Partnership with Christ

IN Mark 11:11 we have the account of the fifth visit of the Lord Jesus to Bethany. After His resurrection, in the course of forty days the Lord Jesus appeared ten times to His disciples, that is, five times on Easter day and five times between the second day of His resurrection and the day of Ascension. In those ten appearances lies the tenfold secret of the power of His resurrection, but that is another study. In these chapters we see our Lord coming to Bethany on eight occasions, and step by step unfolding to them how as believers they can enjoy a triumphant life; a happy home and a living Church. After He had seen the condition of the temple, our Lord came back to Bethany (v. 11). That day He had seen what was happening in Jerusalem in the temple and among God's servants and others. Before He could pour out his wrath upon them He turned back to Bethany to share His burden with those there. As in Genesis 1 8: 17- 22 God appeared to Abraham before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, saying, "How can I hide this great secret from my servant Abraham, because he is My friend", so in the same way the Lord went to Bethany to share His burden with His friends there. At Jerusalem He had seen with His own eyes what was happening in the temple (Mark 11:17). He had openly said that it had become a den of thieves. Such was the condition of the city. There had been a prophecy made concerning Jerusalem in Mark 11:7-11. You can imagine the Lord Jesus returning to Bethany and gathering His friends and disciples around Him, and telling them what He had seen, and what was happening, according to the prophecy. He was sharing with them what He had seen and what He was going to do.

As we begin to grow spiritually, we begin to know what it means to have partnership with the Lord. We have to attain to some measure of maturity in order to bear the burdens of one another. As was the condition of the people in the day of Malachi 1:6-7, so it was then, and as the Lord Jesus went about with His disciples He could see the priests offering polluted sacrifices (v.8). In Leviticus 1:3, the people were told clearly what kind of animal had to be offered as a sacrifice for a burnt offering, a trespass or a sin offering, and every animal which was presented to be offered as a sacrifice, whether goat, lamb or ox had to be thoroughly examined and then sacrificed, because they were a shadow of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus was found without sin, for He had no sin. He was perfectly blameless in thought, word and deed. To foreshow His moral perfection, the people had to offer an animal without blemish, and the priest was supposed to examine the animal before it was sacrificed. Otherwise there was no value in the sacrifice. God was foreshowing how for their own salvation somebody had to be offered on their behalf without blemish.

Now when the Lord Jesus came into the temple, He saw these people selling animals, and the priests receiving the sacrifices. He saw lame, sick and blind animals being sold and received by the priests. Now unless the priests had been bribed, they would not have received such animals from the people. Even today we see such corruptions going on everywhere. The priests were bribed by the merchants who bought the animals. They all worked together in business and offered to the Lord sickly and blemished animals as sacrifices, and such were accepted by the priest. The Lord Jesus saw these things Himself with His disciples that day.

Now the Levites were not supposed to take anything from the people. They were supposed to live on the tithes and offerings given in the temple. They were not satisfied with this and so were receiving bribes from the people who sold animals and other things (Mal. l:13,14). Though they had good animals of their own, they did not give them in sacrifice, which goes to show that wickedness and corruption were going on everywhere. In Malachi 2:4-8, the Levites were supposed to have the great responsibility of teaching the Word of God, in order to keep the people in the right path, but they were far more busy scheming how to get more money. Rather than being God's messengers they became the Devil's messengers and robbed God as we read in Malachi 3:8-9. All the things the Lord Jesus saw in the temple and among His people in Jerusalem as described in Matthew 23:13, 15-23, He told to His friends at Bethany. He was in the temple the whole day, and saw all that was done inside and outside the temple. I can imagine the Lord Jesus Christ with a very sad, heavy and burdened heart returning from Jerusalem to Bethany that night, and before He scourged the temple, He told them that secret. As we become coworkers with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord reveals many secrets which He has hidden from others (Matt.l3:17; Deut.29:29. So before our Lord drove out the people from the temple. He shared His burden with His friends in Bethany, and told them what He was going to do, just as God shared the burden with Abraham about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In this way God's people can enjoy partnership with the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are growing spiritually, many things will be revealed to us before they happen. The Lord has warned us through His prophets of coming events like earthquakes, famine etc., and again and again before anything happens, the Lord gives us the privilege to prepare His people for the coming judgment. Thus we enter into the hidden secrets of God's heart. The fifth purpose of the Lord Jesus in visiting Bethany was to share His secret and burden with those who had become His co-workers.

