Section 8
by the lepers. This is the meaning behind the fact that Simon was absent from serving in John 12.
OUTWARDLY POOR AND AFFLICTED
Bethany means house of the poor or house of affliction. Outwardly, the church may be poor and afflicted. The church on earth may not be rich in material things; it should be rich with the enjoyment of the Lord in His presence. The out ward people will always look down on the church, saying that it is poor and full of affliction. They do not have a spirit to realize how rich we are in the enjoyment of all that the Lord is to us.
INWARDLY FEASTING IN AND WITH
THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
Inwardly, the church life is a life of feasting in and with the presence of the Lord (12:2). The Lord came to that house, and His presence was there. In the church life, the first thing we need is the Lord's presence. We must be a people in such a position and with such a condition that the Lord can come and be with us. His presence means very much to the church life. The church life is a life that absolutely depends upon the Lord's presence. Without the Lord's presence, the church life is empty.