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COMMENTARY
The Gospel of St. John
PRINTED BY
MORRISON AND Gll'i; LIMITED,
FOR
T. & T. CLARK, EDINBURGH.
London: simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, hint, and i
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Toronto: the wiixard tract depositor!
COMMENTARY
The Gospel of St. John
BY THE LATE
Prof. VVM. MILLIGAN, D.D. and Rev. WM. F. MOULTON, D.D
UNIVERSITY OK ABERDEEN THE LEYS SCHOOL, CAMBRIDGE
EDINBURGH: T. & T. CLARK, 38 GEORGE STREET
LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & CO. LTD.
1898
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
THE following Commentary on St. John's Gospel formed part of the Popular
Commentary on the Neiv Testament, edited by Dr. Philip Schaff, and is now-
reprinted by the kindness of the publishers, Messrs. T. & T. Clark.
It is believed that many will be glad to possess, in a separate form, a work
whose value has been so generally recognised, and which may further prove a
not unfitting memorial of the two friends and writers.
Abundant evidence still remains, in the form of letters and papers, of the
anxious care which was bestowed upon it, and from these can also be gathered
what was the authors' general mode of procedure.
The Introduction was mainly, if not altogether, the work of Dr. Milligan ; while
Dr. Moulton was principally responsible for questions of Textual Criticism. The
first draft of the exposition was undertaken by Dr. Milligan ; this was afterwards
revised and condensed by Dr. Moulton ; and each difficult point of interpretation,
as it arose, was afterwards discussed between them.
The whole Commentary was thus ' a joint work, in the fullest sense of the word,
a fusion of results of separate labour, a fusion made possible by repeated conference,
and most of all by union in sympathy and principles of study, and a common
relation of reverence and love towards the Fourth Gospel itself.' v
To this anxious revision and re-revision may also probably be traced one of
the peculiar excellences of the Commentary, namely, its close attention to the exact
language of St. John. Each slight variation, every new turn of expression, was
closely marked for the light it threw upon the Apostle's teaching. And to both
writers it was a continual source of devout wonder and joy that the patient and
humble following of the letter seemed ever to lead to a clearer revelation of the
Spirit.
GEORGE MILLIGAN.
JAMES HOPE MOULTON.
1 From Dr. Monlton's Memorial Sketch of Dr. Milligan in the Expository T!me< for March 18
238963
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING
TO JOHN.
IT is obviously impossible, within the limits to which we must here confine our-
selves, to treat with adequate fulness the many important and difficult questions
relating to the Gospel of John ; nor can we attempt to do more than indicate the
leading points of inquiry, together with the grounds upon which we may rest in the
confident assurance that that Gospel is really the production of ' the disciple whom
Jesus loved.' In endeavouring to do this, we shall approach the subject from its
positive rather than its negative side, not dealing directly in the first instance with
difficulties, but tracing the history of the Gospel downwards from the time when
it was composed to the date at which it enjoyed the unquestioning recognition of the
universal Church. Afterwards, turning to the contents of the Gospel, we shall speak
of the purpose which its author had in view, and of the general characteristics of the
method pursued by him in order to attain it. Such a mode of treatment seems best
adapted to the object of an Introduction like the present. It will be as little as
possible polemical ; it will enable us to meet by anticipation most, certainly the most
formidable, of the objections made to the authenticity of the Gospel ; and it will put
the reader in possession of those considerations as to its general character without
which he cannot hope to understand it.
At the close of the Gospel (chap. xxi. 24) we read, 'This is the disciple which
beareth witness of these things, and wrote these things.' These words (which are
in all probability from the pen of John ; see the Commentary) contain a distinct
intimation on the part of the writer (comp. ver. 20) that he was ' the disciple whom
Jesus loved ;' and although that disciple is nowhere expressly named, we shall here-
after see that the Gospel itself leaves no room for doubt that he was the Apostle John.
I. Personality of the Writer. — This Apostle was the son of Zebedee and Salome,
and younger, as there seems every reason to think, than his brother James. Of
Zebedee we know little. He was a fisherman upon the Sea of Galilee, who pursued
his occupation in common with his sons, and who continued it even after they had
obeyed the summons of their Lord to follow Him (Matt. iv. 21). Of Salome we for-
tunately know more. From John xix. 25 it would seem probable that she was a sister
of the Virgin Mary (see the Commentary) ; but the fact need not be dwelt upon at
present. It would not help us to understand better the ties that bound Jesus to her
son ; for these depended on spiritual sympathy rather than relationship by blood (Matt.
xii. 4S-50). But whether this bond of kindred existed or not, Salome manifested her
devotion to Jesus by constant waiting upon her Lord, and by ministering to Him of
her substance (Mark xv. 40, xvi. 1). Nor can we fail to recognise her exhibition of the
same spirit, mixed though it was in this instance with earthly elements, when she came
xiii
xiv INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSlJEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
to Jesus with the request that her two sons might sit, the one at His right hand, the
other at His left, in His kingdom (Matt. xx. 21). That was not an act of proud
ambition, or the request would have been made in private.1 The zeal of a mother for
her children's highest good was there, as well as an enthusiasm, not chilled even after-
wards by the events at the cross and at the tomb (Mark xv. 40, xvi. 1 ), for the cause of
One whom she felt to be so worthy of her trust and love. The family of John does not
seem to have been poor. Zebedee possessed hired servants (Mark i. 20). Salome had
substance of which to minister to our Lord during His life (Mark xv. 40 ; comp. Luke
viii. 3), and with which to procure the materials for embalming Him after His death
(Mark xvi. 1). John was acquainted with the high priest (John xviii. 15), — a fact at
least harmonizing well with the idea that he did not belong to the lowest rank of the
people ; and at one time of his life, whatever may have been the case at other times,
he possessed property of his own (John xix. 27).
It was in circumstances such as these that John received his training in the faith
of his fathers ; and, as that receptivity which in after life formed one of the most
marked features of his character must have shown itself in the child and in the boy,
we cannot doubt that, from his earliest years, he would imbibe in a greater than
ordinary degree the sublime recollections and aspirations of Israel. We know, indeed,
from his ready reference upon one occasion to the fire which the prophet Elijah
commanded to come down from heaven, that the sterner histories of the Old Testa-
ment had taken deep possession of his mind ; while his enthusiastic expectations of
the coming glory of his people equally reveal themselves in his connection with that
request of Salome of which we have already spoken. Apart from such specific
instances, however, of John's acquaintance with the Old Testament (which, did they
stand alone, might not prove much), it is worthy of notice that the books of the New
Testament most thoroughly pervaded by the spirit of the older dispensation are two
that we owe to the son of Salome, — the Fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse. This
remark is not to be confined to the latter of the two. A careful study of the former
will show that it displays not only a much more intimate acquaintance with the Old
Testament, but also a much larger appropriation of its spirit, than even that first Gospel
by Matthew which was confessedly designed for Jewish Christians. Amidst all the
acknowledged universalism of the Fourth Gospel, its thorough appreciation of the fact
that the distinction between Jew and Gentile has for ever passed away, and that lofty
idealism by which it is distinguished, and which lifts its author far above every limita-
tion of the favour of God to nation or class, the book is penetrated to the core by the
noblest and most enduring elements of the Jewish faith. The writer has sunk himself
into all that is most characteristic of what that faith reveals in regard to God, to man,
to the world, to the meaning and end of religious life. In addition to this, the figures
of the Fourth Gospel are more Jewish than those of any book of the New Testament,
except the Apocalypse. Its very language and style display a similar origin. No
Gentile writer, either of the Apostolic or of the sub-Apostolic age, no Jewish writer
even who had not long and lovingly appropriated the oracles of God given to his
fathers, could have written as John has done.
These remarks have an important bearing on what is said of the apostle in Acts
iv. 13. We there read that when the Sanhedrin beheld his boldness they marvelled,
perceiving that he was an ' unlearned and common man ;' and it has often been
maintained that one to whom this description is applicable cannot have been the
author of the fourth Gospel. The true inference lies in the opposite direction. The
words quoted mean only that he had not passed through the discipline of the
1 Comp. Niemcycr, Charakterislik, p. 44.
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xv
Rabbinical schools ; and certainly of such discipline the Fourth Gospel affords no
trace. His education had been of a purer kind. He had grown up amidst the influ-
ences of home, of nature, of a trying occupation, of brave and manly toil. Therefore
it was that, when, with an unfettered spirit, he came into contact with the great prin-
ciples and germinal seeds which underlay the Old Testament dispensation, — above all,
when he came into contact with the Word of Life, with Him of whom Moses in the
law and the prophets had spoken, he was able to receive Him, to apprehend Him,
and to present Him to the world as he did.
It is in connection with the Baptist that we first hear of John. If Salome and
Elizabeth were kinswomen (see above, and comp. Luke i. 36), John would naturally
become acquainted with the remarkable circumstances attending the birth and training
of the Baptist. At all events, the stern teaching of the prophet, his loud awakening
calls which rang from the wilderness of Judea and penetrated to the whole surround-
ing country and to all classes of its society, his glorious proclamation that the long
waited for kingdom was at hand, must have at once kindled into a flame thoughts
long nourished in secret. John became one of his disciples (John i. 35), and the
impression produced upon him by the Baptist was peculiarly deep. More truly than
any of the earlier Evangelists he apprehends the evangelical ends to which, amidst all
its sternness, the Baptist's mission really pointed. If the three bring before us with
greater force the prophet of repentance reproving the sins of Israel, he on the other
hand shows in a clearer light the forerunner of Jesus in his immediate relation to his
Lord, and in his apprehension of the spiritual power and glory of His coming (comp.
John i. 26, 27, iii. 29, 30, with Matt. iii. 11, 12 ; Mark i. 7, 8 ; Luke iii. 15-17).
The Baptist was the first to direct his disciple to Jesus (chap. i. 36). In company
with Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, he immediately followed Him, inquired of Him
where He stayed, accompanied Him to His house, and remained with Him that day.
What the subject of conversation was we are not informed, but the divine Sower had
scattered His seed in the young ingenuous heart ; and when shortly afterwards Jesus
called him to the apostleship he immediately obeyed the summons (Matt. iv. 21, 22).
From this time onward to the close of his Master's earthly career John was His con-
stant follower, entering we cannot doubt into a closer union of spirit with Him than
was attained by any other disciple. Not only was he one of the chosen three who
were present at the raising of the daughter of Jairus, at the Transfiguration, and at
the agony in Gethsemane (Luke viii. 51, ix. 28; Mark xiv. 33); even of that small
election he was, to use the language of the fathers, the most elect. He leaned upon
the breast of Jesus at the Last Supper, not accidentally, — but as the disciple whom He
loved (John xiii. 23) ; he pressed after Him into the court of Caiaphas at His trial
(chap, xviii. 15) ; he alone seems to have accompanied Him to Calvary (chap. xix. 26) ;
to him Jesus committed the care of His mother at the cross (chap. xix. 26, 27) ; he was
the first on the Resurrection morning, after hearing the tidings of Mary Magdalene,
to reach the sepulchre (chap. xx. 4) ; and, when Jesus appeared after His Resurrection
to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee, he first recognised the Lord (chap. xxi. 7).
Little is related of John in the earlier Gospels. The chief incidents, in addition to
those already mentioned, are his coming to Jesus and saying, ' Master, we saw one
casting out devils in Thy name ; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with
us ' (Luke ix. 49), and his receiving from Jesus, along with his brother James, the
title of 'Son of Thunder' (Mark iii. 17), — a title given to denote not any possession
of startling eloquence, but the power and vehemence of his character. It has indeed
been urged by foes, and even admitted by friends, that such is not the character of the
Apostle as it appears in the Fourth Gospel. But this is a superficial view. No doubt
xvi INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
in chaps, xiii.-xvii., when the conflict is over and Jesus is alone with His disciples,
we breathe the atmosphere of nothing but the most perfect love and peace. The
other chapters of the Gospel, however, both before and after these, leave a different
impression upon the mind. The ' Son of Thunder ' appears in every incident, in
every discourse which he records. To draw a contrast between the fire of youth as
it appears in the John of the first three Evangelists and the mellowed gentleness of
old age in the John of the fourth is altogether misleading. The vehement, keen,
impetuous temperament is not less observable in the latter than in the former. We
seem to trace at every step, while the conflict of Jesus with His enemies is described,
the burning zeal of one who would call down fire from heaven upon the guilty 'Jews.'
The continued possession of the same character is at least entirely consistent with
what is told us of John in the Acts of the Apostles ; and it bursts forth again in all
its early ardour in the traditions of the Church. John was present with Peter at the
healing of the lame man (Acts iii. i-ii), and, although the address of the latter is
alone recorded, he does not seem to have been silent on the occasion (chap. iv. i).
He exhibited the same boldness as his fellow-apostle in the presence of the Council
(chap. iv. 13) ; joined him in the expression of his determination to speak what he had
seen and heard (chap. iv. 19, 20) ; was probably at a later point committed with him
to prison (chap. v. 18), and miraculously delivered (chap. v. 19); was brought again
before the Sanhedrin (chap. v. 27), and, through the influence of Gamaliel, once more set
free to resume his labours (chap. v. 41, 42). After Samaria had been evangelized by
Philip, he was sent to that city with Peter that they might complete the work begun
(chap. viii. 14-17); and, this mission accomplished, he returned with him to Jeru-
salem, preaching the gospel at the same time in many villages of the Samaritans (chap,
viii. 25). From this time we hear nothing of him until the first great Council at
Jerusalem (Acts xv. ; Gal. ii.). Then Paul found him in the holy city, regarded by
the Christian community as one of the ' pillars ' of the Church, — a circumstance
which, combined with Paul's private explanations to those so named (Gal. ii. 2, 9),
may justly lead to the inference that he still belonged to that portion of the Christian
community which had not risen to the full conception of the independence and
freedom of the Christian faith.
Scripture says nothing more of John's apostolic labours. It was now a.d. 50;
and we have no further information regarding him until he appears, in the traditions
of the Church, as Bishop of Ephesus in the latter part of the first century. An
attempt has indeed been recently made to cast doubt on John's residence at Ephesus,
but there are few points in the history of early Christianity upon which tradition is so
unanimous, and there need be no hesitation in accepting the statement. We do not
know the exact date at which he went to this city. It can hardly have been during the
life of Paul, or that Apostle would not, in accordance with his own principles of action,
have connected himself so closely with the district (Rom. xv. 20; 2 Cor. x. 16).
The probability is that, deeply attached to Jerusalem, clinging to the memories asso-
ciated with the labours and death of Jesus, he lingered in the sacred city until its
destruction approached. Then he may have wandered forth from a place upon which
the judgment of God had set its seal, and found his way to Ephesus. The traditions
of the Church regarding him while he continued there possess singular interest, partly
from the light thrown by them upon the times, partly from the touching pathos by
which some of them are marked, mainly because they enable us so thoroughly to
identify the aged Apostle with the youthful follower of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels.
Such is the story of his meeting with Cerinthus. It is said that the Apostle once entered
the bath-house at Ephesus, and, discovering Cerinthus the heretic within, sprang
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. x-.-ii
forth exclaiming, ' Let us flee, lest even the bath-house fall in, since there is within
it Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth.' Such also is the story of John and the young
robber, one of the most beautiful stories of Christian antiquity, which we have no
room to relate ; and such the tradition that the Apostle, when too old to walk, was
carried by his disciples into the midst of the congregation at Ephesus, only to repeat
over and over again to his fellow-believers, ' Little children, love one another.' Other
stories are told of him which may be omitted as less characteristic than these ; but
the general impression left by them all is not only that the early Church possessed a
remarkably distinct conception of the personality of the apostle, but that its concep-
tion corresponded in the closest manner to the mingled vehemence and tenderness
which come out so strongly in the picture of him presented by the earlier Gospels and
by his own writings. From Ephesus, according to a tolerably unanimous, if rather
indefinite tradition, which seems to be confirmed by Rev. i. 9, John was banished for
a time to the island of Patmos, a wretched rock in the yEgean Sea, but was afterwards
permitted to return to the scene of his labours in Ephesus. It was under Nerva, it
is said, that his return took place (a.d. 96-98), although he is also spoken of as having
been alive after the accession of Trajan (a.d. 98). The days of the aged Apostle
were now, however, drawing to a close. The companions of his earlier years, those
whose eyes had seen and whose ears had heard Him who was the Word of Life, had
been long since gathered to their rest. His time, too, was come. He had waited
for more than threescore years to rejoin the Master whom he loved. He died and
was buried at Ephesus ; and with him closes the apostolic age.
II. Authorship of the Gospel. — It is the almost unanimous tradition of the Church
that the Apostle John wrote this Gospel. Our earliest authorities for the fact are
Theophilus of Antioch (a.d. 175), Irenaeus (a.d. 130-200), the Muratorian Fragment
(a.d. 170-180), and Clement of Alexandria (a.d. 160-220). The accounts of these
writers differ slightly from each other, but all agree in distinctly attributing our
present Gospel to John ; while the fourth, who is clearly independent of the other three,
draws a remarkable distinction between it and the earlier Gospels, the latter being
spoken of as containing ' the bodily things,' the former as ' a spiritual Gospel.' To
the distinction thus drawn we shall presently return.
If, as the above-mentioned authorities lead us to infer, the Fourth Gospel was made
public towards the close of the first century (and it is unnecessary to discuss here
the question of an interval between the writing and the publication), we naturally
look for quotations from or allusions to it in the writings that have come down to us
from the period immediately following that date. These prove fewer than we might
expect. Not indeed that they are wholly wanting. The acknowledged Epistles of
Ignatius and the ' Shepherd ' of Hernias, belonging respectively to the first twenty and
the first forty years of the second century, exhibit a style of thought, sometimes even
of language, closely connected with that of the Gospel. The Epistle of Polycarp to
the Philippians, again, a little later than the ' Shepherd,' and the writings of Papias
before the middle of the second century, in bearing witness to the first Epistle as the
work of John, lead us directly to the same conclusion in regard to the Gospel, for few
will doubt that the two books are from the same hand. The account of the martyr-
dom of Polycarp, moreover, written in the middle of the same century, is so obviously
modelled upon John's narrative of the death of Jesus, that that narrative must have
been in possession of the Church before the ' Martyrdom ' was penned. Finally, the
Epistle to Diognetus (a.d. 120), the address of Tatian to the Greeks (a.d. 160-180),
the writings of Justin Martyr (a.d. 147-160), and the letter of the Churches of
Vienne and Lyons (a.d. 177), all of which seem with more or less clearness to quote
vol, 11. *
xviii INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
from the Fourth Gospel, bring us down to the distinct statements of Theophilus,
Irenseus, the Muratorian Fragment, and Clement, alluded to above, and to a date at
which the testimonies to the Johannine authorship of the Gospel are as clear and full
as can be desired.
The stream of allusion we have been following has flowed through the
writings of the orthodox Church. But it is a remarkable fact, that allusions to our
Gospel are still earlier and clearer in the heretical writings of the first half of the
second century. This is especially the rase with Basilides and his followers, as early
as a.d. 125 ; and they are followed by the Valentinians, who can hardly be separated
from their Master, Valentinus (a.d. 140), and by Ptolemreus and Heracleon (about
a.d. 170-180), the last mentioned having even written a commentary upon the
Gospel. To these facts may be added several important considerations. Thus,
to quote the words of Bishop Lightfoot, 'when soon after the middle of the second
century divergent readings of a striking kind occur in John's Gospel, we are led to
the conclusion that the text has already a history, and that the Gospel therefore
cannot have been very recent.'1 Again, in the early year.-, of the second half of the
second century the Gospel formed a part of the Syriac and old Latin translations
of the New Testament, and as such was read in the public assemblies of the churches
of Syria and Africa. Lastly, in the Paschal Controversies (about a.d. 160) there is
hardly reason to doubt that the apparent discrepancy between this and the earlier
Gospels, as to the date of the Last Supper of Jesus, played no small part in the
dispute by which the whole Church was rent.
All these circumstances go far towards answering the allegation often made,
that the paucity of allusions to the Fourth Gospel in the first seventy or eighty years
after its publication is inconsistent with its authenticity. To present them thus,
however, as an argument that the Gospel is authentic is not only greatly to under-
state the case ; it is even to put the reader upon a wrong track for arriving at a positive
conclusion. The real ground of conviction is the consistent belief of the Church. It
is not for those who accept the Gospel to account for its admission into the canon of
the last quarter of the second century, on the supposition that it is true ; it is for
those who reject it to account for this, on the supposition that it is false. The early
Church was not a mass of individual units believing in Jesus, each in his own way
nourishing in secrecy and independence his own form of faith. It was an organized
community, conscious of a common foundation, a common faith, and common ordin-
ances of spiritual nourishment for all persons in all lands who held the one Head,
Christ Jesus. It was a body, every one of whose members sympathized with the other
members : to every one of them the welfare of the whole was dear, and was moreover
the most powerful earthly means of securing his own spiritual progress. The various
generations of the Church overlapped one another ; her various parts were united by
the most loving relation and the most active intercourse ; and all together guarded
the common faith with a keenness of interest which has not been surpassed in any
subsequent age of the Church's history. Even if we had not one probable reference
to the Fourth Gospel previous to a.d. 170, we should be entitled to ask with hardly
less confidence than we may ask now, How did this book find its way into the canon
as the Gospel of John ? How is it that the moment we hear of it we hear of it every-
where, in Fiance, Italy, North Africa, Egypt, Syria? No sooner do the sacred docu-
ments of any local church come to light than the Fourth Gospel is among them, is
publicly read in the congregations of the faithful, is used as a means for nourishing
the spiritual life, is quoted in controversies of doctrine, is referred to in disputes a;
1 On a Fresh Revision of the New Testament, p. 20.
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xix
to practice. It is simply an impossibility that this could have taken place within ten
or twenty or thirty years after some single congregation of the widespread Church
had accepted it from the hands of an unknown individual as (whether claiming to be
so or not) the production of John the Apostle. In the controversies of later years it
seems to us that the defenders of the Gospel have failed to do justice to their own
position. They have not indeed paid too much attention to objectors, for many of
these have been men of almost unrivalled learning and of a noble zeal for truth ; but,
by occupying themselves almost entirely with answers to objections, they have led
men to regard the authenticity of the Gospel as an opinion to be more or less
plausibly defended, rather than as a fact which rests upon that unvarying conviction of
the Church which is the strongest of all evidence, and the falsehood of which no
opponent has yet been able to demonstrate. Let the faith, the life, the controversies,
the worship of the Church about a.d. 170 be first accounted for without the Fourth
Gospel, and it will then be more reasonable to ask us to admit that the small number
of allusions to it in the literature of the preceding part of the century is a proof that
the book had at that time no existence.
Many considerations, however, may be mentioned to explain that paucity of quota-
tion and allusion upon which so great stress is laid. We notice only two. (1) The
Fourth Gospel is considerably later in date than the other three. By the time it appeared
the latter were everywhere circulated and appealed to in the Church. They had come
to be regarded as the authoritative exposition of the life of the Redeemer. It could not
be easy for a Gospel so diffe ent from them as is the fourth at once to take a familiar
place beside; hem in the minds of men. Writers would naturally depend upon autho-
rities to which they had been accustomed, and to which they knew that their readers
had been in the habit of deferring. (2) A still more important consideration is the
character of the book itself. May there not be good reason to doubt whether the Fourth
Gospel, when first issued, would not be regarded as a theological treatise on the life of
Jesus rather than as a simple narrative of what He said and did ? It is at least observable
that when Irenajus ( omes to speak of it he describes it as written to oppose Cerinthus
and the Nicolaitanes {Adv. Haer. iii. ir, 1) ; and that when Clement of Alexandria
gives his account of its origin he describes it as 'a spiritual gospel' written in
contrast with those containing ' the bodily things' (in Fuseb. H. E. vi. 14). It may
be difficult to determine the exact meaning of 'spiritual' 1 ere, but it cannot be
understood to express the divine as contrasted with the human in Jesus; and it
appears more natural to think that it refers to the inner spirit in its contrast with the
outward facts of His life as a whole. If so, the statement seems to justify the
inference that the earlier gospels had been considered the chief storehouse of informa-
tion with regard to the actual events of the Saviour's history. What bears even more
upon this conclusion is the manner in which Justin speaks. We have already quoted
him as one oft ose to whom the Fourth Gospel was known, yet his description of the
Saviour's method of address is founded upon the discourses in the Synoptic Gospels,
quite inapplicable to those of the Fourth {Apol. i. 14). Phenomena such as these
make it probable that the Fourth Gospel was at first regarded as a presentation of
spiritual truth respecting Jesus rather than as a simple narration similar to those
already existing in the Church : and if so, the paucity of references to it, until it came
to be better understood, is at once explained. The suggestion now offered finds
some confirmation in a fact formerly mentioned, that the Gospel was a favourite one
with the early heretics. Containing the truth, as it did, in a form in some degree
affected by the speculations of the time and the country of its birth, it presented a
larger number of points of contact for their peculiar systems than the earlier gospels.
xx INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
In it they found many a hint which they could easily develope and misuse. It? pro-
foundly metaphysical character was exactly suited to their taste ; and they welcomed
the opportunity, as we see from the Refutations of Hippolytus (Clark's translation,
i. p. 276), of appealing to so important and authoritative a document in favour of
their own modes of thought. But this very circumstance must have operated against
its quick and general reception by the Church. The tendency, if there was room for
it at all, would be to doubt a writing in which systems destructive of the most essen-
tial elements of Christianity claimed to have support ; and it helps to deepen our
sense of the strength of the Church's conviction of the divine origin of our Gospel,
that, in spite of the use thus made of it, she clung to it without the slightest hesitation
and with unyielding tenacity.
In reviewing the first seventy years of the second century, a period at the end of
which it must not be forgotten that the Fourth Gospel is generally and unhesitatingly
acknowledged to be the work of John, we can trace no phenomena inconsistent with
such a conclusion. No other theory gives an adequate explanation of the facts.
Unless, therefore, the structure and contents of the Gospel can be shown to be incon-
sistent with this view, we are manifestly bound to accept the testimony of the early
Church as worthy of our confidence. According to that testimony the Gospel was
written, or at least given to the Church at Ephesus, towards the close of the apostle's
life. There is nothing to determine with certainty the particular date. The pro-
babilities are in favour of fixing it about a.d. 90.
Turning now to the internal character of the Gospel, we shall find that, if carefully
examined, it is not only consistent with, but strongly confirmatory of, the Johannine
authorship.
1. The author teas unquestionably a Jeiv. Some most marked peculiarities of the
Gospel, such as its artificial arrangement and its teaching by symbolic action
(points of which we have yet to speak more fully), not only are strictly Jewish, but
have nothing corresponding to them in any Gentile writer of the age. Nor does this
book contain one word to suggest the inference that its author, originally a Gentile,
might have acquired his Jewish thoughts and style by having become, before his con-
version to Christianity, a proselyte to Judaism. To such an extent do these features
permeate the Gospel, that they cannot be the result of later and acquired habits of
thought. They are the soul of the writing. They are interwoven in the most
intimate manner with the personality of the writer. They must have grown with his
growth and strengthened with his strength before he could be so entirely moulded by
them. Nothing shows this more than the relation which exists in the Gospel between
Christianity and Judaism. The use of the expression ' the Jews,' when properly under-
stood, implies the very contrary of what it is so often adduced to establish. It would
be simply a waste of time to argue that our Lord's conflict with ' the Jews ' was not
a conflict with Judaism. But, this being so, the use of the expression becomes really
a measure of the writer's indignation against those who, having been appointed the
guardians of a lofty faith, had dimmed, defaced, and caricatured it. Such expressions
as ' A feast of the Jews,' ' The Passover of the Jews,' ' The manner of the purifying
of the Jews,' ' The Jews' feast of Tabernacles,' and so on, not only could well be used
by a writer of Jewish birth, but are even consistent with true admiration of the things
themselves when conformed to their ideal. He has in view institutions as perverted
by man, not as appointed by the Almighty. He sees them observed and urged by their
defenders for the sake of their own selfish interests, made instruments of defeating the
very end for which they had been originally given, used to deepen the darkness rather
than to lead to the coming light. He sees that that stage in the history of a faith has been
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxi
reached when the form has so completely taken the place of the substance, the letter
of the spirit, that to revivify the former is impossible : it must perish if the latter
is to be saved. He sees the spirituality of religion crushed, extinguished, in the
very moulds which had for a time preserved it. Therefore he might well say, Their
work is done : God's plan is accomplished : they must perish. In all this there is no
antagonism to true Judaism. No Gentile authorship is before us. The thought
belongs to a different training and a different race ; and that, too, at a time when
Judaism must, have possessed much of its former interest, when the echoes of its
greatness had not yet passed away.
The same thing appears in the relation of the writer to the Old Testament Scrip-
tures. They are quoted with great frequency, and it is well worthy of notice that the
quotations are not simply taken from the Septuagint. They are at times from the
Hebrew where it differs from the Septuagint : at times the translation is original (co'mp.
chaps, ii. 17, xii. 40, xix. 37, xiii. 18). Nothing leads more directly than this to the
thought not only of Jewish birth, but also of long familiarity with Jewish worship in
Palestine. In all the provinces at least of the Western Diaspora the service of the
synagogue was conducted not in Hebrew but in Greek, by means of the Septuagint.
To Gentiles of all conditions of life, and similarly to Jews of the Dispersion, with
the exception of a very few, the Hebrew Scriptures were even in the apostolic age,
and certainly at a later date, utterly unknown. To think of a Gentile Christian of
the first half of the second century, whether a native of Alexandria or of Asia Minor,
as able to translate for himself, is to suppose a state of things of which no other
illustration can be adduced, and which is at variance with all our knowledge of the time.
The same conclusion is to be deduced from the Hebraic style of the book. This
character of its style is now generally recognised. But the fact is of such interest
and importance, yet at the same time so dependent upon a skilled and delicate
acquaintance with both Hebrew and Greek, that instead of quoting examples which
the English reader would hardly understand, we shall refer to two, out of many,
statements from writers whose authority on such a point none will question. It is thus
that Keim speaks : ' The style of the book is a remarkable combination of a facility
and skill essentially Greek, with a form of expression that is truly Hebrew in its com-
plete simplicity, childlikeness, picturesqueness, and in some sense guilelessness.' 1 To a
similar effect Ewald : ' It is well worthy of our observation that the Greek language
of our author bears the clearest and strongest marks of a genuine Hebrew who, born
among Jews in the Holy Land, and having grown up among them, had learned the
Greek language in later life, but still exhibits in the midst of it the whole spirit and air
of his mother tongue. He has constructed a Greek tongue to which nothing corre-
sponds in the other writings that have come down to us marked by a Hellenistic tinge.' 2
2. The author belonged to Palestine. He is alive to all the geographical, eccle-
siastical, and political relations of the land. He speaks of its provinces — Judea,
Samaria, and Galilee. He is familiar with its towns — Jerusalem, Bethany, Sychar,
Cana, Nazareth, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Tiberias, Ephraim ; and not less so with its
river Jordan and its winter-torrent Kedron. The general character of the country is
known to him, the different routes from Judea into Galilee (chap. iv. 4), the breadth
of the sea of Galilee (chap. vi. 19, comp. Mark vi. 47), the lie of the road from Cana
to Capernaum (chap. ii. 12), the exact distance between Jerusalem and Bethany (chap,
xi. 18). The situation of particular spots is even fixed with great distinctness, such
as of Jacob's well in chap, iv., of Bethesda in chap, v., and of Cana in chap. ii.
Similar remarks apply to his acquaintance with the ecclesiastical and political
1 Jesus von Nazara, i. p. 157. " Die Jokann. Schri/ten, i. p. 44.
xxii INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
circumstances of the time. It is not possible to illustrate this by details. We add
only that all his allusions to such points as we have now noticed are made, not
with the laboured care of one who has mastered the subject by study, but with the
simplicity and ease of one to whom it is so familiar that what he says is uttered in
the most incidental manner. Where did he obtain his information ' Not from
the Old Testament, for it is not there. Not from the earlier Gospels, for they afford
but little of it. Surely not from that second century which, according to the state-
ment of objectors, left him in the belief that appointment to the high-priesthood was
an annual thing ! One source of knowledge alone meets the demands of the case.
The writer was not only a Jew, but a Jew of Palestine.
3. The author was an eye-witness of 70/10/ he relates. We have his own explicit
statement upon the point in chap. i. 14 and chap. xix. 35 (see the Commentary).
Upon this last verse we only call attention now to the distinction, so often over-
looked, between the two adjectives of the original, both translated 'true' in the
Authorised Version, but wholly different in meaning. The first does not express the truth
of the fact at all, but sets forth the fact as one in regard to which the witness was not, and
cannot have been, mistaken : his testimony is all that testimony can be. The moment
we give its due weight to this consideration, we are compelled to admit that ' he that
hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true,' can refer to no other than the
writer of the words. He could not have thus alleged of another that his testimony
was thoroughly true and perfect — that it was the exact expression of the incident
which had taken place. What he himself has seen is the only foundation of such a
' witness ' as that which he would give.
The statements thus made are confirmed by the general nature of the work.
There is a graphic power throughout the whole, a liveliness and picturesqueness of
description, which constrain us to believe that we are listening to the narrative of an
eye-witness. There is a delicacy in the bringing out of individual character (as in the
case of Martha and Mary in chap, xi.) which even the literary art of the present day
could hardly equal. And there is a minuteness of detail, different from that of the
earlier Gospels, for whose presence it is altogether impossible to account unless it
was suggested by the facts. If the trial before Pilate is an imaginary scene, there is
nothing in all the remains of Greek antiquity to compare with it.
4. The author, if an eye-witness and a disciple of Jesus, could he no other thou the
Apostle John. We have already seen that he calls himself ' the disciple whom Jesus
loved.' But from such passages as chaps, xiii. 23, xix. 26, we infer that the disciple so
peculiarly favoured must have been one of those admitted to the most intimate com-
munion with Jesus. These were only three, Peter, James, and John. One of these
three, therefore, he must have been. He was not Peter, for that apostle is frequently
mentioned in the Gospel by his own name, and is on several occasions expressly
distinguished from ' the disciple whom Jesus loved ' (chaps, xiii. 24, xxi. 7, 20).
Neither was he James, for that apostle was put to death by Herod at a date long
anterior to any at which our Gospel can have been composed (Acts xii. 2). He could
therefore only be John.
Internal evidence thus lends its force to the external fur the conclusion that we
advocate. That there are no difficulties in the matter, or that they are slight, it would
be foolish to allege. They are both numerous and weighty. But it seems to us
that they are connected less with the actual state of the evidence, than witli the fact
that the true character of the Fourth Gospel lias usually been overlooked by those
who, in this country at least, have defended its authenticity. In this respect we
owe much to the very continental scholars who have been most unfriendly to its
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxiii
apostolic origin. None have contributed so greatly to unfold its true character ; and,
in doing so, they have helped most powerfully, however unconsciously, to answer their
own objections to the Johannine authorship. That authorship there is no reasonable
ground to doubt
III. Object of the Gospel. — The Gospel of John is in our hands, the production
of that apostle who, of all the apostolic band, had been most closely and tenderly
associated with their common Master. Why was it written ?
We have already had occasion to mention some of the early testimonies bearing
upon this point. We must now refer to them again.
Eusebius quotes Clement of Alexandria as saying that 'John, the last of the
Apostles, perceiving that the bodily things (of Jesus) had been made known in the
Gospels, and being at the same time urged by his friends, and borne along by the
Spirit, wrote a spiritual Gospel.' And a still earlier authority (the Muratorian Frag-
ment) so far agrees with this as to tell us that ' when John's fellow-disciples and
bishops exhorted him he said, Fast along with me three days from to-day, and let
us relate the one to the other whatever has been revealed to us. The same night it
was revealed to Andrew the Apostle that John should in his own name write down
the whole, and that they all should revise (what he wrote).' The two accounts,
while obviously independent, bear witness to the same view of the origin of our
Gospel. The friends of the Apostle — how impossible that it should be otherwise ! —
had often heard him relate much that was not found in the Gospels already in existence.
They urged him to put it in writing, and he complied with their request In other
words, the Fourth Gospel was written as a supplement to its predecessors. Up to a
certain point the idea may be accepted ; but that John wrote mainly for the purpose
of supplying things wanting in the Synoptic narrative is a theory inconsistent with the
whole tone of his composition. His work is from first to last an original conception,
distinguished from previous Gospels alike in the form and in the substance of its
delineation, proceeding upon a plan of its own clearly laid down and consistently
followed out, and presenting an aspect of the person and teaching of Jesus which, if
not entirely new, is set before us with a fulness which really makes it so. It is one
burst of sustained and deep appreciation of what its writer would unfold, the picture
of one who paints not because others have failed to catch the ideal he would
represent, but because his heart is full and he must speak.
On the other hand, it was the opinion of Irenseus that John wrote to controvert
the errors of the Nicolaitanes and of Cerinthus ; in other words, that his aim was not
so much supplementary as polemical. Up to a certain point, again, the idea may be
accepted ; but it is impossible to believe that it affords us the whole, or even the main
explanation of his work. His presentation of Jesus might no doubt be moulded by
the tone of thought around him, because he had himself been moulded by it. Yet
he starts from a positive, not from a controversial point of view. Filled with his
subject, he is impelled to set it forth without turning aside to show, as a contro-
versialist would have done, that it met the deficiencies or errors of his age. Upon
these he makes no direct attack. It may be in the light of the present that the truth
shapes itself to his mind ; yet he writes as one whose main business is not to
controvert the present but to revivify the past.
Neither of these statements, then, explains the Apostle's aim. He has himself
given the explanation, and that so clearly that it is difficult to account for the differ-
ences of opinion that have been entertained. His statement is, ' Many other signs
therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this
book : but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
xxiv INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
of God, and that believing ye may have life in His name' (chap. xx. 30, 31).
Almost every word of this statement is of the utmost importance for the point before
us. But, referring for fuller exposition to the Commentary, we now only remark that
John is not to be understood as meaning that the Gospel was written in order that its
readers might be led to acknowledge the Divine mission of Jesus, when they beheld
the works wrought by Him in more than human power. These readers were already
believers, disciples, friends. What was wanted was not the first formation but the
deepening of faith within them, so that they might reach a profounder appreciation of
the true character of Jesus, a more intimate communion with Him and in Him with
the Father, and thus also a richer and more abundant spiritual life (comp. chap. x. 10).
The conclusion now reached will be strengthened if we observe that, with a
characteristically firm grasp of his materials, and with that remarkable unity of plan
which distinguishes the Gospel, John manifests the same intention at the first ap-
pearance of the Redeemer in his history. In his first chapter we read of three,
Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael, who, having been brought face to face with Jesus,
make confession of their faith. It is impossible to overlook the parallelism between
this paragraph and chap. xx. 30, 31. The three disciples bear witness to the three
aspects of the Saviour brought before us in the Evangelist's own summary of his
work — ' Jesus,' ' the Christ,' ' the Son of God.' The similarity is an important testi-
mony to the fact that that summary is not one for which he might have substituted
another, but that it is the calm, self-possessed utterance of a writer who had from
the first a clear perception of the end which he kept in view throughout.
To the question, therefore, Why did John write? we may now reply: He wrote in
order to present to believing men a revelation of the Divine Son which might deepen,
enlarge, perfect their faith, and which, by bringing them into closer spiritual com-
munion with the Son, might make them also in Him spiritually sons of God. He
wrote to exhibit, in the actual facts of the life of the ' Word become flesh,' the glory
of that union which had been established in His person between the Divine and the
human. He wrote to be a witness to the heart of One who is in His people, ana
in whom the Father abides (chaps, xiv. 10, xvii. 23).
IV. Characteristics of the Gospel. — Having thus ascertained the purpose with which
the Fourth Gospel was written, we shall now be better able to appreciate some of
those characteristics which have furnished opponents with many plausible objections,
and have occasioned no small perplexity to friends. Of these the following seem to
deserve notice, either as being in themselves the most important, or as being frequently
made use of in this Commentary : —
(1.) The selective principle upon which the evangelist proceeds. No historian can
mention all the particulars of any whole life, or even of any single event, that he
records. To a certain extent he is bound to select those which, from whatever cause,
strike him most or seem to bear most closely on his purpose. But the writer of the
Fourth Gospel gives many proofs that he not only carries this principle to an unusual
extent, but does it deliberately and on purpose. The incidents looked at as a whole
will in part illustrate what we say. That these should constitute a group so different
from what we have in the earlier Gospels is often urged as an objection to the
authenticity of the Fourth. Those indeed who make the objection lose sight of the
fact that there is selection of incidents as truly in the former as in the latter. The
difference between the two cases lies less in the extent to which selection is carried, than
in the degree of consciousness with which the principle is applied. In the Synoptic
Gospels it is less easy to trace the hand of the writer as he puts aside what does
not appear to him to bear upon his subject, or as he brings into prominence what
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxv
has direct relation to his aim. Abstaining, however, from any comparison between
our two groups of authorities, and confining ourselves to the Fourth Gospel, we rather
notice that the selection of its incidents in general is determined by the ideas
to which expression is given in the Prologue. It is not through forgetfulness or
ignorance of other incidents that the writer confines our attention to a selected few
(comp. chap. xxi. 25), but through his conviction that no others will as well subserve
the end that he has in view. Hence, accordingly, the space devoted to the discourses
with ' the Jews,' which are not those of a mild and gentle teacher, but of one who is in
conflict with bitter and determined foes, of one whose business it is to confute, to con-
vict, and to condemn. No one, giving heed to the state of Jewish feeling at the time,
can doubt that these discourses in their general strain have all the verisimilitude that
outward evidence can lend to them, — that the teaching of Jesus must have been a
struggle, and in precisely this direction. The conflict between light and darkness
became thus to John a leading idea of the history of his Master. The thought finds
expression in the Prologue (chap. i. 5—1 1 ), and the discourses which illustrate it
naturally follow. It is not otherwise with the miracles. He invariably styles these
' signs,' a word in itself showing that they are outward acts expressive of a hidden
meaning from which they derive their chief importance. Why, then, does he give
them as he does? Because, looking over the whole manifestation of Jesus, he had been
taught to find in Him the fulfilment of ' grace and truth ' which had not been given in
the law, — the perfect Light, the present and eternal Life, of men. He presents these
ideas in the Prologue (chap. i. 4, 5, 9, 17), and the selection given of the miracles
naturally follows.
The point now before us may be illustrated, not only by the incidents of the
Gospel looked at thus generally, but by smaller and more minute particulars. Many
of these, however, will be noticed in the Commentary (see, for example, the note on
chap. ix. 6), and we shall not occupy time with them now. The point to be borne in
mind by the reader is, that in the Gospel of John there is no attempt to give the
historical facts of the life of Jesus in all their particulars. There is throughout
conscious and intentional selection. From what he has seen, the writer has attained
a particular idea of the Person, the Life, the Work of his Divine Master. He
will present that idea to the world; and knowing that, if all the things that Jesus did
were to be written down, ' the world itself would not contain the books that should
be written,' he makes choice of that which will most fitly answer the appointed end.
(2.) The symbolic method of treatment which the evangelist exhibits. This is so pecu-
liarly characteristic of John, and has at the same time been so much disregarded by
most modern commentators, that one or two general remarks upon teaching by symbols
seem to be required. The Old Testament is full of it. All the arrangements of the
tabernacle, for example ; its courts, the furniture of its courts, the ceremonial observ-
ances performed in it, the very dyes and colours used in the construction of its
wrappings, have an appropriate meaning only when we behold in them the expression
of spiritual truths relating to God and to His worship. More especially it would seem
to have been a part of the prophets task thus to present truth to those whom he was
commissioned to instruct ; and the higher the prophetic influence which moved him,
the more powerful his impression of the message given him to proclaim, the more
entirely he was borne along by the divine afflatus, the more did he resort to it. As
simple illustrations of this we may refer to the cases of Zedekiah, Elisha, Jeremiah,
and Ezekiel (1 Kings xxii. n ; 2 Kings xiii. 17 ; Jer. xxvii. 1-18 ; Ezek. iv. 1-6).
If it was thus under the Old Testament dispensation, there is not only no reason
why we ought not to expect symbolism in the New Testament, but every reason to
xxvi INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
the contrary. The narrative of Agabus shows that in the apostolic age symbolic
action was still a part of the prophetic functions appreciated by the Jews (Acts xxi.
1 1). What wonder, then, if our Lord should teach by symbolism as well as by direct
instruction ? He was the fulfilment not only of Israel's priestly, but also of its pro-
phetic line. He was the true and great Prophet in whom the idea and mission ot
prophecy culminated ; in whom all that marked the prophet as known and honoured
in Israel attained it; highest development and reached perfect ripeness. Besides this,
His eye saw, as no merely human eye ever did, the unity that lies at the bottom of
all existence, the principles of harmony that bind together the world of nature and of
man, so that the former becomes the type and shadow of the latter. When, accord-
ingly, He appeared as the great Prophet of Israel, there is nothing unreasonable in the
supposition that He would teach by symbol as well as word, that not only His words
but His acts should be designed by Him to be lessons to the people, illustrations of
the nature of I lis kingdom and His work.
Still further, we cannot forget the general character of all the words and actions
of our Lord. As coming from Him, they possess a fulness of meaning which we
should not have been justified in ascribing to them had they come from another
teacher. It is impossible to doubt that He saw all the truths which find a legiti-
mate expression in what He said or did, however various the sphere of life to which
they apply. And it is equally impossible to doubt that He intended to titter what
He saw.
But if Jesus might thus teach, a disciple and historian of His life might appre-
hend this characteristic of His teaching, — nay, would apprehend it, the more he entered
into the spirit of his Master. There are clear indications of this, accordingly, even in
the earlier Gospels. The account of the miraculous draught of fishes, at the time when
Simon and Andrew were called to the apostleship (Luke v. 3-10), the cursing of the
barren fig-tree (Matt. xxi. 18-20; Mark xi. 12-14), the double miracle of the multi-
plying of the bread (Matt. xiv. 15-21, xv. 32-3S ; Mark vi. 34-44, viii. 1-9), afford
clear illustrations of this principle. It is in the Fourth Gospel, however, that the
symbolic spirit particularly appears ; and that not merely in the miracles, but in
lengthened narratives, and in many separate figures supplied by the Old Testament, by
nature, or by incidents occurring at the moment. To the eye of the Evangelist the
whole of creation waits for redemption ; the whole of history reaches forth to Him
' that was to come ; ' the heart of man in all its stirrings seeks to grasp a reality to be
found nowhere but in the revelation of the Father given in the Son. Everything, in
short, has stamped upon it a shadowy outline of what is to be filled up when
redemption is complete. The Logos, the Word, is the source of all that exists (chap,
i. 3), and to the source from which it came will all that exists return. Every chapter
of the Gospel would furnish illustration of what has been said.
It is impossible, however, to rest here ; for this power of perceiving in outward things
symbols of inner truths may be so strong as to appear in the mode of presenting not
only the larger but also the smaller circumstances of any scene in which Jesus moves.
The greater may draw along with it a symbolic interpretation of the less. Nay, out
of numerous little details the mind which is quick to discern symbolic teaching may
really select some in preference to others, because in them the impress of the symbolism
may be more clearly traced. A writer may thus act without any thought of art or
special design, even to a great degree unconscious of what he does, and simply because
the higher object with which he has been engaged has a natural power to attract to
itself, and to involve in its sweep the lower objects within its range. Illustrations of
this will be found in the Commentary.
IX PRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxvii
(3.) The peculiar nature of the plan adopted by the Evangelist. The Gospel appears
to us mist naturally to divide itself into seven sections, as follows : —
1. The Prologue: chap. i. 1-18. These verses contain a summary of the great
facts of the whole Gospel, grouped in accordance with the Evangelist's purpose, and
presented in the light in which he would have them viewed.
2. The presentation of Jesus upon the field of human history: chap. i. 19-ii. n.
Here Jesus appears before us as He is in Himself, the Son of God, and as He manifests
Himself to His disciples before He begins His conflict in the world.
3. General sketch of the work of Jesus in the world: chap. ii. 12-iv. 54. Jesus passes
beyond the circle of the disciples, and is rejected by the Jews when He would cleanse
the house of His Father at Jerusalem. This leads to His revelation of Himself as the
true temple which, destroyed by 'tie Jews' in their persecution of Him even unto
death, shall be raised again in His resurrection. Thus rejected by the representatives
of the theocracy, He reveals Himself by His word to individuals who, whether of
Judea, or Samaria, or Galilee of the nations, are — not by signs but by His word —
subdued to faith.
4. The conflict of Jesus with the world : chap. v. i-xii. 50. This section contains
the main body of the Gospel, setting Jesus forth in the height of His conflict with dark-
ness, error, and sin. He comes before us throughout in all the aspects in which we
have in the Prologue been taught to behold Him, and He carries on the work there
spoken of as given Him to do. He is Son of God, and Son of man, the Fulfiller of
the greatest ordinances of the law, the Life and the Light of men. As He contends
with the world, now in one and now in another of these manifestations of Himself, faith
or unbelief is gradually developed and deepened in those who listen to Him. The
believing and obedient are more and more attracted, the disobedient and unbelieving
are more and more repelled, by His words and actions, until at last we hear, in the
closing verses of chap, xii., the mournful echo of ' He came unto His own, and His
own received Him not.' He has gathered His disciples to Himself. The darkness
has not overcome Him (comp. chap. i. 5). He passes victorious through its opposi-
tion ; but His victory is not yet complete.
5. The revelation of Jesus to His own, together with the rest and peace and
joy of faith : chap. xiii. i-xvii. 26. The conflict of the previous section has
divided men into the two great companies of faith and unbelief. These two com-
panies are now to be followed, the one to its blessed rest in Him whom it has
received, the other to those last steps in sin which, in the hour of apparent victory,
really secure its final and ignominious defeat. The rest of faith is traced in the
section now before us. The world is shut out from the sacred and tender fellowship
of Jesus with His own. Judas leaves the company of the disciples (chap. xiii. 30).
The rest of the disciples are 'clean;' not only bathed, but with their feet afterwards
washed, so that they are 'clean every whit' (chap. xiii. 10), and Jesus is alone with
them. Therefore He pours forth upon them all the fulness of His love. His glory —
the glory of ' grace and truth ' — shines forth in all the inexpressible tenderness of the
foot-washing, of the last discourse, and of the intercessory prayer.
6. The apparent victory but real defeat of unbelief : chap, xviii. i-xx. 31. At first
sight it may be thought that chap, xx., as containing the account of the Resurrec-
tion, ought to constitute a separate section ; but it is of the utmost importance for a
proper comprehension of the plan of the Evangelist to observe that this cannot be.
The Death and Resurrection of Jesus are in this Gospel always united, and cannot
be separated in our thought ; the Redeemer with whom we have to do is One who
rises through suffering to victory, through death to life (comp. remarks on the contents
xxviii INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
of chap. xx.). Even the prominent thought of chap. xix. is not Jesus in humiliation,
but Jesus : lifted on high,' rising triumphant above the humiliation to which He is
subjected, with a glory which appears the brighter the thicker the darkness that
surrounds it. But this is exactly the thought of chap. xx. ; and the two chapters
cannot be kept distinct. Thus viewed, we see in the section as a whole the apparent
victory, but the real defeat of unbelief. The enemies of Jesus seem to prevail. They
seize Him ; they bind Him ; they lead Him before Annas and Caiaphas and Pilate ;
they nail Him to the cross ; He dies and is buried. But their victory is only on the
surface. Jesus Himself gives Himself up to the traitor and his band; offers no resist-
ance to the binding; shows the infinite superiority of His spirit to that of the high
priest; compels the homage of Pilate; voluntarily surrenders His life upon the cross;
has the mocking of His enemies turned, under the providence of God, to their dis-
comfiture and shame ; and at last, rising from the grave, establishes the completeness
of His victory when His enemies have done their worst. In short, throughout this
section we are continually reminded that the triumphing of the wicked is but for
a moment, and that God judgeth in the earth.
7. The Epilogue: chap. xxi. In this section we see the spread of the Church;
the successful ministry of the Apostles when, at the word of Jesus, they cast their net
into the great sea of the nations ; the satisfaction and joy experienced by them in
the results of protracted toil. Finally, we see in it the reinstitution in the person of
Peter of Christian witness-bearing to Jesus, together with the intimation of the certain
approach of that glorious time when the need of such testimony, with all its labours
and sufferings, shall be superseded by the Second Coming of the Lord.
Such appears to be the plan of the Fourth Gospel, — a plan vindicated by the
narrative itself, and having each of its sections marked off from the others by lines
too distinct to be mistaken.
When, accordingly, we recall what has been already said as to the leading aim of
the Fourth Gospel, we can have little difficulty in understanding the influence which
that aim exerts upon the selection of particulars and upon the structure of the
narrative as a whole. If in this Gospel pre-eminently Jesus reveals Himself with so
much frequency and fulness, we have seen that this is the very truth which the
Evangelist has set himself to unfold. Its prominence can throw no suspicion upon
the historical reality of the representation. We are prepared to find in this Gospel a
revelation of Jesus and His own glory different both in manner and degree from that
presented in the earlier Gospels.
The considerations that have now been adduced with regard to the history of
the Fourth Gospel, the external and internal evidence bearing upon its Johannine
authorship, and the striking peculiarity of the characteristics by which it is marked,
seem sufficient to satisfy every reasonable inquirer that the uniform tradition of the
Church, pointing to the Apostle John as its author, is correct. It is not to be denied,
however, that there remain difficulties, some of a general nature, others arising out
of special details contained in the Gospel itself. Our readers will readily acknowledge
that it is wholly impossible within our limits to treat these with a fulness worthy of
their importance. Of the second class of difficulties, too, it is less necessary to
speak, for they will naturally present themselves as we comment on the text of the
Gospel. Perhaps the only points that require notice in an Introduction are two
belonging to the first class, — the relations in which the Fourth Gospel stands (1) to
the Apocalypse, (2) to the earlier Gospels. The first of these must be deferred until
the Apocalypse comes under our notice in this work. Upon the second we say
a few words in bringing this Introduction to a close.
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxix
V. Relation of the Fourth to the earlier Gospels. — This relation is often supposed to
be one of irreconcilable divergence, and the divergence is found not only in particular
statements in which the Fourth Gospel touches the others, but in the history as a
whole. Alleged differences of the first kind will be noticed when we meet them in
the course of exposition. Looking, therefore, only at the history as a whole, the
reader will easily observe that the apparent divergence runs in two main lines, one
having reference to the outward framework, the other to the portraiture of Jesus,
in Himself and in His discourses. As to the first of these, in its two branches, the
scene and the duration of the ministry, little need be said. It is true that in the earlier
Gospels the scene, up to the Passion week, appears to be Galilee alone, while in the
Fourth it is even more Jerusalem and Judea; that in the former the duration seems
less than one year, in the latter more than two. Yet it is to be borne in mind that
no one of our narratives professes to give a complete history of the life of our Lord
upon earth. Their fragmentariness is one of their essential characteristics, admitted
by all in the case of the Synoptists, distinctly declared by John in his own case
(chap. xx. 30, xxi. 25). All, therefore, that we are entitled to ask is, that the earlier
Gospels shall leave room for the larger area and the longer time borne witness to by
the latter ; and this they do.
There is more, however, to be said ; for our different groups of authorities mutu-
ally imply the labours of Jesus in those portions of the land of Palestine which
occupy a subordinate position in their own narratives. It is unnecessary to prove
this with regard to John, so frequent is the mention made by him of the ministry in
Galilee. The notices of the others with regard to the Judean ministry are not so
plain ; but even in them there occur passages which are unintelligible, except on the
supposition that such a ministry had existed. Such passages are Matt, xxiii. 37 (comp.
Luke xiii. 34), where the words ' how often ' are almost conclusive upon the point ;
Matt. xxi. 8, indicating a previous acquaintance to account for the enthusiasm ; Luke
x. 38-42, referring most probably to Bethany ; while, if in Luke iv. 44 we accept
the reading, ' And He preached in the synagogues of Judea,' — and the evidence in
its favour seems to be overwhelming, — the whole controversy is set at rest. It may be
added that the words of Peter in Acts x. 37-39 have an important bearing upon the
point ; and that all the probabilities of the case are opposed to the supposition either
that Jesus would confine Himself to Galilee, or that the great drama of His life and
death could have been enacted in less than a single year.
More important than the outward framework of the history is the portraiture of
Jesus presented in the Fourth Gospel ; and this again may be naturally divided into
two branches, the Person and the discourses. As to the first of these, it is no doubt in
John alone that we meet with the conception of Jesus as the Logos, or Word of God.
Yet there is ample ground to justify the conclusion that it is not the object of the writer
so to delineate Jesus as to make the Logos conception the dominating conception of
His personality. The remark has often been made, that in the whole course of the
Gospel Jesus does not once apply the designation of Logos to Himself, — neither in
the three aspects of Jesus already spoken of as prominent in chap. i. (comp. p. xxiv.),
nor in the closing summary of chap. xx. 31, is the Logos mentioned; and no passage
can be quoted in which the fact that Jesus is the Logos is associated with 'witness'
borne to Him. This last fact has not been sufficiently noticed, but its importance
appears to us to be great. If there is one characteristic of the Fourth Gospel more
marked than another, it is the perfect and absolute simplicity with which the writer,
whether speaking of himself, of Jesus, or of the Baptist, resolves the proclamation of
what is uttered into 'witness' or 'bearing witness.' That term includes in it the
xxx INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
whole burden of the commission given to each of them to fulfil. Whatever else they
may be, they are first and most of all ' witnesses.' But if so, and if to enforce the
Logos idea be the main purpose of the Gospel so far as it refers to the Person of
Christ, we may well ask why that idea and 'witness' borne to it are never brought
together? Jesus is witnessed to as 'the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the
Christ,' as the one ' of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did speak,' as ' the
Son of God, the King of Israel :' he is not witnessed to as the Logos, although he is
the Logos ; and that single fact is sufficient to prove that the fourth Evangelist has no
thought of presenting his Master in a light different from that in which He is
presented by his predecessors.
In addition to this it may be observed that we have, in our two groups of Gospels,
the very same interchange of allusions with regard to the Person of Christ that we
have already observed when speaking of the scene of the ministry. If in the Fourth
Gospel Jesus is pre-eminently Son of God, He is not less distinctly Son of man. If,
again, in the earlier Gospels He is pre-eminently Son of man, He at the same
time performs acts and claims authority not human but Divine. He forgives sins
(Matt. ix. 6), is Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. xii. 8), rises from the dead (Matt,
xvii. 9), conies in His kingdom (Matt. xvi. 28), sits upon the throne of His
glory (Matt. xix. 28) ; nay, in one passage He speaks of Himself as Son of man
at the very time when He appropriates as true the confession of Peter, that He is
'the Christ, the Son of the living God' (Matt. xvi. 13-2S). Many other passages in
the earlier Gospels lead to the same conclusion ; so that, although the teaching of the
Fourth as to the Divine nature of Jesus is richer than theirs, the truth itself, so far from
being excluded from our minds, must be taken along with us in reading them before
they can be properly understood. Without it, it would be difficult, if not impossible,
to combine their expressions into a consistent whole.
If now we turn from the Person to the discourses of Christ, as these are presented
in the Fourth Gospel, it is impossible to deny that they differ widely from those of the
earlier Gospels, both in form and in substance. In the earlier Gospels the truths
taught by our Lord are for the most part set before us in a manner simple and
easily understood, in parables, in short pithy sayings, in sentences partaking largely
of the proverbial and not difficult to remember, in a style adapted to the popular
mind. In the Fourth Gospel not only is there no parable properly so called, but
aphorisms are much more rarely met with, and the teaching of Jesus takes a shape
adapted to enlightened and spiritually-minded disciples rather than an unenlightened
multitude. Nor is the difference in substance less marked. In the earlier Gospels
the instructions and sayings of Jesus have mainly reference to the more outward
aspects of His kingdom, to His own fulfilling of the law, to the moral reformation
He was to effect, to the practical righteousness required of His disciples. In the
other they have reference to the profound, the mystical, relations existing between
the Father and Himself, between Himself and His people, and among the various
members of His flock.
Again, however, it is to be noticed that the very same interchange of allusions
which we have already found existing in our two classes of authorities with regard to
the outward framework of the history and the nature of Christ's Person, exists also in
their accounts of His discourses. Passages may be quoted from John partaking
at least largely of the aphoristic character of the teaching generally found in the
first three Evangelists. Thus chap. iv. 44 may be compared with Mark \i. 4;
chap. xii. 8 with Mark xiv. 7; chap. xii. 25 with Matt. x. 39, xvi. 25; chap. xiii. 16
with Matt. x. 24, Luke vi. 40; chap. xiii. 20 with Matt. n. 40 j chap. xv. 20
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxxi
with Matt. x. 25; chap, xv. 21 with Matt. x. 22; chap, xviii. 11 with Matt.
xxvi. 52; chap. xx. 23 with Matt. xvi. 19. Although, too, there are no parables
in the Fourth Gospel, many of its figures so much resemble parables, could be
so easily drawn out into parables, that they have been appropriately described
as ' parables transformed.' 1 Such are the passages relating to the blowing of the
wind, the fields white unto the harvest, the corn of wheat which must die in
the ground before it springs up, the sorrow and subsequent joy of the woman in
travail, the good shepherd, the true vine (chap. iii. 8, iv. 35, xii. 24, x. 1-16, xv. 1-8).
Nor can we forget that, in the Fourth Gospel, it is for the most part a different
audience to which Jesus speaks. He addresses not so much the mass of the people
as ' the Jews ; ' and as those so designated undoubtedly comprised a large number of
the most highly educated of the day, we may expect that they will be spoken to in a
tone different from that adopted towards others. The words of chap. vi. 41 (see the
Commentary) are in this respect peculiarly important; for it appears from them that
the ' hard sayings ' found in the remaining portion of the discourse given in that
chapter were intended, not for the ' multitude,' but for the ruling class. The words
of ver. 59 might at first sight lead to a different impression.
On the other hand, there are clear indications in the earlier Gospels that Jesus did
not always speak in that sententious and parabolic style which they mainly represent
him as employing. In this respect the words of Matt. xi. 25-27 cannot be too
frequently referred to, fur the argument founded upon them is perfectly incontro-
vertible. They show that a style of teaching precisely similar to that which meets us
in the Fourth Gospel was known to the first. Keim, indeed, has attempted to weaken
the force of the argument by the allegation that the words are not found in ' the ordinary
every-day intercourse' of Jesus, but at an 'isolated and exalted moment of his life.'2
Such moments, however, are precisely those which John has undertaken to record ; or, if
this ought not to be said, it is Jesus in the frame of mind peculiar to such moments
that he especially presents to us. If, therefore, the words given by Matthew are appro-
priate to the time when they were spoken, the words given by John, though on many
different occasions of a like kind, are not less so. Nor is this the only passage of the
earlier Gospels that may be quoted as possessing the isolated and exalted character
referred to. The words at the institution of the Last Supper are not less marked:
'Take, eat, this is my body. . . . Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new
covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will
not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with
you in my Father's kingdom' (Matt. xxvi. 26-29). Such words exhibit the very same
lofty mystical spirit that meets us in the Gospel of John. They are as much out of
keeping with the practical sententious character of the teaching of Jesus in the other
parts of these Gospels (if indeed such an expression is to be used at all) as anything
contained in the Gospel with which we are now dealing. A similar remark may be
made with regard to the eschatological discourses of Jesus in the earlier Gospels
(comp. Matt, xxiv.), and to His answer to the high priest (Matt. xxvi. 64), the
difference between them and the Sermon on the Mount being quite as great as
that between His general teaching in the Fourth Gospel and in the Gospels which
preceded it.
It is in this thought, indeed, as it seems to us, that the explanation of the point
now before us is to be found. The utterances of Jesus in John belong to the tragic
aspect of His work. No one will deny that, taking the facts even of the first three
1 Wcstcott, /////-. to Study of the Gospels, p. 26S.
-' Keim, Engl, transl., i. p. 176.
xxxii INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Gospels alone, the life of the Redeemer upon earth was marked by all the elements of
the most powerful and pathetic tragedy. His perpetual struggle with evil, H'is love and
self-sacrifice, met with opposition and contempt ; His bearing the sorrows and the sins
of men, His unshaken confidence in God, His sufferings and death, the constant pre-
sence of His Father with Him, and the glorious vindication given Him at last in the
Resurrection and Ascension, supply particulars possessed of a power to move us such
as no other life has known. In this point of view John looks at them. His Gospel
is not the record of ordinary life. It is the record of a life which passes through
all the most solemn and touching experiences of man, and which makes its appeal to
the most powerful emotions of the heart. This is very strikingly exhibited in the
light in which Jesus is set before us at the first moment when he passes beyond
the circle of His disciples to the larger field of the world (chap. ii. 12, see Commen-
tary) ; and it is not less apparent in the pathos that so often marks the language
of the writer (chap. i. 11, xii. 37). Hence the almost exclusive presentation of
tragic scenes, of ' exalted moments,' and the preservation of discourses suitable to
them.
The remarks now made, though applying mainly to the form, may be applied also
to the substance of the discourses of the Fourth Gospel. It must be felt, too, that the
profound instructions of Jesus contained in it are not out of keeping with the person-
ality or character of the Speaker. Was He truly the Son of God ? Did He come to
meet every necessity of our nature ? not only to enforce that practical morality to
which conscience bears witness, but to reveal those deeper truths on the relation of
man to God, and in Him to his brother man, for which a revelation was especially
needed ; then there is nothing strange in the fact that He should have spoken so
mucli of matters lying far beyond mortal ken. Rather, surely, should we expect that,
with His own heart filled with the deep things of God, He would speak out of its
abundance ; that, dwelling Himself amidst the great realities of the unseen and spiritual
world, He would many a time lead into them the disciples whom He loved, and
whom He would guide into all the truth.
Or, if it be said that these profound teachings were spoken not to friends, but to
determined enemies, the principle of reply is the same. Here also there is the same
elevation above the level of common life. These ' Jews,' so constantly addressed,
are not the nation, but those in whom the outward, carnal, selfish spirit of a degenerate
Judaism was concentrated (see Commentary). As to the existence of this class there
can be no doubt. The title, indeed, is peculiar to John, but the class itself meets us
in the earlier Evangelists. If, then, it existed, we may well ask whether it is not
represented in the Fourth Gospel as addressed in the very manner in which such
an audience must be spoken to. Let us suppose any Church of our own day become
as carnal as the Jewish Church in the days of Christ. What other course could a
reformer pursue, what other language could he use, but the course and the language
of Jesus here ? A worldly church cannot be spoken to like the world ; self-chosen
darkness cannot be treated like the darkness of a naturally unfortunate condition.
What has been said goes far to explain the peculiar character of the discourses of
Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. But there are other questions in connection with them
to which it is necessary to allude. Are they purely objective? Are they a record <>i
the exact words used in the circumstances referred to ? Are they free from any trace of
the mind through which they passed in their transmission to us? It has been urged
that these questions must be answered in the negative, partly because such long and
profound discourses could not have been remembered at a distance of fifty years from
the time when they were spoken, partly because their resemblance to the First Epistle
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxxiii
of John is a proof that in these discourses it is John who speaks rather than his
Master. Neither consideration has much weight. It cannot be imagined that only
at the end of fifty years would the Evangelist endeavour to remember them. Rather
throughout all that time must they have been the theme of his constant and loving
meditation ; day after day and night after night he must have brought up before him
the sight of that much-loved form and the sound of that well-remembered voice ; and
every word of his Master, even many a word which he has not recorded, must have
been ever flowing gently through his heart. John too had the promise of the Spirit
to ' bring to his remembrance all things that Jesus said to him ' (chap. xiv. 26) ; and,
to whatever extent we admit his own human agency in the composition of his Gospel,
we cannot forget that the fulfilment of this promise must have secured him from the
errors of ordinary writers, and enabled him, as they could not have done, to present
to his readers the perfect truth.
Nor, further, is the supposition with which we are now dealing needed to explain
the fact that the tone of much of our Lord's teaching in this Gospel bears a striking
resemblance to that of the First Epistle of John. Why should not the Gospel explain
the Epistle rather than the Epistle the Gospel ? Why should not John have been
formed upon the model of Jesus rather than the Jesus of this Gospel be the reflected
image of himself? Surely it may be left to all candid minds to say whether, to adopt
only the lowest supposition, the creative intellect of Jesus was not far more likely to
mould His disciple to a conformity with itself, than the receptive spirit of the
disciple to give birth by its own efforts to that conception of a Redeemer which so
infinitely surpasses the loftiest image of man's own creation.
While, however, this may be said, it may at the same time be allowed that up to
a certain point the form in which the discourses are presented, sometimes even their
very language, has been affected by the individuality of the writer. Lengthy as
they not infrequently are, they are obviously compressed statements of what must
have occupied a still longer time in delivery, with much of the questioning and
answering that must have occurred in a protracted controversy suppressed. Occa-
sionally the very language of the original (as in the use of an imperfect tense) indicates
this ; while the reference at the feast of Tabernacles (chap. vii. 23) to the healing of
the impotent man (chap, v.), which must have taken place at least months before, is a
proof that that miracle done on the Sabbath had been kept fresh in the minds of
those addressed by many incidents and words not mentioned. Links may often be
thus awanting which it is difficult for us to supply, and compression could hardly
fail to give additional sharpness to what is said. Besides this, the tragic spirit of the
Gospel, of which we have already spoken, may be expected to exercise an influence
over the manner in which discourses are presented in it. Keeping these considera-
tions in view, we shall look, in the scenes of the Fourth Gospel, for such details as
may best embody the essential characteristics of any narrative which the Evangelist
is desirous to present to us, rather than for all the particulars with which he was
acquainted. We shall understand, too, the artificial structure, the double pictures
and parallelisms which meet us in the longer discourses, such as those of chaps,
v., x., xiv., xv., xvi. (see the Commentary).
The sayings and discourses of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel are not, therefore, to be
regarded as in every respect simple reproductions of the precise words spoken by
Him. The true conclusion seems to be that we have here a procedure on the part of
the Evangelist precisely parallel to that which marks his method of dealing with the
historical incidents of the life of Jesus. These are selected, grouped, presented
under the dominating power of the idea which he knows that they express. So also
xxxiv INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
with the words of Christ. They also are selected, grouped, presented under the
power of the fundamental idea which prevails throughout them.
By frankly admitting this, much is gained. On the one hand, historical accuracy,
in its deepest and truest sense, is not impaired : the result produced in the mind of
the reader is exactly that which was produced by our Lord Himself upon those who
witnessed His actions or heard His words. On the other hand, the facts of the case
receive a natural explanation. Above all, the whole procedure on the part of John is
in harmony with the principles of Him who would have us always rise through His
words to that Divine ideal which they reveal.
One other remark ought to be made before we close. In so far as the difference
between John and the Synoptists affords ground for an argument, its bearing is
favourable, not unfavourable, to the authenticity of our Gospel. Let us assume for a
moment the earliest date assigned to it by the opponents of its apostolical authority,
and what is the phenomenon presented to us ? That about a.d. i io a writer, obviously
setting before himself the purpose of giving a delineation of the life of Jesus and
of impressing it on the Church, departed entirely from the traditional records that
had now taken a settled form ; that he transferred the Messiah's labours to scenes
previously unheard of; gave to His ministry a duration previously unknown ; repre-
sented both His person and His work in a light wholly new ; and then expected the
Church, which had by this time spread abroad into all regions, through three
generations of men, to accept his account as correct. In the very statement of
the case its incredibility appears. Only on the supposition that the writer of the
Fourth Gospel felt that the Church for which he wrote would recognise essential
harmony, not contradiction, between his representation and that of his predecessors,
that men would see in it that enlarging of the picture of a loved personality which
faithful memories supply, can we explain his having written as he has done.
We have spoken, as far as our limited space will allow, of some of those points
connected with the Gospel of John which seem likely to be of most interest to the
readers of a Commentary like the present, or which may prepare them to under-
stand better the following exposition. It remains only that we indicate in a sentence
or two the principles upon which that exposition is founded.
Our main, it may almost be said our single, effort has been to ascertain the
meaning of the words before us, and to trace the thought alike of the writer himself
and of the great Master whom he sets forth. In doing this we have endeavoured to
bestow more than ordinary care upon every turn of expression in the original, upon
every change of construction, however slight, effected by prepositions, tenses, cases,
or even order of words. Many such changes have no doubt escaped our notice, and
some have been left without remark because we felt unable to supply a satisfactory
explanation of them. Even as it is, however, it is probable that not a few will think
that we have been too minute ; and that, in spending time upon what they will
regard as trifling particulars, we have paid too little attention to those larger state-
ments of truth which might have been better adapted to the readers for whom we
write. From such an opinion we venture entirely to dissent. No trustworthy
statements of general truth can be at any time gained without the most complete
induction of particulars ; and if this be true of any book of Scripture, it is even
peculiarly true of the Fourth Gospel. The care bestowed upon it by its writer is
one of its most remarkable characteristics. Whatever be the sublimity to which it
rises, however impassioned its language, or however deep the flow of its emotion,
every phrase or word or construction contained in it is fitted into its place as if the
calmest and most deliberate purpose had presided over the selection. It is the skill
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. xxxv
of the loftiest feeling, though unconsciously exercised, that has made the Gospel
what it is. The truth contained in it has woven for itself a garb corresponding in
the most minute particulars to its nature, and every change in the direction even of
one of its threads is a testimony to some change in the aspects of the truth by whose
living energy the whole was fashioned. If, therefore, we have erred in connection
with this point, we have erred not by excess but by defect. A rich harvest still
awaits those who will be more faithful to the principle or more successful in carrying
it out than we have been.
It seems unnecessary to add much more as to the principles by which we have
been guided in our work. Innumerable references might easily have been made to
the extensive literature connected with this Gospel, and to the opinions of those who
have commented upon it before us. We have thought it best, except in one or two
instances, to refrain from giving them. In addition to the Commentaries of Luthardt,
Godet, Lange, Meyer, and others, which it would have been presumption to neglect,
we have endeavoured to use all other helps within our reach. Unfortunately, the
noble Commentary of Dr. Westcott did not appear until almost the last of the
following pages had been printed off. It was thus impossible to take advantage of it ;
but to the personal communications of that eminent scholar, and to the discussions
which have taken place in the New Testament Revision Company, in regard alike to
the Fourth Gospel and the other books of the New Testament, we probably owe
more than we are ourselves aware of. At the same time, we are not conscious of
having yielded in any instance to authority however great. Under a deep sense at
once of the difficulty and responsibility of our task, we have submitted every question
to independent investigation ; and the results, very often different from those of our
predecessors, must be left to speak for themselves.
It would be too much to expect that our readers will find every difficulty discussed
which meets them in their own study of this Gospel. One of the most marked
peculiarities of such a book is that, in the fulness of its life and meaning, it strikes
every attentive student in a different light, and suggests to each thoughts and problems
which do not occur to others. All that we can say is, that in no single instance have
we consciously passed by a difficulty that we ourselves felt ; and we may perhaps
venture to hope that the principles upon which these have been treated may be
applicable to others of which we had not thought.
The principles upon which the Text of the Gospel has been determined were
explained by one of the authors of this Commentary in the second part of a small
work on ' The Words of the New Testament,' published some years ago, and now out
of print. In the translation of the text, we have aimed at correctness rather than
ease of continuous expression ; and if (in this respect differing from the first volume
of this Commentary) we have almost always given a full translation at the head of
the notes, the reason is easily explained. It seemed desirable, where not only every
word, but even the order of all the words is important, that the reader should have
the complete sentence directly under his eye.
It may be well to say that, owing to various circumstances on which it is unneces-
sary to dwell, the appearance of our Commentary has been most unexpectedly delayed.
Nearly three years have passed since the earlier portions of it were printed. It is the
more possible, therefore, that there may be occasional inconsistencies between the
earlier and the later pages. We say this without knowing that it is so, and with the
hope that, if such inconsistencies do exist, they are not of an important character.
In conclusion, we may be permitted to say that both the authors of the following
Commentary hold themselves responsible for the whole. No part of it is the work of
xxxvi INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
either by himself; and they have wrought together with a harmony which, through
all the time it has occupied them, has been to both a source of constant thankfulness
and joy. But they desire to forget themselves, and they ask their readers to forget
them, in the one common aim to discover the true meaning of a Gospel which the
eloquent Herder long ago described as ' the heart of Jesus.'
July 1880.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
JOHN.
Chapter I. 1-1S.
The Prologue.
I "TN the beginning was the * Word, and the Word was with ac3!'i!"iV:
J- God, and c the Word was God. ii. 13° '&;«
2, 3 The same was in the beginning with God. rf All things were ^v,"4!' I7'
made1 by2 him; and without him was not any thing made3 iuv.!&L 13.
4 that was made. ' In him was life ;4 and the life was the flight c ^*l\ \$;
c. of men.'1 And the light shineth in" darkness; and the dark- ic£r!rai.6;
, , , . Col. i. 16 ;
ness comprehended' it not. Heb.i.a;
6 "There was9 a man sent from God, whose name tvas John. ^seechap. v.
7 The same came for a9 witness, to10 bear h witness of11 the/VeV. 9. s«
8 Light, that all men through him might believe." He was not m. .9.
° f Ver. 33 :
that " Light, but was sent to " bear witness of that lb Light. Matt. ui. 1,
& . AVer. 15, 32;
9 That 16 was the ' true Light, which lighteth every man that chap. iii. 26,
10 cometh17 into the world. He was in the world, and the x. 4i';
Acts xix. 4.
11 world was made by him,18 and k the world knew him not. He {ijohnii.8.
J k See chap.
12 came unto his own,19 and his own 'received20 him not. But *™-3-
/Chap. v. 43.
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become '"Seechap.xi.
'" the sons 2I of God, even to them that believe on!- his " name :" "^ chaP-»-
l% "Which were born,24 not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, "Seechap.m.
nor of the will of man, but of God. yiweWvL
14 And -''the Word was made ? flesh, and dwelt among us, (and
we beheld his " glory, the glory as of the s only begotten of the
Father,) full of ' grace and truth.2 ^ iil
1 John i-
1 came into being - through tVer. 16;
3 and apart from him not even one thing came into being. xii. 9.'
4 That which hath come into being was life in him
6 ; c in the 7 overcame 8 arose
9 omit a 10 that he might n concerning
12 that all might believe through him 13 the
14 but he was that he might I5 concerning the 16 There
17 man, coming ls came into being through him
19 own home -° accepted 21 right to become children
22 in 23 ; 24 begotten
25 And the Word became flesh ; and he set his tabernacle among us, and \vc
beheld his glory (glory as of an only-begotten from a father), — full of grace and
truth.
s chap.
2 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. I. 1-1S
15 John bare witness of26 him, and cried,27 saying, This was he *^£ *er-. 2?
of whom I spake, " He that cometh after me is preferred before aj££$£a
me : for 28 he was before me.
16
Eph.
And of his " fulness have all we" received, and grace for ...seVchap.
17 grace. For30 the law was given by Moses, but "'grace3' and _,.chap.'vi. .
iS 'truth came by31 Jesus Christ. ^No man33 hath seen God at ImmI^.'s
any time; the zonly begotten Son, which is34 in the bosom of 26*p'xv
the Father, "he hath35 declared him. Heb.i.i.2,
26 beareth witness concerning 2" hath cried
23 is become before me, because 2;l Because out of his fulness we all
30 Because 31 through Moses : grace 3- through 33 No one
34 One who is only-begotten God, he that is " omit hath
Contents. The Prologue of the Gospel of
John stands in the most intimate connection with
the plan and purpose of the Gospel as a whole.
It is not to be regarded as a philosophical specu-
lation to which the historical life of the Redeemer
shall be afterwards conformed. It contains rather
a short summary of that life in the light in which
the Evangelist had been divinely taught to regard
it, and of the impressions which he had gathered
from it as the manifestation, the revelation, of God
Himself to men. It is to illustrate and unfold this
conception, which is at once metaphysical, theo-
logical, and historical, tliat the fourth Evangelist
writes. Hence he begins with a description of what
Jesus was in Himself, in the profoundest depths
of His being ; passing from that to what He ' be-
came ' in order that in Him men might so behold
the glory of the Father as to be transfigured into
the same glory, reaching onward to the fulfilment
of their own destiny, to be children of God. The
Prologue is usually divided into three parts,
ending with ver. 5, ver. 13, ver. 18, respectively.
Of these divisions, the first brings before us the
thought of the Eternal Word, — in Himself (ver. 1),
and as the source of created being, of life, of light
(vers. 2-5). The subject of the next thirteen verses
is the Word as revealed to men, first generally (vers.
6-13), and secondly by the Incarnation (vers.
14-18). These two sections (in accordance with
an important principle of structure, characterizing
both this Gospel and the Apocalypse), though
apparently successive, are really parallel : the
thought is thus presented under two aspects, the
second fuller and more definite than the first. In
the former section we read of the Baptist, sent to
bear witness concerning the manifestation of the
Word as the Light (vers. 6-8) ; then of the two-
fold results of this manifestation, but especially of
the blessedness of those who received the Word
(vers. 9-13). The next section records the Incar-
nation of the Word (ver. 14) ; the testimony borne
by the Baptist to the glory of the Incarnate Word
(ver. 15) ; and, as before (but with greater clear-
ness and definiteness, and from the point of view
of human experience), the results of this crowning
manifestation of the Word. This analysis, whilst
showing the general parallelism of the thoughts in
theseveraldivisionsofthe Prologue, shows also that
the division as hitherto indicated is insufficient.
Ver. 14 clearly commences a new section, and
yet ver. 15 (relating to the Baptist) immediately
recalls the commencement of the former section
(ver. 6). If, however, ver. 14 be carefully ex-
amined, it will be seen that it stands in a definite
relation to the first section, the opening words
('And the Word became flesh ') being antithetical
to ver. 1, and the remainder of the verse (which
sets forth generally the manifestation of the Incar-
nate Word) corresponding to vers. 2-5. Hence the
structure of the Prologue as a whole may be pre-
sented in the following tabular form : —
Section I. The Word.
(a) In Himself (ver. 1).
(b) In His general manifestations (vers. 2-5).
Section II. The Word appearing in the world.
(<;) The Baptist's general witness concerning
the Word, as the Light (vers. 6-8).
(b) The general results of the manifestation
of the Word (vers. 9-13).
Section III. The Word fully revealed in the
Incarnation.
A. (1) The Incarnate Word Himself (ver.
1412; parallel to ver. 1).
(2) The Incarnate Word in His general
manifestation of Himself (ver. 14 b:
parallel to vers. 2-5).
B. The Baptist's witness, now definite and
personal (ver. 15 : parallel to vers. 6-S).
C. The complete results of this manifes-
tation of the Word in the case of all
who receive Him (vers. 16-1S : parallel
tn vers. 9-13).
Ver. 1. In the beginning was the Word.
This sublime opening of the Gospel carries our
thoughts at once to the no less sublime opening of
the Book of Genesis, whose first words the Evan-
gelist certainly had present to his mind. He too
will tell of a creation, and a creation has a ' be-
ginning.' The words ' in the beginning,' taken by
themselves, do not express the idea of eternal pre-
existence ; but they leave room for it, and in this
respect they stand contrasted with the phrase
'from the beginning,' which often meets us in
the writings of John (viii. 44 ; 1 John i. 1, ii.
7, 24, iii. 8). They denote simply the point of
time ; and the difference of thought with which
they are connected, as compared with Gen. i. I,
is to be found not in the meaning of ' beginning,'
but in the different direction which the writer
takes, and in the verb which he employs. In
Gen. i. 1 the sacred historian starts from the be-
ginning and comes downwards, thus keeping us in
the course of time. Here he starts from the same
point, but goes upwards, thus taking us into the
Chap. I. 1-18.]
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
eternity preceding time. In Gen. i. 1 we are told
that God ' in the beginning created,'' — an act done
in time. Here we are told that 'in the beginning
the Word was,' a verb strongly antithetical to
' came into being ' (vers. 3, 14, comp. viii. 5S), and
implying an absolute existence preceding the point
referred to. As that which is absolute, self-exis-
tent, not created — that which is — is eternal, so the
predication of eternity is involved in the clause
before us taken as a whole.
He who thus ' was in the beginning,' who, as we
afterwards read, ' was with God, ' and ' was God, '
here bears the name of ' the Word ' (Logos). In
one other verse of the Prologue this name is
repeated (ver. 14) ; but it does not occur again
in the Gospel. Nor shall we find the term (used,
as here, simply and without qualification) in
any other passage of the New Testament. The
nearest approach is found in Rev. xix. 13, where
the name of the righteous Conqueror and King is
given as ' The Word of God. ' Two or more other
passages may be said rather to recall to our thought
the name we are considering than to present ex-
amples of its use; see especially 1 John i. 1 ('the
word of life,' followed by ' the life was manifested,'
ver. 2), and Heb. iv. 12. Though, however, this
term is not really adopted by any New Testament
writer except John, it is not peculiar to him in
any other sense. When he wrote, it was a familiar
and current term of theology. It has sometimes,
indeed, been maintained that John's usage must
be taken by itself, since with very much of the
theological speculation in which this term so freely
occurs he can have had no sympathy. We shall
see that John's usage certainly does in an impor-
tant sense stand alone ; but as it is absolutely
impossible that he, living at Ephesus (to say
nothing of his long residence in Palestine), should
have been unacquainted with the current doctrines
respecting the Logos, it is inconceivable that he
can have taken up the term without reference to
these doctrines. Hence it is with the history of
the term that we first have to do.
Every careful reader of the Old Testament is
struck by the prominence given in certain passages
to ' the word of the Lord,' language which almost
implies personal action being sometimes connected
with this 'word.' See, for example, Ps. xxxiii. 6,
cv. 19, cvii. 20 ; I Sam. iii. 21. The root of this
usage (at all events in very many instances) is to
be found in the first chapter of Genesis, where the
successive acts of creation are associated with
divine words (see Ps. xxxiii. 6). Such passages
as these, with their partial personification of the
word of God, seem to have powerfully impressed
early Jewish teaching. There was much besides
in the Old Testament to strengthen this impres-
sion,— as the frequent references in the Pentateuch
to the Angel of Jehovah, and the language used of
Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs (chap, viii.; com-
pare also chaps, i., Hi., ix., and Job xxviii.). Thusa
minute study of Scripture language was the means
of leading Jewish teachers to connect divine acts
with some personified attribute of God rather than
with God Himself, or to seek for some medium of
communication between God and man where the
Scriptures themselves had spoken of direct reve-
lation or fellowship. What other influences aided
this tendency of thought, we cannot here inquire.
The results are patent, especially in the Targums
or Chaldee paraphrases of Scripture. The dates
of the several Tar£ums which are extant have been
a matter of controversy : for our purpose, however,
this is not of consequence, as it is acknowledged
on all hands that every one of these paraphrases
contains early materials. We cannot within our
limits quote at length ; but a reference to the
following passages in Etheridge's translation of the
Targums on the Pentateuch will show how far the
writers went in substituting ' the Word ' (Maura)
for the name of God Himself. In the Targum of
Onkelos, see Gen. iii. 8, xxviii. 20 ; Num. xxiii.
4, 21 ; Deut. ix. 3 : in that of Pseudo-Jonathan,
Gen. iii. S ; Num. xxiii. 4, 21 : in the Jerusalem
Targum, besides the three last mentioned, Gen.
xviii. I, xvi. 13, xix. 24. From the Targum of
Jonathan Ben Uzziel may be quoted Isa. lxiii. 7 ;
Mai. iii. 1. An examination of these passages
will show how familiar to Jews had become the
conception of the Word of God, through whom
God made Himself known to men. Very little
light is thrown upon the subject by the several
Apocryphal books, and hence it will not be neces-
sary to refer to them here. It is otherwise with
the writings of the great Alexandrian philosopher
Philo. In these the doctrine of the Divine Word
holds a prominence which it would be hard to
exaggerate. Vet from the multitude of passages
in which Philo speaks of the attributes and actions
of the Word, it is impossible to deduce with any
certainty a clear statement of doctrine. Now the
Word seems distinctly personal, now an attribute
of God personified. In some passages the idea
can be traced back to the thought of ' spoken
word ; ' in many others Philo takes up the other
meaning of the Greek word Logos, viz. reason.
Hence, though Philo speaks of the universe as
created through the Logos, yet in other passages
the Logos is the design or the idea of creation in
the mind of God.
It is not necessary to carry this inquiry farther,
since our only object is to collect the chief elements
of thought associated with this term when John
wrote. As has been said, he could not be ignor-
ant of these various forms of teaching ; if not
ignorant, he could not be indifferent on the one
hand to the good, or on the other to the evil,
which they contained. He recognised the various
teachings as a providential preparation for the tru^-
theology. In these introductory verses he adopts
the term, but so defines it as to fix its meaning for
all Christians. There is One by whom the Eter-
nal and Invisible God reveals Himself : the Re-
vealer is a Person : the Revealer is Himself God.
Not only in outward manifestation, but also in
inward fellowship with the heart, God reveals
Himself by the Word of God, who is God. In
one instance John appears to take up and ratify
the wider application of the term which we
have noticed above. This first verse takes us be-
yond the region of revelation to man : when ' in
the beginning,' beyond the limits of time, ' the
Logos was,' the thought of 'speech' ceases to
give us any help towards grasping the meaning ;
and, if we may venture to interpret the term at all
in this application, we can only think of the
human analogy by which we pass from the
uttered word to the thought or reason of the
speaker.
To all that John teaches respecting the Logos,
the Lord's own teaching directly led. The doc-
trine of these verses is identical with that of chaps.
v. 19, vi. 57, x. 30, xvii. 5, etc. The personal
application of the term is not found in our Lord's
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. I. 1-18.
discourses ; but many of those recorded in this
Gospel contain remarkable examples of that ex-
alted use of ' the word ' of God to which, as we
have seen, the history of this sublime name may
ultimately be traced.
And the Word was with God : the second of the
three statements made in this verse regarding the
Word, and obviously higher than the first. It is
impossible to convey in English the full force of
the preposition ' with ' in the Greek, for it denotes
not merely being beside, but maintaining com-
munion and intercourse with (comp. Mark vi. 3 ;
1 John i. 2, ii. 1).
And the Word was God: the third and highest
statement respecting the Word. The Word is
possessed of divine essence ; in that being in which
He 'was,' He so possesses the divine attributes
that He is God. There is difference of person-
ality, but unity of nature. In this last clause the
climax of the three clauses is complete.
Ver. 2. The same was in the beginning with
God. ' The same ' — He who has just been spoken
of as God — was in the beginning ' with God ' : i.e.,
' He of whom I have spoken as God, was in the
beginning in active, eternal communion with God,
— not simply the Word with God, but God with
God.' The elements of the thought have been
given in ver. 1, but in their combination they
acquire new force. The special object of these
words seems to be to prepare for the next verse ;
it is only when we have been taught concerning
' God with God ' that we are prepared to hear of
the creation of all things 'through' the Divine
Word. He with whom the Divine Word ' was in
the beginning' created all through Him.
Ver. 3. All things came into being through
him, and apart from him not even one thing
came into being. Such a combination of two
clauses, the first positive, the second negative (see
note on ver. 20), is characteristic of John's style.
The two together assert the truth contained in
them with a universality and force not otherwise
attainable. This truth is, that 'all things' — not
all as a whole, but all things in the individuality
which precedes their combination into a whole —
came into being through this Word, who is God.
The preposition ' through ' is that by which the
relation of the Second Person of the Trinity to
creation is usually expressed (1 Cor. viii. 6; Col.
i. 16 ; Heb. i. 2) ; as, indeed, this is the concep-
tion which belongs to the doctrine of the Logos,
the Divine Word. Occasionally, however, the
same language is used of the Father : see Heb.
ii. 10, and comp. Rom. xi. 36.
Vers. 3, 4. That which hath come into being
was life in him. We are led by various con-
siderations to take this view of the passage rather
than that which is presented in the Authorised
Version. The Greek admits of either punctua-
tion (and rendering), but the absence of the article
before the word ' life ' suggests that it is here a
predicate, not the subject of the sentence. l!y
almost all (if not all) the Greek Fathers of the
first three centuries the words were thus under-
stood ; and we may reasonably, in such a case as
this, attach great importance to the conclusions
attained by that linguistic tact which is often most
sure where it is least able to assign distinct reasons
for its verdict. Further, this division of the words
corresponds best with the rhythmical mode in
which the earlier sentences of the Prologue are
connected with one another. It is characteristic
of them to make the voice dwell mainly, in each
line of the rhythm, upon a word taken from the
preceding line ; and this characteristic is not pre-
served in the case before us unless we adhere to
the ancient construction. We have seen what the
Word is in Himself; we are now to see Him in
His relation to His creatures.
Created being was ' life in Him.' He was life,
life absolutely, and therefore the life that can com-
municate itself, — the infinitely productive life, from
whom alone came to every creature, as He called
it into being, the measure of life that it possesses.
In Him was the fountain of all life ; and every
form of life, known or unknown, was only a drop
of water from the stream which, gathered up in
Him before, flowed forth at His creative word to
people the universe of being with the endlessly
multiplied and diversified existences that play their
part in it. It is not of the life of man only that
John speaks, still less is it only of that spiriiual and
eternal life which constitutes man's true being.
If the word ' life ' is often used in this more limited
sense in the Gospel, it is because other kinds and
developments of life pass out of view in the pre-
sence of that life on which the writer especially loves
to dwell. The word itself has no such limitation of
meaning, and when used, as here, without anything
to suggest limitation, it must be taken in its most
comprehensive sense. It was in the Word, then,
that all things that have life lived ; the very phy-
sical world, if we can say of its movements that
they are life, the vegetable world, the world of the
lower animals, the world of men and angels, up to
the highest angel that is before the throne. Ere
yet they came into being, their life was in the Word
who, as God, was life, and from the Word they
received it when their actual being began. The
lesson is the same as that of Col. i. 16, 17, ' In
Him were all things created,' and 'in Him all
things subsist;' or, still more, of Rev. iv. 11,
' Thou didst create all things, and because of 1 hy
pleasure they were' (not 'are,' as in the Author-
ised Version), 'and they were created.'
And the life was the light of men. From the
wide thought of all created existences, the Evan-
gelist passes in these words to the last and
greatest of the works of God, man, whose crea-
tion is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis.
All creatures had ' life ' in the Word ; but this life
was to man something more than it could be to
others, because he had been created after a fashion,
and placed in a sphere, peculiar to himself amidst
the different orders of animated being. God said,
' Let us make man in our image, after our like-
ness ' (Gen. i. 26). Man was thus capable of re-
ceiving God, and of knowing that he had received
Him ; he had a sphere and a capacity belonging to
none of the lower creatures spoken of in the great
record of creation ; his nature was fitted to be the
conscious-abode, not of the human only, but of the
divine. Hence the Word could be in him as in
no other creature. But the Word is God (ver.
1), and 'God is light' (I John i. 5). Thus the
Word is 'light' (comp. ver. 7) ; and as man was
essentially fitted to receive the Word, that Word
giving life to all found in him a fitness for the
highest and fullest life, — for 'light,' therefore, in
its highest and fullest sense ; anil ' the life was the
light of men.'
The idea of human nature thus set forth in these
words is peculiarly remarkable, and worthy of our
observation, not only as a complete answer to
Chap. I. 1-18.3
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
5
those who bring a charge of Manichaean dualism
against the Fourth Gospel, but also to enable us
to comprehend its teaching as to human responsi-
bility in the presence of Jesus. 'The life, it is
said, ' was the light of men ;' not of a class, not of
some, but of all the members of the human family
as such. Man's true nature, it is said, is divine ;
divine in this respect also, as distinguished from
the divine in all creation, that man is capable of
recognising, acknowledging, string the divine in
himself. The 'life' becomes 'light' in him, and
it does not become so in lower creatures. Man's
true life is the life of the Word ; it was so origin-
ally, and he knew it to be so. If, therefore, he
listens to the tempter and yields to sin (whose
existence is admitted simply as a fact, no attempt
being made to account for it), man corrupts his
true nature, and is responsible for doing so. But
his fall cannot destroy his nature, which still testi-
fies to what his first condition was, to what his
normal condition is, to what he ought to be.
Man, therefore, only fulfils his original nature by
again receiving that Word who is to offer Himself
to him as the ' Word become flesh.' But if man's
receiving of the Word be thus the fulfilling of his
nature, it is his duty to receive Him ; and this duty
is impressed upon him by his nature, not by mere
external authority. Hence the constant appeal of
Jesus in this Gospel, not to external evidence only,
but to that remaining life of the Word within us,
which ought to receive the Word completely, and
to hasten to the Light (comp. ver. 9).
Ver. 5. And the light shineth in the dark-
ness. The darkness here spoken of is not an
original darkness coexistent with created being
(ver. 3). It belongs to the development of
thought begun at ver. 4, and is coexistent only
with the moral process of rejecting the Word, im-
plied, though not expressly stated, in that verse.
The Word through whom all come into being
offers Himself at the same time to all as their
light. Let them acknowledge and accept Him,
they have life (chap. viii. 12); let them reject
Him, they are in a darkness for which they are
responsible, because they have chosen it. It is a
fact, however, that many always did, and still do,
reject the light ; and thus the darkness has been
and is a positively existing thing. Yet the Light
has not forsaken the world. No merely present
point of time is indicated ; in that case John
could not have immediately added the past tense,
overcame. The idea is general. The Light, as it
had existed, had shone ; as it exists, it shines,
always seeking to draw men into the full bright-
ness of its beams.
And the darkness overcame it not. Such is
the most probable meaning of these words, and so
were they understood by the most ancient Christian
writers. The verb which we have rendered ' over-
came' occurs not unfrequently in the New Testa-
ment ; but (when used, as here, in the active voice)
it has not, and cannot have, the meaning comprehend
(i.e. understand), which is given to it in the Autho-
rised Version. The most important guide to the
meaning is chap. xii. 35, where the same word is
used, and where also the metaphor is similar :
' Walk . . . lest darkness overtake you,' — come
over you, seize you. In the verse before us we
read of light shining in the darkness ; the dark-
ness, ever antagonistic to the light, yet does not
oz ertake or come over the light. The idea of seizing,
in connection with this figure, is equivalent to
overcoming or intercepting the light. Even if
' comprehend ' vt ere possible as a translation, it
would be nothing to tell us that the darkness did
not comprehend the light. That is implied in the
fact that the darkness is self-chosen (comp. on
ver. 4). But it is much to tell us that, in the con-
flict between the darkness and the light, the dark-
ness failed to overcome (or eclipse) the light. The
light, though sometimes apparently overcome, was
really victorious ; it withstood every assault, and
shone on triumphantly in a darkened world. So
far, therefore, from our finding here a ' wail ' (as
some have said), we have a note of exultation, a
token of that victory which throughout the whole
Gospel rises to our view through sorrow.
We thus close what is obviously the first para-
graph of the Gospel ; and although it relates to the
Pre-incarnate Word, and expresses the principles
of His dealings in their most general form, the
development of thought is precisely the same as
that which the history of the Incarnate Word
will be found to present. Through the Word
all things have come into being To all He offers
Himself, that He may make them not only exist
in Him, but, in the free appropriation of what He
offers, live in Him. Some receive Him, and He
becomes their light ; others reject Him, and are
immersed in the darkness which they choose. The
darkness opposes and seeks to destroy the light,
but the light shines on to victory.
Ver. 6. There arose a man, sent from God,
whoBe name was John. With this verse we pass
forward into the times of the Incarnate Word.
The section upon which we first enter is, as com-
pared with the second, general ; hence the Incar-
nation is only implied, not expressly mentioned.
The immediate preparation for this new period is
the testimony of the Baptist ; and the words with
which he is introduced to us stand in striking con-
trast to what we have been told of the Word in
ver. I. He 'arose,' — literally, he 'came into
being,' as distinguished from the 'was' of that
verse. He was a man 'sent from God,' as dis-
tinguished from the Word who was 'with God.'
In adding, 'his name was John,' the Evangelist
(we may perhaps say) does more than identify him
as the great prophet who had so powerfully im-
pressed all classes of the people. If we remember
the deep significance attached to ' name ' in this
Gospel, it will seem possible that the antithesis
to ver. 1 is still continued. The personal name
needed for identification amongst men is placed
in contrast with that name by which the eternal
attributes of the Son are expressed, ' the Word '
(comp. ver. 12).
Ver. 7. The same came for witness, that he
might bear witness concerning the Light, that
all might believe through him. The impression
produced by the Baptist had been great, but he
had come to bear witness to One higher than
himself. Here we meet for the first time with
this word ' witness,' one of the characteristic words
of the writings of John, occurring in various forms
nearly fifty times in his Gospel, and thirty or forty
times in his Epistles and the Apocalypse. The
importance of the thought lies in its simplicity.
The true witness declares what he has seen and
heard (1 John i. 2, 3) ; his testimony reflects 'the
truth ' so far as he has received it, just as the faith-
ful mirror reflects the light that has come upon it.
John came to bear such witness concerning the
Light, that through him all might be led to
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
[Chap. I. 1-1S
'believe ' — trustfully to accept that Light, and yield
themselves up to its influence. The introduction
of the word ' all ' is very remarkable. More clearly
than any other passage this verse teaches us how
great were the results which the Baptist's mission
was intended to produce, immeasurably greater
than those which were actually realised. Had Is-
rael been faithfully and obediently wailing for the
fulfilment of the divine promise, John's witness
respecting Jesus would have turned ' all ' Israel
(and, through Israel, 'all' men) to the Saviour.
In immediate effects the work of John, like that
of One higher than John, would be pronounced by
men a failure. In the light of this verse we can
better understand such passages as Mai. iv. ; Matt.
xi. 9-14 ; Luke vii. 29, 30.
Ver. 8. He was not the Light, but he was that
he might bear witness concerning the Light.
The thought of the greatness of the witness borne
by John underlies the words of this verse. Great
as the Baptist was, he was not the Light. What
he was is not expressed, but only the purpose
which he was to fulfil (comp. ver. 23). It is very
possible that the words may have had a special
application to the opinions which (as we learn from
Acts xviii. 25, xix. 3) existed at Ephesus with
regard to the mission of John.
Ver. 9. There was the true Light, which
lighteth every man, coming into the world.
This almost literal rendering of the Greek will
show how it is that these simple words have been
so variously explained. As in the English, so in
the Greek, the word 'coming' might be joined
either with ' light ' or with ' man. ' The punctua-
tion we have adopted (it will be remembered that
in ancient manuscripts of the original there is
little or no punctuation) will show that, in our
view, the last clause is to be joined, not with the
second, but with the first clause of the verse.
What has been said above of the general structure
of the Prologue has shown that, as yet, the full
presence of the Word personally come is not before
us. The manifestation is in its initial stage, not
yet complete. To this thought the word 'coming'
exactly corresponds. But still more important in
guiding to the right interpretation of the verse is
the Evangelist's use of the last phrase elsewhere.
The expression ' come into the world ' occurs in as
many as seven other passages of this Gospel (chap,
iii. 19, vi. 14, ix. 39, xi. 27, xii. 46, xvi. 2S, xviii.
37). In every one of these passages the words
relate to the Lord Himself: sometimes they are
used by the multitude (vi. 14), or by a disciple
(xi. 27), as a designation of the Messiah, ' He that
should come ; ' sometimes they are the words of
Jesus or of the Evangelist, in passages which
speak of the purpose of His 'coming.' In chaps,
iii. 19 and xii. 46 the phrase stands in close con-
nection with the figure which is now before us. The
latter verse (chap. xii. 46) is especially noteworthy ;
for Jesus Himself says, ' I am come a light into the
world.' If, then, we would allow the Evangelist to
be his own interpreter, we seem bound to believe
that he here speaks of the light as 'coming into
the world.' If the words are joined with ' man,'
they add little or nothing to the thought. ' Every
man ' is really as full and inclusive an expression
as ' every man that cometh into the world.' Fami-
liarity with the common rendering may prevent
the reader from at once perceiving that this is true ;
but we are persuaded that reflection will show that
by the change much is gained, nothing lost. In
the previous verse we have read that John was
not 'the Light.' When he 'arose' as a witness,
the true Light was in existence ; it had been
shining in the darkness ; it was now ' coming into
the world,' — about to manifest itself with a clear-
ness and in a manner hitherto unknown.
Two more of the special terms of the Gospel meet
us here, ' true ' and 'world.' It is unfortunate that
two different words must be represented by the
same English word, 'true.' The one (used in
chaps, iii. 33, v. 31, and eleven other verses of the
Gospel) denotes truth in contrast with falsehood ; the
other, which we have before us here, expresses the
real as contrasted with the phenomenal, that which
is perfect and substantial as opposed to what is im-
perfect and shadowy, or that which is fully accom-
plished in contrast with the type which prefigured
it. This word is, in the New Testament, almost
confined to the writings of John. Of twenty-
eight passages in which it occurs, nine are found
in this Gospel, four in the First Epistle, ten in the
Revelation. Three of the remainingfivepassagesare
(as might almost have been foreseen) in the Epistle
to the Hebrews. The other examples of the word
in this Gospel will be found in chaps, iv. 23, 37,
vi. 32, vii. 28, viii. 16, xv. 1, xvii. 3, xix. 35, and
in most of these the reader will easily trace the
idea. The ' true worshippers ' are those whose
worship is real, not imperfect and undeserving of
the name ; the bread which came down from
heaven is ' the true bread, ' that of which the manna
was a type, that which ministers real and abiding
nourishment. So here we read of the archetypal
source of light, the light which alone is real and
perfect. — This true Light was coming into the
' world.' Originally signifying the universe created
and ordered by the hand of God, ' the world '
came successively to mean the world of men, and
the world of men as opposed to God. In this
Gospel especially, we read of the world as an
antagonistic power, unbelieving, evil in its works,
hating and persecuting Jesus and His people, — a
power over which He will be victorious, and which
shall be convicted of sin and judged ; but we also
read of God's love to the world (chap. iii. 16), and
of the gift of His Son that the world may be saved
through Him. If the thought of evil and aliena-
tion is brought out in the following verse, it is
most important to observe that this verse speaks of
the illumination of every man. No man belongs
to the world that is given up to darkness and im-
penitence, unless he, through resistance and choice
of evil, have made the light that was in him to
become darkness (comp. Eph. iv. 18). — We can-
not doubt that in the words ' every man ' there
is an allusion to John ('a man sent from God')
as himself illumined by this Light.
Ver. 10. He was in the world, and the world
came into being through him, and the world
knew him not. The subject is still the Light,
which (ver. 9) was existent, and was 'coming into
the world.' In the world, indeed, it was already
(though the complete manifestation was yet to
come), and — here (he figure passes imperceptibly
away, giving place to the thought of the Person—
the world, though brought into being through Him,
recognised not His presence. Note the simplicity
of John's style, in which the three thoughts of
the verse, though very various in their mutual rela-
tions, are, so to speak, placed side by side. These
words relate both to the Pre-incarnate and to the
Incarnate Word. The development is rather of
Chap. I. 1-18.]
