M. E. Barber - The Story

Around 1922, almost every Saturday for about a year, Watchman Nee would go to Sister Barber to receive help. Some young brothers who were raised up by the Lord with Brother Nee also went there for help. Soon, however, most of them were afraid to go, because she rebuked them severely. Her rebukes bothered them. One brother felt her dealing was unreasonable. But after being dealt with, they all felt they had received much help.

At that time there were seven young brothers meeting in Foochow every Friday for fellowship concerning church affairs. However, most of the time was spent in arguments between Brother Nee and another leader. This leading brother was five years older than Brother Nee. Each thought he was right and liked to criticize the other’s ideas. Sometimes Brother Nee lost his temper and did not want to apologize. He would go to Sister Barber to complain and to ask her to judge the situation. Sister Barber, however, rebuked Brother Nee and said: “The Bible says the younger should obey the elder. You should obey him.”

Brother Nee did not want to obey. He said, “I cannot possibly do this. A Christian should act reasonably.”

Sister Barber answered, “Whether it is reasonable or not, you need not care. The Scriptures say that the younger should obey the elder.”

Brother Nee had wept two days previously, after the dispute, and now after listening to Miss Barber, he was angry and wept again. He wished that he could have been born earlier, so that the other brother would have to obey him. It so happened that the brother who was older than Brother Nee did not obey an even older brother in a later dispute. This time Brother Nee felt that he was obviously right and that his co-worker was wrong. This time he would win the victory. But when he went to Miss Barber, she said: “Whether the co-worker is wrong or not is another matter. While you are accusing your brother before me, are you like one who is bearing the cross? Are you like the Lamb?”

Brother Nee later testified: “That is all she said. I felt very ashamed. That year I learned some of the most precious lessons of my life.”

Sister Barber really knew how to help others. Once Brother Nee wrote several good hymns in one night. He thought he would receive a compliment, but instead Sister Barber poured cold water on him. She said, “A hymn, like milk and honey, is the outflow of a life that has learned lessons and is dealt with. This cannot happen in one day and one night.”

After Brother Nee decided to serve the Lord, he met Sister Barber. She asked him, “Are you serving the Lord? What does the Lord want you to do?”

Again she asked, “What were you going to do if the Lord didn’t want you to serve Him?”

Then she read from Matthew chapter 15 about the breaking of bread and asked, “How do you understand this passage?”

Brother Nee said, “First the Lord took the loaves and fish in His hand. Through His blessing they were multiplied and fed four thousand.”

Sister Barber spoke in a serious tone: “All the loaves in the Lord’s hand were broken and given out by the Lord. The unbroken bread could not be transformed and feed others. Brother, please remember, many times I was just like the bread saying, ‘Lord! I give myself to You.’ However, in my heart I still held out hope, as if to say, ‘Lord, even though I have given myself to You, don’t break me.’ We always want to offer the bread whole, not broken. But no loaf which has been put in the Lord’s hand has ever been left unbroken.”

Sister Barber often helped people through a touching word that met their need. One day an elderly sister was criticized for obeying the Lord, and she went to tell Sister Barber. She warned her, “If Satan attacks, you must learn to stand firm in the Lord. Beware of Satan’s smile, lest you surrender.” Another time she wrote a letter to Miss Dora Yu, saying: “If Satan can seize our thoughts, then he already controls our life.” Whenever someone was sick, even if it was only a cold, she always asked: “Do you know why?”

The Lord’s servant, Brother Chen, recalled the help he received by listening to Sister Barber’s word: “She taught us the lessons of faith and encouraged me to walk the way of faith. She often told me: ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’ I will never forget this word.”

Once while praying with a younger brother, she read Ezekiel 44, the chapter about serving the Lord or serving the temple. She said: “Young brother, when I read this chapter about 20 years ago, I immediately closed the Bible, knelt down, and prayed: ‘Lord! Let me serve You, not the temple.’”

The help that she gave these young brothers was more profitable than many conferences and messages. Later, it proved to be the most effective and permanent kind of help, since it supplied the receiver throughout his life.

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