In Mark 11:12-14,20 we read of another happening in Bethany. Near Bethany our Lord saw fig leaves. As the Creator, He could have made that tree yield fruit even though it was not the season for fruit. In our sinful nature none of us have any power to bring forth any fruit. It is only as we receive the Word of God that we can yield fruit. In the Bible the Jewish nation is compared to the fig tree, but because of their rebellion, they remained barren. They had the privilege to have prophets of God and the Word of God, and He sent not only one, but many prophets, and with power and authority they gave the message to that particular nation. God spoke through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many others, but they killed their prophets. They could not receive their message; because they had no desire to obey it. and without obedience they were barren. God's time had come when they were to be judged as a nation. As an evidence against them the next morning the fig tree had become dry. The Lord Jesus was prophesying again that as a nation they had rejected Him completely. For three years the Lord had been coming to them again and again, but they would not accept Him nor believe in Him. so as a nation, they were cast out, and as a nation they became dry. Those who have living faith can become fruitful, which is the reason for the reference to faith in Mark 1 1:23. Our Lord was seeking to show that it is only through a strong living faith that our lives can be triumphant, our home a happy home, and our church a living Church. There is no lack of knowledge today, but a great lack of faith. Because faith is lacking God's people have become barren. When they want money, they start begging. They talk much about God's faith and might, but when they want money, they beg, borrow or scheme. They fail to exercise faith for victory or for their need. If we want to be God's real co-workers, we must trust Him wholly and solely, and exercise strong faith regarding all our burdens and activities.

Now we read of the next or sixth visit of the Lord Jesus to Bethany in Mark 11:19. Having cast out the people from the temple vs. 15-17, our Lord is returning from the city (v. 19). It had been a very hard task for the Lord Jesus Christ. He had shown love and compassion to all the people, but because they did not accept it, they had to be judged. He had thrown down the tables and had turned the people out with a scourge. He was feeling very sad and turned back to Bethany where He found real rest and satisfaction. In Jerusalem there had been nothing but sorrow, grief and pain, but in Bethany He knew that there was a small group who would give Him real rest and satisfaction.

Sometimes we feel very tired and worn out and lonely, and because we know that sorrow and pain and burdens cannot be shared with other people or neighbours, we want to go home that we may share with our parents, wife or family. With the same longing the Lord Jesus Christ went to Bethany. He never regarded Jerusalem as His home, but Bethany, where He could share His burden and sorrow; a place where He could be comforted and strengthened. What a mystery! The Lord Jesus our Creator was seeking comfort from His people. He was showing how He also was longing to be comforted, even as we want to be comforted. When He went to Bethany He must have slept soundly. If He had slept in Jerusalem He would have been restless and tossing about in His bed the whole night, but in Bethany He had no sorrow because of the warm welcome given to Him by those few who loved Him. In Bethany He found real rest and peace and comfort, and those who were longing to listen to Him.

At the beginning of our Christian life we want to go to Him for our wants like Hannah. In the beginning she prayed: "Lord, give me a child". She never realized the Lord's need (1 Sam. 1:11). In the beginning she only thought of her own need and said: "Lord, take my reproach and my barrenness, and give me a child. Make me happy". Later she found out that the Lord had some need. Then her prayer was changed: "Lord, if you give me a child, He will be lent to Thee", or, in other words: "Please Lord, give me the privilege of meeting your need". The Lord heard her prayer and gave her a son who met her need and the need of His people. In the beginning we also pray for ourselves and find our burden centred in the family. We pray for our own particular need. We say, "Lord touch me. Look after me and supply all my need," but later on we find out what God's need is. Then we begin to say, "I am not concerned about my need. O Lord, which way can I satisfy Thy heart? Is there any special thing Lord that I can do to please Thee and satisfy Thee and give Thee comfort and rest?"

Many children go to their father only when they want sweets and other things, but they never say: "Father, can I do anything to help you? You are looking so tired and sad. Can I do anything to lessen your burden?" There are very few of that type. Yet there are some children who look at their father's or mother's face and say: "You take rest. I will do all the work." That is the right attitude!

Do you say, "Now Lord, tell me in which way I can please Thee and satisfy Thee and give Thee comfort and rest?" He will answer those who ask. He will tell us what He requires, as He did to those at Bethany who ministered to Him satisfaction, comfort, rest and peace. If we want to grow spiritually our daily attitude should be: "Lord, I am not concerned about my own problems or needs of any kind. Please tell me: Do You want me to go anywhere, or to meet anybody, or help anybody? Is there anything I can do for You which will be in accordance with Your perfect will, which will give You more joy and happiness and peace?" Then He will tell you where to go and what to do. It is a wonderful thing to obey God, and the way He helps us to obey His will is also wonderful. Then it happens automatically and unasked that the Lord helps us and supplies our every need.