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21:1-14
THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES.
The third time. No meat.
If John ministers to the Body of Christ, these especially chosen signs should make that clear, if they do not,
either John must be at fault, or the one who would intrude into John's Gospel, the unique revelation of the Mystery.
What connection has this witness of John with Ephesians 2:4-6? `Life through His name' is basic to all callings,
but Ephesians 2 uses terms which are not found in John's testimony anywhere.
Let us honour `The words which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual with spiritual'.
`Quickened together' suzoopoieo. This word occurs only in Ephesians and Colossians (Eph. 2:5; Col.
2:13).
`Raised together' sunegeiro. This word occurs only in Ephesians and Colossians (Eph. 2:6; Col. 2:12;
3:1).
`Sit together' sunkathizo. This seating is `in heavenly places' and is unique, occurring only in Ephesians 2:6.
Resurrection in John is of `all that are in their graves' who shall `come forth' as did Lazarus, who `heard the
voice of the Son of God' (John 5:28,29; 11:43,44). This is by no means identical with the being `raised together' of
Ephesians 2. Let us bring together the seven unique associations found only in Paul's epistles.
The Seven Steps `with Christ':
1.
Crucified with Christ
Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:6.
2.
Dead with Christ
Col. 2:20.
3.
Buried with Christ
Col. 2:12.
4.
Quickened with Christ
Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13.
5.
Raised with Christ
Eph. 2:6.
6.
Seated with Christ
Eph. 2:6.
7.
Manifested with Christ
Col. 3:4.
My critic charges me with `breaking up' Ephesians 2:4-6, and aligns this passage with John 20:30,31. The boot
however is on the other foot. We dare not break up this unique sevenfold association of the members of the One
Body with their Head for all the teaching in Christendom, and to fail to discern the things that differ between these
two passages can only be called blindness, and our critic needs the fulfilment of the apostle's prayer `The eyes of
your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know' (Eph. 1:18).
We return to the main question which turns upon the inspired teaching of Scripture as to the place of John's
Gospel in the scheme of Redemption. In connection with our quest for an answer, and our discovery of that answer
in the parable of Matthew 22, our critic has this to say:
`Assuming to be true what only "seems" to be true, he then builds a system upon it. He thus has a foundation of
sand. He looks for a book that seems to fit in to a spiritual condition existing about him. So thinks he has found
it in John'.
After what we have already seen, we are not greatly intimidated by these words `assuming' and `seems', but are
sad to think that anyone who appears to have entered into the blessings of the high calling of God should lower
himself to write such things. We most certainly do find our answer in John, and we find it by following the
direction given by Christ in Matthew 22. We will turn to that passage and consider its teaching, and leave it to the
reader whether we have built on sand or not.
THE PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON
(Matt. 22:1-10).