Sitting Down with Jesus
THOSE who would feed their souls, must often sit down with Jesus. In the upper chamber at Jerusalem, the disciples sat with their Master at the board as He blessed the bread, and brake it, and gave it unto them. Not for bodily nourishment, but for the feeding of the soul, and the in-bringing of spiritual strength and comfort, did Jesus give this bread unto them. Herein lies one precious significance of the sacramental supper — it is the nourishment of a Christifti’s faith and love, through a “partaking of Christ’s broken body,” which becomes to him the very bread of life.
But not only on one day of especial service must the believer feed his soul; he must be constantly coming out from the world’s empty table of mockeries, and sit down in quiet heart-communion with the Redeemer. Don’t you remember the scene at the miraculous feeding of the five thousand on the cUflf above Lake Gennesareth? There was the hungry multitude. The anxious disciples worry the Master with such questions as, “Whence have we bread, for so many?” “Shall we go into the villages and buy?”
“No! “replies the omnipotent Jesus;” command the multitude to sit doumj* They do so in lon lines, upon the verdant grass. He takes the five loaves and two fishes out of the rustic lad’s basket, and begins to distribute. The meagre provision grows, and grows, and grows, until not only are all the thousands abundantly fed, but there is a surplus ot broken food to fill a dozen baskets!
There is something akin to this in our spiritual experiences.
r. We often worry, like the disciples, about the best means of feeding our own souls, or of bringing the Gospel-bread to needy souls around us. We invent new method?; we try all manner of devices; we get up attractions “in the sanctuary and the Sabbath-school; we go into all sorts of” villages to buy.’’ Oh! if we would only sit down with Jesus, and accept what He bestows, with His rich blessing on it! Oh! if congregations would only sit and receive the Gospel of life firom their own Shepherd, and pray over it, and practice it! If teachers would only aim more to keep their classes sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus, to take in His truth, and to think about it! And if all of us would only make more of our seasons of devotion, more of digesting the truth, more of self study, more of meditation and communion with Christ, and more of listening to the still small voice of the Spirit, we should be far more healthy and vigorous Christians.
The most industrious farmer must go in occasionally from the plough, or the hot harvest-field, to sit down at his table, and nourish his weaiy frame. When an army corps comes in sight of the enemy, after hours of hard marching, they must sit down awhile by the camp-fire and replenish their wasted strength by food and drink, before they are able to make the impetuous charge, and to drag the heavy guns into the thunder-storm of battle. So every Christian toiler must needs recruit his spiritual strength, by sitting down often with Jesus, to meditate, to pray, and to come into close communion with the Master. Christ himself had His Olivet of retirement His disciples spent many an hour in quiet converse with Him on the lake-side, or imder the olive-trees, listening to His voice, and drinking in the inspirations of His presence and His grace. The healthiest Christian, and the one best fitted for hard service, is he who feeds most on Christ. Not only at the sacramental table, but every day does he partake of this “Bread of Life.” To him the loving Saviour is continually saying, “If ye abide in Me, and I in you, ye shall bear much fruit.”
2. In the second place, let us remember that, in order to be instructed we must sit down much with Jesus. The transcendent truth of the new birth was revealed to Nicodemus, when he sat as an inquirer at the Saviour’s feet. The woman of Sychar found the “well” of salvation only by waiting to be taught by the Great Teacher, when she went only to fill her “water-pot,” and came back with an enlightened and refreshed and converted heart.
In every church there are Marthas who are intensely busy in religious activities, and “who ^.cfeieN^ ls:xxi happy results. But the Martha side of the Christian character is only one side. The best disciple cannot be always pushing through the round of excitement and zealous activity. There must be a Mary side of character also; and the most zealous worker needs to have instruction, prayer, reflection, and heart-converse with God, or else he will become noisy, superficial, and shallow. Like Mary, he must sit down with Jesus, and gain deep views of his Saviour and of himself. If he would fill his soul, he must come often to the fountain-head of wisdom and of grace.
Gh! busy Marthas, in your round of teaching, visiting, working, planning, and almsgiving, go often to recruit your strength and to learn your duty by taking Mary’s lowly place at the feet of your loving Lord. Let us ever bear in mind that the most effective preachers and philanthropists have been those who waited humbly and hungrily for the guidance and grace which the Lord Jesus gave them. As examples of this fact, let me point you to the apostles, and to Augustine, Luther, Pascal, Calvin, the Wesleys, Wilberforce, Payson, William Allen the Quaker philanthropist, Bunyan the wondrous allegorist, Martyn the self-denying missionary, and Edwards the majestic man of thought. All these master-spirits drew their inspiration from a dsiily communion with their divine Lord.
3. Finally, let us also remember that in our hours of sorrow the one place for consolaXion ys at the feet of Jesus. On that bosom the beloved disciple leaned. There is also room for us. Where the afflicted sisters of Bethany sat we may sit down too, and hear the heavenly voice say, “I am the resurrection and the life.” How sweetly fall the promises from His lips: “Lo! I am with you always. My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled; I go to prepare a place for you; that where I am ye may be also.”
Then let our perpetual invitation be, Lord! dbide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent!