“SITTING BY” – Charles Spurgeon
“SITTING BY”
Introduction
“And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the Law sitting by.” Luke 5:17.
A congregation is a strange aggregate—it is like the gatherings of a net or the collections of a dredge. If it is a very large one, it is especially remarkable. What strange varieties of creatures meet in the Noah’s ark of a crowded House of Prayer! If anybody could write the histories of all gathered here, the result would be a library of singular stories. You, my dear Friends, who usually worship here, have probably no idea of the strange medley of nations, ranks, professions, conditions, and religions which are represented in one of the great congregations of this Tabernacle. I am often myself greatly startled when I come across the tracks of people quite unknown to me, except by the newspapers, who have mingled in these vast assemblies. I could not have imagined that they would ever have entered a place where the Gospel is preached!
It is noteworthy that God always selects our congregations for us—and His arrangements are always wise. I have frequently said to myself, “I shall have a picked congregation tonight,” and in some instances, this has been very singularly the case. Persons have come here who had no thought of coming until some special matter drew them—and then the Word of God spoken has been so manifestly suited to their case that it made them marvel! If they had sent notice of their coming and the preacher had known all about them, he might not have ventured to be quite so personal, for he has unwittingly entered into minute details and secret items which, knowingly, he would never have revealed! The Lord who knows what is done in the closet, knows how to direct His ministering servant so that he shall speak to the point and speak to the heart.
In the present congregation, we have a large company of people who have long known the Lord and have, for years, rejoiced in His name. We have another company of persons who do not know the Lord savingly but are well acquainted with the Gospel and are not far from the Kingdom of God. They are almost persuaded. They tarry in the borderland. Oh, that they would cross the frontier and become dwellers in Immanuel’s Land! We have also among us some who are far removed from Divine life—a people about whom we have little or no hope. Yet it is from among these that we reap the richest spoils for Christ, for He has compassion on the ignorant and on those that are out-of-the-way. I am fond of that word, “out-of-the-way.” The Lord save all of you who are out-of-the-way ones!
In every congregation, we have a fourth class who would decline to be classed at all—they may be said to be here and not here! They are spectators rather than hearers. Like the gentlemen mentioned in our text, they are “sitting by.” They are too respectable to be numbered with the vulgar crowd. No, no—they are only callers, sitting by. They would not like to have it supposed that they are regular hearers, much less converts—they are “sitting by.” They are not repenting. They are not believing. They are not entering into the Truth of God at all. But, they are, “sitting by.” They have come to look on, take notes, and make remarks. They are on the outskirts of the battle, but they are not combatants at all—they are “sitting by”—where they hope they are out the range of gunshot! It is about these who are “sitting by” that I shall now speak, for I am afraid they are becoming by far too easy in the seats which they have chosen. They are sitting as God’s people sit and yet they are not truly among them, but only, “sitting by.” They are a very irritating and disappointing part of our assemblies, but, at the same time, there they are and we would not turn them out if we could! We are glad to have these persons to quarry from, for who knows but that out of them, God, in infinite mercy, may select individuals who will never again “sit by,” but who will be heart and soul with Christ and His people—and even become leaders of the host of God?
Let me freely speak to you concerning certain of those who sat by. They were by no means to be despised, for some of them were eminent persons. They were Pharisees, members of the separate sect, who kept themselves to themselves, and were punctilious about the externals of religion. Very superior, indeed, were these Pharisees—and you could see by their faces that they felt themselves to be persons of importance. With these were doctors of the Law of God, the learned men who had studied the Scriptures very carefully, counted the words of each Holy Book, and found out the middle letter of it. These doctors of the Law had come to hear the unlettered peasant from Nazareth, concerning whom they had a very strong, but by no means favorable opinion. They had heard about Him and they condescended to give Him a hearing, half-blushing at their own modesty in doing so. Not, of course, that He could teach them anything—they were merely, “sitting by,” and nothing more. We do not see many of these great folk among our crowds and, perhaps, there are none such here on this occasion, but we cannot be sure. I do not much care to know whether the learned and profound are here, but they do come among us at times, though it is only to sit by.
I will say no more about these remarkable people just now, for many others come into congregations merely to sit by. They have not come with any wish to learn, or understand, or feel, or be saved—they are only “sitting by.”
I. What Were These People Doing?
They were “sitting by.” There is a good deal in this. First, they were indulging their curiosity. They had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem to know what this stir was all about. They had heard the great fame of Christ for working miracles and this drew them into the throng which continually surrounded Him. Besides, the crowd, itself, drew them. Why was there such a large company? What could it be all about? They would like to know for the sake of curiosity. They would, for once, hear the Man, that they might be able to say that they had heard Him—but they were not going to be influenced by what they heard—they would hear Him as outsiders, “sitting by.” They were curious, but not anxious.
