CHRIST AS THE REALITY OF ALL POSITIVE THINGS
As we have seen, Christ is the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—and He is the embodiment of God. Christ is many other items, such as the reality of the plants mentioned positively in the Bible. Christ is the real cedar tree (Lev. 14:4; 1 Kings 6:9), the real hyssop (Lev. 14:4; Psa. 51:7), and the real henna flower (S. S. 1:14, ASV). The chorus of #171 in Hymns says,
Lord, like the pretty henna-flower,
In vineyards blossoming Thou art;
Incomp’rable Thy beauty is,
Admires and loves our heart!
At the time the Song of Solomon was written, the henna flower was used by women as a cosmetic. We should take Christ as our beauty. Christ is also the apple tree (S. S. 2:3). The word translated “apple” in Song of Solomon 2:3 is actually the word for a juicy and nourishing tropical fruit. We need to be beautified with Christ as the henna flower and nourished with Christ as the fruit. Moreover, we can sit under His shadow to rest, enjoy, and relax (S. S. 2:3). Christ is also the plant of renown in Ezekiel 34:29.
Christ is the reality of everything positive. Colossians 2:16-17 says, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” Christ is the reality of the Sabbath and the festivals in the Old Testament. Christ is also our food (John 6:32-35), our drink (John 4:10-14), and our real joy. He is the air, the breath, the soil, and our good land. This is our Savior.
We need to remember Him as all these things. Every week we have at least one meeting for the purpose of coming together to remember Him. At the Lord’s Table we display His death for the remembrance of Him. We need to improve our praises at the Lord’s Table meeting. We should pray, “Lord, You are our henna flower for our beauty, and You are the fruit for our nourishment.” If we do not praise Him in this way, it indicates that we do not have the proper knowledge of Christ from the Bible. If we have the adequate knowledge of Christ, we will praise Him adequately at His table.
Because Christ is so many positive items, the church also becomes many items. Verse 4 of Hymn #203 says,
We’re Thy total reproduction,
Thy dear Body and Thy Bride,
Thine expression and Thy fulness,
For Thee ever to abide.
We are Thy continuation,
Thy life-increase and Thy spread,
Thy full growth and Thy rich surplus,
One with Thee, our glorious Head.
The church is all these items because Christ is so much.
We must remember what the Christian life is, who we are, and who Christ is. Then day after day we will be refreshed and revived. We will be overcoming and victorious, and we will spread Him. We will bear the responsibility to dispense Him to others, not only to sinners, but also to weaker, younger Christians.
(The Experience and Growth in Life, Chapter 31, by Witness Lee)