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
thought than of time. Alike before His manifesta-
tion in the flesh and after it, the Word was ' in the
world.' The statement must not be limited to the
manifestation of Christ in Israel. This verse is a
repetition, in a more concrete form, of vers. 3-5
(in part).
Ver. 1 1. He came unto his own home, and his
own accepted him not. Is this verse practically
a repetition of ver. 10, in language more solemn
and emphatic? Or do we here pass from the
thought of the world in general to that of the
Jewish people. The question is one of some diffi-
culty. As ver. 12 is certainly quite general in its
meaning, it may seem hazardous to introduce a
limitation here. But the weight of argument
seems on the whole to be on the other side.
There is a manifest advance of thought as we pass
from the last verse to this. Instead of ' He was in,'
we find ' He came unto;' for 'the world,' we have
'His own home ;' for ' knew' (perceived or recog-
nised), we have 'accepted.' Every change seems
to point to a more intimate relationship, a clearer
manifestation, and a rejection that is still more
without excuse. The Word, who was in the world
(comp. Prov. viii. 31), had His home with the
chosen people (Ex. xix. 5 ; Ps. Ixxvi. 2), to which
had been given the revelation of the truth of God
(Rom. ix. 4). It is still mainly of the Pre-incar-
nate Word that John speaks. In the whole history
of Israel had been illustrated unfaithfulness to the
truth (comp. Luke xi. 49, 50; Acts vii. 51-53);
and the tender pathos of this verse recalls the
words in which Jesus speaks of the rejection of
Himself (Matt, xxiii. 37).
Ver. 1 2. But as many as received him, to
them gave he right to become children of God,
even to them that believe in his name. We
have beheld the light shining in the darkness
(vers. 10, 11); the thought of this verse is, that
the darkness overcame it not ! As we have already
seen (see note on ver. II), the language again
becomes altogether general. Whosoever 'received
Him,' to whatever period of time or nation they
might belong, won the gift here spoken of. There
is a perceptible difference between ' accepted ' (ver.
n)and ' received, 'ashereused. Whilst the former
lays emphasis on the will that consented (or refused)
to receive, the latter brings before us the possession
gained ; so that the full meaning is, As many as
by accepting Him received Him. The gift is not
directly stated as 'sonship,' perhaps because the
full manifestation of this blessing belongs to the
latter days alone (comp. on chaps, iii. 5, vii. 39 ;
Rom. viii. 15), whereas the Evangelist would here
include the time of incomplete revelation which
came before the Incarnation. Then, as now, men
acceptedor refused Him ; but for those who accepted
was reserved 'some better thing' (Heb. xi. 40)
than had yet been clearly made known to man. —
We must not fail to note (for in these wonderful
verses everything is significant) that there is spe-
cial fitness in the expression ' children ' rather than
' sons of God ; ' for, whereas ' sonship ' is often
spoken of in connection with mere adoption, stress
is here laid on an actual (though spiritual) pater-
nity. The right or authority thus to become chil-
dren of God is given by the Word ' to them that
believe in His name.' It is very important to dis-
criminate between the different phrases which John
uses in relation to belief or faith. On the one
hand we have the simple expression ' to believe
Him ' (as in chaps, viii. 31, v. 38, etc.), usually de-
noting the acceptance of something said as true.
On the other hand, we find very frequently in the
New Testament, but especially in the writings of
John, a remarkable combination of ' believe '
with a preposition literally meaning 'into,' by
which is denoted not merely an acceptance of
words or professions, but such an acceptance of
the Person trusted, such an approach of the heart
towards Him, as leads to union with Him. This
peculiarly Christian formula is by some rendered
'believe in,' by others 'believe on.' Both ren-
derings are found in the Authorised Version. We
have uniformly adopted the former, because it most
clearly indicates the union towards which the faith
tends. — There are a few passages (see the marginal
references) in which, as here, this phrase ' believe
in ' is followed by 'the name.' We have already
seen with what fulness of meaning John uses
the word 'name.' As in many passages of the
Old Testament, the ' name ' expresses the sum of
the qualities which mark the nature or character
of a person (comp. Ex. xxxiv. 5, 6). It is hard
to fix the precise distinction between ' believing in
Him ' and ' believing in His name.' Perhaps we
may say that, in the former case, the believer
trustfully yields himself up to the Person, in the
latter, to the revelation of the Person. Those
who in chap. ii. 23 are spoken of as believing
' in the name ' of Jesus, had not reached the per-
sonal union which believing in Jesus implies; but
through their trustful acceptance of His revelation
of Himself, the higher gift, the closer knowledge,
might soon be gained. Here the ' name ' cannot
but recall ver. I : the ' name ' Word expressed the
nature of the Person (comp. ver. 6).
Ver. 13. Which were begotten, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God. The spiritual history of those
who are spoken of in ver. 1 2 is here continued,
and the nature of their sonship more fully defined.
It is easy to see that in the three clauses there is a
distinct progress of thought, the second (contain-
ing the thought of ' will ') being more definite than
the first, the third (in which ' man ' is substituted
for ' flesh,' — a person for human nature in general)
being again more definite than the second. The
three clauses, however, really express but one
main idea ; what that is must be learnt from the
contrast in the closing words, — ' but (they were
begotten) of God.' These believers have received
the right to become ' children of God ' by virtue of
a true spiritual filiation, being begotten of God.
The contrast to such a sonship is the very claim
which is so strongly made by the Jews in chap. viii. ,
and the validity of which our Lord altogether
denies. The recollection of that chapter, which
only brings into bold relief the habitual assumption
of the Judaism of that day, will be sufficient to
explain the remarkable emphasis of this verse, the
threefold denial that men become children of God
by virtue of any natural hereditary descent. — Al-
though it is the claim of the Jews that is here in
the writer's thought, yet, as often elsewhere, the
Jews are the type of the world at large ; by others
besides Jews like presumptuous claims have been
made, others have rested in the ' divinity ' of their
race. It is very possible that the peculiarity of
the first clause (literally ' not of bloods ') may be
thus explained.
Ver. 14. And the Word became flesh. With
this verse we enter upon the fuller and more con-
crete aspect of the Word appearing among men.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
[Chap. I. l-ii
As personally come in the flesh, however, the
Word contrasts with what He was in His pre-
existent state ; and hence, before we have the
Baptist introduced to us, we have statements ex-
actly parallel to those of vers. 1-5. That now
before us corresponds to ver. I, for the Incarnate
Word in Himself is here spoken of. He who was
in the beginning, who was with God, who was
God, ' became flesh ; ' did not merely take to Him
a human body, did not merely become an in-
dividual man, but assumed human nature in its en-
tireness (see chaps, xii. 27, 'soul;' xiii. 21, 'spirit'),
identified Himself with the race, entered into such
a condition that He could have perfect communion
and fellowship with us, and we with Him. The
word ' became ' does not denote that His divine
nature was laid aside, and that His mode of being
was simply human until, in the accomplishment
of His work, He gradually transformed His human
mode of being and regained for it all the glory of the
divine. Were such a view correct, it would follow
that when the divine was regained the human was ,
laid aside, and that the humanity of the exalted
Redeemer is not now as real as it was during His
earthly course. No such thought is suggested by
' became ; ' for this word does not imply that the
former state of being exists no longer. What is
really indicated is the passing into a new state, —
a transition rather than a transformation. The
Word remains, with all His essential proper-
ties ; there is added a new mode of being, the
assumption of a new nature, denoted by 'flesh.'
The most important parallels to this verse are
1 John iv. 2 and 2 John 7 ; these passages differ
from the present in that the historical name 'Jesus
Christ ' is substituted for the Word, and that for
i he mysterious words 'became flesh' we read
' hath come ' (or ' cometh ') ' in flesh.'
And he set his tabernacle among ns, and we
beheld his glory (glory as of an only begotten
from a father), — full of grace and truth. As the
first clause of this verse corresponded to ver. 1, so
these clauses correspond to vers. 2-5 ; only that,
whereas there we had those properties of the Word
in virtue of which He gives life and light in their
most general form to all, here we have those in
virtue of which, as the now completed revelation
of the Father, He carries this life and light onward
to perfection in such as truly receive Him. Still,
however, it is the glory of the Word in Himself
that is before us ; if men are introduced in the
words which follow as beholders of His glory, it
is that our thought may rest, not on the blessing
man thus receives (that is expressed below, vers.
16-18), but on the witness borne to the glory of
the Incarnate Word. The figure of this verse is
taken from the Old Testament (Lev. xxvi. 1 1 ;
Ezek. xxxvii. 27, etc.) ; the Tabernacle was the
meeting-place of God and Israel, the house in
which Jehovah dwelt in the midst of his people.
With the image of a tent or tabernacle is often
associated the thought of transitoriness ; but that
the word used here does not necessarily carry with
it this thought is sufficiently proved by the lan-
guage of the final promise, ' The tabernacle of
God is with men, and He shall set His tabernacle
with them' (Rev. xxi. 3). As the Shechinah
dwelt in the Tabernacle, in the midst of the camp
of Israel, so ' the Word become flesh ' dwelt
' among us.' Some have taken the last words to
mean 'in us,' and to contain a new reference to
the assumption of human nature ; but this view
seems plainly inconsistent with the words which
follow, 'we beheld His glory,' the meaning of
which is fixed by the opening passage in the First
Epistle (I John i. 1-3). The glory was like that
of an only son sent from a father ; no image but
this, it has been well said, ' can express the two-
fold character of the glory, as at once derivative
and on a level with its source.' In the only son
are concentrated all the characteristics of the
father ; on him all the father's love is poured ; to
him belongs the whole inheritance ; on him the
father, when he sends him forth on an embassy,
bestows all the plenitude of his power. The
translation we have given is, we believe, that
which the Greek words absolutely demand ; it ap-
pears to us, moreover, to be the only rendering that
gives meaning to the word of comparison 'as,' or
preserves the progress of the Evangelist's thought.
As yet there has been no word bringing in the
thought of Divine Sonship. The attributes and
working of the Divine Word have been continu-
ally before us ; here the gh ry of the Word become
flesh is compared with that of an only son sent <
from a father ; but it is not until ver. 1 8 that these
elements are combined into one supreme utterance
of truth. The last words of the verse must be
connected with the subject of the sentence: ' He
(the Word) set His tabernacle among us, full of
grace and truth.' They go far towards explaining
the 'glory' which the disciples 'beheld.' That
the Word has been from the beginning of the
world's history the bestower of 'grace and truth,'
is implied in the imagery of the earlier verses (vers.
4, 9) ; that which has been involved in the teach-
ing respecting the Pre-incarnate Word is clearly
stated here of the Word become flesh. But this ful-
ness of grace and truthdoes not exhaust the meaning
of the 'glory.' In the glory of the Incarnate
Word there are two elements, as His one Person
unites two natures : in part the glory is unique (in
kind and not only in degree), belonging to the
God-man and not to the perfect Man ; in part it
is communicable to men, as Jesus Himself says,
' The glory which Thou gavest me I have given
them.'
Ver. 15. John beareth witness concerning
him, and hath cried, saying, This was he of
whom I spake, He that cometh after me has
become before me, because he was before me.
We have seen that ver. 14 is parallel to vers. 1-5.
In like manner this verse is parallel to vers. 6-8 ;
but it is also an advance upon those verses, con-
taining the Baptist's witness to the Personal Word
become flesh, not to the Word as the general Light
of men. — ' Beareth witness,' — not ' bare witness '
(ver. 32). It is as if the Evangelist would say, Of
this John is the witness ; his testimony abides,
unchanging, always present. The same thought
comes out more distinctly still in the verb which
follows, 'hath cried.' (The usual translation
' crieth ' seems on various grounds less probable. )
The loud cry of the faithful witness has come
down through all the years ; we seem to hear its
echoes still. The Baptist clearly refers to wit-
ness which he had borne after Jesus appeared ;
hence the words, 'This -was he.' — It is un-
usually difficult to find a rendering that will fully
convey the meaning of this verse. As the word
' before ' occurs in two members of the verse, the
English reader inevitably considers the contrast to
be between ' is preferred ' (or ' is become ') and
' he was.' In reality, 'before' here answers to
Chap. I. 1-18.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
two different words. A literal translation will
show at once the meaning and the difficulty of
finding an easy expression of the meaning : ' He
that Cometh behind me has become in front of me,
because He was before me.' Jesus came 'after'
or ' behind ' John, as coming later in His manifes-
tation to the world. As the later in time, it might
have been expected that He would take rank after
him who was His predecessor ; but He has been
advanced before John ; the reason of this is given
in John's declaration, ' He was before me.' That
which these words directly affirm is priority of
time ; but, as in respect of human birth this could
not be affirmed of Jesus, the words bring into view
a pre-existence so transcendent as of itself to assert
an infinite superiority to every other man. This
anterior dignity explains why He that followed
John has come to be before him. The herald
came first, to prepare the way for the King ;
when the King arrives, the herald retires from
view. — The last words of the verse require further
notice. They are not fully represented by ' before
me,' as if they contained nothing beyond a com-
parison of Jesus with the Baptist. The former
word is absolute, ' He was first ; ' the other word
is added because a comparison is needed, ' first in
regard of me.' We might almost paraphrase the
very remarkable combination thus : First, and (by
consequence) before me.
Ver. [6. Because out of his fulness we all
received, and grace for grace. In order to
understand this verse, and especially the very
difficult word ' because,' with which the true read-
ing of the verse begins, we must look at the struc-
ture of the whole passage. Along with vers. 17
and iS, this verse is parallel to vers. 9-13 : and
ver. 14, as we have seen, answers to vers. 1-5.
The last verse in like manner stands related to
vers. 6-8 ; and, as these verses are introduced
between ver. 5 and ver. 9, — which might be read
continuously, the subject remaining the same, — so
is ver. 15 almost parenthetical, bringing in (as in
the earlier verses) the witness of John before the
statement of the results following the manifestation
of the Word. The words ' we all received ' and
' His fulness ' are sufficient to show that the verse
is a continuation of the thought of ver. 14, and
belongs to the Evangelist, not to the Baptist. If,
then, ver. 15 is parenthetical, the present verse
is naturally introduced by the word 'because.'
We have here an illustration of the extreme
importance which John attaches to Christian
experience. In ver. 9 we have had the fact of
what the Word bestows. Here we have more.
We have the answer of Christian experience to the
fact. We have not merely the light lightening,
but the light appropriated, its value appreciated,
its power felt. Verse 14 had not described Chris-
tian experience. The word ' beheld ' there used
had only assumed it (see the comment), and had
mentioned the witness which it gave. Now we
have the description itself: hence the 'because.'
We beheld the glory of the Word become flesh,
and are able to speak of that glory, ' because out
of His fulness,' etc. The last stage of the Pro-
logue is thus reached, because the highest point
of thought is attained. No more can be said when
the appropriation of the Word is complete.
The fulness spoken of is that of grace and truth,
which so reside in the Incarnate Word that nothing
more can be added. It is an absolute, not a com-
parative fulness, — a proof again that no part of
that fulness is to be won back in the progress of
the Messianic work. That fulness resides in the
' Word become flesh,' as such. ' Out of ' it ' we
all' — believers, who beheld His glory, among
whom He set His tabernacle — received. The
thing is past. We received Him (ver. 12). When
we received Him, He communicated Himself to
us. His fulness, so far as we could receive it, was
made ours. Hence it is not said what we received ;
because it was not a gift bestowed by His fulness,
but the measure of that fulness itself which we
were capable of receiving.
We are thus led also to the clear meaning of the
last clause of the verse, 'and grace for grace.'
Not exactly 'grace upon grace,' as if the meaning
were successive measures of grace, one added to
another ; but grace given in fresh measure as each
preceding measure has been improved, the 'ful-
ness ' constantly more and more made ours until
we ' are fulfilled unto all the fulness of God '
(Eph. iii. 19). It is Christian experience again.
Ver. 17. Because the law was given through
Moses : grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ. It is very possible that this verse should
be taken as directly parallel to ver. 1 1 ; hence the
definite reference to the pre-Christian revelation
here (see note on ver. II). The thought of Chris-
tian experience again explains the connection of
this verse with the preceding. The law is not
undervalued. It was divine. It was a gift of
God. It was a gift through the great Lawgiver
of whom Israel was proud. But it was a fixed
unalterable thing, with definite lioundaries, not
stretching out into the illimitable and eternal. It
could not express unbounded grace and truth, un-
bounded love, because in its very nature law has
limits which it cannot pass. Now, however,
there has ' come ' (a far higher word than ' was
given') a fulness of grace and truth, within which
we stand, and which we are to appropriate more
and more, — vast, illimitable, as is that God who
is love. Hence, therefore, the experience of ver.
16 is possible. — It will be noted that the two
thoughts of this verse are placed side by side (see
ver. 10), though in reality the first is subordinate
to the second.
And now comes in the great Name as yet
unnamed, but named now in all the universality
of its application, the Name which embraces
historical Christianity in its whole extent as the
religion both of Jew and Gentile, the religion of
man, — the name which, in its one half (' lesus,
Joshua, Jehoshua, ' Jehovah is Salvation ') ex-
presses the purpose of all God's dealings with man,
and in its other half ('Christ') the Divine con-
secration of the Redeemer to His work. — The verbs
of this verse are used with great propriety, — 'was
given ' of what was incidental in origin and tempor-
ary induration; 'came' (literally, 'became') of what,
though revealed in time, was an eternal reality.
One reflection alone remains, and then the
Prologue may close.
Ver. 18. No one hath seen God at any time ;
One who is only begotten God, he that is in the
bosom of the Father, he declared him. It is
not possible in a commentary such as this to
defend the reading which we here adopt, ' God '
instead of ' Son.' But the passage is so extremely
important that we may be permitted for once to
depart from our usual practice of not referring to
other writers, and to commend to our readers one
of the finest critical Dissertations ever published
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. I. 19-34.
in any language upon a reading of the New
Testament. We refer to that by Dr. Hort of
Cambridge upon this text (Macmillan, 1S76).
We add only that by thus reading we preserve an
important characteristic of the structural prin-
ciples of our Evangelist, that which leads him at
the close of a section or a period to return to its
beginning. The word ' God ' here corresponds to
* God ' in ver. 1.
' No one hath seen God at any time.' The
contrast is to ' we beheld ' in ver. 14, and the
words describe God in His nature as God ; He
dwelleth in light that is inacessible. The soul
longs to see Him, but this cannot be. Is then
its longing vain, its cry unheard ? The Evangelist
answers, No. One has ' declared ' Him, has, as
the Word, unfolded and explained Him. And
the glorious fitness of the Word to do this is
pointed out in three particulars, all showing how
fitly He could do that which none other could do.
(1) He is 'only begotten,' Son among all other
sons in His own peculiar sense, who is fully able
to represent the Father, to whom all the perfec-
tions of the Father flow. (2) He is God — not
only Son, but, as Son, God, — Himself divine,
not in a metaphorical sense, but possessing all the
attributes of true and real divinity. (3) It is
He who 'is in the bosom of the Father.' The
climax of thought, and the consideration that
here are mentioned the conditions which make it
possible for Jesus to be the complete Interpreter
of the Father, preclude our taking these words as
referring to the state which succeeded the resur-
rection and ascension, — in the sense, ' He that
hath returned to the bosom of the Father.' He of
whom the Evangelist speaks is more than ' only
begotten,' more than 'God.' He is 'in the
bosom of the Father.' In Him God is revealed as
a Father ; without Him He can be revealed only
as God. The words thus include more than
' with God ' in ver. I, more than the Divine self-
communion, the communion of God with God.
The fatherly element, the element of love, is
here. >_ut of that element of love, or of grace and
truth, the Son comes ; into it He returns. It is of
the very essence of His being so to do. He did
so from eternity. He did so in time. He shall
do it in the eternity to come. Not less does it
belong to the profoundest depths of His nature to
do so, than to be 'only begotten,' to be 'God.'
Therefore is He fully qualified to declare the
Father, whom to know as thus made known in
Jesus Christ (ver. 17) is that 'eternal life' after
which the heart of man feels, and in the possession
of which alone is it completely blessed (comp.
xvii. 3, xx. 31).
One remark has still to be made upon a point
which may seem at first sight to interfere with the
correctness of that view of the structure of the
Prologue which (as we have seen) is not only a
matter of interest, but also a guide in the inter-
pretation. There is no mention of the rejection of
the Word in vers. 14-18. But this fact when
rightly considered rather confirms what has been
said. It illustrates that progress which in this
Gospel always accompanies parallelism.
In vers. 1-5, the first section of the Prologue,
we have seen that rejection is implied.
In vers. 6-13, the second section, it is fully
brought out.
In vers. 14-18, the third section, it is over-
come.
Thus also, taking the Gospel as a whole, it is
implied in the section Unmediately preceding the
Conflict (chaps, ii. 12-iv. 54V It is fully brought
out in the section of Conflict (chaps, v. i-xii. 50).
It is overcome in the section following (chaps,
xiii. i-xvii. 26).
How unique, how wonderful is the plan of the
Gospel ! How much light does the whole cast
upon each part, how much each part upon the
whole !
Chapter I. 19-34.
The Witness of the Baptist to Jesus.
A1
priests and Levites from Jerusalem3 to ask him, Who
20 art thou ? And he * confessed, and denied not ; but4 confessed,
21 I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art
thou 'Elias?6 And he saith, I am not. Art thou ^that6
22 prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they7 unto him,
Who art thou ? that we may give an answer to them that sent
23 us. What sayest thou of thyself? ' He said, I am the8 voice
of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the
24 Lord, as S said the prophet Esaias.9 And they which were sent
a Ver. 7 :
chap. v. 3j
b M.itt.iii. 11 ;
chap. iii. 28 ;
1 witness
3 omit from Jerusalem
'the
2 sent unto him from Jerusalem
4 And he 5 Elijah
7 Thev said therefore 8 a <J Isaiah
Chap. I. 1 9-34-] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. n
25 were of the Pharisees.10 And they asked him, and said unto |ver"i-L 3"-
him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that" Christ, ^;PA^3°'
26 nor Elias,5 neither that 1! prophet? John answered them, say- , c'hapl iii. 26
ing, s I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, k v'e4°36:
27 whom ye know not;13 h He it is, who14 coming after me is f£.\§i 37\
preferred before me,15 whose shoe's latchet 16 I am not worthy f PetlTigY
28 to unloose. These things were done 'in Bethabara17 beyond etc.v "'
Jordan, where John was baptizing. ConVi'L5'
29 The next day John18 seeth Jesus coming unto him, and i."3,Yx! 28e; '
saith, Behold 19 the * Lamb of God, ' which taketh away the sin hi Vi "' 2'
30 of '" the world. " This is he of whom I said, After me cometh ;;. °, ■„!"&■,
a man which is preferred before me: for80 he was before me. «Chap.'iii.'i6,
31 And I knew him not: but that he should21 be made manifest vi.'33', 5^
to Israel, "therefore am I come*2 baptizing with23 water. 5, jdi.46.j7,
32 ''And John bare record,24 saying, I saw25 the Spirit descending «, V-
33 from heaven like a dove,26 and it abode upon him. And I «v«. 7-
, Luke i. 76,
knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with23 water, 77- ...
r /Matt. in. 16;
the same said2, unto me, Upon whom2" thou shalt see the chap. y.33.
' r q Matt. 111. 11.
Spirit descending and remaining on2'' him, g the same is he >■*•»"• »'• '?■
1 a' ° See ver. 49.
34 which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.30 And I saw, and bare
record 31 that this is the r Son of God.
10 And some from among the Pharisees had been sent
11 art not the 12 nor the
13 in water : in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,
14 omit He it is who ls omit is preferred before me.
10 the latchet of whose sandal l7 Bethany
is he 19 Behold, 20 is become before me, because
21 may 2a therefore came I -3 in 24 witness
25 I have beheld 20 descending as a dove out of heaven
27 he said 2S whomsoever 29 abiding upon
30 the Holy Spirit 31 And I have seen and have borne witness
Contents. We enter here upon the second word of the present verse (with which the regular
great division of the Gospel, extending from i. 19 narrative commences) shows that this section must
to ii. 11, and containing the presentation of Jesus, be connected with what goes before. It is
as He takes His place in the field of human his- possible that this connection is really very close,
tory and, alike in the witness borne to Him by The words 'this is the witness of John ' do not
the Baptist and in His manifestation of Himself necessarily mean ' this witness which follows is the
to His disciples, shows us what He is. When we witness of John ; ' the Evangelist's ordinary usage
know Him we shall be prepared to follow Him, in similar cases suggests that the sense intended
as He enters upon and accomplishes His work in is rather, 'And of this kind — -confirmatory of
the world. That work in the proper sense of the the preceding statements — is the witness,' etc.
word does not yet begin. The first section of Such an interpretation best accounts for the use of
this division extends from i. 19 to i. 34, and con- the present tense, 'this is' (comp. ver. 15),
tains the witness of the Baptist. The subordinate standing in striking contrast to the past tenses
parts of this section are — (1) vers. 19-28, the which immediately follow ; it also throws light on
witness by the Baptist on the first day spoken of; the remarkably emphatic words which form the
(2) vers. 29-34, His witness on the second day. first half of ver. 20. Thus viewed, the present
Ver. 19. And this is the witness of John, section attaches itself to ver. 15 ; what is there
when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem given in a general form is now related with greater
priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou 1 fulness, in connection with the circumstances of
The preceding verses (1-1S) are so strongly marked the history. The 'witness' directly intended is
in character, and so distinctly constitute one that of vers. 19-27; but we must also include the
coherent whole, that we cannot but place them in very important testimony borne on the following
a section by themselves. And yet they do not day, especially that of vers. 33, 34, which presents
form a distinct preface to the book (such, for ex- (in a different form) some of the leading truths of
ample, as we find in Luke i. 1-4), for the first the Prologue. — As in the earlier Gospels, the
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. I. 19-34.
mission of Jesus is introduced by the Baptist ; the
peculiarity of John's narrative consists in this,
that the Baptist's testimony is obtained in answer
to a question asked by ' the Jews,' who send a
deputation to him 'from Jerusalem,' the centre
of the theocracy.
In this mention of ' the Jews ' we meet for the
first time with one of the most characteristic terms
of the Fourth Gospel. In the other Gospels the
expression jccurs only fifteen or sixteen times,
and twelve of these instances are examples of a
single phrase, ' King of the Jews,' and that
phrase used by Gentiles. The remaining pas-
sages are Mark vii. 3 ; Luke vii. 3, xxiii.
51 ; and Matt, xxviii. 15 (slightly different
from the rest in the absence of the article). In
this Gospel — in addition to six examples of
the title ' King of the Jews,' used as in the other
Gospels — we find more than fifty passages in which
the Evangelist himself (not quoting from any Gen-
tile) speaks of ' the Jews. ' Had the author of this
Gospel been a Gentile, this usage might have
seemed very natural ; but it is no less natural in
the case of a writer who, though a Jew by birth,
has long been severed from his countrymen
through their rejection of his Lord. The leaders
and representatives of the nation in this rejec-
tion of Jesus are those whom John usually desig-
nates as 'the Jews.' When the other Gospels
speak of opposition on the part of Pharisees, chief
priests, elders, scribes, Sadducees, or lawyers, John
(who mentions none of these classes except Phari-
sees and chief priests, and these not very frequently)
is wont to use this general term. The mass of the
people, the led as contrasted with the leaders, he
speaks of as ' the multitude ' or 'the multitudes.'
Hence in most of the passages in which we meet
with ' the Jews,' we must understand the party
possessed of greatest influence in the nation, the
representatives of Judaism, the leaders in opposi-
tion to Jesus. Even where the term is used in a
wider sense, it does not simply designate the
nation ; when employed by the Evangelist himself,
it almost always bears with it the impress of one
thought — that of general unfaithfulness, of a
national depravation which culminated in the
crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.
There is nothing to indicate that the deputation
here spoken of was sent by the Sanhedrin ; but it
appears to have been formal and important, com-
posed as it was of persons belonging to the two
classes which, in the Old Testament, represent
the service of the Temple (Josh. iii. 3 ; 2 Chron.
xxx. 27; Ezek. xliv. 15). If we add to this the
fact that, as appears from ver. 24, Pharisees also
were present, the striking character of the scene
before us will be manifest. On the one side is the
Baptist, standing alone in the startling strangeness
of his prophetic mission ; on the other are all who
either possessed or had assumed religious authority
in Israel — the Jews, the priests, the Levites, and
the Pharisees. The question, ' Who art thou ? '
has reference to the supposed personal claims of
the Baptist. Might it not be that one who had so
suddenly appeared in the wilderness, and who had
produced so profound an effect upon all classes,
was the very Messiah anxiously waited for at this
time? Compare Luke iii. 15.
Ver. 20. And he confessed and denied not.
And he confessed, I am not the Christ. The
answer of the Baptist is reported with great
solemnity. The effect of the double statement,
' he confessed and denied not ' (comp. ver. 3 ;
1 John ii. 4, 27) is to give peculiar impressiveness
to the words : St. John thus brings into relief the
single-minded faithfulness of the Baptist, and at
the same time corrects mistaken opinions as to the
character of his mission (see note on ver. S). In
the reply itself the first word is strongly emphatic,
' II is in it I who am the Christ.' The Baptist
thus prepares the way for the further statements
which he is to make with the view of guiding his
hearers to that Christ who is come, and whom with
gradually increasing clearness he is to proclaim.
Ver. 21. And they asked him, What then !
Art thou Elijah ? And he saith, I am not.
The question was a natural one, for the thought
of the coming of Elijah was intimately associated
with that of the coming of Messiah (Mai. iv. 5).
The answer seems less natural, lor our Lord, when
He spoke of the Baptist, described him as ' Elijah
which was for to come' (Matt. xi. 14). It is
possible that even the Baptist himself did not
know that he was ' Elijah ' in this latter sense,
and hence could reply without hesitation that he
is not that prophet.
Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.
A third supposition is tried. Is he ' the prophet ' ?
A comparison of i. 25 and vii. 40, 41, with vi. 14,
15, seems to lead to the conclusion that there were
at tliis time two currents of opinion with regard to
the coming prophet (Deut. xviii. 15), the one dis-
tinguishing him from the Messiah, the other main-
taining that the two characters would be united in
' him that should come.' But that a prophet would
certainly appear at the opening of the Messianic
age was expected by all. Hence the question, as
now put, covered the only other supposition that
could explain the important position which the
Baptist had assumed, and which appeared to indi-
cate that he was introducing a new era. But the
main point with the Baptist is to show that, strictly-
speaking, he is simply the herald of that era. He
is only to prepare the way for Him in whom it
both begins and is completed (comp. Matt. xi. 1 1-
13). The new supposition is accordingly repudi-
ated in terms as emphatic as before.
Ver. 22. They said therefore unto him, Who
art thou ? that we may give an answer to them
that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
The Baptist has disowned the three suppositions
that have been made. He is not ' the Christ,' not
' Elijah,' not 'the prophet.' The deputation now
appeal directly to himself to state who he is.
Ver. 23. He said, I am a voice of one cry-
ing in the wilderness. Make straight the way of
the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. The
words are from Isa. xl. 3, and, though slightly
modified in form, they completely express the
sense of the original passage. To captive Israel,
whose warfare is now accomplished, whose iniquity
is pardoned, the glorious approach of her 1 leliverer
is proclaimed. He comes to lead back his people
through the desert to their own land. The herald's
voice sounds in the desert, announcing the coming
of the King, commanding that all obstacles In-
removed from the course of His triumphal march,
and that through the wilderness there be made a
highway for the Deliverer and for the people
whom He has set free. The Baptist takes the
words in their true application to the Messianic
deliverance and kingdom. He speaks of him-
self as the herald, or rather as the herald's
voice ; as in ver. 8, his personality, so to speak, is
Chap. I. 19-34. J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
swallowed up in the message which he came to
bring.
Ver. 24. And some from among the Pharisees
had been sent. We cannot doubt that these
words are introduced to lead on to the following
statement, rather than to give completeness to the
account of the preceding Verses. It is not neces-
sary, however, to think of a second and entirely
new deputation. The persons now introduced
may have formed part of the first body of ques-
tioners. But the point of special interest to them
is that which meets us in ver. 25, rather than that
already spoken of. They were Pharisees, and the
Pharisees considered themselves the guardians of
the ordinances of religious worship amongst their
countrymen. Hence the significance of the state-
ments in iv. 1, ix. 13-15, xii. 42 ; and also of the
question which is now addressed to the Baptist.
That question does not necessarily indicate a hostile
bearing towards him ; nor during the earlier part
of the life of Jesus do the Pharisees in general
appear to have opposed the Saviour in the same
manner as the 'Jews' (comp. on iii. I, vii. 32).
Ver. 25. And they asked him, and said unto
him, Why baptizes! thou then, if thou art not
the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet? The
'Jews,' the representatives of the theocratic spirit
of the people, had been mainly concerned about
the position of the Baptist in relation to the national
hopes. Could it be that he was about to assume
the government of the nation, and to lead it to
victory ? The Pharisees concern themselves more
about the rite administered by the Baptist. It is
the baptism of persons belonging to the chosen
people that startles them. They might have viewed
his baptism without surprise had he invited to it
those only who were beyond the pale of Israel.
But that one who, by his own confession, was
neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet,
should thus administer a rite symbolical of cleans-
ing to those who, as Jews, were already clean, this
it was that threw them into perplexity. — On the
significance of John's baptism, see notes on chap,
iii. 5 and Matt. iii. 6.
Vers. 26, 27. John answered them, saying, I
baptize in water. The meaning ol the Baptist's
answer has been greatly obscured by the inser-
tion of ' but ' after these words. It has thus been
supposed that the object of the Baptist is to de-
preciate his baptism by bringing it into comparison
with the baptism in the Spirit administered by
Jesus. The two baptisms, however, are not as yet
compared with one another. What John depre-
ciated was himself, not the rite which he adminis-
tered ; and at ver. 31 he expressly magnifies his
baptism, and points out its high prophetic signi-
ficance. From this last-mentioned verse the im-
port of the present clause must be determined.
Even now John means, I baptize in water that I
may call attention to Him whose way I am com-
missioned to prepare. For this purpose I am ' a
voice of one that crieth ; ' for this purpose also
' I baptize in water. ' — In the midst of you
standeth one whom ye know not, coming after
me, the latchet of whose sandal I am not
worthy to unloose. Now follows the great fact
explanatory of all this divine work of preparation,
that the One waited for is come. Three stages of
His manifestation, however, are to be marked ;
and as yet we have only reached the first, ' He
standeth in the midst of you.' So standing, He
is distinguished by three characteristics: (1) 'Ye
'3
know' Him 'not,' — the 'ye' being emphatic, ye to
whom He would gladly reveal Himself: (2) He
cometh ' after me ' (see ver. 15): (3) His glory is
so great that the Baptist is not worthy to unloose
the latchet of His sandal. On the last words see
note on Mark i. 7.
Such is the first testimony of the Baptist to
Jesus. The fuller testimonies have yet to come.
At this point, therefore, the narrative pauses to
tell us that this testimony was given at the very
place where the Baptist was at the moment making
so profound an impression upon the people.
Ver. 2S. These things were done in Bethany
beyond Jordan. There can be no doubt that
Bethabara is not the true reading in this verse.
Origen, writing in the third century, states that
he found Bethany in almost all copies of the
Gospel. This statement is decisive. It cannot be
set aside, nor indeed is it even lessened in weight,
by the fact that Origen himself, owing to his in-
ability to identify Bethany, believed Bethabara to
be the place intended. The existence of another
Bethany, near Jerusalem, presents no difficulty, as
it was not uncommon for two places to bear the
same name. The instances of Bethsaida (Luke ix.
10; Mark vi. 45), Carmel, Ca:sarea, etc., are well
known. It is even possible that the two names,
though alike written Bethania in Greek, may in
their original Hebrew form have been different
words ; just as, for instance, the ' Abel ' of Gen.
iv. 2 is altogether different in actual form from the
' Abel ' of 2 Sam. xx. 14. This Bethany may have
been small and unimportant ; Bethabara, on the
other hand, seems to have been so well known,
that the addition of the words ' beyond Jordan '
would have been less natural. Of the situation of
Bethany we know no more than we are told in this
verse (comp. chap. ii. 1). It has been variously
placed, — near Jericho, near Scythopolis (a feu
miles south of the Sea of Galilee), and by ore
recent writer, Caspari, a little to the north of that
sea. The last opinion seems the least probable of
the three.
The second testimony of the Baptist is now pre-
sented to us.
Ver. 29. The next day he seeth Jesus coming
unto him. The ' day ' is that immediately follow-
ing the day of the first testimony, and the climactic
arrangement of the narrative is already perceptible.
Already Jesus is in a different position. On the
previous day He was spoken of as ' coming after '
John ; now He is 'coming unto' him. Then He
stood unknown, unrecognised, amidst the throng ;
now He is expressly pointed out by His fore-
runner. Then it was His elevation above John
that was expressed ; now it is the greatness of
His work in itself. — And saith. Behold, the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world. The translation of this clause has been
disputed (see the margin of the Authorised Ver-
sion), but without good reason. The idea of
' taking ' or ' bearing ' sin is indeed of very common
occurrence in the Old Testament ; but it is not
expressed by the word here used, which denotes
taking away, removal. In meaning, however, the
two renderings would almost coincide, since the
metaphor of the verse is sacrificial : in the thought
of bearing; sin as an atoning sacrifice is involved
the removal of the punishment deserved and of the
sin itself. There is only one other passage of the
New Testament in which this expression is found,
I Jnhn iii. 5, and there the meaning is very clear.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. I. 19-34.
H
A much more difficult question remains : What is
the Baptist's meaning when he speaks of ' the Lamb
of God ' ? The answer which perhaps now finds
most favour with commentators is, that this parti-
cular image was directly suggested to his mind by
the memorable prophecy of Isa. liii., in one verse
of which (ver. 7) there is an allusion to ' a lamb.'
But there are serious difficulties in the way of this
explanation. A reference to the chapter will show
that in that verse the prophet speaks of the ' lamb '
as an example of uncomplaining patience, and not
in connection with taking away sin. ' He was
oppressed, although he submitted himself, and
opened not his mouth ; as a lamb that is led to the
slaughter, and as a sheep dumb before her shearers ;
and he opened not his mouth.' Again, had the
prophecy of this chapter been definitely the source
of the Baptist's words, we might surely have looked
for some close resemblances of language. But such
coincidences are not to be found in any part of the
chapter : the ideas of taking and bearing sin are
prominent, but they are expressed by words alto-
gether different from that here used. If we are
thus obliged to look away from Isaiah's great
prophecy of Messiah, we naturally turn to the
Mosaic ritual of sacrifice. Again we are met by
difficulties. It would seem impossible to bring in
here the thought of any other than the sin-offering,
and yet it was only occasionally, and almost as an
exception, that a sin-offering consisted of a lamb
(Lev. iv. 32). The lamb of the morning and even-
ing sacrifices was a bumt-offering. There remain
only two other explanations of the phrase. It
is just possible that ' the lamb' merely indicates a
sacrificial victim, the gentleness and harmlessness
of this animal making it especially suitable as a
type. It is, however, much more probable that
the Baptist spoke of the paschal lamb. The pecu-
liar definiteness of the expression ('the Lamb of
God ') will in this case need no explanation : no
thought was more familiar to the Israelite than
that of the lamb for the Passover ; and, we may
add, few thoughts are brought out in this Gospel
with greater distinctness than the relation of the
Lord Jesus to the paschal sacrifice and feast (see
notes on chaps, vi. and xix. ). As the institution of
the Passover preceded the general Mosaic legisla-
tion, its laws and arrangements lie without the
circle of the ordinary ritual of sacrifices, and com-
bine ideas which were otherwise kept distinct.
The paschal supper resembles the peace-offerings,
the characteristic of which was the sacred feast
that succeeded the presentation of the victim (Lev.
vii. 15), — an emblem of the fellowship between
the accepted worshipper and his God. But the
sin-offering also is included, as a reference to the
original institution of the Passover will at once
show. The careful sprinkling of the blood upon
the door-posts was intended to be more than a sign
to the destroying angel whom to spare. The lamb
was slain and the blood sprinkled that atonement
might be made for sin : when Israel is consecrated
anew to God, the sin and the deserved punishment
removed, the sacred feast is celebrated. It has
been suggested that the nearness of the Passover
(see chap. ii. 13) may have presented these thoughts
to the Baptist's mind. It is still more likely that
one who was enabled so clearly to discern the
meaning of the Old Testament as to recognise the
removal of ' the sin of the world^ as the object of
Messiah's coming, would see from the first how fitly
that ordinance, in which Israel's redemption began,
associated itself with the approaching redemption
of the world. It is the world's Passover, both the
sacrifice and the feast, that John sees to be at hand.
With this verse compare especially I Pet. i. 18, 19 ;
Rev. v. 6, 9. The marginal references will show
to what an extent this Gospel is pervaded by the
thought of ' the world ' as the object of Christ's
saving work.
Ver. 30. See the note upon ver. 15. Here, as
there, the words refer to testimony given by the
Baptist to Jesus at some point of time and on some
occasion not recorded.
Ver. 31. And I knew him not: but that he
may be made manifest to Israel, therefore came
I, baptizing in water. The explanation of the
first clause of this verse mil be best given when we
come to ver. 33. The object which the Baptist
here assigns for his work of baptizing may at first
sight seem to be different from that mentioned in
the earlier Gospels, where he is spoken of as sent
to prepare the way of the Lord. Attention to the
words used by John will remove all difficulty.
' Israel ' is not tc be limited to the Jewish nation.
It embraces the true theocracy of God, — neither
Jews nor Gentiles as such, but all who will
"believe (comp. on vers. 47, 49). ' Made mani-
fest,' again, is not a mere outward manifestation,
but a revelation of Jesus as He is. Thus the mean-
ing of the words is not, ' I baptize in water in
order that Jesus may come to my baptism, and
may there receive a testimony from on high ;' but,
' I baptize that I may declare the necessity of that
forsaking of sin without which no true manifesta-
tion of Jesus can be made to the heart.' The
words in their real meaning, therefore, are in per-
fect harmony with the accounts of the Synoptists.
The advance of thought from the unrecognised
Jesus of ver. 26 to the 'made manifest' of ver.
31 is obvious. It corresponds with the 'standeth'
of ver. 26, and the ' coming unto ' him of ver. 29 ;
with the fact, also, that the one is the first, the
other the second, testimony of the Baptist.
Ver. 32. And John bare witness, saying, I
have beheld the Spirit descending. The effect
of what the Baptist had seen had remained, and
still remains, with him in all its power : ' I have
beheld.' — And it abode upon him. John had
not merely seen the Spirit descend with dove-like
motion upon Jesus ; he had also seen that it
'abode' upon Him, — the symbol of an abiding
and permanent possession.
Ver. 33. And I knew him not. The first
clause of this verse, like that of ver. 31, is attended
with peculiar difficulty, for it is hardly possible to
imagine that, intimately connected as the families
of Jesus and of the Baptist were, the former should
have been for thirty years personally unknown to
the latter. Moreover, Matt. iii. 14 seems distinctly
to imply not only that such personal acquaintance-
ship existed before the baptism, but that the Bap-
tist even then knew Jesus as greater than himself.
Here, however, he says that until after the descent
of the Spirit he 'knew Him not.' Without
noticing the other explanations which have been
given, we may observe that the solution of the
difficulty is to be found in keeping distinctly before
us the official and not personal light in which both
Jesus and the Baptist are presented to us here.
No denial of personal knowledge of Jesus has any
bearing upon the point which the Baptist would
establish. He is himself an official messenger of
God, intrusted with a commission which he is to
Chap. I. 35-5 i.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
continue to discharge until such time as he is super-
seded by the actual arrival of Him whose way he
prepares. But this latter is also the ' Sent ' of
God, and has particular credentials to produce.
Until these are produced, the herald of His approach
cannot ' know ' Him in the only character in which
he has to do with Him. No private acquaintance-
ship with Him — and, we may even say, no private
convictions as to His Messianic character — will
justify that recognition of Him before which alone the
herald may give way. The great King from whom
the herald and the Ambassador are alike sent has
named a particular sign which shall attest the
position of the latter, and close the labours of the
former. That sign must be exhibited before the
herald of the Ambassador's approach will be
warranted to withdraw. Until then the one
' knows ' not the other.
But he that sent me to baptize in water, he
said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see
the Spirit descending, and abiding upon hiin,
the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy
Spirit. As to the sign, comp. ver. 32. It is the
token that in Jesus are fulfilled the prophecies of
the Old Testament with regard to the pouring out
of the Spirit in the Messianic age, and especially to
the impartation of the Spirit to the Messiah Him-
self (Isa. Ixi. 1; Luke iv. iS), — prophecies which
describe the crowning glory of the latter days.
John's baptism could only point to the laying aside
of sin ; that of Jesus brought with it the quicken-
ing into spiritual life (comp. on iii. 5). It is to be
noticed that the words ' Holy Spirit ' are here used
without the article. The object is to fix our atten-
tion, not upon the Spirit in His personality, but
upon the power of that spiritual influence which
He exerts. It would be better to translate, 'the
power of the Holy Spirit,' were it not difficult to
use such an expression, in conformity with the
idiom of the English tongue, in the many passages
where this particular form of the original is em-
ployed.
Ver. 34. And I have seen, and have borne
witness that this is the Son of God. ' I have
seen,' for the result of the seeing abides un-
changed and ever present : ' I have borne wit-
ness, for the Baptist has entered on that one
witness-bearing for which he was sent (ver. 7), and
which it will henceforth be his office simply to
repeat. It is particularly to be noticed that the
'5
' witness ' referred to is not that Jesus baptizes with
the Spirit, but that He is ' the Son of God,' — a
designation which expresses the divine nature and
character of Jesus, and with this the relation in
which He stands to the Father. In one aspect
He is God ; in another He is the Son of God,
the Son distinct from the Father. The link of
connection between the transcendent conclusion
of the Baptist and the fact upon which it rests is
probably to be found in the thought that He who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit, who therefore has
the power to impart the gifts and influence of the
Spirit of God, must be Divine. The special form
which this confession of our Lord's divinity takes
was, we cannot doubt, determined by the words
spoken from heaven : ' This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased ' (Matt. iii. 17).
It has been sometimes maintained that ' Son of
God ' must be understood as a mere designation of
'the Messiah.' For this opinion we believe that
no evidence can be found, either in Scripture or in
early Jewish writings. There are, indeed, passages
in the Old Testament, acknowledged to be pro-
phecies of the Messiah, in which a Divine Sonship
is attributed to Him (see especially Ps. ii. 7) ; but
the name seems to be always indicative of nature,
and not merely of office. How the name was
understood by the Jews of our Lord's day may be
seen from chap. v. 18, 19, x. 29, 30, ^j.
It is important to compare this section with the
corresponding portions of the other Gospels. The
omissions are very remarkable. We say nothing
of the Evangelist's silence as to the circumstances
of our Lord's birth and early years ; this belongs
to the general plan of the Gospel, which here
agrees with that of Mark. But it is noteworthy
that nothing is said of the baptism of Jesus, or
of the temptation which followed. To the bap-
tism, however, there is a clear allusion in vers.
33, 34 ; hence its place in the order of events is
before ver. 19. The temptation also was at an
end before John ' saw Jesus coming unto him '
(ver. 29). On the other hand, these verses contain
many coincidences in language with the Synoptic
Gospels. John's application of Isa. xl. 3, and
the contrast which he draws between himself,
baptizing in water, and Him who shall baptize
with the Holy Ghost, are related by every Evan-
gelist. In all the Gospels, also, we find words
similar to those of ver. 27.
Chapter I. 35-51.
Jesus manifests Himself to hearts open to receive Him.
35 A GAIN the next day after1 John stood,8 and two of his
36 ±~\. disciples ; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he
37 saith, a Behold3 the Lamb of God! And the two disciples
38 heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then4 Jesus turned,
and saw 5 them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye ?
1 omit after
'And
2 was standing
6 beheld
3 Behold.
'6 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. I. 35-51.
They6 said unto him, b Rabbi, (which is to say, being inter- 6&£,<%l a
39 preted, c Master,7) where dwellest 8 thou ? He saith unto them, ^7'^
Come and see.9 They came10 and saw where he dwelt," and cchip'iii '
abode with him that day: for12 it was about the tenth hour. *; fills'
40 One of the two which heard John speak,13 and followed him, d^tJU.t,
41 was ''Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own , ChaP2'iv. 2'5.
brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the f^[ X*L
42 ' Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.14 And15 he 'Jta,t- xvi"
brought him to Jesus. And when16 Jesus beheld him, he 17 *kC£; u.'s,
said, Thou art Simon ■'the son of Jona : la thou ^shalt be called cSi.5;! .?,
h Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.19 ic&pVtit
43 The day following Jesus would80 go forth into Galilee, and *Chkp!'
A A £.*A~*-U l T>U:i:„ 121 _ "l_l- . _ !• T^ IT T.T T^, ... 2I :
44 findeth « Philip, and21 saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip Mitt. xi.
45 was of * Bethsaida, the22 city of Andrew and Peter. Philip ma™?. ™
findeth l Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, "seeuike
of whom '"Moses in the law, and the "prophets, did write, "Chap.";
46 Jesus "of Nazareth, ^the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said ^f^^42.
unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ? ^f"-";'1-'
47 Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael chaP- 4 18>
coming to him, and saith of him, Behold21 an Israelite indeed, fj^jg!'8
48 in whom is g no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence s^'Matt.
knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before /chvap33^. I5
that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw ^iii.% ^
49 thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto2' him, b Rabbi, thou a";
50 art "the Son of God; thou art 'the2'' King of Israel. Jesus , c^nfievfri.
answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw „ chaP/ m. ,3,
thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater Itt,™-
51 things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say xfi'^/S.
unto you, Hereafter 2G ye shall see ' heaven open, and the angels % Matt.
of God ascending and descending upon the " Son of man.
c And they ~ Teacher 8 abidest ° ye shall see
10 came therefore n abode 12 omit for
13 heard from John I4 Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ),
15 omit And "'■ omit And when 17 Jesus looking upon him said
19 J°hn 1!> (which is by interpretation Peter, or Rock).
20 The next day he would
21 Galilee. And he findeth Philip ; and Jesus
22 out of the *» Behold, -'< omit and saith unto
20 omit the '-''; omit Hereafter
_ Contexts. The same general subject is con- Vers. 35, 36. In these verses we have a new tes-
tinued in this section— Jesus taking His place on timony borne by the Baptist to Jesus. In ver. 29
the stage of history. We pass now, however, we were simply told that John 'seeth Testis coming
from the witness of the Baptist, given on two sue- unto him and saith;' to whom the words were spoken
cess'v- days, to the manifestation of Himself by we know not. There is therefore great importance
Jesus to hearts open to receive and welcome Him. in the definite statement of ver. 35, that John now
This manifestation takes place upon two succes- spoke in the presence of disciples. The Baptist
sive days. Th° subordinate parts of the present came to deliver a general witness respecting Jesus ;
section are— (I) vers. 35-42, witness borne on the but he also came to direct to Jesus all over whom
first of the two new days (the third day from that he had gained influence. The words which he
of ver. 19) ; (2) vers. 43-51, witness borne on the utters are few, so that the second testimony may
second day (the fourth day). seem inferior to the first. We may perhaps say
Chap. I. 35-51.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
that it is not really inferior. When the earlier
words (ver. 29) had once made clear what was
signified by the announcement of ' the Lamb of
God,' this title by itself, in its own simplicity,
really conveyed a fuller meaning. ' The Lamb of
God which taketh away the sin of the world '
brought to mind the paschal sacrifice; but in
pointing to Jesus as ' the Lamb of God,' the Bap-
tist, implying all that he had expressed before,
presents to the thought all the symbolism of the
words, — with the true paschal sacrifice joining the
true paschal feast.
Ver. 37. And the two disciples heard him
speak, and they followed Jesus. The witness of
the Baptist has its proper effect, — an effect, we can-
not doubt, foreseen and designed by himself (chap.
iii. 27-30). Those who listen to it turn from him,
and follow Jesus.
Ver. 3S. And Jesus turned and beheld them
following, and saith unto them, What seek ye?
They who thus follow Jesus shall not do so in
vain. As in the sense of their own unworthiness
they walked after Him, He turned, and inquired
what they sought. — And they said unto him,
Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted,
Teacher, where abidest thou? 'Where is Thy
permanent resting-place and home, that as pupils
we may seek Thee there, and may abide with
Thee till we have seen the glory of which we have
heard ? ' By the title Rabbi (which strictly meant
my master or lord, but which in the time of Jesus
had already come to be applied to teachers)' they
had been wont to address their own master (chap.
iii. 26) ; and they naturally give the same name of
honour to Jesus. When they have done with
'seeking,' when they have found Him, they will
say more (comp. xiii. 13).
Ver. 39. He saith unto them, Come, and ye
shall see. They came therefore and saw where
he abode, and abode with him that day. The
seeker shall not seek in vain. They had asked
where He abode ; and that the answer of Jesus
was a direct meeting of their request is proved by
the statement immediately made by the Evangelist,
that ' they came and saw where He abode.' The
nature of the intercourse is not described. We are
left only to imagine from the confession of Andrew
in ver. 41 what must have been the solemn teach-
ings, the gracious communications of Himself by
Jesus, the patient instructing of ignorance, the
tender removal of doubts, until, in all the joy of
their new discovery, they could say, ' We have
found.' This much, however, we seem entitled to
infer from the thrice-repeated ' abide ' or ' abode,'
— a word characteristic of the Fourth Gospel, and
always full of deep and solemn import, — that the
Evangelist designs to convey to us something more
than the thought of mere outward presence with
J esus. — It was about the tenth hour. There
are four passages in which the Evangelist directly
refers to the hour of the day at which an event
occurred (see chap. iv. 6, 52, xix. 14). But for
the last of these passages it might be natural
to suppose that John, like the other Evangelists,
reckons time from sunrise, an hour being the
twelfth part of the (varying) interval between
sunrise and sunset. As, however, Mark records
(chap. xv. 25) that Jesus was crucified at the
'third hour' (between S and 9 a.m.), and John
expressly states that His condemnation was later
than the ' sixth hour,' the probability that the latter
writer follows a different reckoning is very strong.
vol. 11. 2
>7
Further investigation has shown that at the very
time when this book was written a mode of
computation substantially agreeing with our own
was known in Asia Minor (where John wrote)
and elsewhere. It is easy to see that in such a
matter as this a writer naturally follows the custom
of those amongst whom he lives, and whom he
has immediately in view as his readers. We shall
assume, therefore, in each case that the hour (of
fixed length, not variable) is reckoned from mid-
night or noon. Here the tenth hour will no
doubt be the hour between 9 and 10 a.m.
Ver. 40. One of the two which beard from
John and followed him, was Andrew, Simon
Peter's brother. Andrew belonged to Bethsaida
(ver. 44), and is again referred to in vi. 8, xii. 22.
That he is now spoken of as the brother of Peter
is an interesting indication of the importance
attached by the Evangelist to the latter. There is
little reason to doubt that the second of the two
was the Evangelist himself. Simon Peter, who
has not yet been mentioned, is introduced to us
here as if he were well known to the reader — an
illustration of the writer's tendency to anticipate
what is hereafter to be fully explained : we have
an equally striking instance in the mention of
Mary in chap. xi. 2.
Ver. 41. He first findeth his own brother
Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the
Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ).
The peculiar language of this verse leads directly
to the conclusion that each of the two disciples
mentioned in the previous verse had gone in search
of his brother, and the fact is not without interest
as confirming the supposition that the second of
the two disciples was John. Andrew and his
brother, John and his brother, seem to have been
the only two pairs of brothers in the apostolic
band. The finding was not accidental. Andrew
had gone in search of Peter, John of James.
When Andrew found the object of his search,
his joyful announcement was, ' We have found
the Messiah.' This Hebrew term — occurring
only twice in the New Testament, here and at
iv. 25, in the mouth of the woman of Samaria —
denotes 'the Anointed One ;' and is immediately
interpreted by the Evangelist, the Greek word
' Christ ' having the same meaning. One of the
great hopes of Israel was fulfilled.
Ver. 42. He brought him to Jesus. There
can be little doubt that Peter had shared the ex-
pectations and longings of his brother Andrew, as
well as of all those more earnest spirits of the
time who were waiting for ' the consolation of
Israel.' He too had been 'seeking,' and he too
finds. — Jesus looking upon him said, Thou art
Simon the son of John : thou shalt be called
Cephas. Jesus looked upon him with that divine
glance which read the heart (comp. ii. 25) ; and,
following the custom of which so many illustrations
are afforded in the Old Testament, marked the
great crisis in his life which had now arrived by
giving him a new name, ' Cephas,' with which
corresponds the Greek word Petros (a ' stone ' or
' piece of rock '). How much importance was
attached by the Evangelist to this name given to
his brother apostle will appear on other occasions
in the course of his Gospel. The name Johannes,
or John, corresponds to the Hebrew Jochanan ;
in Matt. xvi. 17 the same name is represented in
a slightly different form (Jona).
Ver. 43. The next day he would go forth into
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. I. 35-51.
a place unconnected with the great promise ol
God seemed to him a place from which no good
could come. Such considerations go far towards
explaining his disparaging remark ; though thev
do not completely remove the impression which
we receive from the words, that Nazareth was a
place held in very low esteem. We have, how-
ever, no other information that such prejudice
(whether well or ill founded) existed ; and the
only notices in Scripture which can throw light
on the subject are the records of the obstinate un-
belief of the Nazarenes (Matt. xiii. 5S) and their
attempt upon the life of Jesus (Luke iv. 29).
Ver. 47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to
him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite
indeed, in whom is no guile. Again, as at
Vl-'r. 43, we are left to infer that the call thus
addressed to Nathanael was obeyed ; and in his
obedience to it he illustrates the frame of mind
for which he is immediately commended by Jesus.
He is ingenuous, willing to be taught, ready to
receive what is shown to him to be truth, however
strongly it may conflict with his prepossessions.
Jesus saw him as he drew near, and commended
him as a genuine Israelite in whom there was no
guile. The last words have been sometimes under-
stood as if they were explanatory of the term
Israelite, that term, again, being supposed, to-
gether with the word 'guile,' to allude to the
history of Jacob. As the name of Jacob ('sup-
planter') was changed to Israel ('prince of
God '), the characteristic of this patriarch's true
descendants will be absence of guile. The sug-
gestion is ingenious, but for several reasons hardly
tenable. (1) It is guile of an entirely different
kind that is here referred to ; (2) There is no
special connection between the qualities displayed
by Jacob on the occasion when he received the
name Israel and those that here distinguish Natha-
nael ; (3) The part of Jacob's history present to
the mind of Jesus, in ver. 51, was the vision at
Bethel, which belongs to a period much earlier
than that in which his name was changed ; (4)
It is difficult to believe that ' Israelite ' is intended
to convey no meaning beyond absence of guile.
It is rather to be taken as denoting one who
belongs to the true people of God (comp. ver.
31) ; and the words that follow are then added to
bring out its special meaning upon this occasion.
Nathanael, in short, is 'of God,' is 'of the truth,'
has no selfish impure aims, and therefore he shall
be fully taught.
Ver. 4S. Nathanael saith unto him, Whence
knowest thou me ? The words of Jesus had been
spoken while Nathanael was drawing near,
the latter heard them. He does not deny the truth
of the commendation, and yet it can hardly be
on the other hand, that he accepts it. It isei
for him that he sees that he is discerned by one
whom he had not previously met, and what he
asks is, Whence gettest Thou Thy knowledge of
me? Who has told Thee anything about me? —
Jesus answered and said unto him. Before that
Philip called thee, when thou wast under the
fig tree, I saw thee. Jesus replies by referring
to a previous, probably recent, incident in his
history. The heart of the guileless man had been
so moved by the great thoughts stirring at that
time with respect to the Saviour at hand, that he
had retired under a fig tree to study the Scriptures,
01 meditate, or pray. It is this that (as the Greek
implies) is now brought to his recollection — not his
Galilee. On this day begins the journey consum-
mated at chap. ii. 1 (see note).— And he findeth
Philip ; and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.
The first two disciples had ' sought ' and ' followed '
Jesus ; then they had found Him. Now Tesus
(seeks and) ' finds ' Philip, and bids him follow
Him (compare the two parables in Matt. xiii. 44,
46). We are left to infer that the command was
immediately obeyed. The calling of Philip and
of Nathanael is recorded by John alone ; both
Matthew and Mark relate that Jesus called to
Him Andrew and Peter, James and John (Matt,
iv. iS-ja ; Mark i. 16-20; compare Luke v.
I-Il) ; but it will be remembered that this was a
second summons, later (by some months, probably)
than the events of which we are reading here.
Ver. 44. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, out of
the city of Andrew and Peter. This verse ap-
pears to be inserted for the purpose of clearly
showing that these three disciples were Galileans.
The next verse would lead to a similar inference
in regard to Nathanael, and this inference is con-
firmed by chap. xxi. 2. It is thus an undesigned
(but not the less striking) proof of the Johannine
authorship of this Gospel that a similar "statement
is not made with regard to the two disciples of
vers. 37-40. John is aware that he was him-
self well known to be a Galilean. In simple
consciousness that he was so, and that no one
would doubt it, he omits notice of the fact in his
own case and that of his brother. But he felt it
of importance to bring out the Galilean birth of
the others. We might have supposed them to be
Judeans ; but Judas is the only Judean of the
apostolic circle. The importance of the fact in
the mind of the Evangelist is connected with the
opinion entertained by him of ' the lews ' and of
'Judas.'
Ver. 45. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith
unto him. We have found him of whom Moses
in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of Joseph. It was in all proba-
bility on the journey from Bethany beyond Jordan
to Cana of Galilee that Jesus had ' found ' Philip.
As on the journey recorded in Luke xxiv. 13, the
conversation turned on the things concerning the
promised Saviour which were contained in ' Moses
and all the prophets ; ' and to this conversation the
particular form of conviction impressed upon the
mind of Philip was due. He does not speak of
Jesus simply as the Messiah (ver. 41), but as the
fulfilment of the law and the prophets. There is
an advance in fulness on the confession of ver. 41,
and the special character of the advance is import-
ant ; it helps to explain the words of the following
verse. There is nothing accidental in the finding
of Nathanael. Philip had gone in search of him
in particular. Can we doubt that it was because
he knew him to be specially fitted and ready to be
a follower of lesus?
Ver. 46. And Nathanael said unto Mm, Can
there any good thing come out of Nazareth?
Philip saith unto him, Come and see. The mind
of Nathanael (who, from his close association with
Philip, is probably to be identified with the Bar-
tholomew of the earlier Gospels) is, as we shall
more fully see below (vers. 47, 48), full at the
moment of that prophetic hope the fulfilment of
which was associated, not with Nazareth, but
with Bethlehem or Jerusalem. To him all good
was summed up in the thought of the coming
King ; and it may have been that at the moment
Chap. I. 35-51.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
*9
being under the fig tree, but his having gone under
it ; and we are thus rather invited than forbidden
to suppose that the emotions filling his heart at the
moment, and impelling him to seek solitude, had
been peculiarly strong. Then Jesus had seen
him, and had recognised in him one of His sheep,
just as His sheep recognise Him (x. 16). If the
incident had taken place in Nathanael's own Cana,
it must have been all the more striking to him that
it should thus be known. But, however this may
have been, these wonderful words of Jesus, coming
suddenly upon him after long preparation for
them and after the instructions just given him by
Philip, at once set his heart on fire, and drew from
him the memorable confession which follows.
Ver. ;o. Nathanael answered him. Rabbi, Thou
art the Son of God; Thou art King of Israel.
The confession is the highest that has yet been
made, fir it is impossible to understand ' Son of
God' as the simple equivalent of Messiah (see
note on ver. 34). Vet it is a confession coming
out of the very heart of Old Testament prophecy,
and to be accounted for by those circumstances of
Nathanael's past history and present position that
have been already noticed. It was not merely of
a great Deliverer that the prophets had spoken.
They had spoken not less of Jehovah Himself as
coming, and as coming to be their I deliverer and
their King. In the second Psalm, in particular,
we find the two ideas of the Son of God and of
Zion's King closely conjoined ; and in the seventy-
second Psalm the psalmist had described in glow-
ing language that kingdom of peace and righteous-
ness, extending over the whole earth, of which a
shadow and type were afforded by the reign of
Solomon. But if it be undeniable that these ideas
were imbedded in the Old Testament, there is
nothing inconceivable in their being gathered from
it and enunciated by those who in meditation and
prayer had caught its spirit. Add to this the self-
evidencing power of the Person of Jesus, which
must have been so much more to Nathanael than
the mere record can be to us, and we need not
wonder that he should thus acknowledge Jesus.
Nor is there any warrant for describing his feelings
as vague. What he did was to rise to the height of
Old Testament prophecy ; what he saw was that this
must be J ehovah that was to come, the universal King.
The three confessions have risen as they have
succeeded one another. Higher than the last they
cannot rise. The Lord Himself is come ; His
kingdom is without limit and without end.
Ver. 50. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the
fig tree, believest thou ? Thou shaltsee greater
things than these. An intimation of that growth
of divine revelation which this Gospel teaches us
shall be made the portion of all, — of some to an
ever-increasing fulness of blessing, of others to an
ever-increasing fulness of judgment. For the one,
see chap. xiv. 12; for the other, chap. v. 20.
These ' greater things ' are more particularly men-
tioned in the next verse.
Ver. 5 1 . And he saith unto him, Verily, verily,
I say unto you. This is the first occasion on
which we find the repeated ' Verily,' so charac-
teristic of the discourses related in this Gospel.
The formula is always employed to mark some
important step in a discourse, where the words of
Jesus either take some new start, or rise to some
higher stage. Both these conditions are fulfilled
in the verse before us. As to the first, it will be
observed that Jesus no longer addresses Nathanael
alone : the plural instead of the singular is used,
and we must understand that He is speaking to
all the disciples. As to the second, again, the
words of themselves suggest the higher
revelation promised. — Ye shall see Leaven open,
and the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of man. The figure is taken from
Jacob's dream (Gen. xxviii. 12). A wanderer
from his father's house and country, he is encou-
raged by a vision which teaches him that earth is
united with heaven, and that God's messengers
descend to minister to those who are the ob-
jects of God's care. If the ascent of the angels
is mentioned (in Gen. xxviii.) before the
this is because to Jacob is shown an intercourse
that already exists, not one that now begins. Some-
angels are already returning from earth, their
ministries accomplished. What Jacob saw in vision
is now in the highest sense fulfilled. There is
real and unceasing intercourse between earth and
heaven. It is to Jesus that the angels descend ; it
is from Him that they return to heaven ; through
His presence on earth this union between earth and
heaven exists. Even though He is in His state of
humiliation, it is His bidding that the angels do.
Perhaps it is this thought that accounts for the
mention (in this verse) of the ascending angels first.
These words have no direct reference to the angelic
visits received by Jesus at different points of His
earthly ministry; still less can we refer them to
miracles to be hereafter performed, great
than that displayed to Nathanael, miracles of
which the next chapter will furnish the first
example. We have simply a symbolical repre-
sentation of the fact that through the Incarnation
and sufferings of Jesus heaven is opened, is brought
into the closest and most constant communion
with earth, so that the latter is itself transfigured
with the glory of God's special abode. This inter-
pretation is confirmed by two circumstances men-
tioned in the verse: (i) Nathanael is
'heaven standing open,' — not 'opened' as if it
might again be closed, but opened so as to continue
open. It is the complete withdrawal of the inner
veil of the Tabernacle, so that all the children of
God, now made priests and high priests unto God,
even the Father, may pass freely into the innermost
sanctuary and out of it again without interruption
and without end. (2) Jesus speaks of Himself as the
'Son of man.' This important designation, often
used by Jesus of Himself, once only used of Him by
another (Acts vii. 56), is not, as some maintain, a
simple equivalent of 'Messiah.' It expresses
rather One in whom all that truly belongs to
humanity is realised, and by whom it is repre-
sented. Jesus is the Son of man, connected with
no special race, or class, or condition, equally
associated with all, equally near to all, in whom
all are equally interested, and may be equally
blessed. The designation is not a fourth confes-
sion, additional to the three that have been already-
made, for it comes from the lips of Jesus Him-
self. It is rather that in which all the confessions
meet, the expression of the Personality to which
they all belong. Jesus is the Incarnate Word, and
as such He is the ' Messiah,' the One 'of whom
Moses in the law and the prophets did write,' the
' Son of God and King of Israel.' Every child of
humanity, realising his true humanity in Him, has
as his own the blessings associated with these three
aspects of the Redeemer. He is anointed with the
-° THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. II. i-n.
Holy Ghost, lives in that love which is the fulfilling deed ' shall see in the new creation introduced by
of the law, is a son in the house of the Heavenly the ' Word become flesh,' and enlightened by the
Father.^ himself a king. These are the ' greater full brightness of that Light in whose presence old
things ' which every one who is an ' Israelite in- things pass away, and all things are made new.
Chapter II. i-n.
The Miracle at Cana of Galilee.
chap.
1 A ^^ t^le tk'rc' ^ay tnere was a marriage in "Cana of-
2 ^*- Galilee; and the 'mother of Jesus was there : And both -
-» T 1 111 ii-i'-i i * Chap. vi. 42,
3 Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And xix.26,27.
1,1 , . „ , _ c Chap, xix.26;
wiien tney wanted wine," the mother of Jesus saith unto him, comP th;>p
4 They have no wine. Jesus3 saith unto her, 'Woman, d what d 2 Sam- *»•
5 have I to do with thee? ''mine hour is not yet come. His ' Co'mp-chap.
mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, ™i-*>|.«i»
c J • A chap. xu. 23,
o do it. And there were set4 there six waterpots of stone, ^after5 *".'■ '•
the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing- two or ^Mark™^;
***■»«' o Luke xl 38 ;
7 three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water- chap- '"■ *5-
8 pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And
he saith unto them, Draw out6 now, and bear unto the
9 governor7 of the feast. And they bare it. When8 the ruler
of the feast had tasted *the water that was made wine, and^^p '"• *6
knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew9 the
water knew;) the governor7 of the feast called10 the bride-
10 groom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth
set forth good wine ; u and when men have well drunk,'2
then that which is worse : but" thou hast kept the good wine
11 until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus14 in Cana * chap. i. ,4,
of Galilee, and manifested forth15 his ''glory ; and his disciples *™«Vi*7';
believed on16 him. STJi. ap'
1 And Jesus also 2 And when wine was wanting 3 And Jesus
4 omit set 5 placed after G omit out 7 ruler
s But when 9 had drawn 10 calleth
11 Everyman first setteth on the good wine lL' men are drunken
13 omit but l4 This did Jesus as the beginning of his signs
15 omit forth ,i; in
1 ONTENTS. The general subject of the second chapters. The first is the day of the Baptist's in-
great division of the Gospel is continued in this terview, at Bethany, with the priests and Levites
section. It contains an account of the miracle sent from ferusalem (i. 19-2S). On the second
at Cana of Galilee, in which, as we arc told at (i. 29-34), John bears testimony to Jesus as the
ver. 11, Jesus 'manifested His glory.' The Re- Lamb of God. The third is the day on which
deemer is still in the circle of His disciples and the two disciples follow Jesus (i. 35-42). On the
friends, and there aie no traces of His approach- next day Jesus sets out for Galilee (i. 43). That
ing conflict with the world. Our thoughts are day, the next, and part of the third day may have
directed solely to Himself, and to the glorious been spent in travelling ; for, if Bethany was in
nature of that dispensation which He is to intro- the neighbourhood of Bethabara, and if tiic latter
''"!->'• may be identified with the modern Beit-nimrim,
\ er. 1. And the third day. The third day, as the distance traversed even to Vi areth must have
reckoned from the day last mentioned (chap, been more than eighty English miles. Very pos-
1. 43-5') ; die sixth day referred to in these sibly, however, Bethany may have lain farther
Chap. II. i-ii.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
north (see note on chap. i. 21). — There was a
marriage, or marriage-feast. The feast, which
was the chief constituent in the ceremonies attend-
ing marriage, extended over several days, — as seven
(Gen. xxix. 27 ; Judg. xiv. 12), or even fourteen
(Tobit viii. 19). — In Cana of Galilee. There is
a Kanah mentioned in the book of Joshua (xix.
28) as one of the towns in the territory of Asher,
situated near Zidon. This cannot be the place
referred to here. No other town of the same
name is mentioned by any sacred writer except
John (see references), who in every instance marks
the place as Cana of Galilee. From this many
have hastily inferred that ' of Galilee ' was part
of the name, distinguishing this village from some
other Cana, — perhaps from that mentioned above,
which (though really within the limits of Galilee)
lay near to Phoenicia. Two villages of Galilee
claim to be the Cana of this chapter, — Kefr-
Kenna, four or five miles north-east of Nazareth ;
and Khurbet-Kana, about eleven miles north of
the same place. The latter village is usually said
to bear the name Kana-el-Jelil (i.e. Cana of
Galilee) ; if so, and if the antiquity of the name
could be established, this might be decisive,
although even then it would be hard to under-
stand how Christian tradition could so long regard
Kefr-Kenna as the scene of our Lord's first miracle,
tt hen within a few miles there existed a place bear-
ing the very name found in the Gospel. The
question cannot be further discussed here : we
will only express a strong conviction that Kefr-
Kenna is the Cana of our narrative. It seems
probable that John himself has added the words
'of Galilee,' that he may lay stress upon the
province, not the town. To him the point of main
interest is, that this manifestation of the Saviour's
glory took place in Galilee. — And the mother of
Jesus was there, — already present as a friend,
possibly a relative. Mary comes before us twice
in this Gospel, at the commencement and at the
close of our Lord's public life (ii. I-II, and
xix. 25-27), and is also referred to in another
passage (vi. 42) ; but she is never mentioned by
name. As for his own name the Evangelist
always substitutes words expressive of relationship
to Jesus ('the disciple whom Jesus loved'), so
with him Mary's name gives place to ' the mother
of Jesus. ' Both here and in chap. xix. this de-
signation has special significance. It expresses
not only the light in which she appeared to John,
but that in which he knew that she appeared to
Jesus. It is essential to the spirit of the narrative
to behold in Jesus one who, with the warmest
filial affection, acknowledged Mary as His mother.
Thus only do we see the yielding of the very closest
earthly relationship to yet higher claims. The word
of Jesus, ' He that loveth father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me,' must in its spirit be
exemplified in His own case. Most fitting, there-
fore, is the use of the tenderest designation here.
All that is dear and sacred in the name of mother
was felt by Him in its deepest reality at the very
time when He showed that every earthly tie
must give way at the call of His Father in
heaven.
Ver. 2. And Jesus also was called, and his
disciples, to the marriage. The form of the
sentence shows that our chief attention is to be
fixed on Jesus, not on the disciples. They were
invited as His disciples. Those who came were
probably the live or six mentioned in chap, i., viz.
Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and
John himself (and probably James).
Ver. 3. And when wine was wanting. The
failure (which must be understood as complete)
may have been occasioned by the long continuance
of the festivities, but more probably arose from
the presence of several unexpected guests. — The
mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no
wine. Nothing was more natural than that Mary
should be the one to point out to her Son the per-
plexity of the family ; but the whole tenor of the
narrative compels attention to one thought alone.
The absolute singleness with which Jesus listens to
the voice of His heavenly Father is the point to
be brought out. Had it been consistent with His
mission to lend help at the summons of any human
authority, no bidding would have been so power-
ful as that of His mother. Many conjectures as to
Mary's object in these words are at once set aside
by the nature of His answer. There may have
been in her mind no definite idea of the kind of
help that might be afforded, but she felt that help
was needed, and that what was needed could be
given by her Son. The reply of Jesus, however,
shows that, besides perplexity and faith, there was
also presumption in Mary's words : she spoke as
one who still had the right to suggest and to influ-
ence His action.
Ver. 4. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman,
what have I to do with thee? The English
words convey an impression of disrespect and
harshness which is absent from the original. This
use of the Greek word for 'woman' is consistent
with the utmost respect. In Homer, for example
(Iliad, xxiv. 300), Priam thus addresses Hecuba, his
queen, and other examples of the same kind might
easily be given. This Gospel itself shows that the
word is not out of place where the deepest love
and compassion are expressed : see chap. xix.
26, xx. 13, 15. Vet the contrast of 'woman'
and ' mother ' must strike every one who reads
with attention. The relation of mother, how-
ever precious in its own sphere, cannot be allowed
to enter into that in which Jesus now stands.
John does not relate the incident recorded in
Matt. xii. 46-50; Mark iii. 31-35; Luke viii.
19-21 ; but the same thought is present here.
Still more distinctly is this lesson taught in the
words that follow, ' What have I to do with
thee ? ' The rendering defended by some Roman
Catholic writers (though not found in the Vulgate,
or in the Rhemish Testament of 1582), 'What is
that to thee and me?' — that is, 'Why should we
concern ourselves with this failure of the wine?'
— is altogether impossible. The phrase is a com-
mon one, occurring in Judg. xi. 12; 2 Sam.
xvi. 10, xix. 22 ; I Kings xvii. iS ; 2 Kings
iii. 13; 2 Chron. xxxv. 21 ; Matt. viii. 29;
Mark i. 24, v. 7 ; Luke iv. 34, viii. 28 : comp.
also Josh. xxii. 24; 2 Kings ix. iS; Ezra iv. 3;
Matt, xxvii. 19. These passages show beyond
doubt the meaning of the words : whoever makes
use of the phrase rejects the interference of another,
declines association with him on the matter
spoken of. Hence the words reprove, — though
mildly. They do more ; in them Jesus warns
even His mother against attempting henceforth to
prescribe or suggest what He is to do. Thus
understood, the words are an irresistible argument
against the Mariolatry of Rome. — Mine hour is
not yet come. In two other places in this Gospel
Jesus refers to the coming of ' the hour ' (xii. 25,
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
[Chap. II. i-i i.
wii. I ) ; and three times John speaks of His hour
as not yet come (vii. 30, viii. 20) or as now come
(xiii. 1). The other passages throw light on this,
showing the peculiar solemnity which belongs to
the words before us. In every instance ' the hour '
is fraught with momentous issues: — 'the hour'
when the restraint put upon His foes shall continue
no longer ; when He shall pass away from the world
to His Father ; when He shall be glorified. So
here the hour is that of the manifestation of His
glory. The language used in chap. xiii. I and
xvii. I, together with the general leaching of the
Gospel, shows that the hour is not self-chosen, but
i, thai appointed t>y the bather. lie came to do
the will of Ilim that sent Him, the appointed
work at the appointed time. That time none may
hasten or delay by a single instant. If, then, the
miracle quickly followed upon these words, which
would seem to have been thecase, this can present
no difficulty ; the Son waited for the very moment
chosen by the Father's will.
Ver. 5. His mother saith unto the servants,
Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. The
answer of Jesus (ver. 4) plainly implied that His
hour would come. Mary, therefore, turns to the
servants, and bids them be ready. The words are
indefinite, and we have no right to suppose either
that she now looked for miraculous help, or that
she had received some private intimation of her
Son's purpose. She waits for the 'hour:' what-
soever the hour may bring, let the servants be
prepared to do His bidding. Mary here retires
from the scene.
Ver. 6. And there were there six waterpots
of stone, placed after the manner of the purify-
ing of the Jews, containing two or three firkins
apiece 1 he waterpi its were near at hand, — in the
court or at the entrance to the house, not in the
house itself. Considering the many washings and
purifyings of the Jews, there is nothing to surprise
us in the number or in the size of the waterpots.
Even a small family might easily possess six, and
when the number of guests was large, each of
them v> ould naturally be in use. There is much
uncertainty as to the value of Hebrew measures,
whether of length or of capacity. Most probably
the measure here mentioned was equivalent to
between eight and nine of our imperial gallons,
50 that the ' firkin ' of our version is not far wrong.
If each waterpot contained two ' firkins ' and a
half, the whole quantity of water would be
about 130 gallons. — On the words, 'of the Jews,'
see the note on chap. i. 19. Even here the phrase
is not without significance. When we have set
11: Ives free from our prevailing habit of using
this term simply as a national designation, we
cannot but feel that the Evangelist is writing of
that with which he has entirely broken, and is
characterizing the ordinary religion of his day as
one that consisted in ceremonies and external
purifications.
Ver. 7. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the
waterpots with water. Probably they were
now empty, perhaps in consequence of the
ablutions before the feast. — And they filled
them up to the brim. And when they are
thus filled, nothing more can be done to fit
them for their original design. They are able
to furnish all that can be supplied for 'the puri-
fying of the Jews.'
Ver. 8. And he saith unto them, Draw now,
and bear unto the ruler of the feast. As the
words are commonly understood, the servants are
bidden to bring to the table (in smaller jars or
bowls) part of the contents of the larger vessels,
which were themselves too unwieldy to be moved
without difficulty. If this be the meaning, we
must still ask, What was it that was drawn, water
or wine? Many will answer wine, believing that
the point at which the miracle is effected comes in
between the seventh and eighth verses, and that
all the water in the vessels was then made wine.
The strong argument in favour of this interpreta-
tion is the exactness with which the number and
size of the vessels are specified ; and no diffi-
culty need be found in the abundance of the
supply. 'He, a King, gave as became a king'
(Trench). Still there is nothing in the text that
leads necessarily to this interpretation ; while
the language of ver. 9, ' the servants which had
drawn the water,' distinctly suggests that what
they drew was water, which, either as soon as
drawn, or as soon as presented to the guests,
became wine. But there is yet another explana-
tion (suggested in Dr. Weslcott's Characteristics
of the Gospel Miracles, p. 15), having much in its
favour. The Authorised Version (ver. 8) gives the
command to the servants as ' Draw out now,' etc.,
plainly implying that it was out of the waterpots
that they were bidden to draw. But the original
word is simply 'draw,' or 'draw water.' This
would seem to suggest that the servants were sent
again to the spring or fountain from which they
had drawn the water to fill the waterpots. First,
the vessels set for the purifying of the Jews are
completely filled. Nothing is neglected that can
be needed to prepare for all ceremonial require-
ments. There the water rests, and rests unchanged.
Not till now is the water drawn for the thirsty
guests, in bowls filled, not from vessels of purifica-
tion, but at the spring itself; it is borne to the ruler
of 1 he feast, and it is wine I The decision between
the last two interpretations must be left with the
reader ; it will probably rest less on the word of
the narrative than on the view which is taken of
the significance and meaning of the miracle. See
below on ver. 11. — By 'the ruler of the feast' is
meant either an upper servant, to whom was
intrusted the duty of tasting the different drinks
and articles of food, and, in general, of superin-
tending all the arrangements of the feast ; or one
of the guests acting as president of the feast, at the
request of the bridegroom or by election of the
The latter view is favoured by our know-
ledge of Jewish usages (comp. Ecclus. xxxii. 1, 2),
and by the fact that the ruler is spoken of as
distinct from the servants, and, as the next verse
shows, was ignorant of the source from which the
wine was supplied.
Vers. 9, 10. In these verses we have the testi-
mony borne to the completeness of the miracle.
The ruler of the feast, a guest speaking as the re-
presentative of the guests, calling the bridegroom
(who supplied the feast, and in whose house they
were), emphatically recognises the excellence of
the wine, not knowing 'whence h was.' ' From
whatever source this may have come, it is wine,
ami good wine :' this is his witness. ' Whatever it
may be, it has but now (lowed from the spring as
water,' is the unexpressed but implied testi
of the servants. The simplicity of the double
witness gives it its force ; the guests as yet know
nothing of the miracle, and thus afford the strongest
evidence of its truth. An attempt is sometimes
Chap. II. 12-22.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
made to soften down an expression used by the
ruler of the feast, ' when men are drunken.' There
need, however, be no scruple as to giving the
word its ordinary' meaning. The remark docs but
express his surprise at the bridegroom's departure
from the ordinary custom, in bringing in so late
wine of such excellence as this. The common
maxim was that the best wine should be given
first, when it could be appreciated by the guests ;
the weak and poorer when they had drunk more
than enough, and the edge of their taste was
blunted. No answer is recorded, — a plain proof,
were any needed, that the Evangelist values the
incident not so much for its own sake as for the
lesson it conveys.
Ver. 11. This did Jesus as the beginning of
his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his
glory ; and his disciples believed in him. This,
I lis first sign, was wrought in Galilee, where Isaiah
1 ix. 1, 21 prophesied that Messiah's work should
begin. The threefold comment of the Evangelist
is of the utmost importance. This was a sign,
and His first sign ; in it He manifested His glory ;
His disciples believed in Him. ' Sign ' is one of
John's favourite words. Of the three words used
m the New Testament to denote a miracle, the
first (literally meaning 'power') is not once found
in his Gospel ; the second ('prodigy,' 'wonder')
occurs once only (iv. 4S) ; the third, 'sign,' as
many as seventeen times. The earliest use of
'sign' in connection with a miracle is in Ex.
iv. 8, and the context makes the meaning very
clear : the miracle was the sign of an invisible
Divine Presence with Moses, and hence it at-
tested his words. Thus also, when the manna
was given, the miracle manifested the glory of the
Lord (Ex. xvi. 7). The miracles of Jesus, and all
His works, manifested not only God's glory (viii.
50), but His own : they were signs of what He is.
This gives a new starting-point. Each miracle is
a sign of what He is, not only in regard of the
power by which it is wrought, but also by its
own nature and character, — in other words, it is
a symbol of His work. The words which John
23
adds here once for all are to be understood with
every mention of a 'sign,' for in every miracle
Jesus made manifest (removed the veil from) His
glory, revealed Himself. Two other passages com-
plete the view which John gives us of his mean-
ing. Of the 'signs' he says himself: 'These
(signs) are written that ye may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God, and that bclievii g
ye may have life in His name.' Of the glory he
says : ' We beheld His glory, glory as of an only-
begotten from a father.' First, then, this miracle
attested the mission of Jesus as the Chr^t ; the
miracle established, as for Moses so for Him, the
divine commission, and ratified His words. Next,
it revealed His own glory as Son of God, mani-
festing His power, in a work as sudden and as
inexplicable as a new creation ; and not only His
power but His grace, as He sympathizes alike with
the joys and with the difficulties of life. Further,
the miracle brought into light what He is in His
work. The waterpots filled full for the purifying
of the Jews stand as an emblem of the religion of
the day, nay, even of the ordinances of the Jewish
religion itself, ' carnal ordinances imposed until
a time of reformation.' At Christ's word (on one
view of the miracle) the water for purifying is
changed into wine of gladness : this would point
to Judaism made instinct with new life. On the
other view, nothing is withdrawn from the use to
which Jewish ritual applies it, but the element
which could only minister to oirtward cleansing
is transmuted by a new creative word. ' The law
was given through Moses : grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ.' The object of all the signs
(xx. 31) was answered here in the disciples. They
had believed already that He was Christ, the Son
of God (i. 41, 49) ; they now believed in Him, —
each one ' throws himself with absolute trust
upon a living Lord,' recognising the manifestation
of His glory. The miracles in this Gospel, like
the parables in the other Gospels, are a test of
faith. They lead onward the believer to a deeper
and a firmer trust ; they repel those who refuse to
believe.
Chapter 1 1.
The Transition to the Public Ministry, and the Cleansing of the Temple.
12 A FTER this he went down to "Capernaum, he, and his
■£*- mother, and ^his brethren,1 and his disciples : and they
continued 2 there not many days.
13 And 'the Jews' ^passover3 was at hand, and Jesus went
14 up to Jerusalem/ 'And5 found in the temple6 those that sold
oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting :
1 5 And when he had made a scourge of small cords,7 he drove
them all out of the temple,6 and the sheep, and the oxen ; and
poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables ;
1 his mother and brethren 7 abode 3 passover of the Jews 4 .
1 And he 6 temple-courts ? And making a scourge of cords
a Chap. iv. 46,
vi. 17,24,59-
0 bee chap
vii. 3
c Chap. v. 1,
vii a, xi. ss,
XIX 42.
» Ver. 23; chap.
vi. 1, xi. 55.
xyiii '28, 39,'
xix. 14.
e Comp. Matt.
24 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap.
1 6 And said unto them that sold doves,8 Take these things hence ;
17 make not ^my Father's house an house of merchandise. And9 fs
his disciples * remembered that it was written, *The zeal of thine
18 house hath eaten10 me up. Then answered the Jews11 and h
said unto him, 'What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that12 '
19 thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them,
* Destroy this temple, and 'in three days I will raise it up.'
20 Then said the Jews,13 Forty and six years was this temple in
21 building, and wilt thou rear" it up in three days? But he
22 spake of m the temple of his body. When therefore he was »•
risen 15 from the dead, his disciples " remembered that he had lt «
said this unto them;17 and they believed "the scripture, and "
the word which Jesus had said.
8 the doves a omit And 10 shall eat u The Jews therefore answered
12 because 13 The Jews therefore said H raise
16 raised 16 omit had 17 omit unto them
Luke ii. Vj
Luke xxiv.
Ps. lxix. 9.
See chap, v
30.
Mark xiv.
58, xv. 29.
Matt. xii. 4
Comp. Col
See chap.
Contents. In the passage before us we have
the first section of the third great division of our
Gospel. Jesus leaves the circle of His disciples,
and begins His public work. This is done at
Jerusalem, after a few days spent in Capernaum.
In the metropolis of Israel He appears as the Son
in His Father's house ; and in the cleansing of the
old temple and the promise of the raising up of a
new one He illustrates the nature of the work He
is to do. The first symptoms of opposition accord-
ingly appear in this passage. Jesus is rejected by
the theocracy of Israel, and the foundation is laid
for His entering upon wider fields of labour. The
subordinate parts of this section are — (1) ver. 12 ;
(2) vers. 13-22.
Ver. 12. After this he went down to Caper-
naum. Nazareth, not Cana, would appear to be
the place from which Jesus 'went down' (from
the hill-country of Galilee, — comp. chap. iv. 47,
49, 51) to Capernaum, for His brethren, who are
not said to have been with Him in Cana, are now
of the company. All that can be said with cer-
tainty as to the position of Capernaum is, that it
was situated on the western coast of the Lake ot
Gennesaret, not far from the northern end of the
lake ; whether the present Tell Hum or (less prob-
ably) Khan Minyeh be the site, we cannot here
inquire (see note on Matt. iv. 13). We have here
the earliest appearance of this busy and thriving
Galilean town in the history of our Lord's life.
The visit related in Matt. iv. 13 and Luke iv. 31
belongs to a later period than this, a period subse-
quent to the imprisonment of John the Baptist
(see chap. iii. 22). Luke's narrative, however
(chap. iv. 23), contains an allusion to earlier
miracles in Capernaum. Whether reference is
made to this particular visit (which, through the
nearness of the passover, was of short duration)
or not, it is interesting to note that the two
Evangelists agree in recording a residence of
Jesus in this town earlier than that brought
into prominence in Matt. iv. 13. In the Fourth
Gospel Capernaum occupies a very subordinate
place ; the centre of the jiu/ian ministry was
Jerusalem. — He, and his mother and brethren,
and his disciples. In his usual manner John
divides the company into three groups, naming
separately Jesus, Flis relations by natural kindred,
His disciples. The brethren of Jesus were James,
Joses(orjoseph), Simon, and Judas (Matt. xiii. 55;
Mark vi. 3). In what sense they are called
'brethren,' whether as the sons of Joseph and
Mary, as sons of Joseph by an earlier marriage, or
as sons of Mary's sister ('brother' taking the
meaning of near kinsman), has been a subject of
controversy from the third century to the present
day. It is impossible to discuss the question
within our limits, though something further must
be said when we come to later chapters (vii., xix.).
Here we can only express a very decided convic-
tion that the last mentioned of the three opinions is
without foundation, and that the ' brethren ' were
sons of Joseph, their mother being either Mary
herself or, more probably, an earlier wife of Joseph
(comp. note on Matt. xiii. 5S). This verse alone
might suggest that the brethren were not disciples,
and from chap. vii. 5 we know that they were not.
Ver. 13. And the passover of the Jews was at
hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. The
expression, 'passover 0] the Jews,' is very remark-
able, and can be explained only by the usage
already noticed in ver. 6. To John's mind the
nation cannot but present itself habitually as
in opposition to his Master. As yet, indeed,
Jesus is not confronted by an organized band of
adversaries representing the ruling body of the
nation ; but we are on the verge of the conflict,
and the conflict itself was only the outcome of
ungodliness and worldliness existing before their
manifestation in the persecution of Jesus. The
light was come, but it was shining in dark-
ness : this darkness rested on what had been the
temple, the city, the festivals, of tiie Lord. The
feast now at hand is not 'the Lord's passover'
(Ex. xii. 11), but 'the passover of the Jews.' The
prevailing spirit of the time has severed the feast
from the sacred associations which belonged to it,
so that Jesus must go up rather as Prophet than as
worshipper, — not to sanction by His presence, but
powerfully to protest against the degenerate wor-
ship of that day. The word of prophecy must be
fulfilled : ' And the Lord whom ye seek shall sud-
Chap. II. 12-22.! THE GOSI'EL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
25
denly come to His temple, . . . but who may abide
the day of His coming?' (Mai. iii. I, 2).
Ver. 14. And he found in the temple-courts
those that sold oxen and sheep and doves. The
scene of tiiis traffic was the outer court, commonly
spoken of as the court of the Gentiles, but known
to the Jews as ' the mountain of the house.' This
court (which was on a lower level than the inner
courts and the house or sanctuary itself) occupied
not less than two-thirds of the space inclosed by
the outer walls. Along its sides ran cloisters
or colonnades, two of which, ' Solomon's porch '
on the east, and the ' Royal porch ' on the south,
were especially admired : to these cloisters many
of the devout resorted for worship or instruction,
and here, no doubt, our Lord often taught (chap.
x. 23). In strange contrast, however, with the
sacredness of the place was what He now ' found
in the temple-courts.' At all times, and espe-
cially at the passover, the temple was frequented
by numerous worshippers, who required animals
that might be offered in sacrifice. The law pre-
scribed the nature of each sacrifice, and enjoined
that all animals presented to the Lord should be
'without blemish' (Lev. xxii. 19, 20), — a require-
ment which ' the tradition of the elders ' expanded
into minute detail. Hence sacrifice would have
been well-nigh impossible, had not facilities been
afforded for the purchase of animals that satisfied
all the conditions imposed. The neighbouring
quarter of the city naturally became a bazaar for
the purpose ; but unhappily the priests, yielding to
temptations of gain, had suffered such traffic to be
carried on within the precincts of the temple itself.
At what period this abuse took its rise we do not
know. Some have supposed that the last words
of Zechariah (chap. xiv. 21) refer to similar prac-
tices, the verse being rendered : ' In that day there
shall be no more the trafficker in the house of the
Lord of hosts.' The book of Nehemiah shows
examples of the spirit of disorder and irreverence
from which such usages naturally spring ; and the
representations of Malachi make it easy to under-
stand that the priests would be only too readily
accessible to the allurements of a gainful traffic.
In the court of the Gentiles, then, stood those wdio
offered for sale oxen and sheep, — also doves (for
the poor, Lev. xiv. 22, and for women, Lev.
xii. 6). The wording of this verse ('those that
sold,' etc.) shows that the trade was now an
established custom. The discordance between a
cattle-mart and a place for sacred worship and
converse need not be drawn out in detail. But this
was not all. — And the changers of money sitting
— at their tables in the sacred place. The annual
tribute which every man of Israel was bound to
pay to the temple treasury could be paid only in
the half-shekel 'of the sanctuary' (see Matt. xvii.
24-26). All who came from other lands, there-
fore, or who had not with them the precise coin,
must resort to the exchangers, who (as we learn
from the Talmud) were permitted to do their
business in the temple during the three weeks
preceding the passover. Their profits (at a rate of
interest amounting to ten or twelve per cent.)
were very great.
Ver. 15. And making a scourge of cords, he
drove them all out of the temple-courts, and the
sheep and the oxen. The scourge was made for
the expulsion of the animals, but by it Jesus also
declared His purpose to the traders themselves.
The words show distinctly that it is with the men
that He is dealing; but He drives them from the
sacred place by banishing the instruments and
means of their unholy traffic. In a figurative
sense Messiah was said to come armed with a
scourge. ' Rabbi Eliezer was asked by his dis-
ciples : How should a man live to escape the
scourge of the Messiah? He answered : Let him
live according to the law and in love towards men.'
— And poured out the changers' money, and
overthrew the tables — the counters on which the
bankers placed their heaps of change.
Ver. 16. And said unto them that sold the
doves, Take these things hence ; make not my
Father's house an house of merchandise. We
must not suppose that the sellers of doves were
more leniently dealt with. The oxen might be
driven away, the tables overturned, but the cages
of birds must be carried out by their owners :
hence it is to these alone that Jesus directly
addresses words which were really spoken to all,
and which explained his action. Any zealous
reformer, who understood the faith of Israel,
might have done as much : indeed, the first treatise
in the Talmud contains regulations for the due
reverence of the temple which utterly condemn
such profanations as are related here. But though
the action of Jesus might imply no more, His words
declare that He vindicates the honour of His Father's
house. Thus He at once honours His Father and
declares Himself. He offers Himself to Israel as
the Son of God. In this deed, as in all His acts
and words (comp. Matt. xiii. 11-15), there is a
mingling of revelation and reserve : the declara-
tion of Sonship is combined with an act which no
true Israelite could fail to approve. Those who,
yielding to the impulse of right, and listening to
the voice of conscience, accepted the act, would
be led to ponder the words ; in them would be
fulfilled the promise, 'To him that hath shall more
be given.' Those who hardened their heart against
the act lost the revelation which was given with it,
and were in danger of losing all. — John does not
speak of the cleansing of the temple as miracu-
lous, but the Saviour's words themselves mark it
as a ' sign ; ' and it is only by thinking of a divine
awe attending the words (comp. chap, xviii. 6) that
we can explain the immediate submission of the
traffickers. The following verses describe the
twofold effect of the act of Jesus on the disciples
and on 'the Jews. '
Ver. 17. His disciples remembered that it
was written, The zeal of thine house shall eat
me up. Clearly (from the contrast with ver. 22)
they remembered this scripture at that time. The
quotation is from Ps. lxix. , a psalm which is
several times referred to in the New Testament.
See Rom. xv. 3, xi. 9, 10; Acts i. 20 (perhaps
John xv. 25) ; and comp. Ps. lxix. 21 with the
accounts of the crucifixion. We have no record
of the interpretation of this psalm by Jewish
writers in a Messianic sense, but New Testament
usage can leave no doubt that such an application
of many verses is both allowable and necessary.
What was true of the devout and afflicted Israelite
who wrote the words was true in the fullest sense
of the Servant of Jehovah, of whom all such faith-
ful servants were imperfect types. The exact
meaning of the words here quoted will best appear
if we take the whole verse : ' The zeal of Thine
house consumed me : and the reproaches of them
that reproached Thee fell on me.' The parallelism
of the lines shows that the chief antithesis lies in
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. II. 12-22.
26
the pronouns. Dishonour shown to God has been
felt by the psalmist as a cruel wrong to himself.
' Zealous indignation for Thine house, inspired by
the sight or news of unworthy treatment of Thine
house, consumed me, — so to say, destroyed my very
life.' The quotation is not exact ; what in the
psalm is past is here future : ' shall eat me up. ' An
examination of other passages will show that, where
John uses tin words 'it is written,' he does not
necessarily imply that the quotation is made with
literal exactness. Had we the past, 'consumed,'
we might be led to think of the inward consuming
of holy zeal from which resulted this act of indig-
nation ; the future, 'will eat me up,' brings us
nearer to what we have seen to be the meaning of
the passage in the psalm. His zeal for His Father's
house will devour His very life — will bring
destruction in its train.
Ver. 18. The Jews therefore answered. The
effect on the disciples has been related ; what will
be the response of the rulers to the self-revela-
tion 01" Jesus ? The word 'therefore' answers to
ihe Evangelist's knowledge of the fact. Their
position of inward antagonism is present to his
thought, though it has not yet found expression
in their deeds. And said unto him, What sign
shewest thou unto us because thou doest these
things?— This answer (replying to the act rather
than the words) is in the tone of indignation, not
of sincere inquiry : ' Because Thou doest these
things Thou art bound to show a sign, a sign
that shall justify such actions.' The effectual
cleansing was the 'sign,' but as such they would
net receive it. Their question is a token of the
failure (so far as the nation was concerned) of the
manifestation which Jesus had given of Himself as
Hon of God. Both in the question and in the
response of our Lord we have a clear parallel in
the earlier Gospels : see Matt. xii. 38-40.
Ver. 19. Jesus answered and said unto them,
Destroy this temple. The most important point
for the understanding of this verse is the distinc-
tion between the two words which the English
Bible renders 'temple.' The word used in vers.
14 and 15 denotes generally the whole area within
the walls, and here especially the outermost space
in the sacred enclosure; while the latter signifies
the holy place, and the holy of holies. The
sanctity of the temple-court has been vindicated ;
the true temple, the sanctuary, the dwelling-place
of Jehovah, has not been mentioned in the
narrative until now. But even this very signi-
ficant change of expression would not render the
meaning plain, for the words were intended to
lie enigmatical — to be understood after, and not
before, the event which fulfilled them. If we
would understand them, we must take them in
connection with ver. 21, 'But He spake of the
'emple of His body.' To the English reader
they seem merely to convey a warning that, if the
lews go on with such profanation as that which
lesus had checked, they will bring the temple to
ruin. But it is of the sanctuary that He speaks,
not of the temple-court which had sustained the
desecration. When therefore He says, ' Go on in
your present way, and by so doing destroy this
temple,' He means that their rejection of Him-
self shall culminate in their consigning to destruc-
tion the temple of 1 1 is body. The essence of the
temple is, that it is the dwelling-place of God :
His body is God's temple, for in Him ' dwelleth all
th.e fulness of the Godhead bodily.' The material
temple had been for ages the type of His body, in
which God first truly manifested Himself to man.
The continuance of the temple was no longer
needed when the living temple was reared ; but
it was by the destruction of the latter that the
destruction of the former was brought about, —
its destruction, that is, as the dwelling-place of
God. In the holiest place, behind the veil, •
Jehovah had dwelt : when the Lord Jesus was
crucified, the veil was rent, the holy of holies was
thrown open, and by being thrown open was
mi to be God's habitation no longer. Our
Lord therefore might well use words which relate
at once to His body and to the temple, such being
the connection between the two. And in three
days I will raise it up. — His crucifixion in-
volved the total destruction of the Jewish temple
and polity. No longer will there be a special
place in which God's glory will be revealed, to
which God's worshippers will come, — a place in
which are national distinctions, a court of the
1 lentiles, a court of Israel, a court of the priests.
His resurrection vi ill establish a new temple, a new
order of spiritual worship. He Himself, as raised
and glorified Messiah, will be the Corner-stone of
a spiritual temple, holy in the Lord. This is one
of the many passages in the Gospel which show
to us how perfectly all the future of His history
was anticipated by our Lord (see chap. iii. 14,
etc.). There is no real difficulty in the words, ' 1
will raise it up;' chap. x. 17, 18, furnishes a
complete explanation.
Ver. 20. The Jews therefore said, Forty and
six years was this temple in building, and wilt
thou raise it up in three days? They answei
only by another question,— not an inquiry, but
really an indignant and scornful rejection of His
words. It was at the close of the year 20 B.C. or
the beginning of 19 B.C. that Herod the Great
began the rebuilding of the temple. The temple
itself was completed in eighteen months ; the ex-
tensive buildings round it required eight years
more. So many additions, however, proved neces-
sary before the work could be regarded as finished,
that the final completion is assigned by Josephus
to the year 50 A.D., seventy years after the com-
mencement of the undertaking, and but twenty
years before Jerusalem was destroyed. The ' forty
and six years ' bring us to the year 28 a.d. It is
perhaps strange that the Jews should associate the
long term of years with the rebuilding of the sanc-
tuary and not the temple as a whole ; it is, how-
ever, very likely that, at all events, the ornamenta-
tion of this building might still be incomplete.
Moreover, in their indignant rejoinder to the say-
ing of Jesus, they not unnaturally take up the very
term which He had used, even though it applied
in strictness only to the most sacred portion of the
structure.
Ver. 21. See above on ver. 19.
Ver. 22. When therefore he was raised from
the dead, his disciples remembered that he said
this. Again (as in ver. 10) we are struck by the
suddenness with which the narrative breaks off.
It has been related mainly to bring out the rejec-
tion of Jesus by the Jews ; the Evangelist pauses
upon it only for a moment to speak of the effect
on the disciples, as after the former miracle he
records that the ' disciples believed in ' Jesus (ver.
1 1). We do not find the same statement here, but
are told (comp. chap. xii. 16) that the words which
battled the Jews were mysterious to the disciples
Chap. II. 12-22.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
likewise. Whilst, however, the Jews rejected the
'hard saying,' the disciples 'kept all these things
and pondered them in' their 'heart,' not under-
standing them until the prophecy was fulfilled.
This record of words not understood at the time,
even by the inner circle of the followers of Jesus,
is a striking indication of the simple truthfulness
of the narration (comp. ver. n). And they
believed the Scripture and the word which
Jesus had said. — The recollection of the words
after the resurrection led the disciples (we cannot
doubt that John is speaking chiefly of his own
experience) to a fuller and richer faith in ' the
scripture ' and ' the word ' of Jesus. The ' word '
must be that of ver. 19 ; but it is not so easy to
explain 'the scripture.' It cannot mean the ( >M
Testament as a whole, for in this sense John always
uses the plural, 'the Scriptures.' It would be
easier to suppose that the Evangelist has in mind
some passages of the Old Testament predictive of
the resurrection [e.g., from Ps. xvi.; Isa. liii.; Hos.
vi.), or the rebuilding of the true temple (Zech. vi.
12-15). "- however, we include several passages,
the difficulty in the use of the singular remains as
before; and if we seek for a single prediction, we
cannot meet with any one that agrees so closely
with our Lord's saying as to be thus definitely
pointed out as ' the scripture.' We seem bound to
refer the word to the only ' scripture ' that (ver.
17) has been quoted in the context, Ps. Ixix. 9.
This verse, speaking of the consuming and of its
cause, formed the groundwork of the first part of
our Lord's saying (' Destroy this temple'). Hence
this passage of the psalm and ' the word which Jesus
had said ' form one whole, and as such are men-
tioned here. The disciples, guided to deeper faith
by that which was at the time wholly mysterious
(and which was a 'stone of stumbling' to those who
believed not), recognised the fulfilment of Old
Testament prophecy and of the prediction of Jesus
Himself in the death and resurrection of their Lord.
