Your weekly dose of Spurgeon
“We know nothing, and we teach ourselves.”
“She had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word”; so that “at Jesus’ feet” is the fitting place for a willing learner. A lowly sense of our own ignorance so that we do not dare to sit higher than “at his feet,” but a believing confidence in his infinite wisdom so that we do sit “at his feet” to learn of him—this is suitable. How much better scholars we should be if we tried to learn at Jesus’ feet! Some even of the Lord’s people are a deal too knowing. Many a boy at school does not learn anything of an excellent master, for he is conceited: he knows nothing, and he teaches himself. I am afraid we are like that scholar. We know nothing, and we teach ourselves. We have prejudices—opinions of what truth ought to be. This is evil. But, oh, it is very sweet to feel, “I do not know anything. I come, and take the Bible, and ask it to photograph itself upon my heart”! Some minds are like stained glass windows; they shut out much of the light, and the little light that does struggle through, they colour after their own manner. It is well to be plain glass, so that the Lord’s light, with all its colour and delicacy of shade, may come in just as it comes from heaven, with nothing gathered from ourselves. Beloved, I pray the Lord to free us all from prejudice, from self-conceit, and from opinions which originate with others.
We must learn at Jesus’ feet; not at the feet of man, when man goes away from Christ. At times the Lord may send a man whom he teaches, and what we gather from him may be God’s own voice to us. Still we must always be ready to discriminate between what the man says of himself, and what he says in his Master’s name; for there is a grave difference. “At Jesus’ feet” we must take up our seat. Dear young men, that are beginning to study theology, and that wish to become teachers of others, do not give yourselves up to any system, and say, “I follow this doctor, or that.” John Wesley is not our master; but Jesus Christ. John Calvin is not our Master; but Jesus Christ. It does not signify how great and good these men were: they were worthy of the love of all the church of God, but we call them not Rabbi. We may follow the man as far as the man follows Christ, but not an inch farther. We must sit at Jesus’ feet, humble, teachable, child-like, confidently believing what Jesus says, but having no “know” of our own—taking it all from him.
The PyroManiacs devote some space each weekend to highlights from the lifetime of works from the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The following excerpt is from The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, volume 35, sermon number 2,066, "Our Place: At Jesus' Feet"
“We know nothing, and we teach ourselves.”
“She had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word”; so that “at Jesus’ feet” is the fitting place for a willing learner. A lowly sense of our own ignorance so that we do not dare to sit higher than “at his feet,” but a believing confidence in his infinite wisdom so that we do sit “at his feet” to learn of him—this is suitable. How much better scholars we should be if we tried to learn at Jesus’ feet! Some even of the Lord’s people are a deal too knowing. Many a boy at school does not learn anything of an excellent master, for he is conceited: he knows nothing, and he teaches himself. I am afraid we are like that scholar. We know nothing, and we teach ourselves. We have prejudices—opinions of what truth ought to be. This is evil. But, oh, it is very sweet to feel, “I do not know anything. I come, and take the Bible, and ask it to photograph itself upon my heart”! Some minds are like stained glass windows; they shut out much of the light, and the little light that does struggle through, they colour after their own manner. It is well to be plain glass, so that the Lord’s light, with all its colour and delicacy of shade, may come in just as it comes from heaven, with nothing gathered from ourselves. Beloved, I pray the Lord to free us all from prejudice, from self-conceit, and from opinions which originate with others.
We must learn at Jesus’ feet; not at the feet of man, when man goes away from Christ. At times the Lord may send a man whom he teaches, and what we gather from him may be God’s own voice to us. Still we must always be ready to discriminate between what the man says of himself, and what he says in his Master’s name; for there is a grave difference. “At Jesus’ feet” we must take up our seat. Dear young men, that are beginning to study theology, and that wish to become teachers of others, do not give yourselves up to any system, and say, “I follow this doctor, or that.” John Wesley is not our master; but Jesus Christ. John Calvin is not our Master; but Jesus Christ. It does not signify how great and good these men were: they were worthy of the love of all the church of God, but we call them not Rabbi. We may follow the man as far as the man follows Christ, but not an inch farther. We must sit at Jesus’ feet, humble, teachable, child-like, confidently believing what Jesus says, but having no “know” of our own—taking it all from him.
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