As a rule, very little comes of this kind of attendance at places of worship. And yet, I had sooner people come from this motive than not at all! Curiosity may be the stepping-stone to something better, but, in itself, what good is there in it? Persons on the Sunday go to St. Paul’s, to Westminster Abbey, to the Tabernacle, to this place and to that—and they suppose that they are worshipping God—whereas they might just as well have gone to see a show! In fact, it is going to a show and nothing more as far as their motive is concerned! Do not flatter yourselves—if you go to places of worship merely to look about you or to hear music, you are not worshipping God! If you come to this great house to gratify your own fancy, you are no more worshipping God than you would be if you walked in the fields! You are only, in a very poor and groveling sense, “sitting by.”
Many come into our assemblies and sit by in this respect—that they are altogether indifferent. I do not suppose that these scribes and Pharisees were quite good enough to be altogether indifferent—they leaned the wrong way and were bitterly opposed. Too many act as if they said, “I come to hear a noted preacher, but what his doctrine may be I neither know nor care.” They do not enquire, “What is this doctrine of the Fall? What is this depravity of heart? What is this work of the Spirit? What is this vicarious Sacrifice?” They do not care to know whether they are concerned in anything that is spoken of. Nor do they ask, “What is this new birth, this translation from darkness to Light, this sanctification of nature?” They hear a theological term and dismiss it as no concern of theirs. They do not want to know too much. This atoning Sacrifice—they hear so much about it. This shedding of the precious blood of Jesus. This putting away of sin by the Sacrifice of Jesus—they will not lend an ear to this saving mystery—but treat it as a matter of little or no consequence.
It is nothing to them that Jesus should die! O dear Sirs, it ought to be something to you! If there is anything worth enquiring into, it is your own state before God, your position as to eternal things, your condition at this moment in reference to sin—whether it stains you scarlet, or whether you have been washed from it in the fountain which Christ has opened! If there is anything worthy of a man’s enquiry, it is the matter which concerns his own soul for eternity! Would God you would no longer be found, “sitting by,” but would in earnest feel, “There is something here for me. Perhaps for me there is a peace which I have never known, a joy which I have never imagined. I will see for myself. Perhaps for me there is a Heaven of which I have, up to now, despised. I will make a searching enquiry and see whether it is so or not.” May that be your resolve and may you no longer be among those who sit by in stolid indifference!
The scribes and Pharisees were sitting by in another and a worse, sense, for they were there to criticize in an unfriendly spirit, and either find faults, or invent them. I see them take out their notebooks to jot down a Word the Savior said which they thought could be twisted. How they nudged one another as He said something which sounded unusual and bold! Oh, could they but catch Him! When, at last, He said to the sick man, “Your sins are forgiven you,” I think I see their eyes flash with malignant fire! “Now we have got Him! Now we have got Him! This Man blasphemes!” They hoped He had now said more than He could stand to and they asked in triumph, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” They were, “sitting by,” watching the Savior as a cat watches a mouse! How eagerly they spring upon Him!
My Hearers, this was a wretched business, was it not? It is a very poor business to go to the House of God to criticize a fellow mortal who is sincerely trying to do us good. It will not, in the present case, affect the preacher much, for his skin is hardened and he feels not the tiny strokes of ordinary censure. In no case can ungenerous criticisms do any good. But the pity of it is that when we earnestly desire to show you the way of salvation, some of you should hinder us by petty observations upon a faulty mannerism, a slight blunder, a mispronunciation of a word, or an inaccurate accent! Alas, what small things put the eternal Truth of God on one side!
II. What Was Happening While These Persons Were “Sitting By”?
They had entered the room where Jesus was preaching, where crowds were listening, where miracles of mercy were being worked. They were criticizing, carping, and quibbling—but what was happening to them all the while?
Well, first, they were incurring responsibility. Sirs, you cannot hear the Gospel and refuse it, and yet remain as you were! You are either better or worse after hearing the Gospel. It is made to you either a savor of life unto life, or else of death unto death! Remember, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgement, than for Bethsaida and Chorazin, who had heard the Gospel. The refusal of the Gospel is a crowning crime—there is no sin like it! Does not the Word of God say so? This is no gloomy talk of mine. The Lord Jesus taught that the men of Nineveh would condemn the men of Jerusalem because they heeded warning and Jerusalem did not. Oh, you that have heard the Gospel so long, and have been “sitting by” all the while, what a mountain of guilt rests upon you! How shall you escape? What must become of you after such base ingratitude?
Besides that, they were gathering hardness of heart. Every hour that you listen to the Gospel—and bar your heart against it—you are less and less likely to admit it. The bolt that is rusted is hard to move back from its place. The path that has long been trodden by daily traffic has become hard, as though it were paved with stone—hearts that have often been traversed by the Gospel become like iron beneath its tread. I fear your consciences have grown hardened by the traffic of the Gospel. I know that it is so with many. The Lord forgive them!
If I could have a congregation that never heard the Gospel before, I should feel more hopeful than I do when I speak to you who have heard it for years. What is now likely to affect you? What fresh arguments can I bring? I can tell you some new story, perhaps, but what of that? You have had too many stories already! It is not so easy a matter to retain your attention, now, as it once was—the voice has grown familiar and the manner is stale to you. Can I hope that I shall now reach the hearts at which I have shot so many arrows which have all missed the mark? O God, have mercy upon those who have been “sitting by” so long!
