The Bible does not say that Christ is the descendant of Solomon, but it says that He is the seed of Abraham, the seed of Isaac, the seed of Jacob, the seed of Jesse, and the seed of David. Why does the Bible not say that Christ is the descendant of Solomon? Because Jeconiah was the descendant of Solomon (Matt. 1:7-11), and Jeremiah 22:28-30 says that no descendant of this cursed man could ever inherit the throne of David. The line of the throne of David through Jeconiah was cut off, and Joseph was a descendant of Jeconiah (Matt. 1:12-16). Therefore, in a sense, no one born of Joseph has any right to inherit the royal throne.
However, it is more than clear that Jesus was not born of Joseph. He was born of Mary, and Mary was one of the descendants of David through Nathan (Luke 3:23-31), not through Solomon. Christ is the seed of David, but not the seed of Jeconiah; therefore, the curse that fell on Jeconiah has nothing to do with the Lord Jesus. Jesus was the son of Joseph not in life, but reckoned according to the law. He was the son of Mary in life, and He was the son of Joseph in position. Mary was on the life side, and Joseph was on the positional side. Though anyone born of Joseph was cut off from the royal throne, yet apparently he was still the legal successor to the throne of David. It was the sovereignty of God that caused Mary to be married to Joseph. Jesus was born of Mary, and Mary was married to Joseph. Therefore, in position Jesus was the son of the legal heir of the throne of David, and in life He is the proper descendant of David. How marvelous! This is the wonderful thing that God can do when there is proper coordination!
We need to see that our coordination can accomplish many wonderful things in the church. There is no other way to produce the church life but the way of coordination. If there is proper coordination, there will be the proper bringing forth of Christ in a marvelous way. The fulfillment of all the prophecies regarding the birth of Christ was fully accomplished through coordination. How could Christ be the seed of a woman and yet still be the son of David? How could He be the son of Mary in life and yet be the legal heir to the throne in position? How could all this be fulfilled? Only by coordination. Neither Mary nor Joseph was qualified individually to fulfill all of these prophecies. There was the need for coordination.
No one can tell what wonderful things can be worked out through the coordination of the members of the church. No matter how impossible things may seem, when they are brought into the coordination of the church, they become possible. The prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus could not be fulfilled only with Mary, or only with Joseph. When the two of them coordinated together, however, there was the bringing forth of Jesus. Jesus was brought forth by the way of coordination. The case of the birth of Jesus is the first mention of service in the New Testament. Therefore, if we mean business to serve the Lord in the New Testament way, there is no other way but the way of coordination.
God became incarnated as Jesus by the coordination of human beings cooperating with God. Coordination is needed among those who are cooperating with God. If we would cooperate with God in coordination, we may be assured that this kind of coordination will bring forth Christ to others. There is no other way for us to bring forth Christ but by the way of coordination.
Coordination was necessary for the conceiving, for the delivery, and for the protection of Christ. After the child was born, Mary was not as useful as Joseph for the child’s protection. She was useful only under the headship of Joseph in coordination. Every matter concerning the bringing forth of Christ came by the way of coordination.
We need to go on to see a further matter, another principle of the New Testament service. After Christ has been brought forth and raised up by us, we need to learn to take our hands off. It is wonderful to bring forth Christ, but when Jesus became twelve years of age, a problem arose. Before this time He was fully under the hands of Mary and Joseph. When Jesus was twelve, however, something happened. Suddenly He did something without either their permission or their knowledge. One day when they were leaving Jerusalem, they could not find Him. After three days of fruitless searching, they returned to Jerusalem and, going to the temple, they found Jesus sitting there. It seemed that He was not their son, and they were not His parents. It seemed that He was someone else. Mary said, “Your father and I are greatly distressed seeking You.” Jesus answered, “Did you not know that I must be in the things of My Father?” (Luke 2:48-49). By this Jesus was saying that His Father was God, not Joseph.
What does this mean? There was a similar occurrence when the Lord Jesus began His ministry in Cana by changing the water into wine. In this first sign there is the principle of denying the relationship in the flesh. At a wedding the wine ran out, and Mary spoke to Jesus, implying that He should do something. The Lord Jesus answered in a particular way to show that her position had changed and He did not consider her His mother, that He was no longer under her influence: “Woman, what have I to do with you?” (John 2:4). This was at the beginning of His ministry. Then, at the end, when He was on the cross, He told His mother not to look on Him as her son (John 19:26-27). He was not to be considered her son any longer.
What does all this mean? We need to bring forth Christ and to raise Him up. We should not merely conceive Christ, deliver Christ, and protect Christ; we need also to raise up Christ. Once Christ has been raised up by us, however, we need to learn to take our hands off. This is a main point in the New Testament service. Mary paid the highest price to bring forth Christ. Joseph also paid a price to coordinate with her in this matter. Eventually, what they brought forth was a real treasure to them. Jesus became so precious because He had been brought forth at such a great cost. Nevertheless, when Jesus became twelve years of age, they had to take their hands off.
How can we apply this principle to our New Testament service? Suppose the Apostle Paul came to Los Angeles and established the church. In a sense, the church would be brought forth through his ministry. If this were done according to the way of some today, eventually the church in Los Angeles would become a Pauline church. Paul would say that it was his church, and it would be difficult for him to keep his hands off this church. We may do a good work for the Lord, but eventually we need to take our hands off that good work. In my entire Christian life, I have seen very few who were willing to take their hands off the work they had raised up for the Lord. This is a difficult lesson to learn in the New Testament service.
