John received before the wonderful visions were unfolded before his eyes. And now that the apostle lies prostrate at the feet, shining like unto fine brass, glowing in a furnace; we ask, ’of what use would it have been to Christ, to the Church, to himself—had he been allowed to remain prostrate?’ That falling had its place, but the apostle rose from the feet of Jesus a deeply self-emptied man, to receive for His Church the fullness of the things He was about to reveal. No man is intended to occupy a position in the Church which makes him useless. Continued paralysis from fear would be no glory to Christ, no good to man. Every dispensation which comes upon us is not for ourselves alone; the union of the members of the body makes the experience of one to be at least the teaching of all.

So, then—

III. Jesus quickly lays His right hand upon the Apostle. The apostle is raised, not by any coming to of himself, not by any acquired familiarity with the sight which at first overwhelmed him—but by a special and personal act of Christ. When we are so devastated, that we cannot reason, being perhaps so overwhelmed as not to be able to say, ’this is my own Lord, therefore He cannot hurt me, He can only do me good;’ then we may be sure the Lord Himself will act for us. We may safely leave ourselves in all prospective trials, be they of light or darkness, in His hands. Thus we shall get rid of the depressions of weakness—of all fears of the failing of mental powers, yes, even of faith itself. We may come to such a state that sustaining faith will leave us; perhaps intense bodily weakness, perhaps heavy cloudings of Satan will cause this, then we shall be little better than one dead; but the life and the light are in Jesus, and life will act, and light will shine. The right hand conferring fresh life will be laid on us by the One at whose feet we have fallen as dead.

John, then, being utterly self-emptied, and made even like a dead man, is vivified for great and important service. It was with him as with Saul, as with almost if not indeed actually with all—in proportion as God was about to fill him with the revelation of His own things, did He self-empty him—for what self-emptying could go further than the apparent loss of life itself? But in this, so thoroughly accomplished, no time is lost; the spell is quickly removed, the right hand is laid upon the Apostle, the word of strength is spoken. Jesus says, "Do not be afraid"—then He proceeds to say who He is, and what He will have the Apostle do. "Write," He says to him. It is the Lord’s will, not only that the Apostle should live—but that he should do so with comfort and in peace; with an unbroken sense of union with his Lord; with a high capacity for service.

It is indeed no poor slavish life that Christ wills us to lead in presence of His glory. We think too much of the overwhelmings of majesty—we think it the humblest and safest position—is to lie as dead. But Jesus wills us life, and peace, and usefulness—yes, honor—He lifts us from our own depressions to set us in the liberty of His own high service.

Remember that, dear reader. The enlarging of the heart and the running in the way of the commandments go together. In what sense, then, ask yourselves, are you now engaged—what emptyings have you had—what fillings? Do you know the mind of Christ concerning you, that it is, that fear should vanish, that you should be partakers of the strength of His right hand? "Now I know," said David in Psalms 20, "that the Lord saves His anointed, he will hear Him from His holy heaven, with the saving strength of His right hand." That right hand’s saving strength is ours—oh, that we may be ever saying with the Psalmist, "Now I know! Now I know!" And what a glimpse does this give ns of the glory of future service. John was shown here his connection with the glorious One—and was given commission to write for Him—and all that he did was as for the One who had been dead—but was now in light and life. So shall it be hereafter. We shall serve in conscious connection with the glorious One. Here, when we serve Jesus, our service is often undervalued. No one sees Him; the honor of the Master is unknown, and, by consequence, little comes to the servant; and we ourselves are so absorbed in the actual working, or, perhaps, so cast down by the unpleasant surroundings of the work, that, we are but little elevated by the consciousness of the glory of connection with the Lord. But by and by, all service—its honor, and dignity, glory, and its immediate connection with the Lord—will be seen and felt.

Meanwhile, let us seek, each of us after our opportunities and according to our commission, to serve. Let us see that Christ wills to be glorified by our life, and not by our death—by our freedom, and not by our fear. The Son sets us free, oh! may we feel that we are free indeed. However it may have been with us in time past, may we henceforth be privileged to look upon our glorified Lord with the consciousness of being in union with Him, and of being partakers of His strength. But should we be overwhelmed by the greatness of the evil in ourselves, or of the glory in Him, or of both combined—then will He surely deal with us in like grace to that with which He dealt with John—who "fell at his feet as dead."

Thus, dear reader, we have traveled together through some of the scenes in which we find the Feet of Jesus, and gathered up some thoughts of teaching therefrom; leaving, I doubt not, far more behind than we have borne away!