Sabbath Rest In The Garden
Easter Morning
Uranda April 6, 1947 Winterwarm, California
Easter Day commemorates for us the Resurrection of our LORD and Master. The reason there is a vivid interest, continuing down through the centuries, in the Resurrection which is commemorated today, is to be found in the fact that we have a sense of sharing in that, but even though it is a sense of sharing in it, people think of it primarily as something that happened nearly two thousand years ago. Why did the Master come? To save His people from their sins. And why did He come forth from the tomb? To prove His Victory over the prince of this world. It seems to me that, although there has been a sense of sharing in these things—even though it is largely limited to belief—that it should be evident to people everywhere that it has not been shared as fully, as meaningfully, as it could have been—as it should have been. Until we realize the meaning of those words in our own lives, “Christ Arose”, the meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be fully known in the world.
It is glorious that He arose, but we must let Christ arise in our hearts and minds, in our lives, that the risen Christ in us may inspire others to let Christ arise in them. Before any individual can truly, fully share in the Spirit and Reality of the Resurrection, he must do more than love God. Millions have loved God to varying degrees down through the centuries, but the conditions that continue in the world, the misery and the suffering and the sorrow and the death that hold sway, prove that those millions have not realized the Resurrection fully enough or keenly enough, vividly enough, even though they did love God. We have all seen barren places in the desert where there was plenty of sunlight, plenty of warmth, to have caused vegetation to grow abundantly, but there was only barrenness.
So has it been in the Spiritual life of the multitudes of human beings on the face of the earth who have loved God. It is not enough just to love Him. In Nature and in the vegetable kingdom, we have already noted how important it is that the Water should he present if the warmth of the Sunlight is going to bring forth the manifestation of Life—abundant Life. So is it also with human lives if the expression of humanity is not to be a desert place, empty of the true beauty of the Spirit. If there is to be a true manifestation of the Resurrecting Power of God, it is important that individuals receive the Water of Truth as well as the Sunlight of His Love. If we are to share in that Resurrecting Power and so function as to allow others to more fully and vividly share in it, we must realize that the Sunlight of God's Love brings barrenness unless there is an abundance of the Water of Truth.
Human beings, in their own individual expressions of life forget that there is a River of Life, filled with the Water of Truth. They seem to feel that there is such a shortage of Water—the Water of Truth—that they dare not accept, or use, very much of it—but when we know that there is an inexhaustible Fountain of Water available to each and every one, and each individual lets that Water be used in all phases of his activity and function in the Garden of his Life, he finds that the warmth of God's Love begins to have glorious meaning in the multitudes of greens that appear, and the beauty of color in flower and fruit.
The Master of us all, Who came forth from the tomb the Victor, that we might know the Way, the Truth and the Life, said, “By their fruits ye shall know them”, and indicated that we must bring forth fruit more abundantly, and finally, bring forth “much fruit”. Then, through us, by reason of the bringing forth of much fruit, there would be the Restoration of the Garden of God on earth, for where the things of God are brought forth abundantly in human lives, there the Garden of God is, and he who serves faithfully in the Garden of God finds that in the cool of the day the Lord God comes walking in the Garden, that he may commune with the Almighty.
We rejoice that Christ arose, that our Master came forth from the tomb, but how futile is belief in these matters unless we share in that Resurrection, and let Christ arise in us, and let the Christ Expression of the Lord come forth from the tomb which human beings are, as long as they continue in self-activity—and when the stone is rolled away so that the hardness of the human heart ceases to bar the Way, the risen Lord appears through the individual life expression, and the risen Christ is made manifest. To whom? To His disciples, to those who are attuned to the Spirit, to those who are responding to our KING, for though the Lord arose, He was not seen, or if He was seen He was not recognized, by those who were not following Him, and even among those who claimed to follow Him there were those who doubted, those who questioned and held back—and so is it today.
We must let the Victory of the risen Lord be made manifest through us to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, that they may be drawn, step by step, more fully into the Way, the Truth and the Life, that sharing in that Victory all who will may come to know the Reality of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is not enough to believe in it; we must share in it if it is to have true meaning to us, true meaning in our lives; we must share in it if we are to live and walk in the Garden of God on earth, and know what it is, when the Lord God comes walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, to share in that blending of Heaven and earth wherein we Know that they truly are One. I would like to read to you certain words that are written in the 20th Chapter of John, Verses 1-23:
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
“Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
“Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher.