Once again, let me remind you that those who were “sitting by” were obstructing Christ all that they could. There is something—every preacher has felt it—there is something in a congregation itself which affects the preacher, even as he affects the congregation. I soon feel when godly men are praying for me and crying, “O Lord, help him to preach!” I cannot tell you how it is, but so it is, that some congregations freeze me and others set me on fire. When the doctors of the Law and the Pharisees are “sitting by,” they drag us down and we cannot do many mighty works.
III. What Was the Reason These People Were “Sitting By”?
Why did they come to hear Jesus and yet did not become a part of the really attentive congregation, but were hovering round the skirts of it and “sitting by”?
In the first place, in the case of the scribes, it was self-conceit which made them sit by. They were divided from the common throng by a sense of superiority. They said, “What have we to do with hearing Jesus of Nazareth and His message concerning the pardon of sin?” “Why,” they said, “we are highly educated people and do not need to listen to so plain a preacher. His salvation we do not need, for we are not lost.”
Jesus, Himself, said, “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick,” thus indicating that it was their good idea of themselves which kept them back from Him. That is the reason why so many sit by—in their own opinion, they are quite as good as the best and are not in need of any great change. They are most respectable people and they believe that they are also upright and generous.
There went a man out of this place one evening who was spoken to by one of our friends who happened to know him in trade and had him in good repute. “What? Have you been to hear our minister tonight?” The good man answered, “Yes, I am sorry to say I have.” “But,” said our friend, “why are you sorry?” “Why,” he said, “he has turned me inside out and spoiled my idea of myself! When I went into the Tabernacle I thought I was the best man in Newington, but now I feel that my righteousness is worthless.” “Oh,” said the friend, “that is all right, you will come again, I am sure. The Word of God has come home to you and shown you the truth—you will get comfort soon.”
That friend did come again and he is here tonight—he takes pleasure in that very Truth of God which turned him inside out! And he comes on purpose that the Word of the Lord may search him and try him—and be to him as a refiner’s fire! He that is most afraid to be turned inside out is the man who most needs to undergo that process!
IV. What Shall We Say of These Sitters-By?
Just a word by way of forming an estimate of them and then I will have done with them. Oh, that the Lord, Himself, might deal with them by His Holy Spirit!
These sitters-by, these people who do not go in for the Truth of God and faith of the Gospel, but hear it, play with it, talk about it and then have done with it—what shall I say of them? Why, first, they seem to me to be wonderfully out of place when you think of the Lord who was preaching. How could they be indifferent in His Presence? He was at a white heat and they were blocks of ice. He was all energy and they were “sitting by.” He spending and being spent—and they “sitting by.”
He engaged all night in prayer with His Divine Father and now, coming forth clothed with Divine Power to heal—and they, “sitting by.” Pretending to be doctors and teachers of the people and, therefore, under great responsibility, they were yet content to be “sitting by” when Jesus was pouring out His soul!
O Sirs, none of us ought to be indifferent in the Presence of the Christ of God! He is clad with zeal as with a cloak—how can we be lukewarm? He laid down His life for the sheep—how can we live for self? He still lives for His people and holds not His peace, but by His incessant pleading He proves His everlasting interest in our cause—for us to be “sitting by” is horrible ingratitude!
Men who have received great salvation, “sitting by,” while the Savior dies? Or even men who are in danger of sinking at once to Hell carelessly, “sitting by,” when the gate of mercy is set open before them by the pierced hand of Jesus? Oh, it is sadly strange! Lord, teach this foolish generation wisdom! Let them not still be “sitting by”!
V. Conclusion
It was equally incongruous with the condition of the rest of the congregation. Look, there is such a crowd around the Lord Jesus that they are trying to bring in a man who is sick of the palsy, but they cannot get him near. Nobody will make way—they are all so eager to hear and to get a blessing! At last they take the palsied man to the roof—they actually break up the tiling! They lower the man down with ropes over the heads of the people! Yes, right in among the learned lawyers and the proud Pharisees! The pieces of the tiles are falling everywhere! The dust is on the doctors and divines!
Look how eager, how earnest, how impetuous the people are! And yet these gentlemen Pharisees and lawyers are, “sitting by” with cold indifference! Look at them taking out their notebooks to jot down an expression with which they may find fault! See how they coolly observe little points in what is done! They are not moved—not they! A man is about to be healed who has long been paralyzed—and they treat it as if it were an interesting case in the hospital—around which a company of medical students gather, as to a show. How can they act in this way? Are they made of stone or iron?
One would think common humanity might affect them—but no, they will not enter into anything that Jesus says or does—they are merely, “sitting by.”
It will be an awful thing for some of you to be cast away forever—and then to remember that you sat next to people that were saved—sat next them at the very time when they heard unto eternal life! How will you bear to know that these people were saved by that powerful sermon which drove even you to your knees, but you shook off the impression, grew careless and again continued in your sin? This reflection will sting you as does a serpent when you are past hope and are driven forever from the Presence of God. This will be as the worm that never dies—when you say to yourself—“I was present when Jesus, by His Grace, renewed men’s hearts. I was present when my companion heard, believed and was saved, but I willfully refused to hear and turned away from the only Savior.”