Thus in the first scene of His public ministry,
we have Jesus before us in the light in which the
whole Gospel is to present Him, at once the cruci-
fied and the risen Lord.
The whole narrative lias been subjected to keen
scrutiny both by friends and foes, but its import-
ance has hardly yet been properly acknowledged.
A few words must still be said as to its relation to
the other Gospels, and as to its place in this.
Each of the earlier Gospels records a cleansing
of the temple, accomplished, however, not at the
outset but at the close of our Lord's public mini-
stry, on the Monday (probably) preceding the
crucifixion. To some it has seemed altogether
improbable that there should have been two acts
of precisely similar character at the extreme points
of the official life of our Lord. But is the character
of the two the same ? We would not lay too much
stress on some of the differences of detail, for appa-
rent divergences sometimes present themselves in
connection with narratives which no one would be
inclined to explain as relating to different events.
There are, however, not a few touches in the
account before us which show the hand of an eye-
witness ; — such as the making of the scourge of
cords, the scattering of the money of exchange,
27
the words addressed to the sellers of doves alone,
the form of the rebuke, the conversation with the
Jews, the incidental notice of the forty-six years (a
statement which only elaborate calculation shows
to be in harmony with independent statements
of another Evangelist). Finally, there is the
remarkable perversion before Caiaphas of the
words regarding the rebuilding of the temple, on
which nothing contained in the earlier Gospels
throws any light, and which (especially as given
in Mark xiv. 58) bears all the marks of having
been exaggerated in the popular mind through
lapse of time. Such considerations as these seem
to show that, if the cleansing can have occurred
once only, its place in the history is that assigned
by John. But is it really at all improbable that
two cleansings should have taken place, sepa-
rated by such an interval of time as the Gospel
narrative presupposes? No one will think that
the action of our Lord, as here related, would
put an end to the traffic, when this very narrative
brings before us an official challenge of His
authority so to act. At the last Passover Jesus
would find the temple-court as much the scene
of worldly trading as it was at the first. Did
He then, it will be asked, condone the evil when
in intervening years He went up to the same
feast ? This question must be met by another :
Have we reason to believe that Jesus attended
any other Passover than these two ? The least of
chap. v. I was in all probability not a Passover,
and at the Passover mentioned in vi. 4 He certainly
was not present. If then he attended two Pass-
overs only, is it at all improbable that on the
second occasion, as on the first, He would vindi-
cate the purity and sanctity of the temple ?
The purpose, too, of the two cleansings is
different. At the close of His ministry He is
hailed as King of Israel, and He indignantly
expels from God's house those who practically
denied to Gentiles any share in that place of
prayer. Now He acts as the Son of God, offer-
ing Himself in this character to rulers and to
people, that they may acknowledge His Sonship
and obey His word. ' He came unto His own
home,' His home as Son, 'and they that were
His own received Him not.' This is the turning-
point of His ministry : henceforth He is the re-
jected of the Jews. This is the significance of
the narrative before us. The cleansing and the
mysterious words spoken by Jesus (ver. 19) are
alike 'signs.' The first was a sign of His Son-
ship, a sign which they refused to accept. That
refused, He gives the second ; just as, when the
Pharisees asked of Him a sign from heaven, He
refused to give any save the sign of the prophet
Jonah. If they will not listen to the former, the
latter alone remains. He would have renewed
the life of the temple, but they would not have
it so. Let them, then, go on in their ways, and
destroy the temple ; let them go on in their re-
jection of Him, and destroy His life. The result
will be the raising of a spiritual temple which
shall be none of theirs — a temple in which God
Himself shall dwell, manifested to all men in the
Son.
2S THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. II. 23-III. 21.
Chapter II. 23— III. 21.
The Conversation with Nicodcmits.
23 "N T OW when he was in Jerusalem at the " passover, in the«Ver. 13.
IN feast day,1 many b believed in his name, when they2 saw JSeechap.
24 the miracles3 which he did. But Jesus did not commit4 him- 'John v. 13.
25 self unto them, because5 he 'knew all6 men, And7 needed c<^*%-%--£3
not that any should testify of man : for he knew what was in S^.*'1*27'
man.8 r.v.T^ :
1 There'1 was a man of the Pharisees, named d Nicodemus, a Luke vS'.' 39!
2 '' ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus10 by night, and fsam.°xn!
said unto him, f Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come ,/ cLpCvi!'. 24'
from God :" for s no man12 can do these miracles13 that thou t.[i]
3 doest, except /: God be with him. Jesus answered and said %', 4see"'
unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be /chap. j. 38.'
4 ' born again,14 he cannot see the * kingdom of God. Nicodemus * 16,^3".™"
- 1 1 ■ T T 11 1 1 • 1 1 1 ^' ACtS X. 38.
saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old ? can iChap.i. ,-,■.
he enter the15 second time into his mother's womb, and be Tit.'m.'s:'
las. i. iS
5 born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except iPet.i.3,*3;
a man be16 born of water and of the Spirit,17 he cannot enter iii. 9, iv. 7, '
6 into the * kingdom of God. That which is '
is flesh ; and that which is ls born of the Spirit 19 is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.2"
8 The wind bloweth 21 where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound22 thereof, but canst not tell23 whence it cometh, and
whither it goeth : so is every one that is !i born of the Spirit." '
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things
10 be ? 2fl Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master87
1 1 of Israel, and knowest 28 not these things ? Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that 2 ' we
12 have seen ; and 'ye receive not our witness. If I have30 told iver.32.
you earthly31 things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, i. iSjProv.
13 if I tell you of heavenly things?32 And "''no man hath « Chap. 'vi. 38
ascended up to33 heaven, but " he that came down from34 heaven, 3' ; tph. i»
9, 10.
1 at the feast - omit when they 3 beholding his signs 4 trust
s on account of u his discerning all 7 And because he
8 should bear witness concerning a man ; for he himself discerned what was
in the man
9 And there 10 to him n thou art come from God, a teacher
12 no one 1S signs 14 any one have been born anew Ks a
10 any one have been '" of water and spirit ls hath been
10 or spirit 20 anew 21 breatheth 22 voice
23 but knowest not 24 hath been ->5 or spirit
26 come to pass 27 Thou art the teacher 28 perceivest thou
'-"■' that which we know and bear witness of that which
30 omit have 31 the earthly "- if I tell you the heavenly things
33 And no one hath ascended up into heaven r'A out of.
Chap. II. 23-III. 21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 29
14 even3" the " Son of man which is in heaven.36 And 'as Moses ; ^m.' ixl'?.
lifted up37 the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son tvers.'X-t'
15 of man be q lifted up:37 That r whosoever believeth s in him lV£vl
should not perish, but3" have 'eternal life. j£L'.";.2S'
16 For "God so loved "the world, that he gave his ""only *seK&,'*t.4,
begotten Son, that whosoever 3'J believeth in him should" not ^jihn'v. h.
17 * perish, but have everlasting41 Life. 'For God sent not his42 ch"P: w! V,
Son into the world to condemn43 the world; but that the "■'^.^'•47!
18 world through him might 44 be saved. * He that believeth on " j&»* s°T '
him is not condemned:40 but47 " he that believeth not is con- J^1™'1-'2-
demned48 already, because he hath not believed in the name « Rom. v. 8,
19 of™ the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condem- f*jJM;
nation, * that " light is come into the world, and men loved ^*,»: '
darkness rather than light,50 because their deeds were evil."1 ■§£$,)£*
20 For every one that doeth52 evil hateth the light, neither ^w-^g
21 cometh53 to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.64 But 'g^*^'
he that doeth truth55 cometh to the light, that his deeds 50 " <£**■ xvi-
may be made manifest, that they are57 wrought in God. iuS&"w
chap. i. 5,
35 omit even. 96 omit which is in heaven ™- "• ™;s
37 lifted on high 33 that every one that believeth may in him xx'vi. is ;
30 every one that t0 may " eternal 42 the ROT.jdii.12;
43 that he may judge "may ls in 40 judged , ThJs.V.
47 omit but 48 hath been judged 4:l is the judgment, because the 4, 5 ; 1 Pet.
50 the darkness rather than the light 51 for their works were wicked
52 committeth 63 and he cometh not 54 works should be convicted chap. ix. 5.
55 the truth 56 works " because they have been
Contents. It is of much importance to keep sought to purify himself and his house for the great
the closing verses of chap. ii. in close connection festival that was now approaching. The words
with the opening verses of chap. iii. (see the com- would also point to our Lord's observing the feast
mentary on iii. 1). Rejected by the theocracy of Himself. It is noticeable that we do not here read
Israel Jesus turns to individuals, but these are not ' the Passover of the Jews : ' the desecration of the
confined to Israel. The woman of Samaria and festival has been condemned in one of its manifes-
the king's officer of Galilee are beyond the theo- tations, but the festival itself is honoured. John
cratic pale. Nicodemus, however, who is first gives us no particulars of the ' signs ' which Jesus
introduced to us, does belong to the chosen people ; did ; comp. chaps, xxi. 25, vi. 4, and several
and the conversation of Jesus with him, as it leads passages in the earlier Gospels (e.g. Mark i. 34,
him from an imperfect to a perfect faith, illustrates vi. 55, 56). The signs attested His words, which
the power which Jesus, though rejected by Israel were the description of His 'name' (see chap. 1. 12.1,
and doomed to die, shall exercise over the hearts and, beholding the signs, many became believers
of men. The subordinate parts of this section in His name, accepting Him as being in truth what
aro_(i) ii. 23-25; (2) iii. 1-15; (3) iii. 16- He declared Himself to be. The faith was real but
21. not mature ; its imperfection is illustrated in the
Ver. 23. Now when he was in Jerusalem at next verse.
the passover, at the feast, many believed in his Vers. 24, 25. But Jesus did not trust himself
name, beholding his signs which he did. In unto them on account of his discerning all men,
this verse we pass from the public presentation of and because he needed not that any should bear
lesus to the people and ' the 1 e« s ' in the house of witness concerning a man ; for he himself dis-
His Father to His more private ministry in Jerusa- cerned what was in the man. The effect pro-
lem : rejected as the Son of God, He continues His duced upon Jesus Himself by this imperfection of
work as a Prophet, doing many 'signs,' and by faith is described in very remarkable language,
these leading many to faith in His mission. The Many ' believed in His name,' and so took the first
time spoken of is still the season of the Passover, step towards that surrender of the heart to Him
The remarkable repetition, ' at the Passover, at the which in ver. 1 1 we read of as made by His dis-
feast,' may probably be intended to direct our ciples. Had hey thus fully trusted themselves to
thoughts especially to the very night of the paschal Him, then would He have trusted Himself to them.
supper. If so, the purification of the temple may This is one of the illustrations of the teaching, so
have fallen at the very time when every Israelite characteristic of the Fourth Gospel, with regard to
5°
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. II. 23-III. 21.
the union and communion of Jesus with His people ;
if they abide in Him, He abides in them. That
these ]« lievers have not reached such maturity of
faith Jesus Him ell ■>< cems. No witness from
am ither is needed by Him, for the thoughts of every
man with whom He speaks are 'naked and opened'
unto Him. The words of John do not in their
literal sense go beyond this ; but, in declaring that
Jesus read the heart of all who came to Him, they
imply that other truth with which the rendering in
our Bibles has made us familiar : ' He knew what
was in man.1
Ver. 1. And there was a man of the Phari-
sees, named Nicodenius, a ruler of the Jews.
That this verse does not begin a new section is
clearly shown by the first word ' And,' which
links it with the last chapter; another indication
of the same kind is seen when the true leading is
restored in ver. 2 (' to Him ' for ' to Jesus '). A
closer examination will show that the connection
thus suggested is really very close and important.
In chap. ii. 24, 25, a very marked emphasis is laid
on ' man ; ' the same word and thought are taken
up in this verse. Ver. 2 of this chapter brings
before us a belief agreeing in nature and ground
with that spoken of in chap. ii. 23, 24. The last
thought of chap. ii. is powerfully illustrated by the
answers which Jesus returns to the thoughts of
Nicodemus. Clearly, then, John means us to
understand that out of the many who ' believed
in the name ' of Jesus was one deserving of special
attention, not merely as representing a higher
class and special culture, but chiefly because,
brought by the signs to a degree of faith, he was
desirous of knowing more; and our Lord's deal-
ings with Nicodemus show how He sought to lead
all who were so prepared to a deeper knowledge
and higher faith. The name Nicodemus is found
in the Talmud, as a Hebrew surname borne by
a Jew, a disciple of Jesus, whose true name was
Bonai. There is nothing to show that the persons
are identical, and on the whole it is more probable
that they are not. It is most natural to regard the
name Nicodemus as Greek, not Hebrew ; compare
' Philip ' (chap. i. 43). Nicodemus is described as
a Pharisee (see notes on chaps, i. 24, vii. 32), and
as ' a ruler of the Jews,' — i.e., a member of the San-
hedrin (comp. chap. vii. 50), the great council of
seventy-one which held supreme power over the
whole nation. In other passages John uses 'ruler '
in this sense (see vii. 26, 48, xii. 42) ; here only
does he join with it the words 'of the Jews.' The
added words (see chap. i. 19) show that Nicodemus
stood connected with that body which was ever
present to John's thought as the assemblage >l
those who represented the self-seeking and formal-
ism which Jesus came to subvert. The elements
of hostility already existed, though the open con-
flict had in it yet begun (see chap. ii. iS). It is
not easy always to define the relation between
' the Pharisees ' and ' the Jews,' as the two terms
are used by John ; for under the latter designa-
tion the leaders of the Pharisees would certainly
be included. The former perhaps usually brings
into prominence teaching and principles ; the
latter points rather to external action. The Phari-
sees took alarm at the new doctrine, the Jews
resented the new authority. Nicodemus is not free
from the externalism and prejudices of his class,
but his candour and his faith stand out in wonder-
ful contrast to the general spirit evinced by the
and the Jews.
Ver. 2. The same came to him by night.
Chap. xix. 38, 39, seems clearly to show that the
motive of Nicodemus in thus coming by night was
the same as the cause of Joseph's secret disciple-
ship — the 'fear of the Jews.' That he himself was
one of ' the Jews ' only makes this explanation
more probable. We cannot doubt that he came
alone; whether Jesus also was alone, or whether
John or other disciples were present at the inter-
view, we cannot tell.
And said unto him, Eabbi, we know that
thou art come from God, a teacher. Every word
here is 1 if importance. On Rabbi see the note,
chap. i. 38. We may be sure that a member of
the sect that carefully scrutinised the Baptist's
credentials (chap. i. 19-24) would not lightly
address Jesus by this title of honour, or acknow-
ledge him as Teacher. But the words ' Thou art
come from Cod' will appear even mote significant,
if we keep in mind that the most familiar designa-
tion ui tlie Messiah was ' the coming One,' 'He
that should come.' The appearing of the Baptist
quickened in the minds of ' all men ' (Luke iii. 15)
the recollection of God's great promise ; and the
signs lately wrought by Jesus in Jerusalem may
well have excited in the mind of this Pharisee
hopes which find a hesitating expression in his
words. No ordinary prophet would have been
thus acknowledged as one 'come from God.' At the
very least, the confession assigns tojesus a supreme
authority as Teacher. The confession of Nico-
demus was made in the name of others besides
himself. ' We know ; ' — others amongst the
Pharisees, perhaps already others amongst the
rulers (chap. xii. 42), had reached the same point.
No doubt the number was but small, too small to
make confession easy, or to banish the very natural
fear of the Jews which brought Nicodemu
by night.
For no one can do these signs that thou
doest except God be with him. Nicodemus
acknowledges the works to be 'signs ' (rrot so the
Jews, chap. ii. iS), and he shows that in him the
signs had precisely answered the designed end.
The faith indeed which rested on these alone was
imperfect, but it was faith ; more could be gained ;
the faith could be educated, raised higher, and
made more complete. How truly this faith has
been educated will be shown when (chap. xix. 39)
it shall come forth in honour of that cruci-
fied Redeemer who is here to be proclaimed (ver.
14). Such education, however, can be effected
only by tire word of Je^is, leading to fellowship
with Himself. For this word Nicodemus now
comes. In reading the following verses we must
bear in mind that, as Jesus would train and
strengthen the faith of Nicodemus, it is the weak
side of this faith that is kept in view ; but the
Saviour's acceptance of the faith as real is plainly
1 in the openness and unreservedness of
the teaching He vouchsafes. Many have pointed
out the contrast between this discourse and those
related in the other Gospels; but had there been
no difference between discourses delivered In the
half-instructed excitable multitudes of Galilee and
those intended fur a 'teacher of Israel,' the
apparent agreement would have been a discord
which no argument could explain away (see
Introduction).
Ver. 3. Jesus; answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except any one
have been horn anew, he cannot see the Icing-
CHAP. II. 23-III. 21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
domofGod. Jesus answers his thoughts rather
than his words, but the connection between the
address ami the answer is not hard to find. John
the Baptist had familiarised all with the thought
that tin- kingdom of God was at hand, that the
reign of the Messiah, so long expected, would
soon begin. Whatever meaning may be assigned
to the words of ver. 2, we may certainly say that
every thoughtful Jew who believed what Nico-
demus believed was ' waiting for the kingdom
of God.' But the Pharisee's conception of the
Messianic promise was false. In great measure,
at least, his ' kingdom of God ' was outward and
carnal, not inward and spiritual, — a privilege of
birth, belonging of right to Israel. This false con-
ception Jesus would at once correct, and the gravity
of the error is reflected in the solemnity of the lan-
guage, 'Verily, verily, I say unto thee.' — 'Any
one. ' This more literal rendering is necessary here
because of the next verse. Our Lord says simply
anyone. Nicodemus brings in the word 'man,'
to give more expressiveness to his reply.
' Have been born anew.' It has been, and still
is, a much controverted question whether the Greek
word here used should be rendered again, or anew,
\bove. 'Again' is certainly inadequate ; for,
tin lugh the word may denote beginning over again,
commencing tlie action afresh, it cannot express
mere repetition. Much may be said in favour of
the third rendering, 'from above.' This is the
undoubted meaning of the same word as used below
(ver. 31); and a similar idea is expressed in the
passages of the Gospel (chap. i. 13) and First Epistle
of John (chap. ii. 29, v. 1, etc.) which speak of
those who are begotten of God. It may also be
urged that, as Christ is 'He that cometh from
above' (ver. 31), those who through faith are one
with Christ must derive their being from the same
source, and may well be spoken of as ' born from
above.' Notwithstanding these arguments, it is
probable that anew is the true rendering. Had
the other thought been intended, we might surely
have expected 'of God' instead of 'from above.'
The correspondence between the two members of
the sentence would then have been complete ; only
those who have been bom of Cod can see the king-
dom of God. Further, born (or begotten) of God is
a very' easy and natural expression, but this can
hardly be said of born (or begotten) from above:
' coming from above ' is perfectly clear ; ' born
from above ' is not so The chief argument, how-
ever, is afforded by the next verse, which clearly
shows that Nicodemus understood a second birth
to be intended. But the words 'except any one
have been born from above' would not necessarily
imply a second birth. The Jews maintained that
they were born of God (see chap. viii. 41), and
would have had no difficulty whatever in believing
that those only who received their being from above
could inherit the blessings of Messiah's kingdom.
Our Lord's words, then, teach the fundamental
truth, that not natural birth, descent from the stock
of Israel, but a second birth, the being begotten
anew, a complete spiritual change (see ver. 5),
admits into the kingdom of God.
On the general expectation of a king and a
kingdom, see chap. i. 49. It is remarkable that
the kingdom of God is expressly mentioned by
John in this chapter only (compare, however, chap,
xviii. 36). — ' Cannot ' is by no means the same as
'shall not.' It expresses an impossibility in the
very nature of things. To a state of outward earthly
3'
privilege rights of natural birth might give admit-
tance. In declaring that without a complete inward
change none can possibly see (have a true percep-
tion of) ' the kingdom of God,' Jesus declares the
spiritual character of His kingdom. In it none
but the spiritual can have any part.
Ver. 4. Nicodemus saith unto him. How can
a man be born when he is old ? can he enter a
second time into his mother's womb, and be born ?
These are the words of a man amazed beyond
measure. Jesus has read his thoughts, and the
answer to his unspoken question has come with
the suddenness and surprise of a thunderbolt. The
solemn emphasis laid on the words ' born anew
forbids his thinking of a mere figure of speech,
and apparently banishes from his mind the Old
Testament expressions which approach the same
truth (see ver. 5). The privilege which he attached
to natural birth within the bounds of Israel is torn
away by a in in 1 ; the ' an)' 1 me ' of our Lord's answei
makes all men equal ; and the prize which seemed
almost within his grasp is given to every one who
has been born anew. In his bewilderment he sees
no meaning in the words of Jesus, except they be
understood physically of a second natural birth ;
and the evident impossibility of this he expresses
in the very strongest terms.
Ver. 5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except any one have been born ot
water and spirit, he cannot enter into the king-
dom of God. The answer is a stronger affirmation
of the same truth, with some changes of expressioc
which made the words no easier of acceptance,
save as the new terms might awaken echoes of Old
Testament language, and lead the hearer from the
external to an inward and spiritual interpretation.
The first words have given rise to warm and
continued controversy. Many have held that the
birth ' of water and spirit ' can only refer to Chris-
tian baptism ; others have denied that Christian
baptism is alluded to at all. The subject is very
important and very difficult. Our only safety lies
in making the Evangelist his own interpreter. We
shall repeatedly find, when a difficulty occurs, that
some word of his own in the context or in some
parallel passage brings us light. (1) First, then
as to the very peculiar expression, ' of water and
spirit.' We cannot doubt that this is the true ren-
dering ; no direct reference is made as yet to the
personal Holy Spirit. The words ' water and
spirit ' are most closely joined, and placed under
the government of the same preposition. A
little earlier in the Gospel (chap. i. 33) we find
the same words — not, indeed, joined together a'
here, but yet placed in exact parallelism, each
word, too, receiving emphasis from the context.
Three times between chap. i. 19 and chap. i. ^
John speaks of his baptism with water ; twice there
is a reference to the Spirit (i. 32, 33) ; and in ver.
33 John's baptizing with water and our Lord's
baptizing with ' holy spirit ' (see the note) stand
explicitly contrasted. It is very possible that this
testimony was well known to others besides John's
disciples, to all indeed in Judea who were roused
to inquiry respecting the Baptist and his relation
to Jesus. (2) It is possible that the Jews of that
age may have been familiar with the figure of a
new birth in connection with baptism. It is con-
fessedly difficult accurately to ascertain Jewish
usages and modes of thought in the time of our
Lord. The Talmud indeed contains copious stores
of information, but it is not easy to distinguish
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. II. 23-III. 21
32
between what belongs to an earlier and what to a
later age. We know that converts to the Jewish
religion were admitted by baptism to fellowship
with the sacred people. The whole terror of the
law would suggest such a washing when the un-
cleanness of heathenism was put off, and hence no
rite could be mure natural. Vet we have no cer-
tain knowledge that this was practised so early as
the time of our Lord. There is no doubt that, at
a later date, the proselyte thus washed or bap-
tized was spoken of as bom again. Here again,
therefore, we have some confirmation of the view
that in the words before us there is in some soil
a reference to baptism, — at all events, to the bap-
tism of John. (3) But what was John's baptism?
We see from chap. i. 25 how peculiar his action
appeared to the rulers of the people. Even if
proselytes were in that age baptized, a baptism that
invited all, publican and Pharisee alike, would but
seem the more strange. John's action was new and
startling ; and from chap. i. 21-25 i' appears that
the leaders of Jewish thought beheld in it an im-
mediate reference to the time of Messiah. It
seems very probable that John's baptism was
directly symbolic, a translation into visible symbol
of such promises as Ezek. xxxvi. 25, which looked
forward to the new spiritual order of which he was
the herald. To the sprinkling with clean water,
the cleansing from all filthiness, of which Ezekiel
speaks, answers closely John's ' baptism of repent-
ance for the remission of sins ' (compare also Ezek.
xxxvi. 31). To the promise which follows, 'A
new spirit will I put within you. ... I will put
my spirit within you,' answers just as closely John's
testimony to Jesus, ' He it is that baptizeth with
holy spirit.' (4) The two contrasted elements in
the baptisms of chap. i. ^ are — (a) the covering
and removal of past sin ; and (/') the inbreathing
of a new life. In that verse ' holy spirit ' is the
gift and not the Giver. The Giver is the Holy
Spirit ; but the gift, that which is the essential
element in the new baptism, is the bestowal of
'holy spirit,' the seed and the principle of a holy
spiritual life. (5) These two elements were con-
joined in the Christian baptism instituted after-
wards : the cleansing of forgiveness through Christ's
death and the holiness of the new life in Christ are
alike symbolized in it. Here, therefore, our Lord
says that no man can enter into the kingdom of
God unless he have been born anew, the elements
of the new birth being the removal by cleansing of
the old sinful life, and the impartation by the Holy
Spirit of a new holy principle of life. — If this view
of the words is correct, there is error in both ex-
tremes of which mention has been made. There is
no direct reference here to Christian baptism ; but
the reference to the truths which that baptism
expresses is distinct and clear.
Ver. 6. That which hath been horn of the flesh
re flesh, and that which hath been born of the
Spirit is spirit. In the last verse was implied the
law that like is produced from like, since the pure
and spiritual members of God's kingdom must be
born of water and spirit. Here this law is ex-
pressly stated. Flesh produces flesh. Spirit pro-
duces spirit. Thus the necessity of a new birth is
enforced, and the ' cannot ' of ver. 3 explained.
It is not easy to say whether ' flesh,' as here used,
definitely indicates the sinful principles of human
nature, or only that which is outward, material,
not spiritual but merely natural. The latter seems
more likely, both from the context (where the con-
trast is between the natural and the spiritual birth)
and lrom John's usage elsewhere. Though the
word occurs as many as thirteen times in this
Gospel (chap. i. 13, 14, vi. 51, 52, etc., viii. 15,
xvii. 2), in no passage does it express the thought
of sinfulness, as it does in Paul's Epistles and
in 1 John ii. 16. Another difficulty meets us in
the second clause. Are we to read ' born of the
Spirit ' or ' of the spirit ' ? Is the reference to the
Holy Spirit Himself, who imparts the principle of
the new life, or to the principle which He im-
parts,— the principle just spoken of in ver. 5, ' of
water ami spirit ' ; It is hard to say, and the dif-
ference in meaning is extremely small ; but when
we consider the analogy of the two clauses, the
latter seems more likely. — There is no reference
here to ' water ; ' but, as we have seen, the water
has reference to the past alone, — the state which
gives place to the new life. To speak of this would
be beside the point of the verse now before us, which
teaches that the spiritual life of the kingdom of
God can only come from the new spiritual principle.
Ver. 7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye
must be born anew. Nicodemus had no doubt
shown by look or exclamation his astonishment at
hearing such words, containing so strange a view
of the kingdom of God and the conditions on which
it could be entered. The use of ' marvel ' in
other passages would seem to show that in this
Gospel the word indicates much more than amaze-
ment. It is certainly not the astonishment of
admiration, but incredulous and sometimes angry
surprise. Our Lord's teaching had set at nought
the accepted teaching of Israel, thoughts and hopes
to which Nicodemus had long and firmly clung,
and his heart rebels. Our Lord, according to His
wont, does but the more emphatically affirm the
truth at which Nicodemus stumbled. ' Ye must
be born again : the necessity is absolute. Before,
He had spoken of ' any one, ' leaving the application
to His hearer ; now, as Nicodemus had said ' We
know, ' Jesus says 'Ye must, ' — even ye who
possess the treasures of Israel's learning, and
whom the signs are guiding to the King of Israel,
' ye must be born again : ' ' Marvel not at this.'
Ver. 8. The words of this verse point out to
Nicodemus wliy he must not thus ' marvel ' at the
new teaching, — must not cast it away with in-
credulous surprise. Nature itself may teach him.
In nature there is an agent whose working is
experienced and acknowledged by all, while at the
same time it is full of mystery ; yet the mystery
makes no man doubt the reality of the working.
The wind breatheth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not
whence it cometh and whither it goeth. From
the beginning the wind seems to have been the
divinely-intended witness and emblem in the
natural world of the Spirit of God. Evei present,
it bore a constant witness. A commentator
(Tholuck) has conjectured that, whilst Jesus spoke,
there was heard the sound of the wind as it swept
through the narrow street of the city, thus furnish-
ing an occasion for the comparison here. Ii may
well have been so ; every reader of the Gospels
may see how willingly our Lord drew lessons from
natural objects around Him, Such a conjecture
might help to explain the abruptness with which
the meaning of the word is changed, the very same
word which in vers. 5 and 6 was rendered spirit
being now used in the sense of wind.
but the abruptness of this transition needs any
Chap. II. 23-III. 21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
33
explanation. The appointed emblem teaches the
lesson for which it was appointed. The choice of
terms (breatheth, iisteth, voice) shows that the wind
is personified. It is perhaps of the gentle breeze
rather than of the violent blast that the words
speak (for the word pnenma is used with much
more latitude in the Greek Bible than in classical
Greek) ; in the breath of wind there is even more
mystery than in the blast. Thou hearest its voice,
it is present though invisible ; thou feelest its
power, for thou art in its course ; but where the
course begins, what produces the breath, — whither
the course is tending, what is the object of the
breath, — thou knowest not. Nicodemus, unable
to question this, would remember Old Testament
words which spoke of man's not knowing ' the
way of the wind ' as illustrating man's ignorance
of the Creator's works (Eccles. xi. 5).
So is every one that hath been born of the
Spirit. As in the natural, so is it in the spiritual
world. The wind breatheth where it Iisteth ; the
Spirit breatheth where He will. Thou hearest the
sound of the wind, but canst not fix the limits of
its course, experiencing only that thou thyself art
in that course : every one that hath been born of
the Spirit knows that His influence is real, ex-
periencing that influence in himself, but can trace
His working no farther, — knows not the beginning
or the end of His course. Our Lord does not
speak of the birth itself, but of the resulting state.
The birth itself belongs to a region beyond the
outward and the sensible, just as none can tell
whence the breath of wind has come.
It ought perhaps to be noted before leaving this
verse, that many take the first part of the verse as
having reference to the Spirit, not the wind :
' The Spirit breatheth where He will, and thou
hearest His voice, but knowest not whence He
cometh and whither He goeth ; so is every one
that hath been born of the Spirit.' The chief
arguments in favour of this translation are the
following: — (i) It does not involve a sudden tran-
sition from one meaning to another of the same
Greek word. (2) On the ordinary view there is
some confusion in the comparison : the words are
not, ' The wind breatheth where ... so is the
Spirit;' but, ' The wind breatheth where . . . so is
every one that hath been born of the Spirit? These
two arguments have substantially been dealt with
above. As to the first point — the sudden transition
from the thought of spirit to that of its emblem in
nature — perhaps no more need be said. The
second argument has not much real weight. The
language is condensed, it is true, and the words cor-
responding to the first clause (' The wind bloweth
where it Iisteth') are not directly expressed, but
have to be supplied in thought. The chief com-
parison, however, is between the 'thou' of the first
member and the ' every one ' of the second, as we
have already seen. On the other hand, the diffi-
culties presented by the new translation are serious,
but we cannot here follow them in detail.
Ver. 9. Nicodemus answered and said unto
him, How can these things come to pass ? The
tone of this answer is very different from that of
verse 4. Here, as there, the question is, How can
. . . ? But there the added words show that
the meaning is, ' It is impossible ' (comp. Luke
i. 18) ; whereas in this verse the chief stress lies
on the first word ' How ' (comp. Luke i. 34).
The offended astonishment of Nicodemus (ver. 7)
has yielded to the words of Jesus. He now under-
vol. 11. x
stands that Jesus really means that there is such a
thing as a new spiritual birth, in contrast with that
natural birth which had ever seemed to him the
only necessary condition of entrance into the
kingdom of Messiah. Still, as ver. 12 shows,
the victory over unbelief is not yet complete.
Ver. 10. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Thou art the teacher of Israel ; and perceivest
thou not these things ? The question which ex-
pressed the bewilderment of Nicodemus is answered
by another question. He has assumed the office
of teacher, teacher of God's people Israel, and yet
he does not recognise these truths. ' Israel ' is a
word used only four times in this Gospel, and
never without special meaning. We have seen its
significance in i. 31 and 49; and chap. xii. 13 is
similar. The only remaining passage is that before
us. No word so clearly brings into view the
nation of God's special choice. The name carries
us back from a time of degeneracy and decadence
to past days of hope and promise. It was to
Israel that God showed His statutes and His
judgments (Ps. cxlvii. 19), and this thought is
very prominent here. Of Israel thus possessed of
the very truths to which Jesus had made reference
(see above, on ver. 5) Nicodemus is ' the teacher.'
It is not simply ' a teacher,' though it is not very
easy to say what the presence of the article denotes.
It is possible that Nicodemus occupied a superior
position, or was held in especial honour amongst
the doctors of the law ; or the words may merely
imply that he magnified his office and was proud
to be teacher of God's people. Surely from him
might have been expected such knowledge of the
Scriptures and insight into their meaning that the
truth of the words just spoken by Jesus would at
once be recognised. For our Lord does not say
' and knowest not ; ' Nicodemus is not blamed for
any want of previous knowdedge of these things,
but because he does not perceive the truth of the
teaching when presented to him, — and presented,
moreover, by One whose right to teach with
authority he had himself confessed. It will be
observed that Jesus does not answer the ' How '
of the preceding question ; that had been answered
by anticipation. In ver. 8 Jesus had declared that
the manner must be a mystery to man, whereas
the fact was beyond all doubt. The fact was
known to every one that had been born of the
Spirit, but to such only. Hence in the following
verse we have a renewed and more emphatic
affirmation of the truth and certainty of what has
been said. If Nicodemus would really know the
fact, it must be by the knowledge of experience. —
He appears no further in this narrative. The last
words have reduced him to silence, — thoughtful
silence, we cannot doubt, — but have not brought
him to complete belief.
Ver. n. Verily, verily, I say unto thee. These
words form the solemn introduction to a new
division, a higher stage, of the discourse. The
connecting link between vers. 10 and II is
reproof. The last verse laid stress on the know-
ledge which should have prepared the teacher of
Israel for the reception of the word of Jesus ; in
this the emphasis lies on the dignity of the Teacher
whose word he had been so slow to receive.
We speak that which we know, and bear wit-
ness of that which we have seen. The sudden
transition to the plural ' we know ' is remarkable.
We cannot suppose that our Lord here joins with
Himself the prophets of the Old Covenant, ur
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. II. 23-III. 21.
34
John the Baptist, or that He is speaking of the
testimony of the Father and the Holy Spirit. The
key to the plural is found in ver. 8. Every one
who dwells in the spiritual world of which Jesus
has been speaking is a witness to its reality and its
wonders. Here then Jesus associates with Him-
self in this emphatic testimony all who have been
born of the Spirit. It is further to be observed that
the change of expression is peculiarly appropriate,
since he is about to pass away from the direct
address to Nicodemus himself, and to speak
through him to the class to which he belonged.
Nicodemus had at first said ' we know ' (ver. 2),
as representative of others like-minded with him-
self, who by the signs had been led to faith in the
name of Jesus, but were ignorant of His spiritual
work, [csus now contrasts with these another
class, consisting of all who from their own experi-
ence could join Him in His testimony to the
reality of the spiritual kingdom. The words of
Jesus in chap. ix. 4 are equally remarkable in their
association of His people with Himself. — The two
parallel members of this verse bring the truth
expressed into bold relief. The words closely
correspond (knowing to sneaking, seeing to bearing
witness), while there is at the same time an ad-
vance in the thought, since bearing witness rises
above speaking, and we have seen is more expres-
sive than we know. In ver. 8, where the wind
was taken as the emblem of the Spirit, the sense
which bore witness was that of hearing. This
verse speaks of something more convincing still,
the sense of sight.
And ye receive not our witness. To such say-
ings of his Master we may trace the mournful
reflections which are again and again made by the
Evangelist (see i. 11, iii. 32, xii. 37). Though the
reference is to a class ('ye receive '), yet the words
seem to imply that some unbelief still lingered in
the heart of Nicodemus himself.
Ver. 12. If I told you the earthly things, and
ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you
the heavenly things ? Here our Lord returns to
the singular, ' I told ; ' for He is not now speaking
of the witness of experience, but of instruction
which He Himself had personally given. It seems
hardly possible, however, that our Lord simply refers
to words just spoken. In saying ' If I told you the
earthly things, and ye believe not, ' He plainly refers
to unbelief after instruction, — unbelief which in-
struction failed to remove. But if Nicodemus
came alone (and there is no doubt that he did), he
alone had received this last instruction. Others
might be described as unbelievers, but not as re-
maining in unbelief after having heard the teach-
ing concerning the new birth. We are compelled,
therefore, to suppose that our Lord spoke generally
of previous discourses to the Jews, and not specifi-
cally of these His latest words.
But what are the earthly and the heavenly
things? Many answers have been given which
are little more than arbitrary conjectures. Again
the Evangelist must be his own interpreter. As in
the next verse 'heaven' is not used figuratively,
it cannot be maintained that ' heavenly ' is figura-
tive here. The words ' earthly ' and ' heavenly '
must have their simple meaning, ' what is upon
earth,' 'what is in heaven.' The things that
are in heaven can only be made known by Him
who has been in heaven ; this is suggested by the
connection between this verse and the next.
When we come to the last section of the chapter,
we shall find that it contains (in some degree) a
comment upon these verses. Now there (in ver.
32) we read of Him ' that cometh out of heaven,'
who ' bears witness of what He has seen and
heard,' — who being sent from God ' speaketh the
words of God ' (ver. 34). But this same comment
takes note of the converse also. Contrasted with
Him who comes from heaven is ' he that is out of
the earth' and 'speaketh out of the earth ' (ver.
31). Combining these explanatory words, we may
surely say that ' the heavenly things ' are those
truths which He who cometh from heaven, and He
alone, can reveal, which are the words of God
revealing His counsels by the Divine Son now
come. The things on earth, in like manner, are
the truths whose home is earth, so to speak, which
were known before God revealed Himself by Him
who is in the bosom of the Father (chap. i. iS).
They are 'earthly,' not as belonging to the world
of sin or the world of sense, but as being things
which the prophet or teacher who has never as-
cended into heaven, but whose origin and home
are the earth, can reach, though not necessarily by
his own unaided powers. In His former discourses
to the Jews, Jesus would seem not to have gone
beyond the circle of truth already revealed. Even
in His words to Nicodemus He mainly dwells on
that which the Scriptures of the Old Testament
had taught ; and He reproves the teacher of Israel
who did not at once recognise His words, thus
founded on the Old Testament, as truth. The
kingdom of God, the necessity of repentance and
faith, the new heart, the holy life, the need at once
of cleansing and of quickening — these and other
truths, once indeed inhabitants of heaven, had
long been naturalised on earth. Having been
revealed, they belonged to men, whereas the
secret things belong unto the Lord (Deut. xxix.
29). Those of whom our Lord spoke had yielded
a partial belief, but the ' believing ' of which
He here speaks is a perfect faith. Nicodemus
was a believer, and yet not a believer. If
some of the truths hitherto declared had been so
imperfectly received, though those who were
mighty in the Scriptures ought to have recognised
them as already taught, almost as part of the law
that was given through Moses (chap. i. 17), how
would it be when He spoke of the things hitherto
secret, coming directly out of the heaven which He
opens (comp. chap. i. 5:), and for the first time
revealed in Him, — part of the 'truth' that 'came
through Jesus Christ'? (chap. i. 17). — It will be
seen, then, that the truth of ver. 5 would seem to be
placed by Jesus rather amongst the ' earthly ' than
amongst the ' heavenly ' things. Of some of the
heavenly things He proceeds to speak (vers. 14, 15).
Ver. 13. And no one hath ascended up into
heaven, but he that came down out of heaven,
the Sou of man. The connection is this : ' How
will v believe if I tell you the heavenly things?
And it is from me alone that ye can learn them.
No one can tell the heavenly things unless he has
been in heaven, and no one has been in heaven
and come down to earth save myself.' Repeatedly
does our Lord in this Gospel speak of His coming
down out of heaven (vi. 33, 3S, etc.), using the
very word that we meet with here ; and hence it
is impossible to give the phrase a merely figurative
sense. He came forth from the Father, and came
into the world (xvi. 2S), that He might declare
the Father (chap. i. iS) and speak unto the world
what He had heard from Him (chap. viii. 26).
Chap. II. 23-1 1 1. 2i.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
But this requires that we take the other verb
' hath ascended up ' in its literal sense, and then
the words seem to imply that Jesus had already
ascended into heaven. ' Hath ascended up ' cannot
refer to His future ascension ; and there is no
foundation for the view held by some, that within
the limits of Mis ministry on earth He was ever
literally taken up into heaven. What, then, is the
meaning? There are several passages in which
the words ' save ' or ' except ' present the same
difficulty. One of the most familiar is Luke iv.
27, where it seems at first strange to read, ' Many
lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the
prophet, anil none of them was cleansed saving
Naaman the Syrian,' — no leper of Israel cleansed
except a leper who was not of Israel ! The mind
is so fixed on the lepers and their cleansing, that the
other words ' of them ' are not carried on in thought
to the last clause : ' none of them was cleansed, —
indeed, no leper was cleansed save ' Naaman the
.Syrian.' So also in the preceding verse (Luke
iv. 26). In other passages (such as Gal. ii. 16 ;
Rev. xxi. 27) the same peculiarity exists, but it is
not apparent in the Authorised Version. The
verse before us is exactly similar. The special
thought is not the having gone up into heaven, but
the having been m heaven. This was the qualifica-
tion for revealing the truths which are here spoken
of as heavenly things, lint none (none, that is, of
the sons of men ; for this is a general maxim, the
exception is not brought in till afterwards) could
be in heaven without ascending from earth to
heaven. No one has gone up into heaven, and by
thus being in heaven obtained the knowledge of
heavenly things ; and, indeed, no one has been in
heaven save He that came down out of heaven,
the Son of man. Observe how insensibly our Lord
has passed into the revelation of the heavenly
things themselves. He could not speak of His
power to reveal without speaking of that which is
first and chief of all the heavenly things, viz. that
He Himself came down out of heaven to be the
Son of man (on the name ' Son of man ' see chap.
i. 51)- The reference to our Lord's humanity is
here strikingly in place. He came down from
heaven and became the Son of man to reveal these
heavenly truths and (vers. 14, 15) to give the
heavenly blessings unto man.
The weight of evidence compels us to believe
that the concluding words of this verse, as it stands
in the Authorised Version, were not written by
John. We can only suppose that they were a very
early comment on, or addition to, the text, first
written in the margin, then by mistake joined to
the text. Were they genuine, they would probably
refer to the abiding presence of the Son with the
Father ; but in such a sense it is very improbable
that ' Son of man ' would have been the name
chosen. At all events, we have no other example
of the same kind.
Vers. 14, 15. And as Moses lifted on high the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son
of man be lifted on high, that every one that be-
lieveth may in him have eternal life. These verses
continue the revelation of the heavenly things.
The first truth is, that He who was in heaven
came down to earth to be the Son of man. The
next is, that the Son of man must be exalted, but
in no such manner as the eager hopes of Nicodemus
imagined. The secret counsel of heaven was, that
He who was with God should as Son of man be
lifted on high, as the serpent was lifted on high by
35
Moses in the wilderness. Thus, indeed, it 'must,
be, that He may become the Giver of eternal life. —
The word rendered ' lifted on high ' occurs fifteen
times in other parts of the New Testament, some-
times in such proverbial sayings as Matt, xxiii. 12,
sometimes in reference to the exaltation of our
Lord (Acts ii. 33, v. 31). In this Gospel we End
it in three verses besides the present. The general
usage of the word in the New Testament and the
Old is sufficient to show that it cannot here signify
merely raising or lifting up. And yet John's own
explanation forbids us to exclude this thought.
All the passages in his Gospel which connect the
word with the Son of man must clearly be taken
together ; and chap. xii. 33 (see note there) declares
that the word contains a reference to the mode of
the Saviour's death — the elevation on the cross.
Nicodemus looked for the exaltation of the King
in the coming kingdom of God. Exalted He shall
be, not like the monarch sitting on a throne, high
and lifted up, amid pomp and splendour, but receiv-
ing His true power and glory at the time when 1 1 e
hangs upon a tree an object of shame. The brazen
serpent, made in the likeness of the destroyer,
placed on a standard and held up to the gaze of
all, might seem fitted only to call forth execration
from those who were reminded of their peril, scorn
and contempt from those who saw but a powerless
symbol; but the dying Israelite looked thereon
and lived. The looking was a type of faith — nay,
it was itself an act of faith in the promise of God.
The serpent was raised on high that all might look
on it ; the exaltation of the Son of man, which
begins with the shame of the cross, has for its
object the giving of life to all (compare chap. xii.
32, and also Heb. ii. 9). — 'That every one that
believeth.' At first our Lord closely follows the
words spoken in ver. 12. As there we read, 'Ye
believe not,' so here, ' He that believeth :' as yet
no qualifying word is added to deepen the signi-
ficance of the 'belief.' What is before us is the
general thought of receiving the word of Jesus.
In that all is in truth included ; for he that truly
receives His word finds that its first and chief
requirement is faith in Jesus Himself. So here,
the trust is first general, but the thought of fellow-
ship and union, so characteristic of this Gospel,
comes in immediately, ' that every one that be-
lieveth may in Him have eternal life.' These
verses which reveal the heavenly truths contain
tlie very first mention of ' eternal life,' the blessing
of which John, echoing his Master's words, is
ever speaking. ' Eternal life ' is a present posses-
sion for the believer (comp. ver. 36) ; its essence
is union with God in Christ. See especially chap,
xvii. 3 ; I John i. 2, v. 11.
The result of the interview with Nicodemus is
not recorded, but the subsequent mention of him
in the Gospel can leave no doubt upon our mind
that, whether at this moment or not, he eventually
embraced the truth. It would seem that, as the
humiliation of Jesus deepened, he yielded the
more to that truth against which at the beginning
of this conversation he would most have rebelled.
It is the persecution of Jesus that draws him for-
ward in His defence (vii. 51) ; it is when Jesus has
been lifted up on the cross that he comes to pay
Him honour (xix. 39). He is thus a trophy, not of
the power of signs alone, but of the power of the
heavenly things taught by Jesus.
At this point an important question arises. Are
the next five verses a continuation of the preceding
36
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. II. 23-III. 21.
discourse ? Are they words of Jesus or a reflection
by the Evangelist himself upon his Master's words?
Most commentators have taken the former view.
The latter was first suggested by Erasmus, and has
found favour with many thoughtful writers on this
Gospel. And with reason. The first suggestion
of a sudden break in the discourse may be startling,
but a close examination of the verses will show
that they present distinct traces of belonging to
John: — (1) Their general style and character
remind us of the Prologue. (2) The past tenses
'loved' and 'were' in ver. 19 at once recall
chap. i. 10, II ; and are generally more in har-
mony with the tone of the Evangelist's later
reflections than with that of the Redeemer's dis-
course. (3) In ver. 11 Jesus says, 'ye receive not
our testimony : ' in ver. 19 the impression pro-
duced is not that of a present refusal, but rather of
a past and continued rejection. (4) In no other
place is the appellation ' only begotten ' used by
Jesus Himself in regard to the Son, though it is
used by the Evangelist in chap. i. 14, i. 18, and
1 John iv. 9. It cannot be fairly said that there is
anything really strange in the introduction of these
reflections. It is altogether in the manner of this
writer to comment on what he has related (see
especially xii. 37-41) ; and in at least one instance
he passes suddenly, without any mark of transition,
from the words of another to his own, — for very
few will suppose chap. i. 16 to be a continuation
of the Baptist's testimony (ver. 15). The view
now advocated will receive strong confirmation if
we convince the reader that there is a similar
break after ver. 30 in this chapter, the last six
verses belonging to the author of the Gospel and
not to the Baptist.
Ver. 16. For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that every one that
believeth in him may not perish, but have eter-
nal life. In the preceding verses is recorded the
first announcement of the Gospel by our Lord, the
revelation of the mystery made manifest by Him
who came out of heaven. John pauses to set
his Master's words in the light in which he him-
self had afterwards beheld them. Jesus had said
' must be lifted on high,' but had given no reason.
His disciple, whose message to the church was
'God is love' (I John iv. 16), refers back the
necessity to this truth. Whatever remains still
hidden, so much as this is certain, that the humilia-
tion and exaltation of Him who came down out of
heaven were the expression of God's love to the
whole world. The Son of man is the Son of God,
the only begotten Son ; the one term expresses
His fitness for the work, the other points to His
dignity and to the greatness of the Father's love.
In this love the Father gave the Son : to w/mtHe
surrendered Him is not here said ; our Lord's own
words (ver. 14) fill up the meaning. The uni-
versality of the blessing is marked with twofold
emphasis; designed, not for Israel only, but for
the whole world, it is the actual possession of every
believer. The words relating to faith are more
definite than in ver. 14; foresee chap. ii. 11) to
' believe in Him ' points to a trust which casts
itself on Him and presses into union with Him. —
The Divine purpose is presented under two aspects,
not one only (as in ver. 15) ; it is that the believer
may be saved from perdition, and may now possess
eternal life. — This verse contains most of the lead-
ing terms of John's theology. One only of these
requires further comment, on account of the vari-
ous senses in which it is employed by the Evan-
gelist. The ' world ' does not in this verse designate
those who had received and rejected the offer of
salvation. It is thought of as at an earlier stage
of its history ; the light is not yet presented by
the acceptance or rejection of which the final state
of the world shall be determined.
Ver. 17. For God sent not the Son into the
world that he may judge the world; but that the
world through him may be saved. The thought
of the last verse is expanded. There it was the
gift of God's love that was brought before us ; now
it is the mission of the Son. To ' may perish '
(ver. 16) here corresponds 'may judge the world,'
to ' have eternal life ' answers ' may be saved.'
This alone is sufficient to show that the word
'judge,' though not in itself equivalent to 'con-
demn,' has reference to a judgment which tends to
condemnation. The Jews believed that Messiah
would come to glorify Israel, but to judge the
Gentiles ; the solemn and emphatic repetition of
' the world ' rebukes all such limitations, as effec-
tually as the words of ver. 3 set aside the dis
tinctions which were present to the thought of
Nicodemus. — It may seem hard to reconcile the
first part of this verse with v. 22, 27, ix. 39, xii.
48. We must, however, recognise a twofold pur-
pose in Christ's coming. He came to save, not
to judge the world. He came to judge the world
in so far as it will not allow itself to be saved ;
and this judgment is one that takes place even
now (because even now there is wilful unbelief),
though it will only be consummated hereafter.
Ver. iS. He that believeth in him is not
judged : he that believeth not hath been judged
already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God. The
two prei -ding verses express the Divine purpose in
itself, and that purpose passing into accomplish-
ment ; this verse speaks of the actual result. Two
of the terms of these verses, the believing in Jesus
of ver. 10 and the judging of ver. 17, are here
brought together. He that abides in faith in
Christ abides in a state to which judging belongs
not ; whilst the faith remains, the idea of judgment
is excluded, for the believer is one with the Lord
in whom he has placed his trust. Not so with the
unbeliever ; on him the sentence of judgment is
already pronounced. As long as the unbelief is
persisted in, so long does the sentence which the
rejection of Jesus brings with it remain in force
against him. The great idea of the Gospel, the
division of all men into two classes severed from
each other, is ver)- clearly presented here ; but no
unchangeable division is thought of. The separa-
tion is the result of deliberate choice ; and whilst
the choice is adhered to, the severance abides. —
As the faith of the believer is faith ' in Him,' faith
that brings personal union, the unbelief is the
rejection of His Person revealed in all its dignity,
the only begotten Son of God.
Ver. 19. And this is the judgment, — the judg-
ment is of this kind, takes place thus, — because
the light is come into the world, and men loved
the darkness rather than the light, for their
works were wicked. These words bring out clearly
that the ' not believing' spoken of in the last verse-
signifies an active rejection, and not the mere ab-
sence of belief — a rejection of the true light which
in the person of Jesus came into the world, and
henceforth ever is in the world. Men loved the
darkness, for their works — not single deeds, but
Chap. III. 22-36.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN
the whole expression and manifestation of their
life — were wicked. The word used (' wicked ') is
that which elsewhere expresses the character of the
arch-enemy as ' the wicked one ' (John xvii. 15 ;
I John iii. 12). It denotes active evil, positive
and pronounced wickedness.
Ver. 20. For every one that committeth evil
hateth the light, and he cometh not to the light
lest his works should be convicted. This verse
explains the last, and refers the action there
described to a general principle. The universal
/aw is, that he who committeth evil hateth the
light. Not ' he that hath committed,'1 for what is
spoken of is the bent and the spirit of the man's
life. The word ' evil ' here is not the same as
that rendered ' wicked ' in ver. 19, but is more
general. The one word means evil in active
manifestation ; the other what is worthless, good
for nothing. No doubt the second word is used
in this verse partly for the sake of vivid contrast
with the real and abiding ' truth ' of ver. 21, partly
because what is worthless and unsubstantial will
not stand the test of coming to that very light
which shows in all its reality whatever is sub-
stantial and true. Every one whose life is thus
evil knows that in the presence of the light he
must stand self-condemned. The experience is.
painful, and he endeavours to avoid it by turning
from the light, till, as conscience still asserts its
power, lie seeks defence against himself by hating
the light (compare 1 Kings xxii. 8). We must
not forget the application that is in John's mind.
The light that is come is Jesus Himself. He is
come ; but men also must come to Him. If they
came not, the cause was a moral one. Before He
came, some light had been in the world (i. 5) ;
those who, living a life of evil (whether open
wickedness or a worthless self-righteousness), hated
this light, were thus prepared to reject the Light
Himself. — The last word of the verse is remark-
able, as it is more naturally applied to the doer
than to his deed. Not only will the works be
37
shown by the light — be exposed in their true
character : the works are looked on as of them-
selves the criminals — they will be self-convicted,
self-condemned. The thought of self-conviction
has in this Gospel an importance that can hardly
be over-estimated.
Ver. 21. But he that doeth the truth cometh
to the light, that his works may be made mani.
test, because they have been wrought in God.
In contrast with those who cor. mit evil is another
class— those who do the truth. The words ex-
pressing action in vers. 20, 21, are different :
that in ver. 20 ('committeth') refers directly to
the particular acts, that which is used here (which
properly denotes to make, to produce) brings into
view rather the result. The man here spoken of
is (so to speak) at work in raising the abiding
structure of ' the truth. ' So far as the truth has
been revealed to him, his life is faithful to it ; his
works are an expression of the truth that is in his
heart. As Jesus says (chap, xviii. 37), ' Every
one that is of the truth heareth my voice ; ' so here
we read, ' He that doeth the truth cometh to the
light.' There is a natural affinity between truth
and light ; he who is faithful to truth received is,
through the very nature of the truth within him,
impelled towards Him who is the Truth. He
does not come to the light that his works may be
made known to others ; there is no self-seeking, —
perhaps even it is not the conscious purpose of the
man himself that is spoken of, but rather the
instinctive aim of the truth within him, and thus
in reality the purpose of God, that all the works
of God be made manifest. The works of this doer
of truth have been wrought in God. The disci-
pline by which he is led to the Son is of the Father
(see chap. vi. especially). For this cause he
comes, and must needs come, at the bidding of
the truth, that the works of God in him may be
brought out of all concealment and made manifest.
His coming to Christ is itself a manifestation of
the preceding work of God in him.
Chapter III. 22-36.
The Passing aivay of the Baptist in the presence of the True Bridegroom
of the Church.
22 A FTER these things came Jesus and his disciples into the
±\. land of Judca ; and there he tarried with them, a and aChap.iv,
23 baptized. And John also was baptizing in yEnon near to
Salim, because there was much water1 there: 'and they came, b Ma«- '■'•
24 and were baptized. For 'John was not yet cast into prison. rMatt. xb
25 Then there arose8 a question between some of John's disciples
26 and the Jews3 about d purifying. And they came unto John,
and said unto him, * Rabbi, he that was with thee f beyond
Jordan, ^to whom thou barest4 witness, behold, h the same
,/Chap.
e Chap.
/Chap.
A' Chap.
/SChap.
ii. 6.
i. 38.
i. 2S.
1 were many waters - There arose therefore
3 a questioning on the part of John's disciples with a Jew
' hast borne
3s THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. II
27 baptizeth, and ' all men come to him. John answered and said,
kA man can receive nothing, except it be5 given him from6
28 heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ' I am
29 not the Christ, but '"that I7 am sent before him. He that
hath the bride is the bridegroom : but " the friend of the bride-
groom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly be-
cause of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is8
30 fulfilled. " He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 * He that cometh from above q is above all : he that is of9 the
earth is earthly,10 and speaketh of the earth : " 'he that cometh
32 from9 heaven is above all.18 And what he hath seen and
heard, r that he testifieth ; 13 and s no man receiveth his testi-
33 mony.14 He that hath15 received his testimony14 'hath set
34 to his seal16 that God is true. " For he whom God hath ls sent
speaketh the " words of God : for God giveth not the Spirit by
35 measure unto Mm." w The Father loveth the Son, and *hath
36 given all things into his hand. y He that believeth on 18 the Son
hath everlasting 19 life : and he that * believeth 20 not the Son
shall not see life ; but "the wrath of God abideth on him.
6 have been 6 out of 7 but, I 8 hath been
9 0ut 0f 10 out of the earth n out of the earth he speaketh
12 omit is above all 13 beareth witness of what he hath seen and heard
u witness ls omit hath
16 for hath . . . seal read set his seal to this,
17 for not by measure giveth he the Spirit
is m 19 eternal 20 but he that obeyeth
I. 22-36.
Comp. chap.
k 1 Cor. iv. 7,
Heb. v. 4 ;
Jas. i. 17.
Comp. chap.
m Chap. i. 6, 7,
n Comp. Matt.
o Chap. i. 15.
pVer. 13;
chap. viii. 23.
q Comp. chap.
i. 15;
Rom. ix. 5 ;
Eph. i. 21 ;
Phil. ii. 9.
r Vers. 11, 13 ;
chap. viii.
26, 38, xv. 15.
iVer. 11 J
chap. i. II.
t Rom. iii. 4 ;
1 John v. 10.
it Ver. 17. See
chap. xii. 49.
v Chap. viii.
47. Comp.
chap. xvii. 8.
w See chap.
xvii. 24, and
Contents. This section affords us our last
view of the great Forerunner when, at the moment
of his disappearance, he utters his highest testi-
mony to Jesus as the true Bridegroom of the
Church, alone to be welcomed by all waiting
hearts. Hence it immediately precedes Christ's
proclamation of His truth beyond Judea. The
subordinate parts are— (1) vers. 22-30; (2) vers.
31-36.
Ver. 2 >. After these things came Jesus and
his disciples into the land of Judea ; and there
he tarried with them, and baptized. The intro-
ductory words ' After these things ' may possibly
include a considerable period. Apparently several
months intervened between the Passover of chap,
ii. 13 and the visit to Samaria (chap, iv.) ; but only
two events belonging to this period are related.
The words of this verse, however [lurried and bap-
tized), show that after leaving Jerusalem Jesus re-
mained for some length of time in the country parts
of Judea. In no other passage than this is there
any mention of the Saviour's baptizing, and chap,
iv. 2 explains that this baptism was only indirectly
His. Still, however, it is clear that the baptism
was by the authority of Jesus, the disciples acting
only as His ministers. Yet they did not baptize
with Christian baptism in the full sense of the term.
They were engaged in preparatory work like that
of the Baptist, just as the Twelve were sent forth
by Jesus to declare the very message which John
had preached (Matt. x. 7). The baptism of the
Spirit was still future (chap. vii. 39). The next
verse shows the main design of this section. When
Jesus baptized in Judea, He came into direct and
necessary comparison with John.
Ver. 23. And John also was baptizing in
zEnon near to Salim, because there were many
waters there : and they came and were baptized.
Where .^Enon and Salim were situated it is not
easy to determine. The position assigned them
by Eusebius and Jerome, near the northern boun-
dary of Samaria, does not agree well with ver. 22.
It is more probable that Salim is the Shilhim (trans-
lated Salem in the LXX.) of Josh. xv. 32, a town
not far from the southern limit of Judea. In this
verse of foshua (in the Hebrew) Shilhim is directly
followed by Ain, from which .-Enon differs only in
being an intensive form — Ain denoting a spring,
and jEnon, springs. The objection to this identi-
fication is that, as John was clearly in the neigh-
bourhood of Jesus, it takes the latter from the
route leading to Samaria and Galilee. But the
history of the events of the period is so brief and
fragmentary that this objection has not much
weight. John no doubt alludes to the meaning of
.-Enon when he acids that there were ' many waters'
there.
Ver. 24. For John was not yet cast into
prison. Words in which the Evangelist vindicates
the accuracy of his narrative, and corrects a mistake
apparently prevailing in the Church when he
wrote. The earlier Gospels, dealing mainly with
the Galilean work of Jesus, do not mention His
entering upon His public ministry until after the
Chap. III. 22-36.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Baptist had been delivered up. This seems to
have led to an impression that the Baptist was im-
prisoned before our Lord entered on His public
work. The false inference is here corrected.
Ver. 25. There arose therefore a questioning
on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about
purifying. In the circumstances just described,
discussion would inevitably arise as to the relative
position and value of the two baptisms. A 'Jew '
(see note on chap. i. 19) had placed the baptism of
Jesus above that of John in regard to its purifying
power. Although the Jews in general were hos-
tile to Jesus, this man may have shared the convic-
tions of Nicodemus (vers. I, 2). The disciples of
John refused to regard their master's baptism as
less efficacious than that of another, who had been
himself baptized by him. Unable either to set the
question at rest, or to ignore the opposition of the
Jew, they brought the matter of contention before
John. On the symbolic character of John's bap-
tism, see the note on ver. 5 ; on ' purification,' see
ii. 6, xiii. 10, xv. 3, and 1 John i. 7, 9.
Ver. 26. And they came unto John, and said
unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond
Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness,
behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come
to him. Their description of Jesus (whom they
do not name) shows their feelings. This man
came to thee beyond Jordan, it has been thy great
object to magnify his fame ; and yet he is now
thy rival, he baptizes, and all are flocking to him
rather than to thee. Their last words are in their
lips but a natural exaggeration ; to the Evangelist,
however, they are an unconscious prophecy (see an
exactly similar instance in xii. 19, 20). This is
the last trial of the Baptist's fidelity to his mission,
and nobly is it sustained.
Ver. 27. John answered and said, A man can
receive nothing, except it have been given him
out of heaven. Not for a moment does he enter
into their jealous advocacy of his claims. Under-
standing the true force of their hasty words, ' AH
men come to him,' he tells them that such honour,
such position, Jesus cannot receive unless it have
been given Him from heaven. He says this in
words so general that they seem certainly intended
to point to himself also. ' Each of us, in accom-
plishing God's work, will receive the place ap-
pointed to him from heaven.'
Ver. 2S. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that
I said, I am not the Christ, but, I am sent
before him. The acceptance of the lower place
was no new thing to John. ' Ve remind me that
I have bome witness to Him ; ye yourselves bear
witness to me, that my testimony to Him con-
tained in it all that now offends you.' Of the two
sayings here quoted, one ('I am not the Christ')
is to be found in i. 20 : the other is not given in
this Gospel in the very words, but is implied in
i. 30, 31, and no doubt had been expressly
uttered by John to his disciples.
Ver. 29. He that hath the bride is the bride-
groom : but the friend of the bridegroom, which
staudeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly
because of the bridegroo i's voice : this my
joy therefore hath been fulfilled. He that hath
the bride,' he and no ether, 'is the bridegroom.
The Lord is taking home His bride — His people.
To the name of bridegroom I have no claim, nor
can I have the bridegroom's joy. But in his joy
his friends must needs share. The friend of the
bridegroom that standeth and heareth his voice,
39
catching the first sound as he draws near, listening
to the words and tones in which his joy breaks
forth throughout the marriage feast, he too has his
joy, a retlection of the rejoicing of the bridegroom :
this joy is mine, and it is now filled to the full.'
In these exquisitely tender and beautiful words
does the Baptist at once reprove the natural but petty
jealousies of his disciples and set forth his own
relation to Jesus. The image employed is common
in the Old Testament (Isa. liv. ; Jer. hi., xxxi. ;
Hos. ii. ; Ezek. xvi., xxiii. ), even if nothing be
said of the Song of Solomon, and is taken up in
the New (Matt. ix. 15, xxv. ; 2 Cor. xi. ; Eph. v.;
Rev. xix., xxi.). By the 'friend' John does not
mean the particular friend who presided over the
marriage ceremonies (the Shoshben), for the words
' standeth and heareth ' are unsuitable to a func-
tionary whose duties were those of action. But
these words exactly correspond to the position of
the Baptist as one who stood apart and listened.
Once only does the Forerunner seem to have met
with Jesus: afterwards he watched His course
and rejoiced, and pointed his disciples to his
Lord.
Ver. 30. He must increase, but I must de-
crease. What the disciples now see is but the
beginning of a process that must continue. The
necessity spoken of here is another statement of
the heavenly gift of ver. 27. John must become
less and less, whilst the glory of his Lord will
increase without limit or end ; and thus his
' decreasing ' is not the failure but the accomplish-
ment of his work.
It is quite impossible to read carefully the
following verses without perceiving that they bear
a remarkable resemblance to the early part of the
chapter, and that the general style and language
are those of the Evangelist himself. In ver. 31 we
read of Him ' that cometh out of heaven ; ' in ver.
13 of Him 'that came down out of heaven. ' That
He who is from heaven beareth witness of what
He hath seen, and that His witness is not received,
we read both in ver. 32 and in ver. 1 1. The 35th
verse might perhaps seem to contain Christ's own
words, but not such as the Baptist would be likely
to employ. So also in ver. 36 all the terms used,
'he that believeth in,' 'the Son' (standing
absolutely), ' eternal life,' ' hath eternal life,'
remind us of the language of the Evangelist himself
and of Christ's discourses as related in this Gospel,
especially in this chapter (vers. 15, 16, 17),
but it is hardly possible to suppose them used by
John the Baptist. Those writers who cannot
admit that there is a break after ver. 30 are con-
strained to confess that the Baptist's subsequent
words are expressed in the Evangelist's own
language and style. It is a far simpler and more
probable theory that the Evangelist (as in i. 16 and
iii. 16 — see notes there) passes from his narrative
into a meditation which it suggests, gathering
together the main thoughts of the two sections
which precede.
Ver. 31. He that cometh from above is above
all: he that is out of the earth is out of the
earth, and out of the earth he speaketh. The
claim of the Baptist's disciples that to their master
should be accorded a higher place than to Jesus,
and John's emphatic testimony to his own lower
station, lead the Evangelist to reflect upon the
words of Jesus to Nicodemus as decisive of all such
questions. ' He that cometh from above ' and ' He
that cometh out of heaven ' are clearly the same as
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IV. 1-42.
40
' He that came down out of heaven' (ver. 13), and
all three expressions are designations of Jesus.
There is but One who thus ' cometh from above '
(though many others have received their mission
from above), and He therefore is above all. In
comparison with Him, every other prophet or
teacher has his origin out of the earth ; and as is
his origin, so is his nature, so is his utterance.
Ver. 32. He that cometh out of heaven beareth
witness of what he hath seen and heard ; and no
man receiveth his witness. In ver. 12 we have
seen that heaven is spoken of as the place of
immediate divine knowledge and light. Jesus
alone belongs to this sphere : all the prophets
before His coming, though divinely commissioned,
had ' the earth ' as the starting-point of their utter-
ances, spoke of what they had received on earth,
spoke truly but not perfectly. The Divine light
was reflected from the prophets to the world
around. In Jesus the heavenly light itself came
into the world. Jesus alone, then, beareth witness
to that which He hath seen and which He heard,
and (here again b the mournful cadence of this
Gospel) no one receiveth His witness. So few
receive, that they seem as nothing in comparison
with those who reject. That the rejection is not
in strictness universal the next verse declares.
Ver. 33. He that received his witness set his
seal to this, that God is true. Every man who
accepts His witness and thus declares that Jesus is
true, in that very act attests, sets his seal to, the
declaration that God is true. (For the opposite,
see 1 John v. 10.) A mere prophet might be
unfaithful or might err. Jesus ' comes out of
heaven,' declares ' what He has seen,' and ' what
He heard' from God: to disbelieve Him is to
disbelieve God, to declare Him true is to declare
God true. This is further explained and con- |
firmed by the next verse.
Ver. 34. For he whom God sent speaketh the
words of God. The last verse rests on the thought
that the words of Jesus are the words of God.
Here it is shown that this is involved in the very
proposition that Jesus is the Sent of God. Strictly,
there have been many whom God has sent, — for
example, John the Baptist (chap. i. 6) : his words
were true, and were words of God. But where
one is thus isolated as sent by God (and this is
repeatedly done in this Gospel), he is the Sent in
a peculiar and pre-eminent sense. He speaketh
not ' words of God ' only, but ' the words of God,'
giving all the revelation that God gives. The
enabling power thus to speak is the gift of the
Spirit. Every one whom God sends is enabled to
speak God's words — words that, for the portion of
the revelation he is commissioned to give, are
truly God's words. — For not by measure giveth
he the Spirit. He gives the Spirit not partially,
but completely, for the purpose of enabling him
who is sent to speak words of God. Rising
from the partial and incomplete to that which
is full and perfect, we find but One who has thus
been sent by God, and but One who receives the
Spirit in unmeasured fulness, enabling not for
the complete declaration of a part only, but for
the perfect revelation of the whole of the words of
God.
Ver. 35. The Father loveth the Son. There is
a continual heightening of the thought and expres-
sion. We read of Him ' that cometh from above,'
Him 'that cometh out of heaven,' Him 'whom
God sent,' — 'the Son,' whom 'the Father
loveth.' In ver. 17 we read that the Father sent
the Son to save the world, because He ' so loved
the world' (ver. 16): here we read of the love of
the Father towards the Son who thus gave Him-
self for the accomplishment of the purpose of the
Father. From chap. x. 17 it seems probable that
it is of this love that we must understand the verse
— of a love, therefore, referring to the work of re-
demption, not to the essential relation of the Son
to the Father (comp. note on v. 20). — And hath
given all things into his hand. From perfect
love follows perfect communication not of ' the
words of God' only (ver. 34), but of all things pos-
sessed. The Father has given all things into the
Son's hand. Whatsoever the Son speaks or gives
or does, is spoken, given, done, by the Father.
Ver. 36. He that believeth in the Son hath
eternal life. As all things are in the Son's hand
by the gift of the Father, the destiny of all men
depends on their relation to the Son. He that
believeth in the Son has in Him the highest of all
blessings, life eternal ; has this in present posses-
sion— involved in the communion of faith in which
he lives. — But he that obeyeth not the Son shall
not see life ; but the WTath of God abideth on
him. Over against the believer is here set, not
the man who does not believe, but he that dis-
obeys. The change from believing to obedience
results from the thought of the last verse : supreme
power is given to the Son ; therefore he that re-
ceives Him not by faith is guilty of disobeying His
authority ; not faith only, but the obedience of
faith, is His due. From the eyes of all such life is
hidden whilst the unbelief and disobedience shall
last. The rejection of the Son brings with it the
wrath of God, by whom all things were given into
the Son's hand : this is the present and the abiding
heritage of him that obeyeth not the Son.
Chapter IV. 1-42.
Jesus and the Samaritans.
1 "\ ~\ THEN therefore "the Lord knew how1 the Pharisees had aChap. vi.
VV heard that Jesus made* and i baptized ' more dis- i8,*>, 25
1 xn. 7, la
2 ciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his *ChaP. Hi.
1 oerceived that - had heard, Jesus maketh 3 baptizeth
Chap. IV. 1-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 4'
3 disciples,) He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he ' to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar,
near to the parcel of ground c that Jacob gave to his son Joseph, c c»mP. Get..
6 Now Jacob's well was there.5 Jesus therefore, bein" wearied *ivin. 22;'
J jo Josh. xxiv.
with his journey, sat thus on the well : 6 and'' it was about the 3*-
7 sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water :
8 Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were
9 gone away unto the city to buy meat.8) Then saith the woman
of Samaria9 unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest
drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? 10 for "'the11 Jews rfa Kings xyii.
24 ; Lzr.i iv.
10 have no dealings with the11 Samaritans. Jesus answered and '°.<=tc.;
& J Neh. iv 1,2.
said unto her, If thou knewest the srift of God, and who it is pomp. Luke
=> ix. 53, xvii.
that saith to thee, Give me to drink ; thou wouldest have asked jS; chap.
11 of him, and he would have given thee 'living water. The *J«
woman1' saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and Zcch. »v.8;
the well is deep : from whence then hast thou that living water ? £°"J.p,xIvii .
12 -^ Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, ^6™' I7,
and drank thereof himself, and his children,13 and his cattle ? /comp.'chkp.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, ^Whosoever14 drinketh of^""^f'chap
14 this water shall thirst again : But '' whosoever drinketh lb of the ka*l'.$: 3S,
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water vL\ ?6,'xxi.v'
that I shall give him 'shall be16 in him a well17 of water chap-vI'V
15 springing up into k everlasting life.19 l The woman saith unto ^s^cha'p.3 '
him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come ,? chap.' vi. 34.
16 hither19 to draw. Jesus20 saith unto her. Go, call thy husband,
17 and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no
husband. Jesus said 21 unto her, Thou hast well said, I have
iS no husband : For thou hast had five husbands ; and he whom
thou now hast is not thy husband : in 22 that saidst thou truly.23
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art w'a »<chap i*. 17.
y l See chap. i.
20 prophet. * Our fathers worshipped in this mountain ; and ye ".' Malt-
say, that in * Jerusalem is the place where men ought to wor- "£°™p Geni
21 ship.24 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me,25 the26 hour ^'De'u8t'
cometh, •''when ye shall27 neither in this mountain, nor yet29 at29 op^'xii
22 Jerusalem, worship 30 g the Father. Ye worship r ye know not U.'3l^'lf-
what:11 'we know what we worship:32 for 'salvation33 is of l^™"^1'
Ps. lxxvi. 2.
p Ma), i
4 He cometh therefore 5 Now there was a fountain there, Jacob's fountain 1 Tim.'ii.
6 by the fountain 7 omit and 8 food ? s.?? chaP
9 The Samaritan woman therefore saith 10 a Samaritan woman r c'oinp.
11 omit the 12 She 13 sons H Every one that 2 Kings 7.
15 hath drunk 16 become '"fountain r" elf'
18 of springing water, unto eternal life v> all the way hither 'cxT"
20 He 21 saith 22 omit in 23 this thou hast said truly
24 must worship 25 Believe me, woman 26 an 27 emit ye shall
29 omit yet 29 in 30 shall ye worship
31 Ye worship that which ye know not 3? we worship that which we know
33 because the Salvation
cxlvii. _io, :
Rom ill. :
42 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IV. i 42.
23 the Jews. But the3' hour cometh, and "now is, when the true »ChaP.v.!5
worshippers shall worship the Father in " spirit and in35 "'truth : uRom.™.
24 for the Father36 "* seeketh such to worship him.37 God is a39 vi.'i8.
1 • in • Comp. Phil.
Spirit:39 and they that worship him must worship htm in Hi- 3-
25 spirit and in35 truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that *ComP. chap
'Messias cometh, which is called Christ:41 when he is come, ^chap. i. „■.
26 *he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, " I that speak zVer. 29
° J Comp. Dent
unto thee am he. *™>- *s, 1.8.
(i Matt. xxvi.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and42 marvelled that he 64; Mark
talked with the 43 woman : yet no man said, What seekest thou ? chap. ix. 37.
28 or, Why talkest thou with her ? The woman then 44 left her
waterpot, and went her way into the b city, and saith to the JVers. 5, s
29 men, Come, see a man, e which told me all things that ever I c Vers. 18, 2S.
30 did : is not this the Christ ?45 Then 46 they went out of the city,
and came47 unto him.
31 In the mean while his48 disciples prayed him, saying, ''Master,49 rfChap. i. 38.
32 eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know
33 not of.50 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any
34 man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, 'My «Comp. job
meat is to ^do M the will of him that sent me, and to58 ^finish 53 /Cr,aP. v. 3o,
vi. 38.
35 his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then e ch?i>- v- 3".
cometh harvest?54 behold,55 I say unto you, Lift up your eyes,
and look on the fields;56 /: for they are white already to har- /SMatt. ix. 37
36 vest.57 And 58 he that reapeth receiveth wages,59 and gathereth
fruit unto ' life eternal : that both 60 he that soweth and he that i Ver. i4.
37 reapeth may ^'rejoice together. And61 herein is that saying68 ^comp. ps.
38 true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap Amos' ix. 13.
that whereon ye bestowed no labour:03 other men laboured,
and ye are entered into their labours.64
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city 65 believed on 66
him ' for the saying " of the woman, which testified,68 He told /\'a. »g.
40 me all 69 that ever I did. So when 70 the Samaritans were come
unto him, they besought him that he would tarry71 with them :
41 and he abode there two days. And many more believed
42 because of his own " word ; And73 said unto the woman, Now we
34 an 3S omit in 3e add also
37 is seeking such, them that worship him 38 omit a S9 spirit
40 omit him 41 Messiah cometh (which is called Christ) 4- and they
43 a 44 therefore 45 Can this be the Christ ? *6 omit then
47 were on their way 48 the 49 Rabbi 60 omit of
51 that I should do 62 omit to 63 accomplish
54 the harvest 6S lo 56 behold the fields
67 that they are white for harvesting 68 Already 59 reward
60 omit both G1 For C2 the word 63 ye have not toiled
"4 others have toiled, and ye have entered into their toil
65 And from that city many of the Samaritans 66 in
67 because of the word f,s bearing witness S9 all things
7« When therefore 71 abide 72 omit own 73 And they
Chap. IV. 1-42.]
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
for '" we have heard him ''
believe, not because of thy sayinsr:74 for '"we have heard him i «Chap;*™.
' J J a 8 ; 1 John
ourselves,76 and 77 know that this is indeed the Christ,78 " the S '*
' « bee chap, u
Saviour of " the world.
74 No longer because of thy speaking do we believe lh omit him
70 for ourselves 77 and we 78 omit the Christ
o See chap.
Contents. The general object aimed at in the
relation of the story of Nicodemus in chap. iii. is
pursued in the account given us in this section of
the interview of Jesus, first with the Samaritan
woman, and then with the inhabitants of Sychar,
who are brought by her to listen to His teaching.
The subordinate parts are — (i) vers. 1-4, introduc-
tory, after the manner of the introduction to the
story of Nicodemus in ii. 23-25 ; (2) vers. 5-26,
interview with the Samaritan woman ; (3) vers.
27-30, the mission of the woman to her fellow-
townsmen ; (4) vers. 31-38, the conversation of
Jesus with His disciples, in regard to the nature
and success of their work ; (5) vers. 39-42, the
work of Jesus among the inhabitants of Sychar.
Vers. 1-3. When therefore the Lord perceived
that the Pharisees had heard, Jesus maketh
and baptizeth more disciples than John, (though
Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
he left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
The object of these verses is to explain the reason
why Jesus now left Judea for Galilee. How long
He had remained in Judea we are not informed
(see the note on chap. iii. 22), being only told that
in the country districts the success of His ministry
had excited the notice of the Pharisees (of Jerusa-
lem), and had led to comparisons between the two
teachers who had so suddenly appeared in the
land. It will be observed that the circumstances
described in this verse are substantially the same
as those brought before us in the words of the dis-
ciples of John after their disputation with the Jew
(chap. iii. 26). They said to their master that to
Jesus all were coming, — that is, by plain inference,
more were flocking to Jesus than to the Baptist.
It is only necessary to allow a short interval of
time for the diffusion of the news, and we are
brought to the state of things presented here. If,
then, there is this close connection between chap,
iii. 25, 26, and the opening of the present chapter,
it seems impossible to believe that the imprison-
ment of the Baptist can have taken place in the
interval, when in chap. iii. 24 the Evangelist ex-
pressly refers to the fact that John was as yet at
liberty. The imprisonment is nowhere expressly
mentioned by him ; but while it is very easy to
understand such an omission if the event fell in
one of those intervals which separate so markedly
the successive narratives of his Gospel, it would
be strange if, in a closely connected paragraph, he
should first record that the imprisonment had not
yet taken place, and then, although the event took
place at the very time, pass over it in silence.
It seems, then, much more natural to interpret the
words heard by the Pharisees as meaning that
Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than
John is making and baptizing, than to suppose the
contrast to be between the present action of the
one and \he past ministry of the other, — as if the
words were, ' Jesus maketh more disciples than
John used to make.' Hence we regard the ministry
of John as still enduring at the period to which
this verse relates. The journey into Galilee now
alluded to is not, therefore, that recorded in Matt,
iv. 12, which was taken after the imprisonment
of John. (See further the note on chap. vi. 1.)
On the determination of this question rests the ex-
planation of our Lord's departure from Judea. If
John had now been delivered up to his foes, the
Evangelist's meaning might be that Jesus withdrew
from a persecution which those who had success-
fully opposed the Baptist would surely raise against
One whose success was even greater. But such a
meaning is beset with difficulties, for there would
be something strange and unlike the style of this
Gospel in so brief an allusion to the avoidance by
our Lord of open hostility at this early period of His
ministry ; and it would not be easy to see why the
Pharisees should be expressly mentioned and not
'the Jews.' If, however, we take the view de-
fended above, that the Baptist was still pursuing
his course, these difficulties disappear. Not to
escape from persecution, but to put an end to com-
parisons which (however true in fact) were mis-
chievously used, Jesus retired from the land in
which John was teaching and baptizing. True,
He must increase and John must decrease ; but the
hour for the close of John's preparatory labours
had not yet come, and "the purposes of Jesus Him-
self would be best furthered by the complete ac-
complishment of the Baptist's mission. Individuals
might be removed from the circle of John's dis-
ciples and be received by Jesus (see chap. i. 37) ; but
a general impression of this kind could not be made
until a certain work of preparation had taken place.
For His own sake, therefore, it was not desirable
that this preparation - work should prematurely
close. Again, we shall thus better understand the
mention of the Pharisees. That class had rigidly
and suspiciously inquired into John's right to
assume the position of a prophet, and the report
which they now heard might well rouse them to
renewed action in their character of defenders of
the faith and religious practice of their nation.
Any such action on their part could hardly fail
at this stage to be injurious, even if it were
directed against John and not against Jesus Him-
self. But there was no reas n to think that their
opposition would be limited to the Baptist. Jesus,
too, would have His work interrupted by their
embittered feeling. Not, therefore, to avoid His
enemies, but to transfer H is labours to freer and
more open fields, did our Lord withdraw from
Judea at this time. The remarkable indirectness
of the language of this verse is explained by the
writer's wish to seize the very moment at which the
withdrawal from Judea became necessary. The
sojourn of Jesus in the neighbourhood of John's
sphere of action brought out John's distinct confes-
sion of the relation in which he stood to his Lord.
That was for the present enough ; and the sojourn
terminated at the very moment when it threatened to
be the means of injuring the Baptist's work, and of
precipitating the open conflict between Jesus and
the Jews. — It seems most natural to take the word
' knew ' or ' perceived ' as referring, not to infor-
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
44
mation obtained, but to supernatural knowledge
(compare chap. ii. 24, 25). Most seemly, there-
fore, is the designation of Jesus here as 'the Lord '
— a rare usage with John, who commonly employs
the personal name Jesus. Because He was the
Lord, not man only, He discerned the first stirrings
of hostility in the minds of the Pharisees and the
occasion which gave them birth. Afterwards the
name Jesus occurs, because the Evangelist quotes
the very words of the report, — a report indeed
containing an incorrect statement, set right in the
parenthesis which follows. But there was nothing
unnatural in the error. Jesus might easily be
represented as baptizing (compare chap. iii. 22),
because His disciples could only have acted in His
name and by His authority. The Pharisees
could not know why He should abstain from
performing the act Himself: we know that His
baptism was not with water but with the Holy
Ghost, and ' the Holy Ghost was not yet given '
(chap. vii. 39). Such, then, were the circum-
stances amidst which Jesus 'left' Judea and re-
tired into Galilee. The word used for ' left ' is
interesting, and confirms our interpretation. It
means literally 'let go,' 'let alone; 'and it is hardly
possible not to feel that by his use of it the Evan-
gelist would direct our attention to the fact that
Israel's rejection of God's mercy was, in the wis-
dom of the Divine arrangements, the cause why it
was itself rejected, and the other nations of the
world called. — It should be added that we have
assumed throughout that ^Enon and Salim were
situated in Judea, so that both Jesus and the Bap-
tist were at this time in the same region of the
country. If Salim was near Scythopolis, in
Samaria (which seems very unlikely), the argu-
ment is not seriously affected. In any case, it is
clear that for the time Jesus wished to remove His
sphere of labour from the immediate view of the
Pharisees by a retirement into Galilee.
Ver. 4. And he must needs go through
Samaria. The natural route from Judea to
Galilee lay through Samaria. The other route,
through the country on the east of Jordan, was so
much longer that no one would choose it unless
desirous of avoiding Samaria. The necessity here
spoken of, therefore, may simply have reference to
geographica1 position, and to the present urgent
motive for reaching Galilee without delay. Still
the use of ' must' in this Gospel compels us to lay
an emphasis on the word, and to interpret it as
denoting more than merely usage or convenience.
If the Evangelist's thought is that the hostility of
the Pharisees (partly actually existing, partly fore-
seen) made it necessary for the Saviour to hasten
into Galilee, then he would have us understand
that the Jews themselves brought about this visit
to the hated nation of the Samaritans. But above
and beyond all this, there seems a clear intimation
of the truth brought before us in ver. 34, chap. ix.
4, etc. : here, as always, Jesus acts according to
His knowledge of His Father's will.
Ver. 5. He Cometh therefore to a city of
Samaria which is called Sychar. ' From the hills
through which the main route of Palestine must
always have run the traveller descends into a wide
plain, the widest and the most beautiful of the
plains of the Ephraimite mountains, one mass of
com unbroken by boundary or hedge, from the
midst of which start up olive trees, themselves
unenclosed as the fields in which they stand.
Over the hills which close the northern end of this
[Chap. IV. 1-42
plain, far away in the distance, is caught the first
glimpse of the snowy ridge of Hermon. Its
western side is bounded by the abutments of two
mountain ranges, running from west to east. These
ranges are Gerizim and Ebal ; and up the opening
between them, not seen from the plain, lies the
modern town of Nablus . . . the most beautiful,
perhaps it might be said the only very beautiful
spot in central Palestine.'1 Nablus is a corruption
of Neapolis, the name given by the Romans to the
'new city' built nearly on the site of the ancient
Shechem. The city which gave its name to this
district of the Holy Land, Samaria, distant about
six miles, had recently been rebuilt in a style of
great magnificence by llerod the Great, who gave
it the name of Sebaste. But, partly through the
prestige of its antiquity and famous history, and
partly through the power of religious associations,
Shechem was pre-eminently the city of Samaria.
It lay, as has been said, at the foot of Mount
Gerizim, on the summit of which was the temple
ol the Samaritans, the stronghold of their worship
for nearly three hundred years. It is impossible
here to do more than trace the main outlines of the
history of the Samaritan people. Their origin has
in modern times been a subject of warm contro-
versy. The narrative of 2 Kings xxv. 12 certainly
seems to imply that all the inhabitants of the
country were carried away to ' Halab and Habor
and the cities of the Medes ' (2 Kings xvii. 6) :
Josephus also speaks of the transplanting of all the
people. But, apart from the improbability that
such a wholesale deportation would be made, we
find both in Scripture (2 Chron. xxxiv. 9, and
perhaps xxx. I, 5, 10) and also in Josephus inti-
mations that some few at least of the inhabitants
remained, after the land had been colonised by
settlers from Cuthah and other cities of Assyria.
In the manner related in 2 Kings xvii. these
colonists were led to mingle a worship of Jehovah
as the tutelary Deity of their new country with the
idolatry brought with them from their native cities.
What we read of their history at a later date is in
exact accord with the mixed character of their
race and their worship. They referred their own
origin only to Assyria (Ezra iv. 2), yet they were
desirous of fraternising with the Jews in their
work of rebuilding the temple of Jerusalem ; and,
when finally repulsed by the Jews and defeated in
their attempts to injure and frustrate their work,
they built (B.C. 409) a rival temple on Mount
Gerizim after the model of that in Jerusalem, tak-
ing as their first high priest one whom Nehemiah
had expelled (Neh. xiii. 28). From this time they
seem to have maintained a system of worship
modelled on that of the Jews, their older idolatry
being, as far as we can judge, entirely renounced.
Of the Scriptures the Samaritans received one
portion only, the Pentateuch ; but for this they
professed peculiar reverence. A comparison of
the Samaritan Pentateuch with that of the Hebrew
Bible shows that many alterations had been intro-
duced into the text by the Samaritans, but at the
same time that these had only been made for the
purpose of authenticating their own mode of wor-
ship and of maintaining the honour of their sacred
places. This partial agreement, however, between
the religious beliefs of the two peoples, so far from
preventing, had really led to the most determined
hostility between them. To the Jew, a man of
purely Gentile descent and a man of mixed race
1 Stanley, Sinai and Palestine^ pp. 233, 234.
Chap. IV. 1-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
were equally Gentiles ; and an approximation to
Jewish belief and modes of worship gave no claim
of brotherhood with Jews. Hebrew literature is
full of strangely varying statements in regard to
the Cuthim (as they are called), — statements which
probably reflect the relations subsisting between
the nations at different periods (see Smith's Dic-
tionary of the Bible, iii. 1117, 1 1 18). In the time
of our Lord the temple on Mount Gerizim had
long been in ruins, but both the mount and the
city at its foot had retained their sacred character;
and it was here that the true Samaritan practices
and traditions had their strongest hold on the
people. The slight sketch which we have been
able to give of the history of this people will be
sufficient to show how singular was their situation.
The ancient writings of the Jews themselves deal
with Samaritans now as with heathen, now as
with men belonging to the stock of Israel ; and the
narrative of this chapter places them in the same
position — a position not wholly Gentile, but inter-
mediate between the Jewish and the Gentile world.
— It has been commonly assumed that the 'city
called Sychar ' is identical with Shechem, and the
chief subject of controversy has been the motive
for the change of name. Whilst some have regarded
the alteration as a mere error of pronunciation,
most have ascribed it to Jewish prejudice, inter-
preting Sychar as ' drunkard ' or ' falsehood : '
others, again, have considered the word identical
with a well Sokhar mentioned in the Talmud. It
seems more probable, however, that Sychar is a
village still known by a name substantially the
same (El-Askar), situated about two miles to the
east of the present town of Nablus. This village
is nearer than Shechem can have been to the well
which bore the name of Jacob ; and it is much
more likely that the Evangelist would pause to
describe the position of such a place than that of
the ancient city of Shechem. — Near to the parcel
of ground that Jacob gave to his sou Joseph.
There can be no doubt that, in speaking of Jacob's
gift to his son Joseph, John refers to Gen. xlviii. 22,
I have given thee one portion above thy brethren,'
— whatever meaning may be attached to the last
words of that verse. The Hebrew word here
rendered 'portion' is identical with the name
Shechem. At Shechem, therefore, were the bones
of Joseph buried (Josh. xxiv. 32), and the city and
surrounding country 'became the inheritance of
the children of Joseph.'
Ver. 6. Now there was a fountain there,
Jacob's fountain. The distinction between the
natural spring and the artificial well is usually
maintained with great care in the language of Scrip-
ture. Now and then, however (as is very natural),
a well, fed as it is by springs, is itself called a
spring or fountain. Thus ' the angel of the Lord
found ' Hagar ' by a fountain of water in the
wilderness ' (Gen. xvi. 7), and ' the well was called
Beer-lahai-roi ' (ver. 14); and in the narrative of
Gen. xxiv., where in the Authorised Version we
find 'well' three times (in vers. 11, 13, 16), the
original has first well, then spring or fountain
twice. The country round Shechem was a place
of ' fountains and depths that spring out in valley
and hill ' (Deut. viii. 7) ; but it is not of such
natural springs that we must here think. What in
this verse is called a fountain is a ' well ' in vers.
II and 12. Vet it may be worth noticing that the
latter name is used by the woman of Samaria : to
the Evangelist the well is a ' fountain,' and his
45
name implies far deeper and richer thoughts than
hers. An almost continuous tradition fixes beyond
doubt the position of this well, which lies very
near the road by which our Lord would be travel-
ling from Judea to Galilee ; and amongst the in-
habitants of the adjoining towns it is still known
as the well of Jacob or the fountain of Jacob.
When visited by Maundrell two hundred years ago
the well was more than 100 feet deep, but the
accumulation of rubbish has diminished the depth
to 75 feet : the bore is 9 or 10 feet wide. That
Jacob (if indeed this patriarch's name was rightly
given to the well, and there is no reason lor ques-
tioning the tradition) should have sunk this well,
excavated out of the solid rock, in the immediate
neighbourhood of abundant springs, is a striking
proof of the insecurity of his position in the 'land
of promise,' and of his precarious relations with
the people of the country. — Jesus therefore,
being wearied with his journey, sat thus by
the fountain. Shechem was one of the main
halting-places on the route from Jerusalem to
Galilee. Turning off a little from the road,
Jesus reached the well, and (now alone, because
His disciples had gone into Sychar to buy pro-
visions) wearied with a long day's travel He
'sat thus' — sat, wearied as He was — 'by the
fountain,' or on the low wall built round the well.
— It was about the sixth hour. As in the other
passages in which John mentions the ' hour,' there
has been great difference of opinion respecting the
time intended. If the ordinary reckoning be
adopted, as in the other Gospels, the sixth hour
would fall in the morning, a little before noon.
But for the reasons assigned in the note on chap,
i. 39, it seems much more probable that a different
computation is followed here, in which, as among
ourselves, the hour is ol fixed length (not a twelfth
part of the variable interval between sunrise and
sunset), and the time is reckoned from midnight
and noon. By 'sixth hour,' therefore, according
to the usage of the ancients, we must understand
either the hour between 5 and 6 A.M. or the hour
between 5 and 6 P.M. Gn the whole, the latter
seems more probable. If our Lord's journey
through Samaria took place in the middle of De-
cember (see the note on ver. 35), 5 P.M. would be
about the time of sunset, and the evening twilight
would last until about half-past 6. This hour was
the ordinary time at which women came forth tc
draw water at the public wells. No difficulty
need be felt on account of the lateness of the hour,
for very little time is really required for all that
is here related up to the 3Sth verse (comp. Mark
i. 32 ; Luke iv. 40).
Ver. 7. There cometh a woman of Samaria to
draw water. By Samaria here we are of course
to understand the country not the city of Samaria.
The woman belonged to Sychar ; by race and re-
ligion she was a Samaritan, and it is to this fact,
as is shown by the preposition employed in the ori-
ginal, that the Evangelist would direct our special
attention. It was very natural that she should
come at this time to draw water at the well ; but
from the narrative that follows it seems probable
that something more than the excellence of the
water drew her to it day by day. One so strongly
imbued with the ancient traditions of her country-
men could not but turn with deepest interest to
'Jacob's well.'
Vers. 7, 8. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to
drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto
46
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
[Chap. [V. 1-42.
the city to buy food. ) The departure of the dis-
ciples had left Jesus thus dependent on the
woman's kindness ; for they had left no vessel by
which the water could be drawn from the deep
well. It has been conjectured that the recorder
of this narrative had not gone on to Sychar with his
fellow- disciples, but himself heard the Saviour's
conversation with the Samaritan woman. The
conjecture is most improbable, if not altogether
contrary to the statement of the Evangelist. We
cannot doubt that it was from our Lord's own lips
that the beloved disciple received the whole ac-
count.
Ver. 9. The Samaritan woman therefore saith
unto him. How is it that thou, being a Jew,
askest drink of me, which am a Samaritan
woman ? for Jews have no dealings with Sama-
ritans. It is evident that Jesus was at once recog-
nised as a Jew, probably through some difference
of accent, or language, or dress. We can hardly
suppose that the woman was really surprised at
the request preferred, so natural from the lips of
a weary traveller (comp. Gen. xxiv. 17). We
may rather imagine her as hastening to procure
what was asked for, whilst not failing to point out
how inconsistent with Jewish principles it was to
ask even for such a favour as this. As has been
said above, the maxims of the Jews respecting in-
tercourse with the Samaritan people varied much
at different times, and it is not easy to say what
rules prevailed at the period with which we are
here concerned. One precept of the Talmud
(quoted in the Diet, of the Bible, iii. 1 1 17) approves
their mode of preparing the flesh of animals ;
others commend their unleavened bread, their
cheese, and finally all their food. Elsewhere,
however, we find restrictions ; and the wine, vine-
gar, etc., of the Samaritans are forbidden to every
Israelite, their country only with its roads and its
other products being regarded as clean. This
narrative shows that it was held lawful to buy
food in a Samaritan town, so that the words of this
&
verse must probably be understood to mean that
Jews avoided allfaniiliar intercourse with the alien
people, sought and expected no favours at their
hands. It is usually assumed that the last sen-
tence is inserted by the Evangelist in the interest
of Gentile readers. It may be so, as such short
parenthetical explanations are certainly to be
found elsewhere in this Gospel. There seems,
however, no sufficient reason for removing the
clause from the woman's answer. The repetition
of the well-known maxim gives a piquant em-
phasis to her words, bringing out with sharp dis-
tinctness the contrast between the principles of
the countrymen of Jesus and the request which
necessity had extorted. The use of the present
tense ('have no dealings') adds some support
to this view ; and one can hardly avoid the
conviction that, had John himself given such an
explanation, he would have so expressed himself
as to avoid all appearance of discordance with
his statement in ver. S.
Ver. 10. Jesus answered and said unto her,
If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is
that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou
wonkiest have asked of him, and he would
have given thee living water. We may well
believe that there was something in the manner ol
Jesus, when uttering His first words, that invited
conversation, and was intended to lead the woman
to inquiry. This point gained, His next words
could but cause surprise and excite remark. Her
answer had told of her recognition of Him as a
few : His reply declares her ignorance of Him
and of what lie was able to give. The 'gift of
God' is probably not different from the 'living
water' afterwards mentioned. John himself gives
an explanation of the latter in chap. vii. 39, and
his interpretation must be applied here also
' Living water,' then, denotes the gift of the Holy
Spirit. This was pre-eminently the promised gift
of the Father (see especially Isa. xliv. ; Joel ii.),
beautifully and most aptly symbolized by the fresh
Chap. IV. 1-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
springing waver, which wherever it comes makes
the desert rejoice, and everything live (Ezek.
xlvii. 9). This was also the especial gift of the
Son (see chap. i. 33), in whom the promises of
the Father are fulfilled (2 Cor. i. 20). Had the
woman known God's gift, known also that the
Dispenser of this gift stood before her, she would
have been the petitioner, and He, with no delay
and without upbraiding, would have given her
living water.
Ver. 11. She saith unto him, Sir, thou hast
nothing to draw with, and the well is deep:
from whence then hast thou that living water?
In the answer of Jesus there was much to cause
surprise, especially in the emphatic reference to
Himself; but there was nothing in the actual
terms used that compelled the hearer to seek for
a figurative meaning. * Living water ' was a
phrase in ordinary use in speaking of the fresh
bubbling spring or the flowing brook. ' Isaac's
servants digged in the valley and found there a
spring of living water' (Gen. xxvi. 19, margin).
Wherever running water is spoken of in the cere-
monial law, the same expression is used. Hence
nothing more than the fresh spring that supplied
the well might at first be presented to the woman's
mind, and that this precious gift came of the
Divine bounty would be no unfamiliar thought.
Though, as a Samaritan, she might know little or
nothing of God's promise of His Spirit under this
very emblem, or of Jeremiah's comparison of God
Himself to a fountain of living waters (Jer. ii. 13),
yet reflection would suggest some such meaning.
At present, however, she answers without reflec-
tion, and perceives no higher promise than that of
the Creator's bounty, attained without the use of
ordinary means.
Ver. 12. Art thou greater than our father
Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank
thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
It was from Joseph that the Samaritans were
wont to claim descent ; all the district around be-
longed to his children. But Jacob here receives
special mention as the giver of the well. The
well was his ; he drank of it himself. Again the
thought is forced upon us, that the Samaritan
woman had sought this well partly on account of
its conned ion with the fathers of her people. The
feeling may have been tinged with superstition,
but it was honourable in itself. The first part of
her answer (ver. II) showed how limited the
range of the woman's thoughts still was: in the
words of this verse we see her dawning conviction
of the Stranger's greatness, and the impression
made upon her by His manner and His words.
Ver. 13. Jesus answered and said unto her,
Every one that drinketh of this water 6hall
thirst again. The question receives no direct
reply : the greatness of the Giver must be learnt
from the quality of the gift. Even the living
water from Jacob's well has no power to prevent
the return of thirst.
Ver. 14. But whosoever hath drunk of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I shall give him shall become
in him a fountain of springing water, unto
eternal life. The living water of which Jesus
speaks becomes in him who hath drunk of it a
perennial fountain, — a fountain of water that is
ever springing up in freshness and life, of water
that not only is itself living, but that brings and
gives eternal life. As before, this ' water ' is the
47
Holy Spirit. The whole thought closely ap-
proaches that of chap. vii. 38. There the pro-
mise is, that out of the heart of him who comes
unto Jesus that he may drink, who believes in
Jesus, there shall flow rivers of living water ;
'And this spake He of the Spirit.' The Holy
Spirit is the special gift of Jesus ; and, recipro-
cally, it is through the Holy Spirit that the be-
liever remains united to his Lord in an abiding
fellowship (chap. xvi. 14, 15), and that Jesus lives
in him (chap. xvii. 23). These truths of the later
discourses are really present here: Jesus, who
first gives the living water, becomes in him that
hath received it the fountain which supplies the
same stream of life for ever. The end is life eter-
nal, not attained in the remote future, but begun
and actually present in every one who has received
the water that Jesus gives ; for all those to whom
the Spirit is given experience that union with God
which is eternal life (see the note on chap. iii. 14).
Ver. 15. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give
me this water, that I thirst not, neither come
all the way hither to draw. These are words of
simple earnestness. In the mysterious words of
the Jewish traveller one thing was plain, — instead
of the water she came to draw, water was offered
that would satisfy thirst now and for ever. Could
she gain this gift, she would no longer need to
traverse the distance from Sychar to Jacob's well.
Though much nearer than Shechem, El-Askar is
perhaps three-quarters of a mile from the well.
The later narrative makes it impossible for us to
regard this answer as one either of flippancy or of
dulness of spiritual perception. It is in every way
more probable and true to nature to consider it
as the expression of a bewildered mind eager to
receive such a gift as has been offered, little as she
could comprehend of what nature the gift could
be. If we are right in the conjecture that other
than common motives brought her to the well
(see the note on ver. 12), it is still easier to under-
stand her reply. With this verse comp. chap.
vi. 34.
Ver. 16. He saith unto her, Go, call thy hus-
band, and come hither. The promise Jesus has
given is one of satisfaction, — a promise, "therefore,
which cannot be understood or fulfilled till the
want has been clearly apprehended and felt.
These sudden words are designed to produce this
effect. He who ever ' discerned what was in the
man ' with whom He spoke, well knew what
answer His words would call forth. Her past life
and her present state proclaimed guilt and disap-
pointment, carnality and wretchedness ; all this
she must recognise and feel before His gift can be
hers.
Ver. I". The woman answered and said, I
have no husband. The effect is produced. The
woman's words are a genuine confession, — an ac-
knowledgment, perhaps of wretchedness, certainly
of guilt. — Jesus saith unto her, Thou hast well
said, I have no husband. He accepts the truth-
fulness of her statement, but shows her how fully
her life is known to Him. In this answer the
emphasis lies on 'husband;' the woman's words
are repeated with their order changed. ' I have
no husband : ' ' Well saidst thou, Husband I have
not.'
Ver. iS. For thou hast had five husbands.
The ' five ' were no doubt lawful husbands, from
whom she had been separated either by death or
by divorce. — And he whom thou now hast is not
48
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IV. 1-42.
thy husband : this thou hast said truly. In con-
trast with the lawful marriages is set the present
unlawful union with one who was no husband.
Her life was sinful : in what degree we cannot
learn from this brief statement. An age in which
divorce was freely allowed cannot be judged by
the same rules as one of stricter principles. What-
ever may have led her to an evil life, it is plain
that her heart was not yet hardened.
Ver. 19. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I
perceive that thou art a prophet. Nothing can
be more misleading than the idea that she is seek-
ing to turn the conversation from an unwelcome
subject, or to lead it to other topics than herself.
Her answer is rather a fresh illustration of her in-
quiring and earnest character, notwithstanding all
the sinfulness of her life. When her delighted
wonder has found expression in her immediate
acknowledgment, ' Sir, I behold that thou art a
prophet, 'she eagerly lays before Him a question
which to her was of all questions the most im-
portant.
Ver. 20. Our fathers worshipped in this moun-
tain ; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place
where men must worship. ' This mountain ' is
of course Gerizim, near the foot of which they
were standing. With this mountain was connected,
as she believed, all the religious history of her
nation ; for in the very Scriptures which the Sama-
ritans possessed (the Pentateuch) the name of
Gerizim had been inserted in the place of the holy
city of the lews. She could point to the sacred spot
on which their temple had stood, then and in all
succeeding ages up to our own time pre-eminently
'holy ground.' Her question was not prompted
by mere curiosity or an interest in the settlement
of an ancient controversy. It was a question of
life and death to her. The claim of the Jews was
exclusive. Not only ' ought ' men to worship in
Jerusalem, but that was the place where men must
worship, — the only true holy place. One cannot
but think that their confident and consistent main-
tenance of this first principle had long disturbed
her mind ; and when she saw in the Stranger one
who could declare God's will, she eagerly sought
for the resolution of her doubt. As long as she
knew not with certainty where was God's true
altar, she had no means of satisfying her reli-
gious wants. That her national pride had not
stifled every hesitation on such a point as this
plainly attests her earnestness : it is no ordinary
candour that can look on the supremacy of Gerizim
or Jerusalem as an open question. Her words
imply a willingness to accept the revelation of the
truth, whatever it may be, if only she can learn
where with acceptance she may appear before
God.
Ver. 21. Jesus saith unto her, Believe me,
woman, an hour cometh, when neither in this
mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the
Father. The woman can hardly have doubted
that the decision of a Jewish prophet would be in
favour of Jerusalem, but the answer of Jesus sets
aside all ideas of sanctity of place. With neither
of these two most hallowed spot- shall the thought
of true worship be bound up. In saying ' an hour
cometh,' Jesus shows that He is not repeating a
truth belonging to the revelation of the past, but
is proclaiming a new order of things. Yet the
chief characteristic of the new order is, after all,
not the equality of places where men worship, but
the clear knowledge of the Being to whom worship
is paid : from this the former flows. Samari-
tans shall offer worship in spite of Jewish exclu-
siveness, for they shall worship the Father.