“So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
“And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
“Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
“And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
“Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
“For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
“Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
“And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
“And they say unto her. Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
“And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
“Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
“Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
“And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
“Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
There are many things to be found in these words, but a few of them I would consider with you now. In the 19th verse we have the word: “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week,” and then, in the first verse we read: “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher”. “The first day of the week”—the significance of these words has been overlooked by multitudes who have heard them read and who have read them.
We have begun to realize something of what the Sabbath Rest of the Lord means. In one of the Summer Session Services I dealt with the principles involved with respect to the Commandment: “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work”. Human beings have tried to keep the Lord's Day, or the Sabbath, according to human concepts that have been developed, and again they have failed to fully share in that which God was offering to them. It is recognized that for fallen human beings there must be allowed a period when a certain degree of self-active function is permissible while they are on the Way back—on the Way back Home, on the Way back to the Father.
There are six days, or six Cycles of time—six periods, shall we say—that are allowed to man wherein man is supposed to complete all of his work which he must do self-actively under the curse, and then he is to come to a time when he, in the self-active sense, shall do no more work. He is to come to the Sabbath Day, the Day of the Lord, and according to the Commandment, it is written: “In it thou shalt not do any work”, which is to say that the period allotted to man to return to the Father should then have been completed, so that man should cease from all his self-active labors, from all of those works which he must do under the curse. Then, having returned to the Father, having let his soul be restored, having come to the Day of the Lord, he was supposed to cease all self-active works from then on, forevermore, Eternally.
The Master came, the LORD of Lords and KING of Kings, and He revealed these things in His Life. He told men how to let the Father do the works, so that it should no longer be the self-active function of human beings. He told those who were interested, to follow Him, and concerning Himself He said, “The works I do shall ye do also”—but what of those works? “The words I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father Who dwelleth in Me He doeth the works”—and we are supposed to follow Him. That means that when we share with Him the Victory of the Resurrection, we come to the Lord's Day. We come to that time when we let the Father do the works, and when we come to the Lord's Day, that Commandment holds in it the key, for that is the Lord's Day: “Thou shalt not do any work”—let the Father do the works then, from then on Eternally—and then those who should so function are privileged to share with Him the Victory of the Resurrection.
So it was on the first day of the week—the Lord's Day had come; the Great Master had appeared in the earth. It was on Friday that He was crucified; on the Sabbath He was in the tomb; and on the first day of the week He came forth. The world had come to the Lord's Day, the world as a whole. From the standpoint of the world a certain amount of self-activity had been permitted in the cycles which led up to that time, but then, from a world standpoint, the Lord's Day had come—and human beings had celebrated the Lord's Day by putting the Body of the Lord in the tomb, the body of the LORD of Lords and KING of Kings; and so the world doomed itself to a period of darkness in the tomb, but nevertheless, even so, the Lord's Day had come. On the first day of the week, there was the beginning of the New Cycle of function, wherein the disciples and all who should follow Him were supposed to cease from all their self-active works, and let the Father do the works. Up until that time it had not been expected of any of the children of men that they should come into that fullness, but when the Master Himself had revealed the Way, the Truth and the Life, by letting the Father do the works, then it was possible for those who should follow Him, to do likewise.
So that was the beginning of a New Cycle of time, the first day of the week. The Lord's Day had come, and from that time onward, from a world standpoint, there was no further excuse for self-activity. Those who should begin to Respond to Him were, of course, allowed a little time in which to come clear of their self-activity, that they might come individually to the Lord's Day in full realization, but for the world the Lord's Day had come already, and for those who should follow Him there should be a recognition that the Lord's Day had come, and that for them there should be no more works in the self-active sense. They must let the Father do the works.
So that is the Principle with respect to the Resurrection which we find established and made manifest for ourselves now, this Easter Day. For the world the stone had been rolled away, and it only remained then for individuals to let the stone roll away for themselves, individually, that they might share in the Resurrection. Human beings, not understanding these things and marvelling at the Resurrection of the Lord Who was crucified, have neglected to let the Water of Truth concerning these things be so used in their own lives that they might truly share in the Resurrection and the Life, so that they might bring forth much fruit in the Garden of God.
