“Now when Christ came first out of the other world, from the dead, clothed with that heart and body which He was to wear in heaven, what message sends He first to His disciples?
We would all think, that as they would not know Him in His sufferings, so He would now be as strange to them in His glory; or at least, His first words shall be to rate them for their faithlessness and falsehood.
But here is no such matter; for John 20:17, His first word concerning them is, ‘Go tell my brethren.’ You read elsewhere, how that it is made a great point of love and condescending in Christ so to entitle them; Heb. 2:11, ‘He is not ashamed to call them brethren;’ surely His brethren had been ashamed of Him.
Now for Him to call them so when He was first entering into His glory, argues the more love in Him towards them. He carries it as Joseph did in the height of his advancement, when he first brake his mind to his brethren; ‘I am Joseph your brother,’ says he, Gen 45:4.
So Christ says here, ‘Tell them you have seen Jesus their brother; I own them as brethren still.’
This was His first compellation; but what was the message that He would first have delivered unto them? That I, says He, ‘ascend to my Father, and your Father.’
A more friendly speech by far, and arguing infinite more love than that of Joseph’s did (though that was full of bowels), for Joseph after he had told them he was their brother, adds, ‘whom you sold into Egypt;’ he reminds them of their unkindness.
But not so Christ, not a word of that, He minds them not of what they had done against Him. Poor sinners, who are full of the thoughts of their own sins, know not how they shall be able at the latter day to look Christ in the face when they shall first meet with Him.
But they may relieve their spirits against their care and fear, by Christ’s carriage now towards his disciples, who had so sinned against him. Be not afraid, ‘your sins will He remember no more.’ (cf. Hebrews 8:12)
Yea further, you may observe, that He reminds them, not so much of what He had been doing for them. He says not, ‘Tell them I have been dying for them,” or, that they little think what I have suffered for them; not a word of that neither.
But still His heart and His care is upon doing more: He looks not backward to what is passed, but forgets His sufferings, as ‘a woman her travail, for joy that a child is born.’
Having now despatched that great work on earth for them, He hastens to heaven as fast as He can to do another. And though He knew He had business yet to do upon earth, that would hold Him forty days longer, yet to shew that His heart was longing, and eagerly desirous to be at work for them in heaven, He speaks in the present tense, and tells them, ‘I ascend;’ and He expresseth His joy to be, not only that He goes to ‘His Father,’ but also that He goes to ‘their Father,’ to be an advocate with Him for them.
And is indeed Jesus our brother alive?
And does He call us brethren?
And does He talk thus lovingly of us?
Whose heart would not this overcome?”
–Thomas Goodwin, The Works of Thomas Goodwin, Volume 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage, 1861/2006), 4: 104-105.
Leave a Reply