' Israel is my son, even my first-born,' were God's
words to Pharaoh ; but now He offers the name
to all, and the words of Jesus imply the abolition
of every distinction, not of place only but of
nation, in the presence of God, and for the pur-
pose of true worship.
Ver. 22. Ye worship that which ye know not:
we worship that which we know. The two
questions at issue between Jews and Samaritans
were those of holy place and holy Scripture. The
former, though of far inferior importance (as the
Jews themselves were by their ' dispersion ' being
gradually trained to know), was the more easily
seized upon by national prejudice and zeal. Of
this question Jesus has spoken. He passes on
immediately to the other, which the woman had
not raised, but which was of vital moment. The
Samaritans did really worship God, — there is no
slur cast on the intention and aim of their worship ;
their error consisted in clinging to an imperfect
revelation of Him, receiving Moses but rejecting
the prophets. Hating and avoiding Jews, they
cut themselves off from the training given by God
to that people through whom His final purposes
were to be made known to the world. It was the
essential characteristic of the whole of Jewish
history and prophecy that it gradually led up to
the Messiah ; that the successive prophets made
known with increasing clearness the nature of His
kingdom ; and that every one who could under-
stand their word saw that the Divine purpose to
save the world was to be accomplished through
One arising out of Israel. He who knew not God
as thus revealing and giving salvation did not
really know Him. Every Jew who truly received
and understood the oracles of God committed to
his trust (Rom. iii. 2) might be said to 'know ' the
object of his worship ; and it is because our Lord is
speaking of such knowledge, — knowledge respect-
ing God given by the Scriptures which the Jews
possessed, — that He says 'that which we know,'
not ' Him whom we know.' The Samaritans then
worshipped that which they knew not, — in this
more enlightened than the Athenians who built an
altar to an unknown God, but inferior even to those
of Israel who had ' a zeal of God but not according
to knowledge, ' and standing far below those meant
by our Lord when He says 'we worship,' — we,
namely, who have really appropriated Israel's
inheritance of truth and hope. — Because the
Salvation is of the Jews. ' The Salvation ' is that
foretold in Scripture, and long waited for. The
words are those of Jesus ; but, remembered and
quoted as they are by the Evangelist, they show
how unfounded is the charge sometimes laid against
this Gospel, that it is marked by enmity to the
Jewish people. It is only when 'the Jews' have
apostatized and rejected Jesus that the term
becomes one of condemnation, designating the
enemies of all goodness and truth.
Ver. 23. But an hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and truth. This verse links
itself with both the preceding verses 21 and 22.
To no place of special sanctity shall worship
belong : though 'the salvation is of the Jews,' this
involves no limitation of it to the Jewish nation :
on the contrary, an hour cometh when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and
Lhap. IV. 1-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
ttuth. 'An hour comet h ' had been said before
by Jesus (ver. 21), but He could not then add
'and now is;' for, till the truth set forth in ver. 22
had been received, Samaritans could not truly
worship 'the Father.' Now, however, they and
all may do so. But the added words 'and now
is ' imply still more than this. Following the
declaration that the Messianic salvation comes
from among the Jews, they are no obscure inti-
mation that, in Himself, the hour so long waited for
has arrived, and thus they at least prepare for the
direct announcement to be made in ver. 26. 1 he
word ' true ' here is that which has been already
spoken of (see note on chap. i. 9, the only place
before this in which it has as yet occurred) as so
common and so important in this Gospel. The
worshippers denoted by it are not merely sincere,
free from all falsehood and dishonesty ; they offer
a worship that deserves the name, that fully
answers to the lofty, noble, pure idea that the
word ' worship ' brings before the mind. In the
day now dawning on the world such worshippers
as these will worship the Father in spirit and
truth. It is difficult to exhaust the meaning of
these words, but we must start from the t\\<>
thoughts of the verses which immediately precede :
the first and chief points in the interpretation are,
— not in sacred place but in spirit (ver. 21), not in
imperfection of knowledge but in truth (ver. 22).
The very name by which Jesus indicates the object
of all worship, 'the Father' (a name no longe.
used of a chosen nation, but offering to each man
a personal relation to God), had prepared the way
for the abolition of all limitations of place : the
teaching is completed here, when man's spirit is
declared to be the 'hallowed ground' where he
may approach his Father and his God. Again, in
the past all knowledge of God had been imper-
fect,— not merely as our knowledge of the Infinite
must be limited, but also in comparison with what
may be known by man. Even Jews who held the
oracles of truth saw in them as ' in a glass darkly;'
Samaritans who rejected the words of the prophets
were far more ignorant. The law had been but a
shadow of the good things to come, and not the
very image of the things (Heb. x. 1); type and
figure concealed whilst they revealed the future
blessing. But 'the hour now is' when the truth
of God is revealed, — ' truth ' as well as 'grace' has
come (chap. i. 17); and (in the full knowledge of
it) worship may now be offered to the Father.
Read in connection with other parts of our Lord's
teaching, the words ' spirit and truth' express much
that could not be apparent at the moment when
they were spoken. The Son appearing as the
revealer of the Father, Himself the Truth, Him-
self giving to men the Holy Spirit who alone can
hallow man's spirit as the sanctuary of worship, —
all these are thoughts which cannot but press on
us as we read this verse. — For the Father also is
seeking such, them that worship him. The
hour of this real worship is already come, for the
Father also is seeking such real worshippers.
They are offering Him real homage, for He on
His part is seeking them : His seeking — through
His Son, come to save (ver. 23), and to seek that
He may save (Luke xix. 10) — explains and renders
possible this worship. There is much difficulty in
determining the true meaning of the original in
this clause. It is usually explained to mean either,
'The Father seeketh that His worshippers be
such' (i.e., that they should worship in spirit and
vol. 11. 4
49
truth), or, ' For such the Father seeketh to be His
worshippers.' Both interpretations involve serious
difficulties, partly of language, partly of meaning.
On the whole, the translation given above seems
most probable, but its force is not at once apparent.
There is a curious variation in the Greek words,
which is often considered accidental, or at all
events too minute to be significant, but which we
must regard as intentional and important. In ver.
21 and in the first part of 23 the word 'worship '
has its usual construction, but in this clause the
case which follows the verb is suddenly changed,
and a very unusual construction is introduced.
We may represent the force of the word as it is
commonly used by ' offer worship to ; ' but as used
in the clause before us and in ver. 24, the connec-
tion of the verb with its object becomes more
direct and close. An English reader can feel the
force of a sudden transition from ' offering worship
to the Father' to 'worshipping the Father.' The
former may or may not be real and successful, and
may be used of a lower as well as of the highest
homage ; the latter implies actual attainment of
the end desired, — reaching Him in worship, if we
may so speak ; and thus it may almost be said to
contain in itself the qualifying words of the pre-
ceding clause, for the ' real ' offering of worship to
God is equivalent to worshipping Him. If this
view is correct, and we are persuaded that such a
writer as John could not so vary the language
without design, the meaning of the clause is : For
also the Father is now seeking such men, — those,
namely, who actually worship Him. There is thus
a mutual seeking and meeting on the part of the
Father and Flis children.
Ver. 24. God is spirit : and they that worship
hirn must worship in spirit and truth. Such
worship as is described in the last verse is the only
real worship that can be conceived. This verse
does not say what men must do, in the sense of
what men ought to do. It is the nature of worship
in itself that is described. No other worship than
that which is offered in spirit and truth can
possibly be actual worship of God (the same idea
is here expressed as in the last clause of ver. 23),
because 'God is spirit.' We must not render
these words ' God is a spirit,' for it is not person-
ality that is spoken of, but abstract being, the
nature of the Divine essence. Since the spiritual
presence of God is everywhere, Gerizim and
Jerusalem lose all claim to be the special places
for His worship. Not the outward action of the
worshipper, not the forms he uses or the gifts he
brings, but his spirit alone can be brought to meet
the spiritual presence of God. Where this is done,
God Himself meets the spirit which He has
sought and prepared, and to which He has made
known the truth lying at the foundation of all
worship, the truth which reveals Himself. In this
wonderful passage are concentrated many of the
most essential truths of New Testament teaching.
The historical development of God's plan, the
preparation for Christianity made by Judaism, the
idea of progress from the outward to the inward,
from the sensuous to the spiritual (comp. 1 Cor.
xv. 46), the independence of forms which marks
the essence of religion, and yet its freedom to
clothe itself in form so long as the spirit is not
lost, — these are the lessons taught here ; and how-
ever special the form in which they are presented,
they are in perfect accord with the whole course of
New Testament doctrine. — The main principles of
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IV. 1-42
50
these verses would be understood by the woman
to whom our Lord was speaking. But a day in
which such principles should be realised must
surely be that for which Samaria as well as Judea
w.s 'waiting, —the 'latter days' of Messiah's
advent?
Ver. 25. The woman saith unto him, I know
that Messiah cometh (which is called Christ).
There is nothing surprising in her avowal that a
Deliverer was looked fur. We know from other
sources that this was, and still is, an article of the
Samaritan as of the Jewish faith ; from age b i age
this people had waited in expectation of ' the
Converter' or 'the Guide.' But the use of the
Jewish name ' Messiah ' is more remarkable. We
"might suppose that it pointed to an approach
towards Jewish faith and thought effected in this
woman's heait by the teaching of Jesus, were it
not that ver. 29 seems to show that the name was
understood by Samaritans in general. Yet it could
hardly be otherwise. Separated as the nations
were, the famous name which the Jews universally
applied to the Deliverer, for whose coming both
peoples alike were waiting, would naturally be
known far beyond the limits of Judea. The
explanatory parenthesis, 'which is called Christ,'
was no doubt added by the Evangelist, who alter
wards (ver. 29) translates the word without any
mention of the Hebrew form. — When he is come,
he will tell us all things. There can be little
doubt that the Samaritan hope was mainly founded
on the great passage in the Pentateuch, Deut. xviii.
15-18 (see note on chap. i. 21). The language
here used, ' He will tell us all things,' at once
reminds us of Deut. xviii. 18, ' He shall speak unti 1
them all that I shall command him.' The depend-
ence of the Samaritans on the Pentateuch alone
would naturally lead to their giving prominence to
the prophetic aspect of the Coming One, so
emphatically presented in this passage of the Law,
rather than to the aspects under which the
Deliverer is viewed in the later books of the Old
Testament. The woman's wi -rds, indeed, may not
convey her whole conception of Messiah, for the
context has pointed only to revelation and teach-
ing ; but it is more than probable that many
elements of the Jewish faith on this subject would
be unknown in Samaria. If, however, the
Samaritans expected less than the fuller revelation
warranted, they at least escaped the prevalent
Jewish error of looking for a Conqueror rather
than a Prophet, for a temporal rather than a
spiritual King.
Ver. 26. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak
unto thee am he. She lias sought and found the
truth. The hope rising in her heart receives lull
confirmation; and a revelation not yet so clearly
and expressly given by Jesus to Israel is granted
to this alien, whose heart is prepared for its recep-
tion.
Ver. 27. And upon this came his disciples;
and they marvelled that he talked with a
woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou?
or, Why talkest thou with her? To talk with a
woman in public was one of six things forbidden
to a Rabbi. As the disciples were returning from
the village, they wonderingly descry their Mash r
thus engaged. Their surprise, no doubt, found
expression in these very questions (asked among
themselves) which the Evangelist speaks of as not
1 Iressed to their Lord. 'What seeketh He?
what can He be in quest of that we cannot fur-
nish? or, if He is not seeking anything, why is
lie talking with a woman?' The questions uttered
to one another they would have at once addressed
to Jesus, but awe checked their impulse to speak.
Something in His look may have restrained them ;
or the eager wondering attitude of the one, and
the solemn earnestness of the Other, proclaiming
the willing hearer and the earnest Teacher, may
have forbidden them to interrupt such inter-
course.
Ver. 28. The woman therefore left her water-
pot, and went her way into the city. ' There-
fore,'— because, the conversation being interrupted,
there was nothing to restrain her impulse to make
known the marvels she had heard. In her eager-
ness she leaves her waterpot behind: the 'living
water' has banished the thought of that which
came from Jacob's well. — And saith to the men,
whom she would naturally meet on the roads and
in the streets.
Ver. 29. Come, see a man, which told me all
things that ever I did. She fixes on the wonder-
ful knowledge which the Stranger had displayed :
what had impressed her must also convince them.
Let them come for themselves, not rest on her
testimony; and let them draw their own conclu-
sions.— Can this he the Christ? Her own beliel
she expresses in the form of doubt, or problem to
be solved ; and ever)' reader must feel how natural
and wise was her procedure. To have declared
herself convinced that the Stranger was the Christ
would have done little towards persuading the
men "f her own village : even to have quoted the
declaration which Jesus made might have been
without effect upon those who had seen or heard
nothing to authenticate such words.
Ver. 30. They went out of the city, and were
on their way unto him. This verse is here in-
troduced partly to show the immediate success of
the woman's message (no slight evidence of the
preparedness of Samaria for the gospel), and
partly to make plain the words of Jesus in a later
verse (ver. 35).
Ver. 31. in the mean while the disciples prayed
him, saying, Rabbi, eat. Remembering His ex-
haustion with the journey (ver. 6), they begged
Him thus to take advantage of this interval of
rest.
Ver. 32. But he said unto them, I have meat
to eat that ye know not. Literally, I have an
' eating ' to eat. The word for ' meat ' in ver. 34 is
different from that used here, which rather denotes
the meal, the partaking of the food, than the food
itself. This 'eating' the disciples 'knew not.'
The common rendering entirely obscures the
meaning: our Lord does not say 'know not of,'
but 'know not,' — ye have no experience of it.
As yet, they had not learned the power of such
work as His (the complete fulfilment of His
Father's will, vet. 34) to satisfy every want.
Ver. 33. Therefore said the disciples one to
another, Hath any man brought him ought to
eat? Their perplexity is like that of the won in
of Samaria in regard to the living water (ver. its
Vi r. ; |. Jestis saith unto them, My meat is
that I should do the will of him that sent
me, and accomplish his work. This is the first
of many similar sayings in this Gospel (v. 30,
\i. 38, vii. iS, viii. 50, ix. 4, xii. 40, 50, xiv. ;i,
xv. to, xvii. 4), expressing our Lord's pel 1 t
loyalty to His Father's will, and complete devo-
tion to the accomplishment of His lather's work.
Chap. IV. 1-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Si
The pursuit of this is not His joy, His purpose,
His refreshment only, but His very food, that
without which He cannot live. The 'will' to be
' done ' may perhaps remind us of the action of
the hour or the moment; the 'work' to be 'ac-
complished,' of the complete expression and fulfil-
ment of the ' will.'
Ver. 35. Say not ye, — Has not your language
this day been, — There are yet four months, and
then cometh the harvest? As harvest began
in the middle of April it was now the middle of
December. — Lo! I say unto you, Lift up your eyes,
and behold the fields, that they are white for
harvesting. As in this chapter we have heard of
a natural and a spiritual eating or drinking, — water
(ver. 10), food (ver. 32), — so here, introduced with
equal suddenness, we have the thought of a spiri-
tual harvest. Yet, distant as must have seemed
the harvest to the disciples when they looked upon
the fields, far more distant would seem the day
when Samaritans could be gathered in to the
garner of the Lord. But, lo ! they are bid see,
the fields are already white for harvesting. These
words, we cannot doubt, were spoken by Jesus in
sight of the Samaritans flocking towards Him (ver.
30) : He saw the preparation of their hearts, the
impression made by the woman's message, the
faith which His own words would immediately
bring forth; nay, He saw a harvest far more
glorious than that of this day's labours, even
that of the salvation of the world (comp. note on
ver. 42).
Ver. 36. Already he that reapeth receiveth
reward, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal:
that he that soweth and he that reapeth may
rejoice together. The figure is continued and
amplified. Not only are the fields ready for har-
vesting, but the reaper is even now at work, and
receiving his reward ; and how glorious a reward !
Not a lifeless store, but (as in the case of the spring-
ing water, ver. 14, and the eating that abideth,
chap. vi. 27) fruit gathered for life eternal, — fruit
that shall endure for ever in the fruition of the
new life which Jesus brings. And all this takes
place ' already ' (the v.-jrd even standing emphati-
cally at the head of the sentence), that in the
spiritual field — so quickly docs the harvest follow
the sowing of the seed — sower and reaper may
rejoice together.
Ver. 37. For herein is the word true, One
soweth, and another reapeth. For, in the spiri-
tual field of which Jesus speaks, the familiar
saying is true, has full reality (the word used
signifying 'true,' as opposed not merely to what
is false, but to all that is partial and imperfect), —
that one has the labour of the sower, another the
joy of the reaper.
Ver. 3S. I sent you to reap that whereon ye
have not toiled: others have toiled, and ye
have entered into their toil. The disciples are
the reapers of this harvesi ; their commission — in-
cluding, however, that of the disciples of Jesus
throughout all time — was to reap a harvest which
had not been prepared by their own toil. What-
ever toil may be theirs, it is toil in reaping, — in joy-
fully gathering the results of earlier toil. The
surprise and gladness with which they would
shortly witness the faith of the men of Sychar
was an emblem of what should repeat itself con-
tinually in the history of the Church. While the
disciples are reapers, this harvesting in Samaria
shows clearly who is the sower, whose has been
the earlier toil. The words point to Jesus Him-
self. From beginning to end of the narrative His
' word,' first in the conversation with the woman,
and then as spoken to the Samaritans (ver. 39), is
the instrument by which the joyful result is gained.
Nor must we limit our thought of His 'toil' to
what is related of the work of this evening by
Jacob's well. The ' toil ' that has made any har-
vest possible is that of His whole mission. All
that was necessary that He might be able to say
' I am the Christ, 'the self-renunciation and sorrow
and pain of His atoning and redeeming work, —
virtually included in His one act of acceptance of
that work, and present to His thought from the
beginning, — is involved in His 'toil.' He says,
indeed, ' Others have toiled? and neither here nor
in chap. iii. 1 1 can we take the plural as simply
standing for the singular. He Himself is chiefly
intended, but others are joined as having shared
in the preparatory work. He had been alone in
conversing with the woman of Samaria; but He
had taken up and made use of all that she had
received from the teaching of Moses (ver. 25), and
all that the Jews had learnt from the prophets.
Thus He includes with Himself those who had
prepared the way for His coming. For Him, and
therefore with Him, they too had 'toiled;' but all
His servants who come after Him find the field pre-
pared, the toil past, the harvest of that toil ready
to be reaped.
Ver. 39. And from that city many of the
Samaritans believed in him because of the word
of the woman, bearing witness, He told me all
things that ever I did. The arrangement of the
words shows the prominence which John would
give to the thought that many Samaritans be-
lieved in Jesus. Their faith, too, was only medi-
ately called forth by the woman's word, for the
Evangelist describes her by his favourite and
most expressive term, as one ' bearing witness '
concerning Jesus.
Ver. 40. When therefore the Samaritans were
come unto him, they besought him that he
would abide with them: and he abode there two
days. Mark the contrast between Judea repelling
and Samaria inviting : a dead and petrified ortho-
doxy may be more proof against the word of life
than heresy.
Vers. 41, 42. And many more believed because
of his word; and they said unto the woman, No
longer because of thy speaking do we believe :
for we have heard for ourselves, and we know
that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.
Among those that heard the Saviour were evi-
dently some who had first believed because of the
woman's testimony {'No longer ...'): hearing
for themselves, they were led into a deeper faith. —
There is nothing disparaging, as some have sup-
posed, in the use of the word 'speech ' or 'speak-
ing ' in regard to the woman's message : the
expression is simply equivalent to because then
spakest, and relates to the fact of speaking, in con-
trast with the substance of the teaching, — the
'word' of Jesus Himself. — The last words in the
confession of the Samaritans (this is indeed the
Saviour of the vorld) contain no real difficulty.
The teaching of vers. 21-24 directly led to the
recognition of this truth. It was much to realise
that Jesus, as Messiah, was a Saviour, not merely
a Prophet who would bring a revelation from God.
But when the thought of a Saviour of Jew s alone
is once overpassed, there is no intermediate posi-
52 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IV. 43-54.
tion between this and the conception contained in to point out to us the special significance of the
the words before us — a Saviour of the world. whole narrative: the conversion of Samaritans
The Evangelist, in recording them, plainly intends was a promise of the conversion of the world.
Chapter IV. 43-54.
Jesus in Galilee.
43 TV TOW after "two1 days he departed2 thence, and went3 «v"- 4°-
44 IN into Galilee. For * Jesus himself testified,4, that a «o,»p. .\i..tt.
' ' J Xllt. 57 ;
45 prophet hath no honour in his own country. Then when' he Markvi. 4;
was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, c having a!*> Luk=
a x>»- 33. 34-
seen all the things that6 he did at Jerusalem at the feast : for r chap. u. 23 :
they also went unto the feast.
46 So Jesus came again7 into "* Cana of Galilee, where he made ./chap, n. 1.
the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman,8 whose son
47 was sick at ' Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was -^corne e chaP. ii. i2.
out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him
that he would come down, and heal his son : for he was at the
48 point of death. Then said Jesus9 unto him, ^Except ye see ^chap.ii. is,
49 /: signs and * wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman10 L^'-22,
50 saith unto him, Sir,11 come down ere my child die. Jesus saith 4«j*j.
unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And12 the man be- ^:efcctsii-
lieved the word that Jesus had spoken 13 unto him, and he went
51 his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met
52 him, and told Aim,1* saying, Thy son liveth.15 Then enquired
he of them 1B the hour when he began to amend. And they
said 17 unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left
53 him. So the father knew 18 that it waszt the same hour, in the
which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth : and himself believed,
54 'and his whole house. This is again * the second miracle that ■' Acts xvi. 34.
Jesus did,1" when he was come20 'out of Judea into Galilee. *Chap. a
1 And after the two - went forth 3 omit and went
4 bare witness 5 When therefore 6 all things whatsoever
7 He came therefore again a king's officer
'' Jesus therefore said 10 king's officer u Lord
12 omit And I3 spake 14 omit and told him 15 that his son lived
IC He enquired of them therefore 17 They said therefore
13 perceived 19 This Jesus again did, as a second sign, 20 having come
Contents. This section of the Gospel brings (i) vers. 43-45, introductory, after the manner of
Jesus before us in Galilee, in His intercourse with the introduction to the story of Nicodemus in ii.
the Galileans, and in particular with the king's 23-25, and of that to the visit to Samaria in iv.
officer, who may be regarded as in a certain sense 1-4; (2) vers. 46-54, the account of the inter-
their representative. The object is still the same course of Jesus with the king's officer,
as that which we have traced from chap. ii. 12. Vers. 1.3,44. And after the two days he went
have been given of the manner in which forth thence into Galilee. For Jesus himself
Judea and Samaria submit to the word of Jesus, hare witness, that a prophet hath no honour in
and these are now crowned by an instance of his own country. The connection between
similar submission on the part of Galilee. The two verses is a question on which the most differ-
section divides itself into two subordinate parts— ent opinions have been held. The latter verse
Chap. IV. 43-54-] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
evidently assigns a reason why Jesus went into
Galilee; and (we may add) ver. 45, which begins
with ' When therefore,' must be understood as
stating that the welcome He received in Galilee
was in full accordance with the motive of His
action as stated in ver. 44. These two conditions
of interpretation must evidently be observed, and
yet in several solutions of the difficulty one or
other of them is plainly set aside. Were we to
judge only from what is before us, we should say
that the words must mean: Jesus went into Gali-
lee and not into His own country, for there He
would be a prophet without honour ; and so,
when He came into Galilee, He was welcomed
by the people. If such be the true sense, 'His
own country ' must be Judea. This is certainly
not the meaning of these words in the earlier
Gospels, and hence the difficulty. A similar say-
ing is recorded by every one of the three earlier
Evangelists, and in each case it is introduced to
explain the neglect of the claims of Jesus on the
part of the inhabitants of Nazareth, the city of
Galilee in which His early years were spent (Matt.
xiii. 57; Mark vi. 4; Luke iv. 24). In one case,
Mark vi. 4, the saying is enlarged so as to apply
especially to kindred, and not to country alone.
If then we have rightly given the sense of these
verses of John, it must follow that, though the
saying quoted is nearly the same here as else-
where, the application is wholly different, ' His
own country ' being in the one case Galilee (or
rather Nazareth), and in the other Judea. This
is by many held to be impossible. But is it really
so? Would not such a difference be in exact
accord with the varied aims of the first three Evan-
gelists and the fourth, as they respectively relate
the Galilean and the Judean ministry of our Lord?
The saying is one that may be used with various
shades of meaning. Used in relation to Nazareth,
the proverb brings before us the unwillingness
with which the claims of a prophet are listened to
by those who have grown up with him, have fami-
liarly known him, have regarded him as one of
themselves. Used in relation to Judea, the true
home and fatherland of the prophets, the land
which contained the city of Messiah's birth, the
city associated with Him alike in ancient pro-
phecy and in popular expectation (see chap. vii.
41, 42), the words surely signify that a prophet is
unhonoured by those te> whom he is especially sent :
Jesus came unto His own country, and ' His own
received Him not.' This interpretation then
(which is that of Origen, in the third century)
seems completely to meet the requirements of the
passage. In Samaria Jesus had not intended
to remain, and He must therefore either return to
Judea or go into Galilee; to Judea He will not
go, for the reason given; He departs therefore
into Galilee. There is only one objection of any
weight to the view we have taken — viz., that in
vers. 1-3 of this chapter a somewhat different
motive for leaving Judea is assigned ; yet even
there, though success in winning disciples is im-
plied, it is said that He left the land because of
the Pharisees. If this last consideration does not
entirely remove the difficulty, it is to be borne in
mind that our knowledge of the circumstances is
imperfect, and that, even in its utmost force, the
objection is much smaller and less important than
those which lie in the way of the other interpreta-
tion of 'His own country.' For such as think
that Galilee must be intended there are but two
53
explanations possible : these we give, only ex-
pressing our belief that they involve difficulties
much greater than those presented by the other
view. (1) Jesus went into Galilee, for there He
would not meet with the honour of a true faith;
and there, consequently, He had a work to do, a
mission to prosecute : when therefore He came
into Galilee, although He was welcomed, it was
from unworthy not worthy motives. (2) Jesus
now at length went into Galilee, for (He had
avoided Galilee in the belief that) a prophet has
no honour in his own country : such honour, how-
ever, He has now- won in Judea, outside His own
country ; when therefore He was come into Gali-
lee, the Galileans received Him.
Ver. 45. When therefore he was come into
Galilee, the Galileans received him, having
seen all things whatsoever he did at Jeru-
salem at the feast : for they also went unto the
feast. The ' feast ' is no doubt the Passover of
which we read in chap. ii. ; and the faith of these
Galileans is precisely similar to that of the 'many'
spoken of in ver. 23 of that chapter, — real, but
not of the highest kind.
Ver. 46. He came therefore again into Cana
of Galilee, where he made the water wine.
His coming revives the fame of that first miracle,
and the report of His arrival quickly spreads.—
And there was a certain king's officer, whose
son was sick at Capernaum. This officer was
probably in the (civil or militan ) service of Herod
Antipas, a Tetrarch, but often styled a king (see
Matt. xiv. 1, 9; Mark vi. 14, etc.). The officer
himself may have been in attendance on the court
in Tiberias, but his son (probably an only son, as
the Greek literally means 'of whom the son . . . ')
was lying ill at Capernaum.
Ver. 47. When he heard that Jesus was come
out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him,
and besought hint that he would come down,
and heal his son: for he was at the point ol
death. The faith of this father rested on the
miracles of which he had heard. Would Jesus
but come down from Cana to Capernaum, his son
also might be healed. But Jesus must alv. a\ -
reprove the spirit which requires ' signs and
wonders' before yielding faith; and He does it
now.
Ver. 48. Jesus therefore said unto him, Except
ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
The charge against the father is that his apparent
faith is only thinly-veiled unbelief. — The words
seem most suitably addressed to a Jew (comp.
Matt. xii. 39, xvi. 1 ; I Cor. i. 22) : on the other
hand, the officer's connection with the court leads
rather to belief that he was a Gentile. As to
'signs,' see the notes on chap. ii. II, 23. As a
' sign ' is the highest, so a ' wonder ' is the least
noble name for a miracle. In so far as the miracle
is a prodigy and excites amazement, it is a
' wonder. '
Ver. 49. The king's officer saith unto him.
Lord, come down ere my child die. The answer
of Jesus, which had seemed perhaps to imply cold
neglect, calls forth an impassioned appeal for pity
and help ; there were no moments to be lost, —
even now the help may come too late. Jesus was
but educating — refining and deepening — his faith.
Ver. 50. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way ;
thy son liveth. The man believed the word
that Jesus spake unto him, and he went his
way. Jesus does not need the passionate appeal :
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. V. 1-18
54
the prayer has been already granted. ' Thy son
liveth ' does not mean, ' is made to live now after
thy second petition' ; but, 'even while the word is
in thy mouth, or before it was so, thy son liveth.'
The meaning, in short, is not, I perform the cure
at this instant ; but rather, I have performed it, the
work is done, thy son is recovered. He will not
come to heal the child ; there is no need that He
should do so, the child is already whole. Will
the father believe the word? He will, for his
faith is purified and changed : it is now faith in
the word of Jesus, though no sign or wonder has
been seen.
Ver. 51. And as he was now going down, his
servants met him, saying that his son lived.
The word ' now ' (or ' already ') may appear super-
fluous, but it may possibly imply that some time
had elapsed since the words of ver. 50 were
spoken, — 'when he had now begun the journey.'
Business may have detained him for a lew hours
in Cana; and if it did so, it would be a testimony
to the firmness of that faith with which he had
now believed in Jesus. 'Going down,' — because
Cana is situated in the hilly district, several
hundred feet above the level of the Sea of Galilee.
Ver. 52. He enquired of them therefore the
hour when he began to amend. They said there-
fore unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour
the fever left him. As the distance between
Cana and Capernaum is not above five-and-twenty
miles, it may seem strange that the officer should
not have reached his home the same day. If the
* seventh hour ' were reckoned from sunrise, the
time of the cure would be a little later than noon ;
in that case it would be necessary to suppose that
the servants were following the familiar Jewish
reckoning of time, and regarding sunset as the
commencement of a new day. It seems, however,
much more probable (see the note on ver. 6) that
by the ' seventh hour ' we must understand 6 to 7
P.M. Even without the supposition that the father
had been detained in Cana, this will suit all the
circumstances of the narrative. — The words 'began
to amend ' do not suggest any hesitation on the
father's part as to the completeness of the cure.
He had believed the word ' thy son liveth ' (ver.
50), and what he asks now is as to the hour at
which his child had been stopped upon the road
to death, and turned back upon that to full health
and strength.
Ver. 53. So the father perceived that it was
at the same hour in the which Jesus said unto
him, Thy sou liveth : and himself believed, and
his whole house. Believed — that is, with a faith
increased and confirmed : true faith he had mani-
fested before.
Many have supposed that this king's officer may
have been Chuza, ' Herod's steward' (Luke viii. 3),
whose wife Joanna was amongst those women who
ministered of their substance to the wants of Jesus
and His disciples.
Ver. 54. This Jesus again did, as a second
sign, having come out of Judea into Galilee.
The order of the original is remarkable, and we
endeavour to represent it by a translation which,
if literal, is yet sufficiently idiomatical. 'This'
stands alone ; ' a second sign ' is in apposition
with it. There is thus by means of ' again ' and
'second' a double statement as to the position of
the miracle ; and as we know that other miracles,
not numbered, were wrought in Galilee (chap. vi. ),
and that there had already been 'signs' also in
Judea (chap. ii. 23), the two points upon which
our attention is fixed seem to be — (I) that this
miracle was wrought in Galilee; (2) that it was a
second miracle there. The first of these points
receives importance from the fact that the ' sign '
now related was done after Jesus had left ' His
own country,' rejected by 'His own' to be
accepted by Galileans : the second magnifies the
sign itself, for the mention of it as a 'second'
appears to flow from the tendency of the Evan-
gelist to give double pictures of any truth which
possesses in his eyes peculiar weight. This is the
case here. From the first Jesus showed that His
mission was not confined to Judea. It included
Galilee, a province representative not of Jews only
but of Gentiles, out of which the Tews thought
that no prophet could come (vii. 52) : it was not
a local but a universal mission.
It is not necessary to discuss the question
whether this miracle is identical with that related
in Matt. viii. 5-13 ; Luke vii. 2-10. We may
wonder that such a question was ever raised. One
point of similarity exists, in that in each case the
cure was performed at a distance : in all other
respects the narratives are wholly different, —
agreeing neither in time, nor in place, nor in the
station of the persons concerned, nor in the cha-
racter of the faith evinced.
Chapter V. 1-1S.
Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda,
1 A FTER this1 there was a "feast of the Jews; and Jesus "Comp. chap.
2 1\. went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by
the sheep market' a pool, which is called3 in the * Hebrew *Chap.»x.
13, 17, -o,
3 tongue Bethesda, having five porches.4 In these lay a great5 »• l6-
multitude of impotent" folk, of blind, halt, 'Withered, waiting rMatt.ai.io.
4 for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a
surnamed
1 these things
4 porticos
2 by the sheep- pool
h omit great
the pool which is
sick
Chap. V. 1-1S.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 55
certain season into the pool, and troubled the water : whoso-
ever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was
5 made whole of whatsoever disease he had.7 And a certain man
was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.8
6 When Jesus saw him lie,9 and knew 10 that he had " been now
a long time in that case, he 12 saith unto him, Wilt thou be made
7 whole ? The impotent 13 man answered him, Sir, I have no
man, when the water is u troubled, to put me into the pool :
but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, ''Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. </See Matt.
• ix. 6.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took
up his bed, and walked : and * on the same day was the <chap. ix. >*.
sabbath.15
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the
sabbath day:16 it is ^not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.17 /Neh. xiii.
1 t He18 answered them, He that made me whole, the same said xvL^i)
12 unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Then asked they him,19 chap. vii. 23,'
What man is that20 which said unto thee, Take up thy bed,21
13 and walk? And23 he that was healed wist not who it was:
for Jesus had conveyed himself away,23 a multitude being in
14 that place. Afterward M Jesus findeth him in the temple,25 and
said unto him, Behold, thou art '7 made whole : sin no more,
15 lest a worse thing come unto thee." The man departed,29 and
told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
16 And therefore 30 did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay
him,31 because he had done38 these things on the sabbath day.
17 But Jesus33 answered them, s My Father worketh hitherto,34 j-Ver. 19,
iS and I work.3'' Therefore36 the Jews * sought the more to kill AChap.vii.
him, because he not only had broken " the sabbath, but said
also that God was ' his Father,33 making himself * equal with /Rom- «»•
God. AChap. i. iS,
x. .30, 33.
7 omit from waiting in third verse to end of fourth verse
s which had been thirty and eight years in his sickness
9 Jesus seeing him lying there 10 perceiving n hath 12 omit he
13 sjcj. 14 ^(jj been 15 and it was the sabbath on that day
16 It is the sabbatli day, and l; to take up the bed 18 But he
19 They asked him 20 Who is the man 2I omit thy bed 22 But
23 withdrew himself 24 After these things -h temple-courts
27 hast been 2S sin no longer, that some worse thing come not unto thee
20 went away 30 And for this cause 31 omit and sought to slay him
32 did 33 he 34 until now
35 I also work se For this cause therefore 3r broke
38 but also called God his own Father.
Contents. With the beginning of this chapter sented in the Prologue, as the culminating-point
we enter upon the fourth and leading division of and fulfilment of all previous revelations of God,
the Gospel, extending to the close of chap. xii. whether in the Old Testament or in nature. In
Its object is to set Jesus forth in the height of His chap. v. He is the fulfilment of the Sabbath, the
conflict with ignorance and error and sin. More greatest of all the institutions given through Moses,
particularly, the Redeemer appears throughout it The subordinate parts of the first section of the
in the light in which He had already been pre- chap, are — (i)vers. 1-9, the account of the miracle
56
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
[Chap. V. 1-18.
at the pool of Bethesda ; (2) vers. 10-1S, tlie
opposition of the Jews, leading to the proclamation
of the great truths contained in the second section.
Ver. 1. After these things there was a feast
of the Jews ; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
No more is said as to the visit to Galilee than
what we find in iv. 43-54. We are taken at once
to the close of the visit, when Jesus went up again
to Jerusalem. The occasion 01 His going up was
the occurrence of a festival. Contrary to his wont,
the Evangelist says nothing of the nature of the
festival, merely adding (as in ii. 13, vii. 2, etc.)
the words 'of the Jews.' It is quite impossible
here to examine the attempts which have been
made to give more precision to this statement.
Not a few Greek manuscripts and other authori-
ties endeavour to remove the difficulty by inserting
the article, and reading ' the feast of the Jews,' an
expression usually thought to mean the Passover.
The weight of evidence, however, is distinctly in
favour of reading ' a feast ; ' and we may safely
say that with this reading the Passover cannot be
intended. Were it possible to believe that the
great national festival is spoken of, the conse-
quences would be important. In that case four
Passovers would be mentioned in this Gospel (ii.
13, v. 1, vi. 4, xviii. 28); and of one whole year
of our Lord's public ministry the only record pre-
served would be that contained in the chapter
before us. The critical evidence, however, sets
the discussion at rest so far as the Passover is
concerned, and we have only to inquire which of
the remaining festivals best suits the few state-
ments of the Evangelist bearing on this part of the
history. Our two landmarks are iv. 35 and vi. 4.
The former verse assigns the journey through
Samaria to the month of December, the latter
shows that the events recorded in chap. vi. took
place in March or April; hence, in all probability,
the festival of chap. v. 1 falls within the three or
four months between these limits. If so, the
feasts of Pentecost (about May), Tabernacles
(September or October), and the Dedication of
the Temple (December) are at once excluded ;
and no other feast remains except that of Purim,
which fell about a month earlier than the Passover.
This feast, therefore, is now generally believed to
lie the one referred to here. The objections are
perhaps not insurmountable. It is said that our
I ,ord would hardly go up to Jerusalem for Purim.
As to this, however, we are clearly unable to
judge ; in many ways unknown to us, that feast
may have furnished a fitting occasion for His visit.
Its human origin would not be an obstacle (comp.
chap. x. 22), nor would its national and patriotic
character. It is true that there were abuses in the
celebration of Purim, and that excess and licence
seem to have been common. Still we cannot
doubt that many devout Israelites would be occu-
pied with thankful recollection of the wonderful
deliverance of their nation commemorated by the
feast, rather than with revelry and boisterous mirth.
line other objection maybe noticed. The feast
oi Purim was not allowed to fall on a Sabbath,
and hence, it is argued, cannot be thought of here.
But nothing in the chapter leads necessarily to the
supposition that the Sabbath on which the miracle
was wrought was the day of the feast. The feast
was the occasion of our Lord's going tip to Jeru-
salem : the .Sabbath may have fallen soon after
His arrival in the city ; more than this we have no
right to say. If therefore we look at the historical
course of the narrative, it would seem that, of the
solutions hitherto offered, that which fixes upon
Purim as the feast referred to in the text is the
most probable. But there is anotherquestion of great
importance, which must not be overlooked. Why
did John, whose custom it is to mark very clearly
the festivals of which he speaks (see ii. 13, 23, vi.
4, vii. 2, x. 22, xi. 55, xii. 1, xiii. 1, xviii. 39, xix.
14), write so indefinitely here? The feast before
us is the only one in the whole Gospel on which a
doubt can rest. We may well ask the reason of
this, and the only reply which it seems possible
to give is that the indefiniteness is the result of
design. The Evangelist omits the name of the
feast, that the reader may not attach to it a
significance which was not intended. To John, —
through clearness of insight, not from power of
fancy, — every action of his Master was fraught with
deep significance ; and no one who receives the
Lord Jesus as he received Him can hesitate to
admit in all His words and deeds a fulness of
meaning, a perfection of fitness, immeasurably
beyond what can be attributed to the highest of
human prophets. Our Lord's relation to the
whole Jewish economy is never absent from John's
thought. Jesus enters the Jewish temple (chap,
ii. 14) : His own words can be understood by those
only who recognise that He Himself is the true
Temple of God. The ordained festivals of the
nation find their fulfilment in Him. Never, we
may say, is any festival named in this Gospel in
connection with our Lord, without an intention on
the writer's part that we should see the truth which
he saw, and behold in it a type of his Master or
His work. If this be true, the indefiniteness of
the language here is designed to prevent our rest-
ing on the thought of this particular festival as
fulfilled in Jesus, and to lead to the concentration
of our attention on the Sabbath shortly to be
mentioned, which in this chapter has an importance
altogether exceptional. Were it possible to think
that the ' feast ' referred to was the Sabbath itself,
all difficulties would be at once removed.
Ver. 2. Now there is at Jerusalem by the
sheeppool the pool which is surnamed in the
Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porticos.
The use of the present tense, there is, may seem
to indicate that the pool still remained after the
destruction of Jerusalem ; unless indeed we adopt
the opinion that, as John in all probability com-
mitted to writing very early his recollections of
his Lord's discourses and works, an incidental
mark of his practice is left us in this verse. — The
translation of the words that follow is much dis-
puted. The ( deck word for ' pool ' may be written
in two ways. That which is usually adopted gives
the meaning, ' there is by the sheep .... a pool,
that which is surnamed,' etc.; and the question is
how the ellipsis is to be filled up. There is no
authority for supplying 'market,' as is done in the
Authorised Version; and that method of supplying
the blank is now generally abandoned. The idea
of most writers on the Gospel is that the 'sheep-
gate' (Neh. iii. I, 32, xii. 39) is intended, but we
have found no example of a similar omission of the
word 'gate.' We are thus led to examine the other
mode of writing the Greek word 'pool,' from which
results the translation, 'there is by the sheep-pool
the fool that is surnamed ; ' and to this tendering ol
the sentence there appears to be no valid objection.
It may, indeed, seem strange that the situation of
the pool called Bethesda should be defined by its
Chap. V. i-iS.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
proximity to another pool about which no informa-
tion is preserved ; but it must be remembered that
in questions relating to the topography of Jerusalem
arguments from the silence of historians are not
worth much. Early Christian writers also (Euse-
bius and Jerome) do actually speak of a sheep-pool
in Jerusalem in connection with this passage.
Ammonius tells us that the pool was so called
from the habit of gathering together there the
sheep that were to be sacrificed for the feast :
similarly Theodore of Mopsuestia. And it is
very interesting to notice that an early traveller
in the Holy Land (about the first half of the
fourth century) speaks of ' twin pooh in Jerusalem,
having five porticos.' We conclude therefore
that John defines the position of the pool with
which the following narrative is connected by its
nearness to another pool, probably of larger size,
57
and at that time well known as the 'sheep-pool.' It
is remarkable that of the other pool the proper name
is not mentioned, but only a Hebrew or Syro-
Chaldaic second name or surname. What this
name is and what it signifies can hardly be deter-
mined with certainty, as several forms of the name
are given in Greek manuscripts and other authori-
ties. If we assume that Bethesda is the true form,
the most probable explanation is ' House of grace.'
It is easy to see that such a name might naturally
ari-e, and might indeed become the common
appellation amongst those who associated a bene-
ficent healing power with the waters of the pool ;
and it is also easy to understand how it was the
second name that lingered in John's thought, — a
name which to him bore a high significance,
recalling the 'grace' which came through Jesus
( hrist (i. 17), and of which a wonderful manifesta-
al Pool of Betheida
tion was made at this very spot. The p">ol called
Bethesda had five porticos; probably it was five-
sided, and surrounded by an arched verandah or
colonnade, closed in on the outward side. The
hot springs of Tiberias are so surrounded at this
day, and it is at least possible that the style of
architecture may be traditional.
Ver. 3. In these lay a multitude of sick folk,'
of blind, halt, withered. Under the shelter of
these porticos many such were laid day after day.
The general term ' sick folk ' receives its explana-
tion afterwards as consisting of those who were
blind, or lame, or whose bodies or limbs were
wasted. — The omission of the remaining words of
ver. 3 and of the whole of ver. 4 is supported by a
weight of authority which it is impossible to set
aside. The addition belongs, however, to a very
early date, for its contents are clearly referred to
by Tertullian early in the third century. It is
evidently an explanatory comment first written in
the margin by those who saw that the words ol
ver. 7 imply incidents or opinions of which the
narrative as it stands gives no account. The well-
intentioned gloss was not long in finding its way
into the text ; and, once there, it gave the weight
of the apostle's sanction to a statement which
really represents only the popular belief. It will
be seen that, when the unauthorised addition is
removed, there is nothing in the text to support
the impression that wonderful cures were actually
wrought. The phenomena are those of an inter-
mittent spring ; and the various circumstances
described, the concourse of sick, the eager ex-
pectation, the implicit faith in the healing virtue
of the waters and in the recurring supernatural
agency, find too many parallels in history to make
it necessary to suppose that there was any super-
natural virtue in the pool. It may be observed
58
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
[Chap. V. 1-1S.
that the ordinary translation of the added words
is not quite correct. The angel's visit was not
looked for ' at a certain season ' (as if after some
fixed and regular interval), but 'at seasons,' lrom
time to time.
Ver. 5. And a certain man was there, which
had been thirty and eight yearB in his sickness.
This sufferer (apparently one of the 'withered,'
though not altogether destitute of the power of
motion) had endured thirty-eight years of weak-
ness. How long he had been wont to resort to
Bethesda we cannot tell : it may have been only
for days or even hours.
Ver. 6. Jesus seeing him lying there, and
perceiving that he hath been now a long
time in that case, saith unto him, Wilt thou be
made whole ? The first movement is altogether
on the side of Jesus: comp. ver. 21 ('whom He
will '). His knowledge of the case is by direct
intuition (comp. ii. 25), not, as we believe, the
result of inquiry. In Matt. viii. 2 the leper's
words to Jesus were, ' Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou
canst make me clean,' and the answer was, 'I
will.' Here the address of Jesus contains His 'I
will,' for His question to the man is 'Dost thou
will ? if thou dost I do also. ' Jesus has the will to
heal him : does he answer this with a correspond-
ing will, or is he like those to whom Jesus would
have given life, but who ' would ' not come to
Him? (ver. 40). It will be observed that there is
no broad separation made between bodily and
spiritual healing. The man certainly understood
the former, but we cannot limit the meaning of
Christ's words by the apprehension of those to
whom He speaks, and the subsequent narrative
seems to imply more than the restoration of
bodily health.
Ver. 7. The sick man answered him, fir, I
have no man, when the water hath been troubled,
to put me into the pool : but while I am coming,
another steppeth down before me. The man
does not give a direct answer to the question
' Wilt thou ? ' but the answer sought is implied.
He had the will, but he had not the power to do
what he believed must be done before healing
could be obtained. The very extremity of his
need rendered unavailing his repeated efforts to
be the first to reach the waters when the mys-
terious troubling had taken place. He had no
friend to help, to hurry him to the pool at the
moment when the waters were thought to have
received their healing power.
Ver. 8. Jesus saith unto liim, Rise, take vtp
thy bed, aud walk. The cure is performed in the
most simple and direct manner. It is not said
that Jesus laid His hands on him (Luke xiii. 13),
or that He touched him. He speaks : the man
hears the voice of the Son of God and lives (vers.
25, 28, 29).
Ver. 9. And immediately the man was made
whole, and took up his bed, and walked. The
result is described in words which are a simple
echo of the command. Whilst they testify the
power of the healing word, they also bring into
view the man's ' will ' and ' faith,' as shown in his
immediate readiness to obey the command of
Jesus. Immediately he was made whole, and
took up his bed (the mattress which, laid upon
the ground, had formed his bed), and walked. —
Aud it was the sabbath on that day. The verses
which follow show how important is this notice.
As Jesus chose out this one sick man to be the
object of His grace, so He of set purpose chose
the sabbath day for the performance of the
miracle.
Ver. to. The Jews therefore said unto him
that was cured, It is the sabbath day, and it is not
lawful for thee to take up the bed. The Jews —
some of the rulers of the people (see note on i. 19)
— who had not been present at the miracle met
the man as he departed carrying his bed. As
guardians of the law they challenge him, and
condemn the bearing of burdens on the sabbath.
It is very important for us to determine whether
in so doing they were right or wrong. Were they
faithfully carrying cut the letter of the law of
Moses, or were they enforcing one of those tradi-
tions by which they destroyed its spirit ? We
have no hesitation in adopting the former view.
The question must be decided apart from the
miracle, of which at this moment the Jews seem
to have had no knowledge. It is true that, even
had it been known by them, their judgment would
not have been altered ; they would have equally
condemned the healing on the sabbath (see Luke
xiii. 14), since there had been no question of life
and death. When, too, they afterwards hear what
has been done (ver. 11) there is no change in their
tone and spirit ; and our Lord's own reference to
this miracle (chap. vii. 23) seems to show that, so
far from convincing them, it had roused their
special indignation. But at the point of time now
before us the lawfulness of healing on the sabbath
was not in question. They met a man carrying
his bed in the streets of Jerusalem on the sacred
clay. The law of Moses forbade any work on that
day ; and the special enactments in the Pentateuch
(the command to kindle no fire, Ex. xxxv. 3, and
the judgment on the man who gathered sticks,
Num. xv. 35) show how this law was to be
interpreted. Injer. xvii. 21-23, moreover (comp.
Neh. xiii. mi, this very act, the bearing of bur-
dens, is explicitly condemned. What could they
do but condemn it? Would the same act be
regarded otherwise in England at the present
hour? One other consideration remains, and it is
decisive. Our Lord's answer to the Jews (ver. 17)
makes no reference to their casuistical distinctions
or to traditions by which the law was overlaid. It
diners altogether in tone and spirit from the
reproofs which we read in Luke xiii. 15, xiv. 5.
Had their objection lain against the healing, we
cannot doubt that they would have brought on
themselves the like rebuke : here however they
were right in holding the man's action, so far as
they understood it at the moment, to be an infrac-
tion of their law.
Ver. 1 1. But he answered them, He that made
me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy
bed, and waBk. Whether the man knew the
Rabbinical saying that a prophet's command to
transgress the letter of the law was to be obeyed,
save in the case of idolatry, may be doubted ; but
the impression made on him by the majesty of
Jesus was sufficient to guide his answer. Divine
power had healed him : a command from One who
wielded such power could not transgress the law
of God.
Ver. 12. They asked him, Who is the man
which said unto thee, Take up, and, walk ?
The mention of the cure has no effect in lead-
ing them to suspend their judgment. It would
indeed present to them a new transgression of the
law ; but they content themselves with passing
Chap. V. r-18.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
59
it by, and laying stress on what they consider
an undeniable breach of the very letter of the
commandment. This complete indifference to the
work of mercy plainly illustrates the hard-hearted
malice of ' the Jews.'
Ver. 13. But he that was healed wist not who
it was. We need not wonder that this man,
unable to move from place to place, perhaps only
recently come to Jerusalem, had no previous
knowledge of Jesus! — For Jesus withdrew him-
self, a multitude being in that place. After his
cure, too, he could hear nothing of his benefai tor,
for, to avoid the recognition and enthusiasm of
the multitude (comp. chap. vi. 15), Jesus with-
drew,— literally 'slipped aside, ' became suddenly
lost to sight. — Here, as always, the 'multitude'
or mass of the people is to be carefully distin-
guished from 'the Jews.' The conflict between
Jesus and the Jews has begun : all His actions
deepen their hatred against Him. The 'multi-
tude,' on the other hand, is the object of His
compassion : from time to time they follow Him
eagerly, however slight may be their knowledge
of His true teaching and aims (vi. 2, 15). In
subsequent chapters we shall often have to call
attention to the contrast between ' the Jews ' and
the 'multitude;' and it will be seen that some
passages are almost inexplicable unless this most
important distinction is kept clearly in view.
Ver. 14. After these things Jesus findeth him
in the temple courts. Some time afterwards,
probably not on the same day, the man is found
in the temple courts. There is no reason to doubt
that he had gone there for purposes of devotion,
having recognised the Divinedcliverance. Through-
out the narrative he stands in strong contrast with
the Jews, resembling in this the blind man of
whom we read in chap. ix. — And said unto him,
Behold, thou hast been made whole: sin no
longer, that some worse thing come not unto
thee. The words of Jesus imply much more than
the general connection of sin and suffering ; they
show that in this case the sickness had in some
way been the result and the punishment of sin.
Yet sorer judgment will follow a return to the life
of sin (Matt. xii. 45).
Ver. 15. The man went away, and told the
Jews that it was Jesus which had made him
whole. The Jews asked who had commanded
him to take tip his bed. The man's reply, given as
soon as he had learnt the name of his Deliverer,
was that Jesus had made him whole. The careful
variation in the expression seems to repel the
supposition that, he gave the information through
ingratitude or in treachery. Probably his motive
was a sense of duty to those who, whatever might
be their spirit, were constituted authorities who
had a right to be»satisfied as to all breaches of the
law, with whom also would rest the decision
whether he must bring a sin-offering to atone for
his violation of the sabbath. Whilst, however,
this may have been the man's motive, we can
hardly doubt that John (who here uses a word,
'declared,' which with him often has a solemn
significance) sees in the act a Divine mission. In
his eyes the man is for the moment a prophet of
the Most High, a messenger of warning, to the
guilty Jews.
Ver. 16. And for this cause did the Jews per-
secute Jesus, because he did these things on the
sabbath day. The man whose cure had been the
occasion of the action taken by the Jews now
passes from view. For the second time Jesus and
'the Jews' are brought face to face. He had
appeared in the temple (ii. 14) to put an end to
the abuses they had permitted or fostered, and to
vindicate the holiness of His Father's house. Then
He offered Himself to Israel as the Son of God ;
He declared Himself the antitype of their temple,
the idea of which (as God's dwelling-place) had its
fulfilment in Himself alone. As by supernatural
influence on those who trafficked in the Holy
Place He had then challenged the attention of the
riders of Israel, so now by a wonderful sign He
fixed on Himself the eyes of all (vii. 21). This
lime it is not on the temple that He lays His
hand, but on the law, the cherished commandment
of the sabbath. It is not as one who with autho-
rity checks abuses which none could defend,
though from them many derived gain, that our
Lord now appears in Jerusalem : He comes as one
who claims to be above the law, having the right,
as Lawgiver, to set aside its letter. As the temple
hail its idea fulfilled in Himself, so was it with the
sabbath. As to the Son of God God's house
belonged, so to the Son of God belonged that
Rest of God of which the sabbath was a type ; and
the sabbath cannot be broken by the Son of God.
This is the light in which the following verses
teach us to regard the whole narrative. The
choice of the sabbath day for the miracle is the
kernel of the paragraph. Had the Jews been
teachable and free from prejudice, had they taken
the miracle as the starting-point of their reason-
ings, they would have been prepared for hearing
the ground of the claims of Jesus thus to regulate
their law. ' How can a man that is a sinner do such
miracles?' (ix. 16) was in truth a convincing argu-
ment, and by yielding to its force they would have
been led to Jesus as humble seekers after truth.
But because He 'did these things,' wrought such
works and showed that He would persevere with
them, they became and continued to be His per-
secutors.
Ver. 17. But he answered them, My Father
worketh until now: I also work. In three
different ways does our Lord rebut the charge
which His foes so often brought against Him, that
He broke the sabbath. At one time Pie showed
that it was not the law but the vain tradition that
He set aside (Matt. xii. 11 ; Luke xiii. 15, xiv. 5);
at another He declared Himself as the Son
of man Lord of the sabbath, and taught that the
law of the sabbath must be determined from its
aim and object (Mark ii. 27, 2S) ; here only does
He take even higher ground. God rested from
His works of creation on the seventh day ; this
day was hallowed and set apart for man's rest
from labour, — a rest which was the shadow of the
rest of God, and which was designed to remove
from man everything that might hinder him from
entering in spirit into that fellowship with God
which is perfect rest. From the creation to this
very moment the Father hath been working; in
His very rest upholding all things by the word of
His power, providing all things for His creatures,
working out the purpose of His love in their
redemption. 'My Father worketh until now,'
with no pause or intermission : ' I also work.'
He who can thus call God His Father finds in
the works of His Father the law of His own
works. No works of the Father can interrupt the
sabbath rest : no works of the Son on earth can
break the sabbath law. The 19th and 20th
6o
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. V. 19-47.
verses more fully explain what is expressed in
these majestic words.
Ver. 18. For this cause therefore the Jews
sought the more to kill him, because he not
only broke the sabbath, but also called God his
own Father, making himself equal with God.
The Jews do not fail to see that the argument
rested on the first words, 'My Father.' He who
could thus speak, and who justified His works by
the works of God, was calling God His own
Father in the highest sense which these words can
bear, and was claiming equality with God. It
has been objected that, though the brief assertion
of ver. 17 does really imply all this, it is not pro-
bable that so momentous an inference would have
been drawn from words so few. But it is sufficient
to reply that, whilst John gives to us the exact
substance of the words of Jesus and the impression
which they made upon the hearers, we have no
reason to suppose that all the words spoken are
recorded. The meaning which we gather from
those that stand written before us probably
could not be conveyed by spoken words without
repetition and enlargement. The thought of the
condensation which must have taken place in the
record of these discourses of our Lord is that
which fully justifies the devout reader's effort to
catch every shade of meaning and follow every
turn of expression. — The answer Jesus has given
does but repel the Jews. We are told what the
persecution of ver. 16 meant, — even then they had
sought His life, for now they sought the more to
kill Him. F'rora this point onwards we have the
conflict that nothing could reconcile, the enmity
of the Jews which would not and could not rest
until they had compassed the death of Him who
had come to save them.
The Disc
Chapter V. 19-47.
rse of Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda.
19 '~P*HEN answered Jesus' and said unto them, Verily, verily,
J- I say unto you, "The Son can do nothing of himself,
but 2 what he seeth the Father do :3 for what things soever he
20 doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.4 For b the Father
loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth :
and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may
2 1 marvel. For 5 as the Father c raiseth up the dead, and
d quickeneth them ; 6 ' even 7 so the Son quickeneth 8 whom he
22 will. For the Father judgeth no man,1' but S hath committed 10
23 all judgment unto the Son: That all men should" honour the
Son, even as they honour the Father. s He that honoureth
not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath 12 sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ;' He that heareth my word, and
believeth on 13 him that sent me, ' hath everlasting H life, and
k shall not come into condemnation ; l5 but ' is '" passed from "
25 death unto '* life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is
coming,19 and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the
26 Son of God: and they that hear20 shall live. For21 as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he given22 to the Son23 to
27 '"have life in himself; And hath given21 him authority to
execute judgment also,25 because he is the Son" of man.
c Chap. xi. 2
/Ver. 27 :
Actsx. 4?,
xvii. 31;
Rom. xiv.
g See chap.
xv. 23.
// Chap viii.
/ See chap.
iii. .5, 36.
/i- Chap. iii. i
i 1 John iii.
1 Jesus therefore answered - can of himself do nothing save
4 these things the Son also in like manner doeth 5 For even
3 and maketh to live 7 omit even
9 For moreover the Father judgeth no one
11 That all may l2 omit hath
15 and cometh not into judgment lc hath
19 An hour cometh 20 have heard
22 so gave he 2S Son also "* And he gave
doing
8 also maketh to live
0 given
3 omit on
7 out of
1 For even
' omit also
14 eternal
18 into
a son
Chap. V. 19-47.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 61
28 Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming,27 in the which all
29 that are in the graves shall hear his voice, "And shall come « pan. xii. a ;
' ° Matt. xxv.
forth ; they that have done good,2* unto the " resurrection of <<>;■ Acts
J ° XXIV. IS.
life ; and30 they that have done31 evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation.32
30 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: »v«. 19.
■''and my judgment is just; because gl seek not mine own > c„haP- vm.
will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.33 ?"?cha£lv.
31 'If I bear witness of31 myself, my witness is not true. ,.c^mp.3chap.
32 'There35 is another that beareth witness of31 me; and I ,vw.3*;14'
know that 'the witness which he witnesseth of34 me is t^lh^l'X
33 true. "Ye sent3" unto John, and he bare 37 witness unto the „chaP. i. 19.
34 truth. But I receive not testimony from man:39 but39 these
35 things I say, that ye might40 be saved. He was a burning
and a shining light:41 and ye were willing'12 for a season to
36 rejoice43 in his light. But I have greater witness44 than
that of John: for "the works which45 the Father hath given »ChaP. x. 35,
J ° 38, xv. 24.
me to ' finish,4" the same4, works that I do, bear witness ™chaP. .v. 34
37 of48 me, that the Father hath sent me. xAnd the Father *Ver' 3*-
^' Comp. chap
himself,49 which hath50 sent me, hath51 borne witness of4' vi- 2?-
$S me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen
his shape.53 And ye have not -Mil's word abiding in you : y 1 John ii. 14.
30 for53 whom z he hath50 sent, him ye believe not. "Search54 *ChaP. vi.so.
-^ ' J a Acts xvn. 11.
the Scriptures; for55 in them ye think56 ye have b eternaMVer-24-
40 life: and c they are they which testify of me.57 d And ye will CLuke4fxiv
41 not come to me, that ye might58 have life. 'I receive not 27:Ahc^-x''
42 honour from men.59 But -^ I know you, that ye have not the rfJJ;ap ; ,,
43 love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye '^"^fp-
receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him /ChaP-"- 2*
44 ye will receive. s How can ye believe, which receive honour e chap. xii.
one of another,60 and seek not ;' the honour that comctli from t Rom. ii. 29.
45 'God only?61 Do not think that I will accuse you to the » Chap. xvii.
Father : there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom
46 ye trust.'8 For had63 ye believed Moses, ye would have be-
27 because an hour cometh -s And they that have done good shall go forth
-° a 30 but 31 committed
32 a resurrection of judgment 33 of him that sent me ?A concerning
35 It 3G have sent 37 hath borne
38 But not from a man do I receive the witness 30 howbeit 40 may
41 He was the lamp that burnetii and shineth 42 and ye desired
43 exult 44 But the witness that I have is greater 46 that
40 accomplish 4" very 48 concerning
40 omit himself ''" omit hath ■''' he hath
52 Never have ye either heard a voice of him or seen a form of him
6:1 because 54 Ye search s5 because s(! ye think that in them
67 and it is they which bear witness concerning me 58 may
50 Glory from men I receive not G0 receiving glory one of another
01 and the glory that is from the only God ye seek not
62 ye have placed your hope 63 if
62 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. V. 19-47.
47 lieved 64 me : * for he wrote of" me. But 'if ve believe not his *ver. 3?-.
writings, how shall66 ye believe my words?
would believe
concerning
Con rENTS. The performance of the miracle
of healing on the sabbath had roused the active
opposition of the Jews to Jesus, and that again
had led to the great declaration contained in ver.
17, in which Jesus announces His equality with
God. This announcement only excites the Jews
to greater rage ; and Jesus is thus led, according
to llis custom in this Gospel, to present in still
fuller and more forcible terms the truth by which
their anger and opposition had been aroused.
The discourse may be divided into three subor-
dinate parts — (1) vers. 19-29, where, with a thrice
repeated ' Verily, verily ' (the progressof the thought
is pointed out in the Exposition), Jesus speaks
of Himself as the Worker of the Father's works,
the Revealer of the Father's glory ; (2) ver. 30, a
verse at once summing up what has preceded from
ver. 19, and introducing the remainder of the dis-
course ; (3) vers. 31-17, where Jesus passes from
the ' greater works ' that He does to the witness
borne to Him by the Father, pointing out at the
same time the true nature of the evil principles
within the Jews which prevented their receiving
that witness.
Ver. 19. Jesus therefore answered and said
unto them. We have already found Jesus reply-
ing to those who did not receive His utterance of
a truth by a repeated and more emphatic declara-
tion of the very truth which they rejected (see
iii. 5). So it is here. He had been accused of
blasphemy in calling God ' His own Father ' ami
making Himself equal with God. He solemnly
reiterates His claim, and expresses with greater
force the unity of His working with the working
of God His Father.— Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The Son can of himself do nothing save
what he seeth the Father doing: for what
things soever he doeth, these things the Sou
also in like manner doeth. The connection of
this verse with the preceding is of itself sufficient
to preclude the interpretation which some have
given, — that it has reference to the perfect obe-
dience of the Son of man rather than to the essen-
tial oneness of the Son of God with the 1
The last words of the verse express the general
positive truth that all the Father's works are done
by the Son, and done by Him in like manner,
while the mystery contained in them is not greater
than that which is inherent in every statement
relating to the Trinity. Anticipating for a
moment what will meet us in later parts of the
discourse, and remembering that human words can
only be approximations to the truth, we may say
that it is the Son's part to make the Father's works
take the shape < •( actual realities among men. The
Father's working and the Son's working are thus
not two different workings, and theyare not a word-
ing of the same thing twice. They are related to
each other as the ideal to the pi.- nomi nal, as the
thought to the word. The Father does not work
actually; He works always through the Son.
The Son does not w irl Iways
from the Father. But God is always working;
therefore the Son is always working : and the
works of the Father are the works ol the Son,—
distinct, yet one and the same. From this positive
truth follows the denial which comes earlier in the
verse. The Jews had denounced Jesus as a blas-
phemer, had thought that He was placing Himself
in awful opposition to God. This is impossible,
for the Son can do nothing of Himself; severance
from the Father in action is impossible, how much
more contrariety of action ! The Son can do
nothing of Himself, — can indeed do nothing save
what He seeth the Father doing. (The remarks
on 'save' made above, see chap. iii. 13, are ex-
actly applicable here. See also chap. xv. 4, which
closely resembles this verse in mode of expression.)
The subordination of the Son, which subsists
together with perfect unity, is expressed in the
former half of the verse by the 'seeing,' in the
latter by the order of the clauses. The whole
verse is a translation of the truth expressed in the
Prologue (vers. I, IS).
Ver. 20. For the Father loveth the Son, and
sheweth him all things that himself doeth.
The relation of the Son's acts to those of the
Father has been connected with the figure cf
' seeing :' the converse is here presented, as 'show-
ing.' The Father ' showeth ' what Himself doeth;
the Son 'seeth.' The principle of the relation
between the Father and the Son, out of which
this communion springs, is ' love,' — an eternal and
continuous and infinite love, the source of an
eternal and continuous and perfect communion.
The same English words have occurred before, in
chap. iii. 35 ; but the original expression is not
the same. We shall have occasion in several
passages to notice the two Greek words in ques-
tion, which, as a rule, must be rendered by the
same English word, 'love.' Starting from the
use of the words between man and man, we may
say that the one (ifii-iu) denotes rather the tender
emotional affection, that the other (xya.Tx&) is
never dissociated from intellectual preference,
esteem, choice. The one term is not necessarily
stronger than the other. The latter may be more
exalted, as implying the result of intelligence and
knowledge ; the former may be more expressive,
as implying a closer bond and a warmer feeling.
The first word is most in place when the two who
are united by love stand more nearly on the same
level, the second is commonly used when there is
disparity. The former occurs thirteen times only
in this Gospel ; once of the bather's love towards
the Son (here), and once of His consequent love to
those who love the Son (xvi. 27) ; three times of
the love of Jesus towards His disciples, and six
times of their love to Him ; the other two passages
are \ii. 25 ('he that loveth his life') and xv. 19
('the world would love its own'). It does not
occur in John's Epistles, and twice only in the
Apocalypse (iii. 19, xxii. 15). On the other hand,
the latter word occurs no fewer than thirty-seven
times in John's Gospel and thirty times in his
Epistles. In the Gospel it is used seven times of
the love bi Fath :r end th -
of the love of God to the world (iii. 16),
times of the Father's love to those who are Christ's;
eleven times of the love oi 1 ■ rd; His own,
Chap. V. i g-47-] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
nine times of their love towards Him, and four
times of the mutual love of the disciples. In the
remaining passages (iii. 19 and xii. 43) it denotes
preference or choice. The fitness of the employ-
ment of the two words is very clear in almost all
these instances. The first class is that with which
we are now concerned, both words being used to
denote the love existing between the Father and
the Son. The particular passages will be noticed
as they occur, but the verse before us and chap.
iii. 35 are sufficient to show clearly the general
principle ruling this whole class. Here, as the
context brings into relief the essential relation
between the Son and the Father, that word is
chosen which most befits the unity of their Being.
In iii. 35, again, the context fixes our attention on
Him whom God hath 'sent :' not the essence but
the work of the Son is the leading thought, — not
the Word ' in the beginning with God, but the
Only-begotten Son given that the world might be
saved : the other word, therefore, is there used. —
And he will shew him greater works than these.
The word ' showeth ' in the first part of the verse
includes all time : here the future tense is used,
not as pointing to a change in the relation of the
Son to the Father, as if the 'showing' and the
'seeing ' would in the future grow in completeness
and intensity, but only because the eternal purpose
of the Father for mankind is fulfilled in time, and
because the Saviour is looking at successive stages
of His work, as developed in human history. —
The 'greater works' must not be understood to
mean simply greater acts, more wonderful miracles,
all that we commonly understand by the miracles
of Jesus being rather comprehended under the word
'these.' Further, our Lord does not say 'greater
works than this ' miracle, but greater works than
'these: ' and lastly, to compare one of the Saviour's
miraculous deeds with another, to divide them into
greater and less, is altogether foreign to the spirit
of the Gospels. The key to the meaning of the
'greater works ' is given by the following verses ;
they include the raising of the dead, the giving of
life, the judgment.— That ye may marvel. The
a of these greater works, of this higher and
more complete manifestation of Jesus, is ' that
ye may marvel.' 'Ye,' as throughout this dis-
course, is an address to those who opposed Him,
who 'would not come 'to Him, who refused to
believe Flis words. The meaning of 'marvel,'
therefore, does not differ from that which we
observed in chap. iii. 7 : it is not the wonder of
admiration and faith, but the marvelling of aston-
ishment and awe.
Ver. 21. For even as the Father raiseth tip
the dead and maketh to live, so the Son also
niaketh to live whom he will. This verse begins
the explanation of the ' greater works ' which the
Father ' will show ' unto the Son. In speaking of
these, however, the present not the future tense is
used, for some of them are even now present in
their beginnings, though future in their complete
manifestation. The first example of these works
of the Father, which ' the Son also doeth in like-
manner,' is raising up the dead and making to
live. Are the words to be understood in their
ordinary sense, or are they figurative ? This ques-
tion can only be answered from the context. On
one side ver. 25 is decisive, death being there used
of a spiritual state, and not with a physical refer-
ence only. On the other hand, ver. 28 unques-
tionably speaks of the raising of the dead out of
63
their graves. As, therefore, the verses which
follow ver. 21 certainly contain an expansion and
exposition of the first words of the discourse
(vers. 17, 19-21), the general terms of ver. 21
must be employed in their widest sense, including
both a physical and a spiritual resurrection and
gift of life. This is the more natural, as the miracle
of healing has been the fountain of the discourse,
and we have seen that in such miracles of oui
Lord the physical and spiritual worlds are in a
remarkable way brought together. — The work
spoken of is divided into two parts, the raising
and the giving of life. The former word 'raising'
is that used in ver. S (' Rise '), and is the first part
of the command which then gave life. It is the
word rendered 'awake' in Eph. v. 14, a passage
which the verse before us at once recalls. Whether
used literally or in reference to a spiritual resur-
rection, it denotes the first step in the process of
' making to live.' Either word might stand by
itself to indicate the work : neither in 2 Cor. i. 9,
'God which raiseth the dead,' nor in Rom. iv. 17,
'God who maketh the dead to live,' is an imper-
fect act described. But the description is more
vivid here, as we see first the transition and then
the completed gift. In the language of this
Gospel, ' life ' has so deep a significance that
' maketh to live ' must not be limited to the initial
'quickening,' — it is the whole communication of
the fulness of life. If this view be correct, we can
find no difficulty in the omission of the word
' raiseth ' in the second half of the verse. Once
mentioned, it presents the work of giving life so
vividly, that afterwards the one word 'maketh-to-
live ' is sufficient to bear all the meaning. So in
ver. 8 and ver. II. The command to the sick
man had been, 'Rise and . . . walk:' when
the result is described and the command related
by him who has been healed, nothing is said of
the arising, for it is included in the gift of life.
God 'maketh alive' (Deut. xxxii. 39; I Sam.
ii. 6) : ' God hath given to us eternal life ' (1 John
v. 11). However understood, whether physically
or spiritually, this is the work of the Father ; both
in the physical and in the spiritual sense, it is also,
we now learn, the work of the Son. In one respect
the later part of the verse is not less but more
detailed than the earlier. No one can doubt that
'whom He will ' lies implicitly in the first words,
but the thought is expressed in regard to the Son
only ; and the best illustration of it as applied to
Ilim is given by the narrative itself. Amongst
the crowd of sick Jesus chose out one especially
wretched and consciously helpless, and bestowed
on him the free gift of life. So (Matt. xi. 25) the
wise and prudent are passed by, and babes a
objects of the Fathers merciful will. The Son's
will is the manifestation of the Father's purpose.
There is no suggestion of an absolute decree. The
cure of the sick man was to a certain extent de-
pendent on his own will : ' Hast thou a will to
be made whole?' (ver. 6). The same will to be
quickened is necessary to all to whom the will to
quicken on the part of the Son extends. What is
the source of the will in them is a question not
raised : enough that the light appears, and they are
attracted to the light and open their hearts to
receive it.
Ver. 22. For moreover the Father judgeth
no one, but hath given all judgment unto the
Son. This verse must be taken in connection
with the 19th, 'The Son can of Himself do
64
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. V. 19-47
nothing save what He seelh the Father doing.'
By thus connecting the two verses, it becomes
plain that our Lord does not assert that judgment
is not in a certain sense exercised by the Father,
but that the Father lias not reserved judgment to
Himself, — that with all other things, it too is
given unto the Son. The Father showeth the
Son all things that Himself doeth : from this com-
plete manifestation nothing is excepted, — not even
that final arbitrament which is the prerogative of
the Supreme. Hence there is no contradiction
between this verse and ver. 30 below, where Jesus
says, ' 1 can of mine own sell do nothing ; as 1
hear, 1 judge ; ' nor will viii. 50 present any diffi-
culty. By 'judgment,' as in chap. iii. 17, [8, iu,
we must certainly understand a judgment that
issues in condemnation : the parallelism between
iii. iS, 'He that believeth in Him is not judged,'
and ver. 24, 'He that hcareth my word and be-
lieveth Him that sent me hath eternal life, and
cometh not into judgment,' is remarkably close.
All judgment future and present, the final award
with all that foreshadows it, the Father hath
given, by a bestowal which can never be revoked,
unto the Son. The connection between the 22d
and the 21st verses is now plain. The Son
maketh to live whom He will ; but there are
some on whom He does not bestow life (compare
ver. 40) ; them therefore He judges, Fie con-
demns,— for not even is this Divine prerogative
withholden from Him ; nay, all judgment hath
been given unto the Son.
Ver. 23. That all may honour the Son even
as they honour the Father. These words ex-
press the purpose of the Father in giving all judg-
ment to the Son. They remind us of the closing
words of ver. 20, which also express His purpose,
but there is a significant difference between the
two verses. There we read ' that ye may marvel,'
here 'that all may honour:' there it is the con-
fusion and amazement of foes, here it is the honour
rendered by all whether foes or friends. It is
true, indeed, that the 'judgment 'of ver. 22 im-
plies condemnation, and that, by consequence,
this verse might seem to relate to foes only and
not obedient subjects in the kingdom of God.
Hut the 'all' is rightly introduced, for when
judgment has compelled the honour of unwilling
adoration, much more may it be expected that
willing hearts will see the unity of the Father and
the Son, and will honour the Son even as they
honour the Father. — He that honoureth not the
Son, honoureth not the Father which sent him.
It was in their zeal for the honour of the F'ather,
as they supposed, that the Jews refused to honour
Him who was God's Son. But so truly one are
the Father and the Son, that all who dishonour
the Son dishonour the Father. The Father orders
all tilings as He does that He whom He sent into
the world may receive equal honour with Himself;
and all who refuse honour to the Son resist the
Father's purpose. Similar words are found in one
of the earlier Gospels (Luke x. 16), yet no teach-
ing is more characteristic of the fourth.
Ver. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you. The
second 'Verily, verily,' introducing the second
step in the argument. — He that heareth my word,
and believeth Him that sent me, hath eternal
life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath
passed out of death into life. This verse 1
close connection with the last, the word ' Him
that sent me' taking up the similar words in
ver. 23 ; and those who by hearing Christ's words
give honour to the Father being set over against
those who were there spoken of as dishonouring
the F'ather. But the verse has also a very im-
portant connection with the three preceding verses.
They have stated the work of the Son as it has
been given Hi in by the Falher; this states the same
work in its effeet upon believers. The comparison
of the terms employed in the several verses is
very instructive, and the advance from a principle
asserted of the Son to the same principle viewed
in its application to men is most perceptible.
The Son maketh to live the dead, even those
whom He will (ver. 21) : he that heareth His
word hath eternal life, and hath passed out of his
state of death into life (ver. 24). All judgment
is given unto the Son (ver. 22) : into this judg-
ment he that believeth does not come (ver. 24).
There is special significance in the words ' be-
lieveth Him that sent me :' our Lord does not
say 'believeth in Him,' for that which Fie has
in view is the acceptance of God's testimony con-
cerning the Son (1 John v. 10). Such hearing
and believing imply the full acceptance of Christ,
and thus lead directly to that ' believing in the
Son ' which (chap. iii. 36) gives the present pos-
session of eternal life. The believer has passed
into a state to which judgment does not apply ;
he has received into himself that word which
(chap. xii. 4S) will at the last day judge all who
reject it. Believing in Christ, he has life in Him,
and to all that are in Christ Jesus there is no
condemnation (Rom. viii. 1).
Ver. 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you. The
third 'Verily, verily,' introducing the third step
in the argument. — An hour cometh, and now is,
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son
of God: and they that have heard shall live.
What was said of ver. 24 applies here also ; for
this verse has a direct connection with that which
precedes it ('heareth my word ' rises into 'shall
hear the voice of the Son of God ') ; and yet a
still more important link unites it with the open-
ing words of the discourse, especially with ver. 20,
' He will show Him greater works.' In the 21st
ami 22! verses, these works are looked at in
their own nature as done by the Son ; in the 24th
verse, they are looked at in their effect on the
believer. Now, the ' will show ' is brought into
prominence, for it is of the historical fulfilment of
those words that the verse before us speaks. ' An
hour cometh ' when the Son's power to give life
to the dead (ver. 21) shall be manifested. Of the
two spheres in which this power is exercised this
verse has in view one only ; the ' dead ' are those
who are spiritually dead. In regard to these alone
could it be said that the hour has already begun
('an hour cometh, and 11020 is'), or would the
limitation in the last words be in place, ' they that
have heard shall live.' The general meaning
therefore is the same as that of the last verse ; but,
as it is to ' the dead ' that the Son speaks, we here
read of 'the voice' and not 'the word,' In say-
ing ' the voice of the Son of God,' Jesus recalls to
our thought all the majesty of His first words
(vers. 11,' 17, 19).
\ er. jo. For even as the Father hath life in
himself; so gave he to the Son also to have life
in himself. The dead shall hear the voice of the
Son and live, for the Son hath life and can impart
life. This is the ci ection between verses 25
and 20. The Father win- is the primal fountain
Chap. V. 19-47.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
of life gave to the Son to have life in Himself. As
in verses 19, 20, 21, that which belongs to the
Father and that which belongs to the Son are
designated by the same words, while the subordi-
nation expressed in verses 19, 20, by the figurative
words 'showing' and 'seeing,' is here (as in ver.
22) expressed by the word 'gave.' It is therefore
the essential nature of the Son that is spoken of,
and not His work in redemption. — ' To have life
in Himself is the loftiest expression that can be
used : the unchangeable possession of life exactly
similar and parallel to that of the Father, such
possession as enables Him to be the Giver of life
to others, belongs to the Son.
Ver. 27. And he gave him author ity to execute
judgment, because he is a son of man. The Son
'maketh to live,' but Hemaketh tu live ' whom He
will ' (ver. 21), or (as we read in ver. 25), Hegiveth
life to those who have heard His voice, and not
to all. Where, then, He is not the Giver of life,
He is necessarily the Judge. The one thought
involves the other, both in verses 21, 22, and here.
The Father who gave to the Son the possession of
life gave Him judgment also. This we read in
the 22d verse, but the truth now wears a new
form ; for, although the word ' gave ' is repeated
in ver. 27, it is in relation to a gift and a sphere
altogether different from those of which the 26th
verse speaks. There the essential attributes of the
Son are before us, including the prerogatives of the
Word made flesh : here we read of a gift which
belongs to time and not eternity, a gift which the
Son receives 'because He is a son of man.'
The former verses that speak of giving life and of
judging (21, 22) may have an extent of application
of which we know nothing ; this verse relates to
the judgment of men by One who is very man.
Such is the force of the words 'a son of man.'
In every other passage of this Gospel it is ' the
Son of man' of whom we read : here only, and in
Rev. i. 13, xiv. 14, is the definite article wanting.
No expression brings out so strongly the possession
of actual human nature, and for this purpose it is
employed. God's will is to judge the world by ' a
man whom He ordained ' (Acts xvii. 31) ; and the
verse before us, though comprehending much
more than the last judgment, seems, as may be
inferred from the peculiarity of the expression
' execute ' or ' perform judgment ' (literally ' do
judgment '), and from the presence of this thought
in the immediate context (vers. 28, 29), to look
especially towards the final scene. But the judg-
ment is one that issues in condemnation, and it is
the Father's will that ' a son of man ' shall pro-
nounce the sentence, as one who has taken on
Himself human nature in all its reality and com-
pleteness, in all its faculties, affections, and feel-
ings. Because He has done so, He is fitted to be
a Judge of men, and to draw from the consciences
of the guilty an acknowledgment of the righteous-
ness of their doom. As the Son of God having
life in Himself, He gives life, and those who are
united to Him by faith have possession of a life
that is divine. But as a son of man He judges; as
One who has been in the same position with those
standing at His bar, as One who has fought the
same battle and endured the same trials as they.
Thus they behold in their Judge One who entirely
knows them ; His s< ntence finds an echo in their
heart ; and they are speechless. Thus it is that
judgment becomes really judgment, and not merely
the infliction of punishment by resistless power.
vol. 11. 5
Ver. 2S. Marvel not at this. Jesus has been
speaking of works at which they may well marvel
(ver. 20) ; but great as these may be, there is yet a
gTeater. — Because an hourcometh, in the which
all that are in the gTaves shall hear his voice.
That the future alone is spoken of is clear from
the omission of the words ' and now is ' found in
ver. 25. The resurrection is not spiritual and
figurative, for the words are ' all that are in the
graves, ' not ' all that have heard, ' — ' shall go forth, '
not 'shall live.' The consummation of the work
of Jesus is the general resurrection both of the
righteous and the wicked. Now all shall hear
His voice, to which before (ver. 25) some only
had given heed. All shall go forth, but not all
to a resurrection of life.
Ver. 29. And they that have done good shall
go forth unto a resurrection of life; but they
that have committed evil unto a resurrection
of judgment. Those who have committed evil,
whose deeds have not been the abiding fruit and
work of the truih, but merely the repeated mani-
festation of evil in its vanity and worthlessness
(see iii. 20), shall go forth to a resurrection to
which belongs abiding judgment. And these
alone come into judgment (compare ver. 24). As
in iii. 18 it is said that 'he that believeth in Him
is not judged,' so here, ' they that have done good
shall go forth unto a resurrection of life.' The
difference between the two passages is, that in
the one the faith is named ; in the other, the works
which are the expression of the life that follows
faith, the abiding fruit of faith. It will be observed
that the expressions ' resurrection of life ' and
' resurrection of judgment ' denote states, not acts,
of resurrection. No general judgment, therefore,
is here mentioned : all that is spoken of is a
general resurrection, on the part of some to a con-
tinuing life, of others to a continuing judgment.
Ver. 30. I can of mine own self do nothing :
as I hear, I judge : and my judgment is just.
This verse is the dividing line of the discourse,
belonging at once to both parts, summing up (to
a certain extent) what has gone before, leading on
to the new subject which occupies the remainder
of the chapter. The last word spoken was 'judg-
ment.' Jesus now returns to it, and it is not
strange that He should do so. He is speaking in
the presence of the Jews, His determined foes,
who refuse life, whom He judges and cannot but
judge. Hence this lingering on judgment, and
the recurrence to the first thought of the discourse
(ver. 19), so as to show that this judgment is not
of Himself, but belongs both to the Father and
to the Son. — The figure of ver. 19 is changed.
There ' seeing ' was the word chosen, as most in
harmony with the general thought of works done ;
here it is of judging that Jesus speaks, and hence
the same thought of communion with the Father
is best expressed by 'hearing.' One characteristic
of this verse is so marked as of itself to prove that
the verse is closely related to those which follow.
From the beginning of the discourse (ver. 19)
Jesus has spoken of the Father and the Son. Now
He directly fixes the eyes of His hearers upon Him-
self (' I can,' ' I hear,' ' I judge ') ; and this
mode of speech is retained to the very end of the
chapter. — Because I seek not mine own will,
but the will of him that sent me. That His
works have not been and cannot be against the
authority and will of God, Jesus has shown by
pointing out their essential unity with those of the
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. V. 19-47.
66
Father (ver. 19). That the judgment He must
pass is just, He has shown by the same proof, — 'as
I hear I judge.' But a second proof is now given,
or rather (perhaps) a second aspect of the same
truth is brought into relief, that thus His words
of rebuke and warning may be more effectually
addressed to the Jews. His action is never sepa-
rate from that of the Father, — there can be no
variance: His will is ever the will of His Father,
— there can be no self-seeking. It was because
the opposite spirit dwelt and reigned in the Jews
that they were rejecting Him, and bringing judg-
ment on themselves. — The transition to the first
person, ' I,' ' my,' suggests an objection that would
arise in the minds of the Jews. This is met in the
verse that follows.
Ver. 31. If I bear witness concerning myself,
my witness is not true. The word ' I ' is em-
phatic,— ' if it is I that bear witness.' The words
plainly mean 'I and I alone,' for no one is dis-
credited because he testifies to himself, although
he is not credited if no other witness appears on
his behalf. The Jews may have understood Jesus
to mean: If I have no other witness to testify con-
cerning me, my testimony cannot claim to be
received. But there is more in His words. In
the consciousness of oneness with the Father, He
would say that if it were possible that His own
witness should stand alone, unaccompanied by that
of the Father, it would be self-convicted, would
not be true : He, in making the assertion, would
be false, for He is one with the Father, and His
statement, as that of one win 1 was false, would be
false also. He must therefore show that the
witness He bore to Himself was really borne to
Him by the Father : the Father's witness even the
Jews will acknowledge to be true. To this, there-
fore, He proceeds.
Ver. 32. It is another that beareth witness
concerning me. Not ' There is another,' as if He
would merely cite an additional witness. He
would lay the whole stress ot the witnessing upon
this ' other witness. ' This witness is the Father,
—not John the Baptist, who is mentioned in the
next verse only that it may be shown that his
testimony is not that on which Jesus relies. — And
I know that the witness which he witnesseth
concerning me is true. These words are not
said in attestation of the Father's truth, a point
admitted by all : they are the utterance of the
Son's profound consciousness of His own dignity
and union with the Father.
Ver. 33. Ye have sent unto John, and he
hath borne witness unto the truth. As if He
said : Had I not this all-sufficient witness, — were
it possible for me to appeal to any human witness,
I might rest on your own act. Ye yourselves have
made appeal to John, and he hath borne witness
to the truth (chap. i. 19-27). Your mission and
his answer are unalterable and abiding facts,
which press upon you still and cannot be set
aside. What he attested is the truth. Jesus does
not say 'hath borne witness to me,' perhaps be-
cause that to which John bore witness was only a
revelation from God (compare chap. i. 34), a
declaration of the truth which he had received
from God ; perhaps because the whole lesson of
this passage is that there is only one real witness
to Jesus, even the Father speaking in the Son and
drawing out the answer of the heart to Him.
Ver. 34. But not from a man do I receive the
witness. Great as was the witness of this greatest
of prophets, yet John was only a man, and his
witness therefore is not the real testimony to Jesus;
it is a higher which is given Him, and which He
receives (comp. ver. 36). Hence the definite
article before 'witness.' — Howbeit these things I
say that ye may be saved. Insufficient as was
John's testimony for the production of faith in its
deepest and truest sense, yet Jesus had referred to
it, recognising its value as part of the Divine
arrangements for leading men to Himself. It
ought to have brought them to Jesus : and then,
as they listened to His own word, the true and
complete witness would have been given. The
following words set forth more fully the true
position of the Baptist, in his value and in his
imperfection.
Ver. 35. He was the lamp that burneth and
shineth. John's great work had been to bear
witness of Jesus, to point to Him. By a sudden
transition this is expressed very beautifully in a
figure. As the Psalmist said of God's word that
it was a lamp unto his feet and a light unto
his path (I's. cxix. 105), showing him the right
path, preserving his feet from wandering, so does
Jesus represent John's mission here. The lamp
has been supplied with oil and has been lighted
for a special purpose ; it is not self-luminous,
shining because it is its nature to give light. The
lamp too burns as it shines ; its light is transitory,
and may well be so, because in proportion as its
purpose is accomplished may the light diminish :
when its end is answered, the lamp may be ex-
tinguished (comp. iii. 30). — And ye desired for a
season to exult in his light. Alas ! for them the
lamp failed to fulfil its purpose. Instead of learn-
ing the way to Jesus by its means, they thought
only of the light itself. No doubt this light was
beautiful and attractive, but it had been designed
only to guide to Him who would prove 'the true
light' unto all that followed Him (chap. i. 9, viii.
12). The Jews are evidently censured, but not
(as some maintain) because they had exulted in-
stead of mourning. There had been no call to
mourning. The very exhortation to repentance,
to prepare for the coming of Him for whom Israel
had long waited, contained in it ' glad tidings of
great joy.' The transient acceptance of John him-
self, instead of the acceptance of his message in its
true and permanent significance, is the fault for
which the Jews are here condemned.
Ver. 36. But the witness that I have is greater
than that of John. Our Lord does not say ' I
have greater witness than that of John,' as if He
was about to specify additional testimony of greater
weight than the Baptist's. No, that testimony to
the truth was good, was useful (vers. 33, 34!, but
' the witness ' which He has — the only witness to
which He appeals — belongs altogether to another
order, not human, but Divine. Other witness
may prepare the heart, external testimony may
point the way, but there is only one evidence
offered by Jesus Himself.— For the works that
the Father hath given me to accomplish, the
very works that I do, bear witness concerning
me, that the Father hath sent me. The evidence
is works that the Father hath given Him to accom-
plish ; and these works are His evidence, not as
external evidence merely, but because, as expressive
of the Father in Him, they appeal to that inner
light in men which ought to have led men to
recognise the Father in the Son. ( >f these ' works'
miracles are one part, but not the whole. In two
Chap. V. 19-47.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
67
other passages our Lord uses similar language to
this, speaking of the 'accomplishment' of the
work of the Father (chap. iv. 34) or of the work
which the Father hath given Him to do (chap,
xvii. 4) ; and in both the work is more than mira-
cles. True, we read in these of 'the work,' not
'the works,' but the difference is not essential :
the many works are the many portions of the one
work. Nor need we go beyond this discourse
itself to see that the very widest meaning must be
assigned to 'works.' The keynote is struck by
ver. 17, which speaks of the 'working' of the
Father and the Son ; and in ver. 20 we read of
the ' greater works ' which the Father will show
unto the Son. The ' works ' then here denote all
that has been referred to in earlier verses (20-30),
whether present or future, the works of quickening,
raising, judging, all that the Son does and will do
until the purpose of the Father is accomplished
and the redemptive work complete. These works,
being manifestations of His own nature, are essen-
tially different from all external testimony what-
ever.— Such as they are, they have been 'given'
Him by the Father to accomplish : they are de-
scribed not as a charge but as a gift (as in verses
22, 26, 27) : and they are the very works which
He is now doing and habitually does. Special
significance attaches to these added words, ' the
very works that I do,' for they show that the
witness given by the Father to the Son is given in
' works ' now presented to their view. Every
word and every deed of Jesus is, as a work, blar-
ing testimony to the truth that the Father hath
sent Him ; for, where the heart of the beholder is
prepared, every work reveals the presence of the
Father, and is manifestly a work of God.
Ver. 37. And the Father which sent me, lie
hath borne witness concerning me. As if Jesus
said : And thus, in the abiding gift of the 'works,'
it is the Father that sent me that hath borne wit-
ness of me. — 'Hath borne witness' corresponds
with 'hath given ;' each points to the continued
possession of a gift bestowed, the Father's abiding
presence with Him whom He 'sent' and 'sealed '
(chap. vi. 27). Hence we must not suppose that
a new witness of the Father — ' direct ' (as some
say), in contrast with the ' mediate ' testimony of
the works— is here intended. If the 'works' in-
clude the whole manifestation of the Son, the
whole of the tokens of the Father's presence in
Him and with Him, they are no 'mediate' testi-
mony ; no testimony can be more direct.— Never
have ye either heard a voice of him or seen a
form of him. The lather has borne witness, but
they have not known His presence. In the words
of Jesus He has spoken, and the ear not closed
through wilfulness and unbelief would have recog-
nised the voice of God. In the actions ami the
whole life of Jesus He has manifested Himself,
and the spiritual eye, the man 'pure in heart,'
would have 'seen God.' It had been otherwise
with ' the Jews.' Whilst our Lord had been work-
ing in their midst they had heard no voice of the
Father, they had seen no form of Him. This was
a proof that they had never received in their
hearts God's revelation of Himself. Had they
done so, had they (to use our Lord's figurative
language, — no doubt suggested by the thought of
the words which He had spoken and the miracles
which He had shown to them) ever been ac-
quainted with the Father's voice, they would have
tecognised it when Jesus spoke: had the eyes of
their understanding ever been enlightened so as to
see God, they would have seen the Father mani-
fested in their very presence in His Son. What
is in these two clauses couched in figurative terms
the next clause expresses clearly.
Ver. 38. And ye have not his word abiding
in you ; because whom he sent, him ye believe
not. ' Word ' here must not be understood as
directly signifying the Scriptures of the Old Testa-
ment : it is rather the substance of God's whole
revelation of Himself, however and wherever
made. This revelation received into a believing
heart becomes God's word in the man, and to this
word answers The Word, in whom God has per-
fectly revealed Himself (compare Heb. i. I, 2).
By all previous teaching concerning Himself God
has prepared the way for man's reception of Hi,
Son. He who did not recognise the Son as the
Sent of God, showed by this very sign that the
preparatory work had not been effected in him, —
that he had not God's word abiding in his heart.
So in the next chapter Jesus teaches that ' every
one that hath heard from the Father, and hath
learned, cometh unto Him' (chap. vi. 45). The
refusal therefore of the Jews to believe Him, that
is, to accept His claims, is of itself a proof that
they have had no spiritual aptitude for discerning
the presence and the revelation of God. It will
be seen that, as in the first clause of ver. 37 we
cannot accept the view that a new witness is in-
troduced, different from the works, so here we
cannot believe that the ' voice,' ' form,' and ' word '
are to be limited to the manifestation of God in
the Scriptures of the Old Testament. No doubt
this is the most prominent and important part of
our Lord's meaning, but we must not exclude
God's revelation of Himself in providence and in
the heart of man, for in all things He had pointed
to His Son.
It should be mentioned that some have sup-
posed the clause ' never have ye heard a voice of
Him ' to refer to the voice of God at the Baptism
of our Lord. But such an interpretation is surely
impossible. The tone of the two verses here is
one of reproach ; but that voice was not intended
for the ears of the Jews, and their failure to hear
it was no matter of rebuke. This explanation,
too, would not diminish but increase the difficulty
of the words 'or seen a form of Him,' words
startling to every Israelite (compare Deut. iv. 12),
and, we believe, only to be accounted for when
regarded as closely connected with and suggested
by the words and deeds of Jesus.
Ver. 39. Te search the Scriptures. The link
connecting this verse with the last is the mention
of God's 'word.' We have seen that our Lord
had referred in a marked though not an exclusive
manner to the Scriptures. To the Jews indeed it
might seem that He intended to speak of these
alone ; and that He should deny Jews the glory
which they esteemed most highly, by declaring
that they had not God's 'word' abiding in them,
would arouse their wonder and their wrath. Now,
therefore, Jesus allows them the praise that was
their due, but shows also that the very possession
of which they boasted had been so used by them
as to increase their condemnation. — Because ye
think that in them ye have eternal life : and
it is they which bear witness concerning me.
Ver. 40. And ye will not come to me, that ye
may have life. The Jews did search the sacred
writings, — to do so was their honour and their
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. V. 19-47
06'
pride. Their own belief was that in possessing
them they possessed eternal life ; as one of their
greatest teachers said, ' He who has gotten to
himself words of the Law has gotten to himself
the life of the world to come.' But these very
Scriptures were the writings that bore witness
concerning Jesus (see the note on ver. 38). Had
they entered into their spirit, they would havejoy-
fully welcomed Him ; yet they refused to come (it
was not their will to come, — see ver. 6) to Him
P ir life. Such is the general meaning of the verses.
The Jews had used the witness of the Scriptures
as they had dealt with that given by the Baptist
(ver. 35). What was designed as a means had
been made by them an end ; what should have led
them to Christ detained them from Him. In a
certain sense the Scriptures did contain eternal
life, in that they bore witness of Him who was the
true bestower of this gift ; but as long as men
busied themselves with the words of Scripture to
the neglect of its purpose, believing that the former
would give all they needed and sought, the Scrip-
tures themselves kept them back from life. — It is
a little difficult to decide what is the reason for the
emphasis which in the original is laid on ' ye '
('ye think that,' etc.). The meaning may be : ye
yourselves set such honour on the Scriptures that
ye think eternal life is found in them. In this
case an argument is founded on their own ad-
missions. Or our Lord may intend to refer to this
doctrine respecting the Scripture as their belief
only, not the truth, not His teaching ; ye think
that in the Scriptures ye have eternal life, but it is
not truly so, — eternal life is given by me alone.
The latter meaning seems most in harmony with
the context. So understood, the words do indeed
rebuke that view of Scripture which rests every-
thing on the letter, and also the inconsistency be-
tween the reverence which the Jews paid to the
sacred writings and their neglect of the purpose
they were designed to serve ; but to the Scriptures
the highest honour is assigned, for Jesus says, 'it
is they which bear witness concerning me.' When
thus interpreted in the sense in which it appears
necessary to understand them, the words of ver.
39 supply a lesson almost the opposite of that
usually drawn from them. While they exalt instead
of depreciating the Scriptures, their main object
is to warn us against putting them into an undue
position, or supposing that they are more than a
guide to Him in whom alone life is to be gained
(comp. vi. 63). The ordinary rendering of the
first word ('Search' for 'Ye search') seems alto-
gether inconsistent with the course of thought in
these verses.
Ver. 41. Glory from men I receive not. The
last nine verses have been an expansion of ver. 31;
this verse goes back to the 30th, in which Jesus
first contrasts His spirit with theirs, His devotion
to the Father's will with their self-seeking. The
rest of the chapter is a development of this thought.
Yet there is no abrupt break at ver. 40. Jesus
has been speaking of the refusal of the Jews to
'believe' Him and 'come to' Him as the sufficient
and certain evidence of the evil of their hearts.
Hut in so speaking He is not aiming at His own
honour, or seeking fame from men. In every
claim for Himself He seeks His Father's glory ;
and the possession of that spirit is the test of the
truth and righteousness which are well-pleasing to
the Father: see chap. vii. IS, xii. 4;.
Ver. 42. But I know you, that ye have not the
love of God in you. I know, — that is, I have
discerned you, I have read your hearts. Love to
God is the foundation of the spirit of self-sacrifice,
through which a man seeks not his own but the
Father's will. When love to God rules, therefore,
the guiding principle is not the desire alter glory
from men. The Jews whom our Lord was ad-
dressing believed themselves zealous for God ; but
in the very service which they offered Him they
were guilty of self-seeking. They valued them-
selves on what they presented to Him, and yet they
presented net that which most of all He sought, —
the love in which self is lost. What striking
words are those of this verse to address to men
who spent their days in searching the Scriptures
and in honouring the divinely-appointed institu-
tions of the Law ! Their error was that they had
not entered into the spirit of these things, had not
seen why God had given them, had not therefore
understood that glorious righteousness of God in
the presence of which man feels himself to be
nothing. They had thought that to God these
things were an object in themselves. They had
brought God down to the level of caring for that
in caring for which as his highest good a man feels
himself exalted and glorified.
Ver. 4j. I am come in my Father's name, and
ye receive me not. Referring everything to His
Father's power and presence, in everything doing
His Father's will and not His own, at all times
seeking His Father's glory, Jesus came 'in His
Father's name.' Because that was His spirit, they
did not receive Him. — If another shall come in
his own name, him ye will receive. So far has
self-seeking gone with them, that they can under-
stand no other course of action than that which is
animated by this principle. If a man come in the
opposite spirit to that displayed by Jesus, — setting
forth himself alone, seeking his own ends, and
guided by no will but his own, though all under
the guise of promoting the glory of God, — such a
man they will be able to understand. They will
sympathize with his motives, will even enthusias-
tically embrace his cause. The other course they
cannot comprehend ; so far as they do understand
it, it is a constant reproach to them. This is a
terrible description of those who were then the
rulers of 'God's people Israel:' but, alas! the
words apply with perfect fitness to the spirit which
in every age of the history of Christ's Church has
contended against God whilst professing to do
Him service ; which in every age has tried to stop
the progress of truth, — sometimes without, at other
times within, the Church, — as truth has striven to
pierce through forms that, once good, have with
the course of time stiffened into the rigidity of
death. Nothing can save from that spirit but the
higher and nobler spirit breathing in the words,
'glory from man I receive ii"t.'
Ver. 44. How can ye believe, receiving glory
one of another? As in the preceding verses, the
word receive is to be understood as implying a
desire and a 'seeking' on their part. Such love
of honour from men is altogether inconsistent with
the ' believing ' of which our Lord speaks. He is
not referring to a merely intellectual act, but to
an act which is also moral, — not to believing an
assertion, but to believing in Him. Where there
is self-seeking there can be no true faith. — And
the glory that is from the only God ye seek not.
They who thus sought glory from men sou
glory from 'the only God.' The Jews were the
Chap. VI. i-2i.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
69
champions of the doctrine of the unity of God,
and, in the very pursuits and aims which our Lord
condemns, persuaded themselves that they sought
the glory of Gud and merited reward. But with
such aims it was impossible to please Him, and
thus they missed the recompense which comes
from ' the only God,' who is the ' only ' dispenser
of true glory.
Ver. 45. Do not think that I will accuse yon
to the Father : there is one that accuseth you,
even Moses, in whom ye have placed your
hope. These words do not diminish, but increase
the severity of our Lord's condemning words.
Their objects of trust have been successively taken
away. They have the Scriptures, but they have
so used them as to miss their whole design ; they
are rejecting Him of whom they witness, and are
offering to God a labour and a zeal which have no
value in His sight. The chief tenet in their faith
is that 'God is one' (Deut. vi. 4; Jas. ii. 19);
but, in the absence of the 'love of God' from
their hearts, their zeal for orthodox faith has not
gained for them the 'glory that is from the only
God.' There has been more, however, than mis-
use and loss. Their very lawgiver Moses, in whom
they had set their hope, is already their accuser
before God. No further accusation is needed.
No more crushing blow could be given to their
pride. Moses their accuser before God ! Yet it
was so. When we refuse to enter into all the
parts of God's plan, the very parts of it for whose
sake our refusal is given, and whose honour we
imagine we are maintaining, turn round upon us
and disown our aid.
Ver. 46. For if ye believed Moses, ye would
believe me : for he wrote concerning me. Our
Lord, no doubt, refers in part to special predict! ins
(such as that of Deut. xviii. 15, 18) ; but mure
especially He refers to the whole revelation con-
tained in the books of Moses, and by parity of
reasoning to the whole Old Testament — the
Scriptures of ver. 39. In all the revelation given
through him Moses wrote concerning Jesus. His
great purpose was to prepare the way for the true
Prophet and Priest and King of Israel. Christ
was 'the end of the law.' Had, therefore, the
Jews 'believed Moses,' — that is, accepted his
witness in its true character, and entered into its
spirit, — they would have been led by that pre-
paratory prophetic teaching to believe the Christ
of whom Moses wrote.
Ver. 47. But if ye believe not his writings,
how will ye believe my words? If however
they did not truly believe the written word, which
was constantly in their hands, which was the
object of so much reverence, which, as written,
could be studied again and again for the removal of
every difficulty and the investigation of every claim,
then might it well be expected that they would
refuse to receive the words which Jesus spoke.
Chapter VI.
a Ver. 23 ;_
b Matt. iv. :
The Feeding of the Five Thousand.
1 A FTER these things Jesus went over1 the sea of Galilee,
2 1~\ which is the sea of ° Tiberias. And * a great multi-
tude followed him, because they saw his miracles2 which he
3 did on them that were diseased.3 And Jesus went up into
4 a4 mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. c And s e Chap. ii. 13.
5 the passover, a6 feast of the Jews, was nigh. d When <*Matt. xiv.
Jesus then7 lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company Mark'™.
come8 unto him, he9 saith unto 'Philip, Whence shall we10 i-ukelx.
6 buy bread, that these may eat? And" this he said to «tW.i. 43.
7 prove13 him : for he himself knew what he would 13 do. Philip
answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not suffi-
cient for them, that every one of them u may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, / Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith /Chap. ;. <o
9 unto him, There is a lad 15 here, which hath five barley loaves,
and two small 16 fishes: but 'what are they among so many ? s * Kings iv
10 And Jesus said, Wake the men17 sit down. Now there was "'
much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number
1 away to the other side of - beheld the signs 3 sick 4 the
5 Now _ G the ' Jesus therefore having
8 and having seen that a great multitude cometh 9 omit he
10 are we to " Now 12 proving I3 was about to
14 omit of them 15 little lad 16 omit small 17 Jesus said, Make the peoDle
70 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 1-21.
11 about five thousand. And Jesus18 took the loaves ; and when
he had * given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the /<Yer-23-
disciples 19 to them that were set 20 down ; and likewise 21 of the *v. 36.
12 fishes as much as they would. When28 they were filled, he
said 23 unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments 24 that re-
13 main, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them
together, and filled twelve 'baskets with the fragments of2'' (Matt. xiv.
the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto
them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus
did, said,26 This is of a truth k that prophet that should come27 ADeut. xviii.