For instance, we have a brother here who has poured out his heart and his whole being for the children’s work in these past few years. I do believe that something has been brought forth and raised up. However, once this children’s work has been built up, this brother should keep his hands off. That is the time for him to go. When something wonderful has been raised up and built up through you, the Lord will say that this is the time for you to take your hands off.
We have some brothers here who are burdened to migrate to Chicago for the church life there. No doubt they will bring forth something of Christ there in Chicago, and after a number of years, something of Christ will be raised up. That will be the time for them to keep their hands off. That will be the time for them to go, not to stay. The same principle applies for those who are migrating to Seattle. I have full assurance that these brothers will do a wonderful work in Seattle for the bringing forth of Christ and for the building up of the church. Nevertheless, I need to point out that once something is built up, the Lord will say that it is time for them to go. There is no more Mary and no more Joseph.
When Jesus went forth to minister, Mary and Joseph were not with Him; yet sometimes some of His family followed Him. I do believe that to a certain extent they had learned their lesson. They followed Jesus, but they did not dare tell Him they were there. On one occasion, however, some went to the Lord and told Him that His mother and brothers were present. Then Jesus asked, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” (Matt. 12:48). If I were Mary, I would really be offended to think that I had paid such a price to bring Him forth, and now He was publicly asking in my presence who His mother is. Mary needed to learn to keep her hands off.
In my native land I spent much time and strength working for the Lord. Something solid was built up and established. It was wonderful. However, the Lord caused me to take my hands off. He did many things to force me out of that place, and I went to Shanghai. Praise the Lord, something was accomplished again, even more wonderful. Then suddenly the Lord told me to go again, and I left the mainland of China. I had to leave everything that had been brought forth and raised up. From the mainland I went to Taiwan, and the work began there. Praise the Lord, again something wonderful was brought forth. Then the Lord brought me to America. No matter what had been raised up through me, I had to learn to keep my hands off.
We all need to keep our hands away from what we have brought forth and built up for the Lord. However, it is not so easy. We need to learn to serve the Lord to bring forth Christ in a solid way, but not one bit should be in our hand. It is not easy to work and yet not keep this work in our hands, and it is even harder to work and leave the work in the hands of others. We should serve the Lord, and we should cooperate with the Lord at any cost. However, once the work is done, we need to keep our hands off. All the mothers know that after a child has been delivered and raised up, the most difficult thing for the mother is for her to keep her hands off of that one. Nevertheless, in the New Testament service there is such a basic need.
Another point is this: The real issue of the New Testament service is, in principle, lowly and small. Mary and Joseph did not bring forth a big Christ. The Christ that was brought forth by them was likened to a tender plant, not a tall cedar tree. He is also likened to a root out of dry ground. There is no comeliness, no lordliness in Him (Isa. 53:2). He is the small, lowly Jesus.
Jesus was born in a kingly city, Bethlehem, but He was raised in Nazareth. Therefore, He was both a man of Bethlehem and a man of Nazareth. The religious people had all the Bible knowledge. They knew that no prophet had ever come out of Galilee, and they thought that nothing good could issue from Nazareth. They were right regarding the Bible, but they missed Christ. (This is why I say that Bible knowledge can frustrate us from knowing Christ.) If what is brought forth by us for the Lord is great, we should question whether something is wrong. Whatever is brought forth by the New Testament service should be small and lowly. We should not try to be great and to do a great work. We should not try to produce something marvelous and magnificent. That is wrong. Mary and Joseph did not bring forth such a One. The Jesus brought forth by them was a little One.
People’s eyes are always on big things. Everyone thought that Christ should be great and should be born in the kingly city as a great king. Nevertheless, the Lord is sovereign, and I would even say that He is sometimes sovereign in a subtle way. The Lord used Caesar to issue an order for the first census. In this way the mother of Jesus was brought to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Immediately after His birth, Mary and Joseph left with Him because of persecution. Eventually they came back to Nazareth in a rather secret way. Only those who had a heavenly vision would have known what had happened.
Scriptural knowledge alone is not enough. By our natural understanding of the Scriptures, we cannot know Jesus. The issue of the fruit brought forth by the New Testament service should have a particular aspect that, in a sense, offends others and makes it difficult for them to understand. Who is this Jesus? How could He be the Christ? Could Christ come out of Nazareth? Is He not the son of the carpenter? We know the Bible, we know the carpenter’s family, and it may seem that we know everything. However, this kind of knowledge misses Christ. Many times people have told me what they know concerning different points in the Bible. Nevertheless, I said to myself, “You know all the Scriptures, but it seems that you have missed Christ.” There were those who knew the parents, the brothers, and the sisters, but they simply did not know Jesus.
We should keep in mind that the New Testament work is to bring forth something lowly and small, without form and without outward beauty. In a sense, it will be without dignity, and it may offend and cause misunderstanding. Outwardly Jesus is small, but inwardly He is full of God! Hallelujah! Many good, sound, and fundamental Christians have come to our meetings and have seen only the outward appearance. The outward appearance of our meetings may not have been what they expected, but surely our meetings are full of God! We need to let go of what we expect according to tradition and bring forth something that, although it may be lowly in outward appearance, is inwardly full of God. This is the way of the New Testament service.