“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre.” Mary symbolizes those in the world who, according to the worldly idea, think of themselves as followers of the Master, but they have never gotten beyond this point. They are without at the sepulchre, weeping. They stoop down and look into the sepulchre, and they see that the Lord is not there. The Lord has sent Angels, unto the Responding Ones, and they have said, “Why weepest thou”, and the followers of our Lord have answered, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him”. That is where, so far from a world standpoint, the Responding Ones have stopped following the example set by Mary. They should go another step further and stop looking into the empty tomb; they should remember the words that are contained in the 14th verse of the 20th Chapter of John, because therein are the keys to Life: “And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.” She did not simply stay there looking into the empty tomb, weeping. She turned herself back, and then she saw Jesus standing. She had been looking for Him in the tomb and He was not there.
Human beings, since that day, have been doing the same thing, but they have not followed the Direction of the Spirit to turn around; stop looking in the empty tomb; stop being so concerned about where they have laid Him; because Jesus is standing—He reigns Supreme. Though they may not recognize Him immediately, if they will turn around He will begin to reveal Himself to them, and finally, when they have reached that point of Response where they may hear His Word, as Mary heard when He called her name—just one word, her name, “Mary”—they may turn more fully, for then she turned fully to Him and answered, “Master”. In those few verses we have the key to the entering into, the key whereby we may share in the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Then the Master said, “Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father: and to my God, and your God”. “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.” Notice what she was told to say, “I ascend unto my Father and your Father, unto my God and your God”, and Mary did what she was told to do. “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”
In this outworking we have a picture of the outworking of the First Age, the one in which the Master came. That first “day of the week” came to a close in 1768. In the evening of that Age there had been reformations and great stirrings, the disciples coming together in the world through various religious activities, but they were—what? Where they were, the doors were shut. The disciples assembled together, but the doors were shut. The Lord came unto them in Spirit, and they were—many of them—greatly inspired, but they did not understand enough of the Truth to know what to do, and how to do it; they did not let the Spirit direct, and there were those who were like unto Thomas who would not believe—doubting Thomas. So the effectiveness of that first manifestation, or appearance, was not very great and we find that as it relates to the period of the Age that has drawn to a close, the same thing is true.
But then, a week later, “again”—i.e., after eight days had passed—“Then came Jesus, the doors being shut”—the doors were still shut—“and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you”, and that indicates the beginning of the New Age, the New Cycle, the New Day, in which we find ourselves. The record does not tell just when the third manifestation came. It only says, “After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise”—three times, representing the necessity of letting the Resurrection take place in all three planes, or phases, of human expression, so that the Lord might be revealed physically, mentally and Spiritually.
So we see that the Day of the Lord has truly come, that the period permitted for human self-activity has drawn to a close for the world, and is rapidly drawing to a close for individuals; that, although His disciples have shut themselves within doors so that they do not see the true Light, and understand the Way, the Truth and the Life, nevertheless He is revealing Himself on earth, so that in this New Day, in this New Cycle, the second “day of the week”, when He appears the second time, He may be a Reality for us, and in addition we may let the third appearance become a Reality in and through and for us to His Glory and to the blessing of all the children of men, so that we may share in the Resurrection and in the Life.
Concerning that function in Service with Him, we have His Words here, after His Resurrection, “And Jesus said unto them, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”. He did not make any distinctions between His function on earth and ours; He did not make any changes. He said, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”, that we all in Oneness might be the revelation of that which He had revealed to the world. “And then He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.”
Concerning those, then, whom He sent, and should send, who should be a part of His Body on earth and who should receive the Holy Spirit, He had this to say, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained,” showing that His Body on earth, having become a Reality and having received the Holy Spirit, and recognizing the Truth of His Word: “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you,” should have the same Power on earth to forgive sins which He Himself had exercised on earth, under exactly the same Laws and the same conditions that had existed for Him. So it is that those who come to a realization of what it means to truly share in the Victory of the Resurrection, are drawn into the One Vine, into the One Christ Body on earth, that they may share in revealing the Way, the Truth and the Life to all those who are willing to share in the Resurrection and the Life.
© Emissaries of Divine Light