15 into the world. When28 Jesus therefore perceived 29 that they chap. Lai,
would30 come and take him by force,31 to make him a32 king, Comp. Matt.
he33 departed34 again ' into a 3i mountain himself alone. iv. 19, xi.27.
1 & l Ver. 3.
16 '"And when even was now come, his disciples went down » Matt. xiv.
1 22-33 :
17 unto the sea, And entered into a ship36 and went37 over the m*1*"-
r 45-53-
sea toward ' Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus ><chaP. ii. 12
18 was not4" come to them. And the sea arose41 by reason of a
19 great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and
twenty or thirty furlongs, they see42 Jesus walking on the sea,
20 and drawing nigh unto the ship:36 and they were afraid. But
21 he saith unto them, It is I ; be not afraid. Then they willingly
received him into the ship:43 and immediately the ship36 was
at the land whither they went.
ls Jesus therefore 10 omit to the disciples, and the disciples
-" had sat -' likewise also -'- And when 2S saith
24 Gather together the pieces -' baskets with pieces from
20 When therefore the people saw the sign that he did, they said
27 the prophet that cometh 2S omit When 2a perceiving
30 were about to 31 and carry him off s- omit a 33 omit he
34 retired 35 the 3I! boat 37 were coming
38 unto Capernaum 3tl And darkness had already come on
40 not yet 41 was raging 42 behold
,;: They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat
Contents. The sixth chapter continues the take the feast spoken of in chap. v. 1 to have
conflict of Jesus with ihe Jews, under the same been the feast of Purim, the events of the two
point of view as that which we found to be pro- chapters v. and vi. were not separated by more
minent in chap. v. As in that chapter Jesus was than about two or three weeks, for Purim was past
the fulfilment of the sabbath, so in this He is the and the Passover was drawing near (ver. 4).
fulfilment of the Passover ; He is the true bread, From the other Evangelists we know that Jesus
the true substance of our Paschal feast. The went into Galilee after the imprisonment of John
section now before us, contained in the first part the Baptist (Malt. iv. 12; Mark i. 14); and' also
of the chapter, may be divided into three subor- that after the death of the Baptist He withdrew
dinate parts — (1) vers. 1-13, the miracle of the from Galilee (Matt. xiv. 13; Mark vi. 31). In
multiplying of the bread ; (2) vers. 14, 15, the this Gospel we have already met with two visits
effect produced by the miracle upon the Galilean to Galilee (chap. ii. 1, iv. 3 and 43), and another
multitude, leading Jesus to withdraw to the other is implied in the verse before us. Which of these
side of the sea; (3) vers. 16-21, the storm and three is the journey spoken of in Matt. iv. 12?
the reassuring of the disciples. Certainly not the first (John ii. 1, 11), for John
Ver. I. After these things. Like chap, v., was not then cast into prison (chap. iii. 24).
this chapter opens with an indefinite note of time, Probably not the second, for chap. iv. 1 implies
'after these things.' In the former instance we that the Baptist was still at that time engaged in
saw that the interval covered by the expression active work (see note on iv. 1). It would seem
may have been two or three months ; here, if we therefore that the visit to which the earlier Evan-
Chap. VI. 1-21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
gelists give so much prominence, which indeed is
the commencement of their detailed history of the
Saviour's public ministry, took place after the
feast to which reference is made in chap. v. 1.
It is in complete accordance with this that Jesus
in chap. v. 35 uses words which appear to indi-
cate that the Baptist's public work was at an end.
If this view be correct, the earlier Evangelists
enable us completely to fill up the interval between
chaps, v. and vi. Indeed (assuming the feast of
chap. v. to be Purim), the chief objection raised
against the view we advocate is that the period of
three weeks is too short for the events which come
in between our Lord's journey to Galilee and the
Feeding of the Multitude. Mark for instance
relates the one in i. 14 and the other in vi. 30-44.
No doubt the first impression made on any reader
is that such a series of events must have occupied
months rather than weeks ; but if the narrative be
attentively examined, it will be found that there is
no real ground for such an impression. The three
Evangelists seem to have been led rather to give a
full description of certain parts than an outline of
the whole of our Lord's ministry in Galilee. If
the days seem crowded with events, the intensity
of the living ministry of Jesus does but receive the
fuller illustration, and we have the most impressive
comment on His own words in this Gospel (iv.
34, ix. 4) and on the closing testimony of the
apostle (xxi. 25). Between these chapters, then,
must be placed many of the most familiar chapters
of the earlier Gospels. To say nothing of the
wonderful miracles wrought in Capernaum and in
other places on the coast of the sea of Galilee, to
this interval belong the appointment of the twelve
apostles, the Sermon on the Mount, the Parables
of the kingdom of heaven (Matt, xiii.), the death
of John the Baptist in the castle of Machserus.
But John's omission of all that happened during
our Lord's sojourn in Galilee until the point to
which this verse relates is in accord with the
general structure of his Gospel ; and the special
reason which led him to relate the particular events
of this chapter, and these only, will be noticed as
we proceed. Nothing, we may add, can more
strikingly illustrate the twofold character of our
Lord's teaching, as addressed to 'the Jews 'and
the doctors of the law on the one hand and to the
multitudes of Galilee on the other, than a com-
parison of the discourse in Jerusalem which we
have just considered (chap, v.) with the Sermon
and the Parables spoken hut a few days later. —
Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of
Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. From
Luke ix. 10 we learn that the place to which Jesus
crossed over was Bethsaida, that is, Bethsaida
Julias in Gaulonitis, a place near the north-eastern
corner of the lake, to be carefully distinguished
from Bethsaida of Galilee, which was on the
western shore. It is remarkable that John should
give a twofold designation of the sea, — sea of
Galilee and (sea) of Tiberias. The latter name,
which perhaps was best known by those amongst
whom he wrote, is used by him alone, here and in
chap. xxi. I : the former, 'sea of Galilee,' is the
name regularly used by Matthew and Mark. In
Luke's Gospel the only name is lake of Genn:saret
(chap. v. I).
Ver. 2. And a. great multitude followed him,
because they beheld the signs which he did on
them that were sick. The Greek words are very
expressive, pointing clearly to repeated miracles
71
of healing, on account of which crowds followed
him continually from place to place. This is the
only verse in John's Gospel corresponding with
the many passages in the Synoptic Gospels that
briefly record a multitude of such works (Matt. iv.
24, viii. 16, ix. 35, xv. 30 ; Mark vi. 56 ; Luke |ix.
11, etc.); and it refers to that very Galilean
ministry to which those records belong. In Judea,
as in unbelieving Nazareth (Mark vi. 5), ' He could
not do many mighty works.'
Ver. 3. And Jesus went up into the moun-
tain, and there he sat with his disciples. He
retired for the purpose of rest and prayer, and that
he might instruct his disciples, — the twelve who
had just returned from their mission (Mark vi. 30).
' The mountain ' we must probably understand
in a general sense as meaning the high ground
near Bethsaida. In this part the eastern hills
closely approach the lake.
Ver. 4. Now the passover, the feast of the
Jews, was nigh. On the words 'of the Jews'
see the notes on i. 19, ii. 13. The addition here
serves to explain why Jesus did not go up to the
Passover. He had been rejected by the Jews at
the former Passover (ii. 18) : the feast, which had
before that time been robbed by them of its sanc-
tity, belonged after their rejection of Him no
longer to His Father but 'to the Jews.' But if
Jesus did not visit Jerusalem for this festival, why
is it mentioned here ? It certainly serves a chrono-
logical purpose (though it must be remembered
that we cannot say with absolute certainty that this
was the Passover immediately following that of ii.
II) ; but even in such incidental notices as these
John has not his eye only or chiefly on chronology.
Some have supposed that it is to account for the
crowds which followed Him, and which may have
consisted mainly or partly of the Galilean caravan
on its way to the holy city to attend the feast.
But ver. 2 makes this unlikely, for it gives an
entirely different explanation of the concourse.
Besides which, ver. 5 seems to connect the notice
of the season and the miracle to follow in such a
way as to suggest rather an internal than an ex-
ternal relation between them. It is probable,
therefore, that the Evangelist by this mention of
the Passover intends to show us the light in which
the whole narrative should be viewed. The mir-
acle and the discourses alike relate to the true
Passover, the reality and substance of that feast
which has now, alas 1 become ' the feast of the
Jews.'
Ver. 5. Jesus therefore having lifted up his
eyes, and having seen that a great multi-
tude cometh unto him. The place in which the
multitudes were gathering was a desert plain at
the foot of the hills. — Saith unto Philip, Whence
are we to buy bread, that these may eat ? It was
as they drew near that Jesus addressed the ques-
tion to Philip. The other narratives say nothing
of it, but all represent the disciples as coming to
their Lord when the day began to wane to beg
Him to send away the multitudes. Our Lord's
question to Philip, then, is entirely independent of
the later petition of the twelve. Even were it
otherwise, however, and were John referring to
the same point of time as the other Evangelists,
there would be no ground whatever for asserting
that there is any discrepancy between the narra-
tives, for none of them can contain all that passed
between the disciples and their Master. Besides
this, the eleven may not have heard the words, or
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN
nificance if they did
[Chap. VI. 1-2 1.
may not have seen their si
hear them.
Ver. 6. Now this he said proving him : for he
himself knew what he was about to do. Why
Philip was addressed is a question often raised.
The mention of the circumstance may be only the
graphic touch of an eye-witness, and there may be
nothing important in the Master's choice of the
disciple whose faith He is to try. Yet it is more
likely that some special reason did exist. Philip
may have had something to do with making pro-
vision for the wants of the company of disciples :
this is not inconsistent with chap. xii. 6. Or there
may have been something in the character of
Philip's mind that led to the special selection of
him for trial ; and the incident related in xii. 22
has been appealed to as showing a tendency on
his part to a caution that might become excessive
and obstructive to the development of faith. A
more correct explanation may be that, intending
to manifest Himself as the fulfilment of what is
written in the law, Jesus turns first to one who
had confessed Him as the subject of 'the law and
the prophets' (i. 45). He would test him, and
try whether he had entered into the full meaning
of his own confession.
Ver. 7. Philip answered him, Two hundred
pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them,
that every one may take a little. As the num-
ber of the men alone proved to be five thousand,
an expenditure of 200 ' pence ' (i.e. 200 denarii)
would allow less than a denarius, or about eight-
pence of our money, to twenty-five persons, and
that sum would not purchase in ordinary times
more than five or six ounces of bread for each.
Philip might well say that it was ' not sufficient
for them.'
Ver. S. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon
Peter's brother, saith unto him. On the appel-
lation here given to Andrew see on chap. i. 40.
Andrew is again associated with Philip in chap,
xii. 22.
Ver. 9. There is a little lad here which hath
five barley loaves and two fishes : but what are
they among so many? John shows Andrew as
standing somewhat in advance of Philip, in that
he does not hesitate to think that their little store
may be set before the multitude, though he is per-
plexed at his own suggestion. This is in accord-
ance with the fact that in the lists of the apostles
Andrew lakes precedence of Philip.
Ver. 10. Jesus said, Make the people sit
down. 'The people,' a general word, including
both men and women, is used here. They
are directed to sit down, partly for the sake of
order and ease in the distribution of the food, but
also because the Lord is preparing to set a feast
before them, and they sit down with Him as His
guests. —Now there was much grass in the
place. So Mark speaks of the 'green grass,'— a
minute but interesting coincidence. The circum-
stance is one that an eye-witness would naturally
note, especially after relating the direction given
that the multitude should sit down. John alone
has given the season of the year (ver. 4) ; on this
day of early spring the grass would be flourishing
and abundant. — So the men sat down, in number
about five thousand. The 'men' are now singled
out for special mention, probably because they,
according to the custom of the East, sat down
first. We may also suppose that the number of
women and children would not be very large.
Ver. 1 1. Jesus therefore took the loaves; and
when he had given thanks he distributed to
them that had sat down ; likewise also of the
fishes as much as they would. Jesus alone is
mentioned, but there is no doubt that He employed
the agency of His disciples. In Mark vi. 41 we
read that Jesus gave the leaves to Ms disciples to
set before the multitude ; but, in the very same
verse, that the ' two fishes divided He amongst
them all ; ' yet we cannot doubt that the mode
of distribution would be the same in both cases.
However done, the work of distribution was really
His, and the Evangelist would fix our thoughts
on Him alone. This miracle, as has often been
remarked, is (witli the exception of our Lord's
resurrection) the only one related by all four
Evangelists. The differences in the accounts are
very slight. It is curious to note that in all the
other narratives of it our Lord is said to have
' blessed ' before He brake the loaves, whereas
in the two accounts of the feeding of the four
thousand He ' gave thanks ' before breaking the
bread : here, however, giving thanks takes the place
of blessing. When the miracle is referred to below
(ver. 23), the Lord's 'giving thanks' is brought
into prominence. This would seem to show that
the word is here used with intentional significance,
probably with marked reference to the Paschal
meal, at which thanksgiving played so impor-
tant a part. There is a striking resemblance
indeed between the description before us and the
accounts of the last supper, especially that given
in 1 Cor. xi.
Ver. 12. And when they were filled, he saith
unto his disciples, Gather together the pieces
that remain, that nothing be lost. The earlier
Gospels relate the act of the disciples, but net the
command of Jesus. John, everywhere intent on
what his Master did and said, preserves for us
this word. The design of the command is to
bring out the preciousness of the food which
Jesus had given, — not to teach a lesson of
economy, or to reprove the over-scrupulous cal-
culations of Andrew and Philip. It is usual to
understand by ' pieces ' the fragments broken by
the multitude during their meal ; but it is more
probable that they were pieces broken by our
Lord, — pieces that remained undistributed or un-
consumed because of the abundance of the supply.
Ver. 13. Therefore they gathered them to-
gether, and filled twelve baskets with pieces
from the five barley loaves, which remained
over and above unto them that had eaten.
The repetition of the words, ' the five barley
loaves,' is remarkable ; the writer wishes to lay
emphasis on the identity of the fragments with
the loaves of the original supply. Mark speaks
of the collection of the fragments of the fishes
(vi. 43) ; John, intent on the idea to be unfolded,
alike in the scene and in the discourse that fol-
lowed it, passes by this circumstance. The
number of baskets was twelve. We can hardly
doubt that each Apostle had his own 'basket,'
and that each of these was filled. Nor is it
fanciful to see in this a token that what was
symbolized by the precious bread was destined
for each tribe of Israel. In every narrative of
this miracle the same word 1 ::sed for
basket ; in the accounts of the feeding of the foui
thousand (Matt. xv. 37: Mark viii. 8) the word
is entirely different ; and where the two miracles
are referred to together, each retains the word
Chap. VI. r-2l.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
73
that belongs to it ; so that in Matt. xvi. 9, 10, and
Mark viii. 19, 20, the word 'baskets,' repeated
in our translation, answers to different words.
John's agreement with the other Evangelists in
so minute a point as the use of cophinus in
connection with this miracle is interesting and
important.
Ver. 14. When therefore the people saw the
sign that he did, they said. 'The people,' —
i.e., the people of ver. 10, those who had been
fed and satisfied. Are we, however, to under-
stand that they saw the 'wonder,' but saw in it
no 'sign,' as it is said by our Lord below, 'Ye
follow me not because ye saw signs ;' or may we
suppose that even to this multitude the miracle
was a sign, like the miracles of healing which
they had witnessed before? (ver. 2). The latter
interpretation is nearer to the words of John, and
is more probable. If in any sense the cures were
' signs ' to the beholders, the multiplying of the
loaves must have been a greater 'sign.' Their
own words confirm this, for they receive the
miracle as the heaven-appointed token of the
mission of Jesus. Still they did not really look
beneath the surface ; in the depth of meaning
which the word has to John, the wonderful work
was not apprehended as a 'sign.' Our Lord's
design in this chapter is, as we shall see, to
remove their ignorance on this very point. — This
is of a truth the prophet that conieth into
the world. To an Israelite a miracle at once
suggested the thought of a prophet (Deut. xiii. 1),
as the general name for one who had received a
Divine mission. But here it is of the Prophet that
they speak, no doubt referring to the promise of
Deut. xviii. 15 (see note on chap. i. 21). The
general expectation which lay in the hearts of
men at this time clothed itself in different forms
of expression, according to the events which drew
it forth. Perhaps the miracle of Elisha (2 Kings
iv. 43) rose to their thought, or that of Elijah
(1 Kings xvii. 14); and the memory of their
ancient prophets drew along with it the promise
of the Prophet now to come. More probably it
was to the miracle of the manna that their minds
recurred, and the work of Moses brought to recol-
lection the promise which Moses left behind him
for the last days. The words used by the people
leave no doubt that here at least the Prophet is
identified with the Messiah, whose most frequent
designation seems to have been ' He that cometh '
(Matt. xi. 3, etc.), or more fully, ' He that cometh
into the world ' (comp. chap. i. 9).
Ver. 15. Jesus therefore perceiving that they
were about to come and carry him off to make
him king, retired again into the mountain
himself alone. The thought of ' Messiah ' is the
connecting link between the exclamation related
in the last verse and the purpose here mentioned.
The Messiah is to reign in the royal city : to
Jerusalem therefore they would now carry Him
by force, and there proclaim Him king. Their
words here given are taken up again in chap. xii.
13, when the Galilean multitudes go to meet Him
to escort Him in triumph into Jerusalem, crying
out, ' Blessed is He that cometh in the name of
the Lord, the King of Israel.' But the hour for a
triumphant entry has not yet arrived. Jesus reads
their purpose, and frustrates it by retiring again to
' the mountain ' (ver. 3), from which He came
down to teach the multitudes and to heal their
sick (Luke be. n). The first two Evangelists
tell us that He retired into the mountain ' to
pray;' but the two motives assigned are in no
way inconsistent with each other. Our Lord's
withdrawal from view after His miracles is fre-
quently noticed in this Gospel. The reason here
explained would naturally operate at other times
also ; but there are peculiarities of language which
seem to show that John beheld in all the ' signs
— which were occasional manifestations of the
glory of Jesus — emblems of His whole manifes-
tation, of all that lay between His coming forth
from the Father and His final withdrawal from
the world and return to the Father. There is a
beautiful harmony between the prayer oi which
other Gospels speak, the solitariness ('Himself
alone ') here brought before us, and the later
words of Jesus, ' He that sent me is with me,
He hath not left me alone' (chap. viii. 29), ' I am
not alone, because the Father is with me ' (chap.
xvi. 32).
No one can read the four narratives of this
miracle without being struck with their essential
harmony in the midst of apparent diversities.
Every narrative contributes some new feature ;
almost every one introduces some particular
which we cannot with positive certainty adjust
with the other narratives, though we may see
clearly that in more ways than one it might be
so adjusted. It is especially necessary in this
place to call attention to these other narratives,
because John alone records the impression made
upon the multitude, and (as has been well sug-
gested by Godet) this impression may explain a
very remarkable word used both by Matthew and
by .Mark. These Evangelists relate (Matt. xiv.
22; Mark vi. 45) that Jesus 'compelled' His
disciples to return to their boat until He should
have dismissed the people. No motive for the
compulsion is supplied by the two writers who use
the word. If, however, this was the crisis of the
Galilean ministry, and the multitudes, impressed
by other recent miracles, and moved beyond
measure by the last, must now be withheld from
their premature design to proclaim Him king, it
becomes necessary forcibly to separate the disciples
as well as Himself from the excited crowds in the
hour of their highly-wrought enthusiasm. Even
though Jesus Himself were absent, yet if the
contagious excitement of the people should com-
municate itself to the Galilean disciples also, the
plan of His working would (humanly speaking)
be frustrated. Perhaps, too, this decisive breaking
with the impulses of the multitude, this practical
renunciation of the honours the people would
confer and of the political sovereignty to which
they would raise Him, may furnish one reason for
John's selection of this miracle, already so well
"known in the Church. Another reason is made
evident by the discourse of this chapter.
Ver. 16. And when even was now come, his
disciples went down unto the sea. Before Jesus
retired to the mountain He had constrained His
disciples to leave Him for the shore : when they
had left He dismissed the people, withdrawing
from them, probably by exercising such influence
as is implied in chap. v. 13, viii. 59, x. 39.
Ver. 17. And entered into a boat, and were
coming over the sea unto Capernaum. And
darkness had already come on, and Jesus was
not yet come to them. Probably the)
tending to coast along the shore of the lake be-
tween Bethsaida-Julias and Capernaum : in this
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 22-71.
74
they were no doubt following their Master's direc-
tions. The words that follow show clearly that
they expected Him to rejoin them at some point
on the coast.
Ver. 1 S. And the eea was raging by reason of
a great wind that blew. The darkness and the
storm rendered their position one of great peril.
There had arisen one of those sudden and violent
squalls to which all inland waters surrounded by
lofty hills intersected with gullies are liable.
Many travellers bear witness to the fact that
such storms beat with peculiar force upon the
sea of Galilee. In the present instance the 'great
wind ' would seem to have been from the north.
The immediate effect of the storm was to drive the
disciples out to sea till they reached the middle of
the lake, which is at its broadest a little south of
their starting-point.
Ver. 19. So when they had rowed about five
and twenty or thirty furlongs. If the wind had
driven them southwards soon after their starting,
they would be near the eastern coast at a point
where the lake is about forty furlongs broad. If
therefore they had rowed twenty-five or thirty fur-
longs, they would not be far from ' the midst of
the sea' (.Mark vi. 47). The agreement between
the two narratives is clearly ' undesigned,' and
therefore the more interesting. — They behold
Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh
unto the boat: and they were afraid. When
Jesus drew near to the boat, it was the 'fourth
watch' (Matt. xiv. 25), and therefore the darkest
part of the night ; some eight or nine hours had
passed since they left Him with the multitude.
The wind was boisterous, the sea raging, their
strength was spent with rowing (Mark vi. 48), when
suddenly they behold Jesus walking on the sea. in
the immediate neighbourhood of the boat. They
knew not that it was He, and were terrified.
Vers. 20, 21. But he saith unto them, It is I;
be not afraid. They were willing therefore to
receive hirn into the boat. I lis voice and
manner were enough to remove all their fears.
They would have kept away from the apparition,
affrighted : but now their will was to receive their
Master. This renewed mention of the 'will'
(compare chap. v. 6, 40) is striking and character-
istic. In the first two Evangelists we read of our
Lord's entering the boat, and some have thought
that the words here present a difficulty as imply-
ing a desire on the part of the disciples that was
not fulfilled. But there is really no discrepancy
whatever. John mentions the will only, assuming
that every reader would understand that the will
was carried into effect (comp. i. 43, v. 35). — And
immediately the boat was at the land whither
they went. They were making for Capernaum,
and this town they reached immediately. It is
plain that John intends to relate what was not an
ordinary occurrence but a miracle. The first two
Evangelists do not speak of it, but their words
are in perfect harmony with John's account, for
immediately after the lulling of the wind they
mention the completion of the voyage.
This is the fourth of the 'signs' recorded in
this Gospel. Unlike the former miracle (the
feeding of the multitude), it is not mentioned again
or in any way expressly referred to ; hence we
have less certainty as to the position assigned to it
by the Evangelist. That to him it was not a
mere matter of history we may be sure ; but the
event is not as closely interwoven with the texture
of his narrative as are the other miracles which he
records. The thoughts which are here prominent
are the separation of the disciples from their Lord,
their difficulties amid the darkness and the storm,
their fear as they dimly see Jesus approaching,
the words which remove their fear, their 'will'
to receive Him, the immediate end of all their
trouble and danger. The cardinal thought is
their safety when they have received Jesus. The
narrative is connected with that which precedes
in that, here as there, all attention is concentrated
on the Redeemer Himself, who in sovereign power
and in infinite grace manifests His glory. It is
still more closely joined with what comes after, as
it teaches on the one hand the safety of all who
are with Him (vers. 37-39), and on the other the
necessity of man's receiving Him, opening his
heart to His words, committing Himself to Him
by faith (ver. 40). We cannot doubt that the
question of Jesus and the answer of the twelve, of
which we read in ver. 6S, are closely linked with
the teaching of that night in which the disciples
found at once the end of peril and rest from tcil
when they saw and received their Lord.
Chapter VI. 22-71.
Passover Discourses of Jesus.
22 ' I ^HE day following, when1 the people2 which stood on the
JL other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat3
there, save that4 one whereinto his disciples were entered,'' and
that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his
23 disciples were gone6 away alone ; (Howbeit there came other7
boats from "Tiberias nigh unto the place where the)' die! eat ,v"-
24 bread," after that the Lord had '''given thanks:) When the iVa-
1 omit when 2 multitude
5 omit from whereinto to entered ° went
3 little boat
7 omit other
4 omit that
8 the bread
Chap. VI. 22-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 75
people2 therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his
disciples, they also took shipping,9 and came to c Capernaum, eVa.ij.
25 seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other
side of the sea, they said unto him, d Rabbi, when earnest thou <*Chap. >■ &■
26 hither ? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles,10 but
27 because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.11 Labour'2
not for the meat'3 which ' perisheth, but for that meat which <?chaP. iv.
'endureth14 unto -^everlasting 15 life, which the ^Son of man /G^v- >>•• '5
b £ chaP- '• S«-
shall ;'G"ive unto you : ' for him hath God the Father sealed. *Chap.x.a8.
o J 1 Chap. v. 37,
28 Then said they " unto him, What shall 19 we do, that we *■ j6-
29 might19 work the* works of God? Jesus answered and said i^c£ll*\£j:
unto them, This is the * work of God, that ye / believe on20 /chap";f#.
30 him whom he hath21 sent. They said therefore unto him, ', jX, iii.
'" What sign shewest thou then,22 that we may see, and believe „,chaP. a. ,8.
31 thee? what dost thou work? "Our fathers did eat manna23 Jdlfja1*""
in the desert ; 21 as it is written, * He gave them bread from 2:' Lu'klxxiii.s.
32 heaven to eat. Then Jesus2'5 said unto them, Verily, verily, I "ex^xvl'iV
say unto you, Moses gave you not that*7 bread from25 heaven ; ps.'ixxvm.'
but my Father giveth you the true 2S bread from " heaven.29
33 For the bread of God is -''he30 which cometh down from 25 ^Jg™- 5°< 5I-
34 heaven, and giveth life unto q the world. rThen said they31 J chap.' iv.%
35 unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And 32 Jesus said
unto them, s I am the bread of life: 'he that cometh33 to me *-," 4?-
' t Chap. iv. 14.
shall never34 hunger; and he that believeth on35 me shall
36 never36 thirst. " But I said unto you, That ye also have37 seen "Ver- 26-
37 me, and believe not. All "that88 the Father giveth me shall "Slip.3* 29,
come to me; and him that cometh3' to me I will in no wise o™4.2'6,7'
38 cast out. For I w came 40 down from heaven, x not to do mine £°™?' vers'
39 own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the "chap. ™ '30.'
Father's will which hath sent me,41 that -''of42 all43 which he y See chaP-
hath "given me 1 44 should lose nothing, but should raise it up
40 again45 at z the last day. And46 this is the will of him that ■ y"sd4°' 44,
sent me,47 that every one which seeth 48 the Son, and believeth "J 24' xiL
on49 him, may50 have "everlasting51 life: and I will52 raise him " ^hearp 27;i: 6
up at z the last day.
9 they themselves got into the little boats 10 ye saw signs n satisfied
12 Work 13 eating 14 the eating which abideth 15 eternal
16 for him the Father, God, did seal ,7 They said therefore 18 must
19 may 20 in 21 omit hath !2 What then doest thou as a sign
23 the manna -1 wilderness !s out of 26 Jesus therefore
2" the 2S omit true 20 add, the true bread. 30 that
31 They said therefore 32 omit And 33 is coming
34 shall in no wise 35 in 3e shall in no wise ever
37 that ye have indeed 3S All that which 39 is coming
40 Because I have come 41 is the will of him that sent me 42 omit of
43 all that 44 me, of it I 4-5 omit again 4S For
47 will of my Father 4S beholdeth 49 in
50 should M eternal 52 and that I should
76 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 22-71.
41 The Jews then" murmured at" him, because he said, I am
42 the bread which came down from " heaven. And they said,
6 Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother *^u- "!1
we know? how is it then that he saitly"5 I came57 down from"
43 heaven? Jesus therefore58 answered and said unto them,
44 Murmur not among yourselves. c No man59 can come to me, ' Cm>P- ™.
except the Father which hath"0 sent me draw61 him: and I
45 will raise him up at " the last day. ''It is written in the dl^ |^*Ji
prophets, And they shall be all62 taught of God. 'Every f«:2Micah
man therefore that63 hath heard,''1 and hath learned of the''Ver-37-
46 Father,65 cometh unto me. /Not that any man66 hath seen /{£*v^l'
the Father, save he which is of67 God, he hath seen the '°s\ ^jj£
47 Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, 4~ He that believeth on ',' j„hn'iv! ;
48 me''8 hath everlasting6' life. *I am that70 bread of life. gimp. chap.
49 ''Your fathers did eat manna71 in the wilderness, and are "^'i'Ju.'
50 dead.72 * This is the bread which cometh down from73 heaven, ev'e^m'27l 40.
51 that a man 6G may eat thereof, and not die. *I am the living iVa.lt
bread which came down from 73 heaven : if any man Mj eat '* of 3s.e ve'
this bread, he shall live for ever: and75 the bread that I will
give is my 'flesh, which I will give76 for the life of '"the world. 'l"m^cl'^_
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How j; "J viu.°™'
53 can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus" said unto "xfm. iii.
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye cat73 the ' flesh \64\ fjobn
of the "Son of man, and drink79 his blood, ye have no80 life in ")lia7,
54 you.81 Whoso92 eateth my l flesh, and drinketh my blood, "cha£.:." ]t.
"hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at f the last day. » v«s. »7, 40.
1 ' p Vcr. 39.
55 For my ' flesh is meat83 indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my l flesh, and drinketh my blood, "dwelleth" » ^■I"]ihll
57 in me, and I in him. rAs the living Father hath85 sent me, "v." 15' 16.
and I live by86 the Father: so he that eateth me, s even 8; he88 '"*"jfmi
58 shall live by86 me. 'This is that bread which came down t ge"' v'°;s, 33i
from 8a heaven : not as " your fathers did eat manna,90 and are B ver. 31.
dead:91 he 'that eateth of92 this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue,"3 as he taught94 in
"Capernaum. »chaP ii. i*
60 ''' Man}' therefore of his disciples, when they had 95 heard this, ,, ,
53 therefore 54 concerning ss out of 5G how doth he now say
57 have come 5S omit therefore 50 No one 60 omit hath
61 shall have drawn c- all be 63 Every one that
r'4 add from the Father ''"' omit ai the Father 06 any one
67 from e8w»//onnie 69 eternal ro the rl the manna
'•- and died 73 out of 74 shall have eaten 7S and moreover
76 omit which I will give 77 Jesus therefore 7S have eaten
79 drunk sn not sl in yourselves 82 He that
83 food 84 abideth / hath 80 because of
87 omit even 88 he also 8a out of 90 omit manna
91 and died 92 omit of ',! omit in the synagogue
94 was teaching in a synagogue BS omit had
'
Chap. VI. 22-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 77
61 said, This is an hard saying ; who can hear it ? 96 When * Jesus *Chap. ii. u,.
knew" in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said98
62 unto them, Doth this y offend you?99 What and1 if ye shall '^^Jjj- ,-
63 see2 the Son of man ascend up3 where z he was before? "It t%*-.
is the spirit that quickeneth ; * the flesh profiteth nothing: the afc%i}~*i;
words that I speak5 unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But b there are some of you that believe not. For x Jesus knew 'Vers. 36, 71.
from the beginning who they were that believed not, and 'who cVer.71.
65 should" betray him. And he said, Therefore ''said I7 unto <*Vers. 44, 45-
you, that no man 8 can come unto me, except it were 9 given
66 unto him of my10 Father. 'From that time11 many of his »Ver.6o
disciples went back, and walked no more'2 with him.
6j Then said Jesus13 unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?14
68 Then 15 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we
69 go?16 thou hast /the" words of eternal life. s And we be- /Ver. 63;
lieve18 and are sure19 that thou art that Christ, h the Son of the Seever. 27.
70 living God.80 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen21 you *'<■ 27V.
71 twelve22 and one of you is a devil? He23 spake of 'Judas -s.
' k Mark i. 24 ;
Iscariot2* the son of Simon: for he it was that should * be- .Lyk
tray20 him, being27 one of the twelve.
»8 him 97 But Jesus knowing 98 concerning this, said xiiifVetc?'
93 Ooth this make you to stumble ' What then 2 if ye behold
3 ascending 4 maketh to live 5 have spoken
c who it was that would 7 For this cause have I said 8 no one
9 have been 10 the n Upon this 12 no longer
13 Jesus therefore said '* Would ye also go ? Is omit Then
10 go away 17 omit the 18 have believed 19 and we know
20 that thou art the Holy One of God 21 Did not I choose
22 the twelve 23 Now he 24 omit Iscariot
25 add Iscariot 26 was about to betray 2r omit being
CONTENTS. In the miracle of the multiplying Jesus, and Peter in their name makes confession
of the bread Jesus has symbolically presented of his faith.
Himself as the true bread of life. This thought Yer. 22. The day following, the multitude
is now unfolded in the various discourses with which stood on the other side of the sea saw
which the remainder of the chapter is occupied, that there was none other little bnat there, save
while at the same time the effect of these discourses one, and that Jesus went not with his disciples
is traced upon the different classes of hearers in- into the boat, but that his disciples went away
troduccd to us. The subordinate parts of this alone. During the night of the storm the multi-
section are determined by the mention of ihese tude remained near the scene of the miracle. In
classes — (1) vers. 22-40, a discourse addressed to the morning they are gathered on the north-eastern
the ' multitude,' which must here, as elsewhere, be coast, deliberating how Jesus might be found,
carefully distinguished from the 'Jews;' (2) vers. They saw no boat on the shore save one little
41-51, a discourse to the 'Jews' who had 'mux- boat too small to hold the twelve disciples, who
mured' at the words spoken to the multitude, could not therefore have returned in it to take
The discourse contains the same great truths as away their Master : yet it was certain that when
those previously dwelt upon, but in a sharper and the disciples set sail the evening before Jesus
more pointed form ; (3) vers. 52-59, a discourse did not go with them. The natural inference was
by which the 'Jews' are still further irritated. that He was still on the eastern shore, but that His
Formerly they murmured ; now they strive among disciples were at Capernaum or some neighbour-
themselves, and the discourse becomes still sharper ing place on the other side of the sea.
and more pointed than before ; (4) vers. 60-66, Ver. 23. Howbeit there came boats from
in which the effect of the truths spoken by Jesus Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did
shows itself even upon the disciples, many of eat the bread, after that the Lord had given
whom are so offended that they walk no more thanks. Whilst they were still in wonder and
with Him; (5) vers. 67-71, — while many of the doubt, other boats came across the sea near to the
disciples are thus offended, the Twelve, with the scene of the miracle of the preceding day. These
exception of Judas, are drawn more closely to boats were from Tiberias, and from the boatmen who
7S
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 22-71.
brought them the multitude would learn at once
that neither Jesus nor II isdisciples had gone thither.
Ver. 24. When the multitude therefore saw
(hat Jesus was not there, neither his disciples,
they themselves got into the little boats, and
came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. If Jesus
was neither on the eastern shore nor at Tiberias,
He might be sought near Capernaum, in the
direction of which town the disciples had sailed.
John's words clearly imply that there was an eager
and diligent search fir Jesus on the part of the
multitude before they left the spot where they had
witnessed His power. The prominence given to
the thought of Jesus in these verses is very marked.
What is said of the disciples has no independent
value : their movements are described solely that
light may be thrown upon those of their Waster.
\\ lien convinced that it was vain further to prose-
cute the search in that region, the multitude
obtained possession of the smaller boats, and came
to Capernaum seeking Jesus.
Ver. 25. And when they had found him on
the other side of the sea, they said unto him.
Rabbi, when earnest thou hither ? The ' other
side ' denotes the western cast. Their question
on finding Jesus in Capernaum but partly ex-
presses their thoughts, which would rest as much
on the limn as on the ' when ' of His coming to this
place. He had not left the eastern shore with
His disciples ; the storm of the night must have
forbidden any attempt to make the passage then ;
and, as they well knew, He had not come to the
western shore in their company. The question is
not answered, but the eager search which it implied
is made to lead the way to deeper instruction as to
the miracle which had drawn them to follow Him.
Ver. 26. Jesus answered them and said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not
because ye saw signs, but because ye did eat of
the loaves, and were satisfied. This solemn
declaration is only seemingly discordant with ver. 2
or ver. 14. Those who witnessed a miracle of
Jesus, and did not understand its significance,
might be said to see the sign and yet not to see it.
ver. 14 seems to imply a third condition
of mind, intermediate between these. Those who
had eaten of the loaves saw in the miracle the proof
that Jesus was the Prophet wdio should come :
they saw that the wonder was significant, but the
words before us show that even this stood below
the true perception of the 'sign.' The miracle
had led the thoughts of the multitude to the
power and dignity of the miracle-worker, but had
suggested nothing of a higher and a spiritual
work, symbolized by the materia] bounty that had
been bestowed. The design of the work in its
relation to the Saviour was to manifest His glory
as the Giver of the highest blessings ; in its relation
to the people, to fix their eyes on Him and to
awaken their desire for that of which the bread
had been the sign. Part of this purpose has been
attained, — they hove sought Him eagerly, with toil
mmpm^ '
and trouble: — He must now so complete their
training that they may be led to leave the carnal
and ;ei :k the spiritual, that they may be brought to
behold in His deeds not merely the tokens of His
] lower to satisfy every earthly desire of His followers,
but the impress of His Divine character and work.
Ver. 27. Work not for the eating which
perisheth. The rendering ' work ' is required to
bring out the connection with the following verse,
in which the same word is used. The language
of the original is very expressive : — 'Work,' use
all the energies of your nature, not unto partaking
of perishable but of imperishable food. It is not
an act of life but the active life itself that is re-
ferred to, and the object of this whole life. When
we bring together this verse and that which pre-
cedes, we cannot doubt that our Lord, in speak-
ing of working for perishable food, alludes to
the labour which the multitude had undergone in
their persistent search for Him. As their object
Chap. VI. 22-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
in thus seeking Him had been carnal, not spiritual,
this act of theirs (good and wise in itself, — most
blessed, had the aim been higher and more true)
was a fitting type of their life, a life occupied
with the search after material good and the satis-
faction of lower wants and desires. — But for the
eating which abideth, unto eternal life which
the Son of man shall give unto you. In contrast
with what they had sought in thus toiling to dis-
cover Him, Jesus sets the feast which it is His
glory to offer and of which they should be eager
to partake. As in iv. 14 He had spoken of the
gift of water which had power to quench for ever
the recipient's thirst, so here He speaks of an eat-
ing that abides and never perishes. That verse
and this are closely parallel, and each helps to ex-
plain the other. In the one Jesus says what the
water that He giveth shall become in him that
rcceiveth it : here in like manner it is not of meat
that He speaks, but of 'eating,' — not of food itself,
but of food appropriated. In both pass 1 ;i 5 thi
words ' unto eternal life ' occur ; and in ea< li case
there is some difficulty in determining wh
phrase belongs to the word preceding or to the whole
■ the 1 ! hi e yet, as in the first it is pro-
bable that 'life eternal ' is the end attained when
the fountain is opened in the soul, so in this verse
'unto' does not seem to belong to 'abideth,' but
to express the object of that 'eating' for which
they may and ought to work. Not the eating that
perisheth, but the eating that abideth, must absorb
their labour, that they may thus win eternal life.
If this is the connection intended by [ohn, we
must certainly join the second relative 'which'
(not with 'eating,' but) with the words that im-
mediately precede, viz. 'eternal life.' There is
nothing difficult in such a connection of the words:
on the contrary, it is easier than any other, and
best agrees with the following verses and with
other passages in the Gospel. Almost uniformly
in this chapter Jesus speaks of Himself as the
bread of life, and of the Father as the Giver of
the bread, while 'eternal life' is the result of re-
ceiving Him as the living bread (vers. 33, 51, 54).
A close parallel is found in chap. x. 28, ' I give unto
them eternal life, ' as also in chap. xvii. 2 \ and the
connection of the 'Son of man' with this gift re-
minds us at once of chap. iii. 14. How this gift
will become theirs the later verses explain : the
two points here are that this life is obtained from
tiie Son of man — from the God-man alone, and
that it is a free gift from Him. This is not incon-
sistent with the 'working' of which Jesus has
spoken. The multitudes had toiled, in' that they
had put aside all obstacles to come to Him :
having come to Him they may receive His free
gift. The reception of the gift is opposed to
labouring for wages or for merit, but not to earnest
effort. The gift can be bestowed in its fulness on
those only whose one thought and one effort are
bent on receiving it : were there no such activity
on our part, we could not be in a position to
receive the gift without destroying the nature we
possess. — For him the Father, God, did seal.
For this very purpose that He might be the Giver
of eternal life, was He made the Son of man, was
He sent by the Father into the world. (Compare
chap. x. 36, xvii. 2.) He came commissioned by
the Father : on Him the Father's seal was set.
The reference is not to the miracle just related, as
if Jesus would say that what they had themselves
seen was the Father's attestation of Him, the
79
evidence which should have led them to believe in
Him. This is but a small part of the truth, as
what is said in chap. v. on the witness of the
Father very plainly shows. There, however, the
thought is made to rest on the continued and
abiding testimony of the Father : here the whole
attestation is looked upon as concentrated in one
past act of the Father, as included and implied in
the act of ' sending ' the Son : and this Father is
'God,' that God whom they themselves allowed
to be the supreme source and end of all things.
The special reference to the Father in tin vei ,
where Jesus speaks of the gift of eternal life, re-
ceives its explanation from ver. 57 (which see).
Ver. 2S. They said therefore unto him, What
must we do, that we may work the works of
God? Our Lord's answer seems to have been but
little comprehended by 'the multitude.' They
reply with an earnest inquiry, talc ig up all that
they have understood, but missing the central
point of His words. He had first bidden them
work, His last word had spoken of the Divine
authority He bore: thetr answer deals with 'works
of God,' but contains no reference to eternal life
or to the promise of a free gift from the Son of
man. The works of the law were to them a
familiar thought, and they understood that God
through His new prophet was commandii
to do some new work. Their question, 'What
must we do,' shows a teachable disposition, and a
willingness to learn from Him what was the will
of God, But what did they mean by 'the works
of God ' ? The expression is used in various senses
in the Old Testament. The works of the Lord
may be the works done by Him, or they may be
the works which He commands and which are
according to His mind. In this verse we cannot
think of miracles, nor is it easy to believe that the
people can have had in their thoughts the works
which God produces in those who are His. In
its connection here, the expression recalls such
passages as Jer. xlviii. 10 ; I Cor. xv. 5S ; Rev.
ii. 26. The whole phrase (with slight alteration)
occurs in Num. viii. 11, in the Septuagint : 'Aaron
shall offer the Levites before the Lord . .
that they may work the works of the Lord.' As
the meaning in these passages is the works which
the Lord would have them do, as the works of the
law are those which the law prescribes, so here
the works of God signify those wdiich He com-
mands, and which therefore are pleasing to Him.
Ver. 29. Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the work of God, that ye believe in him
whom he sent. The one work which God would
have them do is believing in Him whom He sent.
The people had spoken of 'works,' thinking of
outward deeds ; but that which God commands is
one work, faith in Jesus. This faith leads to
union with Him and participation of His Spirit,
and thus includes in itself all works that are
pleasing to God. We must not suppose that our
Lord intends to rebuke their question, ' What
must we do,' as if He would say, It is not doing,
but believing. The act of believing in Jesus, the
soul's casting itself on Him with perfect trust, is
here spoken of as a work, as something which
requires the exercise of man's will and calls forth
determination and effort. It is very noticeable that
these words of Jesus directly touch that thought in
ver. 27, which their answer (ver. 2S) neglected.
The work of theirs of which He had spoken was
their toil to come to Him : He had prescribed no
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 22-71
So
other work, but had sought to lead them to the
higher object, — the attainment of the abiding
nourishment, unto eternal life offered by the Son
of man. So here : every disturbing or extraneous
thought is put aside ; and, with even unusual
directness, force, and simplicity, Jesus shows that
the one cardinal requirement of the Father is the
reception of the Son by faith.
Ver. 30. They said therefore unto him, What
then doest thou as a sign, that we may see, and
believe thee? What dost thou work? '1 lie
words of Jesus had now become too plain to be
misunderstood. It was clear that He would turn
them away from such works as they had had in
view, and fix all thought upon Himself; while at
the same time His words breathed no spirit of
mere self-assertion, but claimed to be an expres i< m
of the Divine will. Such a claim no other prophet
had ever made ; such a claim can only be justified
by some special sign which no one can challenge
or mistake ; and the sign must correspond with
the claim. The day before Jesus had been with
them as a Teacher only : the miracle had con-
strained them to acknowledge Him as 'the Pro-
phet who should coiiie.' But the words He has
just used can only suit One who i, higher even than
Moses. Before they can believe Him when He thus
speaks (note the significant change from 'believe
in Him,' ver. 29, to 'believe thee,' i.e. accept thy
claims) some sign equal to the greatest wrought by
Moses, or even some greater sign, must be displayed.
Ver. 31. Our fathers did eat the manna in the
wilderness. Amongst the miracles wrought by
Moses the Jews seem (and with reason) to have
assigned to the manna a foremost place. In a
Hebrew commentary on Ecclesiastes there is pre-
served a saying of great interest in connection with
this passage : ' As the first Redeemer made the
manna to descend, as it is written, Behold I will
rain bread from heaven for you ; so the later Re-
deemer also shall make the manna to descend, as
it is written, May there be abundance of corn in
the earth' (Ps. lxxii. 19).— As it is written, He
give them bread out of heaven to eat. Of the
many characteristics distinguishing the miracle of
the manna, one is here dwelt upon, — neither the
abundance of its supply nor its continuance, but
its source: it was 'bread out of heaven.' The
bread with which they themselves had just been
fed, though marvellously increased in quantity,
was still natural bread, the bread of earth : 'bread
out of heaven ' was the proof received by their
fathers that their Benefactor was the God of heaven.
What similar evidence could Jesus offer? The
words here quoted from Scripture do not exactly
agree with any passage of the Old Testament. In
Ps. lxxviii. 24 we read (following the Greek
version), ' And He rained for them manna to eat,
and gave them bread of heaven;' and in Ex.
xvi. 4, ' Behold I rain for you bread out of heaven.'
The words in the verse before us are therefore
substantially a quotation from the psalm, with one
important change introduced from the narrative of
Exodus, 'out of heaven ' for 'of heaven.' The
change is important, because it points more dis-
tinctly to the source of the supply and not its
quality only, and because the expression 'out of
heaven ' is taken up by our Lord and used by Him
with marked empha i ..
Ver. 32. Jesus therefore said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you. The gravity of
the truth declared in this verse is indicated by the
solemn ' Verily, verily,' which now occurs for the
second time in this discourse. — Moses gave you
not the bread out of heaven : but my Father
giveth you the bread out of heaven, the true
breadL If we compare these words with ver. 26,
in which the formula ' Verily, verily ' is first used,
we easily trace the advance in the thought.
There, in general terms, the people are enjoined
not to set their thought on the perishable food ;
here Jesus declares that the true bread given out
of heaven is not the manna, but that which His
Father is at this moment offering them. In the
words of ver. 31, 'he gave them bread,' the
multitude may have had Moses in their thoughts ;
but that is not the meaning of the psalmist, the
context having the clearest reference to God. It
is probable that our Lord here mentions Moses
only to point out more distinctly the past and
inferior gift of the manna by the servant of God,
in contrast with the true bread now offered to
them by the Father. It was not Moses who gave
the manna ; still less had their fathers received
from him the true bread of heaven. The Father,
who gave to their fathers the symbol, offers the
reality now. 'My Father,' Jesus says, because
He is leading His hearers onwards to the truth
declared in the next two verses, that the ' true
bread ' given out of heaven is Himself, the Son.
Ver. 33. For the bread of God is that which
cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life
unto the world. The ' bread of God ' is the
bread which God gives (ver. 32). It is not easy
to decide on the translation of this verse. The
Greek equally admits of two renderings, either
'he that cometh,' or 'that (bread) which cometh.'
If the former is correct, our Lord begins here to
identify Himself with the 'true bread;' if the
latter, the figure is retained unexplained until
ver. 35. The expressions in vers. 50 and 58 do
not decide the point ; for after ver. 35 the descent
from heaven might with equal propriety be con-
nected either with the bread or with Him whom
the bread symbolized. Nor does the present tcn?e
' cometh down ' compel us to refer the word to the
bread ; for Jesus might be designated ' He that
cometh from heaven' (comp. chap. iii. 31) as
correctly as ' He that came from heaven ; ' one
description relates to nature and origin, the other
to a past fact of history. On the whole, however,
it seems best to carry on the thought of the bread
in this verse. The very word ' come down ' is
used (Ex. xvi.) in the account of the manna;
and the answer of the multitude in ver. 34 seems
to show that no new and (to them) strange thought
has come in since the mention of the Father's gift.
But if the figure is still continued in this verse, it
is only a thin veil that conceals the truth. In ver.
27 the Son of man is He who gives eternal life ;
here it is the bread of God that giveth life unto
the world. — The last word is very significant.
The manna had been for 'the fathers;' the true
bread is for the world. We are remind d at once
of chap. iii. 16, f God so loved the world,' and of
chap. iv. 42, 'the Saviour of the world.' The
unlimited offer also recalls chap. iv. 14, ' Whoso-
ever hath drunk of the water that I will give
him ;' and in both cases the result is the same.
Ver. 34. They said therefore unto hirn, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. We cannot see in
these words the mere expression of a desire that
earthly wants may be satisfied (comp. iv. 15).
This would have incurred rebuke (comp. ver. 20),
CHAP. VI. 22-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
81
and not led to clearer teaching, such as is found
in the coming verses. Jesus, moreover, is not
dealing with ' the Jews ' (who meet us at ver. 41),
Inn v. nil the multitude, — people who were indeed
ihan half enlightened, but whose minds
were not shut against the truth. His words in
the following verses are altogether such as lie was
wont to address to men who truly sought the light,
; ot fully conscious of wh.n the)
Jesus said unto them, I am the
bread of life, — the bread, that is, that contains life
in itself, and thus is able to give life unto the
world. The Father giveth 'the true bread' (ver.
32) in giving His Son; the Son of man giveth
eternal life (ver. 27) in imparting Himself. To
1 cry thing has been leading, — the
bread of the miracle, the manna, every reproof
(ver. 26), every encouragement (ver. 27). — He
that is coming to me shall in no wise hunger.
The original words are chosen with exquisite deli-
cacy. The figure is not that ol one who has
1 toils ■ and lengthened journey (as if
the words ran, ' he that at length has reached me ').
but that of one whose resolve is taken, and who
sets out in the right way, — he that ' is coming '
unto Jesus shall cease to hunger. Other passages
may speak of the disciple as one who has come to
Jesus ; this with equal truth represents him as one
who is coming towards Jesus, whose aim and
I constant thoughts are towards his
Lord. The hunger of the spirit ceases, the rest-
less want and search for satisfaction are at an
end; the 'true bread,' that which gives real
. is received. — And he that believeth
in me shall in no wise ever thirst. In these
have an image similar to the last, but
not the same. The quenching of thirst is even a
;nie than the satisfaction of hunger, and
thus (as usually in the poetry of the Old I
the thought of the second member is an advance
upon that of the first. It may seem remarkable
that ' ever ' is not joined with both members of
; but (as the other words also show) the
first simply expresses once for all the cessation of
hunger is at an end ; whilst the second
the continuous presence of that which
banishes thirst. Faith is really set forth in both
clauses. The first presents it in the simplicity
r of the act of will, — the will turned
towards Jesus ; the second brings it into pro-
1 the continuous movement of the soul
union with Him. It is not right there-
fore to interpret the 'coming' as part of the
'believing,' or to take either as denoting a
momentary act belonging to the beginning only
of the Christian life. Each figure, with a force
peculiarly its own, expresses the abiding relation
of the true disciple to his Lord ; but only by a
combination such as is here given could we have
vividly presented to us both the immediate and
the continuous satisfaction of spirit which Jesus
imparts. There is probably another reason for
itiction of the figure of 'thirst.' It is
not with the manna alone that Jesus is now
dealing. He had fed the multitudes with bread,
but the meal at which He entertained them as
His guests was designed to be the symbol of the
Paschal feast (see the note on ver. 4). It was
natural therefore thus to enlarge the symbols, that
this feast may be kept in mind, and the way
prepared for the words of later verses (53-56).
Ver. 36. But I said unto you, that ye have
vol. 11. 6
indeed seen me, and believe not. When had
such words been uttered? Certainly the ret.
is not to chap. v. 37, spoken in Jerusalem to the
I- h . not to the multitude in Galilee. It is not
likely that Jesus is speaking ol won Is of censure not
recorded in this Gospel ; and it is hardly possible
to understand the sim] n ' I said unto
you ' in the sense, ' I would have you know,' 'this
i- what I would say.' We must take the
as referring to the substance, to the spirit if not
the letter, of something previously said in this
chapter, and we can do this without any violence
of interpretation. It is remarkable that the people
themselves have used words almost identical (ver.
30) : ' What doest Thou as a sign, that we may see
an J believe Thee?' — that is, may see Thee in Thy
working, and believe Thee. This is a conl
on their part that as yet they had seen no
that had led them to see and believe Him. I a
words of Jesus in ver. 26 imply that in truth they
had not seen 'signs:' they had seen His miracles,
but these had not so proved themselves to be '
as to lead the people to see and believe Him. Th
charge, therefore, that ' they seeing saw not ' is
perfectly equivalent to what is said in that versi :
they had indeed seen Him in the works which
were the manifestation of Himself, but they had
not been led to faith. The charge is very grave,
but it is not made in anger, nor does it leave
the accused in hopelessness : not judgment, but
encouragement, is the spirit that pervades this part
of the discourse. Perhaps it is for th
that the word is ' I said,' not ' I say.' The fact
was so ; it may be so still ; but the state is one
that need not last, — even now it may pass away.
Ver. 37. All that which the Father giveth me
shall come to me ; and him that is coming to
me I will in no wise cast out. These words have
been understood by some as a reproach : ' 1 1
different are ye from those whom my Lather
giveth me!' but such an interpretation is
inconsistent with the context. At present, indeed,
those to whom Jesus speaks are not believers ;
but even in their case His mission may not be a
failure, — they may be given to Him, and He will
not cast them out. Up to this point the only gift
spoken of has been a gift to men (vers. 27, 31, 32,
;,3, ;4), especially the Father's gift of the Son to
be the bread of life. Here the converse is sud-
denly introduced — the Father's gift to the
What Jesus brings to men is the Father's gift to
them : what Jesus receives in the homage an
and love of men is the Father's gift to Him.
The form of expression is remarkable, 'all that
which the Father giveth me.' A passage closely
akin to this we find in chap. xvii. (which has
many points of contact with this chapter), ami in
close connection with the gift which (ver. 27) the
Son bestows, the gift of eternal life. The passage
is xvii. 2 : ' As Thou hast given Him power over
all flesh, in order that all that which Thou hast
given Him, He may give to them eternal life.' In
both these verses the totality of the Father's gift is
presented first, and then the individuals who com-
pose this gift and who themselves receive the gift
which the Son bestows. The gift of the Father
must not be understood by us in the sense of a
predestinating decree. Both here and in the
other passages of this Gospel where we read
of the Feather as giving to the Son His people
(chaps, vi. 37, 39, x. 29, xvii. 2, 6, 9, 24, xviii.
9), it is the moral and spiritual state of the
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 22-71.
82
heart that is thought of under the word. This
state of heart by which they are prepared to
listen to the voice of Jesus is due to God alone.
The truth expressed here by ' giving ' is expressed
in ver. 44 by the ' drawing ' of the Father, and
in ver. 45 by ' learning ' and ' hearing ' from
Him. Such preparation of heart is necessary:
as Chrysostom expresses it, faith in Jesus is ' no
chance matter, but cne that needs an impulse
from above,' — from Him who worketh in us
both to will and to work (Phil. ii. 13). The test,
then, of this work in the heart is the coming to
Christ. The two words 'come' in this verse are
different : in the first instance the meaning is
' shall reach me ;' in the second we might almost
render the words 'he that is coming towards me.'
What was said on the 35th verse is fully applicable
here, for the expression is the same. We cannot
read the words without being reminded of the most
touching of the Saviour's parables : the prodigal
arose and came towards his father, but when he
was yet a great way off his father ran to meet him.
Ver. 38. Because I have come down from
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will
of him that sent me. The previous verse was full
of the power and energy of love ; but even then
Jesus expresses no feeling or purpose of His own
as the motive of His acts. He will cast out none,
because such is the Father's will, and to do this
will He has come down from heaven (comp. ver.
33). — It may be well, however, to observe that a
different preposition from that in ver. 33 is here
used: here 'from,' for it is the work of Jesus ;
there 'out of,' for it is the heavenliness of His
origin that is the prominent thought.
Ver. 39. And this is the will of Mm that sent
me, that all that wluch he hath given me, of it
I should lose nothing. Here, as in ver. 37, the
gift of the Father is represented in its totality, 'all
that which.' As no part of the precious gift to the
multitude, the gift which symbolized Himself,
must be left to perish (ver. 12), so no part of the
still more precious gift of the Father may be lost
by the Son. — But should raise it up at the last
day. Should raise ' it,' the whole, all that is com-
prehended in the gift. The ' last day ' can denote
only one great period of resurrection for the whole
Church of God, — again a proof, as in v. 28, 29,
that the teaching of our Lord in this Gospel is not
confined to the spiritual aspect of death and resur-
rection. It is not the gift of eternal life that
belongs to the last day. Whosoever receives the
Son at once receives in Him life eternal (iii. 36,
vi. 33-35) ; but the day of the resurrection of the
body witnesses the completion of that gift of eternal
life which is now bestowed. In the next verse the
present and the future gifts are combined.
Ver. 40. For this is the will of my Father,
that every one which beholdeth the Son and
believeth in him shoidd have eternal life, and
that I should raise him up at the last day.
This verse is no mere repetition of the last, but
differs from it in two important points. As in ver.
37, we pass from the thought of the genera] body
of the Church to that of the individual members :
in the Father's will every member is embraced.
Secondly, the bond of connection with Jesus is
viewed from its human rather than from its Divine
side. In the last verse Jesus spoke of 'all that
which' the Father had given Him; here He
speaks of 'every one which beholdeth the Son
and believeth in Him.' The word 'beholdeth ' is
especially noteworthy, clearly including as it does
an act of the will. ' Seeing ' may be accidental,
may be transient : he who ' beholds ' is willing to
stand and gaze on the object presented to his view.
The word is full of instruction (comp. viii. 51,
xii. 45, xiv. 17, xvii. 24).
At this point our Lord's discourse is interrupted.
Hitherto He has been addressing the multitude :
now, for the first time in this chapter, we are to read
of ' the Jews,' i.e. (as we have observed in earlier
chapters) adherents of the ruling party which was
violently hostile to Jesus. Whether these Jews
were amongst the multitude hitherto addressed in
this discourse we cannot tell. If so, they had
occupied no prominent place, but were lost in the
crowd. But, as there is nothing to show that the
paragraph which follows this verse relates to the
same day, it is very possible that the Jews were
not present at the miracle or when Jesus spoke of
the bread of life, but were afterwards informed of
His words. This latter supposition becomes more
probable as we look into the circumstances. We
know that on the day of the feeding of the multi-
tude the Passover was at hand (ver. 4) ; and we
cannot doubt that, however anxious the enemies
of our Lord might be to linger near Him that they
might catch Him iu His talk, they would scrupu-
lously observe the ritual of the feast. If we turn
to Mark, we find two passages that distinctly speak
of scribes who came down from Jerusalem to
Galilee : one of these passages (iii. 22) belongs to
a date somewhat earlier than that of the events
related in this chapter, the other (vii. 1) comes in
shortly after the narrative of Christ's walking on
the sea of Galilee. The same remarks apply to
the Gospel of Matthew. It seems probable, there-
fore, that these agents of the hostile and influential
party in Jerusalem hastened back to Galilee after
the Passover, to resume their machinations against
the prophet whom they both hated and feared.
Ver. 41. The Jews therefore murmured con-
cerning him, because he said, I am the bread
which came down out of heaven. The 'mur-
muring ' denotes more than that indistinct com-
plaining to which we generally apply the word.
The frequent and indignant expressions of dis-
content by the Israelites when journeying in
the desert are expressed by the same word in the
Septuagint, and this (comp. I Cor. .x. 10) seems
to have fixed its meaning in the New Testament.
The Jews did not complain in the presence of
Jesus, but sought to foment discontent and ill-
feeling amongst those who at the time had been
willing hearers of His words. It is characteristic
of the spirit and motives of these enemies of our
Lord that their charge against Him is put in the
most captious form. As in the very similar case
related in chap. v. 12, the words of nobler mean-
ing are as far as possible left out : nothing is said
about 'the bread of life ' or 'the bread of God.'
Indeed the bread is a mere link of connection,
dropped as soon as it has served to introduce the
words joined with it, to which they can (as they
think) attach a charge of falsehood. On the offer
of life, eternal life, they will not dwell.
Ver. 42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the
son of Joseph, whose father and mother we
know? how doth he now say, I have come
down out of heaven? At this time, then, it is
clear that Jesus was generally regarded as Joseph's
son : the calumnies which at a later period were
current amongst the Jews had not yet been resorted
CHAP. VI. 22-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
83
to. The words of the Jews do not imply that
Joseph was still living, as the word rendered
' know ' may simply deride their being acquainted
with a fact, — they knew that Joseph and Mary
were I lis parents. We need not wonder that they
are ignorant of the miraculous conception.
Ver. 43. Jesus answered and said unto them,
Murmur not among yourselves. For such mur-
murers Jesus has only reproof. It is very strange
that in our day some writers on this Gospel should
have had difficulty in understanding why Jesus
did not refute the objection raised by declaring
the truth of the miraculous conception. Men who
could so mutilate His words as practically to per-
vert their meaning would have been brought no
nearer to conviction by such a statement, however
made, but would have gathered from it material
for still more malicious accusation. At first the
reply of Jesus deals only with the spirit His
opponents manifest.
Ver. 44. No one can come to me except the
Father which sent me shall have drawn him.
In these words He would tell them that (as their
unbelief and resistance show) they have not that
special divine teaching without which they cannot
understand Him. Hence He speaks not of the
'drawing' of God, but of that of the 'Father
which sent ' Him. Only like can understand like.
It is as the Father of the Son that God works in
us that spirit in which the Son can be received by
us. The ' drawing ' is not precisely the same as
the 'giving' of ver. 37, but describes, so to speak,
the first stage of the 'giving;' he that 'hath been
drawn' by the Father is he that is given to the
Son.— And I will raise him up at the last day.
As the initiative of salvation belongs to the Father,
the completion is the work of the Son. The
Father draws and entrusts ; the Son receives,
keeps, imparts life, until the glorious consumma-
tion, the final resurrection. Between these two
extreme terms 'draw 'and 'raise up' is included
all the development of the spiritual life (Godet).
Ver. 45. It is written in the prophets, And
they shall all be taught of God. Jesus confirms
His word by a testimony from the Old Testament,
not now taken from the Law (comp. ver. 31), but
from the Prophets. The use of the plural 'pro-
phets ' has been thought to prove that the refer-
ence does not belong to any one passage ; and we
may certainly say that an inclusive expression like
this may have been used designedly, as implying
that there are many such promises, and that this
tone of promise is characteristic of the book of the
Prophets. Still the word which introduces the
quotation, ' And,' a word quite needless for the
Speaker's purpose, shows conclusively that the
quotation is direct. There can be no doubt that
the words are taken from Isa. liv. 13, with one
or two slight alterations. They describe the great
and general privilege of Messianic times. The
retention of the words ' thy children ' (addressed
to Jerusalem in Isa. liv. 13) might have seemed
to limit the promise, which, belonging to the
' latter days,' is really free from all such limitations.
It has been suggested (by Godet) that the synagogue
lesson for the day (see ver. 59) may have included
these very words (comp. Luke iv. 17-21). Be
this as it may (and there is no improbability in the
conjecture), the quotation was well known, and
carries out and illustrates the words of ver. 44.
The truth of that verse is set in a new light, —
presented on its human rather than on its Divine
side. The 'drawing' is a 'teaching:' he that
hath been drawn by the Father, is he that hath
truly received the teaching of the Father. —Every
one that hath heard from the Father, and hath
learned, cometh unto me. Such true reception
of the teaching is emphatically described in these
words. Two stages in human experience, implied
in the successful result of teaching, are separated
from each other. All who hear may also learn,
but many hear who will not heed, and therefore
cannot learn ; just as there are many who see the
Son but will not remain to ' behold the Son ' and
to 'believe in Him' (ver. 40). These varied ex-
pressions illustrate one another with wonderful
beauty and power. Not one allows us to think of
compulsion or the forcing of man's will : all with
one voice give glory to the Father as the source of
every impulse towards the light and the life. The
variety of expressions used by Jesus in the incul-
cation of this truth, so characteristic of the present
chapter, may well remind us of the variety of the
means employed by the Father in the prosecution
of the work. Thus the 'drawing' may present to
our thought especially an inward influence ; the
' teaching ' may suggest the application of Scrip-
ture truth; whilst the 'giving' brings into view
the final act of the Father when the design of His
love has been fulfilled. But while each term may
lead us to think most of one aspect of the Father's
work, every term really includes all its aspects
and denotes the whole work.
Ver. 46. Not that any one hath seen the
Father, save he which is from God, he hath
seen the Father. The words just spoken, 'he
that hath heard from the Father,' might be under-
stood to point to a direct communication : this
however would imply a close relation to the Father
such as is possessed by One alone, who hath ' seen
the Father.' His saying that all who come to
Him have first 'heard from the Father' might
lead His hearers to infer that the descent out of
heaven likewise implied nothing more than could
be said of all. Such an inference this verse is
intended to preclude. If they would really be
' taught' of the Father it can only be through Him.
Ver. 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth hath eternal life. In the preced-
ing verses Jesus has rebuked the murmuring of the
Jews. They had not opened their hearts to the
Father's teaching, or their difficulty would have
disappeared. He now returns to the truths out of
which His foes had drawn their indictment against
His truthfulness. First, however, He brings into
relief those sayings which they had passed over
entirely. The solemn formula, 'Verily, verily, I
say unto you,' to be followed by a higher at ver.
53, at once marks the transition and shows the
importance of the truth declared. In speaking to
the multitude (ver. 26) His first words had related
to eternal life, and to the paramount necessity of
faith (ver. 29). So here also ; but the assertion is
made in the briefest possible form. Even the
object of the faith is left unexpressed, that the
thought may entirely rest on the state of faith
itself : the believer in the very act and condition
of faith has eternal life. It is not often that Jesus
speaks thus, omitting the words ' in me 'or 'in
the Son ; ' but there could be no real ambiguity in
the present instance, and He desires to express in
the most forcible manner the state of mind which
formed the strongest possible contrast to that of
the Jews.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 22-71
Ver. 48. I am the bread of life. Having pre-
pared the way by the declaration of the necessity
of faith, He reaffirms what (in ver. 35) He had
said of Himself. He is the bread which contains
life in itself, and which therefore can give and
does give life to all who receive ami assimilate
it. — It is interesting to observe, at a point where
the discourse is really higher than it was before,
a shortening of the formula employed, similar to
that already met by us in i. 29 and 36 (see note
on i. 35, 30).
Ver. 40. Your fathers did eat the manna in
the wilderness, and died. No other bread has
given life eternal. Even the manna, the bread given
out of heaven, did not bestow life on their fathers,
who (as the people themselves had said) ate the
manna in the wilderness. It seems very probable
that the addition ' in the wilderness ' is more than
a mere repetition of the words of ver. 31. It re-
call, Num. xiv. 35, l's. xcv. S-II, and other
passages in which 'the wilderness' is specially
mentioned as the scene of disobedience and of
death; and thus the fathers, who (Deut. i. 32)
'did not believe the Lord ' and died, are contrasted
with the believer who 'hath eternal life '(ver. 47).
Ver. 50. This is the bread which corneth down
out of heaven, that any one may eat thereof,
and not die. The 'bread that cometh down out
of heaven ' (repeated from ver. 33) is of such a
nature, and has such an object, that one may eat
of it and not die. We are not to press too much
our Lord's use of ' one ' or ' any one ' in this verse;
but we may at least say that His studious avoid-
ance of every word of limitation points once more
to the unbounded offer of life, the offer to ' the
world ' (ver. 33). When verses 49 and 50 are
compared, a difficulty presents itself. It may be
said that the antithesis is not complete, for is not
death used in two different senses? The fathers
died in the wilderness : he that eateth of the true
bread shall not die. There is exactly the same
twofold use of the word in chap. xi. 20 (see the
note on that verse). It is sufficient here to say
that in neither verse is the meaning as simple as
the objection supposes. In ver. 49 we must cer-
tainly recognise a partial reference to death as a
punishment of sin, and by consequence to that
moral death which even in this world must ever
accompany sin. In ver. 50 again physical death
may seem to be excluded, but we shall see that
John elsewhere regards the believer as freed (in a
certain sense) even from this, so entirely has death
for him changed its character, — so complete is the
deliverance granted by his Lord.
Ver. 51. I am the living bread which came
down out of heaven. Once more Jesus declares
that the bread of which He has spoken is Himself;
but the assertion is expressed in words that differ
significantly from those before employed. For
' the bread of life' He says now ' the living bread:'
for 'cometh down,' an expression which might
seem a mere figure denoting heavenly origin, He
says 'came down,' speaking of an actual historical
descent out of heaven. The former change espe-
cially is important. He has been speaking of the
bread as given, but is about to declare Himself to
be the Giver : therefore He says that He is the
living bread, that can give itself, and with itself
its inherent life. There was nothing in the 'bread
of life ' that would necessarily suggest more than
means and instrument. If the tree of life in Para-
ge bestowed immortality on man, it was but by
instrumental efficacy. 'The living bread' is a
thought absolutely unique, and the words compel
the minds of the hearers to rest on the person of
the -Speaker, who in the possession of this life,
and not as the precious but lifeless manna, de-
scended out of heaven. — If any one shall have
eaten of this bread, he shall live for ever.
These words partly repeat and partly extend those
of the preceding verse. There the nature and
object of the bread are given ; here the assurance
that every one who makes trial of the promise
shall certainly find it fulfilled to him in the gift of
a life that lasts for ever. — And moreover the
bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of
the world. The personal significance of the pre-
ceding words is now made even more direct, and
the meaning intended cannot probably be mistaken.
He gives; the bread He gives is His flesh; the
gift is for the life of the world. The questions
which these words have raised will be best con-
sidered in connection with our Lord's own com-
ment in the following verses.
Ver. 52. The Jews therefore strove among
themselves, saying, How can this man give us
bis ilesh to eat? As before, the Jews take hold
of those words which are most susceptible of a
merely material sense. Ever)' word that points to
a spiritual meaning they ignore ; but in doing so
they themselves give evidence of the clearness
with which our Lord had now shown that His in-
tention had been to fix the wdiole thought of His
hearers on Himself, and not on His gifts. The
contention of the Jews became violent as they
talked of the words of Jesus : the Evan
pression, literally taken, points to 'lighting' rather
than strife (comp. Acts vii. 20 ; 2 Tim. ii. 24 ;
Jas. iv. 2).
Vers. 53, 54, 55. Jesus therefore said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye
have eaten the flesh of the Son of man, and
drunk his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the
last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed. As to the general mean-
ing of this important passage there can be little or
no doubt. There are some new expressions, but
on the whole the imagery agrees with that employed
in the earlier part of the chapter, and the blessings
offered by Jesus are described again in identical
language. Here, as before, life, eternal life, is
promised ; again 'eating' is the figure which de-
scribes the mode of receiving life ; as in vers. 35,
4S, and 51, Jesus identifies Himself with that which
when eaten gives life ; and. as in ver. 44 (ci impare
vers. 39 and 40), He promises that He will raise-
up at the last day every "ne who has thus received
eternal life. The agreement then between these
verses antl the earlier part of the discourse is so
marked that there can be no change in the general
sense : all the expressions in previous . rsi
which figure is wholly or partially set aside may
be brought in here also to elucidate the meaning.
Our Lord therefore still teaches in regard to all
who come to Him, who believe in Him, who are
intimately joined to Him in the union ol faith and,
receiving all from Him, may be said to a. 1]
to themselves Himself, and to feed on Him, — that
these and these alone have eternal life. There is
nothing here that alters this foundation truth.
The phraseology of these verses (and ver. 51) is
new in the following respects : (1) Instead of the
Chap. VI. 22-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
one metaphor of eating \vc have two, ' eating ' and
'drinking;' (2) The figure of bread is dropped,
giving place to 'flesh,' 'the flesh of the Son of
man,' which flesh is given by Him for the life of
the world. (3) For the lir-t tunc Jesus makes
mention of His 'blood,' — the drinking of this
blood gives life. The introduction of the second
metaphor, 'drinking,' at once recalls ver. 35,
where ' thirst ' is as suddenly brought in. As in
that verse, so here, one purpose answered is the
more complete realisation of a feast : the Paschal
meal is always present in the symbols of this
chapter. Whether this is to be taken as the only
purpose will depend on the answer given to other
questions which must now be asked. Does Jesus,
in speaking of His flesh given for the life of the
world, expressly refer to His death, His atoning
death? Is it in order to point more clearly to
that truth that He here brings in the mention of
His blood ? Arc we to understand that there is a
strict and real difference between the things signi-
fied by eating His flesh and drinking His blood?
The last question may easily be answered : there
is certainly no such difference. In ver. 35 there
is a very beautiful and rapid change of aspect, but
no substantial change of thought : coming to Christ
is believing in Him, and the result is the satisfac-
tion of every want, whether represented as hunger
or as thirst. When the ' flesh ' is first mentioned
(ver. 51) it stands alone, as the Saviour's gift for
the life of the world ; and below (ver. 57) 'eating'
alone is spoken of, yet the result is life. As a rule,
indeed, flesh is contrasted with blood in biblical
language, and the two are joined together to ex-
press the physical being of man ; but it is not
uncommon to find flesh used by itself in this sense.
Thus in the first chapter of this Gospel we read
that ' the Word was made flesh,' whereas in Ileb.
ii. 14 we are taught that the Son took part in
flesh and blood. It is therefore quite in accord-
ance with the usage of Scripture that the same
idea should be expressed now by the one term and
now by the two combined ; and the context (as
we have seen) shows that this is the case here.
The two expressions of these verses are thus sub-
stantially equivalent to the one expression of ver.
57. But it does not follow from this that our Lord
had no special motive for thus varying His lan-
guage. The cardinal thought is most simply ex-
pressed in ver. 57. "he that eateth me;' and we
may well believe that He would have so spoken
in these verses also had He not intended to sug-
gest special thoughts by the use of other words.
In asking now what these special thoughts are, it
is scarcely possible for us, in the light of events
that followed, to dissociate the last clause of ver.
51 from the thought of death, or the mention of
' the blood ' of the Son of man from the thought
of the blood shed upon the cross. The words,
indeed, would not at that time suggest such
thoughts: they were rather a secret prophecy,
like the mysterious sayings of chap. ii. 19 ('Destroy
this Temple') and chap. iii. 14 ('even so must the
Son of man be lifted up '), and that saying so often
repeated in the earlier Gospels, the command to
'take up' and to 'bear' 'the cross.' But this
Gospel shows most plainly that the end was ever
present to Jesus from the very beginning ; and
many of His words can only receive their proper
interpretation by the application of this principle.
There is another consideration which removes all
doubt in this place, if the general view which has
been taken of the chapter is correct. The figui.-.-
tive acts and language have been suggest
Paschal meal which has just been (or is just about
to be) celebrated in Jerusalem. The later chapters
of the Gospel set forth Jesus as the fulfilment of
the Passover, Jesus on the cross as the antitype
and reality of the Paschal meal. This chapter in
pointing to the type points continually to the ful-
filment ; but the Paschal lamb died, and the death
of Jesus must therefore be regarded as part of the
thought before us. Nor would it be safe to deny
that mention of the blood here may even be con-
nected, as some have supposed, with the command
that the blood of the Paschal Iamb should be
sprinkled on the dwellings of the Israelites. So
many are the links between symbol and reality
which the Evangelist apprehends both in his own
teaching and in the discourses recorded by him,
that it is less hazardous to admit than to deny the
possibility of such a connection. But even then
the thought of blood shed upon the cross must not
be kept separate and distinct from all else that
Jesus was and did. The central thought of the
chapter is undoubtedly that of a meal, a feast, an
experimental reception of a living Christ which is
symbolized by 'eating' and 'drinking;' and to
that the whole interpretation must be subordinated.
It cannot therefore be Jesus in His death, looked
at as a distinct and separate act, that is before us
in the mention of the blood. It must still be Jesus
in the whole of HU manifestation of Himself,
living, dying, glorified ; so that, if we may so
speak, the death is to be viewed only as a pervading
element of the life, only as one of the characteris-
tics of that Christ who, not as divided but in all
the combined elements of His humiliation and His
glory, is from first to last the object of our faith
and the satisfaction of our need. The main point,
in short, to be kept in view is this, that we are
here dealing with the actual nourishment, with the
sustenance, with the life of the soul ; with the
believer, not as having only certain relations altered
in which he stands to God, but as in fellowship
and communion of spirit with Him in whom he
believes. To maintain by faith that fellowship
with Jesus in all that He was, is to eat His flesh
and to drink His blood.
It may be accepted as an additional proof of the
correctness of what has been said, if we observe
that the very same blessings now connected with
eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus
have been already connected with 'coming to
Him,' with 'believing in Him,' and with 'be-
holding Him.' Thus, for the first of these, comp.
vers. 35 and 55 ; for the second, vers. 47 and 54 ;
for the third, vers. 40 and 54. It is clear, there-
fore, that the spiritual appropriation of the life ami
death of Jesus is described under all the different
figures of this passage. All tell us of communion, of
fellowship, of a feast, — of the Lamb of God not only
as the Paschal sacrifice, but as the Paschal feast.
The question now considered leads at once to
another. What is the relation of these verses
and this whole discourse to the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper ? Many have held that the doctrine
of the sacrament (not yet instituted, but present to
the Redeemer's mind) is the very substance of this
chapter ; whilst others have denied that there is
any connection wdiatever between the two. We
can adopt neither of these extreme views. On the
one hand, the words of Jesus in this discourse can
belong to no rite or ordinance, however exalted
86
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VI. 22-71
nnd however precious to His people. The act of
which He speaks is continuous, not occasional,
— spiritual, not external ; every term that He
employs is a symbol of trust in Him. But on
the other hand, if alike in this chapter and in the
records of the Last Supper the Paschal meal is
presented to our thought, and if John specially
connects this feast with the death of Christ, whilst
all the other Evangelists bring into relief the
relation of the Last Supper to the same death, it
is impossible to say that the sacrament is altogether
alien to this discourse. The relation of the Lord's
Supper to the teaching of this chapter is very
nearly the same as the relation of Christian bap-
tism to our Lord's discourse to Nicodemus (see
note on chap. iii. 5). In neither case is the
sacrament as such brought before us ; in both we
must certainly recognise the presence of its funda-
mental idea. This discourse is occupied with that
lasting, continuous act of which afterwards the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper was made a
symbol ; and the sacrament is still a symbol of
the unchanging truth so fully set forth in this
discourse, — the believer's union with his Lord,
his complete dependence upon Him for life, his
continued appropriation by faith of His very self,
his feeding on Him, living on Him, his experience
that Jesus in giving Himself satisfies every want
of the soul.
There is not much in the particular expressions
of these three verses that calls for further remark.
It will be observed that there are two links con-
necting them with our Lord's first address to the
multitude (ver. 26) : He again speaks of the ' Son
of man,' and the words 'food indeed' (literally
' true eating ') at once recall ' the eating that
abideth.' One expression in ver. 53 is very
forcible, 'Ye have not life in yourselves,' im-
plying, as it does, that they .who have so eaten
and drunk have life in themselves. These are
words which our Lord could not use without
intending a special emphasis (comp. chap. v. 26) :
so complete is the believer's appropriation of the
Son, who hath life in Himself, that the same
exalted language may be used of the believer
also, whilst lie abides in fellowship with his
Lord. Then he has life in himself, but not of
himself. This fellowship is the substance of the
next verse.
Ver. 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh
my blood abideth in rne, and I in him. The
fellowship consists in this, that the believer abides
in the Life, and that He who is the Life abides in
the believer. Note that here it is not ' hath eaten ; '
the ' abiding ' is dependent on the continuance of
the appropriating art.
Ver. 57. As the living Father sent me, and I
live because of the Father; so he that eateth
me, he also shall live because of me. He that
sent the Son into the world is the living Father,
— the Being who is eternally and absolutely the
Living One. The Son lives because the Father
lives. This reception of life (see chap. v. 26) is
the characteristic of the Son. So, with a relation
to the Son similar to the Son's relation to the
Father, the believer who receives and appropriates
the Son lives because the Son, who is Life, abides
in him. This is the climax of the whole dis-
course : for even more exalted language expressive
of the same truth, that the relation between Jesus
and His own has its pattern in the relation between
the Father and the Son, see chap. xvii. 21, 23.
Ver. 58. This is that bread which came down
out of heaven. Here Jesus returns to the first
theme. Since He has now set forth all that the
true bread gives, the contrast with the manna is
complete. ' This ' — of this nature, such as I have
described it to you — ' is the bread that came down
out of heaven.' These last words illustrate the
first clause of ver. 57, ' the living Father sent me.'
— Not as your fathers did eat and died: he
that eateth this bread shall live for ever. The
rest of the verse is in the main a forcible repeti-
tion of vers. 49, 50.
Ver. 59. These things said he, as he was
teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum. These
words not only give information as to the place in
which the discourse (probably vers. 41-58 ; see
note on ver. 40) was delivered, but also show the
boldness with which Jesus declared truths so new
and so surprising to His hearers. He spoke thus
in public teaching (comp. chap, xviii. 20), and
that too in the presence of His powerful enemies,
and in the place where their influence was
greatest.
Ver. 60. Many therefore of his disciples
when they heard this said. This is an hard
saying ; who can hear him ? The word
' disciples ' is here used in a wide sense, in-
cluding many more than the Twelve, and many
who had never risen to a high and pure faith.
The ' saying ' can only be that of the preceding
verses (53—57), and its hardness consisted in the
fact that it pointed out one only way to life,- —
eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the
Son of man. These words the disciples did not
spiritually comprehend, and therefore they were
repelled by them.
Ver. 61. But Jesus, knowing in himself that
his disciples murmured concerning this, said
unto them, Doth this make you to stumble ? He
knew their thoughts, and because they are dis-
ciples, not Jews bent on opposing Him, He seeks
to help them.
Ver. 62. What then if ye behold the Son of
man ascending where he was before? The
meaning of this ascent is surely clear in itself; but
if it were not, the mention of a past descent (vers.
41, 51, 5S) would remove all doubt. Our Lord
certainly refers to His ascension into heaven. He
would say: ' Is the word that speaks of the descent
from heaven, of the living bread that alone can
give life, of the Son's descent from heaven to give
His flesh and His blood that the world may eat
and drink and live, a stumbling-block to you?
If, when I am here before you, you cannot
understand what is meant by eating my flesh and
drinking my blood, — cannot apprehend the spiri-
tual meaning which such words must bear, — how
much more will you, in this your carnal appre-
hension of what I say, be made to stumble if you
should see me ascending where I was before, to
be no longer upon earth at all ! ' As the neces-
sity of eating His flesh must continue, what will
they think then ? Then the sense they have put
upon His words will indeed wholly break down :
then at last they may come to sec that the words
can only be spiritually understood.
Ver. 63. It is the spirit that maketh to live;
the flesh protiteth nothing. Jesus has spoken of
'giving life,' of the 'eating of His flesh,' as the
means of gaining eternal life. In all this He
has not the flesh but the spirit in view,— not the
material reception of the flesh by the flesh, but
CHAP. VI. 22-71.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
87
the appropriation of His spirit by the spirit of
man. Such spiritual union of the believer with
Him alone 'maketh to live:' the flesh in itself is
profitless for such an end.— The words that I
have spoken unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life. The word ' I ' is emphatic, as
it repeatedly has been in this discourse. The
emphasis which Jesus here and elsewhere lays
upon His sayings is very remarkable. He is the
Word, the expression of the Father's nature and
will ; His sayings are to man the expression of
Himself. The words or sayings just spoken to
these disciples are spirit and are life. This is
their essential nature. They may be carnalised,
wrongly understood, wilfully perverted ; but wher-
ever they find an entrance they manifest their true
nature. They bring into the receptive heart not
the flesh but the spirit of the Son of man, and
tints the man, in the true sense eating the flesh of
the Son of man, has life. His words received by
faith bring Himself. Thus He can in two verse?
almost consecutive (chap. xv. 4, 7) say, ' Abide
in me, and / in you,' and ' If ye abide in me, and
5) abide in you.'
Ver. 64. But there are some of you that be-
lieve not. Even of these who had heard the last
words, so mercifully spoken for the removal of
their difficulties, there were some who continued
in unbelief. — For Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not, and who it was
that would betray him. Another remarkable
declaration by the Evangelist of the Saviour's
penetrating discernment of all hearts (compare
chap. ii. 24, 25), and of His knowledge from the
very beginning what would be the end of His
earthly course. The words seem to imply that the
germ of the traitor-spirit was already in the heart
of Judas, who, like many others, loved rather the
glory and honour which Jesus set aside (vers. 14,
15) than the spirit ami the life of His words.
Ver. 65. And he said, For this cause have I
said unto you, that no one can come unto me,
except it have been given unto him of the
Father. They had seemed genuine disciples, but
His words had been to them a stumbling-block
and had not brought life. They had not really
come to Him : they had not received from the
Father the gift of ' coming unto' Jesus, but the
failure had been by their own fault. Having re-
sisted the drawing of the Father, they had lacked
the due preparation of heart for receiving the
words of Jesus (see the notes on vers. 37 and 44).
Ver. 66. Upon this many of his disciples went
back, and walked no longer with him. Another
sad reflection, as in ver. 04 : the Evangelist can-
not but record the repelling influence which the
light exerted on those who were not of the light.
These disciples seemed to have left all that they
might be followers of Christ, but now they return
to the homes and the occupations they had for-
saken. (The usual rendering ' walked no more '
is in itself perfectly correct, but may be possibly
understood in the sense of ' never more,' a sense
certainly not designed.)
Ver. 67. Jesus therefore said unto the twelve,
Would ye also go? In contrast with the desertion
of many is the strengthened faith of those who,
being of the light, are attracted by the light. The
' Twelve ' are here mentioned by John for the first
time.
Vers. 68, 69. Simon Peter answered him. In
accordance with the earlier records Peter stands
forth as the spokesman of the Twelve, and in answer
to the question of Jesus makes a confession of theii
faith. — Lord, to whom shall we go away ? thou
hast words of eternal life. (Ver. 69) And we have
believed, and we know that thou art the Holy One
of God. The confession consists of three parts — (1)
' Thou hast words of eternal life' (see ver. 63) ; (2)
'And we have believed' (in contrast with ver. 64,
' there are of you some that believe not'); (3) 'And
we know,' etc. These disciples have answered the
revelation of Jesus by the faith which it demands;
and now they ' know ' with the practical knowle 'gc
of experience that Jesus is the Sent of God. The
expression which Peter uses is ' the Holy One of
God.' A similar phrase occurs in Ps. cvi. 16
in regard to Aaron, who is called ' the holy one of
Jehovah.' In the case of the human priest and in
that of his antitype our Lord, the general meaning
is the same, — the consecrated one of God, or, in
other words, He whom the Father sealed, He
whom God has sent. The meaning of the word
used here, 'holy,' must receive special considera-
tion in other passages : see the notes on x. 36,
xvii. 17. It is hardly necessary to say that the
confession of Peter does not seem to be the same
as that related in Matt. xvi.
Ver. 70. Jesus answered them, Did not I
choose you the twelve? and one of you is a
devil. Alas ! even in this small circle there is an
element that the light attracts not but repels. In
good faith Peter had spoken of all his brethren,
when he said, 'we have believed.' He knew not,
and probably Judas himself knew not, to whom
Jesus referred. The germ of the future crime and
that alone as yet existed. But from the beginning
Jesus knew all. Amongst the disciples He knew
who would desert Him : in this inner circle He
knew who would show himself a traitor — 'a devil.'
Many weaker interpretations, but all baseless,
have been given of this word. The traitor will do
his work at the instigation of the Evil One, and
animated by his spirit : his work will be the work
of the devil : he himself in doing it will be the
associate of Satan : nay, as we shall see, he will
be more.
Ver. 71. Now he spake cf Judas the son of
Simon Iscariot. Here we meet for the first time
in this Gospel with the name Iscariot ; and it will
be observed that (as in xiii. 26) it is connected not
with the name of Judas (as in xii. 4, xiii. 2, xiv. 22)
but with that of his father. In all probability the
word signifies 'man of Kerioth,' a town in the
tribe of Judah (see Josh. xv. 25). Apparently
Judas was the only apostle not of Galilee, and
the peculiarity of his name (identical with Judah
and ' the Jews ') is certainly not overlooked by
the Evangelist. Nay, more, not only is Judas of
Kerioth, that town of Judah and the Jews, his
father is so too. The double link of connection
seems to deepen the thought. — For he it waB
that was about to betray him — one of the
twelve. Judas was not yet the traitor ; ' was about
to' expresses only the futurity of the event ; but
how much is the criminality of the germ already
springing up in his heart heightened by the closing
remark, in which we see at once the anger and
the pathos of the Evangelist, — 'being one of the
Twelve ' !
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VII. 1-13
Chapter VII. 1-13.
Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles.
'A1
d V< 1
See Matt.
/ See chap.
ii 4.
g Chap. xv.
would not walk in Jewry,8 " because the Jews sought to «Chap. v. ;6.
2 kill him. Now b the Jews' feast of 'tabernacles3 was at hand. A(r'h*lp ''■•••'3
J c Lev. xxiu.
3 d His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go
into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the4 works that
4 thou doest. For there is6 no man1, that' doeth anything in
secret, and he8 himself seeketh to be known openly.9 If thou
5 do10 these things, shew" tin-self to the world. For ''neither12
6 did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said13 unto them,
-^ My time is not yet come:14 but your time is ahvay ready.
7 s The world cannot hate you ; but me it hateth, because I
8 testify of it,15 that ;' the works thereof are evil.16 Go ye up
unto this " feast : I go not up yet unto this feast ; for 18 my
9 S time is not yet full come.19 When 20 he had said these
words21 unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10 Hut22 when his brethren were gone up,23 then went he also
up unto the feast,14 not openly,2'' but as it were26 in secret.
11 ' Then the Jews27 sought him at the feast, and said, Where is
12 he? And there was much murmuring among the people28
concerning him : 'Tor29 some said, He is a good man : others3"
13 said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.31 Howbeit no man
spake openly of32 him ' for33 fear of the Jews.
1 And after 2 Judea 3 And the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles,
4 may behold thy 6 omit there is 6 one 7 omit that
8 omit he 9 to be in boldness 10 doest u manifest
12 not even I3 Jesus therefore saith u present
13 I bear witness concerning it lc that its work? are wicked '" the
18 because 19 not yet fulfilled -° And when 2I things
22 And 23 had gone up unto the feast 24 omit unto the feast
- ' manifestly 2C omit it were 21 The Jews therefore
28 multitudes 29 omit for 30 but others
31 leadeth astray the multitude 32 boldly concerning 33 because of the
Contents. The same line of thought as that
which we have found in the two previous chapters
is continued in that before us. He who is the
Fulfiller of the Sabbath and of the Passover
is the Fulfiller also of the great feast in which
the festivals of the Jewish year culminated,
— that of Tabernacles. The first section of
the chapter gives an account of the circum-
stances in which Jesus went up to this feast, the
subordinate parts being— (1) vers. 1-9, Jesus de-
clines to go up to it at the request of His
brethren, for He can act only at the suggestion
of His heavenly Father's will j (2) vers. 10-13,
He goes up when He sees that the hour for
doing so is come.
Ver. 1. And after these things Jesus walked
in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judea,
because the Jews sought to kill him. The
events of chap. vi. belonged to the period of the
Passover; chap. vii. is occupied with the least of
Tabernacles. The interval covered by the brief
description of this verse, therefore, is about six
months. During that time Jesus 'was walking in
Galilee, ' for in Judea His enemies 'were seeking
to kill Him.' As it is John himself who gives
the notes of time from which we learn il
of this period, we have here another illustration of
the selective principle on which his Gospel is
composed. The ministry in Galilee is in the
main passed over, partly, no doubt, because the
Evangelist well knew that the types of Gospel
teaching that were most widely current chiefly
Chap. VII. i-13-l THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
presented the Saviour's work in Galilee : partly,
because this work was less closely connected with
his purpose to bring out with clearness the pro-
gress and development of the conflict between
Jesus and the representatives of the Jewish people.
The period before us receives a lengthened notice
in two of the earlier Gospels. We may, with
great probability, refer to it four chapters in
Matthew (xv.-xviii.), three in Mark (vii.-ix.),
besides half of the ninth chapter in Luke. To it,
therefore, belong our Lord's visits to the borders
..I I'm and Sidon, the miracles wrought for the
Syrophcenician woman and for the deaf and dumb
man in Decapolis, the feeding of the four thousand,
Peter's second confession fallowed by our Lord's
announcement of His approaching sufferings and
death, the Transfiguration, together with other
miracles and discourses. The principal outward
characteristics of this portion of our Lord's public
ministry are the wider range of His travels and
the comparative privacy which Pie seems usually to
have maintained : the progress in the training ol
the Twelve, which is most observable, we may also
in gnat measure connect with the retirement thus
sought by their Master.
Ver. 2. And the feast of the Jews, the feast
of tabernacles, was at hand. This annual fes-
tival, the last of the three at which the men of
Israel were required to present themselves before
the Lord in Jerusalem, began on the 15th of Tizri,
that is, either late in September or early in October.
1 1 had a twofold significance, being at once a harvest
festival and a historical memorial of the earliest
days of the nation. At the ' feast of Ingathering '
(Ex. xxiii. 16) the people gave thanks for the
harvest, now safely gathered in : the ' feast of
Tabernacles,' during the seven days of which they
dwelt in booths or huts, recalled the years which
their fathers spent in the desert (Lev. xxiii. 39-43).
The mode in which the feast was celebrated must
be noticed in connection with later verses (see
note on ver. 38) : here we need only add that this
festival, spoken of by Josephus as ' the holiest
and greatest ' of all, was a season of the most
lively rejoicing (see Neh. viii. 16-18), and was
associated at once with the most precious recol-
lections of the past and the most sacred hopes for
the future of the nation. In particular, as we
shall see more fully hereafter, the feast had come
to be regarded as the type and emblem of the glory
of the latter day, when the Spirit of God should
be poured out like floods upon the ground (Isa.
xxxv.). On the expression 'feast of the Jews,'
see the notes on chap. ii. 13, vi. 4. To what
extent the joyous and holy feast of the Lord could
be perverted by the malice and hatred of ' the
Jews ' this chapter will clearly show.
Ver. 3. His brethren therefore said unto him,
Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy
disciples also may behold thy works that thou
doest. His brothers, in thus urging Him to
depart into Judea, have distinctly in mind (as
appears from ver. 8) the approaching feast and
the concourse of people which would soon be
assembling in Jerusalem. It is important to keep
this in mind if we would understand the position
occupied by the brothers of Jesus. They were not
believers in Him (ver. 5), that is, they did not
accept Him as the Messiah; in their own words
they separated themselves from the number of
His disciples (ver. 3) ; and as yet they were
accounted by Him as belonging to ' the world '
(ver. 7). On the other hand, there is no trace ol
disbelief or disparagement of His works ; for the
words, ' Thy works that Thou doest,' were not
spoken in irony; and 'if Thou doest' (ver. 4)
need not express the slightest doubt. To these
'brethren,' then, brought up in the prevalent
Messianic belief, there appeared an inconsistency
between the loftiness of His claims and the com-
paratively limited display of what He offered as
His credentials ; the reserve with which He mani-
fested His powers went far with them towards
destroying the impression made by His miracles.
But one of the chief festivals was now at hand.
Neither at the Passover of this year nor at the
feast of Weeks (Pentecost) had He gone up to
Jerusalem : why should He avoid publicity, and
appear to shun that decisive testing of His claims
which was possible in Jerusalem alone. By ' Thy
disciples,' the brethren of Jesus do not simply
mean 'Thy disciples in Judea.' In this case the
word ' there ' must have been inserted, as bearing
the chief emphasis of the sentence. As we have
just seen, the recent labours of Jesus in northern
Galilee had been marked by privacy. For the
most part the Twelve only had witnessed His
works ; at times some even of these had been
excluded. At the feast the whole body of His
disciples would be gathered together, and what
might be done in Jerusalem would be conspicuous
to all. — On the 'brothers' of the Lord see the
note on chap. ii. 12; after this paragraph (vers.
3, 5, 10), they are not mentioned again in this
Gospel ; in chap. xx. 17 the words have a different
meaning.
Ver. 4. For no one doeth any thing in secret,
and himself seeketh to be in boldness. ' To be
in boldness ' may seem a singular expression ; the
Greek words, however, will not admit of the
rendering ' to be known openly ; ' and it is clear
that the form of the phrase is chosen so as to be
in correspondence with what precedes, ' doeth
anything in secret.' The Greek word rendered
'boldness' occurs nine times in this Gospel, four
times in John's First Epistle, and eighteen times
in the rest of the New Testament. In every case
it denotes either boldness, as opposed to fear or
caution (see vers. 13, 26, xi. 54, xviii. 20), or
plainness of language as opposed to reserve (chap.
x. 24, xi. 14, xvi. 25, 29) ; here the meaning is
'to take a bold position.' Working miracles in
secret and a bold claim of personal dignity ami
office are, in the view of these men, things incom-
patible with one another.— If thou doest these
things, manifest thyself to the world. These
words are very remarkable. The brothers would
use them as meaning 'to all men,' i.e. 'to all
Israel ' gathered together at the feast (comp. chap,
xii. 19) ; but we cannot doubt that the Evangelist
sees here the language of unconscious prophecy,
such as appears in many other places of this
Gospel, and in one case at least (chap. xi. 51) is
expressly noted by himself. The words are now
uttered with a true instinct ; they will be fulfilled
in their widest sense.
Ver. 5. For not even did his brethren believe
in him. This verse seems to afford an unanswerable
argument against those who hold that amongst these
' brothers ' of our Lord were included two or three
of the twelve apostles. How long this unbelief
lasted we cannot tell : the words of Paul in I Cor.
xv. 7, 'Then He appeared to James,' make it
very probable that it was by our Lord's resurrec-
9°
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VII. 1-13
tion from the dead that the brothers were led to a
true belief in that Divine mission which, in spite
of the earlier miracles they had witnessed, they
had refused to accept.
Ver. 6. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My
time is not yet present, but your time is alway
ready. The answer is remarkably akin to that
addressed to His mother in chap. ii. 4. Very
different, probably, were the mother and the
brethren in their measure of faith and in the
motive of their words ; but in each case there
betrayed itself a conviction that Jesus might be
influenced by human counsel in the manifestations
of Himself. Here as there His time was at
hand, but not yet ' present;' and until the moment
appointed by the Father He whose will is one
with that of the Father can do nothing. Such
limitation did not apply to His brethren ; they
were not separated from the 'world,' and with
that world they might at any time associate.
Ver. 7. The world cannot hate you ; but me
it. hateth, because I bear witness concerning it,
that its works are wicked. Jesus takes up the
word which they had used ; but in His mouth it
has a depth of solemn meaning of which they
knew nothing. With them the world was the
whole body of Israelites, with whom lay the
acceptance or rejection of His claims ; with Him
the world was a hostile power, to which indeed
He will manifest Himself, but which He has
come to subdue. Jesus and His brothers stand
in opposite relations to the world, — they at one
with it, He the Reprover of its wicked works.
This difference of relation makes necessary a
difference of action : they cannot understand,
much less can they guide, His course.
Ver. 8. Go ye up unto the feast : I go not up
yet unto this feast, because my time is not yet
fulfilled. The words ' not yet ' imply an inten-
tion of attending the festival, though as yet the
appointed time had not come. The interval
before it comes may be of the shortest, but the
' not yet ' lasts till the ' now ' comes, and then the
obedience must be instant and complete. It is
well known that this verse furnished Porphyry,
the assailant of Christianity in the third century,
with one of his arguments. In his Greek text of
the Gospel the reading was, ' I go not up unto '
(the word 'yet' being absent), and upon this
Porphyry founded an accusation of fickleness and
change of purpose.
Ver. 9. And when he had said these things
unto them he abode still in Galilee. How long,
we are not informed. As, however, it would
seem that His brothers were on the point of
setting out for Jerusalem, to be present at the
beginning of the festival, and as He Himself was
teaching in the temple when the sacred week had
half expired (ver. 14), the interval spent in Galilee
can hardly have been more than two or three
days.
Ver. 10. And when his brethren had gone up
unto the feast, then went he also up, not mani-
festly but as in secret. We must not sever
'manifestly' from 'manifest tin self,' in ver. 4.
Had Jesus joined any festal band, it would have
been impossible (without an express miracle) to
restrain the impetuous zeal of Galilean pilgrims,
of whom very many had witnessed His 'signs '
and listened to His words. To have gone up
publicly would have been to ' manifest Himself to
the world.' At the next great fc.st, the Passover
of the following year, He did enter the holy city
in triumph, thus proclaimed King of Israel by the
rejoicing multitudes. For this, however, the time
was not yet come. It is very probable that this
journey must be identified with that related in
Luke ix. 51 sqq. The privacy here spoken of
has been thought inconsistent with Luke's state-
ment that Jesus at that time travelled through
Samaria with His disciples, 'sending messengers
before him ' (Luke ix. 52). But the divergence is
only apparent. Jesus went up 'in secret,' in that
He avoided the train of Galilean pilgrims, who
may have reached Jerusalem before He set out
from Galilee ; besides, it is probable that the route
through Samaria, though not altogether avoided
by the festal companies (as we know from
Josephus), would be more rarely taken. The
sending of messengers implies no publicity ; for
such a company as this, composed of Jesus and
His disciples, such a precaution might well be
essential.
Ver. II. The Jews therefore sought him at
the feast, and said, Where is he I Their expec-
tation that He would be present at this festival
may have rested on no other ground than the
national usage, to which Jesus had occasionally
conformed even during His public ministry. Pos-
sibly His words (ver. 8) ' I go not up yet' may
have become known to the Galilean multitude,
and hence to the Jews. Verses 1 and 13 seem to
leave very little doubt that the ' seeking ' was of a
hostile character. Py 'the Jews,' the Evangelist
still means the ruling class, those whom worldli-
ness and self-seeking had long since turned into
the declared enemies of Jesus.
Ver. 12. And there was much murmuring
among the multitudes concerning him. Some
said, He is a good man : but others said, Nay,
but he leadeth astray the multitude. From the
'Jews' the Evangelist turns to the 'multitudes.'
Amongst these is eager discussion concerning
Jesus ; the speculation, the hesitation, the inquiry,
were general, but all outward expression was sup-
pressed. The use of the plural ' multitudes ' seems
to point to crowds rather than individuals as the
disputants. The word 'multitude,' however, at
the close of the verse is not without a contemptu-
ous force,— it is the common crowd that He leads
astray : possibly the multitudes of Jerusalem may
be the speakers.
Ver. 13, Howbeit no man spake boldly con-
cerning him, because of the fear of the Jews.
Both sides, through their fear of the Jews, shrank
from speaking out their thoughts. So complete
was the ascendancy of these rulers over the people
that no one ventured on any open discussion of
the claims of Jesus. There was no doubt a belief
that ' the Jews ' were hostile to Him, but no public
condemnation had been pronounced, — possibly no
decision had been arrived at : till the leaders spole
out the people could only mutter their opinions. —
Thus, then, the picture of what Jerusalem was at
this moment is completed. Met together at the
feast are Galileans, already half believers in Jesus,
ready to be roused into enthusiastic activity by
a display of His power ; hostile Jews, the eccle-
siastical authorities and those who shared their
spirit, determined to crush out all inquiry as to
His claims ; and multitudes discussing these in
secret, and revealing the utmost discordance of
opinion. Everywhere we see movement, uncer-
tainty, hope, or fear.
CHAP. VII. 14-52.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 9'
Chapter VII. 14-52.
Discourses of Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles.
14 \T OW about the midst ' of the feast Jesus went up into the
15 IN temple,2 and taught. "And the Jews3 marvelled, say- "^™p-a«
ing, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned ?
16 Jesus4 answered them, and said, * My doctrine5 is not mine.
17 but his that sent me. ' If any man will do6 his will, he shall g^J*,.
know of the doctrine,7 whether it be8 of God, or whether I c ^*_ chap
IS speak of9 myself. rf He that speaketh of9 himself seeketh his ™ft«J*f.:
own glory: but he that seeketh his glory10 that sent him, the ./gUp.. v. 4i,
19 same is true, and11 no unrighteousness is18 in him. e Did not £}f.™:s°'
Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law ? 13 ,'.
20 -'"Why go ye about " to kill me ? The people li answered and ' Aea^i 38.'
said,10 Thou s hast a devil:17 who goeth about 19 to kill thee ? rcha"P!'viii.
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, ''I have done19 one work, Man
J . , , . Mark iii. 22
22 and ye all marvel. ' Moses therefore gave unto you circum- AChap.v.9.
cision;20 (not because21 it is of Moses, but k of the fathers;) iGen.xvii."
23 and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man !! on
the sabbath day receive circumcision,23 that the law of Moses
should24 not be broken ; 'are ye angry at2i me, because I have26 /chap. v..i6;
J & J Luke xm.
24 made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? '" Judge ^^"-^
not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. ™- 's-
25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem,27 Is not this he, whom
26 they seek to kill? But,88 lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say
nothing unto him. "Do89 the "rulers know indeed30 that this "Xf-*8.-.
1:5 o Chap. 111. 1
27 is the very31 Christ? ^Howbeit we know this man whence he *$*£■ *■:■**■
is : but when Christ32 cometh, no man knoweth33 whence he is. ss.
28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying,34 Ye g both ?ComP. chap,
know me, and ye know whence I am: and r I am" not come rS^"v"43'
' 1 jrui. 42.
of myself, but he that sent me *is true, 'whom ye know not. s ^%- 32-
29 ' But36 I know him : for37 I am from him, and rhe hath39 sent '^fe^
30 me. Then they sought to take him: "but39 no man laid „%r. 44;
chap. viii.
