Christ Greater Than All (continued)
The Two Lambs
Then you have the two lambs. They are here in these Scriptures, although they are not mentioned by name. John represents the Old Testament system, and therefore he gathers into himself all the types of the Old Testament, those lambs that were slain over many, many centuries. Day after day, and year after year the lambs were sacrificed, but we are told by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews that they could never take away sin for, after all, they were only types, and not the reality. Thousands, or millions, of lambs never took away sin, but John points to the other Lamb. There is only one Lamb, but this One does what all the millions could never do: "The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Here you have the reality! In the Old Testament the lambs were never effective, but this Lamb is the One Who has the power to deal with sin. What those other lambs could never do He does in one offering for ever.
Do you hear what Jesus says? "Thus it becometh us to fulfill "all" righteousness." You remember that we have already said that that word "righteousness" means "right standing with God," so Jesus is saying: "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all right standing with God." Here, however, our language is difficult, and the real meaning is: 'To make full and complete right standing with God.' Through all the ages all the world wanted to be in right standing with God, and now here at the Jordan is the One Who is making right standing with God complete.
I wonder if that is what your baptism has meant to you? Those waters of baptism ought to have carried away all condemnation and all judgment. All that went down the river, and all that was left was just men stripped of everything. Did your baptism mean that? The waters of the Jordan take from us all artificial things and leave us just men and women of God. That is the meaning of baptism.
Well, these two baptisms and these two lambs represent a dividing of everything that is imperfect and making of a way for that which is perfect, and they leave us in right standing with God.
The Two Horizons
Now we have two other things - two horizons - which meet at Jordan. "Then went out unto him (John) Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region around about Jordan." Although these were different regions, they were one nation, which means that representatives of the nation were there, and when they were baptized they had to leave their national ground. They were Jews, or Israelites, no longer. You say: 'Where do you find that in this Gospel?' Well, what did John say about the Lord Jesus? 'Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of Jerusalem? Or the sin of Judea? Or the sin of Palestine? Oh, yes, He does, but much more than that. The whole world meets at the Jordan and all mere nationalism goes.
When you are baptized into the Holy Spirit you lose your earthly nationality - and now you say: 'What is the proof of that?' My answer is that Hotel Bellevue, Hilterfingen, Switzerland, is the proof of that! How many nationalities are there in this room? And how many of you different nationalities will have nothing to do with those of other nations? 'Oh, he is German, or - worse still! - British, or Chinese, so we do not have anything to do with them!' No, a greater horizon comes into view in Christ, It is something that the Spirit of God does in us, so that we love one another without any regard for nationality.
I think Christians have to learn something about this. Although what I have just said may be very true with us here today, it is not true among Christians everywhere. I have been to other countries and I have overheard people say: 'I wonder what that Englishman is doing here?' They were Christians and in a Christian conference - but that is an absolute denial of Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Well, all this is very simple, but it is very blessed to have an experience of the Jordan. You see, I am talking about the real writing of the life of Christ, and there is a chapter on 'Christ greater than all.'
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 19)
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