THE LORD’S DESIRES
A John E Temple
Mark 5: 41-43; 8: 5-9; 10: 46-52
My thought, beloved, is simple. These scriptures refer to desires of the Lord Jesus recorded by Mark, who writes the servant’s gospel. This is different from what was mentioned elsewhere on Saturday as to John 17, where we had the Lord’s blessed outgoing to the Father. What a heavenly setting that was; the Lord Jesus, having “lifted up his eyes to heaven” (v 1), addressed the Father. Near the end of that prayer He says, “I desire that where I am they also may be with me, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me” - “desire that where I am they also may be with me”, v 24. Our brother commented that there were other desires of the Lord Jesus in that chapter. The word ‘desire’ is not used elsewhere there, but there are other things mentioned that were His desires, such as, “I do not demand that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them out of evil”, v 15. There was what was very broad in that way in relation to the testimony.
There are other suggestions of the desires of the Lord Jesus. In the Old Testament, for example, there is the longing seen in David when “the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem”, 2 Sam 23: 15, 16. What a desire that was, in type, of the Lord Jesus. What a deep desire He has that His own are to remember Him. We pray about young ones; we would love to see them having sufficient exercise that they desire to remember Him in the breaking of bread.
I take up these three scriptures now from the servant’s gospel, the levitical gospel, in regard to the Lord’s desires as seen in how He may bring others in in a simple way as He is serving. This is the gospel where persons are brought to acknowledge Him as doing “all things well” (chap 7: 37): “He does all things well; he makes both the deaf to hear, and the speechless to speak”. If they had continued with Him further, they would have seen that not only did He do all things well, but everything He did was in all perfection. He does not complete every matter Himself at times, but He brings in others. You can understand Mark writing as having service in mind, and so we get these three scriptures well known to us. They were concerned that the child was dead, but the Lord Jesus said, “the child has not died, but sleeps. And they derided him”, v 39, 40. He, “having put them all out, takes with him the father of the child, and the mother, and those that were with him, and enters in where the child was lying. And having laid hold of the hand of the child, he says to her, Talitha koumi, which is, interpreted, Damsel, I say to thee, Arise”. All that He needed to do He did. He brought this child back to be presented as living; it had immediate effect, “the damsel arose and walked, for she was twelve years old. And they were astonished with great astonishment”. Then there is this at the end: “And he charged them much that no one should know this; and he desired that something should be given her to eat”. The Lord does not get something and give it to the child. If He had done that, we know it would have been exactly what she needed. Nor does He command; but He desires that something should be given her to eat. Those few that were there would have heard that. The primary responsibility would actually have been upon the parents of the child; it was their house, and they would have known what was in the house, what could be provided for her. I am not taking exactly that aspect, but the Lord Jesus brings in others, and we should be ready if He gives me something to do, however outwardly simple.
He uses His own for proceeding with the testimony. You may say, ‘This is needed and that is needed, and these things are beyond me’. But you may find that is just how it works out. The Lord does what was greatly needed here. The prime thing that was needed was the Lord’s work. He alone could do that, but He brings in others. He does not specify whom, although it was probably the parents that would take this child. He desires that something should be given her to eat. He does not specify what food; just that food was to be given her to eat. In doing something, the Lord would raise exercise with us as to what we are able to do in that way. We may have to go back to Him. What is suitable to be given? What is suitable to be given to one that He has just raised, a twelve-year old? Something to be given to her to eat so that she can take in nourishment for herself; she “arose and walked”. The Lord’s desire would be that she continues to walk, continue to walk here for Him. If she was to be left, she needed to be fed, and the Lord expresses this, not as a command, but as a desire. This prompts in another way: if it is not specified as to whom, who is willing and ready to respond to the desires that the Lord expresses? This is one individual, one soul and the Lord may give us something to do with regard to one person.
When we come to chapter 8, it is another desire. Here the Lord is working and providing for many. There was derision of the Lord in the previous section, but here the disciples had doubts: “Whence shall one be able to satisfy these with bread here in a desert place?”, v 4. Do we not know the One who is able to do that? However, we have to see that He may have in mind to employ others in it. He alone is the One who can make seven loaves and a few small fishes sufficient for all those that were there - it says that “they that had eaten were about four thousand”. He alone can do that. But am I ready to do what He might have in mind for me? Am I near enough to Him to hear not only a direct word as with the loaves but the desire He expressed about the fishes: “he desired these also to be set before them”? He “gave them” - that is the loaves - “to his disciples, that they might set them before them”. That would be particularly the twelve. Then it says, “And they had a few small fishes, and having blessed them”; He blesses them separately. He gives thanks for the loaves in this account. These few small fishes had been blessed, and the Lord wants them to be set before them; “he desired these also to be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied”. How wonderful! Am I ready for some service in this way, service to many? It is not recorded that the disciples went and distributed them; for it is not to make anything of us. The One it makes all of is the Lord Jesus Himself. That must be so; “they ate and were satisfied”. I am sure there were those who responded to His desire for these to be given. No one had to come and collect anything for himself. The response is to His desire; and it is to be anonymous. That is the way we should always be serving the Lord; He is the One who has the great place.
In chapter 10, there are many here that rebuked Bartimæus. He wanted to come into blessing and “many rebuked him”. He would not be silenced, but cries out: “Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus, standing still, desired him to be called”. Well, beloved, at times I may not be in accord with the Lord’s mind. The Lord was ready to bless. I could have been one of these here rebuking the man for crying out. The Lord was going out from Jericho; the men do not want this man to detain Him. The Lord would have me accept His word and be ready to act immediately in the way that He desired. “Jesus ... desired him to be called”. It is wonderful. I could have well understood if the Lord Himself had immediately gone to the man and spoken to him, but no, He “desired him to be called. And they call the blind man”, as if those who had been rebuking him now realise that the Lord has a desire contrary to what their thoughts were.
May we, dear brethren, realise that we may misunderstand or have our own thoughts; but it is wonderful how the Lord would adjust me and at the same time in another simple way make me available to do what He desires to be done. He desired this man to be called. They do not only call him, or just say to him, “He calls thee” but they say, “Be of good courage, rise up, he calls thee”. It is as though they realise that “rise up” is sufficient: they do not say, ‘Do you need a hand, as you are blind, to reach Him?’. It is as though they have come entirely round; “Be of good courage, rise up, he calls thee. And, throwing away his garment, he started up and came to Jesus”. He gets his sight and follows Jesus in the way. However simple a part I may have had and that one for which I may have had to be adjusted, is it not something to rejoice in that someone has followed Him in the way, continuously in the way?
Where we read yesterday, we had about those whom the Lord would have follow Him in Matthew 4, the two pairs of brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John. They continued. They may at times, like us, have been not altogether with the Lord in the way He was going, but you find at the end of John’s gospel, not long before the Lord left this scene, John still following. Peter had the word to follow, and I presume he did follow. I just commit these thoughts to you: three desires of the Lord in regard of simple service that He brings out here. May we be ready, may we be conscious, not only of His word in the way of command to be followed, but when His desires are expressed may we be ready and close to Him to hear Him and to follow Him.
For His Name’s sake.
SUNBURY
9 March 2020