1 And when it was already the middle 2 temple-courts
3 The Jews therefore * Jesus therefore 3 teaching 6 to do
7 he will perceive of the teaching s is 9 from
10 the glory of him n and there is 12 omit is
13 and no one of you doeth the law u Why seek ye 18 multitude
16 omit and said 17 demon 18 who seeketh 19 I did
20 For this cause hath Moses given you the circumcision 21 that
-'-' If a man receiveth circumcision 2S omit receive circumcision
-' may 25 with 2C omit have
27 Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said 2S And 29 Can it be that
30 omit indeed 31 omit very 32 the Christ 33 no one perceiveth
34 Jesus therefore cried in the temple-courts teaching and saying
35 have 36 omit But 37 because
ss omit hath 39 They sought therefore to seize him. and
92 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VII. 14-52.
31 hands40 on him, because ''his hour was not yet come. And »Ver. 6.
"'"many of the people41 believed on '- him, and said, When *"<-'haP. .. ;-,.
Christ43 cometh, will he do more miracles44 than these which
this man hath done ?
32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured 45 such 4l'
things concerning him ; and the Pharisees and the chief
33 priests47 sent officers to take4" him. Then said Jesus49 unto
them,50 Yet * a little while am I with you, and t/ien*1 I y so .rSeechap.
*'"■ 35-
34 unto him that sent me. " Ye shall seek me, and shall not find y chap, xvi. 5.
See chap.
35 vie: and where I am, thither" ye cannot come. "Then said *»■• ■• .
J J t ' J z Chap. vm.
the Jews" among themselves, Whither will he go,54 that we ">3tiii-33-
J & & a Lhap. vm.
shall not find him ? will he go unto b the dispersed among55 the ,2.2" •
36 Gentiles,56 and teach the Gentiles ? 56 ' What manner of saying i/et- '■ '.■
*> ' J J & c Chap. Jrvi.
is this that he said,''7 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find '7' l8-
me: and where I am, thither1'- ye cannot come?
37 ''In58 the last day, that59 great day of the feast, Jesus stood dl*v- Jodi!-
and cried, saying', e If any man60 thirst, let him come unto me, cI?a- lv-l:
' J -J J ' chap. vi. 35 ;
38 and drink. He that believeth on61 me, as •''the scripture ^ev-xxn-
hath1,2 said, ^out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. -^""Eip"7.
39 (;'But63 this spake he of64 the Spirit, which they that believe "ii.*^™
on65 him should1,6 receive: for the Holy Ghost67 was not yet ™s\ *£'£,'
given; because that Jesus was not yet 'glorified.) ?seechap.
40 Many of the people68 therefore, when they heard this say- //i^'xii'v4^;
41 ing,69 said, Of a truth this is * the Prophet. Others said, ' This chap.'xi^'
is the Christ. But70 some said, Shall Christ71 come '"out of Acts.Tii.7'
42 Galilee? Hath not -''the scripture said, That Christ72 cometh 'xH?i6. p"
"of the seed of David, and "out of the town of Bethlehem,73 vri4.ap'
43 * where David was? So q there was a division among the vi. 69.'
44 people74 because of him. And rsome of them would have chap. i.' 46.
' r . 11 Sre Matt.
taken75 him ; but no man laid hands on him. xxn. 4;.
o See Matt.
45 Then came the officers7 to the chief priests and Pharisees ; u-s.
and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 1.4.
q Ver. 12.
46 The officers answered, 'Never man spake like this man.77 rY,er- 3°-
~ m s ^ er- ;2-
47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?78 'M"! ■ ■•
10 his hand 41 But of the multitude many 42 in 43 the Christ
44 signs 4-r> heard the multitude murmuring 4li these
47 the chief priests and the Pharisees 43 seize 40 Jesus therefore said
50 omit unto them 61 omit then ■'- omit thither
68 The Jews therefore said 54 Whither is this man about to go
55 Is he about to go to the Dispersion of 66 Greeks
57 What is this word which he spake hi And in
61 in ea omit hath
65 believed in
88 Some of the multitude
71 What, doth the Christ
73 and from Bethlehem the village
74 There arose therefore a division among the multitude 75 seized
70 The officers therefore came 7r Never did a man so speak
78 The Pharisees therefore answered them, Have ye also been led astray?
''■' the
co one
•3 And
04 concei
>6 were to
67 for the Spirit
19 these words
70 omit But
- the Christ
Chap. VII. 14-52. J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
48 Have any7'' of the "rulers or of the Pharisees believed on
49 him?00 But this people"' who knoweth" not the law are
50 cursed. Nicodemus saith unto them, ("he that came to Jesus
51 by night,83 being one of them,) '"Doth our law judge any**
52 man, before it hear him, and know 95 what lie doeth ? They
answered and said unto him, Art thou also x oi Galilee?
Search, and look : for Bli out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
79 Hath any one 80 believed in him, or of the Pharisees 81 multitude
82 which understandeth 83 to him before 84 a
85 except it have first heard from himself and learned 80 Search and see that
Content,-,. In this section Jesus appears at the
feast to which He went up when I lis Father's,
and therefore His own, hour was come. The
opportunity afforded by it of teaching is embraced,
and we are presented with the teaching and its
effect. In the successive discourses recorded, the
same general line of thought is to be traced as in
chaps, v. and vi. But a particular direction is
given them by the circumstances amidst which
they are spoken. Jesus comes again before us as
the Fulfiller of the law, of the last and greatest of
the annual feasts of Israel. — that feast which, in
the language of the prophets, shadowed forth
the gift of the Spirit and the highest glory of
Messianic times. The effect is, as usual, twofold :
some are attracted, others are repelled. The
subordinate parts are — (I) vers. 14-2) ;
25-31 ; ( :) ^rs. 32-36 ; (4) vers. 37-39 ; (5) vei .
40-44 ; (o) vers. 45-52.
Ver. 14. And when it was already the middle
of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple-
courts, and taught. It is evident that the
Evangelist means to impress us with the sudden-
ness of this appearance of Jesus in the temple-
courts. The Lord suddenly comes to His temple,
and, at this feast of peculiar joy and hope, He
brings with Him a special message and promise
of the new covenant (ver. 38; Mai. iii. I). His
teaching during the latter half of the sacred week
is to prepare lor His words on the last day of the
feast.
Ver. 15. The Jews therefore marvelled, saying,
How knoweth this man letters, having never
learned? The marvelling on the part of the
'Jews' (see note on chap. v. 20) is not an
astonishment that compels further inquiry and
leads towards belief. They are baffled, and
forced to acknowledge against themselves what
they would fain have denied. It was only after
a long series of years spent in study that the
Jewish scholar was permitted to become a teacher,
and was solemnly ordained a member of the com-
munity of doctors of the law. Jesus, it was
known, had not been taught in the rabbinical
schools, nevertheless He was proving Himself, in
such a manner that His enemies could not gainsay
the fact, a skilled and powerful teacher. Jewish
learning dealt chiefly with the letter of the written
Word (especially the Law), and with the body of
unwritten tradition. The words which crown our
Lord's teaching at this feast enter into the very
heart and express the inmost spirit of the whole-
Old Testament revelation (vers. 38, 39).
Ver. 16. Jesus therefore answered them, and
said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent
me. It was the practice of Jewish Rabbis to pro-
claim from whom they 'received' their teaching,
and to quote the sayings of the wise men who
preceded them. What they proclaimed of them-
the leaching of Jesus proclaims of itseli to
all worthy listeners. His teaching, though He
had never ' learned ' it in the sense in which they
use the term, is yet not His own ; neither in its
substance nor in its authority must they count it
His. As His works were those which the Father
gave Him to accomplish (chap. v. 36), so His
words were the expression of the truth which He
has heard from God (viii. 40), and the Father
hath given Him commandment what He shall say
(xii. 49). Hence His words are God's word
the teaching comes with the authority of God.
Such teaching is self-evidential, where man really
wishes to hear the voice of God : for —
Ver. 17. If any one will to do his will, he will
perceive of the teaching, whether it is of God, or
whether I speak from myself. Many a time did
the Jews refuse to recognise the teaching of Jesus
unless He could prove by a miracle that God was
working with Him. Here He tells them that,
had they the will to do God's will, they would
need no miracle in evidence that in His teaching
they heard the words of God : as the child at
once recognises his father's voice, so would they,
if living in harmony with God's will and purpose,
recognise in His voice the voice of God. Such
recognition of the words of Jesus is the test, there-
fore, of a will bent on doing the will of God. and
every such effort of will is consciously strengthened
by His words ; while, on the other hand, the heart
which seeks its own glory and not the glory of
God is repelled by them (chap. v. 44). No
words can more clearly show that the very end
of the teaching of Jesus as set forth in this
Gospel is not empty speculation but practical
righteousness. It may be asked, Is our lord
merely stating a truth ('he will perceive'), Ot-
is He also giving a promise ('he shall perceive, —
shall come to know ') ? Both thoughts are implied.
Jesus does not say that the clear conception comes
at once, — but come it will, come it shall. The last
words must be carefully distinguished from those
of chap. v. 31, etc., 'bearing witness concerning
Myself.1 Here the word used refers to the origin,
the source, of the speaking ; and the meaning
exactly agrees with chap. v. 30, — there 'doing,'
here 'speaking,' from or of Himself.
The words of ver. 17 are especially remarkable
when we call to mind that they were addressed to
persons all whose thoughts of revelation as a thing
demonstrated to man were connected with tokens
94
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. VII. 14 -52
of the Divine presence appealing to the senses.
What a new world did it open up to tell them that
perception of the Divine origin of any teaching
depends upon our seeing that it strengthens and
perfects that moral nature which is within us the
counterpart of the Divine nature !
Ver. iS. He that speaketh from himself
seeketh his own glory. If a man speaks from
himself, giving out all that he says as coming from
himself, it is clear that he is seeking the glory of
no one but himself. If one who so acts is a
messenger from another (and here the thought in
the later words, ' him that sent him,' seems intended
to apply to the whole verse), it is plain that his
attitude is altogether false : he represents as ' from
himself ' that which really is 'from him that sent
him.' — But he that seeketh the glory of him
that sent him, the same is true, and there is no
unrighteousness in him. From the maxim con-
tained in the first clause ol this verse it follows at
once that whoever is not seeking his own glory
does not speak from himself. But every word of
Jesus shows that He seeks His Father's glory :
hence it cannot be that He is speaking from Him-
self.— But as a messenger speaking from himself
and aiming at his own glory is false to his
position and work, so he that seeks the glory of
the sender only is true to them, and there is no
unrighteousness in him, — his work and duty as
messenger are fully accomplished. These last
words, like the first clause of the verse, are per-
fectly general, though absolutely realised in Christ
alone. By Him the condition is completely ful-
filled : of Him the freedom from unrighteousness
is absolutely true. This verse connects itself with
what precedes and with what follows: (1) A will
to do God's will will lead to right judgment
respecting Christ (ver. 17), because he who has
such a will can discern the complete submission of
Jesus to the will of God, His complete freedom
from self-seeking (ver. iS) ; (2) Is it thus proved
to every one who is seeking to do God's will that
Jesus is the real messenger of God, accurately
teaching His will, then the accusation which is in
the minds of His enemies (vers. 21, 22), that He has
contradicted God's will in the matter of the Sabbath
(chap. v. iS), must fall to the ground of itself.
Ver. 19. Did not Moses give you the law, and
no one of you doeth the law? Why seek ye
to kill me ? There are two ways in which this
verse may be taken, and between them it is not
easy to decide. They turn on the interpretation
of ' no one of you doeth the law ; ' for this may
find its explanation either in the words that imme-
diately follow or in vers. 21-25. I' ma.v ')e best
to give the connection of thought according to each
of these views. In both cases the ' law' chiefly de-
notes the Ten Commandments. ( 1 ) The accusation
of the Jews against Jesus, of having transgressed
God's will, must fall to the ground (ver. 18), but
not so His accusation against them. Moses, whom
all accepted as God's true messenger, gave them
the law, which therefore expressed God's will, and
yet every one of them was breaking the law, for
they were seeking to kill Jesus. They were there-
fore self-convicted by their own works of opposing
the revealed will of God : no wonder therefore
that they had rejected Jesus. In favour of this
explanation we may say that the words are (vers.
15, 16) addressed to 'the Jews,' whose murderous
mention Jesus well knew not to have been in-
spired by true zeal for the law, — that the words so
understood aptly follow vers. 17, iS, — and that
we thus secure for the solemn expression 'doeth
the law' a natural and worthy sense. (2) The
other explanation connects this verse less strictly
with ver. 18. In Jesus, as a true messenger, there
is no unrighteousness. What they have called
unrighteousness h altogether righteous, — nay, it
is what they themselves habitually do, and rightly
do. Moses gave them the law, the whole law,
and yet there is no one of them that keeps the
whole law. Every one of them (as the example
afterwards given proves) sets aside one of two
conflicting laws, breaks one commandment when
there is no other way of keeping a higher com-
mand inviolate ; and this is all that Jesus did in
the act for which they seek to kill Him. This
second explanation agrees well with what follows ;
and, although at first sight it seems almost ton
mild to be spoken to 'the Jews,' it has really great
sharpness. It must have at once penetrated then
hearts and thrown a light upon the guilt and folly
of their conduct which they could only evade by
again deliberately turning their eyes from the light.
' No one of you doeth the law ' is alsi 1 a very heavy
charge. On the whole, the second interpretation
seems preferable to the first.
Ver. 20. The multitude answered, Thou hast
a demon; who seeketh to kill thee? It is im-
portant to observe that this answer is returned by
the multitude, not by those to whom ver. 19 is
addressed, and the multitude is apparently in
entire ignorance of the designs of 'the Jews.'
That the people should have thought possession
by a demon the only possible explanation of the
presence of such a thought in the mind of Jesus
places in boldest relief the guilt of 'the Jews.'
To bring this out is probably the explanation of
the insertion of a remark for which it is otherwise
difficult to account.
Ver. 21. Jesus answered and said unto them,
I did one work, and ye all marvel. This answer
seems lo have been addressed to the multitude, 01
rather to the whole body of those present includ-
ing 'the Jews,' not to 'the Jews' alone (as is
supposed by some who make ver. 20 a paren-
thesis): hence the calmness of the tone. 'One
work,' viz. that recorded in chap. v. 1-8, — the
miracle, with all its attendant circumstances.
Many other miracles had Jesus wrought in Jeru-
salem (chap. ii. 25), but this one had caused all
the amazement and repulsion of feeling of which
He is here speaking.
Ver. 22. For this cause hath Moses given you
the circumcision (not that it is of Moses but of
the fathers), and ye on the sabbath day circum-
cise a man. The very law was intended to teach
them the fundamental principle upon which Jesus
rested His defence, to look beyond the letter to
the spirit, and to see that sometimes an ordinance
is most honoured when its letter is broken. 'For
this cause ' — to teach this lesson — Moses, who gave
the Ten Commandments (ver. 19), one of which
enjoined the sabbath rest, took up into the law
which he gave (see ver, 23, 'the law of Moses')
the far earlier ordinance of circumcision, laying
down or rather repeating the strict rule that the
rite must be performed on the eighth day (Lev.
xii. 3). When this eighth day fell on tin- sabbath,
the Jews, however inconsistent the rite might
seem with the rigid sabbath rest, yet. with a true
instinct, never hesitated to circumcise a child.
They felt that to receive the sign of God's cove-
Chap. VII. 14-52.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN
nant, the token of consecration and of the removal
of uncleanness (and — may we add? — the token of
the promise which was before and above the law,
Gal. iii. 17), could never be really inconsistent
with any command of God. In acting as they
did, therefore, they proved that in this matter the
lesson which the lawgiver designed to teach hail
been truly learned by them ; yet it was a lesson
essentially the same as that which the healing by
Jesus on the sabbath day had taught. This passage
is of great interest as showing that in many respects
the law, even whilst seeming to deal in positive
precepts only, was intended to become, and in
some measure actually was, a discipline, preparing
for the 'dispensation of the Spirit.'
Ver. 23. If a man receiveth circumcision on
the sabbath day, that the law of Moses may not
be broken, are ye angry with me, because I
made a man every whit whole on the sabbath
day? Their reverence for the law and their deter-
mination that it should not be broken led them
to break the letter of the Fourth Commandment,
or rather to do that which they would otherwise
have thought inconsistent with its precept. How
then can they be indignant at Jesus for the deed
which He had done on the sabbath ? He had
performed a far more healing work than circum-
cision. He had given not merely a token of the
removal of uncleanness, but complete freedom
from the blight and woe which sin had brought
(see chap. v. 14) on the 'whole man.' It may be
thought that in this last expression our Lord refers
only to the cure of a disease by which the entire
body had been prostrated ; but the verse just
quoted (chap. v. 14), and the recollection of the
figurative and spiritual application of the rite of
circumcision with which the prophets had made
the Jews familiar, warn us against limiting the
miracle at the pool of Bethesda to the restoration
of physical health.
Ver. 24. Judge not according to the appear-
ance, but judge righteous judgment. Righteously
had they judged in regard to themselves. So let
them judge His work, and they will see that, where
they had suspected only the presence of iniquity,
there was the highest righteousness.
Ver. 25. Some therefore of them of Jerusalem
said, Is not- this he whom they seek to kill ?
The speakers are a different class from those
hitherto introduced, — 'they of Jerusalem: ' these
seem to have more knowledge of the designs of
' the Jews ' than was possessed by ' the multitude '
(ver. 20).
Ver. 26. And, lo, he speaketh boldly, and
they say nothing unto hint. Can it be that the
rulers know that this is the Christ ? No opinion
as to these designs is expressed ; there is neither
sympathy nor blame ; there is only bewilderment,
occasioned by the inconsistency between the sup-
posed wishes of the rulers and the boldness and
freedom with which Jesus is allowed to speak.
Can it be that there is some secret reason for this,
— that the rulers have really made a discovery,
which they will not allow — , that this is the Christ ?
The question is no sooner asked than it is answered
by themselves : —
Ver. 27. Howbeit we know this man whence
he is ; but when the Christ cometh, no one per-
ceiveth whence he is. In ver. 42 we read of the
expectation that the Christ would come from
Bethlehem (see also Matt. ii. 5). But there is no
inconsistency between this verse and that, for it
seems to have been the belief of the Jews that the
Redeemer would indeed first appear in Bethlehem,
but would then be snatched away and hidden, and
finally would afterwards suddenly manifest Him-
self, — from what place and at what time no one
could tell. So Jesus warns His disciples that the
cry will be heard, ' Lo, here is the Christ: 1 r, Lo,
he is there ' (Mark xiii. 21).
Vers. 28, 29. Jesus therefore cried in the
temple-courts teaching and saying. Knowing
that such words were in the mouths of the people
of Jerusalem, Jesus cried aloud in the hearing of
all. The word 'teaching' may seem unneces-
sary : it appears to be added in order to link
what is here said to the teaching of vers. 14 and
16 : what He says is no chance utterance, but
forms part of the teaching designed for this festival.
— Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am.
Jesus allows that they had a certain knowledge of
Him, but He does this for the purpose of showing
immediately thereafter that it was altogether in-
adequate and at fault. It was indeed important
in one respect, for it involved the acknowledgment
of His true humanity ; but, denying all else, re-
fusing to recognise Him in His highet aspect,
scouting His claims to be the Sent of God, the
expression of the eternal Father, it was really no
more than an outward and carnal knowledge of
Him. There seems to be a distinction between
'whence I am' and 'whence I come ' (viii. 14).
The latter includes more directly the idea of the
Divine mission of Jesus. — And I have not come of
myself, hut he that sent me is true, whom ye
know not. I know him, because I am from him,
and he sent me. Words containing that true
knowledge of Jesus which these men 'of Jerusalem'
had not. It consists in recognising in Him the
' Sent ' of Him who is ' true,' not merely veracious
or faithful, but real, who is the ground and essence
of all reality, the only living and true God. In
this respect those to whom Jesus was now speak-
ing did not know Him ; they beheld the outward
man ; they did not behold the manifestation of the
eternal God. This ignorance, too, arose from the
fact that they did not know God Himself. They
thought that they knew Him ; but they did
not, for they had not penetrated to the right con-
ception of His spiritual, righteous nature, — a
nature corresponding only to eternal realities, to
what is 'true.' Not knowing God, how could
they know Jesus who ' manifested ' the true God,
who was ' from ' the true God, and whom the true
God ' sent ' ? Had they known the One they
would have recognised the Other (chap. v. 37,
viii. 19). The words of vers. 2S, 29 are thus
words of sharp reproof.
Ver. 30. They sought therefore to Beize him.
Jesus had not mentioned the name of God, but
those with whom He spoke (familiar with modes
of speech in which the Divine Name was left un-
spoken and replaced by a pronoun, as here, or by
some attribute) did not miss His meaning. lie
had denied to them the knowledge of God, and at
the same time had claimed for Himself the closest
fellowship with Him, to be indeed the very ex-
pression of what He was. — And no man laid his
hand on him, because his hour was not yet
come. Their zeal and enmity were at once
aroused ; the ' men of Jerusalem ' followed in the
steps of ' the Jews ' (ver. I). Yet they could not
touch Him, for it was not yet God's time.
Ver. 31. But of the multitude many believed
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VII. 14-52.
in Mm, and said, When the Christ conieth, will
he do more signs than these which this man
hath done? The last verse showed how the
hostility to Jesus was glowing ; this verse presents
the brighter side. The division of the people goes
on continually increasing : they who are of the
light are attracted towards Jesus, they who are of
darkness are repelled. The faith of these believers
is real ('they believed in JJim'), though not so
firm and sure as that which rests less on ' signs '
than on His own word.
Ver. 32. The Pharisees heard the multitude
murmuring these things concerning him, and
the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers
to seize him. To the various parties already
mentioned in this chapter, the Jews (vers. 11,
13, 15), the multitudes (ver. 12), or the multitude
(vers. 20, 31), and them of Jerusalem (ver. 25), are
here added the Pharisees and also the chief priests,
now mentioned for the first time in this Gospel.
In three earlier passages (chap. i. 24, iii. 1, iv. 1)
John has spoken of the Pharisees, and in the last
of these only (chap. iv. 1) has there been any in-
timation of either secret or open hostility on the
part of this sect toward our Lord. It is otherwise
with the other Gospels. In the course of that
Galilean ministry which is not distinctly recorded
by John the Pharisees occupy a very distinct
position as foes of Jesus. To the period between
John's last mention of the Pharisees and the pre-
sent verse belong His controversies with them
respecting fasting, His association with sinners
(Matt. ix.; Mark ii.; Luke v. — compare Luke vii.
49), the sabbath (Matt. xii.; Mark ii.; Luke vi.),
the tradition of the elders (Matt. xv. ; Mark vii.),
and the forgiveness of sins (Luke v.; Matt, i.x.;
Mark ii. — compare Luke vii. 39). The Phari 1
have attempted to persuade the multitude that He
wrought His miracles through the prince of the
devils (Matt, i.x.; Matt. xii. ; Mark iii.). He has
refused their request that they might see a sign
from heaven (Matt, xvi.; Mark viii.), and has
warned the disciples against their teaching (Matt.
xvi.; Mark viii.) and their 'righteousness' (Matt.
v. 20). In .Matt. xii. 14 we read that the I harisees
(Mark iii. 6, the Pharisees and the Herodians)
held a consultation how they might destroy Him.
Up to this point, however, in the narrative of the
Fourth Gospel it would seem most probable that,
as a body, they had not assumed a position of dis-
tinct hostility to our Lord. It was not in Galilee,
of which the earlier Gospels speak, but in Jeru-
salem, where were their chief members and in-
fluence, that an organized opposition could best
be formed by them ; and in many passages at all
events we gather that those of their number who
assailed Jesus were no more than emissaries sent
down from the capital by the rulers. Things now
take a different turn in John's Gospel. The Phari-
sees come more prominently forward, act more as
a party than as individuals, and begin to constitute
a distinctly hostile power to Jesus. The events
which had passed in Galilee, though not noted by
John, may explain the change. — The chief prii
arc, as has been said, first mentioned here by
John. In the other Gospels also they are scarcely
referred to up to this period of the history, for
Matt. xvi. 21 (Mark viii. 31 ; Luke ix. 22) is a
prophecy, and the only remaining passage in the
first three Gospels is Matt. ii. 4, where it is said
that Herod convened 'all the high priests and
scribes of the people.' It has been supposed that
this expression denotes the Sanhedrin, but the
great court of the nation did not include ' all the
scribes.' With much more certainty may the
words of Matt. -xvi. 21, 'the elders and the high
priests and the scribes,' be taken as an enumera-
tion of the three elements of the supreme council.
What is the exact meaning of chief priests or high
priests, thus spoken of in the plural, it is perhaps
impossible to say. The usual view is that the
chiefs of the twenty-four classes of priests are in-
tended ; but there seems little or no evidence in
support of this explanation. The only point on
which we can speak with certainty is that the ex-
pression must include all living who had been
high priests. In those unsettled times the tenure
of office was occasionally very short, and always
precarious. Annas the father-in-law of Caiaphas
(chap, xviii. 13) was deposed by the Roman Pro-
curator about fourteen years before the time of
which we now speak : within three or four years
of his deposition as many as four were appointed
to the high-priesthood, the last of whom, Caiaphas,
retained office until A. D. 36. At this time, there-
fore, besides the actual high priest, three or four
may have been living who had once borne this
name, and their former dignity would give them
weight in a council which, consisted of Jews alone.
Whether prominent members of families to which
present or former high priests belonged (compare
Acts iv. 6) were also included under this name,
or whether it denoted other priests who stood high
in influence as members of the Sanhedrin, is very
doubtful. — The multitude talked among them-
selves in the temple of the grounds of the faith in
Jesus which was growing in their hearts. Their
■ret ('murmuring'), but not so secret
that the Pharisees did not overhear their words.
Convinced that the teaching which so powerfully
impresses the people must be heard no longer, they
seek therefore the aid of the chief priests, whose
attendants are immediately despatched with orders
to seize Jesus.
Ver. 33. Jesus therefore said, Yet a little
while am I with you, and I go unto him that,
sent me. In the action now taken by His foes
Jesus sees a token of the rapidity with which His
hour is approaching. These words, which (ver.
35) were spoken in the presence of 'the Jews,'
declare His perfect knowledge of their designs.
But they are also words of judgment, taking from
His enemies their last hope.
Ver. 34. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find
me. The frequent occurrence of the 'seeking' in
this chapter suggests as the first meaning of these
words, Ye will seek to lay hands on me, but shall
not find me. That was the only 'seel
which the Jews wished to think. But tl
Jesus rested on the calamities from which at a
future time they would se< k to be delivered by the
Christ, but would seek in vain. His enemies hue
refused to recognise in His words the teaching of
'Him that sent' Him (ver. 16): when He has
returned to His Fattier their eves will be opened
to their madness and folly. — And where I am. ye
cannot come. ' Where I am,' He says, not ' n lie: e
I shall be:' here-, as elsewhere, the simple ex-
pression of continuous existence is most befitting
for Him who is one with the Father. Into that
Fellowship, that Presence, no enemies of the Son
shall come.
Ver. 35. The Jews therefore said among them-
selves, Whither is this man about to go, that we
Chap. VII. 14-52.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
97
shall not find hi in 'I Our Lord's words were
mysterious, but yet were so closely linked with
His earlier teaching, as related in this very chapter,
that their general meaning would be clear to every
patient listener. Vers. 16 and 17 were alone
sufficient to show that 'to Him that sent me'
could only mean 'to God.' But this impression
' the Jews ' must at all hazards avert : chap. viii.
22 shows how eagerly they sought to blunt the
edge of such words as Jesus has now spoken.
There they suggest that only by seeking death can
He escape their search : here that it is on exile
amongst Gentiles that He has now resolved. His
teaching has seemed to them a complete reversal
of Jewish modes of thought. No learning of the
schools prepared Him for His self-chosen office
(ver. 15): He accuses all Israel of having broken
the law of Moses (ver. 19) : He sets at nought the
most rigid rules of Sabbath observance : all things
show that He has no sympathy with, no tolerance
for, the most firmly established laws and usages of
the Jewish people. And now He is going, not
to return. Where?— Is he about to go to the
Dispersion of the Greeks, and teach the Greeks 1
Can it be that He has cast off Jews altogether and
is going to Gentiles? This is said in bitter scorn,
but it may have been suggested by words of Jesus
not expressly recorded. In answering His brethren
just before the feast (ver. 7) He had spoken of
' the world ; ' before the end of the same feast
(viii. 12) He says, 'I am the light of the world.'
Even if we were not to accept the Jewish tradition
which records that in the offering of the seventy
bullocks at the feast of Tabernacles there was
distinct reference to the ('seventy') nations of the
Gentile world — a tradition deeply interesting and
probably true — we can have no difficulty in sup-
posing that in His teaching during the festival
Jesus had repeatedly used words regarding 'the
world' which enemies might readily pervert. His
interest, they say in effect, is not with Jews but
with the 'world :' is he leaving us? — then surely
He is going to the world, to the heathen whom
He loves. — The great difficulty of this verse is the
use of such a phrase as 'the Dispersion of the
Greeks.' An explanation is furnished by the
thought already suggested, — that the Jews, with
irony and scorn, would show forth Jesus as re-
versing all their cherished instincts, beliefs, and
usages. If a true Israelite must depart from the
Holy Land, he resorts to the Dispersion of his
brethren. Not so with this man : He too is
departing from us, but it is a Dispersion of Gen-
tiles, not of Israelites, that He will seek, — it is
Gentiles whom He will teach. As in the case of
Caiaphas (chap. xi. 50, 51), so here : words spoken
in hate and scorn are an unconscious prophecy,
lie will teach and gather together the children of
God that are scattered abroad, — this is the very
purpose of His coming. The book which is the
companion to this Gospel, the Apocalypse, con-
tains many examples of this new and (so to speak)
converse application of familiar words. Thus in
Rev. i. 7, we find mankind designated as ' tribes of
the earth.' It is right to say that the explanation
of ' Dispersion of the Greeks ' which we have
given is not that generally received. The common
view is that the Jews represent Jesus as going to
'the Dispersion amongst the Gentiles,' and, from
this as a point of departure (like the apostles
of Jesrrs afterwards), becoming a teacher of the
Gentiles. We can onlv briefly give our reasons
vol. It. 7
for dissenting from this view. (1) The meaning
can hardly be obtained without straining the
original words. (2) As probably many of 'the
multitude' themselves belonged to 'the Disper-
sion,' the added words 'of the Greeks' would be
useless if intended as explanatory, insulting if used
for depreciation. (3) The first clause becomes
almost superfluous : why should they not say at
once, Is He about to go amongst the Greeks?
(4) The introduction of a ' point of departure ' or
connecting link is most unsuitable to the present
state of feeling of our Lord's enemies, ' the Jews.'
Ver. 36. What is this word which he spake,
Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and
where I am, ye cannot come? This verse contains
little more than a repetition of the Saviour's former
statement, but is useful in reminding us that the
Jews, whose bitter words we have just been con-
sidering, were themselves perplexed by wh it they
heard. We must not suppose that they pondered
and then rejected the teaching of Jesus : their
enmity rendered impossible that patient thought
which w >uld have found the key to His mysterious
language ; they understood enough to have been
attrai ted, had they only been willing listeners, by
the light and the life of His words. Their
ignorance resulted from the absence of the will to
harn and do God's will (ver. 17).
Ver. 37. And in the last day, the great day,
of the feast. The feast of Tabernacles properly
so called continued seven days. During (a pari
of) each day all the men of Israel dwelt in booths
made with boughs of palm, willow, pine, and
other trees. Day by day burnt-offerings and other
sacrifices were presented in unusual profusion.
Every morning, whilst the Israelites assembled in
the temple-courts, one of the priests brought water
drawn in a golden urn from the pool of Siloam,
and amidst the sounding of trumpets and other
demonstrations of joy poured the water upon the
altar. This rite is not mentioned in the Old
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VII. 14-52-
Testament ; but, as a commemoration of the
miraculous supply of water in the wilderness, it
was altogether in harmony with the general spirit
of the festival. The chanting of the great Hallel
(Ps. cxiii.-cxviii.) celebrated the past ; but (as we
learn from the Talmud) the Jews also connected
with the ceremony the words of Isaiah (xii. 3),
' Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the
wells of salvation,' and saw in it a type of the
effusion of the Holy Spirit. On the evening of
the first and (probably) of each following day the
' rejoicing of the drawing of the water' was cele-
brated in the court of the women, with dancing,
singing, and music ; and lamps raised on four
immense candelabra placed in the middle of the
same court illumined both the temple and the city.
On the seventh day the ordinary ceremonies of the
feast came to an end. There was added, however,
an eighth day (Num. xxix. 35), a day of holy con-
vocation on which no work might be done. This
day did not strictly belong to the feast, but was
' a feast by itself,' perhaps as closing (not only the
feast of Tabernacles, but also) the whole series of
festivals for the year : naturally, however, it
became attached to the feast of Tabernacles in
ordinary speech. Whether the ' great day ' so
emphatically mentioned here was this eighth day
or the seventh day of the feast is a point which has
been much discussed, and on which we cannot
arrive at certainty. On the whole it is most pro-
bable that the eighth day is referred to, the day of
holy rest in which the feasts seemed to reach their
culmination, and which retained the sacred associa-
tions of the festival just past, though the marks of
special rejoicing had come to an end. This last
day lie to whom all the festivals of Israel pointed
chose for the proclamation which showed the joy
and hope of the feast of Tabernacles fulfilled in
Himself. — Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any
one thirst, let hiin come xmto me and drink.
The words 'stood and cried' bring into relief the
solemn earnestness of this declaration, which com-
pleted and perfected the teaching of Jesus at this
feast. The occasion was given (if we are right in
regarding the eighth as 'the great day'), not by
the ceremony observed, but by the blank left
through the cessation of the familiar custom. The
water had been poured upon the altar for seven
days, reminding of past miracles of God's mercy
and promises of yet richer grace : hopes had been
raised, but not yet satisfied. When the ceremonies
had reached their close, Jesus ' stood and cried '
to the multitudes that what they had hitherto
looked for in vain they shall receive in Him. As
in the synagogue of Nazareth He read from the
book of Isaiah, and declared that the Scripture
was that day fulfilled in their eats, so here He
takes up familiar words of the same prophet (Isa.
Iv. 1), calling everyone that thirsteth to come unto
Him.
Ver. 3S. He that believeth hi me, as the
scripture said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water. The words of ver. 37 remind us of the
people who drank of the spiritual rock that followed
them (I Cor. x. 4), the miracle commemorated
in the pouring of the water from Siloam ; the
last words ('shall flow rivers') resemble more
the promise of Isa. xii. 3, amplified in all its parts.
There is nothing incongruous in this union of
promises : Isa. xliv. 3 includes both, ' I will pour
water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon
the dry ground.' This is not the first time that
we have found ' coming to Jesus ' and ' believing
in Him ' thus brought together ; see the note on
chap. vi. 35. Out of the heart of him that thus
cometh, thus believeth in Jesus, shall flow rivers
of living water. Not only shall he receive what
his thirst demands and be satisfied, but he himself
shall become the source of a stream — nay rivers —
of living waters. The water shall bring life to
him : the water flowing out of his heart shall bring
life wherever it comes. All this is the gift of
Jesus, who is set forth as the One Source of the
water of Life. But what is meant by 'as the
Scripture said '? Many passages of the Old Testa-
ment contain similar imagery, and some of these
have been already quoted ; but one only appears
really to accord with the figure of this verse, viz.
the vision of Ezek. xlvii. The prophet saw a
stream of living water issuing from the temple,
and expanding into a river whose waters brought
life wherever they flowed. The temple prefigured
Christ (chap. ii. 21) ; the water of life is the gift
of the Holy Ghost, pre-eminently Christ's gift
(chap. iv. 14). The Lord Himself received into
the believer's heart brings the gift of the living
water ; and from Him, thus abiding in the heart,
flows the river of the water of life.
Ver. 39. And this spake he concerning the
Spirit, which they that believed in him were
to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified. To
this authoritative explanation of the ' living water'
we have more than once referred (see chap. iv.
to, 14). The word is a promise still, speaking of
a future not a present gift ('were to receive').
The verse before us is one which it is impossible
to express in English without a paraphrase. In
the first clause we find 'the Spirit,' but in the
second the article is absent, and the words liter-
ally mean ' for spirit was not yet,' — the word
' spirit ' meaning, not the Holy Spirit as a Person,
but a bestowal or reception of I lis influence and
power. Only when Jesus was glorified, — that is,
only when He had died, had risen, had ascended
on high, had been invested with the glory which
was His own at the right hand of the Father,
would man receive that spiritual power which is
the condition of all spiritual life. When Jesus
Himself, the God-man, is perfected, then and not
till then does He receive power to bestow the
Holy Spirit on mankind. This mysterious subject
mainly belongs, however, to later chapters of this
Gospel (see especially chap. xvi. 7).
Here our Lord's revelation of Himself as the
fulfilment of the Old Testament culminates. The
feast of Tabernacles was the last great feast of the
year. It was also the feast which raised sacred
rejoicing to its highest point ; which shadowed
forth the full bestowal of Messianic blessings
(comp. Zech. xiv. 16) ; and which spoke most
of the Holy Spirit, the supreme gift of Jesus to
His people. With its fulfilment all the brightest
anticipations of ancient prophecy are realised.
The effect of this revelation of Jesus by Himself is
now traced.
Ver. 40. Some of the multitude therefore,
when they heard these words, said, Of a truth
this is the prophet. On 'the prophet,' and the
distinction between this appellation and ' the
Christ,' see the note on chap. i. 21.
Vers. 41, 42. Others said. This is the Christ
Some said, What, doth the Christ come out of
Galilee ? Hath not the scripture said, That tho
Chap. VIII. 1 2-59] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 99
Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from claims of Jesus? The foolish multitude may have
Bethlehem, the village where David was ? See done so, in this showing an ignorance which, in
Matt. ii. 6. This explanation of the prophecy of the mind of the Pharisees, deserves and brill I
Micah (chap. v. 2) is found in the Targum, and with it a curse.— Of such contemptuous treatment
seems to have been commonly received by the Jews, of the common people, as distinguished from ' the
Vers. 43, 44. There arose therefore a division disciples of the wise,' many examples may be pro
among the multitude because of him. And J
some of them would have seized him ; but no
man laid hands on him. Compare ver. 30.
Here, as there, the result of the division of
opinion is a more eager attempt to apprehend
Him about whom the dispute has arisen. The
last words of ver. 30 may be again supplied in
thought : ' his hour was not yet come.'
Ver. 45. The officers therefore came to the
chief priests and Pharisees ; and they said unto
them, Why have ye not brought him? The
sending of the officers is mentioned in ver. 32.
From ver. 37 we may gather that they had been
lingering near Him for a day or more : I lis last
words seem to have deprived them of all power to
lay hands en Him. There is a minute difference
between the senders as described in ver. 32 ('the
And duced from the sayings of Jewish Rabbins. — Once
more it may be noted, our Lord's enemi
nounce their own condemnation in proclaiming
their unbelief.
Vers. 50, 51. Nicodemus saith unto them (he
that came to him before, being one of them).
Doth our law judge a man, except it have first
heard from himself and learned what he doeth !
Twice already in this section have we read of the
restraint placed on the enemies of Jesus. Those
amongst the multitude who were ill affected
towards Him were kept back from doing Him
harm (ver. 44) ; the officers likewise were re-
strained (ver. 46) ; now the Sanhedrists them-
selves are to be foiled, and this through one of
themselves. Nicodemus has so far overcome his
fear that he defends Jesus against the glaring
chief priests and the Pharisees ') and here, where injustice of his fellow-rulers, undeterred by the
the second article is dropped. The slight change expression of their scorn just uttered. He appeals
1 1 emphasize the union of the two elements to the law, all knowledge of which they have
(so to speak) into one for the purpose in hand, proudly arrogated to themselves, and shows that
but is not sufficient to suggest that here reference of this very law they are themselves transgressors.
i, made to the Sanhedrin as a body. It does not Ver. 52. They answered and said unto him,
appear that there is formal action of the Sanhedrin Art thou also of Galilee ? Search and see that
earlier than the record in chap. xi. 47. out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. No answer
Ver. 46. The officers answered, Never did a to the argument was possible : they can but turn
man so speak. A new testimony to Jesus, borne on Nicodemus himself. They assume that no_one
by men who, awed by the majesty of His words
instead of attempting a deed oi violence, declare
to their very masters that He is more than man.
Vers. 47, 48, 49. The Pharisees therefore
answered them, Have ye also been led astray ?
Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or
of the Pharisees? But this multitude which
understandeth not the law are cursed. In such
natter as the acceptance of any man as Messiah
but a Galilean can take the side of Jesus. The
last words are difficult, because at least one of the
ancient prophets (Jonah) was of Galilee. But the
words do not seem to be intended to include all
the past, so much as to express what Jews held to
be, and to have long been, a stated rule of Divine
Providence : in their scorn of Galilee, and their
arrogant assumption of complete knowledge of
'the law,' they regard it as impossible that out of
the judgment of the rulers (members of the that land any prophet should arise ; least of all
Sanhedrin) must surely be decisive; but what can it be the birthplace of the Messiah,
ruler or (to take a wider range, and include all For remarks on the following verses, extending
who accurately interpret the Law and uphold its from vii. 53 to viii. II, see the close of this Corn-
majesty) who of the Pharisees has sanctioned the mentary.
Chapter VIII. 12-59.
Jesus the Son of the Father, the Giver of Souship and, therewith, of Light.
12 nr^HEN spake Jesus again1 unto them, saying, "\ am the aSeechap.iii
-L light of *the world: he that c followeth me shall not8 *chaP. i. 29.
0 c Chap. x. 27,
13 walk in "darkness,3 but shall have the light of ^ life. The *"•*«■ ^
Pharisees therefore said unto him, 'Thou bearest record °f * fchT'v'T
14 thyself ; thy record 5 is not true. Jesus answered and said
unto them, Though6 I bear record of4 myself, yet1 my record4
is true: ^for8 I know whence I came, and whither I go; but /% chaP-
15 ^ye cannot tell9 whence I come, and10 whither I go. *Ye 4-Chap.vii.28
J J ' ° A Chap. vu. 24
1 Again therefore Jesus spake 2 in no wise 3 the darkness
4 witness concerning 6 witness 6 Even if 7 omit yet
8 because ° know not 10 or
ioo THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VIII. 12-59.
16 judge after the flesh; '" I judge no man.11 And yet12 if I 'Sl'S.*'17'
judge, *my judgment is true: for ' I ' am not alone, but I and *^*^-3°-
17 the Father that sent me. '"It is also written in your law,13 td?'3™\™'
18 that the testimony14 of two men is true. I am one15 that '"£'£.%"
bear16 witness of17 myself, and "the Father that sent me "Chap. v- 37
19 beareth witness of " me. Then said they18 unto him, Where
is thy Father? Jesus answered, "Ye neither know me,19 nor " ch;lP- xvi- 3
p my Father : q if ye had known °° me, ye should have known 21 ^p.5™. =s
20 my Father also. These words spake Jesus28 in rthe treasury, ?£,haa£ *■*;,;
as he taught23 in the temple:24 and 'no man laid hands on *ChaP.™.3o.
him ; 25 ' for8 his hour was not yet come. /See chap.
21 Then said Jesus26 again unto them, I go my way, and ye u^^p-
shall seek me, and "'shall die in your sins:28 whither I go, ye *v"-24-
22 cannot come. '"Then said the Jews,29 Will he kill himself ? »Comp.chaP
23 because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said
unto them, Ye are from beneath; x I am from above: ye are x ChaP- "'• J1-
24 'of this world ; I am not of this world. 2 I said therefore unto * S'j&jj^.
you, that ye shall die in your sins : for " if ye believe not 30 that j£^F Jv°h5n
25 * I am he" ye shall die in your sins. Then said they 32 unto aSmp.'Mark
him, Who art thou ? And 33 Jesus saith 34 unto them, Even the ,vTre.l628, 5s.
26 same that I said unto you from the beginning.35 I have many chaP-xm "
things to say36 and to judge of37 you : but35 he "that sent me cChap.vii.28.
is true ; and •' I speak to the world those things which I have <*▼«■ 40.
' r o chap. 111. 32,
27 heard of him.3'1 They understood <0 not that he spake to them vii- l6- xii-
' J '49. xv- "5-
28 of the Father. Then said Jesus41 unto them,42 When ye have
"lifted up43 the /Son of man, then shall ye know that * I am "^p^"-'*-
he,1* and s that I do nothing of myself;45 but ""as my Father £°™p'Acts
29 hath taught me,46 I speak these things. And h he that sent me {chapiv.V,
is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; '"for47 I do *c£,J* 30
30 always those things that please him.48 * As he spake these * Chap. vii.
words,49 many believed on 50 him. «■'«•
31 Then said Jesus51 to those 52 Jews which believed M on 5I him,
If ye 'continue55 in my word, then are ye my disciples in- 'Comp.gchap
32 deed;66 And ye shall know the truth, and '"the truth shall m*&a± ."■ ia
11 one 12 But even 13 But in your own law also it is written jjjj' £'»-.'
14 witness 15 he "'beareth '"concerning Is They said therefore
19 Ye know neither me 20 ye knew 21 ye would know
-• he 23 teaching "i temple-courts "'" seized him
2G He said therefore 27 omit my way 2S and in your sin ye shall die
2U The Jews therefore said 30 shall not believe 31 omit he
32 They said therefore 33 omit And 3t said
36 How is it that I even speak to you at all ? 3li speak
3r concerning 3S nevertheless
33 and the things which I heard from him these I speak unto the world
40 perceived 41 Jesus therefore said 42 omit unto them
41 lifted on high ** omit he 45 of myself I do nothing
■"'• but even as the Father taught me 4r he left me not alone, because
4S the things that are pleasing to him 4'J things 50 in
51 Jesus said therefore y- the 53 had believed
'* omit on 5S shall abide 56 ye are truly my disciples
Chap. VIII. 12-59.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 101
Si make you free. They answered him, "We be Abrahams seed, »v. ~. 19;
and were never in bondage to any man : " how sayest thou,
34 Ye shall be made58 free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, "Whosoever committeth sin69 is the servant60 'ff^&g
35 of sin. And 'the servant61 abideth not in the house for ever: *Gai.iv.3c.
36 but™ the Son" abideth ever.64 ":If the Son therefore shall
37 make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are
"Abraham's seed; but q ye seek to kill me, because my word ?^ap.45i.T.
38 hath no place ss in you. r I speak that " which I have seen rS^6v\ „.
with my67 Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with
39 your father.68 They answered and said unto him, "Abraham
is our father. Jesus saith unto them, ' If ye were69 Abraham's 'g0™:^8'
40 children, ye would70 do the works of Abraham. But now ?ye m-^^-
seek to kill me, a man that hath told71 you 'the truth, "which '^p--- '4.
41 I have heard of God:72 this did not Abraham. Ye do the "Vcr-26-
deeds73 of your father. Then74 said they75 to him, We be76
not born of fornication; "we have one Father, even God. "f^.'s."1 '6'
42 Jesus said unto them, ''" If God were your Father, ye would wtJoho
love me : for x I proceeded forth and came from God ; 77 neither •rVer- "••
43 -''came 1 78 of myself, but he sent me. * Why do ye not under- y^%J'*^
stand79 my speech? even60 because ye cannot hear my word. '^^
44 Ye are " of your father the devil,81 and the lusts S2 of your father "^"'john
ye will do.83 He * was a murderer84 from the beginning, and jxjoimiii.
abode85 not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. '
When he speaketh a lie,86 he speaketh of his own : for he is a
45 liar, and the father of it.87 And88 because I tell you the truth,89
46 ye believe me not. Which of you c convinceth 90 me of sin? c j-J»|- ."'• 2°>
47 And91 if I say the92 truth, why do ye not believe me? d He IgJ;™.',3,'
that is of God heareth God's words:93 ye therefore hear them rft?=>p^.*- «';
48 not,94 because ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews,95 ' J h" IVi '
and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan,
49 and 'hast a devil?96 Jesus answered, I have not a devil;96 ^«<-hap.
50 but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And " I
■^seek not mine own glory:98 s there is one that seeketh and^'jfap"
51 judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, ;' If a man ' keep99 my "^Aal'iii.
13 '; 1 Pet. i'.
sr and have never yet been slaves to any one 5S become a chap v. 24,
59 Every one that doeth sin 60 a slave 61 slave C2 omit but ,vi. 50, xi.26.
68 son 64 for ever cs maketh no way CG the things 67 the ' J^[ 5*> |*
es do ye also therefore the things which ye heard from the Father °9 are 24, x-V 20,
7" omit ye would 71 spoken to "- which I heard from God xv,"h6'-
75 works "4 omit Then "■"' They said 7G were leechap. '
77 for from God I came forth, and am here 7S for also I have not come »▼■ is-
'•'•' know 80 omit even 81 Ye are of the father who is the devil
S2 desires 83 it is your will to do 84 man-killer
" ' stood sc Whensoever one speaketh the lie
87 for for . . . it read because his father also is a liar 8S But
1 iay the truth 90 convicteth 91 omit And 92 omit the
' the words of God 94 for this cause ye hear not
95 The Jews answered °6 demon 9" But 98 my glory 99 have kept
102 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. \
52 saying,1 he shall never see 8 death. Then said the Jews3 unto
him, Now we know that ' thou hast a devil."8 Abraham * is
dead,* and the prophets ; and thou sayest, If a man ' keep my
53 saying,'"1 he shall never taste of death. ' Art thou greater than
our father Abraham, which is dead ? 6 and the prophets are
54 dead:4 whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, '"If I
honour7 myself, my honour8 is nothing: ^it is my Father that
55 honoureth9 me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet
"ye have not known him ; 10 but * I know him : and if I should
say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you:" but I
56 know him, ^and ' keep his saying.'2 'Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see 13 my day : and he saw it, and was glad.11
57 Then said the Jews ,5 unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years
58 old, and hast thou seen Abraham ? Jesus said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was,16 r I am.
59 Then s took they up stones to cast at him:17 but Jesus 'hid
himself, and went out of the temple,18 going through the midst
of them, and so passed by.13
'III. 12-59.
*Zech i. 5.
/ Chap. iv. 12
».'Ver. 5t,
chap. v. 31.
»Ver. 19.
0 Chap vii- 23
p Chap.
q Luke :
Heb. >
rVer. 2S,
chap. L 1.
s Chap. x. 31
1 my word
5 have kept my word
9 glorifieth
11 like unto you, a liar
14 and rejoiced
2 behold 3 The Jews said 4 died
G who died 7 glorify 8 glory
10 And have not got knowledge of him
12 word 13 exulted that he should see
15 The Jews therefore said lc add born
lr They took up stones therefore that they might cast them upon him
13 and went forth from the temple-courts 10 omit going . . . by
Contents. — The feast of Tabernacles is closed,
and with it the great illumination of the temple-
courts, of which the Jews were wont to boast in
lofty terms. Starting from this, and from the
fact that He is the true light of the world, Jesus
reveals more clearly than He had yet done what He
Himself is, and by contrast what His opponents
are. Everything that He utters assumes its
sharpest, most peremptory, most decisive tone.
The rage of His adversaries is roused to its
highest intensity. The darkness becomes thickest,
while the light shines in the midst of it with its
greatest brightness. Nothing more can be done
to change the darkness into light ; henceforward
the children of light can only be withdrawn from
it. At the close of the chapter Jesus goes out of
the temple, leaving the darkness to itself but not
overcome by it. The subordinate parts are — (1)
vers. 12-20; (2) vers. 21-30; (3) vers. 31-59.
Ver. 12. Again therefore Jesns spake unto
them, saying, I am the light of the world. The
last thirteen verses (chap. vii. 49-52) have been
occupied with an account of the impression made
by our Lord's words of promise (chap. vii. 37, 3S).
This verse really follows chap. vii. 38, containing
a second manifestation of Jesus, in a form and
manner still connected with the feast which had
just ended. As the pouring out of the water had
furnished occasion for the promise of the living
water, so the imagery of this verse was probably
suggested by the illumination of the -temple-courts
on the evenings of the festival. This illumina-
tion proceeded from four great candelabra erected
in the court of the women, and of its brilliancy
the Rabbins speak in the highest strains. It
formed indeed so marked a feature of the week's
rejoicings, that no one can be surprised to find a
reference to it in our Lord's words. Like the
water poured on the altar, the light may well have
had a twofold symbolism, commemorating the
mighty guidance of Israel by the pillar of fire, and
also prefiguring the light which was to spring up
in the times of Messiah (Isa. ix. 2, xlii. 6, etc.).
What the pillar of fire had been to Israel in the
>, that would Messiah be to His people
in the latter days. — He that followeth me shall
in no wise walk iu the darkness, hut shall have
the light of life. The words ' he that followeth
me ' are in all probability closely connected with
the figure of the first clause of the verse. Around
is 'the darkness' of night: only where the pillar
of fire moves light shines on all that follow its
course, — on all, not on Israel only, for Jesus is
'the light of the world.' The language of both
promises is free from every limitation saw that
which is expressed in 'coming to' Him, 'believ-
ing in' Him (chap. vii. 37, 3S), and 'following'
Him. The special condition mentioned in this
verse (when we pass from the associations of the
original figure to the practical application of the
words) brings out the idea of discipleship and
imitation. This includes 'coming' and 'be-
lieving.' No true disciple shall walk in the
darkness, but shall have as his own inward posses-
sion (comp. chap. vii. 3S) the light of life,— the
licht which life gives, living in Christ, he shall
CHAP. VIII. 12-59.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
have the light of Christ (see chap. i. 4). Dark-
ness bears with it the ideas of ignorance, danger,
and sin : light implies knowledge, guidance,
safety, and holy purity (chap. xii. 35 ; 1 Thess. v.
4 ; I John i. 5, etc.).
Ver. 13. The Pharisees therefore said unto
him, Thou bearest witness concerning thyself;
thy witness is not true. It seems impossible not
to believe that we have here a reminiscence of
Christ's own words (chap. v. 31), of which His
enemies now take hold, that they may turn them
against Himself. Since the discourse of chap, v.,
the Pharisees of Jerusalem have never possessed
so favourable an opportunity of thus seeking to
repel the claims which Jesus asserts. As used by
our Lord (in chap, v.), the words signify that, if
His testimony concerning Himself stood alone,
not only would it (according to all laws of evi-
dence) be invalid, but it would be untrue, — as the
very thought of such unsupported witness would
conflict with the fundamental truth of chap. v. 19.
Here the words, as applied by His foes, are
inteii'li'l to have the Name meaning: His solitary
testimony has no validity, and, by His own con-
fession, is untrue.
Ver. 14. Jesus answered and said unto them,
Even if I bear witness concerning myself, my
witness is true : because I know whence I
came, and whither I go; but ye know not
whence I come, or whither I go. A little later
(ver. 17), Jesus gives an answer similar to the
purport of His words in chap. v. His Father
beareth witness of Him, and His Father's testi-
mony is ever present. But here He rebukes their
judgment of Him. In a sense (ver. 17), their
requirement of other testimony is valid ; but first
He must reject their application to Him of a
principle of judgment which is valid in regard to
men like themselves. Amongst men of like
nature — those who are but men — such judgment
is true : when applied to Jesus it fads. Men who
know but in part may be self-deceivers, even if
they are true men ; hence their word needs sup-
port. He who knows with unerring certainty that
He comes from the Father and is going to the
Father may bear witness of Himself, and His
testimony is valid and true. He who thus comes
from God cannot but speak with a self-evidencing
power, — self-evidencing to all who are willing to
see and hear. This willingness the Pharisees had
not, and hence He adds, ' Ye know not whence
I come, or whither I go.' The change from 'I
came ' to ' I come ' is remarkable, but is easily
explained. The past fact ('I came') is not one
which the Pharisees could know, except by infer-
ence : His present mission from the Father ('I
come') should have been discerned by all who
saw His works and heard His words ; and every
one who recognised that He cometh from the
Father must understand His meaning when He
says ' I go to Him that sent me. On ' I come '
comp. vii. 2S.
Ver. 15. Ye judge after the flesh. They had
judged Him by mere outward appearance, and
according to their own merely human thoughts
and wishes. Having formed for themselves with-
out patient study of the Scriptures, and thus
without the guidance of the Spirit of God, their
conception of Messiah and of His kingdom, they
rejected Jesus because He did not answer their
expectation. But for this, the Divine witness in
Him would have reached their hearts. — I judge
103
no one. They judged according to their own
nature, — standing alone, without the guidance of
the Father, not taking the Father along with them
in judging, and thus not judging 'righteous
judgment ' (vii. 241. Jesus judgeth no man. The
fifth chapter has prepared us for such words as
these. Here, as there, they do not exclude all
judgment, but all sole judgment (see ver. 16) : it
is not He that judgeth, but rather the Father who
judgeth in Him. Chap. v. 22 and this verse are
not discordant : between the Father, the ultimate
source of judgment, and those who are judged is
the Son, to whom the Father hath given authority
to do judgment, but who doeth nothing save in
and with the Father. The ' I ' is thus emphatic,
equivalent to ' I by myself or 'I without the
Father.'
Ver. 16. But even if I judge, my judgment is
true: because I am not alone, but I and the
Father that sent me. Because in no action is
He alone, even if He judges His judgment is
true ; it is a real judgment, a judgment corre-
sponding, not to outward appearance, but to the
eternal reality of things, because according to the
Father's will. The assertion of this verse, that
the Father is ever with Him, corresponds to the
words, 'I know whence I came,' in ver. 14: the
link which binds together all these verses is His
constant and perfect knowledge that the Father is
with Him and in Him. In this lies the validity of
His witness : in this is involved the condemnation
of His foes.
Ver. 1 7. But in your own law also it is written
that the witness of two men is true. In the very
law which they magnified, on which they take
their stand, as they accuse Him of breaking the law,
and declare that all who follow him are ignorant
of the law (chap. vii. 49, etc.), this principle is laid
down (Deut. xvii. 6, xix. 15). An emphasis is made
to rest on ' men ' to prepare for the next v r
The words ' your own law ' have been understood
as a proof that Jesus feels that He is not a Jew.
but without reason. The words flow from the fact
that it is His purpose to show that the principle
upon which He proceeded was founded in the law
which they themselves so highly honoured, and
the rules of which they were not entitled to neglect.
They thus at once magnify the law and are an
argumentum ad hominem.
Ver. iS. I am he that beareth witness con-
cerning myself, and the Father that sent me
beareth witness concerning me. In all the S m's
witness concerning Himself, it is the Father that
beareth witness concerning Him. This is the
teaching of chap, v., and it is easy to see that the
witness may with equal truth be spoken of as that
of Two, or as that borne by One (the Father). In
thus speaking to His enemies of a twofold witness,
He may mean either (1) that they should them-
selves have discerned in Him, over and above that
which in a holy human prophet they would have
accepted as ' witness,' a higher presence which
could only be Divine ; and that, had they done
this, they could never have thought of His word as
standing alone:— or (2) that in the witness which
He had borne they had dreamed of unsupported
words only because they could not attain to that
perfect knowledge which He alone possessed.
They heard and saw one witness only : to His
consciousness there were two. The first of these
two views is by much the more probable. Jesus
appeals to two facts which they ought to have
io4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VIII. 12-59
plain (chap. vii. 33), but they wilfully blind them-
selves. Hence only one answer is possible now.
Vers. 23, 24. And he said unto them, Ye are
from beneath ; I am from above : ye are of this
world ; I am not of this world. I said therefore
unto you, that ye shall die in your sins ; for if
ye shall not believe that I am, ye shall die in
your sins. The second of these verses is im-
portant as fixing the meaning of the first. The
words, 'I said that ye shall die in your sins,' are
so connected both with what precedes (by means
of ' therefore ') and with what follows (by means of
' for ;, that the ground of this sentence of death is
brought under our notice by each of these particles,
— it is to be found in the unbelief of which the
following clause speaks, and in the fact stated in
the preceding verse. As then this ground of
condemnation is distinctly mora! (ver. 24), the
expressions in ver. 23 must also have a moral and
not a fatalistic meaning. The condemnation results
from something in the men themselves, not from
any original necessity; should they believe, no
longer would Jesus say to them, Ye are from
beneath. The origin of their spirit and action,
dominated by unbelief, is to be sought, not above,
but beneath, — not in heaven, but in earth : nay
rather (for the thought distinctly expressed in ver.
44 is implicitly present here also), whereas He
whom they are in thought consigning to the lowest
depths of woe and punishment is of God, they are
of the devil. It is at first sight difficult to believe
that the sense does not sink but really rises in the
second half of ver. 23, and yet the whole structure
of this Gospel teaches us that it must lie so. If,
however, we remember the moral reference of the
terms of the verse, an explanation soon suggests
itself : for the latter clause expresses much more
distinctly than the former the element of deliberate
choice. The first might be thought to point to
origin only, did not the second show that it
implies an evil nature retained by evil choice.
From this second clause we see clearly that Jesus
speaks of a voluntary association, — of the depend-
passed into a higher stage. It is no longer with ence of their spirit on the evil principles belonging
the Pharisees merely (ver. 13), but with the Jews to ' this world.' Because such is their self-chosen
(ver. 22). The witness, too, which Jesus now state, Jesus has told them that their sins— the sins
known, that He was the expression of the Father,
and that what He was the Bather was. These
were two wholly separate and independent things,
although the validity of each depended upon that
consciousness of the Divine in them which they
had silenced. There is thus here no pctitio prin-
cipii as has been thought even by distinguished
commentators.
Ver. 19. They said therefore unto him, Where
is thy Father? If He is to add Flis witness to
Thine, let Him appear and bear His testimony.
The words are those of men who will not seek to
enter into the meaning of the Speaker. As they
judge men 'according to the flesh,' they will go no
farther than the literal import of the words. But
after what they have heard and seen in Jesus, such
action cannot consist with sincerity : it is not only
to enemies but to hypocrites that He speaks.- —
Jesus answered, Ye know neither me, nor my
Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my
Father also. They professed not to know who is
His Father. In truth they were without any real
knowledge, not of the Father only, but of Jesus
Himself. Hadthey, through receiving and believing
His words, attained such knowledge of Him, they
would have attained in Him the levelation of the
Father also.
Ver. 20. These words spake he in the trea-
sury, teaching in the temple-courts: and no
man seized him, because his hour was not yet
come. Again His adversaries were overawed :
though He was teaching within the precincts of
the temple, in the very place of their power, no
one laid hands on Him. The Treasury was in the
court of the women, the very place in which the
rejoicings we have described (see chap. vii. 37)
took place. This gives some confirmation to the
view we have taken of ver. 12, as referring to the
illumination in this court.
Ver. 21. He said therefore again unto them,
I go, and ye shall seek me, and in your sin ye
shall die : whither I go, ye cannot come. The
conflict of Jesus with His opponents has now
bears regarding Himself has reference to the last
things, both for Himself and for them. It is vain
however to inquire when the discourse was thus
continued : the bond is one rather of thought than
of date. The main object of these words is
judgment : hence Jesus does not linger on the
thought of His own departure, but on that of the
fate awaiting them. The time will come when
they will seek Him, but in vain. He is not speak-
ing of the seeking of faith or of repentance, but (as
before in chap. vii. 34) of the awakening (too late)
to need and danger, — an awakening not accom-
panied by the forsaking of sin, for He adds, ' in
your sin ' (i.e. your state of sin, comp. ver. 24)
'ye shall die.'
Ver. 22. The Jews therefore said, Will he kill
himself? because he saith, Whither I go ye
cannot come. Before (chap. vii. 35) their answer
had been, Will He go to Gentiles? The change
here shows how much farther the conflict has
advanced. Will He go to the realms of the dead,
they ask, — to that darkest and most dreadful
region reserved for those who take their own life,
a region where true Israelites cannot come ? Their
ignorance of themselves is as profound as their
ignorance of Jesus. Jesus had made His meaning
which manifest the nature of every one who is of
this world — shall bring them ruin : for nothing but
belief in Him who is from above can save them
from dying in their sins. His words, it will be
seen, grow more and more distinct in their awful
import, and yet they are words of mercy : for the
meaning is not, Except ye are noio believers, the
sentence is passed, — but, Except ye shall believe
(most literally 'shall have believed'): even now
they may receive Him, and the sentence will have
no existence for them.— But [he most striking point
in this verse is the mode in which our Lord
expresses the object of belief, — 'Except ye shall
believe that / am.' Something apparently like
this has occurred before in chap. iv. 26 ; but the
two cases are really widely different. There the
word 'Messiah' has just been spoken, and the
answer, 'It is I,' is perfectly plain in i
Here there is no such word in the ion,-- 1 ; and to
assume an ellipsis, and then supply the very ward
on which all the emphasis must rest, is surely a
most dangerous step: to act thus is not to bring
out the meaning of the passage, but to bring our
own meaning into it. Besides, as we have already
seen, our Lord is wont elsewhere to use the
expression ' I am ' in a very emphatic sense (see
CHAP. VIII. 12-59.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
chap. vii. 34, etc.), with distinct reference to that
continuous, unchanging existence which only He
who is Divine can claim. The most remarkable
example of these exalted words is found in the
58th verse of this chapter (comp. also ver. 2S).
Without forestalling this, however (but referring
to the note on that verse for some points connected
with the full explanation), we may safely say that
it is of His Divine Being that Jesus here speaks.
The thought of existence is clearly present in
the verse. 'Ye shall die,' He says, 'unless ye
shall have been brought to see in me — not what
the impious words of ver. 22 imply, but — One who
is, — who, belonging to the realms above, possesses
life — who, being of God, has life as His own and
as His own gift.' So understood, our Lord's words
speak of belief, not directly in His Messiahship,
but in that other nature of His, that Divine nature,
on 1 lis possession of which He makes all His other
claims to rest. Observe in ver. 24 as compared
with ver. 21 not only the mention of 'sins ' instead
of 'sin' (comp. on ver. 21), but also the change of
place given to 'ye shall die' in ver. 21 what led
ii fate, here their fate itself, being the pro-
minent thought.
Ver. 25. They said therefore unto him, Who
art thou ? Had they been patient, willing listeners,
they would have seen His meaning ; but now He
seems to them to have left out the one essential
word, in thus saying, ' Except ye shall believe that
I am.' What is that word? 'Who art thou?'
The tone of the preceding words makes it certain
that the question is one of impatience and scorn,
not of a spirit eager and ready to learn. This is a
point of importance, as throwing light on our
I rd's reply. — Jesus said unto them, Howls it
that I even speak to you at all? The true nature
and meaning of this reply are points on which the
greatest difference of opinion has existed and still
exists. The question is one of translation, not
interpretation merely; and a discussion on a matter
> i Greek philology would be out of place here.
1 .t words of the sentence are 'The begin-
ning;' and many have endeavoured to retain these
words in translation, bnt in very different ways.
Some have taken ''the beginning' as a name
applied by our Lord to Himself; others under-
stand the words adverbially, as meaning 'in the
beginning,' 'from the very first,' 'before all
things.' Hut none of these explanations can be
obtained without doing violence to the Greek;
and we are therefore bound to consider them all
untenable. Even if they were possible renderings,
tiny would present a serious difficulty to an
attentive student of the words of Jesus, especially
as contained in this Gospel. Our Lord is not wont
directly to answer a question so presented. His
whole treatment of ' the Jews ' is based on the fact
that lie had given them abundant evidence regard-
ing Himself and His work. They who will not
see must rest in their blindness (chap. ix. 39). No
■sign from heaven shall be wrought at the bidding
of those to whom no former signs have brought
instruction (Matt. xvi. 1, 2) : certainly no direct
answer will be vouchsafed to men wdio, having
heard all that He has said before, have just shown
themselves able awfully to pervert His simplest
sayings. One line of translation only seems to be
allowed by the Greek, — that which takes the
words as a question (or exclamation), and gives to
the first words (' the beginning') a meaning which
in such sentences they often bear, viz. ' at all ' (as
105
'Does he act at all?' is equivalent to 'Docs he
even make a beginning of action?'). This is the
interpretation which trfe early Greek writers Cyril
of Alexandria and Chrysostom gave to the words ;
and we cannot but lay stress on the fact that such
men, who habitually spoke Greek, seem not to
have thought of any other meaning. Whether the
sentence is an exclamation or a question, the
general sense is the same, viz. Why am 1 even
speaking to you at all? Much has He to say
concerning them (ver. 26) and to judge ; but why
does He any longer speak to men who will not
understand His word? The words remind us of
Matt. xvii. 17, 'O faithless and perverse genera-
tion! How long shall I lie with you? How
long shall I suffer you?' And yet those words
were said to slow-minded Galileans, not to the
hostile 'Jews.'
Ver. 26. I have many things to speak and to
judge concerning you. It is unavailing to speak
to them, for they will not believe. Many things
lias He to speak concerning them, and (since
every word regarding them in the condition they
had chosen must be one of judgment) to judge
also. — Nevertheless he that sent me is true ;
aud the things which I heard from him, these I
speak unto the world. To all that He says they
may turn a deaf ear; ' Nevertheless,' Jesus adds,
' He that sent me is true, and the words which 1
have heard from Him, these and no others do 1
speak unto the world, — the world, to which you
belong ' (ver. 23). The Jews may disbelieve ; His
judgment may seem severe ; but the words are
God's words, and they are true.
This seems the simplest view of this difficult
verse ; for the prominence which the second clause
{'Nevertheless . . . true ') gives to the thought of
truth seems to imply that the contrast is with the
preceding thought of unbelief (vers. 24, 25). Three
other explanations are worthy of consideration —
(1) I have many things . . . but, many as they
are, they are true. (2) I have many things . . .
lut I will not keep them back, for I faithfully
declare the words which . . . (3) I have many
things .... but I will not say them now: the
things which I have heard from Him that sent
me must be first declared. The first of these
seems to miss the sharp emphasis of the ' Never-
theless ;' the second and third to miss (though in
different degrees) the force of the middle clause,
' Nevertheless He that sent me is true.'
Ver. 27. They perceived not that he spake to
them of the Father. This statement of the
Evangelist is very remarkable ; and, as it is so
different from anything we might have expected,
its importance as a guide and correction is the
greater. In this section (beginning at ver. 21)
He has not made mention of 'the Father.' In
the section which precedes, however (vers. 12-20),
the word occurs several times. First Jesus speaks
of ' the Father which sent me ' (vers. 16, iS) : in
their answer the Jews show how they had under-
stood His words, by saying, 'Where is
and in replying to their question Jesus also speaks,
not of 'the Father,' but of 'my Father.' So far
as these two sections are concerned, therefore,
there is nothing to show that His hearers had
understood Him to make distinct mention of ' the
Father,' in the absolute sense, — a name which,
probably, every Israelite would have received as
belonging to God alone. (If we look back at
earlier chapters, we shall find that the passages
THE. GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VIII. 12-59.
106
have been few in which ' the Father ' is spoken of.
The fifth chapter must be left out of considera-
tion, for the whole discourse is dominated by the
thought of personal Sonship. The same may be
said of chap. iii. 35. There remain only the
words addressed to the woman of Samaria, chap,
iv. 21, and the discourses in Galilee related in
chap. vi. ) Hence — though we might have over-
looked the fact but for the Evangelist's timely
words — we cannot feel great surprise that these
hearers had not yet perceived that Jesus was
making mention of 'the Father.' The words, ' I
am from above,' 'He that sent me,' must have
suggested to those who heard that He claimed a
Divine mission ; but men familiar with the mission
of a prophet might concede so much without
understanding that the last words of Jesus (' the
things which I heard from Him I speak unto the
world') implied an infinitely higher and closer
relation to Him whom they worshipped, whom
Jesus revealed as 'the Father.' In this Name
and in the words just spoken is contained the
whole economy of grace.
Ver. 28. Jesus therefore said, When ye have
lifted on high the Son of man, then shall ye
know that I am, and that of myself I do
nothing; but even as the Father taught me,
I speak these things. They know not the truth
now : when through their own deed the Son of
man has been raised on high, their eyes will be
opened, they will see what they have done, and
will then know that His words were true, that the
claims which they resisted the Father Himself has
ratified. The ' lifting on high ' includes both the
death and the glorification of Jesus, though the
latter meaning only would be understood as yet
(see the note on chap. iii. 14). Some prefer to
place a stop at the word am, and to take the
clauses that follow as independent. This view,
however, seems much less natural than the
other. The three parallel clauses — containing
the thoughts of (1) pure existence (as to what
is implied in this, see ver. 24), (2) continued
dependence on the Father in all action (see
chap. v. 19, 20), and (3), as a part of such
action, speaking in constant harmony with the
Father's will and teaching (chap. v. 30, ver.
26)— express the claims made by Jesus, the truth
of which (of each and of all) will be established
when He is 'lifted up on high.'
Ver. 29. And he that sent me is with me :
he left me not alone, because I do always the
things that are pleasing to him. The words, ' I
heard ' (ver. 26), ' taught ' (ver. 2S), point back
to the past, laying stress on the Divine commis-
sion received : they must not be so understood as
to exclude a present fellowship with the Father,
'IK- that sent me is with me.' When He sent
the Son, He sent Him not away from Himself, —
not for a moment did He leave Him alone. The
abiding presence of the Father is the consequence
and the sign of the Son's habitual performance of
the Father's will. In all this Jesus is speaking as
the Son of man, as the Sent of the Father. It is
most interesting to compare the corresponding
words of chap, v., where the subject throughout
is the Son of God. It will be seen how prominent
are two thoughts in this chapter, — the association
of Jesus with the Father who sent Him (vers. 16,
iS, 23, 26, 28, 29, 38, 40, 42, 47, 54, 55), and
the strong moral contrast between Jesus and the
Jews (vers. 15, 21,23, 24, 37, 38, 40, etc.). The
observance of this will make clearer the links con-
necting the several parts.
Ver. 30. As he spake these things, many
believed in hint. We are not told to what class
these belonged. The latter part of the chapter
shows how completely 'the Jews' had hardened
themselves : probably therefore these believers
mainly belonged to the general body of the
hearers, and not (in any large proportion) to ' the
Jews.' Once more then we have an illustration
of that twofold effect of our Lord's teaching which
John so frequently portrays.
Ver. 31. Jesus said therefore to the Jews
which had believed him. The word ' therefore '
closely joins this section with the last. Are we
then to regard the Jews of this verse as included
in the ' many ' of the last? Certainly not, because
of the essential difference between the expressions
used in the two verses, — 'believed in him' and
' believed him.' The former denotes a true faith
in Jesus, such an acceptance of Him as includes a
surrender of the heart, the 'self,' to Him; the
latter, an acceptance of His words as true. Those
who ' believed Him ' were in the way towards the
higher faith, but yet might be very far from the
attainment of that goal. The impression pro-
duced by the last words spoken by Jesus appears
to have been very great, bringing many to the
position of full discipleship, and even convincing
some of the hostile Jews themselves that they had
been opposing one whose words were true, and
whose claims on their obedience were just and
right. These men stand between the two com-
panies,— the Jews with whom they had been
associated, and the believers who had joined
themselves to the Lord. Will they draw nearer
to Him and ' believe in Him,' or will they return
to His enemies? The words which Jesus now
speaks, to instruct and to encourage, prove to be
the test of their faith.— If ye shall abide in my
word, ye are truly my disciples. They believed
His word ; if they abide in this word of His, —
clinging to it, continuing under its influence, the
word will be to them a revelation of Jesus, and
will assert its power. Note the significance ever
attached in this Gospel to the word of Jesus. As
He, the Word, reveals the Father, and leads to
the Father, so His own word reveals Himself,
and rlraws men to Himself through (so teaches
the fuller revelation) the power of the Spirit of
Truth.
Ver. 32. And ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free. If they shall
abide in the word of Jesus, it will be shown that
they have begun a true discipleship, and the word
in which they abide shall make known to them
the truth. So far, there is nothing that these
imperfect disciples will not gladly hear. But
Jesus read in their hearts a false interpretation of
His work and their own needs. He came as
Saviour (chap. iii. 16, 36, iv. 42, v. 40), not as
Teacher only ; in this very chapter He has spoken
of faith in Himself as delivering from death in
sins (ver. 24). Here the figure is changed from
that of future death to that of present and con-
tinued bondage : ' the truth ' shall be the means
of giving freedom. There is no difficulty in these
words : such appropriation of the truth found in
the words of Jesus is but another representation of
faith in Him who is the Giver of freedom.
Ver. 33. They answered him. We be Abra-
ham's seed, and have never yet been slaves to
Chap. VIII. 1 2-59-] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
107
any one: how sayest thon, Ye shall become
tree 1 The promise ' shall make you free ' cannot
but imply that now they have no freedom, but are
slaves. This thought they indignantly repel, for
they are Abraham's seed 1 What is the true
meaning of the next words is a question much
disputed. It is hardly possible that they refer
directly to national freedom, for the first words of
the Decalogue speak of their deliverance from the
house of bondage, and this history had often been
repeated. Nor can we think that the Jews are
simply appealing to the law which made it impos-
sible for an Israelite to be kept in (continued)
bondage. The former supposition involves too
bold a falsehood ; the latter, too prosaic and
strained an interpretation in a context which
contains no hint of civil rights. And yet there is
truth in both. To be of Abraham's seed and to
be a slave were discordant ideas. To Abraham
was given the promise that he should be ' heir of
the world ' (Rom. iv. 13) : the Divine nobility of
his descendants was only brought out more clearly
by their frequent adverse fortune. Theirs was a
religious pre-eminence above all nations of the
world,— a freedom which no external circum-
stances could affect. National independence was
natural (though not always enjoyed), because of
this Divinely-given honour : in the same gift of
God lay the principle of the Israelite's civil free-
dom. Least of all (they thought) could they,
who e boast was that the truth was theirs, be
held in a slavery from which the truth should
free them.
Ver. 34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Every one that doeth sin is a
slave of sin. Jesus directs them to a slavery
of which they have not thought, — slavery to sin.
Every one who is living a life of sin is a slave ;
each act of sin is no mere accident of his life, but
a token of its nature, a mark of a bondage in which
he is continually held. The word ' doeth ' is not
the same as that which is used in chap. iii. 20,
v. 29 in connection with evil : that had reference
to the commission of particular acts, this to the
general course of life, when sin is chosen, — 'Evil
be thou my good.' The thought is best illustrated
by Rom. vi. and (especially! vii
Ver. 35. And the slave abideth not in the
house for ever : the son abideth for ever. The
Jews believed that they were free, the sons of
God ; and that, as such, they were permanent
possessors of His house, and thus permanent re-
cipients of His favour and love, inheritors of
eternal life. Not so. In all this they deceive
themselves. They are not God's sons, but slaves
of sin. As such they have no more real hold of
the house of God, with its present and eternal
privileges, than a slave has of the privileges of the
house in which he is a slave. A son only can
claim a place in the house and the possession of
what belongs to the house, as a right permanent,
uninterrupted, as long as he is a son. In all this,
no doubt, there lies a reference to their own his-
i 'iy. As the son of the bondwoman Hagar in
the house of Abraham, so were they in the house
of God : as Ishmael (though Abraham's seed)
was driven forth, having no place beside the son
who was free, so must they who claimed to be
Abraham's seed be cast out, if they are slaves of
sin.
Ver. 36. If the Son therefore shall make you
free, ye shall be free indeed. It is manifestly a
special freedom that is here thought of, — freedom
gained by becoming sons, and thus gaining all that
belongs to the position of a son, retaining for ever
a connection with the Father's house. One only
can give this freedom, for One only can give this
Sonship, — He who is the Son (see chap. i. 12).
'Free indeed,' not in appearance only, as a
favoured slave might seem for a time to hold the
place of a son in the house: 'free indeed,' because
receiving the freedom and sonship from One who
'remains in the house for ever,' and never loses
the rights of the Son. Ver. 33 speaks of the
means ('the truth'), this verse of the Giver of
freedom ('the Son'). The word here rendered
' indeed ' is a very remarkable one : it is used
nowhere else in the writings of John. Closely
connected with the verb ' I am ' of ver. 28, it is
hardly possible to avoid the impression that it is
designedly employed in order to bring out that
closeness of relation between the sons of God and
the Sun which is so striking a part of the teaching
of this chapter.
Ver. 37. I know that ye are Abraham's seed;
but ye seek to kill me, because my word maketh
no way in you. Again our Lord takes up their
assertion that they are Abraham's seed. He has
answered it by a parable: He speaks now in plainer
words, repeating their familiar boast, that He may
place in strongest contrast the spirit they had
shown themselves to possess. ' Ye seek to kill
me,' He says, uniting them with the whole body
from which a little before they seemed to be severed;
for too clearly did He see that the severance was
but partial and altogether transient. His word
had entered their hearts, and for a moment they
had moved towards Him; but it made no way there,
its progress was immediately stayed, and they
were numbered again with ' the Jews,' His foes.
Hence the increasing severity of what is imme-
diately to follow.
Ver. 38. I speak the things which I have seen
with the Father: do ye also therefore the things
which ye heard from the Father. One last ex-
hortation Jesus will offer before entirely giving up
these 'Jews who had believed Him.' His word
had entered their heart but had made no way: let
them give it free course now. He, the Son, who
alone can give them freedom and sonship by the
truth revealed in His word (vers. 32, 36), has in
that word spoken to them the things which He
saw with the Father (another mode of expressing
the same truth as is declared in chap. iii. 13).
With design He says 'the Father,' not 'my Father ;'
for the word has been spoken to them in order
that God who is His Father may become their
Father, — in other words, that the Son may give
them sonship. For this very purpose the Father
sent Him to declare the word: this He has done,
so that what they had heard from Jesus they had
heard from the Father. Let them do that which
they have heard and the blessing of sonship shall
be theirs. (It is interesting to compare the
' knowing ' which gives freedom (ver. 32) with this
command to 'do' what they had heard. In effect
the same result is promised, so that the
spoken of must be such as involves doing, — no
barren knowledge, but one that grasps and moulds
the life.) But we must not overlook the 'there-
fore ' which binds together the two parts of the
verse. In the execution of the design of God, to
make men His sons and thus become sons of ' the
Father,' two things are necessary : the Son (the
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VIII.
1 08
' Word ') declares the truth of God ; men receive
the word of the .Son, know it — with that know-
ledge which implies both faith and action — and
become the sons of God. The Son has been faith-
ful to His mission, — this the first clause declares :
let them therefore be faithful to their part, and the
blessing will be theirs. — The more common view
of this verse assumes that in the second clause
Jesus speaks of another father. This is very un-
likely, as the pronoun your is not inserted until a
later verse (ver. 41). There are also two other
reasons for preferring the interpretation given
above : (1) It is hard to believe that Jesus, so
tender in His dealing with even the germs of true
faith, has already passed into His severest con-
demnation of ' the Jews who had believed Him.'
No word has been spoken by them since that
recorded in ver. 35, and it had shown blindness
and self-deception, but not hopeless antagonism.
True, He sees that in their hearts they are relaps-
ing into their former state ; but may we not well
believe that He will make one other effort to in-
struct and save ? (2) As we have already seen
(ver. 27), in our Lord's words ' the Father' is a
Name used with great significance and fulness of
meaning, especially in this chapter. This is duly
recognised in the explanation we are now seeking
to defend, and in that alone. — It is remarkable
thnt in this verse Jesus describes Himself as speak-
ing what He has seen with the Father, while He
exhorts them to do what they have heard from the
Father. But the words are deliberately chosen,
and they confirm the interpretation now given.
As the Eternal Son, Jesus alone could have the
first words spoken of Him. The second appro-
priately describe the state of those who had not
'seen,' who had only 'heard.' The difference, in
short, flows from that difference between the Son
and all other sons which abides even in the midst
of similarity of position : the One has an eternal,
the others have only a derived, Sonship.
Ver. 39. They answered and said unto him,
Abraham is our father. This answer shows how
their minds are closing against the word of Jesus.
Had they been willing to recognise the true mean-
ing of ' the Father ' in the first clause (1 if ver. 38),
they might have seen what the same Name im-
plied for them in the later words. But whilst He
spoke of God and sought to lead them upwards,
they, proud of their ancestry and content with
Jewish privilege, will think of no other father than
Abraham. Yet plainer words therefore must lie
used to make them understand the truth. — Jesus
saith unto them, If ye are Abraham's children,
do the works of Abraham. There is no true s< m-
ship (in the sense in which Jesus is dwelling on
the idea) where there is not likeness. Descent
from Abraham cannot be a source of present
honour and blessing to those who do not Abra-
ham's works. They are Abraham's 'seed' (ver.
37), not his 'children' (comp. i. 12).
Ver. 40. But now ye seek to kill me, a man
that hath spoken to you the truth, which I
heard from God : this (lid not Abraham. The
assertions of vers. 37, 38 are reiterated, but now
with a simple directness that cannot be misunder-
stood (thus Jesus no longer speaks of 'the Father'
but of God), and with a distinct expression of the
contrast ('this did not Abraham') which in ver.
37 has been merely implied. True kindred to
Abraham is therefore impossible in their case.
Ver. 41. Ye do the works of your father. Yet
59-
the principle of ver. 39 cannot but be true: cer-
tainly they are doing the works of their father. —
They said to him, We were not born of forni-
cation; we have one Father, even God. The
words of Jesus have made two things clear : — (1)
He is not referring to national origin, but to
spiritual descent ; and (2) the father whose sons
Jesus declares them to be is not good but evil. In
answer to this they indignantly assert that they are
sons of God. Their spiritual is as undoubted as
their natural descent. ' Whatever may be the case
with others (the word " we " is strongly emphatic),
there is no stain on our origin. ' We cannot but
think that some antithesis is distinctly present to
the thought of the Jews as they use the words
'we' and 'one.' And if we bear in mind the
regular meaning which the word 'fornication'
bears in Old Testament prophecy, when used
in such a connection as this, viz. the unholy
alliance with idols instead of Jehovah (Jer. iii. 1,
etc.), it will appear very probable that ver. 48
gives the clue to the meaning here. Jesus was
called a Samaritan. Samaritans were taunted
with their descent from men who 'feared Jehovah
and served their own gods ' (2 Kings xvii. 33).
This thought, not yet plainly expressed, but exist-
ing in their minds, explains at once the emphatic
' we,' the reference to ' fornication,' and the stress
laid on ' one Father.'
Ver. 42. Jesus said unto them, If God were
your Father, ye would love me: for from God I
came forth, and am here, for also I have not
come of myself, but he sent me. Again Jesus
applies the same principle to test their claim.
Were they true children of God, then they would
love whomsoever God loves. But this they do
not, for they love not Him who came forth from
God and whom God sent. The words in which
Jesus speaks of His relation to God are remarkable.
Alike in His Incarnation, in His whole manifesta-
tion to the world, and in His mission, lie sustains
the same relation to the Father: all is from and of
I he Father. This intimate relation implies the
love on which the argument is made to rest.
Ver. 43. Why do ye not know my speech?
Because ye cannot hear my word. There is a
subtle difference between 'word' and 'speech,'
the former properly referring to substance, the
latter to the form. (Thus in Matt. xxvi. 73, when
the same word is used, it is said that Peter's
Galilean 'speech ' bewrayed him.) Did they hear
His will, were they really sons of God, they
would recognise his speech, and the indications
(if we may so speak) contained in it of the speech
of that heavenly realm from which He came. But
they could not bear to hear His word : what He
taught was hateful to them, though it was the
truth which He heard from God (ver. 40). This
antipathy to the substance of what He said made
any recognition of the teaching as bearing on itself
manifest tokens of Divine origin impossible.
Ver. 44. Ye are of the father who is the devil,
and the desires of your father it is your will to
do. It seems desirable to preserve in translation
the expression ' the father ' (for ' your ' is not
found in the Greek), because it seems to be our
Lord's design to set this in strongest contrast to
the name which He has used with most significant
emphasis, ' the Father ' (see the notes on vers. 27
and 38). All the desires of this their father it was
their will to do. Their works, deliberately chosen,
answered to their parentage : hence their seeking
Chap. VIII. 12-59.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
to kill Jesus (vers. 37, 40), and their inability to
listen to His word (ver. 43). — He was a rnan-killer
from the beginning, and stood not in the truth.
Well may they seek to kill Jesus, for their father,
the devil, was a man-killer from the beginning of
his dealings with mankind. His seduction of
mankind Was itself a murder, severing man from
the life of God, and bringing in the evil that has
been the cause of every crime, 'thus he is the
sheddei 'of all the righteous blood shed upon the
earth.' Not only was he a man-killer, but he
'stood not in the truth.'1 It does not seem
likely that these words refer to the fall of the
'angels who kept not their first estate,' for then
surely the order of the clauses would have been
reversed. Throughout all past human history the
devil shunned 'the truth,' took his stand without
the borders of ' the truth,' because this action
alone 1. suitable to his essential (though not
original) nature.— Because there is no truth in
him. 1 1 is haired of ' the truth ' springs from this,
that he is not true; 'truth' (now used without
the ni: hi is not in him; and his own hatred of
the truth is transmitted to his children, who cannot
hear the word of Jesus (ver. 43). — Whensoever
one speaketh the lie, he speaketh of Ms own,
because his father also is a liar. Whensoever a
man who is a child of the devil uttereth falsehood,
he is giving forth what by very nature belongs to
him, what is his peculiar property by right of
kindred and inheritance, — because his father also,
the devil, is a liar.
Ver. 45. But because I say the truth, ye believe
me not. They loved the lie, because their father
was a liar, and his desires it was their will to do.
Such was their love for falsehood (even as their
father 'stood not in the truth'), that, because
Jesus said the truth, they believed Him not. The
word ' 1 ' is emphatic, marking again the contrast
between them and Him.
\ er. 46. Which of you convicteth me of sin?
No charge of sin could any one of them bring home
to Hiin, no responsive consciousness of sin could
any one awaken in His breast. These words are
implicitly an assertion of His perfect sinlessness;
and His enemies are silent. — If I say truth, why
do ye not believe me? Their knowledge of His
sinless life took from them all pretext for their
disbelief. We know that His words brought
their own evidence to those who loved the truth.
The true answer to this question then must be
that they loved falsehood. But this answer they
would never give. The tone of this verse clearly
shows that what has been said of their father the
devil related not to necessity of nature, but to
deliberate choice (see note on ver. 23), for such
an appeal was intended, and would be understood,
to imply condemnation of those who thus wilfully
refused to believe. The same thought is present
in the following verse.
Ver. 47. He that is of God heareth the words
of God : for this cause ye hear not, because ye
are not of God. As in ver. 43, the word hear
has the meaning listen to, so that the thought
of receiving and believing is implied. He that is
of God, and he alone, thus listens to the words of
God : recognising their origin, willing to receive
their teaching, he takes them into his heart.
Ver. 48. The Jews answered and said unto
him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan,
1 Not ' standeth : ' the word is probably an imperfect (of
and hast a demon? To say that Jews were
children of the devil seemed an insult, not to
themselves only, but to God, whose children they
believed themselves to be. No one but a Samari-
tan, filled with jealous hatred of the people of
God, or one in whom dwelt a demon, one of the
spirits whose sole aim was the subversion of God's
kingdom, could utter such words as these. It is
possible that the Jews may have heard something
of our Lord's short sojourn in Samaria, and of the
favour which He had then shown to that despised
people: such a parable as that of the Good
Samaritan (which was spoken at a time not far
distant from that to which this chapter relates)
may have been so used by enemies as to give-
colour to an accusation of favouring Samaria and
slighting Judea. At all events it is clear that the
name 'Samaritan' was now frequently given to
our Lord as a term of reproach. — We must not
overlook the fact that those who are now address-
ing Jesus are 'the Jews,' — not a part (ver. 31),
but the Jews as a body.
Ver. 49. Jesus answered, I have not a demon;
but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour
me. His answer is a simple denial of the graver
accusation of the two, and also such an assertion
regarding His thought and purpose as was equiva-
lent to a denial of all such charges. He honours
His Father, — even in the very words which had
seemed to them an insult to God Himself. ' It is
ye,' lie adds, 'that are dishonouring me:' it is
not I who (like Samaritans) dishonour you.
Ver. 50. But I seek not my glory; there is
one that seeketh and judgeth. He will not
protest against the dishonour they offer Him : His
cause is in the Father's hand. That glory which
He seeks not for Himself, the Father seeks to
give Him. The Father is deciding, and will
decide between His enemies and Himself.
Ver. 51. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a
man have kept my word, he shall never behold
death. The solemn introductory words indicate
that the discourse is taking a higher strain : once
before they have been used in this chapter, in ver.
34 (but to a part only of 'the Jews'), and once
again we shall meet with them (ver. 5S). In ver.
34 Jesus is speaking of slavery from which He
frees ; here of death which He abolishes (2 Tim.
i. 10). In the former case the means of deliver-
ance is continuing in the word of Jesus and
knowing the truth (see ver. 32) ; here He gives
the promise to him that has 'kept His word,' —
has received it, hidden it in his heart, and observed
it in his life (see ver. 37, also chap. xiv. 15, etc.).
The thought here is substantially the same as in
chap. vi. 50 (compare also chap. iv. 14, v. 24,
vi. 51), where we read of the living bread given
that a man may eat of it and not die. That
passage presents one side of the condition, the
close fellowship of the believer with Jesus Him-
self, of which eating is the symbol ; this presents
another side, the believing reception of His word
(which reveals Himself), and the practical and
continued observance of the precepts therein con-
tained. In chap. vi. 50, the words 'may not die '
do not seem to have been misunderstood, — pos-
sibly because so near the promise of ' eternal life,
which suggested a figurative meaning, possibly
because of a difference in the mood and disposi-
tion of the hearers. In neither place did Jesus
promise that they who are His shall not pass
through the grave, but that to them death shall
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. VIII. 12-59.
not be death, — in death itself they shall live (see
chap. xi. 26).
Vers. 52, 53. The Jews said unto him, Now
we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham died,
and the prophets ; and thou sayest, If a man
have kept my word, he shall never taste of death.
Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who
died ? and the prophets died : whom makest
thou thyself ? The word ' now ' looks back to
ver. 4S. ' Even if we were too hasty then, noiu
we have learnt from thine own words that our
charge is true.' In attributing to His word a
power to preserve His followers from that which
had come upon the prophets, and even on Abra-
ham himself, He is clearly placing Himself above
Abraham and the prophets. Whom then is He
making Himself? — The Jews do not quote the
words of Jesus with exactness. He had said,
'shall never behold death,' — for ever shall be
spared the sight of death ; they vary the metaphor
a little, passing to a still more familiar phrase,
'taste death;' perhaps because it seemed more
direct and clear, less susceptible of a figurative
meaning.
Vers. 54, 55A. Jesus answered, If I glorify
myself, my glory is nothing: it is my Father
that gloriiieth me, of whom ye say that he is
your God, and have not got knowledge of him.
First, Jesus answers the direct question, ' Whom
makest Thou Thyself?' and the general charge of
self-exaltation which those words contain. The
specific reference to Abraham He speaks of after-
wards (ver. 56). The tenor of His reply resembles
that of ver. 50 ; but, as elsewhere, the second
statement has the greater force and clearness.
The reality of the glory of Jesus consists in this,
that it comes from His Father, whom they called
their God, but of whom they had gained no know-
ledge.
Ver. 551!. But I know him; and if I should
say. I know him not, I shall be like unto you,
a liar: but I know him, and keep his word.
Jesus can say, 'I know God,' by direct, intuitive,
perfect knowledge. The word which He uses in
reference to Himself ('I know') is different from
that used in the preceding clause, this latter ('ye
have got knowledge ') referring to the result of
experience, to knowledge gained by many acts of
perception. Were Jesus to deny His immediate
knowledge, He would be as false as they have
been in professing to know God. The last
words are interesting as bringing out once more
the truth which we have seen presented in earlier
verses : His own work in the execution of the
Father's will is the model of the work which
He requires from man. His people 'keep His
word' (ver. 51) : He Himself keeps the Father's
word. So, in chap. xx. 21, He says to the
apostles, ' As my Father hath sent me, I also
send you.'
Ver. 56. Your father Abraham exulted that
he should see my day ; and he saw it and re-
joiced. This translation, though more exact than
that of the Authorised Version, does not fully
bring out the meaning of the original. All English
renderings of the words (unless they are para-
phrases) must be more or less ambiguous. ' Re-
joiced to see' conveys the meaning of 'rejoiced
because (or when) he saw;' 'exulted that he should
see ' means strictly, ' exulted in the knowledge that
he should see.' Nor is the difficulty removed if we
take the ordinary rendering of the Greek construc-
tion, 'that he might;' for exulted that he might see
is ambiguous still, though not in the same way.
Perhaps the Greek words (which are very peculiar)
are best represented by the paraphrase, ' Your
father Abraham exulted in desire that he might
see my day ; and he saw (it) and rejoiced.' The
interpretation, which is as difficult as the transla-
tion, turns mainly on the meaning of the words
' my day.' The nearest approach to this expression
in the New Testament is found in Luke xvii. 22,
'one of the days of the Son of man,' where the
meaning must be ' one of the days connected with
the manifestation of the Son of man upon the
earth.' Here the form is more definite, 'my day,'
and it seems exceedingly difficult to give any other
meaning than either the whole period of the life of
Jesus on earth, or, more precisely, the epoch of
the Incarnation, in this case the past tense ' he
saw it ' is conclusive for the latter, if actual sight
is intended. The patriarch received the promise
in which was contained the coming of the day
of Christ. By faith he saw this day in the far
distance, but — more than this — exulting in the
prospect he longed to see the day itself : in joyful
hope he waited for this. In the fulness of time the
day dawned ; the heavenly host sang praises to God
for its advent ; and (none who remember the
appearance of Moses and Elias on the Mount of
Transfiguration can feel any difficulty in the wortls
of this verse) Abraham too saw it and rejoiced.
By those who d) not accept this explanation it is
urged — (I) That Jesus would probably not tin:,
refer the Jews to that which no Scripture records.
But the truth spoken of is so general and so simple
— Abraham's knowledge of the fulfilment of God's
promises to him — that no Jew who believed in
Jesus could refuse it credence. (2) That 'sees'
and 'rejoices' would be more natural than 'saw'
and 'rejoiced.' Not so, if the Incarnation is the
event before the mind. (3) That this view is not
in harmony with the reply of the Jews in the next
verse. That point will be considered in the note
on the verse. The only other possible interpreta-
tion is that which refers the words to two distinct
periods in the earthly life of Abraham ; one at
which, after receiving the promises, he exulted in
eager desire for a clearer sight, and another at
which this clearer sight was gained. But it is very
hard to think of two epochs in the patriarch's life
at which these conditions were satisfied ; and it is
still more difficult to believe that ' my day ' is the
expression that Jesus would have used had this
been the sense designed. Verily, if Abraham thus
exulted in the thought of the coming of his son
and his Lord, the Jews who are despising and re-
jecting Him do not Abraham's works, are no
true seed of Abraham,
Ver. 57. The Jews therefore said unto him,
Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou
seen Abraham ? The Jews understand ' my day '
to mean the time of His life; and His knowing
that Abraham has witnessed this with joy must
certainly imply that He has seen Abraham. How
can this be, since He is not yet fifty years of age ?
It seems most probable that 'fifty' is chosen as a
round number, as a number certainly beyond that
of our Lord's years of life. Some have supposed
from this verse that sorrow had given to Him the
appearance of premature age.
Ver. 5S. Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I
am. The third occurrence of the solemn formula
Chap. IX. i-i2.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. m
'Verily, verily,' marks the highest point reached are two considerations which make it very difficult
by the words of Jesus at this time. The substance to assert positively that that verse is necessarily
of the words is in completest harmony with the referred to here : (i) The doubt which rests on the
form. In the clearest possible manner Jesus de- translation. ' I will be ' is at least as natural as a
clares, not only His existence before Abraham, translation as ' I am.' (2) The Greek translation
but also the essential distinction between His of the Divine Name there used differs materially
being and that of any man. Man is born, man from the words of this verse, and agrees rather
passes through successive periods of time : of Him- with the original of Rev. i. 4. If our version does
self, in regard alike to past, present, and future, really express the meaning of Ex. iii. 14, it is im-
Jesus says 'I am.' He claims for Himself that possible not to associate that verse with the one
absolute, unchanging existence which is the attri- before us.
bute of God alone. If any argument be needed Ver. 59. They took up stones therefore that
to enforce that which the words themselves supply, they might cast them upon him ; but Jesus hid
it is furnished in the conduct of the Jews (ver. 59), himself, aud went forth from the temple-courts,
who clearly understood them to be a distinct (and The Jews were enraged at what they considered
in their mind a blasphemous) claim of that which blasphemy, and in their rage they would have
belonged to God alone. The thought is distinctly stoned Him (compare chap. x. 31). But His hour
present in the Old Testament: see Ps. cii. 27, was not yet come. He hid Himself (whether
but especially Ps. xc. 2. The English reader miraculously or not we cannot tell) and went forth
naturally recurs in thought to Ex. iii. 14, but there from the temple.
A
Chapter IX. 1-12.
The Opening of the Eyes of the Blind Man.
ND as fesus1 passed by, he saw a man which was blind
from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying,
" Master,8 who i did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was3 «Chap. i. 3s
3 born blind ? Jesus answered, Neither hath1 this man sinned,1
nor his parents: "but that the works of God should be made <-ChaP.». 4.
4 manifest in him. "'I6 must work the works of him that sent rfChap. xi. 9l
me, while it is day : the night cometh, when no man 7 can work.
5 As long as8 I am in the world, ' I am the light of /the world. »Ch?P. i.4,9,
6 When he had thus spoken, he ^spat on the eround, and made 46. " s<U
10 chap. 111. ig,
clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man •/>.ha?- '..29-
£"Mark vu. 33,
7 with the clay,3 And said unto him, Go, wash in ;' the pool of , ™';2*-
' r h Neh. m. 15
Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way10 Isa-V»>-6-
8 therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbours
therefore, and they which before had seen him " that he was
9 blind,12 said, Is not this he that sat and begged ? Some 13 said,
This " is he : others said, He15 is like him : but™ he said, I am
10 lie. Therefore said they17 unto him, How18 were thine eyes
11 opened? He answered and said,19 A20 man 'that is called «'Ve». 6,7
Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me,
Go to the pool of21 Siloam, and wash: and22 I went23 and
1 he 2 Rabbi 3 should be 4 did 5 sin 6 We
7 one s Whensoever 9 and with his clay anointed his eyes
10 went away » and they which beheld him aforetime
12 was a beggar 13 Others 14 It IS others said, No, but he
16 omit but 17 They said therefore ls How then
19 omit and said 20 The =1 omit the pool of
22 omit and 2S I went away therefore
ii2 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IX. 1-12.
12 washed, and I received sight. Then said they sl unto him.
Where is lie ? He said,25 I know not.
24 And they said
saith
Contents. — The conflict of Jesus with the Jews
begins to draw to a close. At the last verse of
the preceding chapter Jesus had hidden Himself
and gone out of the temple, leaving it in possession
of those who had wilfully blinded themselves
against His claims, who must now therefore be
left to the darkness which they have chosen, and
from whom such as will behold in Him the Light
of Life must be withdrawn. This great truth is
illustrated by the story of the man born blind,
upon whom a miracle of healing is performed.
The enmity of the Jews is roused ; but in the pro-
cess raised by them they are defeated, and the
blind man, cast out by his former co-religionists,
becomes a trophy of the power and grace of the
persecuted Redeemer.
Ver. 1. And as he passed by, he saw a man
which was blind from his birth. There is nothing
to connect this chapter with the last, in regard to
time or place. The closing words of the eighth
chapter as they stand in the ordinary text, ' and so
passed by,' would indeed suggest a very intimate
connection with the verse before us ; but those
words are certainly not genuine. The light, too,
which the present chapter casts on the accessories
of the event related in it is very scanty. The day to
which the narrative refers was a sabbath (ver. 14):
the blind man (who was of Jewish birth ; see ver.
34) had been wont to sit and beg from passers-by
(ver. 8). We naturally think, perhaps, of the lame
man who was brought from day to day and laid by
the gates of the temple (Acts hi.), and are ready
to assume that the same neighbourhood must be
thought of here ; but there is nothing in the text
either for or against such an opinion. The two
points which John brings before us are simply that
the case of the afflicted man was (in itself) hope-
less, and that the Saviour saw him as He passed
by. The obvious purpose of this latter statement
is to direct our thoughts to the spontaneous com-
passion of Jesus. The man said nothing, did
nothing, to awaken His pity, nor did the question
of the disciples in ver. 2 first call His attention to
the case. He feels and acts Himself ; and the
interest of the disciples does not precede but
follow that shown by their Master.
Ver. 2. And his disciples asked him, saying,
Eabbi, who did sin, this man, or his parents,
that he should be born blind? It is not said
that the disciples were moved to pity, but it is not
right to assume the contrary. That Jesus had
looked on the blind man would be enough to raise
their expectation of a cure ; but expressly to relate
this might well seem needless. Whatever feeling,
however, the sight may have stirred in them, it
recalled a problem which was very familiar to the
thought of the Jews, and which repeatedly meets
us in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, — the
connection between personal sin and bodily suffer-
ing or defect. Here was a signal example of
physical infirmity: what was its cause? The
question seems to show a conviction on their part
that the cause was sin; but the conviction may
have been less firm than the words themselves
would imply. In assuming that the blindness was
the consequence of sin they were following the
current theology of their time : but how was this
dogma to be applied in the case before them ?
Who had sinned? Was it the man himself?
Or had his parents committed some offence
which was now visited upon their child ? (comp.
Ex. xx. 5, xxxiv. 7 ; Num. xiv. 18, 33 ; Jer.
xxxii. 18). The passages to which we have re-
ferred throw light on the latter alternative ; but
what is the meaning of the former, as the man was
bom blind ? It is not necessary to discuss the
various explanations that have been given, some
of which seem wholly improbable. Three only
need be mentioned, as having apparently some
sanction from what we know of Jewish thought in
the apostolic age. (1) We are told byjosephus
that the Pharisees held the belief that, whereas the
souls of the wicked are eternally punished, the
souls of the righteous pass into other bodies.
