Luke 8:26-40. I think we have in this incident one of the most lovely word pictures of our Lord and His work that can be found in the gospels. While gathered around the Lord’s table last Lord’s day[2] a brother thank God that through grace we were sitting at the feet of Jesus and we were in our right mind and there came before me this wondrous event and since then I have wished I could paint two pictures[3]. The first one the maniac of Gadara, and I would give it the title “THEN” and the other of the same man sitting at the feet of Jesus, closed, and in his right mind and I would entitle this picture “NOW”
Or we could borrow the words from Ephesians 2 “Ye were… and ye are”[4] and doing so we must never forget the words of the beloved apostle I am what I am by the grace of God.
Just look at this poor man in his natural state. A poor outcast. Demon possessed long time [sic], wearing no clothes, neither abiding in any house but in the tombs. What a picture. The terror of the neighborhood. Little children and women would flee from him and would avoid going where he was likely to be. Strongmen would avoid his usual haunts. One can see him and from this word picture of him draw their conclusions of what he was like. Probably filthy in the extreme. His rough hair and beard untouched by comb or brush. His wild eyes. His rough harsh voice and probably, he was alway excitable and in state of frenzy. Probably everything about him just the opposite to what a man should be who was made in the image of God[5]. But all these terrible characteristics are completely changed. Old things are passed away, and behold all things are become new[6]. And the four things mentioned in verses 35 and 39 are worthy of our consideration. The first is “Sitting at the feet of Jesus” I think I am right in saying that there is only one other of whom this [is] said and that is Mary in chapter 10 of the same gospel. Martha can do her part and become at about much serving worrying and fretting about this and that, but Mary hath chosen that good part, and this shall not be taken away from her. In a book of Campbell Morgan’s which I prize very highly, upon the Letters of our Lord[7]. I think it is in connection with the Ephesian church, which had left her first love he gives an illustration and experience of a friend of his. He had a little daughter of about 10 or 11 years of age and they were almost always together but there came a great change in the poor father often went for walks alone and his little girl excused herself saying she had something to do at home and she would shut herself away from him when he was indoors and he became very grieved and puzzle about it and yet did not like to question her about [it] but eventually he had a birthday and that morning she came bouncing into his room with a face wreathed in smiles, and placed into his hand a parcel and as he removed the wrappings he saw an exquisitely worked pair of slippers. And he put his arms around her and said how good it was of her to buy such a lovely present for him and at once she said “Oh Daddy. I did not buy them I made them” and he replied “Oh now I understand: this is what you have been doing the last three months” And at once she said “How do you know how long it is taken me to make them” and of course he said For three months he had missed her company and had been very lonely without her, and made it clear to her that it was herself he wanted most of all.. not what she could do for him. I think we may all take this lesson to our hearts. How much time do we spend sitting at His feet enjoying His presence and in like-manner He enjoying our presence. Yes God made us for Himself. And wonder of wonders finds joy when we sit at His feet.
Just one other thing may be said concerning this point. The Apostle Paul, we are told, “Sat at the feet of Gamaliel[8], a great teacher, and so we see in Mary a worshiper, and Paul was a learner. I think we can say that this poor man filled the duel role. He both learned and worshipped, and this is the way he became equipped for testimony that followed, and I think we may also glean something from the fact that our blessed Lord Himself in his youthful days sat in the midst of the learned doctors both hearing them and asking questions, and it seems to be in view of the father’s business that awaited Him[9]. Then we read that He was clothed and of course there comes to our mind the thought of the role of righteousness at once[10]. Yes it means that and there is another passage of Scripture which comes home to my heart 1 Peter 5. 5 And be clothed with humility, for God resisteth proud. How easy it would be to say or think of his past record. He had nothing to be proud of, and neither have we. Such were some of you BUT ye are washed[11]. Then we read that he was “in his right mind”. What is a right mind. It is worthy of notice that the Greek Word translated mind, or rather right mind is also translated sober and sobriety[12]. There was nothing sober about the man in his natural state, but now a complete change is taken place, the wrong has been made right and the apostle uses the same Greek word to bring before us the need to Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus[13], and I think this can be summed up by saying it was a very lowly mind. He stooped from heaven’s highest place to a very lonely place and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh[14].
[1] I suspect this is a Cottage Meeting. Woodbury is a large house at Bannacle Hill Road, Sandhills in the parish of Witley. At the time it was owned by Maj. Jack Masters OBE who went on to become High Sheriff of Surrey in 1968 and was involved with brewing so presumably had nothing at all to do with the Brethren! But on the estate there is also Woodbury Lodge and Woodbury Cottage which may well of housed the gardener or other employee who perhaps was involved with the Witley gospel mission?
[2] This would have been the traditional Brethren breaking of bread where the assembly waited on God, and men would share words, songs and readings as moved by the Spirit before sharing communion together.
[3] The word pictures that Lloyd goes on to paint demonstrate a dramatic streak which was especially evident in his third son David who became heavily involved in amateur dramatics, his son Neil is a professional actor and writer.
[4] This would appear to be referring to Ephesians 2:12-13 12 " at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."
[5] Genesis 1:27
[6] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[7] Available at http://www.gcampbellmorgan.com/lool.html.
It was published by Pickering and Inglis, a Brethren publisher Lloyd's version
is very similar but somewhat more informal e.g. the daughter calls her father
Daddy. The exact quote is "Your work, your labour, your patience are all
evident. Never were you busier. Never were your organisations more complete,
but where is your first love? A friend of mine some years ago had a little
daughter whom he early loved, and at the time of my story, she was between ten
and eleven years of age. They were great friends, and were always found in each
other's company. But about this time there seemed to come some estrangement
between them for which he could not account. He was not able to get her company
as he had been. She seemed to shun him, and if he went for a walk, excused
herself for she had something she must do at home. He grieved about it and could
not understand it, and yet hardly cared to mention to her what was apparent to
him. One day his birthday came, and in the morning of that day she came into
his room, with her face wreathed in smiles and said, "Father I have
brought you a present." She handed him a parcel, and unfastening it he
found an exquisitely worked pair of slippers. He said, "Darling, it was
very good of you to buy these for me." "Oh, Father," said she,
"I did not buy them. I have made them for you." Then looking at her
he said, "Oh, now I think I understand. Is this what you have been doing
for the last three months?" She replied, "Yes, Father, but how did
you know how long I had been at work on them?" He said, "Because for
three months I have wanted much of you, but have not been able to have it. You
have been too busy. My darling, I like these slippers very much, but next time,
buy the slippers, and let me have you all the days; I would rather have my
child than anything she can make for me." Reading Morgan's work and Man
of the Word: The ministry of G. Campbell Morgan by Alfred S. Jorgensen
makes me wonder if Lloyd modeled himself on Campbell Morgan, although his style
befitting his rural working-class context was more informal it has many
similarities eg “He spoke extemporaneously from a
carefully prepared brief”. Morgan
preceded the famous Martin Lloyd Jones at Westminster Chapel and was well known
on both sides of the Atlantic, although barely remembered nowadays.
[8] Acts 22:3
[9] Luke 2:46
[10] see Isaiah 61:10
[11] 1 Corinthians 6:11
[12] sophronounta which is derived from the Greek word nous. See Young's analytical concordance
[13] Philippians 2:5
[14] Romans 8:3