Hence it has been maintained that the Pharisees
held the doctrine of the transmigration of souls ;
and the passage before us is frequently explained
accordingly. If, however, we compare all the
passages in which Josephus refers to tenets of the
Pharisees respecting the state of man after death,
it will at least appear very uncertain that such a
meaning should be attached to his words as quoted
above. It is very possible that the historian is
there referring entirely to a state of being beyond
the limits of this world's history; or that, in the
attempt to present the belief of his countrymen in
a form familiar to the Roman conquerors, he has
used language which conveys an erroneous im-
pression. At all events we cannot assume that the
transmigration of souls was a tenet widely embraced
by the Jewish people of that age, without far
stronger evidence than we now possess. (2) The
philosophic doctrine of the pre-existence of souls
was certainly held by many Jews at the time of
which we are speaking. As early as the book of
Wisdom we find a reference to this doctrine (see
chap. viii. 19, 20), and passages of similar tendency
may easily be quoted from Philo. Yet it seems
improbable that an opinion which was essentially
a speculation of philosophy, and was perhaps
attractive to none but philosophic minds, should
manifest itself in such a question as this, asked by
plain men unacquainted with the refinements of
Greek thought. (3) It seems certainly to have
been an ancient Jewish opinion that sin could be
committed by the unborn child ; and that the
narrative of Gen. xxv., appearing to teach that
the odious character of a supplanter belonged to
Jacob even before birth, gave the authority of
Scripture to such a belief. On the whole this
seems to afford the best explanation of the ques-
tion of the disciples : Was the sin so severely
punished committed by this man himself, in the
earliest period of his existence, or have the iniquities
of his parents been visited upon him? (On the
word Rabbi, see chap. i. 38.)
Ver. 3. Jesus answered, Neither did this man
sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God
should be made manifest in him. It is obvious
at once that Jesus does not deny the presence of
sin in the man himself or in his parents : His
words must be read in close connection with the
Chap. IX. 1-12.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
question to which they form a reply. The meaning
Of the whole verse (which is unusually elliptical)
may be given thus : ' Neither did this man sin nor
his parents that he should be born blind, but (he
was born blind, - he is as he is) that the works of
God may be manifested in him.' Not to suggest
or unravel speculative questions, but to present a
sphere for the manifestation of the works of God,
hath this man borne this infirmity. The last clause
of the veise does not simply mean that a miracle
is to be wrought on him : ' in him ' — alike in his
physical (vers. 6, 7) and in his spiritual healing
(vers. 36-3S)— the love and grace of God are to be
made manifest.
Ver. 4. We mu»t work the works
of him that sent me, while it is
day: the night conieth, when no
one can work. The substitution
of ' we ' for ' I ' (a change supported
by the best evidence) lends peculiar
force and beauty to the verse. Jesus
associates His disciples with Him-
self : like Himself they have a calling
which must not be disobeyed, to
work the works of God ; for them,
as for Himself, the period of such
action will not always last. He
does not say 'Him that sent us,'
for it is the Son who sends His
disciples, even as the Father sends
the Son (chap. xx. 21). 'Day'
seems to be used here simply to
denote the time during which the
working assigned to Jesus and His
people in this world can be per-
formed : ' night,' the time when the
working is impossible. In a pro-
verbial saying of this kind the
must not be pressed too far.
It is true that the Lord Jesus con-
tinues to work by His Spirit, and
through His servants, though the
' day' of which He here speaks soon
reached its close. But the work
He intends is such work as is ap-
pointed for the 'day,' whether to
Himself or to His people. — As
joined with the verses which pre-
cede, this saying could not but come
to the disciples as a reminder that
not idle speculation but work for
God was the duty they must fulfil.
Ver. 5. Whensoever I am in the
world, I am the light of the world.
The work of Jesus in the world is
to be the world's light. This
thought, expressed in words in the '_ '■•
last chapter (chap. viii. 12), and in
this by deeds, binds together the
different portions in this section of
he Gospel, 'I am the light,' Jesus says, but even
in this figure the ' we ' of the last verse may be re-
membered, for his disciples also ' are the light of
the world ' (Matt. v. 14). The first word of the
verse is worthy of all attention, pointing as it
does to all periods at which ' the light ' hath shined
amid the darkness of this world (chap. i. 5).
Vers. 6, 7. When he had thus spoken, he spat
on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and
with his clay anointed his eyes, And said unto
him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is,
by interpretation, Sent). He went away there-
vol. 11. 8
'•3
fore, and washed, and came seeing. In the case
of no miracle which Jesus wrought is His pro-
cedure as remarkable as it is here. We may at
once dismiss the thought that such a mode of cure
was in itself necessary: whatever may have been
the design of Jesus in making use of it, He needed
no instrument or means of cure. There is probably
truth in the suggestion that the means of healing
chosen by our Lord had in most cases some refer-
ence to the mental condition of the sufferer, and
that here His procedure was well fitted to awaken
and make trial of faith ; but it is impossible to rest
satisfied with any such explanation. The language
of the Evangelist compels us to look upon the
whole action as symbolical. The introductory-
words link these verses to those in which Jesus
speaks of the manifestation of Himself to the world
(vers. 4, 5) : the interpretation of the name Siloam
leads us back to the thought of Him who every-
where in this Gospel is solemnly brought before
us as 'the Sent of God.' These indications teach
us to see in the whole action of Jesus
symbolical reference to Himself and His work.
The means chosen are very remarkable. It is
said indeed, and with truth, that the anointing of
the eyes with spittle was a common practice.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IX. 13-X. 21
114
adopted for medicinal effect : but no such usage
has any connection with this passage, for the eyes
were anointed, not with the spittle hut with the
clay. In two other records of works of healing
(both given by Mark, whose Gospel presents many
points of contact with that of John) Jesus makes
use of spittle (Mark vii. 33, viii. 23), and we can
hardly help supposing that this means was chosen
as a symbol of that which was in closest connection
with Himself: thus in Ecclus. xxviii. 12 the
breath of the mouth and its moisture are brought
together as alike in source, though differing in
effects. Having made the clay, He anointed 'with
His clay' the blind man's eyes. The original words
do not seem easily to bear any other meaning, and
we fail to do justice to them unless we suppose
that their object is to lay emphasis on the clay
made by yesus, and thus again to bring Him-
self, not merely the clay that He has made, but
' His clay,' into prominence, — the clay in which
something of His personality is expressed. (Some
of the Fathers imagine that there is a reference to
Gen. ii. 7, but this seems too remote.) Again the
word ' anointed ' no doubt contains an allusion to
Jesus the Christ, the anointed One. The name of
the pool Siloam or (according to the Hebrew form)
Siloah is the last point to be noted, and here the
meaning is supplied by John himself. As origin-
ally given to the pool, it is supposed to mean
'sent forth,' i.e. issuing forth, said of the waters
that issue from the springs that feed the pool, or
of the waters which issue from the pool to the fields
around. From this pool water had been drawn to
pour upon the altar during the feast just past (see
chap. vii. 38) : it was associated with the wells of
salvation of which Isaiah speaks (chap. xii. 3),
and the pouring out of its water symbolized the
effusion of spiritual blessing in the days of the
Messiah. With most natural interest, therefore,
the Evangelist observes that its very name corre-
sponds to the Messiah ; and by pointing out this
fact indicates to us what was the object of Jesus in
sending the man to these waters. In this even
more distinctly than in the other particulars that
we have noted, Jesus, whilst sending the man
away from Him, is keeping Himself before him
in everything connected with his cure. Thus
throughout the whole narrative all attention is
concentrated on Jesus Himself, who is ' the Light
of the world ; ' who was ' sent of God ' to ' open
blind eyes : ' every particular is fraught with
instruction to the disciples, who are to continue
His work after His departure, and who must be
taught that they can bring sight to the blind only
by directing them to Jesus their Lord. As has
been said above, we must not reject the thought
that in our Lord's procedure lay a discipline for
the man himself. The use of means may naturally
have been a help to his faith ; but this faith could
not fail to be put to the test when the means
proved to be such as might have taken away vision
from one who was not blind (comp. ver. 39).
Neither of this, however, nor of the discipline
contained in the delay of the cure does the Evan-
gelist speak ; for he would fix our attention on
Jesus alone. That the obedience of faith was
rewarded we are told in the fewest words possible :
the man 'went and washed and came seeing.'
The pool of Siloam, which still retains its name
(Silwan), is situated near the opening of the valley
of Tyropoeon. All works on the topography of
Jerusalem give a description of the site.
Ver. 8. The neighbours therefore, and they
which beheld him aforetime, that he was a
beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged ?
The fact that he was a beggar has not been men-
tioned before. Stress is laid on it here rather than
on his blindness, because it was from his frequent-
ing the spot for the purpose of begging that he
had become well known.
Ver. 9. Others said, It is he: others said, No,
but he is like him. He said, I am he. The
object of this verse and the last is to show how
notorious the cure became, and how firmly the fact
had been established.
Ver. 10. They said therefore unto him, How
then were thine eyes opened? It does not
appear that this was more than a simple inquiry.
As yet no element of malice against Jesus is
introduced.
Ver. 11. He answered. The man that is called
Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and
said unto me, Go to Siloam, and wash. I went
away therefore and washed, and I received
sight. This man, then, knew his Deliverer,
though not His true nature (ver. 36). The word-
ing of the phrase would seem to imply that he had
in his thoughts the meaning of the name 'Jesus,'
so wonderfully illustrated in his own case.
Ver. 12. And they said unto him, Where is
he? He saith, I know not. Comp. chap, v.
Chapter IX. 13-X. 21.
Jesus the Light separating between the light and the darkness.
13 npHEY brought1 to
14 1 blind. " And 3 it
to the Pharisees him that aforetime 2 was
was the sabbath day i when Jesus made "
15 the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again5 the Pharisees also
asked him how he had received his sight. He" said unto them, He
16 put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore
said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of7 God, because * he >>
1 bring 2 once
Again therefore
; Now
and he
4 on the day
7 from
I.ukexiii
14 : chap ■
i'i. vii. 23.
Chap. IX. 1 3-X. 2i.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. n
keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, c How can a man that c Ver. 33;
r J chap. 111. },
is a sinner do such miracles ? 9 And d there was a division among *■ «.
a See chap.
17 them. They say9 unto the blind man again, What sayest thou vii- »•
of him, that 10 he hath " opened thine eyes ? He 1! said, ' He is c chaP. iv. i<;
18 a prophet. But the Jews13 did not believe concerning him, that
he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the
19 parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked11
them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind ?
20 how then doth he now see ? His parents 15 answered them 16
and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born
21 blind: But by what means17 he now seeth, we know not; or
who hath11 opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask
22 him:18 he shall speak for himself. These words spake19 his
parents, because they feared the Jews : for the Jews had
-''agreed already,80 that if any man did21 confess that he was /Luke xxii.5
23 Christ, he e should be put out of 22 the synagogue. Therefore g ver. 34 :
chap. xii. 4:
24 said his parents, He is of age; ask him.23 Then again called *«. *•
they*4 the man that was blind, and said unto him,A Give God AJosh. vii.15.
25 the praise : " we know that this man is a sinner. He answered
and said,26 Whether he be a sinner or no" I know not : one
26 thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said
they29 to him again,29 What did he to thee? how opened he
27 thine eyes ? He answered them, I have told you already, and
ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will30 ye
28 also be31 his disciples? Then32 they reviled him, and said,
29 Thou art his disciple ; but ' we are Moses' disciples. We know >chaP. v. 45
that God spake33 unto Moses : as for this felloiv™ we * know *chaPviii...
30 not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto
them, ' Why, herein is a35 marvellous thing, that ye know not /chap. iii. «
31 from whence he is, and yet he hath " opened mine eyes. Now36
we know that '"God heareth not sinners : but if any man be a >«jobxxy;i. c
worshipper of God, and doeth 37 his will, " him he heareth. Pr°v >• »8,
32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man38 opened 9: isa.i. 15
33 the eyes of one39 that was born blind. * If this man were not "Jobxiji.8;
JJ J Ps. cxlv. 15
34 of40 God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto J?s.v.i4,i;
^~ ° J o Ver. 10.
him, -^Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach pVa. 2.
us? And they q cast41 him out. ?Ver.«;
35 Jesus heard that they had 'cast41 him out ; and when he had
8 signs 9 say therefore 10 because n omit hath 12 And he
13 The Jews therefore I4 and asked 13 add therefore 16 omit them
17 But how 18 ask himself; he is of asje
19 These things said 20 had already covenanted 21 should
-- put away from 23 himself
24 They called therefore a second time 26 Give glory to God
20 He therefore answered 2" omit or no 28 They said therefore
29 omit again 30 would 31 become S2 And
33 hath spoken 34 but as for this man 3S the
3S omit Now 3" do 3S one ; ' a man 40 from 41 put
n6 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IX. 13-X. 21.
found him, he said unto him,48 Dost thou believe on43 rthe Son >-chaP. i. 5I.
36 of God ? 44 He answered and said, Who 45 is he, Lord, that I
37 might 46 believe on 43 him ? And " Jesus said unto him, Thou
38 hast both seen him, and s it is he that talketh with thee.48 And iChap.iv.26.
39 he said, Lord,49 I believe.50 And he worshipped him. And
Jesus said, ' For judgment sl I am come 5S into this world, " that t chap. v. «.
» Mark iv 12.
they which see not might 46 see ; and that they which see might
40 be made blind.53 And54 some'''' of the Pharisees which were
with him heard these words,56 and "said unto him, Are we blind j<Rom. ii. 19.
41 also ? Jesus said unto them, " If ye were blind, ye should have wChap. xv.
no sin : 57 but now ye say, We see ; therefore 6S your sin
remaineth.59
1 Chap. X. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not
by the door into the sheepfold,60 but climbeth up61 some other
2 way,02 the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth
3 in by the door is the °3 shepherd of the sheep. To him the
porter openeth ; and the sheep """hear his voice : and he calleth -rVers. 16, 27.
4 his own sheep *by name, and leadeth them out. And64 when j-Comp. Ex.
he "putteth forth65 his own sheep, he goeth before them, and 3Chap.'ix.'3+
5 the sheep follow him : for they know his voice. And 66 a
stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him : for they
6 know not the voice of strangers. This "parable spake cr Jesus «chaP. xvi
unto them : but they understood not what things they were
7 which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus 68 unto them
again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the
8 sheep. All that ever6'-' came before me are b thieves and iv«. 1,
9 robbers: but ''the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: <-ver. 5.
""by me if any man enter in,70 he shall be saved, and shall go rfVer. 2.
10 in71 and out,72 and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for
to steal, ™ and to 74 kill, and to 74 destroy : I am come 75 that they
might 76 have life, and that they might have it more abund-
11 antly." 'I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd «isa.xi. n:
12 /giveth78 his life for the sheep. But79 he that is an hireling, i2,23,xxxvii
and not the80 shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth 81 xtii. 20;'
1 Pet. ii. 25,
the wolf coming, and ^leaveth the sheep, and fleeth : and the v-4- c'omp
13 wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.82 The hireling /Chap. xv.i3!
fleeth,83 because he is an hireling, and ^careth not for the sheep. gZech. xi.'io,'
42 omit unto him 43 in "man 45 And who 46 may
47 omit And 48 and he that speaketh with thee is he.
49 omit Lord 60 I believe, Lord 61 a judgment 6- came I
63 mav become blind 64 omit And 56 Those 5G things
67 ye would not have sin 68 omit therefore 50 abideth
1:0 fold of the sheep ei add from 62 quarter ' ; ,1
<A omit And 65 hath put out all 66 But « said
68 Jesus therefore said 60 omit ever 7n if any one have entered in
71 enter in 72 and shall go out 73 but that he may steal
71 omit to 76 I came 76 may 77 may have abundance
78 laveth down 79 omit But "" a
,l beholdeth 82 omit the sheep 83 omit The hireling fleeth
Chap. IX. 1 3-X. 2i.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
14 I am the good shepherd, /; and know my84 sheep*'* and am
15 known of mine.86 ' As" the Father knoweth me, even so know
16 I the Father:88 and I -^lay down my life for the sheep. And
* other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I
must bring,89 and they shall ' hear my voice ; '" and there shall
17 be 90 one fold, and one shepherd.91 Therefore doth my 92 Father
love me, because * I -^ lay down my life, that I might93 take it
18 again. No man taketh it from me, but I ^ lay it down of
myself. I have power to lay it down, and I * have power to
take it again. •''This commandment have94 I received of my
Father.
19 ? There was *' a division therefore 96 again among the Jews for
20 these sayings.97 And many of them said, r He hath a devil,98
21 and * is mad ; why hear ye him ? Others said, These are not
the words of him that hath a devil.99 ' Can a devil 98 open the
eyes of the blind ?
84 and I know mine own 85 omit sheep 86 and mine own know me
87 Even as 8S and I know the Father 89 I must lead
00 and they shall become 9I one flock, one shepherd 92 the
93 may 94 omit have 9S arose
96 omit therefore 97 because of these words 98 demon
99 the sayings of one that is possessed by a demon
"7
Alsa. Ivi. 8;
chap. xi. 52.
/Vcr. 4.
wEzek.xxxvii.
ii. 14 ; 1 Pel
0 Chap. ii. 19
/ See chap.
xii. 49.
q Chap, vii 12.
r Chap. vii. 20.
jMarkiii. si.
/ Chap. ix. 32:
33-
CONTENTS. The Mind man, restored to sight,
is brought before the Pharisees with the view of
instituting proceedings against Jesus, who, by the
healing on the Sabbath, had violated the sanctity
of the day of rest. But the process proves a signal
failure, issuing as it does in the rescuing of the
man from the Pharisaic yoke, and in a solemn
rebuke administered by Jesus to those who had
placed him at their bar. In this rebuke He points
out the blindness and faithlessness of the guides of
Israel, and explains the nature of that work which
He, the Good Shepherd, had to perform in saving
His own from shepherds who had betrayed their
trust, and in gathering them out of every fold into
His one flock. The effect of the discourse is again
to bring about a division among the hearers. The
subordinate parts of the section are — (1) ix. 13-34;
(2) ix. 35-41 ; (3) x. 1-18 ; (4) x. 19-21.
Ver. 13. They bring to the Pharisees him that
once was blind. They bring him to the Pharisees
as the especial guardians of the religious institu-
tions of Israel. It is not at all likely that the man
was brought before any formal court or assembly,
but only before leading men amongst the Phari-
sees, who would at all times be ready to examine
into such a charge as is implied in the next clause.
The less formal and judicial their action was, the
better does it illustrate the conflict of Jesus with
the spirit of Judaism.
Ver. 14. Now it was the sabbath on the day
when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
It is very interesting to compare this verse with
the similar words in chap. v. 9, 10. The only
offence expressly mentioned there was the carrying
of the bed, though there is no doubt that the
charge against Jesus related not to this only but
also to the performance of the cure (chap. vii. 22).
I fere the two counts of the accusation are distinctly
presented in their separation from each other, —
(1) Jesus had made the clay ; (2) He had opened
the man's eyes. Another verse of the fifth chapter
is likewise necessarily recalled to mind : speaking
of the charge of labouring on the sabbath, Jesus
said (ver. 17), ' My Father worketh until now : I
also work.' So here in reference to the same day
He says, ' We must work the works of Him that
sent me.'
Ver. 15. Again therefore the Pharisees also
asked him how he had received his sight ; and
he said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes,
and I washed, and do see. To his neighbours
and acquaintances his answer had been fuller and
more circumstantial : to the Pharisees, whom He
knew to be the enemies of Jesus, he says as little
as he may, and does not even mention his bene-
factor's name.
Ver. 16. Therefore said some of the Pharisees,
This man is not from God, because he keepeth
not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a
man that is a sinner do such signs ? And there
was a division among them. The man's answer
had been short and simple, but it had substantiated
the two charges (see ver. 14) that had been brought.
The testimony produced the effect which usually
followed whenever Jesus manifested Himself, —
some were attracted, some repelled. Godet remarks
here, with peculiar force and propriety, ' The one
party, taking as their starting-point the inviola-
bility of the sabbatic law, deny to Jesus as a
transgressor of this law any divine mission what-
ever ; and from this logically follows the denial of
the miracle. The others, setting out from the fact
of the miracle, infer the holy character of Jesus,
and implicitly deny the breaking of the sabbath.
The choice of premiss depends in this case, as in
all cases, upon the moral freedom ; it is at this
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. IX. 13-X. 21.
point of departure that the friends of light and the
friends of darkness separate ; the rest is simply a
matter of logic.'
Ver. 17. They say therefore unto the blind
man again, What sayest thou of him, because
he opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a
prophet. The fact is admitted, perhaps honestly,
for it will be observed that, when we come to the
next verse, we have a new set of questioners, and
not simply persons who, having made a concession
in the words before us, immediately withdraw it.
The word ' thou ' is emphatic : unable to decide
the matter themselves, they seek to draw from the
blind man some statement which may enable them
more effectually to condemn Jesus. But his answer
only deals an unexpected blow.
Ver. iS. The Jews therefore did not believe
concerning him that he had been blind, and re-
ceived his sight, until they called the parents of
him that had received his sight. The change from
' the Pharisees ' to ' the Jews ' is very striking, and
must have special significance. Nor is it difficult
to find an explanation. The Pharisees (see the
note on chap. vii. 32) were united in zeal for the
law and in watchfulness over the rites and usages
of Israel, but not in hostility to Jesus : we have
just seen that the testimony regarding the miracle
has divided them into two camps. It is of a hostile
body only that the Evangelist is speaking in this
verse. But there is probably another reason for
the change of expression. ' The Jews ' is not with
John a designation of all the enemies of Jesus ; it
denotes the representatives of Jewish thought and
action, — the leaders of the people, who, alas !
were leaders in the persecution of our Lord. The
use of the word here, then, leads us to the thought
that the dispute had passed into a different stage.
Ho serious had the case become that the rulers
themselves engaged in it : more than this, — we
have now done with inquiry in any true sense,
and persecution has taken its place.
Ver. 19. and asked them saying, Is this your
son, who ye say was born blind? how then
doth he now see? In the hope that they may
discover some flaw in the man's words, through
which they may accuse him of complicity with
Jesus, and, by thus destroying the idea of a
miracle, may become free to deal with Jesus as a
transgressor of the law, they question the parents
of the man.
Ver. 20. His parents therefore answered and
said, We know that this is our son, and that he
was born blind. To two of the questions asked
by the Jews the answer of the parents is perfectly
clear and decided. In seeking for that which
might invalidate the 'sign,' the enemies of Jesus
have but obtained new testimony to its reality.
Ver. 21. But how he now seeth, we know not;
or who opened his eyes, we know not : ask him-
self; he is of age: he shall speak for himself.
The anxious care of the parents to keep clear of
all testimony to Jesus is strikingly shown by the
emphasis thrown on 'himself as they refer the
questioners to their son.
Vers. 22, 23. These things said his parents,
because they feared the Jews: for the Jews
had already covenanted that, if any man should
confess that he was Christ, he should be put
away from the synagogue. Therefore said his
parents, He is of age ; ask himself. There were
(at all events at a later period) various degrees of
excommunication ; but in any form it was a punish-
ment of great severity, as the terror of the parents
shows. The effect of the mildest grade was to
render the culprit a heathen and no longer an
Israelite during thirty days, depriving him of all
intercourse with his family as well as of all privi-
leges of worship. The growing alarm and hatred
of the Jews are clearly shown by this compact.
We are not to think of a decree of the Sanhedrin,
or of any judicial act whatever, but of a private
resolution taken by the Jews amongst themselves.
The slight change of translation in the words ' put
away from the synagogue ' is intended to mark the
fact that the expression used here is different from
that which we find in vers. 34, 35.
Ver. 24. They called therefore a second time
the man that was blind, and said unto him,
Give glory to God : we know that this man is a
sinner. In this second hearing the aim of the
Jews is to overawe the man, and then force from
him a confession that there had been some decep-
tion or mistake. This appears first in their words,
' Give glory to God ' (see Josh. vii. 19), — a formula
used when a criminal who was thought to be con-
cealing the truth was urged to make a full con-
fession. Remembering that the eye of God was
upon him, let him give honour to God by speaking
truth. Another significant point is the emphasis
laid on 'we know;' the authorities to whom he
has been wont to yield implicit respect and defer-
ence in all religious matters, possessed of deeper
insight and wider knowledge than himself, (do not
think merely, but) know that Jesus is a breaker
of the law, and therefore cannot have wrought a
Ver. 25. He therefore answered, Whether he
be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know,
that, whereas I was blind, now I see. His sim-
plicity leaves them no real excuse for condemning :
by his stedfast adherence to the one testimony
which he alone was competent to render, he most
effectually brings condemnation on his judges,
who, had they been sincere, would first have
sought certain knowledge of the fact (see note on
ver. 16).
Ver. 26. They said therefore to him, What
did he to thee ? how opened he thine eyes ?
Every attempt to overthrow the fact has failed :
possibly renewed inquiry as to the mode of cure
may disclose something that may be used against
Jesus. But the man has now perceived their
design : they are not seeking the truth, and he
will be the tool of no such judges as they are
proving themselves to be.
Ver. 27. He answered them, I have told you
already, and ye did not hear : wherefore would
ye hear it again ? would ye also become his
disciples? The words 'ye did not hear' mani-
festly mean that they had not received and believed
what they heard. The last clause is a little
ambiguous in English. The meaning is not,
Would ye in that case become His disciples ? but,
Is it your mind, — do ye also desire, to become
His disciples ? ' Ye also ' may mean ' ye as well
as others ; ' but it most naturally signifies ' as well
as myself' the blind beggar. The obstinate enmity
of the Jews impels him to avow his own disciple-
ship.
Ver. 28. And they reviled him, and said, Thou
art his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.
Whether the man distinctly intended such reference
to himself or not, it is thus that they understood
his words ; and this moves them contemptuously
CHAP. IX. 13-X. 21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
to contrast ' that man ' with their greatest prophet,
Moses.
Ver. 29. We know that God hath spoken unto
Moses ; but as for this man we know not from
whence he is. In holding by the law of Moses,
then, they are safe and are assured that they are
doing the will of God. If they do not know the
origin of ' this man,' he can be worthy of no
regard, — certainly he cannot be from God !
O 11. The man answered, and said
unto them, Why, herein is the marvellous thing,
that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he
opened mine eyes. We know that God heareth
not sinners ; but if any man be a worshipper of
God, and do his will, lum he heareth. Since the
world began was it not heard that any one
opened the eyes of a man that was born blind.
It* this man were not from God, he could do
nothing. Herein lies the very marvel, — that even
ye, (1) knowing that no man ever receives power to
do any miracle unless he be a worshipper of God
and one that does His will ; and (2) having proof
that this man has done a miracle — yes, and such
a miracle as has never before been wrought — will
not see the c< inclusion that must follow, viz., that
this man does the will of God,— that he is no sinner,
but comes from God (see the note on ver. 16).
The man has assumed the office of a teacher, and
has so taught that they have no counter argument
to oiler ; ' the wise are taken in their own crafti-
ness' (Job v. 13).
Ver. 34. They answered and said unto him,
Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou
teach us 1 And they put Mm out. The original
is very graphic : In sins wast thou born, all of thee,
and thou, dost thou teach us ? There is probably
a distinct reference to the belief which is expressed
in ver. 2 : the fact that in their passion they are
thus acknowledging the reality of the miracle is no
argument against such a reference : the man's
whole condition, as evinced by his spirit and his
words, bears yet stronger testimony than his blind-
ness, and shows that he was altogether born in
sins. The meaning of the last clause is not quite
clear. It probably refers to ejection from the
place in which the inquiry was held ; but the next
verse seems to prove that excommunication followed
this. Cast out by the rulers from their place of
meeting, he was cast out from all intercourse with
them, and (so far as their influence extended) from
the community over which they ruled. Such was
the only reasoning which could be opposed to the
triumphant argument of the man born blind !
Ver. 35. Jesus heard that they had put him
out : and when he had found him, he said, Dost
thou believe in the Son of man ? The man has
lost this world : in that loss he shall gain the next.
This seems to be the connecting link between this
verse and the preceding. Jesus knows well
the firmness and the wisdom which the man had
shown in the presence of the Jews. But He knows
also that the man had by implication avowed him-
self 1 1 1-; disciple, and for this had been thrust out
from the presence of the rulers. For this very
reason Jesus would draw the bond of discipleship
closer, and receive amongst His own him whom
the Jews rejected. He seeks for the man, and,
having found him, asks, Dost thou believe in the
Son of man ? The word ' thou ' is emphatic, and
brings into relief the contrast with those in whose
presence he has lately been, who declared Jesus a
sinner, and who had agreed that whoever confessed
119
that Jesus was Christ should be excommunicated.
The name 'Son of man' is equivalent to 'the
Christ,' but gives prominence to the human nature
of the Deliverer. This name therefore is altogether
in harmony with the man's own words (vers. 31-33),
in which he had spoken of Jesus as a worshipper
of God and one who did God's will, one to
whom God would hearken: to him Jesus, though
'from God' (ver. 33), was still 'a prophet' (ver.
17) and ' the man called Jesus ' (ver. 11). Has he
then true faith in the Messiah in whose cause he
has been suffering? Does he give himself to Hun
with that faith which involves complete union with
Himself and His cause, undeterred by the fact that
He appears as a man amongst men, yea and a.s
one despised and rejected by men ? The ordinary
reading ' Son of God ' is in all probability incor-
rect. It is easy to see how it might accidentally
find its way into the text, being suggested partly
by the usual practice of John (who frequently joins
' believe in ' either with the Son of God or with a
name of similar import), and partly by the act of
worship related in ver. 38.
Ver. 36. He answered and said, And who is
he, Lord, that I may believe in him ? These are
not words of a doubter, but of one who seeks to be
led to a complete faith. In Jesus he has fullest
confidence, and he waits only to hear His declara-
tion respecting the ' Son of man :' as such Jesus
has not yet manifested Himself to him.
Ver. 37. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both
seen him, and he that speaketh with thee is he.
This manifestation is now given; both in word
('he that speaketh' . . .) and in the half-veiled,
yet clear, reference to the work that had been
wrought on him (' thou hast seen Him ') in the gift
of physical (and we may certainly add spiritual)
eyesight.
Ver. 38. And he said, I believe, Lord; and
he worshipped him. The simple and immediate
answer shows how little remained to be done to
make his faith complete. Not with bodily senses
only, but in his heart, he has seen Jesus ; he has
heard His word : he believes and worships the
Son of man, the Messiah, his Lord. In this man,
therefore, Jesus has manifested Himself as ' Light
of the world' (ver. 5). But of this manifestation
there are two opposite results ; the Light will attract
some out of the darkness : the Light will repel
others into yet deeper darkness. The newly found
disciple is an example of the one work, the hardened
Jews of the other. Of these contrasted results
Jesus Himself here speaks.
Ver. 39. And Jesus said, For a judgment
came I into this world, that they which see not
may see, and that they which see may become
blind. The rendering ' a judgment ' may serve to
remind us of the fact that our Lord (here using a
word which is not found elsewhere in the Gospel)
does not speak of the act of judging, but of the
result. He does not say that He came in order to
judge, but that the necessary effect of His coming
into this world, a world alienated from God, will
be a judgment. Those that see not (the ' babes '
of Matt. xi. 25) come to Him for sight : those that
see (the ' wise and prudent '), who know the law
and are satisfied with that knowledge, and who
having all the guidance which should have led
them to Christ do not come, ' become blind,'— lose
all light through losing Him. Knowledge which
has priceless value for pointing the way to Christ
becomes accursed if put in His place as an object
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IX. 13-X. 21
of trust. It is possible that, as the word 'judge'
seems elsewhere in this Gospel always to have the
force of a condemning judgment, this sense should
be preserved here also : in the one case the judg-
ment is passed on acknowledged blindness, for they
themselves who come to the light pass a condemna-
tion on the blindness of their past state; in the
other, judgment is passed upon supposed (or rather
upon misused) sight. Thus both classes have a
part in the 'judgment:' the one by appropriating
as just the judgment of Jesus on their blindness
apart from Him ; the other by deliberately shutting
their eyes to the true light. The result of this
wilful action is utter blindness,— not merely a dis-
use of sight, but a destruction of the power of
sight.
Ver. 40. Those of the Pharisees which were
with him heard these things. The whole cast
of the language here used shows that those who
speak are not representatives of the Pharisees as a
borlv, or of the Pharisaic spirit in its worst cha-
racteristics. But lately there has been a division
of feeling among the Pharisees in reeard to Jesus
(ver. 16). Some who were then impressed by His
signs may have already become disciples ; others
may have remained in a state of uncertainty, im-
pressed but not convinced, — not brought to the
point of ' leaving all ' their possessions of ' wisdom
and prudence ' and following Him. It may be that
those spoken of here were of such a description.
No one, probably, who duly apprehends the differ-
ence in the usage of John between 'the Pharisees'
and 'the Jews,' will think that necessarily these
words were uttered in derision, or that these men
were ' with Him ' as enemies and spies. — And said
unto him, Are we blind also 1 There had been
an apparent difficulty in the words of Jesus. They
spoke of two classes, distinguished in their character
as not seeing and seeing, — in their future lot, as
receiving sight and becoming blind. The future
lot is the result of the coming of Jesus into this
world. It is very clear that He means that those
A Sheepfold
who see not (like the despised Mind man who has
just been ' put out ') will come to Him and obtain
sight from Him. But what of the Pharisees whom
He invites to come ? Does He class them also
amongst those who 'see not'? Surely (they think)
this cannot be His meaning? And yet, if not,
Pharisees are excluded from all hope of blessing,
for His words speak of but two classes.
Ver. 41. Jesus said unto them, If ye were
blind, ye would not have sin : but now ye say,
We see ; your sin abideth. If, Jesus says, ye
were really blind, unable to open your eyes to,
and indeed unconscious of, the existence of the light
now shining round you, you would not have sin,
— the sin of rejection of the light would not lie at
your door. But it is not so. They are their own
judges. They themselves say, We see ; and yet
they come not to Him. Their sin abideth; they
are guilty of that sin, and so long as they refuse
to come to Him the sin must abide. So at the
close of chap. iii. we read : ' he that disobeyeth
the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God
abideth on him.'
Chap. x. vers. 1, 2. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Be that entereth not by the door into the
fold of the sheep, but climbeth up from some
other quarter, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he that entereth in by the door is a shep-
herd of the sheep. The opening words are of
themselves sufficient to show that this chapter must
be very closely joined to that which precedes, for
nowhere in this Gospel do we find a new discourse
introduced by 'Verily, verily, I say unto you.'
The points of connection will be seen as the
chapter proceeds ; but we may briefly say that the
thought of the Jews, who with their authoritative
dictum 'We know' (ix. 24, 29) sought to hinder
men of ' the multitude ' from coming to Christ,
CHAP. IX. 1 3-X. 21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
underlies the whole parable, and forms the chief
link binding the chapters together. In the last
verses of chap. ix. the action of the unbelieving
rulers is contemplated in its bearing upon them-
selves ; here in its bearing upon those of whom the
Jews were the recognised leaders. The figure
used is taken from the very heart of the Old
Testament Dispensation. Again and again do the
prophets utter language of scathing indignation
against unfaithful shepherds who ' feed themselves
and not their flocks ; and more frequently still is
the tender care of the good shepherd portrayed.
The Messiah Himself is represented under this
character in several prophetic passages : two
chapters especially, Ezek. xxxiv. and Zech. xi. (in
each of which the contrasted types of shepherd are
represented and the Messiah brought definitely
into view), must be kept before us as we follow the
course of this parable. It is unnecessary to dwell
at any length upon the familiar facts which form
the basis of the similitude employed. The 'fold'
of the sheep was a large open space enclosed by a
paling or by walls of no great height : ingress or
egress was given only by a door kept by a porter,
who is not to be confounded with the shepherd or
shepherds for the protection of whose flocks the
fold was used. All other points the narrative itself
will bring out. In the first few verses the language
is altogether general. A comparison is drawn
between all shepherds of the flock and false and
treacherous intruders into the fold. The appli-
cation which Jesus makes to Himself of two of the
figures in these opening verses does not yet come
before the mind. The sheep are safe in the fold :
there the narrative commences. We do not read
how or by whom or whence they were brought
into that fold for protection amidst the dangers of
the night. In the morning the shepherds will
come to lead forth their flocks, and having an
acknowledged right of entrance will go in at the
door. Should any one bent on entering the fold
not come to the door, but climb over the fence
and thus get in 'some other way' (literally, from
some other quarter,— and when the parable is
interpreted the significance of such a phrase will
be felt), his aim is evil, — he wishes to get possession
of sheep or of a flock to which he has no right, —
he is therefore a thief and a robber, a man deter-
mined either by craft or by violence to win spoil
for himself. 'Entering by the door,' then, is the
first mark by which a rightful shepherd is distin-
guished from a man of selfish and treacherous
ends.
Yer. 3. To him the porter openeth; and the
sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own
sheep by name, and leadeth them out. This
verse gives other marks which indicate a true
shepherd. The keeper of the gate recognises him
and gives him entrance. The sheep in the enclosure
show at once that they are familiar with his voice.
The sheep of his own particular flock he knows by
name, and he calls them one by one. He has
come in for their benefit and not his own, to lead
them forth to pasturage. To none of these indica-
tions does he answer who is an intruder and no
shepherd. What travellers tell us of the relation
of an Eastern shepherd to his flock shows how true
to nature was the language of these verses. It is
by his voice that the shepherd is recognised : he
calls and the sheep come round him. In every
flock there are some to whom he has given par-
ticular names, and who are wont to keep near
him ; every one of these knows his own name and
comes to the shepherd when that name is called.
In this last feature the language of the parable
may go beyond common experience. Such a
shepherd as our Lord describes knows and calls
every one of his sheep by name. It is sometimes,
indeed, maintained that no distinction ought to
be made between ' the sheep ' of the first clause
and 'His own sheep' in the clause that follows.
But this is surely a mistake, resulting from the
premature application of these words to Him who
is 'the Good Shepherd.' He no doubt knows by
name every sheep of every flock : as yet, however,
we have before us not the Shepherd but every one
who is a shepherd of the sheep. There is some
difficulty in determining who is meant by the
' porter ' of this verse. Many explanations have
been given, but there are only two that seem really
to agree with the conditions of the context. The
keeper of the door recognises any rightful shep-
herd, and especially the True Shepherd (ver. II),
but closes the way to self-seekers, — and this during
all that time of waiting of which we have yet to
speak. He cannot, therefore, be either Moses or
John the Baptist ; the thought of Divine care is
necessary. We must thus think either of Christ
Himself or of the Father or of the Holy Spirit.
To refer the term, however, to the first of these
would be to confuse the parable : it must belong
to one of the two latter, — the Father, or the Holy
Spirit who gave and watched over the promises,
who called and qualified the prophets of Israel.
Perhaps ver. 15, in which Jesus speaks of the
Father's recognition of Himself, makes the first
of these two the more probable. The tenor of
chap. vi. also, in which there is repeated mention of
the Father's work in relation to the work of Jesus,
confirms this view; and a further confirmation
may be found in the parable of chap, xv., in which
Jesus represents Himself as the vine and His
Father as the husbandman.
Ver. 4. When he hath put out all his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep
follow him : for they know Ms voice. The first
words take up the thought contained in the words
that immediately precede (' and leadeth them out '),
but express it with greater force. The shepherd
leads forth all his own sheep, — not one is left
behind. But the change from leading out to
putting out is remarkable. In the figure it may
refer to the solicitude of the shepherd to remove
every sheep under his care from the fold in which
it is not well that any should longer remain : some
may be slow in following his lead, but he sees that
none shall be overlooked. The real significance
of this word, however, is connected with the inter-
pretation of the parable (see below) : for we can-
not doubt that our Lord designedly uses here that
very word which was employed to denote expulsion
from the synagogue, and which has already met
us in two consecutive verses of the previous
chapter (34, 35 ), when the treatment received from
the Jews by the man born blind is described. In
this verse again we find complete faithfulness of
description. To this day the Eastern shepherd
goes before his flock, leading, not driving the
sheep, and keeping them near him through their
recognition of his voice.
Ver. 5. But a stranger will they not follow,
but will flee from him : for they know not the
voice of strangers. The ' stranger ' is not one to
whom the porter has opened (for the voice of
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. IX. 13-X. 21.
122
every one who is thus admitted is familiar to all
the sheep) ; he must therefore have entered by
some other way, and he is in the fold as ' a thief
and a robber.' No mark of a true shepherd is
found in him. He has not entered by the door,
and he has not been recognised by the keeper of
the door ; the sheep do not know his voice ; he
cannot call them by their names ; his object is not
their good, but his own spoil and gain. Lead a
flock forth he cannot ; the sheep flee from him.
Ver. 6. This parable said Jesus unto them:
but they understood not what things they were
which he spake unto them. The word here used
is not that which occurs so frequently in the other
gospels in the sense of parable. It is found but
four times in the New Testament — in 2 Pet. ii. 22,
and in three verses of this Gospel (here and chap,
xvi. 25, 29). In 2 Pet. ii. 22 the word has its
ordinary signification ' proverb : ' in chap. xvi. 29
it is opposed to speaking in a way the most direct,
— the /ugliest and best for the attainment of the
speaker's end (comp. on xvi. 25). The derivation
of the word suggests that the primary meaning
was a saying beside or out of the common way which
had not the direct plain bearing of an ordinary
saying, but either was intended to have many
applications (as & proverb), or was in some degree
circuitous in the method by which it effected its
purpose, — enigmatical or difficult. In this latter
sense John seems to use the word, which does not
therefore differ essentially from the 'parable,' as
that word is used by the other Evangelists (see
Matt. xiii. 11-15). It seems certain that had any
one of them related the comparison of this chapter
he would have employed the more familiar name.
The Septuagint uses the two words with little
difference of sense. On the present occasion it
cannot be said that the language of Jesus was in
itself difficult to understand ; His description was
faithful in all its parts ; but His words as said ' to
them ' the Pharisees could not comprehend.
Ver. 7. Jesus therefore said unto them again,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of
the sheep. The formula which introduced the
parable (ver. I) now brings in the interpretation.
This interpretation is given in two parts, — or, as
perhaps we ought rather to say, two distinct appli-
cations of the parable are given : the two most
important points in the figure are taken in succes-
sion, and in each aspect the parable finds its
fulfilment in the Lord Jesus. But as the formula
which introduces this verse is not repeated in ver.
11, it is more correct to divide vers. I— 18 into two
parts (1-6, 7-18 — the latter being subdivided at
ver. 11) than into three.
First, Jesus declares Himself to be ' the door of
the sheep,' — that is, not the door by which the
sheep enter into the fold, but the door through
which they will leave the fold at the call of the
Shepherd, and (though this is not particularly
specified until ver. 9) through which a shepherd
enters to his sheep. The whole description of
vers. 1-5 must be interpreted in harmony with
this word of Jesus. If He is the Door, what
is the fold ? — who are the sheep ? To answer
these questions we must look forward to a
later verse (ver. 16): 'And other sheep I have
which are not of this fold ; them also I must
lead, and they shall hear my voice, and they
shall become one flock, one shepherd.' That
Jesus here speaks of the heathen world few will
doubt ; and if so, it is very clear that "■> ver. 1 the
Jewish Church is intended by ' the fold of the
sheep.' Not that all who are found within the
pale of Judaism belong to ' the sheep ' of which
Jesus speaks. The sheep are those who hear a
true shepherd's voice ; and we may so far forestall
ver. 1 1 as to say that none are included under this
designation who refuse to hear the voice of Jesus
Himself. ' The sheep ' are therefore those who in
other passages are described as ' of God ' (see chap,
viii. 4.7), and ' of the truth ' (chap, xviii. 37), and
the ' fold ' is the Jewish Church in so far as that
Church has sheltered these until the fulness of
time has come. Then, and not till then, shall the
sheep be led out of the fold into the free open
pastures : then, too, the ' other sheep ' will be
brought, and there shall be, not two flocks but
one, under one Shepherd. It will be seen that
in no part of this parable are the sheep said to
return to the fold ; the shepherds only are spoken
of as entering in, and that for the purpose of
leading out their flocks. In saying, ' I am the
door of the sheep,' therefore, Jesus says in effect
— (1) that through Him alone has any true
guardian and guide of the sheep entered into the
fold ; (2) that through Him alone will the sheep
within the ' fold ' be led out into the open pastures.
The latter thought is easily understood ; it presents
the same promise of the gladness and freedom and
life of Messianic times as was set forth by the
symbols of the feast of Tabernacles in the seventh
and eighth chapters. Then the figures were the
pouring out of water and the lighting of the golden
lamps : the figure now is very dilterent, but (as
we have seen) equally familiar in Old Testament
prophecy. Not until Messiah shall come will the
night of patient waiting cease, and the fold be
seen to have been only a temporary shelter, not a
lasting home. The application of the words before
us to the shepherds is more difficult ; for when
we consider how this chapter is connected with
the last, it is plain that Jesus adverts to the
presence within the fold of some who are not
true shepherds. They have climbed up from
some other quarter, and are in the fold to gratify
their own selfishness and greed, not to benefit the
flock. How then can it be said of them that
they did not enter through the Door, — i.e.,
through our Lord Himself? In answering this
question it seems plain that we have here a saying
akin to that of chap. viii. 56, or xii. 41, or to that
of Heb. xi. 26, in which Moses is said to have
esteemed ' the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt.' The leading charac-
teristic of preceding ages had been that they were
a time of preparation for the Christ, that during
them the promise and hope of the Christ had
stood in the place of His personal presence. The
object of every ruler in the Jewish Church, and
of every teacher of the Jewish people, should
have been to point forward to the coming of the
Messiah ; and each should have used all his power
and influence, not for himself, but to prepare for
the event in which the Jewish Church was to
culminate and (in an important sense) come to an
end, giving place to the Church Universal. The
rulers brought before us in the last chapter had
done the reverse ; in no true sense had they pre-
pared for the Christ : and, when the Christ
appeared, so far from receiving Him, they had
combined together to put away from the Church
in which they bore rule every one who acknow-
ledged that Jesus was He. Hence, accordingly,.
Chap. IX. 13-X. 21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
123
the strong language of ver. I. These teachers
had 'climbed up from another quarter,' instead
of entering by the Door. They had been marked
by a spirit of self-exaltation, of earthly Satanic
pride ; they had appeared as the enemies of God,
had refused to submit themselves to His plans,
had sought not Ilis glory but their own; their
aims had been thoroughly selfish, devilish ; they
were of their father the devil (viii. 44). Thus,
also, we see that the term 'a thief and a robber,'
applied to such teachers in ver. 1, is not too
strong, for they had perverted the whole object of
the theocracy ; they had made that an end which
was only designed to be a means, and had done
this as men who had blinded themselves to the
true light, and were using the flock of God as
instruments for their own aggrandisement. They
were in the fold, but they had not entered through
the door.
Such then being the meaning of the ' Door,
the 'fold,' the 'sheep,' the true and false shep-
herds, the rest of the description is easily under-
stood. The true sheep know the voice of
every rightful shepherd (vers. 3, 4) ; in all past
ages there has been this mutual recognition
between teachers sent by God and those who
have desired to be taught of God. But the full
accomplishment of the work described in these
verses awaits the coming of Him who is the true
Shepherd, through whom the sheep are to be led
forth from the fold. To Him alone apply the
words in their completeness, but in measure they
most truly belong to every shepherd whose mission
conies through Him.
Ver. 8. All that came before rue are thieves
and robbers : but the sheep did not hear them.
In the similitude of the door, Jesus had declared
that it was through Him alone that the flocks
could come out of the Jewish fold into the
pastures into which they had longed to enter ;
and this was a truth not depending only upon
His proclamation of it, but lying in the very
essence of the Old Testament dispensation. The
prophecies had fixed the thoughts of all true
Israelites on ' Him that cometh,' and had shown
them that until His coming their hopes could not
be fulfilled. But some had forgotten this, and
had falsely claimed the place that belonged to
Jesus, each deceiver pretending that he himself
was the medium through which God's people
were to be led to the satisfaction of their hopes.
But those who trusted in God and waited
patiently for Him were kept by Him from these
deceivers : ' the sheep did not hear them.'
Such is the general sense of this verse ; it is
less easy to fill up the outline it presents. We
may well wonder that any should have thought
that the words 'all that came before me' might
include the prophets of the former dispensation ;
for the context most clearly proves that Jesus is
speaking of those who 'came before Him,' pro-
fessing to be ' the door of the sheep.'1 The word
'came,' indeed, can hardly be interpreted without
the thought of that designation so peculiarly be-
longing to Jesus in the Fourth Gospel, ' He that
cometh.' No one else has a right thus to say ' I
come,' 'I have come,' 'I came.' The idea of
taking the work of Jesus in hand lies in 'came.'
When, accordingly, setting aside the thought of
all true prophets, we ask who they are to whom
this description applies, we naturally think, in the
first instance, of false Messiahs, of whom many
appeared in Jewish history. It may be said that
we have no record of a claim to Messiahship
earlier than the time when these words were
spoken. This answer contains too positive an
assertion. There is reason for believing that
Judas of Galilee (mentioned in Acts v. .-,7) was
regarded by some as the Christ ; and Gamaliel's
words respecting Theudas (Acts v. 36) may very
possibly cover a similar assumption. The Gospels
reveal a state of Messianic hope out of which such
deception might easily arise. That popular insur-
rections were continually occurring is a notorious
fact ; and if Josephus, our chief authority for the
history of this period, fails to give us a careful
account of the religious hopes that were fostered
by the leaders of revolt, his character and aims
as a historian are a sufficient explanation of
his silence. But whether the thought of false
Messiahs is admissible or not, the meaning of the
words must extend much farther, and must
embrace all who had sought to turn the people
from waiting for the promise which God had
given, or had substituted other principles of
national life for the hope of the Messiah. Such
had long been the practical effect of the rule
and teaching of Pharisees and Sadducees. These
men had sat in the seat of Moses to make void the
law and to extinguish the promise by their vain
traditions, and for their selfish ends ; and they
are certainly, perhaps mainly, thought of here.
Ver. 9. I am the door : by me if any one have
entered in, he shall be saved, and shall enter
in, and shall go out and find pasture. From
the thought of the 'thieves and robbers,' Jesus
turns to that of 'a shepherd of the sheep.' And
as entering by the door has been mentioned
(ver. 1) as the first mark of a true shepherd, He
emphatically repeats His former saying, ' I am
the door.' In ver. 7, however, as ver. 8 shows,
it is of the release of the flock from the fold that
we must chiefly think (and therefore the words
' of the sheep ' were naturally added). The repe-
tition here introduces the other application of the
thought. Whoever has entered through this
Door (Christ) shall be saved, and shall enter in
(to the fold), and shall go out and find pasture
(for the flock over which he is placed in charge).
The repetition of 'enter,' it will be seen, involves
no tautology : first the shepherd passes through
the door, then goes into the heart of the enclosure
to call to him his sheep. He goes in for the
purpose of coming out to find pasturage for the
flock that follows him from the fold. The chief
difficulty lies in the interpretation of the words
'he shall be saved.' The sudden introduction
of this thought in the very midst of figurative
language most consistently preserved (the door,
enter in, go out and find pasture) at first appears
strange. But the very place which the words
hold supplies a key to their interpretation. We
cannot content ourselves with saying that the
whole parable is instinct with the thought of
salvation in its general sense, and that what is
present in every part may surely be expressed in
one. It is true that in our Lord's parables we
sometimes find a rapid transition from the sign to
the thing signified ; but such an intermixture of
fact and figure as (on that supposition) is found
here, we meet with nowhere else. Whatever
difficulty may arise, the words must connect them-
selves with the imagery of the parable. The
chapters of Ezekiel and Zechariah, referred to in
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. IX. 13-X. 21.
124
the note on ver. 1, show at once how this is pos-
sible. We have before seen (see chap. iii. 3, vii. 39,
viii. 33, etc.) how suddenly our Lord sometimes
removes His hearers into a familiar region of Old
Testament history or prophecy. To the teachers
of the law, who were the hearers of most of the
discourses related by John, the letter of the Old
Testament was well known ; and, moreover, it is
very probable that in the discourses as delivered
other words may have been added, not necessary
to the completeness of the thought, but helpful to
the understanding of the hearers. One of the
connecting links between this chapter and the
last is the evil wrought by unworthy and false
shepherds ; in this word suddenly introduced in
the portraiture of a true shepherd we have vividly
brought before us all that the prophets had said
of the fate of the unworthy. Those shepherds
who had no pity on the flock, but said, 'Blessed
be the Lord, for I am rich,' the soul of the
prophet 'loathed,' and he gave them to destruc-
tion (Zech. xi. 5, S, 17). From all such penalty
of unfaithfulness shall the true shepherd be 'saved.'
That He whose love to His flock assigns this
punishment to the unworthy will reward the faith-
ful, may not be expressed in the figure, but in the
interpretation it holds the chief place : to such a
shepherd of souls will Jesus give salvation. — It
should perhaps be said that (probably in conse-
quence of the difficulty which the words 'he shall
be saved ' seem to present) this verse is usually
understood as relating to the sheep and not to
the shepherds. It seems impossible, however,
to compare the language here used with that of
vers. I, 2 without coming to the conclusion that
all the three are identical in subject.
Ver. 10. The thief cometli not but that he
may steal, and kill, and destroy. This verse
forms a link of connection between ver. 9 and
ver. 1 1 , presenting first the contrast between a true
shepherd and 'the thief,' and then preparing the
way for the highest contrast of all, that between
the thief and the Good Shepherd. The rightful
Shepherd has entered (ver. 9) that He may lead
out His flock to the pastures; the thief cometh
only to steal and kill, feeding himself and not the
flock, even seeking its destruction. — I came that
they may have life, and that they may have
abundance. To this point the figure contained
in ' I am the door ' has been more or less clearly
preserved, for the shepherd has, and the thief has
not, entered the fold by the door. The language
now before us does not really depart from this con-
ception (for in opposition to those who 'came
before' Him professing to be 'the door of the
sheep,' Jesus here says ' I came'), although it agrees
still better with the thought of ver. H. In fact
the words 'I came' stand in double contrast, —
with the words of ver. S, and with the first words
of this verse ' the thief cometh.' By whatever-
figure Jesu, is represented, the object of His
appearing is the same, that His sheep may live.
The life and abundance are the reality of which
the pasturage (ver. y) has been the symbol. As
in chap. vii. the blessings of Messiah's kingdom
are represented by abundant streams of living
water, so here the regions into which Jesus is lead-
ing His flock are regions of life and of abundance.
To His people He gives eternal life ; there shall
be no want to them for maintaining their life in all
its freedom and joy; their ' cup runneth over.'
Ver. 11. I am the good shepherd: the good
shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.
The aspect of the preamble here changes : in the
following verses, until the 16th, there is no men-
tion of the fold or of the door, but of the shepherd
only and his relation to the flock. The word
rendered 'good' occurs but seldom in this Gospel:
it differs from the word ordinarily so translated
(which however John uses still less frequently) in
that it is never used to express the idea of kind-
ness, but always signifies what is (outwardly or
inwardly) beautiful, noble, excellent of its kind.
Both words may be used to denote moral excel-
lence, and with but slight difference of meaning.
Here then the epithet has no reference to kindness
but to excellence as a Shepherd. Is there a
shepherd whose work is not only faithful but all
fair, without spot or defect, such a Shepherd of
the flock is the Lord Jesus. The highest point
which the Shepherd's faithfulness can reach is His
laying down His life for the sheep : when the wolf
assaults the flock, the Good Shepherd repels him,
although He die in the attempt. Strictly taken
these words are general, and may be said of every
noble shepherd; but, connected with the first
clause, they in effect declare what is done by Jesus
Himself. Our Lord's hearers at the time would
understand no more than this, that at the peril of
His life He would defend His flock ; but it is im-
possible to read chap. xi. 51 without seeing in the
words a reference to the truth declared in chap,
iii. 14, 15, xii. 32, — the atoning death of the
Redeemer which brings life to the world.
Vers. 12, 13. He that is an hireling and not
a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not,
beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the
sheep and ileeth (and the wolf catcheth them
and scattereth), because he is an hireling and
careth not for the sheep. A true shepherd will
purchase the life of his sheep by the sacrifice of
his own life. The man who has taken the work
of a shepherd for hire, who is only a hireling and
careth not for the sheep, abandons them as soon
as danger approaches, and gains his own life at
the cost of the life of his sheep. Since the sheep
are not to him as ' his own ' the very name of
shepherd is denied him. It may seem that the
climax which usually shows itself in the narratives
and discourses of this Gospel is here wanting,
'thief and ' robber ' being far stronger terms of
reprobation than 'hireling.' But it is not really
so : the thief at all events has betrayed no trust,
and is less guilty than the hireling who in the hour
of need forsakes the duty he had pledged himself
to fulfil. Whom then does the hireling represent?
If ' the thief who comes under the guise of
shepherd stands for all who force themselves into
the place of rulers and guides, for the sake of
private gain, ' the hireling ' seems to represent
those who held such place by lawful right, but
when faithfulness was needed most deserted duty
through fear. Godet points to chap. xii. 42 as ex-
emplifying the description here given. The lawful
rulers dare not avow their own convictions and
thus guard the people who trust in them; the
Pharisaic spirit is too strong for them ; they save
themselves by silence and give up those for whom
they should care to the persecution of the enemy.
Some of these will yield to the foe and deny that
Jesus is the Christ; many will be scattered. It is
possible therefore that ' the wolf may here repre-
sent this spirit of Judaism, but we should rather
say that it is the enemy (Luke x. 19) of God and
Chap. IX. 13-X. 21.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
125
man who is represented under the symbol of the
natural foe of the sheep and of the Shepherd.
Whatever agency may be used, the ultimate source
of the murderous design is the spirit of evil, the
Devil, he who was 'a murderer from the begin-
ning.'
Vers. 14, 15. lam the good shepherd, and I
know mine own, and mine own know me, even
a3 the Father knoweth me, and I know the
Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.
As the figure of ver. 7 was repeated in ver. 9, that
it might receive a new and blessed application, so
here we have a repetition of the figure presented
in the nth verse. The repetition removes from
view the unworthy : we are brought once more
into the presence of Jesus and His own. First
and last in these two verses stand the two clauses
of the former verse, altered only in so far that
what there was said of the Good Shepherd is here
said of Jesus Himself ('/ lay down ). Between
these two clauses are placed two other sayings, the
first suggested at once by the figure used, the
second rising higher than any earlier words of the
parable. Since Jesus is the good Shepherd, His
sheep hear His voice and He calleth His own
sheep by name (ver. 3) : hence He says that He
Ver. 16. And other sheep I have, which are
not of this fold: them also I must lead, and
they shall hear my voice. Not in the Jewish
Church only was there a work of preparation foi
His coming : the light had been shining in the
darkness (chap. i. 5), — the light which enlighleneth
every man (i. 9). Many in the Gentile world were
waiting only to hear His voice : they will recog-
nise their Shepherd, and He will know His own
sheep. He regards them as His own even now
('other sheep I have'') ; they are not shunning the
light and seeking darkness; He receives them now
as His Father's gift to Him. It is not easy to
answer a question which the words immediately
suggest : Does our Lord speak of these ' other
sheep' of the Gentile world as abiding in a fold?
It might be so. We cannot see that there would
be difficulty in regarding that dispensation of which
we know so little, the dealings of the One Father
with the heathen world (to which had been given
no such revelation as the Jews possessed, but in
which He had never left Himself without witness),
as symbolized by a ' fold.' But there does seem
to be an intentional avoidance of any word that
would necessarily suggest this image here. No
mention is made of ' entering in ' to the place
knows (recognises) His own sheep and His own where these sheep abide, or of the door through
know (recognise) Him. But once more (see chap, which they pass. The word 'lead' is used again,
viii. 38) He places in parallelism His own relation but, whereas in ver. 3 we read that the Shepherd
to the Father and the relation of His own to Him. leadeth out His own sheep from the Jewish fold,
He looks on the sheep and sees at once that they here He says only 'them also I must lead? We
are His : they see Him and hear His voice and conclude therefore that it was not without design
know that He is their Shepherd. So the Father that Jesus said — not 'I have sheep of another fold,'
looks on Him and sees in Him the Good Shepherd but — 'I have other sheep, not of this fold.' The
whom He sent : He looks on the Father, and con- language of chap. xi. 52 suggests rather that these
stantly recognises His presence as the Father with 'other sheep' have been comparatively shelterless,
Him. There is wonderful beauty and elevation in not drawn together by any shepherd's care, but
the comparison; no saying of our Lord goes 'scattered abroad.' Their fast has been altogether
beyond this in unfolding the intimacy of com- different from that of the devout Israelite ; but the
munion between Himself and His people which it future of Jew and Gentile shall be the same. As
reveals and promises. They are His, as He is the in the case of Israel, so here the whole work of
Father's. It seems very probable that in these
words there lies a reference to ver. 2, where we
read that he who stands at the gate admits the true
shepherd within the fold, recognising him, dis-
tinguishing him at once from those who falsely
bringing liberty and life is accomplished by Jesus
Himself: it is a work that He must do (comp.
chap. iv. 34, ix. 4, etc.), for it is His Father's
will. He seeks the scattered sheep ; they come
together to Him ; He places Himself at the head
claim the name, just as the shepherd distinguishes of this other flock ; His voice keeps them near to
his own sheep from those that are not of his flock. — Him. Passing for a moment from the figure, we
These two verses are remarkable for simplicity of recognise once more how Jesus includes all the
structure. As in the simplest examples of Hebrew
poetry, thought is attached to thought, one member
is placed in parallelism with another. Yet, as in
the Hebrew poetry of which this reminds us, a
dependence of thought upon thought may be in-
ferred, though it is not expressed. Thus we have
seen that, if Jesus is the Good Shepherd, it must
be true that He recognises His own sheep. So
work of faith and discipleship in ' hearing Him '
(see chap. viii. 31, 40, 47): all that had been
wanting to these heirs of a lower dispensation is
supplied when they hear His voice. —And they shall
become one flock, one shepherd. Then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, One flock,
One Shepherd (Ezek. xxxiv. 23, xxxvii. 22-24).
As written by the prophet indeed the words have
also (and it is to point out this that we call atten- express reference to the reuniting of scattered and
tion to the structure of the verse) the Father's divided Israel ; but, as in countless other instances,
recognition of Him closely connects itself with His the history of Israel is a parable of the history of
laying down His life, as the Shepherd for the the world. The apostolic comment on the verse is
sheep. In this the Father sees the highest proof found in Ephesians, chap. ii. It is very unfortunate
of His devotion to the work He has accepted : in that in the Authorised Version the rendering ' one
the spirit of constant readiness for this crowning
act of love He recognises the Father's constant
presence and love (ver. 17). And, as the words
of the verse bear witness to the Father's care for
man (not less truly and powerfully because this
meaning does not lie on the surface of the words),
it is easy to see once more with what fitness we
here read 'the Father,' and not simply 'my Father'
(see chap. viii. 27, 38).
fold ' should have found a place, instead of ' one
flock.' The whole thought of the parable is thrown
into confusion by this error, which is the less
excusable inasmuch as the word which actually
does mean ' fold ' (a word altogether dissimilar)
occurs in the first part of the verse. Our first and
greatest translator, William Tyndale, rightly under-
stood the words : the influence of the Vulgate and
of Erasmus was in this case prejudicial, and led
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. X. 22-42.
Coverdale (who in his own Bible of 1535 had
followed Tyndale) to introduce the wrong transla-
tion into the Great Bible of 1539. We may well
wonder that the Vulgate should contain so strange
a mistake ; the older Latin version was here correct,
but was changed by Jerome.
Ver. 17. Therefore doth the Father love me,
because I lay down iny life that I may take it
again. In ver. 15 we have read of the Father's
recognition of the Good Shepherd, who gives the
highest proof of His devotion to the shepherd's
work and possession of the shepherd's character
in laying down His life for the sheep. These
verses take up and expand that thought, speaking
not of recognition only but of love. But it is with
ver. 16 that ver. 17 is immediately connected. 'I
must ' had expressed complete union with His
Father's will : the prophecy that follows brought
into view the full and certain accomplishment of
the Father's purpose. On this account, because of
this union of will and this devotion to His pur-
pose, ' the Father ' (note once more how perfect is
the fitness of this name here) Ioveth Him, —
namely, because He layeth down His life that He
may take it again. The two parts of this state-
ment must be closely joined together. The perfect
conformity to the Father's will is shown not in
laying down the life only, but also in taking it
again. The duty of the Shepherd, as set forth in
vers. 15, 16, can only in this way be accomplished.
He gives His life to purchase life for His sheep,
but besides this He must continue to lead the flock
of which He is the Only Shepherd. In the exe-
cution of His work, therefore, He could not give
Himself to death without the purpose of taking
His life again : He died that His own may ever
live in His life. — But, if the Father's love can rest
on the Son who is obedient even unto death, and
unto life through death, it is essential that the
obedience be entirely free. Hence the words of
the next verse.
Ver. iS. No man taketh it from me, but I lay
it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. He lays
down His life of Himself. He has the right to do
this, and the right to take the life again. — This
commandment I received of my Father. By
His Father's express commission He has this right
of free decision. For the first time Jesus here
speaks of the ' commandment ' which He has
received, and the use of this term is in full har-
mony with the position He has assumed throughout
the parable, the Shepherd of God's flock, the
Servant of Jehovah. On the word 'love' (ver. 17)
see note on chap. v. 20: the word found in that'
verse is not used here, for the reason there ex-
plained. A question is often asked in relation tc
the words of these verses : if the teaching of
Scripture is that the Father raised the Son from the
dead, how can Jesus speak as He here does about
His resumption of life? But, if the words 'this
commandment' be interpreted as above, to refer
to the Father's will that the death and resurrection
should rest on the free choice of Jesus, the answer
is plain : Jesus took His life again in voluntarily
accepting the exercise of His Father's power. If
we understand the ' commandment ' to relate — not
to the possession of right or power, but — to the
actual death and resurrection, the answer isdifferent,
but not less easy: Jesus in rising from the dead
freely obeys the Father's will, — the Father's will
is still the ultimate source of the action of the
Son.
Ver. 19. There arose a division again among
the Jews because of these words. The effect
related in chap. vii. 43, ix. 16, is again produced.
This time however (as in chap. viii. 31) ' the Jews'
themselves are divided. The preceding parable
therefore must have been spoken in the hearing of
many who were hostile to Jesus, as well as of
Pharisees (chap. ix. 40) who may have been half
convinced.
Vers. 20, 21. And many of them said, He hath
a demon, and is mad ; why hear ye him ?
Others said, These are not the sayings of one
that is possessed by a demon. Can a demon
open the eyes of the blind ? In the other instances
quoted above the division of feeling had been
between ' some ' and ' others : ' here, where ' the
Jews' are in question, many are driven by the
words of Jesus to more bitter hostility, repeating
and extending the charge of which we read in
chap. vii. 20, viii. 4S. But there are others whom
the miracle related in chap. ix. had impressed,
though at the time they did not stand up against
the action of their party (chap. ix. 34). The
effect produced on them by the miracle which
Jesus wrought is now deepened by His teaching :
as in the case of Nicodemus the ' sign ' prepared
the way for the instruction of the 'words.' In the
question asked we have the same association of
teaching and miracle. A man possessed by a spirit
of evil could not say such things as these : a demon
(though he might be supposed able to cast out
another demon) could not restore to the blind their
sight. It is interesting to observe in these last
words the tendency of the Evangelist to close a
section with words that recall its opening, thus
binding all the parts of a narrative into one
whole.
Chapter X. 22-42.
Jesus at tlie Feast of the Dedication. — The increasing contrasts of Faith and
Unbelief.
22 A ND it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication,1 and2
23 1 a. it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple3 in
24 "Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him,4 aAasEi.™,
1 There came to pass at that time the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem
2 omit and 3 temple-courts 4 The Jews therefore surrounded him
Chap. X. 22-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 127
and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt ? 5
25 If thou be6 the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them,
I told you, and ye believed 7 not : k the works that I do in my i> v". 38,
26 Father's name, they bear witness of8 me. But c ye believe not, « Chap. toT
27 because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.9 d My d v«s. 4. 14.
sheep 'hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: «ChaP. xviii.
28 And I give unto them -^ eternal life; and they shall never /chap.iii. 15.
* perish, neither shall any man 10 pluck them out of my hand, e Chap. m. ,6.
29 h My Father, 'which gave" them me, is greater than all; and Matt.xviii.
30 no man I0 is able to pluck them™ out of my13 Father's hand. k I -s.' ComP.'
31 and mj>™ Father are one. 'Then14 the Jews took up stones xviitV
h Chap. xiv.
32 again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works =8-
/ Chap. vi. 37.
have I shewed you from my13 Father; for which of those n *ChaP*vii-
33 works do ye stone me ? The Jews answered him, saying,10 For 'Chap.viii.
a good work we stone thee not; but '"for blasphemy; and >«ChaP.xix. 7.
34 because that thou, being a man, " makest thyself God. Jesus »chaP. v is.
answered them, Is it not written in your law, " I said, Ye are 0 Ps. lxxxii. 6.
35 gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God
36 came, and ■''the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, ;>% chap,
'whom the Father hath17 sanctified,18 and sent into the world, fChap'vi.*/.
Thou blasphemest ; because I said, I am the 19 Son of God ?
37 r If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. rChap.xv.24
38 But if I do, though 2 ' ye believe not me, ' believe the works : s ver. 25.
that ye may know, and believe,51 that 'the Father is in me, and <s«chaP'. *
39 I in him.22 Therefore23 they "sought again to take24 him : but »Chap. vii.
he escaped 2;' out of their hand. viii. 59.
40 And went 2i; away again beyond Jordan into 2; the place
41 "where John at first baptized ; " and there he abode. And »chaP.i. as.
many resorted 29 unto him, and said,30 John did no miracle : 31
42 but all things that 32 John spake of this man were true. And
"■"many believed on33 him there. wSeedwp.
J mi. 3a.
5 How long dost thou excite our soul 6 art 7 believe
8 concerning 9 omit as I said unto you 10 one n hath given
12 omit them "the I4 omit Then 16 these ls omit saying
17 omit hath ls consecrated I9 omit the
20 even if 21 recognise 22 in the Father
23 omit Therefore -'4 seize 26 and he went forth
20 And he went 27 unto 28 was at first baptizing
29 came 30 and they said 31 sign 32 whatsoever 3S in
Contents. The contest with the Jews is con- true. We have here, therefore, the culminating-
unued. The section strikingly illustrates the plan point of the conflict, and the pause before the
of the gospel (1) by taking up again that claim of highest manifestation by Jesus of Himself as the
Jesus to be the Son of God which had, more than Resurrection and the Life. The subordinate parts
anything else, provoked the opposition of His are— (1) x. 22-39 ; (2) vers. 40-42.
enemies ; (2) by bringing into notice His return Ver. 22. There came to pass at that time the
to Bethany beyond Jordan, where He had been feast of the dedication at Jerusalem : it was
first made manifest by the Baptist to Israel, and winter. With these words we enter on a new
where confession is now made by 'many' that scene, where the Evangelist first sets before us
everything spoken of Him by the Baptist at His the outward circumstances, expressing them, after
entrance upon His public ministry had proved his usual manner, by three clauses. Where
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. X. 22-42.
128
and how the weeks intervening between the
feast of Tabernacles in chap. vii. and the feast
now mentioned were spent John does not inform
us. Once more he shows clearly that his intention
is not to give a continuous narrative ; for, though
he has clearly defined two points of time (the two
festivals), he records in the interval events of but
two or three days. The festival here spoken of
was instituted by Judas Maccabeus, B.C. 165.
For three years the sanctuary had been desolate,
and on the altar of burnt-offering had been placed
an altar for idol-worship. After the victory gained
at Bethsura (or Befhzur), the first thought of Judas
was to ' cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary ' which
had been profaned. The altar of burnt-offering
was taken down, and a new altar built ; and all
Israel ' ordained that the days of the dedication of
the altar should be kept in their season from year
to year by the space of eight days, from the five
and twentieth day of the month Cisleu, with mirth
and gladness' (I Mace. iv. 59). The date would
correspond to a late day in our month of December.
We do not find in the following verses any words
of our Lord which directly relate to this festival ;
but those readers who have noted how carefully
the Evangelist points to the idea of every Jewish
feast as fulfilled in Jesus will not suppose that
there is an exception here. Having heard the
words of chap. ii. 19, he could not but associate
his Lord with the temple : and a feast which com-
memorated the reconstruction of the temple must
have had great significance in his eyes. The
mention of the time of year connects itself naturally
with the choice, spoken of in the next verse, of the
covered walk (' Solomon's Porch ') ; but the mode
in which the fact is mentioned recalls at once
chap. xiii. 30, where every one acknowledges that
the closing words are more than a note of time :
the ' night ' there and the ' winter ' here are felt
by the narrator to be true emblems of the events
which he records.
Ver. 23. And Jesus walked in the temple-
courts, in Solomon's porch. The ' porch ' which
bore Solomon's name was a covered colonnade on
the eastern side of the outer court of the temple.
According to Josephus this ' porch ' was the work
of Solomon : at all events we may well believe
that the massive foundations were laid by him,
though the cloisters which he built were in ruins
when Herod began his restoration of the temple.
Ver. 24. The Jews therefore surrounded him,
and said unto him, How long dost thou excite
our soul ? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.
The recurrence of the oft - repeated term ' the
Jews ' is a sufficient indication of the tone and
design of the question asked. Taking advantage,
perhaps, of the fact that Jesus was in the cloisters
of the temple-courts, and not now in the midst of
a listening 'multitude,' His enemies encompass
Him, determined to gain from Plim such an
avowal of His Messiahship as shall enable them
to carry out their designs against His life. — The
expression which in the Authorised Version is
rendered ' make us to doubt ' has received various
explanations. That adopted by us is perhaps,
upon the whole, the most probable. Another,
however, may be suggested by what is at least a
curious coincidence, that the verb used by the
Jews is the same as that used by our Lord for
'taketh' in the first clause of ver. 18, and that
the noun now rendered 'soul 'is more probably
'life,' and is indeed so translated in ver. 17.
Following these hints we venture to ask whether
the words may not mean, ' How long dost thou
take away our life?' They will then be one of
those unconscious prophecies, of those unconscious
testimonies to the going on of something deeper
than they were themselves aware of, which John
delights to find on the lips of the opponents ot
Jesus. They were stirring up their enmity against
Him to a pitch which was to lead them to take
away His life; and by their words they confess
that He is taking away theirs. It is not meant,
in what has now been said, to assert that the Jews
actually intended to express this, but only that
John sees it in the language which they use. They
meant only, How long dost thou excite us or keep
us in suspense ? Put an end to this by speaking
plainly, — or (more literally) by speaking out,
telling all Thou hast to tell.
Ver. 25. Jesus answered them, I told you, and
ye believe not : the works that I do in my
Father's name, they bear witness concerning
me. A demand so made was never granted by
Jesus. They had already received sufficient evi-
dence, and to this He refers them. He again
speaks of both word and deed. What He had
said (see chap. v. 19, viii. 36, 56, 58) had shown
clearly who He is ; what He had done had borne
witness concerning Him (see chap. v. 36). But
both word and works had failed to lead them to
belief in Him.
Ver. 26. But ye believe not, because ye are
not of my sheep. In chap. viii. 47 He had said
that they heard not His words because they were
not of God : the same thought is expressed here,
but with a change of figure. There is no reference
to an essential or necessary state, to any ' decree '
through the operation of which they were in-
capable of faith. They have not the character,
the disposition, of His sheep ; through this moral
defect (for which they are themselves responsible,
see chap. iii. 19, etc.) they will not believe. This
is brought out more fully in the next verse.
Vers. 27, 28. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me : And I give
unto them eternal life ; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any one pluck them out of
my hand. In these verses is given a description
of the true sheep. The description is rhythmical,
and rises to a climax. The first couplet expresses
some property of the sheep, the second a corre-
sponding attitude or action of the Shepherd ; and
each successive couplet takes us into a higher
sphere of thought and blessing.
1. My sheep hear my voice,
And I know them ;
2. And they follow me,
And I give unto them eternal life,
3. And they shall never perish,
And no one shall pluck them out of my hand.
The couplets, as will be seen, express successively
the mutual recognition of sheep and Shepherd (for
this is the meaning conveyed by the word here
rendered 'know,' — see the note on vers. 14, 15);
the present gift of eternal life to those who follow
Jesus (see chap. viii. 12, etc.) ; the lastit
of those who thus follow Plim and abide with
Him. The description presents a complete con-
trast to the action of ' the Jews ' who were not of
His sheep (ver. 26) ; who, though He had so often
manifested Himself to them byword . nd work,
yet had never recognised His voice, but came to
Him saying, ' If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. '
Chap. X. 22-42.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
From this contrast arises the order of the clauses in
these verses, an order different from that in ver. 14.
Vers. 29, 30. My Father, which hath given
them me, is greater than al] ; and no one is able
to pluck out of the Father's hand. I and the
Father are one. The apparent object of these
words is to establish more completely the safety
of His sheep. But in answering this purpose they
also answer a still higher end ; they are a revela-
tion of Jesus Himself. In effect they give a reply
in the question of the Jews, but such a reply as
only the heart prepared to listen to the truth will
receive. Jesus lias spoken of ' My sheep ;' they
are His by reason of His Father's gift. The
Father who has given will maintain the gift : and
He is greater tl^an all who could seek to snatch
away the sheep, — none can snatch aught out of
the hand of the Father. The progress of the
thought is perfectly simple, but the transition from
' my Father' to ' the Father' is full of meaning.
The latter name is fitly used, since here the axiom
of Divine Almightiness is expressed ; the same
name, moreover, is most appropriate in a passage
which traces the development of God's purpose to
make men His sons through His Son. fesus has
used the same words of Himself and of the Father ;
' no one shall pluck them out of my hand,' — ' no
one can pluck out of the Father's hand.' He
might have left His hearers to draw the certain
inference, but He will so far grant their request
as to ' tell ' this ' plainly : ' ' I and the Father are
one.' There is perhaps nothing in this saying that
goes beyond the revelation of chap. v. ; but its
terseness and its simple force give it a new signifi-
cance. Unity of action, purpose, power, may be
what the context chiefly requires us to recognise
as expressed in these words ; but the impression
which was made upon the Jews (ver. 31), the fuller
statement of ver. 3S, the analogy of chap. v. and
of expressions (still more closely parallel) in chap,
xvii. forbid us to depart from the most ancient
Christian exposition which sees in this saying of
Jesus no less than a claim of unity of essence with
the Father.
Ver. 31. The Jews took up stones again to
stone him. Their view of the blasphemy of His
words is given more fully in ver. 33. The word
' again ' carries us back to chap. viii. 59, where a
similar attempt is recorded, but in less definite
language. There we see the Jews taking up,
hastily snatching up, stones that lay near, to 'cast
on Him : ' here their resolve to inflict the penalty
for blasphemy appears more distinctly in their
attempt to 'stone Him.' The two words rendered
' take up ' are also different, and it is possible that
the Evangelist here presents the Jews as bearing
up the stones on high, in the very act of preparing
to bury Him beneath them. The climax ought
not to pass unobserved. — They are arrested by
His words.
Ver. 32. Jesus answered them, Many good
works have I showed you from the Father ; for
which of these works do ye stone me ? On the
the word ' good ' see the note on ver. 1 1 : every
work He has shown them has borne the perfect
stamp of a work nobk and perfect in its kind, for
He has shown it 'from the Father,' who sent
Him and ever works with and in Him. He
knew that they were enraged at His word, and yet
He speaks here of His -works : the works and the
words are essentially one, — alike manifestations of
Himself
vol. 11. 9
129
Ver. 33. The Jews answered him, For a good
work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy;
and because that thou, being a man, makest
thyself God. These words show conclusively how
the saying of ver. 30 was understood by those who
heard it : they perceive now who is meant by ' the
Father ' (comp. viii. 27), and see that to claim
oneness with Him is to claim Deity. All recollec-
tion of 'good works' and indeed all evidence
whatever they cast away, treating such a claim as
incapable of support by any evidence.
Ver. 34. Jesus answered them, Is it not written
in your law, I said, Ye are gods ? The quotation
is from Ps. lxxxii. (the word 'law' being used, as
in chap. xv. 25 and some other places, for the Old
Testament scriptures generally), 'I have said, Ye
are gods, and all of you are children of the Most
High ; but ye shall die like men, and fall like one
of the princes.' The psalm is a reproof of un-
righteous judges. Its opening words bring before
us God judging ' among the gods,' — that is, among
the judges, for the sacred name is in other passages
(Ex. xxi. 6, xxii. 8, and probably xxii. 28) given
to those who were to the people the representatives
of God, and gave judgment in His name. In
following verses of the psalm as far as ver. 7, it is
supposed by some that God Himself is the Speaker
(comp. Ps. 1.). If so, the words ' Ye are gods ' are
here quoted as if spoken by God ; and in the next
verse ' he called ' must be similarly explained. It
seems more likely, however, that the rebuke of
the judges' injustice is administered by the psalmist
in his own person; and in ver. 35 the meaning
will either be that the law 'called,' or the speaker
implied in the emphatic 'I,' viz. the psalmist
writing under inspiration from God and expressing
His mind. In any case the pronoun ' I ' is strongly
marked, — I myself, who utter the rebuke and had
foretold the punishment, had borne witness to the
dignity of the position of the judge.
Vers. 35, 36. If he called them gods, unto
whom the word of God came, and the scripture
cannot be broken ; Say ye of him, whom the
Father consecrated, and sent into the world,
Thou blasphemest ; because I said, I am Son
of God? If (1) the speaker in the psalm called
men ' gods ' because the word of God (the ex-
pression of God's will, which, as judges, they
were bound to carry out) was given to them ; and
if (2) this passage of scripture cannot be broken,
cannot be set aside, but must be taken as inspired
by God, how can they accuse Jesus of blasphemy?
To the judges the 'word of God came:' Jesus
was sent into the world by the Father to declare
His will, as Himself 'The Word.' The judges
were commissioned by God for the work to which
they proved unfaithful : He, consecrated by the
Father to His work, had but fulfilled His trust
when He declared Himself Son of God. If then
the judge, as a partial and imperfect expression of
God (if we may so speak) to the people received
the name of ' god,' with infinitely higher right may
Jesus call Himself Son of God. His claim of the
name was in itself no foundation for their charge :
their own law should have taught them this.
Ver. 37. If I do not the works of my Father,
believe me not. In the last verse ' the Father '
was the Name of which Jesus spoke, thus bringing
together in thought God who spoke in the psalm
and His Father who sent Him into the world.
Here, after the mention of ' the Son of God,' He
says 'the works of my Father.' If He does no
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XI. 1-44.
such works they have no right to believe His word
and acknowledge His claims. It is otherwise if
He does them.
Ver. 3S. But if I do, even if ye believe not
me, believe the works : that ye may know, and
recognise, that the Father is in me, and I in
the Father. If He does the works of His Father,
then, even although they might be unwilling to
accept His witness respecting Himself, the works
bear a testimony they are bound to receive.
Receiving this testimony and thus learning that
the works of Jesus are the Father's works, men
will know that He and the Father are one, the
Father abiding in Him, and He in the Father.
But this is not a truth learnt once for all. The
words of Jesus are : that ye may ' know ' (being
brought to conviction by the testimony of the
works) and (from that point onwards continually)
' recognise ' . . . Their eyes once opened, they
will ever see in the works tokens of the Father's
presence.
Ver. 39. They sought again to seize him : and
he went forth out of their hand. ' Again ' seems
to point back to chap, vii., where the same word
'seize' is found three times (vers. 30, 32, 44).
We cannot suppose that the Jews had laid aside
their design of stoning Him in consequence of the
words just spoken, for these words would either
lead to faith or repel to greater enmity. For some
reason not mentioned they now seek not to stone
Him on the spot, but to seize Him and carry Him
away. As in chap. viii. 59, ' He went forth ' out
of their hand, thus illustrating again His own
words in ver. iS.
Ver. 40. And he went away again beyond
Jordan unto the place where John was at first
baptizing; and there he abode. The place in
which John at first baptized was that mentioned
in chap. i. 28 (not in chap. iii. 22), viz. Bethany
beyond Jordan. But why does the Evangelist
here make special mention of this fact ? It would
seem that we have another illustration of his
tendency at the close of a period of the history to
go back to the beginning of that period. He
gathers together the whole ministry of Jesus up to
this time under one point of view. With the next
chapter we really enter on the final scene : in the
raising of Lazarus the work of Jesus reaches its
culminating-point ; by that miracle His rejection
and condemnation by the Jews is made certain.
And as in a mountain ascent the traveller may
pause before attempting the highest peak, and
survey the long path by which he has ascended,
so the Evangelist here pauses before relating the
last struggle, and (by mentioning the association
of the place and not the name of the place itself)
leads his readers to survey with him all the period
of the ministry of Him to whom John bore wit-
ness. Whatever Jesus had since done or said
ratified the witness borne by the Baptist. Possibly
it was because of John's testimony that Jesus
sought this spot : near it may have lived many
whose hearts had been prepared for His teaching.
What He did during His stay in Bethany beyond
Jordan, or how long was His stay, we do not
know. We may certainly suppose that He taught;
and the next verse suggests that ' signs ' were
wrought.
Vers. 41, 42. And many came unto him; and
they said, John did no sign : but all things
whatsoever John spake of this man were true.
And many believed in him there. How great
the contrast between the scene presented here and
those of the preceding chapters 1 He came to the
Jews, but, in spite of works and word, they
rejected Him : now, in His retirement, many
come unto Him, and many believe in Him. For
Jesus this period of rest is a period not of peace
only, but also of joy in successful toil. Another
contrast implied is between Jesus and the Baptist
' who did no sign ' but bare witness only. He
being dead yet speaketh, in that his testimony is
leading men to Jesus in the very place of his own
ministry : and there also witness is borne to him,
in the emphatic acknowledgment that all his
words concerning Jesus had proved true. Nay,
even beyond the experience of these believers we
may see that this saying expresses truth, for in His
most memorable discourses Jesus fulfils the words
of the Baptist recorded in chap. i. of this Gospel,
' He that cometh after me has become before me,
because He was before me ' (i. 15, 27, 30).
;n
Chapter XI. 1-44.
The Raising of Lazarus. — Jesus the Resurrection and the Life.
OW a certain man was sick, named1 Lazarus, of " Bethany, «Matt.
'that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped fChap.
3 his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) There-
fore his sisters4 sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom
4 thou lovest is sick. When5 Jesus heard that, he said, This
sickness is not unto death, but for d the glory of God, that the *"**£ *'.
5 Son of God might" be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved
6 Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard
1 omit named
4 The sisters therefore
2 fiom the village
5 But when
3 Now it
G may
Chap. XI. 1-44.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 131
therefore that he was sick, he abode' two days still in the same
7 place where he was.8 Then after that saith he to his* disciples,
8 Let us go into Judea again. His10 disciples say unto him,
Master," the ''Jews of late sought" to stone thee; and goest «Chap. «. J(
9 thou thither again ? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve
hours in13 the day? S 1( any14 man walk in the day, he /Chap. ix. 4.
10 stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But
'if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no rChap.xii.
1 1 light I5 in him. These things said he : and after that he saith
unto them, Our friend Lazarus * sleepeth ; 16 but I go, that I ;'M'"\V,\!;
12 may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples,17 Lord, ^.™xJ6i
13 if he sleep,16 he shall do well.18 Howbeit Jesus spake19 of his \%^ iv-
death : but they thought that he had spoken 20 of taking of rest '3-
14 in sleep. Then said Jesus21 unto them plainly, Lazarus is
15 dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to
the intent ye may believe ; 2a nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Then said 'Thomas,23 which is called Didymus," unto his «' Chap. xiv. s,
J xx. 24,
fellow-disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. mm? »
17 Then when25 Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the
1 8 grave J6 * four days already. Now ' Bethany was 2; nigh unto * Vcr- «•
19 Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: And many of the Jews
came 2S to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their
20 brother. Then Martha, as soon as29 she heard that Jesus was
coming, went and met him : but Mary sat still in the house.
21 Then said Martha 30 unto Jesus, '" Lord, if thou hadst been here, "'v[er- 3.2-
7 chap, iv. 49.
22 my brother had not died. But I know, that even now,31 what-
23 soever33 thou wilt33 ask of God, God will give it31 thee. Jesus
24 saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith33
unto him, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection "J"ukchaV-
25 at "the last day. Jesus said unto her, ^ I am the resurrection, „chap v9i'39
and the 'life : he that believeth in me, though he were dead,315 p^'^\
26 yet shall he live: And whosoever37 liveth and believeth in me 'ICor-xv
27 r shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, 'cSKSl*6'
Yea, Lord : s I believe38 that thou art the Christ, the 'Son of ^lt™%
28 God, "which should come39 into the world. And when she had ,see'lhaP.
so said, she went her way,40 and called Mary her sister secretly,41 Cm>|f'Matt.
xvi. 25.
j Matt. xvi.
7 at that time indeed he abode 8 in the place where he was two days ll\ , job""'
9 he saith to the lu The iv/15.
11 Rabbi 12 but now the Jews were seeking 13 of 14 a ,' ^p- j^4*
15 because the light is not 10 hath fallen asleep
17 The disciples therefore said unto him 18 he shall be saved
19 had spoken 20 he spake 21 Then therefore Jesus said
22 to the intent ye may believe, that I was not there 23 Thomas therefore
24 add said ->5 When therefore 2G tomb 27 is
28 had come 29 Martha there/ore when so Martha therefore said
31 And even now I know that 32 add things 33 shalt 34 omit it
35 said 3li have died 37 And every one that 3S have believed
39 he that cometh 40 went away 4I omit secretly
132 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XI. 1-44.
29 saying,42 "The Master43 is come, and calleth for41 thee. As wSeechap.
soon as she heard that, she arose45 quickly, and came46 unto Comp. chap
30 him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town,47 but was43
31 in that place where Martha met him. ** The Jews then " which mVa. .9.
were with her in the house, and comforted 50 her, when they
saw Mary, that she rose up hastily51 and went out, followed
her, saying,53 She goeth unto the grave 53 to weep 54 there.
12 Then when Mary was come55 where Jesus was, and saw him,
she fell down at his feet,56 saying unto him, * Lord, if thou -rv«- ».
33 hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus there-
fore saw her weeping,57 and the Jews also 53 weeping " which
came with her, he groaned 2 in the spirit, and was troubled,59 yVer.38. _
' o 1 . Mark vrn.
34 And 60 said, Where have ye laid him ? They said cl unto him, '?.; chap.
35,36 Lord, come and see. "Jesus wept. Then said the Jews,6* «Lukexix.4i.
37 Behold how he loved him ! And 63 some of them said, Could
not this man, ^ which opened the eyes of the blind,64 have i chap, u e.
35 caused that even this man should not have died ? G6 Jesus
therefore again c groaning in himself,66 cometh to the grave.67 ever. 33.
39 It °- was a cave, and d a stone lay upon 69 it. Jesus said,70 Take rfSee chap,
ye away the stone. Martha,71 the sister of him that was dead,72
saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh : for ''he hath <■ Ver. ,7.
40 been dead13 four days.74 Jesus saith unto her, -''Said I not/v« -5.
unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe,75 thou shouldest see
41 s the glory of God? Then they took away the stone76 from rv<>r.4-
the place where the dead was laid.77 And Jesus ;' lifted up his AChap.xvii.1.
eyes, and said, 'Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard78 » Matt, xi. *$■
42 me. And 1 7B knew that thou hearest me always : but k because ^chap.xii.jo
of the people80 which stand by81 I said it. that they may l be- 'Chap, xvi
43 lieve that thou hast sent 82 me. And when he thus had spoken, xv,i- 8. "■
44 he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that
was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes : K3
and '"his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith »<chaP. xx. 7
unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
42 add secretly 4" Teacher 44 omit for
48 And she, when she heard it, arose 4i; went
47 village 48 add still 40 therefore
60 and were comforting M quickly 52 supposing
53 that she went unto the tomb 54 lament
55 Mary therefore when she came 56 seeing him fell at his feet
67 lamenting 68 omit also
r'9 he was moved with indignation in his spirit and troubled himself
60 add he 61 say 62 The Jews therefore said 6S But
04 of him that was blind 65 that this man also should not die
66 moved with indignation in himself 67 tomb
68 Now it 69 against 70 saith
71 omit Martha 72 The sister of him that was dead, Martha
73 omit dead 74 adhere 76 if thou believedst
70 They took away the stone therefore 7r omit from . . . laid
78 thou heardest 79 add myself 80 multitude
81 standeth around 82 didst send 83 gravebands
Chap. XI. 1-44.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
CONTENTS. The manifestation of Jesus by
1 [imself is about to terminate so far at least as the
world is concerned, and it does so in His reveal-
ing Himself as the Resurrection and the Life, the
Conqueror of death in the very height of its power.
The raising of Lazarus illustrates this. The
account as a whole divides itself into two subordi-
nate parts — (1) vers. I— 16; (2) vers. 17-44.
Ver. I. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus,
of Bethany, from the village of Mary and her
sister Martha. The scene of the miracle to be
related in this chapter is Bethany, a village (now
small and poor) .about two miles south-east of
Jerusalem over the southern shoulder of the Mount
of Olives. Neither here nor in chap. i. 44 is the
use of the two prepositions 'of and 'from' in-
tended to point to two different places, one the
present abode, the other the original home ; but
Bethany itself is 'the village of Mary and her
sister Martha.' The circumstance referred to in
ver. 2 probably accounts for the prior mention of
Mar)', for Martha appears to have been the elder
sister (see Luke x. 38). The name Lazarus is
Hebrew (a shortened form of Eleazar) but with a
Greek termination.
Ver. 2. (Now it was that Mary which anointed
the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with
her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
These words seem intended to bring into view
the closeness of the relation between Jesus and
Mary. There are particulars in which this narra-
tive closely resembles that of chap. ii. 1-11: as
there we have the closest tie of kindred, so here
we read of the most intimate friendship. But the
one tie as well as the other must yield to the voice
of God. The anointing was when John wrote
well and widely known (see Matt. xxvi. 13): it
is here specially mentioned in anticipation of
chap. xii.
Ver. 3. The sisters therefore sent nnto him
saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is
sick. Their confidence in the love and in the
power of Jesus is shown by the absence of any
request : the message is a tender and delicate ex-
pression of their need. With the description of
Lazarus compare chap. xx. 2 (where the same
verb for ' love ' is used), ' the disciple whom Jesus
loved.'
Ver. 4. But when Jesus heard that, he said,
This sickness is not unto death, but for the
glory of God, that the Son of God may be
glorified thereby. The reply of Jesus is not
represented as addressed to the messengers sent,
or to the apostles, though probably spoken in
the hearing of both. The point of importance
is the foreknowledge of Jesus, to whom were even
now present both the miracle and the result. The
first result is expressed in the closing words, ' that
the Son of God may be glorified thereby ; ' the
ultimate aim in the former clause, ' for the glory
of God.' The true design of the sickness is not to
bring death to Lazarus, but to glorify the Son of
God, and by this means to bring glory to the
Father. Compare chap. xvii. 1.
Ver. 5. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her
sister, and Lazarus. This simple record of His
love for this family (note how significant is the
separate mention of each one of the three) con-
nects itself both with ver. 4 and also with the
statement of vers. 5 and 6, these verses really con-
stituting one sentence. The object of the Evan-
gelist is to set before us the mind of Jesus : in
133
ver. 4 we see the first principle of all, supreme
regard to the glory of God ; here His love for
those on whom the affliction must fall, and whom
(ver. 6) He cannot help save at the hour appointed
by His Father. But when that hour has come,
His obedience to His Father's will and His love
for His sorrowing friends unite in leading Him to
Bethany (ver. 7). — The word ' loved ' used in this
verse is different from that which we find in ver. 3.
The sisters use that which belongs to tender
human friendship (see note on chap. v. 20) ; the
Evangelist the more lofty word, which so often
expresses the relation of Jesus to His disciples.
He loved them with a love with which the thought
of His Father's love to Himself is mingled.
Ver. 6. When he had heard therefore that he
was sick, at that time indeed he abode in the
place where he was two days. ' Therefore ' is
explained by the two verses which precede (see the
last note). He cannot accept the moment sug-
gested by man (comp. chap. ii. 4) ; He cannot
follow at once the prompting of His affection for
disciples. He will go to assuage their grief, but
only at the moment appointed by the Father's
will.
Ver. 7. Then after that he saith to the dis-
ciples, Let us go into Judea again. Jesus does
not say 'to Bethany,' but to 'Judea;' for He
knows that this visit to Bethany will bring Him
again into the midst of His enemies, 'the Jews. '
and will had to a development of their hatred and
malice which will find satisfaction only in His
death. In the full consciousness of what awaits
Him He prepares to depart for Bethany.
Ver. 8. The disciples say unto him, Rabbi,
but now the Jews were seeking to stone thee ;
and goest thou thither again ? The words ' but
now ' (only just now) seem to show that the sojourn
in Perea (chap. x. 40) was short. The disciples
see clearly that to go to Bethany is as perilous as
to return to Jerusalem, where He has but now
escaped from the rage of ' the Jews ' (chap. x. 31).
Vers. 9, 10. Jesus answered, Are there not
twelve hours of the day ? If a man walk in the
day he stumbleth not, because he seeth the
light of this world. But if a man walk in the
night he stumbleth, because the light is not
in him. This is the parable of chap. ix. 4 in an
expanded form. By the light which God makes
to shine in the world, He marks out twelve hours
as the appointed time for 'walking,' for active
work; by the absence of this light, the night is
marked out as the time when there can be no such
work. So is the life of every man ordered by
God. There is the appointed time for work, in-
dicated by the Providence of God : in following
the intimations of His will the man will 'not
stumble,' will take no false step. He will not
shorten the proper time for 'walking;' for through-
out the appointed twelve hours the finger of God
will show the appointed work. It is only when
man misses the Divine guidance, doing what no
providential teaching has marked out, that he
stumbleth : then he may well stumble, for the
light (which during the day shines round him and
entering the eye becomes within him light for
guidance) is no longer in him. As applied to
Himself the words of Jesus mean : ' Following the
will of God which leads Me into Judea again, I
am walking in the light, I cannot "stumble" what-
ever may befall Me there.'
Ver. 1 r. These things said he : and after that
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XI. 1-44.
134
he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus hath
fallen asleep ; but I go, that I may awake him
out of sleep. No second message has been
sent to Him; by His own Divine knowledge He
speaks of the death <>f His friend.
Ver. 12. The disciples therefore said unto
him, Lord, if he hath fallen asleep, he shall be
saved. We can hardly escape the thought that
they have in their mind some tidings brought at
the same time with the message of ver. 3, descrip-
tive of the nature of the illness. Was it some
raging fever that threatened the life of Lazarus,
then, if calm slumber has come upon him, he is
safe ! Surely therefore it is no longer necessary
for their Lord to expose Himself to peril by
returning to Judea.
Ver. 13. Howbeit Jesus had spoken of his
death : but they thought that he spake of taking
of rest in sleep. The figure can hardly have been
here used by Jesus for the first time. The mis-
conception of His meaning would seem to have
arisen from His words in ver. 4, and from His
delay in setting out for Bethany.
Vers. 14, 15. Then therefore Jesus said unto
them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad
for your sakes, to the intent ye may believe,
that I was not there; nevertheless let us go unto
him. The words ' for your sakes ' are explained
by the clause which follows, ' that ye may believe.'
Already they believed in Him; but 'every new
flight of faith is in its degree a new beginning of
faith, comp. chap. ii. 11 ' (Meyer). Had he come
to Bethany while Lazarus lay sick, He would have
healed his sickness ; but great as might have been
the miracle if He had done so, or if, arriving
when Lazarus had just breathed his last, He had
called back the departing spirit, in neither case
would the disciples have seen the crowning 'mani-
festation' of their Lord, or have believed in Him
as ' the Resurrection and the Life.' The disciples
are now awakened to the fact that they are moving
into the presence of death.
Ver. 16. Thomas therefore (which is called
Didymus) said unto his fellow-disciples. Let us
also go, that we may die with him. That is,
with Jesus (not with Lazarus). It is plain that
Jesus cannot be turned aside by their counsels or
prayers; He is certainly about to return to Judea,
at the peril of His life. As they cannot save Him
they may at least share His fate. This is the ex-
hortation of Thomas to his fellow-disciples ; and
it would seem that they shared his feelings, for the
word ' fellow-disciples ' (not found elsewhere in
the New Testament), as compared with ' the
other disciples' of xx. 25, binds all the disciples
into one. The language is undoubtedly that of
fervent love to Jesus, but it is also the language of
despair and vanished hope. This is the end of all,
— death ; not the Messianic kingdom, not life.
Whether we are right in thinking that this feeling
was shared by the other disciples, or not, it is very
natural that Thomas should be the one to give ex-
pression to it. From chap. xiv. 5, xx. 24, 25, we
clearly perceive that sight is what he wants : when
he sees not he gives himself up to despondency.
It is remarkable that at every mention of this
apostle John adds the Greek interpretation (Didy-
mus <ha' is Twin) of the Aramaic name. It has
been supposed that Didymus is the name with
which Gentile Christians became most familiar ;
but if so it is singular that no other name than
Thomas is found in the Synoptic Gospels and the
Acts. By others it is urged that the word 'Twin'
is used with symbolic meaning, pointing to the two-
fold nature of this apostle, in whom unbelief and
faith, hope and tendency to despair, were strangely
blended. With this statement the first paragraph
of this narrative ends. The last words, ' Let us
also go, that we may die with him,' fitly close a
section which, as Luthardt remarks, is dominated
by the thought of death.
Ver. 17. When therefore Jesus came, he
found that he had lain in the tomb four days
already. The situation of the Perean Bethany
(chap. x. 40) is so uncertain that we are unable to
give a certain explanation of these four days. The
distance from Jerusalem to the nearest point of the
country beyond Jordan is not great (not much
more than twenty miles), and could be traversed
in a day. If then this was the situation of Bethany
beyond Jordan, Jesus would reach the village ol
-Martha and Mary on the second day from the
commencement of His journey, and the fourth day
from the reception of the news that Lazarus was
sick (ver. 6). In this case the death of Lazarus
must speedily have followed the departure of the
messenger, and according to Eastern custom the
body must on the same day have been laid in the
tomb. Even if Bethany in Perea be placed at a
somewhat greater distance from Jerusalem, this
explanation removes all difficulties. Still it must
be confessed that it is very natural to regard ver. I ]
as spoken at the moment of death, though there is
nothing in the words ' hath fallen asleep ' to com-
pel us to take this view. In that case the journey
(if commenced immediately) must have occupied
more than two whole days ; yet even in this there
is nothing difficult or improbable. Jesus reaches
the village where the sisters lived on the fourth
day of their mourning, when the lapse of time had
brought home to them the hopelessness of their
case.
Ver. iS. Now Bethany is nigh unto Jerusalem,
about fifteen furlongs off. This verse is of im-
portance, not merely as preparing for ver. 19, but
also as showing that Jesus in visiting Bethany was
coming into the immediate presence of His
enemies. They had pronounced Him a blas-
phemer, and they were determined to bring Him
to the blasphemer's death (x. 31, 39).
Ver. 1 '). And many of the Jews had come to
Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning
their brother. There is no ground whatever for
understanding ' the Jews ' in any other sense than
that which the expression regularly bears in this
Gospel. Amongst those who came to pay to the
bereaved sisters the visits of condolence during
the seven days of mourning, were many of the
leaders of the people, many who were also leaders
in hostility to Jesus. It is evident that the family
of Bethany was one of distinction, and even their
friendship to Jesus could not be a bar to their
receiving from the Jews these offices of respect
and sympathy. But this is not the only contrast
which the mention of the Jews calls forth. As
leaders of the people, ruling in ' the city of their
solemnities,' they were the representatives of their
Church and religion ; and the ' comfort ' they can
offer in the presence of death is no inapt symbol
of all that Judaism could do for the moumer.
Thus on the one side we have human sorrow and
the vanity of human comfort in the presence of
death ; on the other side we have Him who is the
Life.
Chap. XI. 1-44.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Ver. 20. Martha therefore, when she heard
that Jesus was coming, went and met him ; but
Mary sat still in the house. Every reader must
be struck with the remarkable coincidence between
this narrative and that of Luke x. 38, 39, in the
portraiture of the two sisters. Martha, even in
the midst of her sorrow occupied with attention to
family concerns, sees the messenger who announces
the approach of Jesus and goes forth to meet Him,
outside the village (ver. 30). Mary, absorbed in
her grief, hears nothing of the message : it is not
until Martha returns to her that she learns that
Jesus is near.
Ver. 21. Martha therefore said unto Jesus,
Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had
not died. Her first words express no reproach,
but only the bitter thought of help come too late.
In His presence her brother could not have died
(comp. ver. 15). Of the possibility that Jesus
might have spoken the word of help, even though
their message might reach Him too late to bring
Him to their dying brother, she says nothing,
though the Jews, unchecked by the reverence of
love, freely ask the question among themselves
(ver. 37).
Ver. 22. And even now I know that whatsoever
things thou shalt ask of God, God will give
thee. The words of this verse are very remark-
able. The presence of the great Friend and
Helper seems to give a sudden quickening to
Martha's faith. She had probably heard of the
words of Jesus when the tidings of the sickness of
Lazarus reached Him (ver. 4) ; and these words
(which no doubt sorrow of heart and painful wait-
ing had almost banished from her thought) surely
gave ground for hope 'even now.' And yet,
though truly expressive of the firmest confidence
in Jesus, her words are vague ; and the later
narrative seems to prove that no definite expecta-
tion was present to her mind. The language is
rather that of one who so believes in Jesus as to
be assured that, where He is, help and blessing
cannot be absent.
Ver. 23. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother
shall rise again. The words are designedly
ambiguous,— spoken to try her faith. Like our
Lords parables, they contain that of which faith
may take hold and be raised into a higher region,
but which unbelief or dulness of heart will miss.
Will the hope that Martha's words have vaguely
expressed now become clear and definite ? At all
events the answer of Testis will make her conscious
to herself of what her faith really was.
Ver. 24. Martha said unto him, I know that
he shall rise again in the resurrection at the
last day. Jesus has told her only what she knew,
for every true Israelite believed that in the last
day the just would rise. How vague the thought
embodied in these words can hardly be understood
by us, in whom the same words awaken memories
of a Resurrection in the past which brings to us
true knowledge of the resurrection at the last day.
And if even with us, in the first hours of our
sorrow, the clear doctrine avails so little, how
small must have been the comfort which the be-
lieving Israelite could attain in the presence of the
dead ! Martha's words have now lost the hope
which the sight of Jesus had awakened : the
present sorrow seems to admit of no relief. This
moment of greatest need Jesus chooses for the
greatest revelation of Himself. When all else has
been seen to fail He will comfort.
135
Vers. 25, 26. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life ; he that believeth iD
me, though he have died, yet shall he live ;
And every one that liveth and believeth in me
shall never die. Believest thou this ? The
emphasis falls on the first two words, ' I,' 'am.'
Martha's first expression of faith and hope had
shown how imperfectly she knew Jesus Himself :
to Himself alone His words now point. Hei
later words dwell on the resurrection in the re-
moter future : Jesus says, ' I AM the resurrection
and the life.' Alike in the future and in the
present, life is unchangeably in Him (chap. i. 41, —
and that the life which triumphs over death
('resurrection'), the life by which death is ex-
cluded and annulled. In other passages we read
of Jesus as the Life, here only as the Resurrection :
the latter thought is in truth contained in the
former, and needs not distinct expression save in
the presence of the apparent victory of death. It
is possible that the meaning of our Lord's words
is that He is the resurrection and the life luhich
follows the resurrection,— in Him His people rise
again, and, having risen, live for ever ; but it is
far more probable that this is only one part of the
meaning. Because He is the Life, in the highest
and absolute sense of this word, therefore He is
the resurrection. He that believes in Him be-
comes one with Him : every one, therefore, that
believes in Him possesses this victorious life. If
he has died, yet life is his : if he still lives among
men, this earthly life is but an emblem and a part
of that all-embracing life which shall endure for
ever in union with the Lord of life. In all this
the law which limits man's life on earth is not
forgotten, but a revelation is given to man which
changes the meaning of death. As Godet beauti-
fully says : ' Every believer is in reality and for
ever sheltered from death. To die in full light,
in the serene brightness of the life which is in
Jesus, and to continue to live in Him, is no longer
that which human language designates by the
name of death. It is as if Jesus said : In me
he who is dead is sure of life, and he who lives is
sure never to die.' The original, indeed, is much
more expressive than we can well bring out in
English, ' Shall never unto eternity die.' To the
question, 'Believest thou this?' Martha answers
(and the form of her answer is characteristic) : —
Ver. 27. She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I
have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son
of God, he that cometh into the world. The
substitution of ' I have believed ' for ' I believe ' is
striking. It seems to imply that she goes back on
her previous belief, — securely founded, never
shaken, — in which she knows that all He requires
must be contained. His last words have been in
some measure new and unfamiliar, and in her
present state of mind she is incapable of com-
paring the old and the new. But that which she
has believed and still believes contains the fullest
recognition of her Lord. She has received Him
as the fulfilment of Messianic hope, the revelation
of the Divine to man, the long-expected Redeemer
of the world.
Ver. 2S. And when she had so said, she went
away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly,
The Teacher is come, and calleth thee. We
cannot doubt that Mary until now had been in
ignorance of the coming of Jesus, or that it was at
His bidding that Martha told her sister secretly of
His call for her. That which He was about to do
'36
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XI. 1-4+
He would have faith, not unbelief, to see ; there-
fore Mary must be called 'secretly.'
Ver. 29. And she, when she heard it, arose
quickly, and went unto him. Mark the character-
istic touch in the words 'arose quickly' (comp. ver.
20). ' Went unto,' i.e., started on her way, for it
is in ver. 32 that the actual coming is spoken of.
Ver. 30. Now Jesus was not yet come into
the village, but was still in that place where
Martha met him. Avoiding the presence of ' the
Tews,' so painful and incongruous at such a time.
This verse is purely parenthetical.
Ver. 31. The Jews, therefore, which were
with her in the house, and were comforting her,
East, the friends who were with her attend her to
the tomb to join in her lamentation over the dead.
That they will meet Jesus has apparently not
entered into their thought.
Ver. 32. Mary, therefore, when she came
where Jesus was, seeing him fell at his feet, say-
ing unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died. Her first words are nearly
the same as her sister's : there is only in the Greek
a slight difference in the place of ' my ' which gives
a touching emphasis to the expression of personal
loss. Often may the sisters have repeated such
words during their hours of anguish, when their
brother was sinking before their eyes. Mary's
when they saw Mary,' that she rose up quickly absorbing grief makes other words impossibl
and went out, followed her, supposing that she
went unto the tomb to lament there. The
movements of her sister had suggested no such
thought ; but as soon as Mary rose and went out,
only one explanation seemed possible. She sought
to go alone, but, according to the custom of the
she falls at the feet of Jesus weeping.
Ver. 33. When Jesus therefore saw her lament-
ing, and the Jews lamenting which came with
her, he was moved with indignation in his
spirit, and troubled himself. There is little
doubt that the first word describing the emotion
- '-%'■■ -
of Tesus denotes rather anger than sorrow. Such
is its regular meaning ; and, though New Testa-
ment usage partly gives a different turn to the
word, yet in every passage it implies a severity of
tone and feeling that is very different from grief.
In Mark xiv. 5 it expresses indignation at what
appeared reckless waste, and in Matt. ix. 30 and
Mark i. 43 it denotes stern dealing, a severity that
marked the giving of the charge ; while in the
Septuagint the noun derived from the verb is used
to translate the Hebrew noun signifying indigna-
tion or anger. The only other passage in the New
Testament in which we find the word is ver. 38 of
this chapter. That we are to understand it as
implying anger seems thus to be clear, and we are
strengthened in this conclusion by the fact that the
early Greek fathers take it in this sense. It is
more difficult to answer the question, At what
was Jesus angry? It has been replied — (1) at
Himself, because He was moved to a sympathy
and compassion which it was needful to restrain.
In this case the words 'His spirit' are supposed
to be directly governed by the verb—' was in-
dignant at Hi's spirit. ' But such a use of ' spirit '
is surely impossible, while the explanation as a
whole does violence to those conceptions of the
humanity of our Lord which this ver)' Gospel
teaches us to form ; — (2) at the unbelief and hypo-
critical weeping of ' the Jews. ' But many of them
were to believe (ver. 45) ; and there is nothing to
indicate that their weeping was not genuine.
Besides this, the emotion of Jesus is traced to the
lamenting of Mary not less than to that of the
Jews ; and the whole narrative gains immeasur-
ably in force if we suppose the latter to have been
as sincere as the former;— (3) at the misery brought
into the world by sin. This explanation appears
upon the whole" to be the most probable.^ As to
the words 'in His spirit,' without entering into
any discussion of a difficult subject, we may say
that, as ' the spirit ' denotes the highest (and so to
speak) innermost part of man's nature, the language
shows that our Lord's nature was stirred to its
very depth. This reference to the spirit assists us
Chap. XI. 1-44] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
in understanding the words that follow 'and
troubled Himself : ' the indignation and horror of
the spirit threw the whole 'self into disturbance.
The meaning of chap. xiii. 21, where a similar
expression occurs, is substantially the same : there
we read that, at the thought of the presence of
sin, of such evil as was aboOt to show itself in His
betrayal by Judas, Jesus was ' troubled ' (that is,
agitated, disturbed) 'in His spirit.'
Vers. 34, 35. And he said, Where have ye laid
him ? They say unto him, Lord, come and see.
Jesus wept. The question is addressed to the
sisters, and ' the Jews ' give place to them in
thought, for it is in sympathy with the bitter
anguish of those whom He loves (well though He
knows that He is about to assuage their grief)
that the tears of Jesus are shed. The word differs
from that used in vers. 31, 33, where the meaning
is not calm weeping, but lamentation and wailing.
Vers. 36, 37. The Jews therefore said, Behold
how he loved him ! But some of them said,
Could not this man, which opened the eyes of
him that was blind, have caused that this man
also should not die? Again there is a division
amongst the Jews. Many recognise the natural-
ness of His tears, as a proof of His love for the
departed. But some (in no spirit of simple wonder
and perplexity, but in unfriendliness) ask why He
had not prevented the calamity over which He is
mourning. They may mean, As He gave sight to
the blind man, could He not, if He had really
wished, have stayed the power of the fatal disease ?
But it is also possible that they merely assume the
former miracle for the purpose of invalidating it :
If He really did give sight, why could He not
heal the sickness? To heal diseases was to them
a less wonderful act than to give sight to one born
blind. We are compelled to assume an unfriendly
spirit of the second question, partly because of
John's use of the term ' the Jews,' partly from the
analogy of many other passages in which He
records the opposing comments of different sections
of the party : the sequel also (vers. 45, 46) seems
naturally to suggest such a division. The recur-
rence (in ver. 3S) of the word discussed above
(ver. 33) is thus very easily explained.
Ver. 38. Jesus therefore again moved with
indignation in himself cometh to the tomb.
Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
The indignation was again excited either by the
malicious comment just made by some of the Jews,
or by the renewed recollection of the power of
evil in the world. Like Jewish tombs in general,
this was a natural cave or, more probably, a vault
artificially excavated in the limestone rock. The
entrance was closed by a stone, which lay against
it (or possibly upon it). This verse again furnishes
an indication that the family was not poor.
Ver. 39. Jesus saith, Take ye away the stone.
The sister of him that was dead, Martha, saith
unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he
hath been four days here. No expectation of
some great blessing which God will give in answer
to the prayer of Jesus (ver. 22) is now in Martha's
mind. She cannot understand the removal of the
stone. To her, as the (elder) sister, the right of
expostulation belonged ; and it is in the simplest
and most direct terms that she urges that the dead
may not be exposed to the living. Nothing could
more vividly illustrate the power which at this
moment death wielded alike over the body of the
departed and his sister's spirit. It is probably to
137
bring out this power in the most forcible manner
possible that not only is Martha described as ' the
sister of him that was dead,' but that the descrip-
tion precedes her name. How differently does
the Evangelist himself feel ! It is instructive to
observe that in the words ' him that was dead ' he
changes the term for death, using not that of
ver. 26, but another which expresses simply coming
to the end of life.
Ver. 40. JeBtis saith unto her, Said I not unto
thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest
see the glory of God t Martha would have pre-
vented the removal of the stone ; but this wish was
but a symbol of a real hindrance in the Saviour's
way, — her decline in faith. She has for the time
come completely under the influence of ' the
things seen : ' the reality of her loss is too much
for her, and she cannot join the words of Jesus in
vers. 25, 26 with His present actions. In savin.;
'believe' he recalls those words of His to her
thought ; and not those words only, but also His
first saying (ver. 4), that the sickness was 'nut
unto death, but for the glory of God.'
Vers. 41, 42. They took away the stone there-
fore. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said,
Father, I thank thee that thou heardest me.
And I myself knew that thou hearest me always;
but because of the multitude which standeth
around I said it, that they may believe that
thou didst send me. The words are not a prayer,
but a thanksgiving for prayer answered. What
He is about to do is given by the Father in answer
to His prayer. But had Jesus said no more than
this, though the miracle would have ministered to
' the glory of God ' (ver. 4), yet even this purpose
would have been attained in an inferior degree :
the Father receives true glory when Jesus is acknow-
ledged, not merely as a Prophet, whose prayer is
heard, but as the Son of God. To His thanks-
giving Jesus adds words which implicitly declare
the whole relation of the Father to the Son. The
hearing of prayer for which He has given thanks
is no isolated act, but is one manifestation of
an unceasing communion. Whilst uttering the
words of prayer or of thanksgiving, He knew
that the Father heard Him always: the words
were spoken for the sake of the multitude, that
they might believe the truth of His mission. Had
they witnessed the miracle unaccompanied by this
appeal to His Father, they might well have glori-
fied God who had given such power unto men,
and acknowledged that as a wonder-working
Prophet Jesus was sent and empowered by God.
But if the power of God is manifested now, when
this solemn claim is made of constant communion
with God, with God as ' Father,' the seal of the
Father is set upon Him as the Son and the Sent
of God. The word ' multitude ' is remarkable. It
cannot signify number only and refer to ' the Jews '
before spoken of. John always employs this word
in another sense, and indeed in marked distinc-
tion from the ruling class, 'the Jews.' It is clear
then that many were now present, — persons who
had accompanied Jesus from Perea and friends and
neighbours of the family of Bethany.
Vers. 43, 44. And when he thus had spoken,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ;
and he that was dead came forth, bound hand
and foot with gravebands: and his face was
bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto
them, Loose him, and let him go. The words
' bound hand and foot ' perhaps convey a wrong
138 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XI. 45-57.
impression : as the more literal meaning is 'his his sisters. It is Jesus Himself who is the centre
hands and his feet bound with gravebands,' it is of the scene, who has shown Himself the Re-
very possible that the limbs were separately bound, surrection and the Life. Even the impression
so that, life having returned, free movement was which this most wonderful of miracles produces is
permitted to them. The miracle wrought, the recorded only in its relation to Jesus and to belief
Evangelist adds nothing concerning Lazarus or in Him.
Chapter XI. 45-57.
The effect of the raising of Lazarus.
-15 ' I 'HEN many1 of the "Jews which2 came to Mary, and had <=Ver 15.
JL seen 3 the tilings which Jesus did, believed on 4 him.
46 *But some of them went their ways5 to the Pharisees, and told aseever.is.
J Comp. chap.
them what things Jesus had done. v- Js-
47 c Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees 6 a council, c Matt- *xvi-
and said, d What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.7 ^Chap.xii.
19.
48 If we let him thus alone, '' all men will believe on4 him: and eC0°^ver"
the Romans shall8 come and take away both our place and9 "i!l lo,3^
49 nation. And 10 one of them, named Caiaphas, being the " high
priest -f that same year,12 said unto them, Ye know nothing at /Ver. 51,
1 J ' ° chap. .win.
50 all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us,13 that g one man '?■ ,
•* " ' g Comp. chap.
should die for the people, and that 14 the whole nation perish *""■ I4-
51 not. And15 this spake he not of himself: but being high
priest that16 year, he !l prophesied that Jesus should17 die for h(£^f*:
52 that18 nation; And not for that ls nation only, but that also f,""-™'
* he should gather together in one13 the * children of God that '^T,™'
53 were20 scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took kCte.£°i. u,
counsel together21 for to put22 him to death. Ro'm.V,,,.,-;
54 Jesus therefore 'walked no more openly among the Jews; ijoCaf. 1.
but went23 thence unto a country24 near to the wilderness, into x°^p-ciap'
a city called Ephraim, and there continued25 with his26 dis-
55 ciples. And the "'Jews' passover27 was nigh at hand: and '"chaP *"• '■
many went out of the country up to Jerusalem " before the
56 passover, to "purify themselves. Then "sought they29 for "£°mp- Acts
Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the j^™"'^
temple,30 What think ye, that he will not come to the feast ? "ChaP-vii-
57 Now both31 the chief priests and the Pharisees had ^given a /(r3"mp-ver
commandment,32 that, if any man knew where he were, he
should shew it, that they might take33 him.
1 Many therefore - they which 3 and beheld 4 in 5 went away
3 The chief priests and the Pharisees therefore gathered ' signs
8 will 9 add our 10 But a certain n omit the
12 of that year 13 profitable for you " omit that :5 But
10 of that lr was about to 18 the
19 but that he might also gather together into one 20 are
21 From that day forth therefore they took counsel 22 that they might put
23 add away 24 into the country 26 abode 2G the
27 passover of the Jews 23 went up to Jerusalem out of the country
2'-' They sought therefore 30 temple-courts 31 omit both
32 commandments ::: seize
Chap. XL 45-57] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
'39
Contents. The most striking of all the mira-
cles of Jesus has been performed, and His mani-
festation of Himself to the world has ended. The
effect is proportionate. On the one hand, faith is
awakened in the hearts of ' many ' of His most
determined enemies ' the Jews.' On the other
hand, final measures are taken to seize and kill
Him. Jesus retires to a city near the wilderness
along with His disciples. It is the pause before
the last journey to Jerusalem, to which He is to
go as the Paschal Lamb selected for the true
Paschal sacrifice and feast. The subordinate parts
are — (i) vers. 45, 46; (2) vers. 47-53; (3) vers.
54-57-
Ver. 45. Many therefore of the Jews, they
which came to Mary, and beheld the things
which Jesus did, believed in him. The state-
ment is very remarkable, but the language of the
original is so clear as to leave no doubt as to the
meaning. The great manifestations of our Lord to
the people, whether in word or in miracle, were
usually, as we have several times seen, followed
by a marked division of opinion and feeling among
His hearers. There is such a division in the
present instance, as the next verse shows ; but the
effect of the miracle is great beyond precedent, for
all those of ' the Jews ' who had come to the house
1 if Mary (ver. 19), and who with her witnessed the
actions of Jesus, became believers in Him.
Ver. 46. But some of them went away to the
Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had
done. It is impossible, we think, that what is
here related can have been done with friendly
motives, or from a mere sense of duty to men
whose office made them spirilual guides of the
people. The analogy of many passages in which
John similarly records diverging opinions makes
it plain that the giving of this information to the
Pharisees was an act of hostility to Jesus. If so,
the word ' them ' at the beginning of the verse must
refer to ' the Jews ' in general, not to those who
are described in the preceding verse. Some of
' the Jews ' may have been found amongst the
multitude which, as we know, stood round (ver.
42), having no connection with the mourning of
the sisters, and therefore not included in the
description of ver. 45. At this period of our Lord's
history the Pharisees have as a body declared
against Him ; to this large and powerful sect,
therefore, the news of the event is brought.
Ver. 47. The chief priests and the Pharisees
therefore gathered a council, and said, What
do we ? for this man doeth many signs. Here,
probably for the first time in this Gospel, we read
nt a meeting of the Sanhedrin, — not a formal meet-
ing, but one hastily summoned in the sudden
emergency that had arisen. (See the note on chap,
vii. 32.) The question 'What do we?' is not so
much deliberative ( What arewe to do ?) as reproach-
ful of themselves, What are we doing ? This man
(a designation of dislike or contempt) is working
many miracles and we do nothing, — take no steps
to prevent the evil that must follow ! The Evan-
gelist is careful to preserve their testimony against
themselves ; in the moment of their rage they
acknowledge the ' many signs ' of Jesus, and con-
fess themselves without excuse.
Ver. 48. If we let him thus alone, all men
will believe in him: and the Romans will come
and take away both our place and our nation.
The fear was natural. It is true that they were
already subject to the Roman power. But, with
their usual policy towards tributary states, the
Romans had left them their worship, temple, and
religious administration, untouched. If Jesus
(whom they will not recognise in His religious
claims) shall be owned as Messiah, and popular
tumult shall ensue, all these privileges will be
taken away from them. Their fear therefore is
real ; their guilt lay not in a hypocritical pretence
of alarm, but in their wilful blindness to the truth.
There can be no doubt whatever that their words
are quoted by the Evangelist as an unconscious
prophecy (comp. chap. vii. 35, xii. 19, xix. 19,
and below, ver. 50), or rather as a prophecy to be
fulfilled in that irony of events which shall bring
on them in their unbelief the very calamities they
feared, while faith would have secured for them
the contrasted blessings. Because the Jewish
people did not believe in Jesus but rejected Him,
the Romans did take away both their ' place and
nation : ' had they believed they would have been
established for ever in the spiritual kingdom of
the Messiah.
Vers. 49, 50. But a certain one of them,
named Caiaphas, being high priest of that year,
said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor
consider that it is profitable for you that one
man should die for the people, and the whole
nation perish not. Caiaphas was a Sadducee, a
powerful and crafty man. He was high priest for
about eighteen years (a.d. 1S-36), but is here
spoken of by the Evangelist (as in chap, xviii. 13) as
being ' high priest of that year.' This remarkable
expression has no reference to the high priest's
precarious tenure of office in those times (as many
as 25 high priests are enumerated in the century
preceding the destruction of Jerusalem) ; nor is
there the smallest pretence for attributing to the
Evangelist a historical mistake (such as a belief
that the office was annual !). The simple meaning
is that Caiaphas was high priest in that memorable
year, in which the true sacrifice for the sins of the
people was offered, by that death of which the
high priest unconsciously prophesied, and in caus-
ing which moreover he was in great measure the
instrument. The first words spoken by Caiaphas
are in their brusque haughtiness characteristic of the
sect to which he belonged. His whole address to
the Pharisees is marked by heartless selfishness.
' If we let him alone we shall be brought to ruin,'
the Pharisees had said : 'Save yourselves and let
Him perish,' is the uncompromising answer of this
high priest. He seems to use two very different
words in the same sense : 'people' was the name
of Israel in its theocratic aspect, ' nation ' (the
word the Pharisees had used) was a term common
to Israel with all other peoples of the world.
' People ' is a name which the Sanhedrists would
use in reference to their own rule ; ' nation' is that
which the Romans would attack and destroy.
The further significance of his language will after-
wards appear (see note on the next verse).
Unscrupulous and utterly unjust as this counsel
was, it was politic and crafty. It will commend
them to the Romans if they can show themselves
willing to destroy any one of whom it may be even
pretended that he seeks to disturb their rule.
Vers. 51, 52. But this spake he not of himself:
but being high priest of that year, he prophesied
that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and
not for the nation only, but that he might also
gather together into one the children of God
that are scattered abroad. The words are a
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XII. 1-36.
The wilderness will be 'the wild uncultivated
hill country north-east of Jerusalem, lying between
the central towns and the Jordan valley (Diet, of
Bible, i. 569. See also Stanley, Sinai and Pales-
tine, pp. 214, 419).
Ver. 55. And the passover of the Jews was
nigh at hand. On these words see the notes on
chap. ii. 13, vi. 4. No one who has followed the
narrative of this Gospel with care up to the pre-
sent point can doubt that the expression is used
with deep, indeed with terrible significance. — And
many went up to Jerusalem out of the country
before the passover, to purify themselves. It
does not appear that there was any special injunc-
tion with regard to purification before the Passover;
for such passages as Num. ix. 6-1 1, 2 Chron.
xxx. 17-20, would rather indicate that from the
peculiar importance of this feast it was to be
observed even where the purification required
before all great events could not be obtained.
There can be no doubt, however, that it fell under
the general law of purification, and that defiled
persons did not feel themselves qualified to partake
of the Passover (comp. chap, xviii. 2S). These
strangers from the country, therefore, assembled in
Jerusalem several days before the festival, that in
the holy city they might seek the preparation that
was requisite.
Ver. 56. They sought therefore for Jesus, and
spake among themselves, as they stood in the
temple-courts, What think ye, that he will not
come to the feast? The language is that of
earnest and interested inquiry. Those who are
talking together are friendly to Jesus, and hopeful
and expectant that He will appear at the festival.
The groups assemble in the temple-courts, where
many of them may have come to bring offerings
for purification (ver. 55), and where Jesus had been
wont to teach. The word ' therefore ' at the
beginning of this verse seems to point to the
privacy into which Jesus had retired (ver. 54).
These pilgrims came to Jerusalem, hoping to meet
with Jesus, but they saw Him not : they sought
Him therefore, etc. (comp. chap. vii. n).
Ver. 57. Now the chief priests and the Phari-
sees had given commandments, that if any man
knew where he were, he should shew it that
they might seize him, As the last verse has
described the eager interest of the friends of Jesus,
this verse presents a picture of His enemies. In
pursuance of the resolve related above (ver. 53)
commandments had been issued — the plural seems
to point to orders sent to all parts of the land —
that all the faithful should aid the rulers in appre-
hending Jesus. These latter verses show us the
friends and the foes of Jesus alike occupying the
field in preparation for the end.
140
prophecy : heartless and unscrupulous in meaning
and intention, they are so controlled as to express
profound and blessed truth. In the earlier days
of the nation a prophetic spirit was ever believed
to rest upon the high priest (comp. Ex. xxviii.
30, Num. xxvii. 21, Hosea iii. 4). When the
office became degraded, and the high priest the
servant of ambition and covetousness, prophetic
guidance was no longer sought from him ; but, as
in the Old Testament we read of false prophets
who in spite of themselves were compelled to be
the medium of proclaiming God's will, so is it
here. We see now the significance of the words
' people ' and ' nation.' He prophesied that Jesus
should die for the nation, — i.e., for the Jews,
henceforth but one of the nations of the world,
ranked with the Gentiles whom they scorned.
The object of this death should also be, ' that He
might gather into one the children of God that are
scattered abroad.' This latter prophecy is found
by the Evangelist in the word ' people ' of ver. 50,
'that one man should die for the people.' No
longer does this name belong to Jews alone. The
sacrifice is offered in behalf of all the children of
God, all to whom the Father offers sonship,
gathered henceforth into one under the new name
of ' the people ' of God. Compare the striking
parallels in chap. vii. 35, x. 16, xvii. 20.
Ver. 53. From that day forth, therefore, they
took counsel that they might put him to death.
Not that they might pass sentence of death upon
him ; that is done : but that they might execute
the sentence. Their previous efforts of rage against
Jesus had been connected with moments of special
excitement ; henceforward they are deliberate,
determined, constant. The cup of iniquity of
'the Jews' is full.
Ver. 54. Jesus therefore walked no more
openly among the Jews ; but went away thence
into the country near to the wilderness, into a
city called Ephraim, and there abode with the
disciples. The time of ' free speech ' (see note on
chap. vii. 4) was at an end : from this time Jesus
avoided communication with ' the Jews,' no longer
vouchsafing to them the word which they heard
only to reject. The place to which He withdrew
afforded a deeper solitude than that sought by
Him a little while before (chap. x. 40). The
crisis in His life is graver ; the retirement which
he seeks is more profound. There is no mention
now (as in chap. x. 41) of many who resorted unto
Him : the town to which He retired is described
as 'near to the wilderness.' Ephraim, possibly
the same as Ophrah (I Sam. xiii. 17), is commonly
identified with el-Taiyibeh, a village 16 miles from
Jerusalem and 4 or 5 east of Bethel, situated on a
hill which commands the valley of the Jordan.
Chapter XII. 1-36.
Homage to Jesus, who in Death triumphs over Death.
THEN Jesus1 six days before the "passover came to «i-<
Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead,*
1 Jesus therefore -' omit which had been dead
Chap. XII. i-36.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 141
2 whom b he raised3 from the dead. 'There4 they made him a *chaP. xi.
43» 44-
supper ; and Martha served : but Lazarus was one of them that * | *»"• *™
3 sat at the table with him. Then took Mary6 a pound of oint- ™.3-8.
ment of d spikenard, very costly,6 and d anointed the feet of Jesus, i*j**3|
and7 'wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled j-«,iv.x3,
4 with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, ' £?ml£ L4uke
5 Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,8 Why
was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given
6 to the poor ? This 9 he said, not that 10 he cared for the poor ;
but because he was a thief, and S had " the e bag, and 12 '' bare 13 -^•j"'^ chap-
7 what was put therein. Then said Jesus,14 Let her alone : ^xVv.T'io
8 against the day of my burying hath she kept this.15 For ' the *chap-*- m,
poor always ye have with you ; but me ye have not always. J™'*"',;1*
9 Much people 16 of the Jews therefore knew 17 that he was there : ' Deut-Xv- "■
and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might
10 see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the
chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to
1 1 death ; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went
away, and believed on 13 Jesus.
12 On19 the next day much people80 that were come to the
feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13 *Took21 branches of21 palm trees, and went forth to meet * Matt. xxi.
him, and cried,22 l Hosanna : Blessed is the '"King- of Israel *»■ 7-1°;
' ° Luke xix.
14 that cometh in the name of the Lord.23 And Jesus, 'when he 35-38- „
_ Lomp. Rev.
15 had found a young ass, sat thereon ; as it is written, " Fear not, ,™-9- ...
J ' ° ' ' l Ps. CXV111.
daughter of Zion : behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's WJ|^edla ;
16 colt. •''These things understood not his disciples at the first : ??• ,,
t» c n Comp. Matt.
but when Jesus was q glorified, then remembered they that these ^* :xi t .
things were written of him, and that they had done24 these 0 2"ckhe ^x-|°
17 things unto him. The people25 therefore that was with him 'camp ."ji""
when he called Lazarus out of his grave,26 and raised him from verX23,25'
18 the dead, bare record.27 For this cause23 the people also met ^fj"'^3,9'
him,29 for that they30 heard that he had done this miracle.31 oSmpVcSsp.
19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye I"'4'
how ye32 prevail nothing? behold,33 the world is gone 31 after
him.
3 whom Jesus had raised 4 add therefore 5 Mary therefore took
6 precious 7 add she
8 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, he that was about to betray him,
saith
8 But this I0 because n having
12 omit and 13 bare away li Jesus therefore said
15 that for the day of the preparation for my burial she may keep it
16 The common people lr learned 18 in 19 omit On
20 the common people 21 add the 22 and they cried out
23 Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, and, The King of Israel
24 did 25 multitude 26 out of the tomb 27 witness 2S add also
29 the multitude went to meet him 30 because they 31 sign
32 Behold how that ye 33 lo 34 add away
i42 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XII. 1-36.
20 rAnd there were certain35 Greeks" among them that came rChaP-™-
2 1 up to worship at the feast : The same 3; came therefore to
' Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired38 him, *chaP. i. 44.
22 saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth
23 s Andrew: and again39 Andrew4" and Philip41 tell Jesus. And
Jesus answered 42 them, savins:, ' The hour is come, that the Son 'See chap.
24 of man should be ''glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
"Except a43 corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it*iCor.xv
abideth 44 alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
2K v He that loveth his life 45 shall lose 4,; it ; and he that hateth his »Ma". x. 39;
J Luke xvu.
26 life " in this world shall keep it unto *" life eternal. If any man " |3-
r J woee chap.
serve me, let him * follow me ; and y where I am, there shall '«• '•»•
' ' x See chap.
also my servant be: if any man47 serve me, him will my^ ^I2^iv
27 Father honour. Now is my soul z troubled ; and what shall I _"„''; 24xi
say ? " Father, save me from 4a this hour : but for this cause came acomp*Matt.
25 I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there50 ""'-s8- 39-
a voice from M heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will
29 glorify it again. The people52 therefore, that stood by, and
heard it, said that it thundered : 53 others said, An angel spake 54
30 to him. Jesus answered and said, * This voice came not because *c°mp. chap
J J ' XI. 42.
3 1 of me,55 but for your sakes. Now is the 56 judgment of this c P^p- xvi-
32 world : now shall the d prince of this world be cast out. And <*Chap-.»v.
J i 30, XVI. II.
I, if I be * lifted up from " the earth, will draw all men unto Ccmp-Matt.
' tr ' iv. 9 ; Eph.
33 me.58 This59 he said, f signifying what r'° death he should die. eseeda»
34 The people 61 answered him, We have heard out of the s law /chap8xvm.
that Christ ,i2 abideth for ever : and how sayest thou, The Son ^chap^x.1 1..
35 of man must be lifted up?63 who is this Son of man? Then
Jesus64 said unto them, ;' Yet a little while is ' the light with65 ''^liu":,.
you. Walk while 66 ye have the light, lest 67 darkness * come ^-19?' """
upon you : 68 for 6S he that walketh in darkness 70 knoweth not * |e.e,9h',p'
36 whither he goeth. While ye have light,71 believe in the light, /!fChap-i-5-
that ye maybe the 'children of light. JS These things spake ^ Luke xvi. 8;
Jesus, and departed ,73 and '"did hide himself74 from them. ' Jhess-.r- s-
J ' r ' m Chap. vui.
37 These 3" asked 59' xl*' 3°'
41 add and they 42 answereth
45 soul ie loseth
4!l out of
50 There came therefore 51 out of 52 multitude 63 had thundered
54 hath spoken " Not for my sake hath this voice come 50 there
57 lifted on high out of 5S myself 5a But this co by what manner of
61 multitude therefore 62 the Christ °3 lifted on high
04 Jesus therefore C5 among e8 as c" that
68 overtake you not 69 and "° the darkness
71 As ye have the light 72 that ye may become sons of light
73 and went away "4 and was hidden
35 some
36 add from
3i' omit and again
40 add cometh
43 the
44 add itself
47 one
48 the
Contents. Jesus has been doomed to death of God. In the midst of dangers, under sentence
(xi. 53, 57), and the hour is at hand when He shall of death, the Redeemer pursues His path of glory,
be seized, and the sentence executed. But the Three pictures illustrating this are presented in the
malice of man cannot interfere with the purposes section of the twelfth chapter now before us. The
Chap. XII. i-36.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
U3
subordinate parts of this section are — (1) vers.
i-ii, the anointing in Bethany; (2) vers. 12-19,
the triumphal entry into Jerusalem ; (3) vers.
20-36, the homage of the Greeks to Jesus.
Ver. 1. Jesus therefore, six dayB before the
passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was,
whom Jesus had raised from the dead. The
word therefore marks a close connection with the
preceding chapter, not however with its concluding
words. The 56th and 57th verses of chap, xi.,
describing how the thought of both friends and
foes was intently fixed on Jesus and His possible
presence at the festival, form a very natural in-
troduction to the narrative of this chapter, but in
strict historical sequence the verse before us con-
nects itself with the general statement of chap. xi.
55. As to the particular date here spoken of
there has been much difference of opinion, but it
does not seem difficult to arrive at the most
probable meaning. The point from which the
Evangelist reckons is beyond doubt, we think, the
14th day of Nisan or Abib, the first month in the
Jewish sacred year. 'In the fourteenth clay of
the first month at even is the Lord's Passover '
(Lev. xxiii. 5). On this fourteenth day, 'between
the evenings ' (Ex. xii. 6), that is (probably)
between sunset and the time when darkness came
on, the Paschal lamb was to be slain. With the
evening of the fourteenth day however (using day
in its ordinary sense) began according to Jewish
reckoning the fifteenth day of the month, which,
lasting until the following sunset, was the first of
the seven days of unleavened bread. The Paschal
meal, therefore, was eaten at the close of the four-
teenth natural day, but at the beginning of the
fifteenth day according to the computation of the
Jews. Starting then from the 14th of Nisan, the
'six days' will most probably bring us to the 8th;
and if, as is generally believed, the 15th of Nisan
fell on Friday in this year, the Sth will coincide
with the same day in the preceding week. The
only doubt respecting the correctness of this view
arises from a peculiarity sometimes found in Jewish
notes of time, — both the first day and the last in an
interval being included in the reckoning, so that
' six days before ' might really mean ' the sixth day
before,' that is 'five days before:' but as it is
certain that the Jews themselves could speak of
' one day before the Passover ' (using this very form
of expression), — words to which only one meaning
can possibly be given, — it seems perfectly certain
that the reckoning in this verse must be taken in
its exact and natural sense, as we have taken it
above. It was therefore on the Sth of Nisan, at
some part of the day which we should call the
Friday before the Passover, that Jesus arrived in
Bethany. This day, as we learn from Josephus,
was often chosen by the bands of pilgrims for
their arrival in Jerusalem : those referred to in
chap. xi. 55 had come earlier than others to the
holy city for a special reason. As the sabbath
commenced on the evening of this day, we may
most naturally assume that Jesus reached Bethany
before sunset. In adding to the name of this
place the words, 'where Lazarus was whom Jesus
raised from the dead,' the Evangelist in part
intends to prepare the way for the narrative that
follows, but also seeks to connect his narrative
with the wonderful record of chap, xi., and to
place the glory of Jesus as the Prince and Giver
of Life in contrast with the designs of His enemies
to seize Him and put Him to death (chap. xi. 53).
Ver. 2. There therefore they made him a
supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was
one of them that sat at the table with him.
Two points only are mentioned by John, that a
feast was given in honour of Jesus, and that every
member of the family so signally blessed was
present. By whom, when, and where, the feast
was given, are questions to which he returns no
answer. Different conclusions may be drawn from
the words of this verse ; but they seem most
naturally to imply that the entertainment was not
given in the house or by the family of Lazarus.
It is true that ' Martha served,' yet we may well
suppose that, wherever the feast took place, this
was an office she would claim ; and the insertion
of the clause relating to Lazarus is hardly to be
accounted for if Jesus were a guest in his house.
As to the question of time, ver. 12 seems to show
that the evening of the feast must have been that
following the sabbath rather than the evening with
which the sabbath commenced. Between this
verse therefore and ver. 1 we must interpose the
rest of the sabbath. We are now at liberty to turn
to the account of the Synoptists. Luke relates
nothing (in connection with this period) that is
similar to the narrative before us ; but the other
two Evangelists describe a supper and an anoint-
ing which manifestly are identical with what John
records here. Some slight differences in detail
will be called up as the narrative proceeds : the
only serious question is one relating to time. In
Matt. xxvi. 2 we are brought to a date two days
before the Passover, whereas the feast in question
i^ related in later verses (6-13). (Compare also
the parallel section in Mark xiv.) But there is
nothing whatever in Matthew's account to fix the
time of the feast ; and both the structure of his
gospel and the apparent links of connection in this
particular narrative are consistent with the view
ordinarily taken, that at ver. 6 he goes back to
relate an earUer event, which furnished occasion
to Judas for furthering the design of the rulers, as
recorded in the first verses of the chapter. If then
there is no doubt of the identity of the events
mentioned by the Synoptists and by John, we
learn that the feast was given in the house of
Simon the leper, a person of whom we know
nothing more.
Ver. 3. Mary therefore took a pound of oint-
ment of spikenard, very precious. By ointment
we are to understand rather a liquid perfume than
what we commonly know as ointment. The pre-
cise description of ointment or perfume that is here
indicated is a question that has been much con-
troverted. The words, which literally mean oint-
ment of nard ' pistic,' are the same as those
employed by Mark (chap. xiv. 3) : in each place
our English Version has 'spikenard,' a word sug-
gested by the rendering of the Vulgate in Mark
(iiardus spicatus), and used by our translators in
three passages of the Old Testament (Cant. i. 12,
iv. 13, 14). In the passages last named the word
that stands in the Hebrew text is nerd, evidently
identical with the nardos used here by John : the
word is said to be really of Persian origin, denot-
ing a perfume brought from India by Persian
traders. It will be seen that our translation has
practically passed over the epithet 'pistic,' as to
the meaning of which there exists the greatest
uncertainty. By some it is explained as potable
(the fine nard-oil being sometimes drunk) ; others
refer the word to a root meaning to press or pound
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XII. 1-36.
144
(the oil being obtained by pressure) ; whilst others
maintain that the word is not descriptive of any
species of nard, but denotes its genuineness. The
most probable opinion is that pistic is a geographi-
cal term which was at the time familiarly associated
with the name of the perfume as an article of
commerce, though now the exact significance is
lost. From the parallel narratives (Matt. xxvi. 7;
Mark xiv. 3) we learn that, as a iluid, it was kept
in a flask (for this is the truer rendering of the
Greek word translated alabaster box) hermetically
sealed ; and the contents would be extracted by
breaking off the neck. As the ointment was a
fluid, and the neck of the flask was broken off, we
seem entitled to infer that the whole was used.
The quantity which Mary had bought was very
large, for the ' pound ' here spoken of was equiva-
lent to about 12 ounces avoirdupois. Its precious-
ness is best illustrated by a later verse (ver. 5),
where we find 300 denarii (in Mark xiv. 5, more
than 300 denarii) mentioned as its probable value.
If we take the denarius at Sid., the value ordi-
narily assigned, this sum amounts tOj£lo, 12s. 6d.
The truer principle of calculation, however, is that
the sum be estimated according to the power of
purchase which it represents ; and it would be
easy to show that 300 denarii would ordinarily
purchase a larger quantity of wheat (for example)
than could now be obtained for ^20 of our money.
— And anointed the feet of Jesus, and she wiped
his feet with her hair : and the house was filled
with the odonr of the ointment. With this
precious perfume, then, Mary anointed the feet of
her Lord. The other Evangelists speak of ' the
head ' not ' the feet,' and of the ointment as poured
down over the head. There is of course no dis-
crepancy between the accounts. Both feet and
head were anointed : John speaks of the former
because the words which he is about to add refer
to the feet alone ; and though the other narratives
mention no more than the anointing of the head,
yet the words of Jesus related by both Evangelists
speak of the ointment as poured upon His 'body,'
and as designed to prepare Him for His burial.
Perhaps, in a writer like John, who seizes so
powerfully the symbolism (the real symbolism, not
a possible subjective application) of the various
events in his Master's life, we ought also to con-
nect this anointing of the feet of Jesus (twice men-
tioned, here and in chap. xi. 2) with His washing
of the disciples' feet to be related in the chapter
which follows. Over against cleansing of their feet
soiled by the day's travel is set the honour due to
the very feet of Him to whom contact with earthly
life brought not even a transient stain. Be this as
it may, Mary's action as here described, her use of
the most precious ointment, whose odour filled the
whole house (a fact which is far more than a mere
historical reminiscence), and the devotion of that
which is a woman's chief ornament to the purpose
of wiping the feet which she had anointed, picture
to us most impressively her gratitude and humble
reverence.
Ver. 4. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples,
he that was about to betray him, saith. A iter
the picture of the highest loving homage to Him
whom the Jewish rulers had adjudged to death,
the Evangelist gives the contrasted view of an
apostle, who, apostle as he was, would shortly be
seeking to betray his Lord, and who showed the
present workings of his heart by grudging the
lavish expression of Mary's faith and love.
Ver. 5. Why was not this ointment sold for
three hundred pence, and given to the poor ?
Care for the poor is the mask which the murmur-
ing protest of Judas wears. Thus sin, that it may
the better extinguish the virtue bv which at the
moment it is offended, is wont to pay reverence to
some other virtue, — some virtue which may be
thought of without trouble, because it is not really
present and in question. But the Evangelist in
recording the words strips off the mask.
Ver. 6. But this he said, not because he cared
for the poor ; but because he was a thief, and,
having the bag, bare away what was put therein.
Matthew mentions the murmuring on the part of
some of the disciples: evidently, therefore, the
plausible remonstrance of Judas led more honest
and guileless minds than his to share in the won-
der which his words expressed. John speaks of
Judas "iily, as he alone reveals the real motive of
the complaint. But though Matthew says nothing
at this point of Judas or his covetousness, it is very
significant that, immediately after relating the
answer of Jesus, he tells us that Judas went to the
rulers and said, 'What will yegive me?' Thesome-
what remarkable word rendered 'bag' is found
twice only in the New Testament, here and in
chap. xiii. 29 : in the Septuagint it occurs in
2 Chron. xxiv. only (vers. 8, 10, 11). The last
quoted passages will show the meaning of the
word more clearly : it was not a bag, but rather a
small box or chest. As in the only passages of
the Old Testament in which the word occurs it
denotes a receptacle for offerings made to the
temple, it is perhaps more than a coincidence
that it is here chosen by John when he would
speak of the small store of money possessed by
Jesus (the True temple) and His disciples, — money
derived from the voluntary offerings of the few
who had recognised His glory and consecrated
their substance to the supply of His wants.
Another word in this verse requires remark, that
which in the Authorised Version appears as 'bare,'
but which we have rendered 'bare away.' The
former is the more common meaning of the
word both in classical Greek and in the New
Testament ; but the latter (which often occurs in
later Greek) is certainly intended by John in a
later verse of the Gospel (chap. xx. 15, ' if thou
have borne him away '). It seems all but impos-
sible that the word can have the neutral meaning
here : partly because, after the mention of the
dishonesty of Judas, the statement that he carried
that which was cast into the common chest would
be a strange anti-climax ; and partly because it
would be difficult to see why John should write
such a sentence as this, 'and, having the bag,
carried what was put therein. '
Ver. 7. Jesus therefore said, Let her alone,
that for the day of the preparation for my burial
she may keep it. The meaning of the word
which in the Authorised Version is rendered
'burial' is made clear by chap. xix. 40 (where
substantially the same word is used); 'they took
the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths
with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to
prepare for burial.' The true reading of the Greek
text, that which our rendering represents, un-
doubtedly presents a difficulty, as we, knowing
that our Lord is speaking of the day then present,
cannot understand how Jesus can say 'that . . .
she may keep it.' The simplest solution of the
difficulty, were it admissible, is afforded by the
Chap. XII. 1-36.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
rendering, 'Suffer that she may have kept it;'
but it is very doubtful whether the Greek words
can admit of this translation. Another suggestion
is that, as the quantity of nard was so great, our
Lord in saying 'that she may keep it ' refers to
the portion still remaining in the flask. The
objection to this is found in what has been said of
the mode of opening the flask and in the ' pouring '
described by the other Evangelists : it is not easy
to see that any portion worth speaking of could
still remain. Hence we must probably seek for an
explanation of a different kind. We must not
forget that these words were enigmatical, and
intentionally so. Our Lord was not distinctly
affirming that this day was, so to speak, the day
on which He was prepared for entombment : it was
His wont to use language which but partially
revealed the approaching event, which seemed to
unenlightened hearers to contain only some dark
hint of trouble impending, but which stood forth
in luminous significance when the implied prophecy
was ready to be fulfilled. Hence here, in speaking
of the (unconscious or half-unconscious) purpose
of Mary, He uses words which leave the time of
the conception and fulfilment of the purpose
altogether doubtful. His answer amounts to this :
Meddle not with the intention that she has had to
keep this for the day on which I must be prepared
for the tomb. It is possible that the sentence is
left incomplete, and that there is a break between
the two parts : — ' Let her alone ; ' — ' that she may
keep it unto the day,' etc. Such an elliptic use of
a clause of purpose is not uncommon in this
Gospel. If we may assume that we have an
example of this usage here, the meaning will be,
It is, or, It was, or, She hath bought this oint-
ment, that she might keep it, etc. The meaning
is almost the same as that previously given.
The word which our Lord uses in this verse
shows in what light this section is to be viewed.
It is not so much the living Saviour that we have
before us, as the Saviour on whom sentence of
death has been passed. At the feet of Him whom
' the Jews ' are seeking to kill, and whom false-
friends are betraying, faith pours her richest
treasures. Mary thought only of showing her
reverence and love : Jesus sees in it a prophetic
recognition of the impending event which crowned
His humiliation and became His exaltation. The
Evangelist relates an unconscious prophecy on the
part of a disciple, as he has related a prophecy by
an enemy who 'spake not of himself (chap. xi. 51).
Ver. 8. For the poor always ye have with
you, but me ye have not always. The duty of
giving to the poor is fully recognised : it must
never be forgotten. But there are moments when
what may seem lavish waste upon objects visible
only to the eye of faith are to be commended for
the faith that is present in them. How often has
the history of the world borne testimony to the
truth thus declared by Jesus ! The very charity
that cares for the poor whom we see has been kept
alive by faith in, and devotion to, the crucified
Redeemer whom we cannot see.
Ver. 9. The common people of the Jews there-
fore learned that he was there : and they came,
not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might
see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the
dead. Faith and unbelief have revealed them-
selves in the case of the friends and the enemies of
Jesus, and especially in the deed of Mary and the
words of Judas. But the sifting process which
vol. 11. 10
'45
accompanies every manifestation of Jesus extends
to a wider circle. Once more (comp. chap. xi.
45, 46), and much more clearly than before, the
Evangelist records the division amongst 'the Jews'
themselves ; for we have no right whatever to take
this term in any other than that sense which is so
firmly established in this Gospel. That very circle
of Jewish influence and power in which till lately
the spirit of narrow bigotry and fanaticism had
found its expression in determined hostility to
Jesus is divided into two classes, 'the common
people of the Jews,' and the rulers in this ruling
faction, ' the high priests.'
Vers. 10, 11. But the chief priests consulted
that they might put Lazarus also to death ;
because that by reason of him many of the Jews
went away, and believed in Jesus. When the
rulers found that even their own adherents were
deserting them (comp. chap. xi. 48), their rage
knew no bounds. Lazarus had not incurred their
displeasure, but everything that ministered to the
success of the cause of Jesus must be swept oul
of the way. It is easy to see that the
of Jesus with the Jews is continually growing in
intensity, and has well-nigh reached its climax.
The effect produced by the recent miracle has been
great beyond all previous example. Yet we can-
not but feel that to the Evangelist himself the
miracle would be most precious as a ' sign ; ' and
that what he intends us to feel most deeply is the
contrast between the rulers bent on His death and
the calm majesty of Him who is ' the Resurrection
and the Life,' in whose presence are Lazarus, the
trophy and emblem of His power over life physi-
cal, and believers come from the very ranks of His
adversaries to receive life spiritual through believ-
ing in Him.
Ver. 12. The next day, that is, the day follow-
ing the feast in Bethany (see on ver. 2), and
therefore our Sunday; the day, it may be observed,
fixed in the tradition of the Church for the tri-
umphal entry, tradition thus confirming the exe-
gesis of the text, and finding in the latter support
for its own correctness. This first day of the
Jewish week was the 10th Nisan, the day on
which the typical Paschal lamb was selected and
set apart for sacrifice (Ex. xii. 31.— The common
people that were come to the feast, when they
heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
' The common people ' here spoken of are not
'the Jews' (ver. 9), but ihe multitude that had
assembled at Jerusalem at the time in order to
celebrate the Passover. It would seem that this
crowd was afterwards joined by those belonging
to Jerusalem itself who had gone out previously to
Bethany to see Jesus (ver. 17). Of the impression
produced upon the latter we have already heard.
The feelings animating the former appear both
in their actions and in their words.
Ver. 13. Took the branches of the palm trees.
The word rendered ' branches ' occurs only here
in the New Testament. It is the top of a palm
tree where the fruit is produced. We sae to
understand by the word, therefore, not branches
only, but fruit-bearing branches, those from which
in due season the fruit would hang. Hence it is
not palms of victory that we have before us, but
the palm branches of the feast of Tabernacles, the
most characteristic feature of that greatest festival
of the year, when the last fruits, ' the wine and
the oil ' as well as ' the corn,' were ripe, and when
the Messiah was expected to come to His temple.
146
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XII. 1-36.
Hence also the articles before 'branches' and
'palm trees,' not to mark palm trees growing by
the wayside, but the well-known palm branches so
closely connected with the feast. With the idea
of this feast the Jews had been accustomed to
associate the highest blessings of Messianic times,
and at the moment, therefore, when they hail
Jesus as the long expected Messiah and King, the
"thoughts of it naturally fill their minds. — And
went forth to meet him, and they cried out,
Hosanna : Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord, and, The King of Israel. The words,
thus uttered with loud shouts of joy, correspond to
the action of which we have spoken. Those in
the first clause of the quotation are taken from Ps.
cxviii. 26, and are words which were undoubtedly
used at the feast of Tabernacles. Whether we
consider them in connection with their place in
the psalm or with the typical meaning of the feast,
they were peculiarly appropriate to the present
moment. The psalm was acknowledged to be
Messianic, and both psalm and feast celebrate the
triumphant coming of Messiah to His house and
people, when the gates of righteousness are
opened and Israel goes in and praises the Lord
(Ps. cxviii. 19). The Lord, too, appears in the
psalm in precisely the same character as that in
which we have Him here before us, that of one
who has suffered and overcome (ver. 22). The
appellation given to Jesus in the second clause,
and probably to be regarded as a second cry,
points onward to the prophecy of Zechariah (chap,
ix. 9) quoted in ver. 15. Hosanna is a rendering
into Greek letters of the Hebrew words, ' Save,
we pray' (Ps. cxviii. 25).
Vers. 14, 15. And Jesus, when he had found
a young ass, sat thereon: as it is written, Fear
not, daughter of Sion, behold, thy King cometh,
sitting on an ass's colt. Jesus ' found ' the a^s,
having taken means to find it (comp. Matt. xxi.
2 ; .Mark xi. I ; Luke xix. 30 ; comp. also chap,
i. 43). It is a 'young' ass, expression being thus
given to the fact that it had not been previously
•ised for any burden (Mark xi. 2). The whole
passage brings out a view of Jesus in this entry
into Jerusalem that we may readily forget. We
see at once the glory of the Saviour. He who
thus approaches Jerusalem is a King, the King of
Israel (ver. 14), the King of Zion (ver. 151 : the
progress is royal : the entry is triumphant. But
the main thought of the Evangelist is that humili-
ation, suffering, and death characterize this King :
He is a sacrifice : and in being a sacrifice His true
glory lies. The change from ' Rejoice greatly ' to
'Fear not' (no doubt made by the Evangelist
himself, see chap. ii. 17) is remarkable. It may
spring from his profound sense of the majesty of
Jesus (Rev. i. 17) : there is fear to be dispelled
before the joy of His presence can be felt. The
context in Zechariah, however, suggests another
sense. The King comes to defend His people;
He comes 'having salvation:' let Zion fear no
more. So understood, John's words contain the
meaning of the whole passage quoted. The prayer
'Hosanna' is answered.
Ver. 16. These things understood not his
disciples at the first. What was it that the
disciples did not understand at the time? The
true application of the prophecy of Zechariah now
pointed out? Certainly not. It was the events
themselves now occurring that were dark to them.
They were not seen in their true light as a magni-
fying, as a prefigurative glorifying, of a suffering
Messiah, — were not seen to contain within them
the great mystery of exaltation through and in the
midst of suffering. For similar want of apprecia-
tion by the disciples of what was passing before
them, comp. chap. ii. 22, and note there. — But
when Jesus was glorified, then remembered
they that these things were written of him,
and that they did these things unto him. The
ignorance of the disciples was corrected by experi-
ence. What they did not understand now, they
understood when the resurrection and ascension
had taken place. The light of that glorification
shed light alike upon the sufferings and the partial
glorifications of Jesus that had gone before.
Vers. 17, iS. The multitude therefore that
was with him when he called Lazarus out of
the tomb and raised him from the dead, bare
witness. For this cause also the multitude
went to meet liim, because they heard that he
had done this sign. These verses are not a
returning to the story after a digression in ver.
16, nor a continuation of the narrative, as if the
picture had not yet been complete. They are a
recapitulation of two leading facts already men-
tioned, the first of which seems to be closely con-
nected with the second — (1) that many of 'the
Jews,' led to believe in Jesus by the miracle which
they had seen (xi. 45), became now, like the
disciples, themselves His witnesses ; (2) that ' the
multitude,' although they had not seen the miracle,
yet hearing of it, had also been led to faith and
homage (xii. 12-15). At the same time, however,
there is an important and instructive difference
between the two acts thus referred to. The first
proceeds from those who had been ' with Him when
He raised Lazarus from the dead ; ' the second
from those who had not themselves been witnesses
of the miracle, but had ' heard that He had done
this sign.' The difference corresponds precisely
to that alluded to in chap. xx. 29 ; and it thus
forms an interesting illustration of the manner in
which, throughout all this Gospel, the Evangelist
seizes upon those aspects of events that bring out
the great principles of which his mind is full. The
correspondence appears still further in this, that
the homage of those who ' did not see ' is that of
the second picture which, as always, is climactic to
the first (comp. xx. 29) ; for the impression pro-
duced upon the mind of John by the second act
of homage is not due to the simple circumstance
that this multitude ' went to meet ' Jesus. It is
due to the titles which they had ascribed to Him
at ver. 13, the one expressing His peculiar Mes-
sianic distinction, the other rising to the highest
point of Old Testament prophecy (comp. on i. 49).
It has only further to be noticed that the effects
allude I to are connected with the miracle as a
'sign.' As such, embodying life in the midst of
death, life triumphant over death, it draws out
faith to a spectacle so glorious, to a Worker
accomplishing so mighty a work.
Ver. 10. The Pharisees therefore said among
themselves, Behold how that ye prevail nothing.
Lo, the world is gone away after him. The
exaggeration of their words illustrates the alarm
and hopelessness of the Pharisees. The impres-
sion made is too great to permit them to look at
the facts only as they are. The danger of the
situation is enhanced by their fears, and they speak
more strongly than even the occasion, striking as
it was, demanded. It is at the same time highly
CHAP. XII. 1-36.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
probable that the Evangelist sees in their lan-
guage one of those unconscious prophecies so
frequently noticed in his Gospel. The second
act of the twelfth chapter is over, and the humbled
Redeemer is still the conqueror. The third act
presents the same lesson in a still more striking
light.
Ver. 20. And there were some Greeks trom
among them that came up to worship at the
feast. A third illustration of the homage paid to
Jesus. The account is given by John alone, and
the time is left by him indeterminate. Fr im ver.
36 we may perhaps infer that it was considerably
later in the week than the event last recorded ; but
the want of any definite statement on the point,
and the fart that the issue of the request is not
recorded, show that the Evangelist occupies him-
self only with the idea of the scene. The persons
spoken of are Greeks (not Greek-speaking Jews),
therefore Gentile by birth, probably proselytes,
certainly (as appears by 'from among' not
1 iharers in the faith and purposes of the
other pilgrims at the feast. They are part of
■ red to in chap. vii. 35 and x. 16. Still
more, they are the earnest and first-fruits of that
' world ' which the Pharisees have just spoken of
as ' going after ' Jesus.
Ver. 21. These came therefore to Philip,
which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked
him saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. To suppose
that their object is to ask Jesus to institute a mis-
sion to the Gentiles, or to come to them Himself,
is to misapprehend the natuie of the situation.
It is their own personal faith that John desires to
bring out.
Ver. 22. Philip coineth and telleth Andrew :
Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they tell Jesus.
Why these Greeks should particularly address
to Philip; why Philip should be here
cribed as 'from Bethsaida of Galilee;' why
Philip should tell Andrew ; and why Andrew, as
appears Irom the peculiar mode in which the
communication is mentioned, should have been
1I1 spokesman of the pair, are questions to which
it is not easy to give a satisfactory reply. It may
tie that Philip was the first disciple whom they
met ; that the mention of his place of residence
is simply for more complete identification of the
man ; that the bond of companionship between
him and Andrew may have been close (a circum-
stance that may also throw light on their proximity
to each other at vi. 7, 8) ; and that Andrew, always
one of the first four apostles mentioned in the
apostolic lists, may have stood in nearer relation to
Jesus than Philip, or perhaps have been the more
ready speaker of the two. The more, however,
the Gospel of John is studied, the less shall we
be disposed to be content with these explana-
tions, or to think that there w as nothing further
in the mind of a writer so much accustomed to
see even in apparently accidental and trilling
circumstances deeper meanings than those which
at first strike the eye. Such a meaning he may
have seen in the facts which he now, after so long
an interval, recalls. It is at least worthy of notice
that in chap. vi. at the feeding of the 5000, which
has undoubtedly a symbolical as well as a literal
meaning, not only are Philip and Andrew the
only two disciples named, but they there play
exactly the same part as in the present instance;
for Philip is first appealed to but is perplexed,
while Andrew draws from Jesus the solution of
'47
the difficulty. Thus also in the incident befon
us, John may have beheld an analogy to the same
scene, an illustration of the fact that both Jews
and Gentiles shall be conducted by the same path
to the ' bread of life.' These hungering Greeks
are like the hungering Jews when the loaves were
multiplied, and those whose difficulties in the way
of satisfying the latter were removed by the word
of Jesus, are also those whose difficulties in the
way of satisfying the former are removed by the
same word.
Ver. 23. And Jesus answereth them, saying,
The hour is come, that the Son of man should be
glorified. The glorification here spoken of must
be that of chap. xiii. 31, 32, and xvii. I, 5, the
latter of which also follows a moment designated
exactly as the present one, — 'The hour 1 me.
But the 'glorification' of these passages consists
in the full manifestation of Jesus when, all His
labours and sufferings over, He shall be
with the Father, to the possession and exercise of
that power to carry out His work upon its widest
scale which was now limited by the conditions of
His earthly lot. Hence the bringing in of the
Gentiles, though it does not constitute that glory,
is immediately connected with it.
Ver. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you. There
is a general principle lying at the root of the
glorification of the 'Son of man.' This is now to
be explained and illustrated. — Except the corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
itself alone ; but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit. Absolute death, destruction of the principle
of life, is not implied. The seed does not actually die;
its old covering dies that the germ of life within
may spring up in higher forms of beauty, and
with many grains instead of one. Such is the law
of nature, and to this great law Jesus as 'Son of
man ' must conform : He does not simply lay down
a rule for others ; as representative of our humanity
the rule must first find its application in Himself.
Ver, . ■ ",. He that loveth his soul loseth it ; and
he that hateth his soul in this world shall keep
it unto life eternal. The law of the physical
world just spoken of illustrates the law of the
moral and spiritual world. ' Soul ' is here the per-
sonality, the self, in man : yet not the self in the
sense of selfishness, forselfishness must be destroyed
not ' kept.' It is rather that which constitutes the
man himself with his likings and dislikings, his
loves and hatreds, his affections and desires. It
is a law of the moral world then that he who so
loves his soul loses it. By simply living for himself
and without thought of others, he ' loses ' that
very thing which he desires to preserve and make
happy. On the other hand, he that in this world
' hateth his soul,' his soul not brought into sub-
jection to that law of love which is the law 01
God, and, so hating, denies and crucifies it in
order that love may gain the mastery in him, — that
man shall ' keep ' it, shall keep it too unto the
higher life which is not merely future, but which
is even now filled with the Divine and deathless
(comp. Luke xiv. 26).
Ver. 26. If any one serve me, let him follow
me. The words apply the law just spoken of as
the law of nature and of man, and therefore also
as the law of Jesus, to every individual. The
' following ' is neither general nor outward, but
specific and inward, a following in that path of
suffering and sacrifice even to the cross, tin-
thought of which was at the moment peculiarly
148
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XII. 1-36
present to the mind of Jesus (comp. xiii. 36), and
it supposes the possession of His spirit (comp.
viii. 12). A special emphasis lies upon the first
'Me,' as if our Lord would say, ' If it be Me that
any man would serve. '—And where I am, there
shall also my servant be, in that glory to which I
am immediately to be exalted (xvii. 24). — If any
one serve me, him will the Father honour. ' Any
one,' Jesus says, for the thought of the universality
of His salvation now fills His breast; and 'the
Father,' even He who will be to all His sons
what he is to the Son. We ought not to pass
these last two clauses without observing how,
amidst all that equality of sonship which runs
through this part of the Gospel, the wide distinc-
tion between the Son and the sons is still preserved.
In that future home cf which Jesus speaks He is,
it corresponds to His nature to be there ; they shall
only be brought to share it : He, too, is the Master,
they 'serve.'
Ver. 27. Now is my soul troubled. There is
no want of connection between these words and
the immediately preceding verses. The connec-
tion, on the contrary, is of the closest kind.
Because this is the moment of highest exaltation
in the contemplation of the universal triumph
symbolized in the coming of the Greeks, it is also
that when all the intensity of suffering by which
the triumph is procured is most present to the
mind of Jesus. The verb ' troubled ' is the same
as in xi. 33, 'He troubled Himself,' — And what
shall I say ? Not, What feelings shall I cherish
at this hour, What mood of mind becomes the
circumstances in which I am placed? but, How
shall I find utterance for the emotions that now
fill my heart ? — Father, save me out of this hour.
To understand these words interrogatively, ' Shall
I say, Father, save me from this hour ? ' as is done
by many commentators, is to introduce a hesita-
tion into the mind of Jesus which we may well
believe never had place in it, and is almost, if we
may venture to say so, to give the utterance a senti-
mental turn at variance with the solemn scene ;
on the other hand, viewed as a direct prayer to
His Heavenly Father, they are the exemplification
in His own case of the law of ver. 25. It is usually
thought that Jesus prays that He may be spared
the bitterness of this hour. Matt. xxvi. 39 shows
that Jesus had the feeling — one perfectly free from
sin — that would lead Him to escape suffering and
death ; but the higher law immediately comes in.
He has the Father's will to do. To it He must
yield His life, His self. Therefore He adds, But
for this cause (that the Father's name mav be
glorified, ver. 2S) came I unto this hour. This
prayer, however, is not 'save me from,' but 'save
me out of this hour,' — nut for freedom from suffer-
ing, but (comp. Heb. v. 7 ; Acts ii. 31) for deli-
verance out of it. Such a prayer is as consistent
with His knowledge of 'the glory that should
follow' as is Matt. xxvi. 39 with Matt. xvi. 21.
But the very prayer for deliverance is checked.
' For this cause ' (that He may be delivered out
of the hour) 'came I unto this hour:' the object
of the hour of suffering is to bring triumph. We
must not miss the emphasis on the word ' Father ; '
it is not simply God's but the Father's glory that
he desires.
Ver. 20'. Father, glorify thy name. ' Let Thy
glory shine forth in Thy name, in Thy character,
as Father and in all that is involved in establish.
;ng Thy fatherly relation to men.' — There came
therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have
both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The
answer is a voice from heaven which is supposed
(ver. 29) by some to be thunder, by others to be
that of an angel. Both these suppositions disclose
the character of the voice. It was loud and terrible,
a voice of awe and majesty. Such is always the
meaning of thunder both in the Old Testament
and the New (Ex. xix. 16 ; Job xxvi. 14 ; Fs.
civ. 7 ; Rev. iv. 5, viii. ;, xi. 19, xiv. 2, xix. 6).
Such also is the voice of an angel (Matt. xxiv. 31;
I Thess. iv. 16 ; Rev. v. 2). The mixed ' thunder-
ings and voices,' too, of the Apocalypse are an
instructive comment on this voice, while the con-
nection that it has with judgment is clearly indi-
cated by our Lord Himself in vers. 30, 31. If
this was the manner of the voice, its contents must
correspond, and it seems therefore altogether in-
appropriate lo refer the first part of the words to
the ministry of Jesus in Israel now drawing to its
close, the second part to the approaching pro-
clamation of salvation to the Gentiles. In reality
these two things are one, and both of them are
already ideally complete. The words rather ex-
press the unchangeableness of the purpose of Him
'which is and which was and is t'> come,' and
intimate that the great work whereby God's name
was to be especially glorified would certainly, as
resolved on in eternity, be accomplished.
Ver. 29. The multitude therefore, that stood
by, and heard it, said that it had thundered :
others said, An angel hath spoken to him. That
a real voice had been heard is obvious from the
fact that the words are actually given by the
Evangelist in ver. 28, and that some at least of
the multitude imagined that an angel had spoken.
It had not, however, been understood by all ; and
John's object in stating this appears to be his
desire to bring still more clearly out the mysterious
nature of the voice, — one the apprehension of which
belonged to the higher regions of the spiritual life,
and which was necessarily dark to those who had
not entered into the Father's plans. Jesus under-
stood it. The Evangelist did so too. But 'the
multitude ' felt only that God was there.
Ver. 30. Jesus answered and said, Not for
my sake hath this voice come, but for your
sakes. He needed not the voice, for he knew
that He was one with the Father, and that He
was carrying out the Father's will. But they
might not comprehend His sufferings, the agony
of si ail they now beheld, the death immediately
impending ; and, therefore, to show them that in
all this there was no defeat on His part, but only
the carrying out of the eternal purpose of the
Father, the words were spoken. Then Jesus rises
to the thought of that victory which, at this the
very moment of His deepest humiliation and
suffering, lie beheld accomplished.
Ver. 31. Now is there judgment of this world.
The 'now' is the 'now' oi ver. 27, the 'hour'
of ver. 23 ; and the primary thought to be taken
into it is that of the suffering and death in the
midst of which Jesus stood, and which in the
purpose of God, and to the eye of faith, were so
different from what they were to the eye of sense.
-Now shall the Prince of this world he cast out.
Again we have the ' now ' that we have already
had. The moment is the same : the cause
produciug the effect the same. ' This world '
culminates in its prince. The title meets us again
in xvi. 11, and. although with omission of the
Chap. XII. 1-36. J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
' this,' in clinji. xiv. 30. By it can only be under-
Stood Satan, whom, indeed, the Jews knew as the
'prince of the world' excluding Israel. Here
there 1 no such exclusion; the 'world ' is again
used in the widest sense of the term. In its
prince are concentrated the powers thai come
between man and God. But he 'shall be cast
out,' that is, out of the world which he has ruled,
so that ideally he shall have no more power in
I i: 1 , ion ' cast out ' is very remarkable
when compared with its use in other parts of this
Gospel (vi. 37, ix. 34, 35). It is excommunication
from a holy community, or scene, or ,1
or world, which is, and is to be, God's alone.
The negative side of the victory of Jesus has
been declared ; we have now the positive.
; >, 33. And I, if I be lifted on high
out of the earth, will draw all men unto myself.
But this he said, signifying by what manner
of death he should die. ' Myself is used in
emphatic contrast with, and opposition to, the
'prince of this world.' To Himself Jesus will
'draw' men; and any difficulty connected with
this is not to be met by weakening the force of
the word 'draw,' but by taking into account
the limitations implied in the context, and in the
nature of the case. The lesson alike of the whole
1 iospel and of experience is that some will not be
drawn. They resist and quench the light. They
love and choose the darkness. In the same way
the force of 'all men' must not be weakened,
although we ought to keep in view the two
thoughts which the context shows us to be pro-
Hi (1) that not 'the prince of this world,'
but fesus Himself shall have the empire of the
world ; (2) that not Jews alone but Gentiles, some
of whom had already been seeking Him, shall be
drawn. 'AH men,' however, is universal in its
meaning. Jesus would not merely draw some,
He would draw all ; and if some are not saved,
it is because they deliberately refuse to submit
themselves to His influence.
The condition and means of this drawing are
the ' lifting on high of Jesus out of the earth.'
What is this ' lifting on high'? The word has
already met us in iii. 14 and viii. 28 ; and in the
first of these passages in particular we have seen
that it must be referred to the crucifixion. The
whole context of this verse demands, primarily at
least, a similar reference. The thought of the
death of Jesus is prominent throughout. Even
when He receives the homage of Mary, of the
multitude, of the Greeks, He has upon Him the
stamp of death. It is thus too that in ver. 33
the Evangelist explains the expression ; and his
explanation is confirmed by the remarkable use
of the preposition 'out of instead of 'from.'
That prepos tion is much more applicable to the
crucifixion than the ascension, and its use seems
to imply that simple separation from the earth
satisfies the conditions that are in the mind
of fesus. At the same time the thought of
glorification must surely be included in the
' lifting on high.' In the teaching of this Gospel,
indeed, the facts of crucifixion and glorification
go together, and cannot be separated from each
other. The dying Redeemer is glorified through
death: the glorified Redeemer died that He might
be glorified. The crucifixion is the complete
breaking of the bond to earth : it is the introduc-
tion of the full reign of spiritual and heavenly
power.
'49
Ver. 34. The multitude therefore answered
him, We have heard out of the law that the
Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou,
The Son of man must be lifted on high ? The
'multitude,' who are Jews not Greeks, have
rightly understood the words of Jesus in ver. 32
to mean a lifting on high by death. But they have
learned from the Scriptures (here, as in chap. x. 34,
called ' the law') — probably from such passages as
2 Sam. vii. 13-15 ; Ps. lxxii., lxxxix., ex. ; Isa.
ix. 6, 7; Dan. vii. 14 — that 'the Christ abideth
for ever,' that, according to their interpretation,
He should have a glorious and eternal reign on
earth. There is thus an irreconcilable contra-
diction between the fate expected by Jesus and
the claims which they might perhaps have other-
wise allowed. — Who is this Son of man ? Thi
words are not an honest inquiry who this Son
of man can be, and how he can be the Christ.
They are really a rejection of the claims of
Jesus. 'Who is this? We have nothing and
shall have nothing to do with Him.' The inter-
pretation thus given is greatly confirmed by the
lact that the words are immediately followed not
by explanation, but by solemn warning on the
part of Jesus (vers. 35, 36), and by the Evangelist's
own reflections on the hardness and perversity of
man (vers. 37-41); while, at the same time, it is
in a high degree suitable to the place occupied by
them in the Gospel. ' Son of man ' had been the
favourite designation by Jesus of Himself. How
appropriate is it that, when finally rejected, He
should be rejected in that character! Have we
not here also another illustration of the Evan-
gelist's love of commemorating instances when,
against themselves and as if under the gui
of an irresistible power, men were compelled to
ascribe to Jesus in contempt epithets which, rightly
understood, were His highest glory ?
Ver. 35. Jesus therefore said unto them, Yet
a little while is the light among you. Not so
much words of pity and tenderness in order to
clear away the doubts of a sincere desire to learn,
as words of solemn warning that they had a day
of grace granted them, but that it was now
drawing to a close, and that, if they did not
pass beyond all doubts to faith, they would be
overtaken by darkness. — Walk as ye have the
light, that darkness overtake you not. That is.
' Walk in accordance with the fact that the light
now shines around you.' — And he that walketh
in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
If they do not thus walk, thus come to the light
(chap. iii. 21), the darkness will overtake them;
and instead of going to the glory to which Jesus
'goeth,' they will go blindly to destruction.
Ver. 36. As ye have the light, believe in the
light. Nay, not only let them come to the light,
but let them take a higher step and ' believe in '
the light, that is, commit in trust their whole
being to the light. — That ye may become sons
of light, — light your father, the element of your
, and no darkness at all in you. Such are
t le last words of Jesus which the Evangelist,
in describing His active ministry, has thought
fit to record. How strikingly do they remind
us of the opening of the Gospel, and, after the
manner of our Evangelist, bind apparently far
distant parts of His work into one ! In the
Prologue we read of the Word that ' it shineth in
the darkness, and the darkness overcame it not '
(ver. 51. Now that Word has become incarnate,
i5o
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chai\ XII. 37-50.
has lived, has suffered, has been condemned to
die, and for what? that we believing in Him,
embracing Him in a true communion, taking His
life, His light, into ourselves, may also become
sons of light, shining in the darkness, and the
darkness overcoming us not. — These things spake
Jesus, and having gone away he was hidden
from them. In chap. viii. 59 we were told that
'Jusus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.'
Here, as became the moment that closed His
public ministry, the departure is more complete, —
marked by a finality which had no existence
then. It is supposed by many commentators that
He went to Bethany, and it may have been so.
But the fact to be mainly observed is the fresh
illustrations supplied by John's silence of the
manner 111 which, to his mind, the ideal surpasses
the historic interest. The departure itself and the
consequent close of Israel's probation is the main
point. All else passes out of view before sad
reflection upon the unbelief which Israel has
exhibited.
Chapter XII. 37-50.
Lamentation over the Unbelief of the Jeivs, and Summary of the Public
Ministry of Jesus.
BUT thou|
yet 5 th
Rom. x. 1
.^c-e Matt.
h he had done so " many miracles ' before them, «Chap. w. 3
J **■ 3°. **'
hey believed not on3 him: That the saying of =5-
Esaias* the prophet might be * fulfilled, which he spake," * Chap. »ii
c Lord, who hath6 believed our report? and to whom hath the ££■;"• 3!
39 arm of the Lord been revealed?7 Therefore' they could not .*;*; \b&
40 believe, because that Esaias 9 said again, d He hath blinded
their eyes, and 10 hardened their heart ; that they should not
see with their eyes, nor understand" with their heart, and be %£**
41 converted,12 and I should heal them. These things said
42 Esaias,13 when " he 'saw his glory, and spake of him.15 Never- « !*»•■«
theless16 among the chief17 rulers also ls many believed on13
him ; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him,
43 / lest they should be put out of the synagogue : For !0 they /chap,
loved the g praise J1 of men more than the praise " of God. *£,hap'
Jesus 23 * cried and said, ' He that believeth on 3 me, believeth /:^a3p7-
not on ' me, but on3 him that sent me. And * he that seeth " ' ^n
me seeth" him that sent me. ' I am come a light " into the *§££
world, that whosoever SB believeth on 3 me should "' not abide "£ *?;
47 in "darkness. "'And if any man hear my words, and believe '«chaP.
not,'9 I judge him not: for I came not to judge the "world, "i?mpPi
48 but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not
my words,3" hath one that judgeth him :' the word that I have °^p-
49 spoken,31 the same shall judge him in the last day. For35 *I
have not spoken33 of myself; but the Father which sent me, he
» signs - omit yet 8 in 4 word of Isaiah 5 said
6 omit hath 7 was the arm of the Lord revealed ? 8 For this cause
9 because Isaiah I0 add he u and perceive ''-turned 13 Isaiah
14 because 15 and he spake concerning him "; add even from
17 omit chief la omit also 10 in '-° Because
21 glory -2 glory 23 But Jesus 2i beholdeth
23 As light I have come 2S every one that -7 may 2S add the
29 And if any one shall have heard my sayings and have guarded them not
30 sayings 31 I spake J8 Because :'' I spake not
44
45
4r>
"> Chap.
•5'
Chap. XII 37-50.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
gave me" a commandment, what I should say, and what I
50 should speak. And I know that his commandment is '7 life <,
everlasting : " whatsoever I speak therefore,'' even as the Father'' < '" ■
said 30 unto me, so I speak. z3' xiv- 24
1 lie hath given 35 is eternal life 30 hath said
Contents. The public ministry of Jesus has
been brought to a close, and the moment has been
marked by words the melancholy pathos of which
can haruly be mistaken, ' Having gone away, He
was hidden from them' (ver. 36). These words,
applied in the first instance to the outward circum-
stances of the Saviour, receive now at the hands
of the Evangelist all the depth of their meaning,
when he gives us his last reflections on the hard-
ness and unbelief displayed by Israel in rejecting
the glorious self-manifestation of its Lord (vers.
37-43). After this we have in the second part of
the section, closing the fourth and leading division
of the Gospel, a short summary of that teaching
of Jesus to which Israel had refused to listen ^ers.
44-50).
Ver. 37. But though he had done so many
signs before them, they believed not in him.
The words of chap. i. 10, 1 1 seem to echo in our
ears, ' He was in the world, and the world came
into being through Him, and the world knew Him
not. He came unto His own home, and His own
accepted Him not.' All the particulars of the state-
ment heighten the effect. In the original there is
a certain degree of emphasis on 'He,' — One so
full of power and grace, so divine in majesty,
so human in tenderness. Then it was ' signs' that
He had wrought, not mere miracles, but things
that were the very expression of the Son and in
Him of the Father. These signs, too, had been ' so
many' (see note on chap. vi. 2) ; for it is number,
not greatness, that in our Gospel is always referred
to iii this word (chaps, vi. 9, xiv. 9, xxi. 11). And,
once more, the signs had been wrought ' before
them,' so that they could not be mistaken (comp.
chap. x. 4). Yet, notwithstanding all this, their
unbelief had been continued, wilful, as constant as
the call addressed to them.
Ver. 3S. That the word of l6aiah the prophet
might be fulfilled, which he said, Lord, who
believed our report ? and to whom was the arm
of the Lord revealed? The quotation is from
Isa. liii. 1 ; and one or two expressions in it
require notice before we endeavour to ascertain
its exact force and meaning, either as originally
spoken by the prophet or as now applied by the
Evangelist. By ' report' we are to understand the
burden of the prophet's message, the word as
heard rather than as spoken (comp. 2 Sam. iv. 4
in the Hebrew; Rom. x. 16; I Thess. ii. 13);
and by ' arm of the Lord,' the manifestation of His
power alike in the deliverance of His people and
in the destruction of His enemies (Deut. v. 15 ;
Isa. lxiii. 5). The words 'that it might be ful-
filled,' so frequently used by Matthew as he points
out the harmony of each successive event with the
Divine plan and counsel, here meet us for the first
time in this Gospel. More is meant than what
we commonly understand by the fulfilment of a pre-
diction. That which in its principle and its partial
realisation connected itself with the events of which
the inspired prophet directly spoke is here declared
to be ' filled up,' to have received its complete
accomplishment. By whom then, and in what
circumstances, were the words of Isaiah originally
spoken? We answer, By repentant Israel; by Israel
after it has come to faith, and when it looks back
sorrowfully upon the fact that the message of Je-
hovah's love, and the manifestations of His power,
had been disregarded bythe great bodyof thenation.
In a simdar spirit the Evangelist now looks back,
seeing in the unbelief which rejected the Messiah
Himself the 'fulfilment' of that unbelief which had
long before rejected the Messianic message ol the
prophet. Israel was ever the same : ' As their
fathers did, so did they' (Acts vii. 51) ; they ' filled
up' the measure of their fathers (Matt, xxiii. 32).
This is the explanation of what caused John so
much astonishment and sorrow. But it is not all.
Vers. 39, 40. For this cause they could not
believe, because Isaiah said again, He hath
blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart,
that they should not see with their eyes and
perceive with their heart, and be turned, and I
should heal them. ' For this cause ' does not
refer so much to the words themselves of the pre-
ceding verse, as to that Divine plan which John
sees that they express, and whose further progress,
involving a judicial hardening of those who, as we
have seen, had first hardened themselves, is ex-
pressed in the words that follow. The quotation
is from Isa. vi. 9, 10, and the changes, especially
in that from the commanding to the narrative
form, are only such as the prophet himself would
have made had he taken up the position of our
Evangelist and, at the close of his prophetic
ministry, related what he hail been made the
instrument of effecting. Israel was so wilfully
rejecting God in the prophet's days, that the
moment for God's judicial treatment of His people
had come. By him, therefore, God sent them a
new message, that by their rejection of it the
blinding of their eyes and the hardening of their
hearts might be complete ; that they might finally
and conclusively reject the tidings through which,
otherwise, Isaiah would have ' healed ' them.
Was not this exactly what had happened now ?
He in whom all the prophets of Israel were ' ful-
filled ' had come ; and John sees Him uttering
His mournful complaint over that wilful obstinacy
of Israel which had provoked the judicial dealings
of God, in the same language as that in which His
servant of old, had he been speaking in the narra-
tive form, would have spoken. Thus the words
of the Lord to Isaiah (in chap. vi. 9, 10), now
quoted, describe the radical and unchanging condi-
tion of carnal Israel ; and, as applied here, they
mean that God had made the self-manifestation of
Jesus the instrument of blinding and hardening
those who had chosen unbelief. Thus also, it will
be observed, God is the subject of ' hath blinded '
and of ' hardened : ' and ' I should heal them '
must be understood of Jesus Himself. Hence, ac-
cordinglv, the remarkable words of the r.ext verse.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XII. 37-50.
Ver. 41. These things said Isaiah, because he
saw his glory ; and he spake concerning him.
When we remember that the chapter of Isaiah
from which the quotation of vers. 39, 40 is taken
is that in which the prophet sees the glory of the
Lord, it may appear at first sight as if it were only
the glorious vision there beheld by him that is here
referred to. Yet it is impossible not to feel that
this 41st verse, connected as it is in the closest
manner with the words immediately preceding it,
must really refer to that work of Christ to which
the Evangelist had applied the prophet's words ;
and that ' His glory ' must point to the glory of the
self-manifestation of Jesus by means of the 'signs'
of ver. 37 (comp. chap. ii. 11). It is clear, there-
fore, that John intentionally unites that Jesus who
is the ' I ' in ' I shall heal them ' with ' the Lord '
spoken of in Isa. vi. 1, etc. — unites, in short, the
Incarnate Word as Messiah and Prophet and the
Divine Word in His glory, ' sitting on a throne
high and lifted up, and His train filling the temple.'
But that is precisely the lesson of his whole
Gospel ; and it is this truth, so deeply imbedded
in it, that gives unity and force to the passage we
have been considering.
One point must still be briefly noticed in con-
nection with these verses. If the Jews were thus
doomed to unbelief, where was their guilt ? The
answer is, that they are supposed to have wilfully
rejected the revelation and grace of God before
that point of their history is reached which is
now in the eye both of prophet and Evangelist.
Their whole previous training ought to have pre-
pared them for receiving the claims of Jesus.
They abused that training ; they ceased to be
' of the truth ; ' they blinded themselves ; and
judicial blindness followed. It is only necessary
to add that what we have spoken of as a 'previous'
training may belong to the order of thought rathei
than to that of time. Almost at the very instant
when the Almighty appeals to me by the presen-
tation of Jesus, He may be appealing to me by
His providence, His grace, the general working
of His Spirit, so as to make me ready to receive
Jesus; these dealings I may so use that the bent
ol my character may at once appear, and if I am
judicially doomed to darkness, the very sentence
that dooms me is the consequence of my own folly
and sin.
Ver. 42. Nevertheless, even from among the
rulers many believed in him. The language
which John has used is general : as a nation Israel
has rejected Jesus. But His mission has not been
without effect on many individuals (comp. chaps.
i. 11, 12, iii. 32, 33) : even from among the mem-
bers of the Sanhedrin (see chap. vii. 4S) many
believed in Him. Persons believed, belonging to
a body in which the bitterest foes of Jesus bore
rule ; and greatness of unbelief is thus in some
degree counterbalanced by greatness of faith.
— But because of the Pharisees they did not
confess him, lest they should be put out of th.3
synagogue. We can hardly suppose that these
words are added in order to show that the faith
spoken of on the part of many of the rulers formed
no real exception to the general statement of
Israel's unbelief. They simply tell us that, although
that faith was genuine, it needed strength and
growth. It was not powerful enough to sur-
mount the obstacles placed in its way by the
resolution of chap. ix. 22 ; and it had not reached
the point at which alone it could be said that,
in ' leading out ' its possessors after the true
Shepherd, its complete victory was gained (chap.
x. 3, 4). On the prominence now given to the
Pharisees among the enemies of Jesus, see note
on chap. vii. 32.
Ver. 43. Because they loved the glory of men
more than the glory of God. It may seem at first
sight as if these words were inconsistent with those
of chap. v. 44, and the apparent inconsistency is
not to be removed either by giving to the word
translated ' glory ' its etymological signification
' opinion,' or by supposing that the faith of these
rulers was not true. The solution of the diffi-
culty is to be found in observing (1) that the
' glory ' here referred to is that of vers. 23 and
41, a glory involving the unity of Jesus and His
people. Let the latter identify themselves with
the former, take up His cross, have part in His
sufferings and death, ' confess ' Him, and they
shall also be partakers of His ' glory.' This is not
exactly the same glory as that of chap. v. 44. —
(2) That the form of expression is not the same,
here 'of God,' 'of men — there 'from God,' the
preposition used in the latter case leading more
directly to the thought of glory offered by God,
and deliberately rejected. The reflections of the
Evangelist are at an end, and once more Jesus is
introduced to us.
Ver. 44. But Jesus cried and said. In what
sense are we to understand the cry and utterance
about to be mentioned ? Was it public or private?
Or is it strictly speaking no utterance of Jesus at
all, but only a summary by the Evangelist himself
of the main points of that teaching of Jesus which
he had recorded in the previous part of his
Gospel? That it was not public is clear from the
fact that the ministry had closed at ver. 36 ; and
it is impossible to meet this difficulty by the sup-
position that the cry is merely a continuation of
the first words of that verse. That it was not
private is equally clear, partly from the use of
'cried' (comp. vii. 2S, 37), partly because the
nature and lone of the words themselves are such
as to suggest that Jesus is speaking to ' the Jews,'
not to His disciples. The only supposition there-
fore is, that the passage contains an epitome or
summary of the words of Jesus to the Jews. The
words ' cried and said' are therefore equivalent to,
This was the teaching of Jesus when Pie spake
openly to the world. The Evangelist, however,
does not give the summary in his own words, but
(we can hardly doubt) makes use of actual sayings
uttered by his Master at various times, — sayings
which for the most part combine and give forcible
expression to truths which we have found stated
in the discourses of this Gospel. There is in this
section but little that is new ; on the other hand,
there is very little actual repetition of verses from
earlier chapters. If our view of the passage is
correct, the words were spoken by Jesus; the
sell 'lion is made by John.
He that believeth in me, believethnot in me,
but in him that sent me. This is the first and
almost the only place in this Gospel (see chap.
xiv. 1) in which the words 'believe in,' so con-
stantly associated with our Lord (see chap. ii. 11),
are used in reference to the Father. Once indeed,
in chap. v. 24, the Authorised Version reads ' be-
lieveth on Him that sent me,' but, as we have seen,
this is a mistranslation. No words could more
strikingly express what Jesus had accomplished
for those who received Him : He bad lei them to
CHAP. XIII. 1-20.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
■S3
[he Father, and through Jesus they are now be-
lievers in God (i Pet. i. 21), 'throwing themselves
with absolute trust' on God revealed in Christ.
Hence the appropriateness of the words in this
place, where the full effect of the mission of Jesus
upon the many (ver. 40) and upon the few is traced.
a of expression here recalls chap. vii. 16 :
as there Jesus declares that the words which He
ired fr> mi God, so here that
the faith He has awakened and rendered possible
is faith in God. In each relation lie is Mediator
between God and men.
\ er. 4.5. And he that heholdeth me, heholdeth
him that sent me. In chap. vi. 4c (see note) we
have the same combination as in these verses : 'He
that beholdeth the Son and believeth in Him.' A
little later the same th iught tinds fuller expression
in words addressed to disciples (chap. \iv. 91.
Compare chap. i. 18, xv. 24.
Ver. 46. As light I have come into the world,
that every one that believeth in me may not
abide in the darkness. Here we have tin- sub-
stance of the Saviour's last words to the multitude
(vers. 35, 36) and the earlier sayings of chap. viii.
12, ix. 5 ; but nowhere has it been as clearly taught
that all are ' in the darkness' until by faith in Jesus
ive light. Comp. chap. iii. 19 (Acts
xxvi. 18; Col. i. 13), and especially vers. 4, 5, in
the Prologue. It is easy to trace a certain con-
nection of thought in these verses, though from
the nature of the case the connection is not always
very close. The first two (44, 45) are occupied
with the relation between the disciples of Jesus and
the Father who sent Him ; the next three (46, 47,
4S), with the relation of Jesus to the world ; the
last two, with His relation to the Father. From
beholding (ver. 45) to light is a natural transition ;
from this point each verse directly leads the way
to that which follows it. The thought is ,u first
expressed in the language of figure (ver. 46), then
with studious plainness and simplicity.
Ver. 47. And if any one shall have heard my
sayings and have guarded them not. It is
necessary here to introduce an unusual word in the
translation. To 'keep' the sayings or words of
Jesus i. a phrase which often meets us in this
Gospel ('-In]', viii. 51. etc.): 'guard' is an un-
common word with the Evangelist, found only
here and in ver. 25, and (in conjunction with
' keep') in chap. xvii. 12. That the sayings may
be kept and not lost from memory
must be guarded with all care, and watchfully
observed. Comp. Matt. vii. 26; Luke vi. 49.
I judge him not : for I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world. Com p. chap. iii.
17, viii. 15.
Ver. 4S. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth
not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the
word that I spake, the same shall judge him in
the last day. From the ' forgetful hearer ' w hi ise
carelessness or indifference has let slip the words
he should have ' guarded.' Jesus passes to the man
who sets at nought both His word and Himself.
Even to him that word shall come, but as a judge.
As Moses was the accuser of the people (chap.
v. 45) because his word, though honoured in pro-
fession, was disregarded in its spirit and design,
so the very word of Jesus which they have rejected
shall declare their doom. The word bore with
it evidence that it was God's word: they heard
not because they were not of God (chap. viii.
14. 47)-
\ er. 49. Because I spake not of myself; but
the Father which sent me, he hath given me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I
should speak. With the first words compare chap.
iii. 34, v. 19, vii. 16, 17, viii. 28, xiv. 24. ( if
receiving a ' commandment ' from the Father Jesus
has spoken once only (chap. x. 18), but in later
chapters we have the same thought (xiv. 31, xv. 10),
which indeed is implied wherever He h;
of Himself as sent by the Father into the world.
This commandment is the expression of the Divine
plan for the salvation of the world (chap. iii.
14-16). The combination of 'say 'and 'speak'
in the last clause is remarkable : see the note on
chap. viii. 43.
Ver. 50. And I know that his commandment
is eternal life: whatsoever I speak therefore,
even as the Father hath said unto me, so I
speak. The substance of the Divine command-
ment is contained in the word of Jesus, and His
word gives life eternal, His word is life (chap. v.
24, vi. 63, 68).
Chapter XIII. 1-20.
The Foot-washing
1 \T OW before the "feast of the passover, when Jesus knew '
1 1 that his ''hour was come that he should depart2 out of
this world ' unto the Father, having loved his own which were
2 ""in the world, he3 loved them 'unto the end.4 And5 supper
being ended,6 the devil having now put7 into the8 heart of9
3 Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to 10 betray him ; Jesus knowing
that the Father had given " f all things into his hands, and that .
4 he was come12 from God, and went to God ; I3 He riseth from "
1 Jesus knowing 2 pass 3 omit he 4 to the full 6 add a
6 begun " already put it s his B that I0 should
11 <ri/V/ him 12 came forth 13 and goeth unto God I4 add the
■iChap. ju. 5;
k Chap. xii. 23.
See chap. ii.
4-
c Chap. xvi.
28.
e 1 Thess. ii.
16.
1 Matt, iti -
134 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 1-20.
supper, and s laid aside1''' his garments ; and took16 a towel, e Chap, x.h,
rl & 15. 17, 18,
S and 17 ;' girded himself. After that he M poureth water into a 1J , «■ o- .
bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them ;3 , (J,:mP-
> o r l Luke mi. 37,
'"> with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he 20 to xxii- 27-
Simon Peter: and Peter21 saith unto him, Lord, dost thou
7 wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do
.S thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know 22 hereafter. Peter
saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered
9 him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon
Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands
10 and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed23 needeth
not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit : and * ye are tChap. xv. 3.
11 clean, but not all. * For he knew who should betrav him ; :* AChap. ii. 24,
?5, VI. 64.
therefore said lie, Ye are not all clean,
u So after25 he had washed their feet, and had taken his gar-
ments, and was set26 down again, he said unto them, Know27
1 3 ye what I have done to you ? ' Ye call me Master and Lord : 1 Matt, xxiii.
14 and ye say well ; for so I am. If I then,21 your Lord and if; \ Cor.
Master,21' have washed your feet: ye also ought to wash one gph. vi. ,
J J ° Phil. 11. 11.
15 another's feet. For I have given3" you an example, that OTye«iMatt.xi.29:
i' 1 should do as I have done31 to you. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, " The servant is not greater than his lord ; neither he 32 that »Ma" *■ m
J ° ^ chap. xv. so ;
17 is sent greater than he that sent him. "If ye know these p^1- »>■ IO ■
' & ' I Pel. IV. 13.
[<S things, happy are ye if ye do them. I speak not of you all: 0^attLX
I know whom p I have chosen : 33 but q that the scripture may be t^;2_
fulfilled, ''He that eateth bread with me34 hath35 lifted up his /,^h''l1';"'
19 heel against me. Now30 I tell you s before it come,37 that, ?^ecjaP^;
when it is come to pass, ye may believe that 'I am he?* *|;ak°™-
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, " He that receiveth whomsoever jchap'.'xfv.
I send receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me receiveth him , J,
that sent me. ..,m.;,„A , .
16 layeth down 16 having taken 17 omit and ls Then lie
19 j^g 20 He cometh therefore -x for and Peter read he
-2 learn 23 bathed "* him that was betraying him L'5 When therefore
-'; had sat 27 Perceive 28 therefore 29 the Lord and the Master
30 I gave sl that ye also should do even as I did
32 No servant is greater than his lord, neither one 33 1 chose
34 eateth my bread 3S omit hath sc From henceforth
37 come to pass 3S omit he
Contents. We enter here upon the fifth of that nowhere in the Gospel have we so full a
those sections into which we have seen that the revelation of the Father's puipose and work, of
Gospel is divided ; and the section extends to the the Son's relation to it, of the great New Cove-
close of chap. xvii. The scene and the circum- nant gift of the Spirit, and of the duties, privileges,
stances of the actors in it are altogether different and hopes of that Church of Christ which, after
from what we have witnessed in chaps, v. to xii. He went away, was to take 1 1 is place, as we find
There is a transition from the 'world' and the in these chapters. The first scene in the section
'Jews,' its leading representatives, to the circle of is the Foot-washing. The subordinate parts are
the most intimate friends of Jesus, from struggle — (1) vers. I-II ; (2) vers. 12-20.
to quietness and peace, from denunciation of sin Ver. I. Now before the feast of the passover,
to an outpouring of the most tender affection in Jesus, knowing that his hour was come that he
act, discourse, and prayer. The consequence is should pass out of this world unto the Father,
CHAP. XIII. 1-20.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
having loved his own which were in the world,
loved them to the full. In this verse we have
first a chronological notice, and next a description
in three particulars of one side of the circumstances
of tile scene.
(i) The chronological notice, 'before the feast
of the Passover.' The Passover is that mentioned
in xii. :, and more particularly described in xi. 55
as 'the Passover of the Jews.' It is significant
that these last words, 'of the Jews,' are dropped in
the expression before us. Jesus will partake of 'the
Passover, ' but not of ' the Passover of the Jews;'
of the great national ordinance of Israel, but not of
an ordinance the true spirit and meaning of which
had perished; and which, as celebrated by 'the
Jews,' had degenerated into an outward carnal
form repulsive to the truly spiritual mind (comp. on
ii. 13). The preposition ' before' is indeterminate,
and is as suitable to an event happening immedi-
ately, as to one happening days, before. (2) The
circumstances of one side of the scene, three in
number. First, the leading person in it, 'Jesus,
knowing that His hour was come,' etc. Certainly
not 'although He knew,' as if His consciousness of
the glory awaiting Him might have proved an
obstacle to His present manifestation of Himself,
had it not been overcome by love; but because He
knew that He was about to be delivered from the
toil and suffering of the world, and to be re-
united to the Father in the biessedness of the
most intimate communion with Him (comp. on
chap. i. I). Second, the persons with whom He
deals. They were 'His own;' and they were
'in the world,' amidst its clangers and difficulties
and sorrows. Third, the feelings of the heart of
Jesus, — love, not the mere love of friendship, but a
solemn, deep, divine love. Thus indeed Pie had
always loved 'His own,' but His love now gains
additional intensity; He loved them 'to the full.'
The expression does not mean 'to the end,' for
which another phrase is always used (Heb. iii. 6,
14, vi. 11 ; Rev. ii. 26). It is best explained by
I Thess. ii. 16, 'to the uttermost:' the love of
Jesus now reaches its highest point.
It may be well to remind our readers that we
shall now ever and again, until at least we reach
the close of chap, xix., meet expressions having a
bearing on the great controversy, not yet conclu-
sively laid at rest, as to the day on which the Last
Supper was eaten by Jesus and His disciples, as
well as to that on which the crucifixion of Jesus
took place. Here the first of these two points
especially concerns us ; and, without going into
all the particulars which would be required for a
full discussion of the controversy, we would simply
recall attention to the fact that the question is,
Did Jesus eat the passover on the usual night,
that appointed by the law, viz. the 14th of Nisan,
or did He eat it on the evening of the previous
day ? It will hardly be denied that the expressions
here employed point most naturally to the regular,
legal night. We have already said that with this
view the word ' before ' in this verse is perfectly
consistent.
Ver. 2. And a supper being begun, the devil
having already put it into his heart that Judas
Iscariot, Simon's son, should betray him. It is
important to notice the exact parallelism of this
verse to the preceding, both in the note of time,
and in the circumstances of the scene.
(1) The chronological notice, 'a supper being
begun.' It was during the course of the supper,
1)5
not after it was ended, that the events to be
spoken of took place. That this 'supper' was
not the 'feast' properly so called appears from
the name ' a supper,' not ' the feast,' from ver. 29,
where the 'feast' is not yet or only just be
and from the absence of the article, which could
hardly have been wanting had the word 'su]
taken up again the ' feast ' of ver. 1. It was the
preliminary meal at the close of which the ' feast'
was celebrated.
(2) The circumstances of the other side of the
scene, three in number. F'irst, the devil, who had
'already' plotted the destruction of Jesus, ami
had fixed on Judas as the instrument. Second,
Judas Iscariot, the victim of the devil's wiles.
Third, the feelings of the devil's heart, — treachery,
hatred, at the point of intensity when what had
been long determined on shall be fulfilled. The
three particulars are in the sharpest contrast with
those in ver. 1, — the devil with Jesus, Judas with
' His own,' treachery with love. Darkness is over
against light, earth over against heaven, the lie
over against the truth ; and between these Jesus
takes His way. What has been said ought to
remove the objection felt by many to the translation
which we have given of this verse. None will
deny that it is the correct translation of the best
established Greek text, but it is thought to bi
possible to speak of the heart of Satan. The
expression, it will be seen, springs from the Evan-
gelist's mode of thought, as he seeks a contrast to
the heart of Jesus (comp. the marginal rend
of Job i. 8, ii. 3 : ' Hast thou set thy heart on • 'j.
Ver. 3. Jesus knowing that the Father had
given him all things into his hands, and that
he came forth from God, and goeth unto God.
We have now that state of mind in Jesus which
leads to the act about to be described. ' Knowing '
takes up again the same word in ver. I, and has
the same meaning, 'because he knows.' The
knowledge is summed up in three particulars — (l)
That 'the Father had given all things into II
hands;' the tense expressing no presentiment of
coming power, but an act already past. (2) That
'He came forth from God;' the words express-
ing not Plis Divine original, which would have
required another form ol expression, but that He
had left the presence of God as the ' Sent ' of
God. (3) That 'He goeth unto God,' as one
who has executed His commission. The three
clauses thus refer not to power or glory belonging
to Jesus as the Son of God : they connect them-
selves with His work of redeeming love.
Ver. 4. He riseth from the supper, and layeth
down his garments, and having taken a towel
girded himself. How wonderful the act when
compared with the circumstances (mentioned in
the previous verse) by which it is introduced ! In
the fullest consciousness of the glory of that work
of redeeming love which He had undertaken, He
who was in the ' form of God ' assumed the ' form,'
and did the work, of ' a servant, ' a slave, — nay,
felt that to do this was glory. What Pie does,
too, is rendered all the more striking by the fact
that the remarkable scene described in Luke
xxii. 24, — the strife among the disciples which
should be the greatest, — may have just occurred.
In contrast with that eager desire among His ser-
vants for superior station in the world, the Master
'riseth,' 'layeth down' His outer garments, and
'girdeth' Himself, becomes as 'he that serveth'
(Luke xxii. 27).
iS6
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 1-20.
Ver. 5. Then he poureth water into the bason,
and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
wipe them with the towel wherewith he was
girded. It is impossible not to mark the minute-
ness with which each separate part of the
wonderful work of condescension he would
describe is here recorded by the Evangelist.
According to the usages of the East, rendered
necessary at once by the dusty nature of the roads
and the imperfect covering afforded by sandals,
it was customary for the master of a house, when
receiving guests, to provide them with water to
wash their feet (Gen. xviii. 4, xix. 2 ; Judg. xix.
21 ; Luke vii. 44), The act of washing would
generally lie performed by servants. Her i
the Master of the feast, becomes Himself the
servant.
Ver. 6. He cometh therefore to Simon Peter :
he saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my
feet? If the narrative of the actual foot-washing
begins here, and ver. 5 is to be regarded as a
general description of what is now related in
detail, we must infer from the words before us
that our Lord began with Peter. If, on the other
hand, the washing begins with ver. 5, we learn
now that our Lord only came to Peter in due
course, so that whatever place that apostle had it
was not the first. The point is of little moment.
It is more important to mark the strong emphasis
belonging to ' thou ' and ' my : ' ' Lord, dost thou
wash my feet?' There may be hastiness and
self-will on Peter's part, but surely there is also
deep reverence for his Lord and a spirit of
genuine humility. We must bear in mind that as
yet he looks at the matter only with the outward
eye, and that he can hardly be expected to think
of the deeper spiritual significance which the act
Ver. 7. Jesus answered and said unto him.
What I do thou knowest not now; but thou
shalt learn hereafter. The Great Teacher now
takes in hand the task of instructing the warm-
hearted but impulsive disciple in the true nature
of the act performed by Him, and His
to the future prepares the way for the revelation to
be given. ' Hereafter ' certainly does not refet
either to Pentecost or the eternal world. The
remarkable transition in ll ' knowest
tci ' learn,' and the fact that the last of these two
words is again taken up in ver. 12 (where we
trai I 'perceive'), afford ground for the supposi-
tion that the ' hen 1 nol begins w uli the
light there thrown by Jesus Himself upon what
He due,. Even then, however, it can hardly be
confined to that moment. It is in the trying cir-
cumstances of the future, in the zealous discharge
of the task that shall be his, and in the ripening
of Christian experience, that Peter shall 'learn,'
shall ' perceive,' the full meaning of what he at
present feels to be so incomprehensible. He will
not fully know what it is to have had his own feet
washed by Jesus, until he shall have felt the need
of constantly turning to Him in faith ; and until,
in the love ever renewed in the exercise of that
faith, he too shall have washed the feet of
others.
Ver. S. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt
never wash my feet. Peter is too much amazed
to comprehend at once the lesson of the previous
words of Jesus. He does not even heed them ;
and his impulsiveness, checked for a moment,
leads him to break over the barrier that has been
opposed to it with greater force than before :
'Thou shalt never wash my feet.' — Jesus
answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
part with me. Now, our Lord begins to unfold
the true spiritual meaning of what lie is about to
do. We must carefully mark the words, — first,
tlie word ' wash,' not ' cleanse ' or ' bathe,' refer-
ring to the whole body, but simply 'wash,'
referring to the act which Jesus has immediately
in hand, — the washing of the feet alone ; secondly,
' with me,' not ' in me,' referring, not to the entire
dependence of the believer upon his Lord and his
completeness in Him, but to his share along with
Him in a work of self-sacrificing love, triumphant
over the world and crowned with glory. If we
' two points in view, it will be at once
seen that the words of Jesus before us have little
reference to any mere spirit of self-will, for which
Peter must substitute the childlike disposition that
alone can enter into the kingdom of heaven, and
also that they relate as little to our first cleansing
from sin in the atoning blood of Christ. They
refer to something different from either of these
two great truths, and express, what we shall have
to explain more fully (on ver. 20), that unless
Peter enters into the spirit of that self-sacrificing
work of love which Jesus performs, makes that
spirit his own spirit, sees the beauty and owns the
glory of the Master's becoming the servant for His
people's sake (comp. Matt. xx. 28; Luke xxii.
24-27), and becomes in like manner ready to
sacrifice himself if he may thereby help the
humblest member of the flock ol I hrist, then he
is going his own way, not the way of lesus ; he is
choosing his own portion, not the portion of his
Lord; he must be content to separate from One
whom he loved with all his heart, and to have no
part with Him either in His sufferings or
rd. Ii is this thought, even though it
may be as yet imperfectly apprehended by the
apostle, that leads to the sudden revulsion of feel-
ing in the following verse.
Ver 9. Simon Peter saith unto Him, Lord,
not my feet only, but also my hands and my
head. — Peter sees that in whatever way the result
maybe produced, sufferii g Ji 1 *'
will bring him nearer to In, Master, will make
him to be more 'with Him.' The tin night of the
hands and the head as the uncovered parts of the
I'ody naturally occurs to him ; and his reasoning
is that, if the washing of one part will give him
inte ' r wh im he loved,
much more will this be effected by the washing ol
mne parts thai: one. To everything he will sub-
CHAP. XIII. 1-20.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
'57
nut, so that it bring him nearer to Jesus and His
u-» ard.
Ver. 10. Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed
needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean
every whit : and ye are clean, but not all. The
ground of the figurative language hardly needs
explanation : he who has just been cleansed in the
bath has only further to wash his feet as he pro-
ceeds from the bath to the banquet in order that
he may sit down there wholly clean. Peter's
wools had shown that he did not fully understand
the application of the figure, and that he did not see
that the washing of more than the feet, which had
alone been in a position to contract defilement,
implied that the first cleansing had not been so
: . it really was. It was necessary, there-
fore, in furtherance of his training at this time, to
remind him that in faith and love he had aln adj
been made completely one with Jesus, and that
all now required was not an entire renewal of that
first cleansing, as if men were to be born a third
as well as a second time, but a preserving of it
in ii tpleteness. This was to be effected by
[. 11 > now to cleanse away any slain that
could be imparted by the work of the world, bul
no more. A right perception of the gri
what Christ did for us when He first united us lo
Himself, is as necessary to a true following of His
example of love and self-denial, as is a perception
of the fact that, at every step of our pn
every part of our continued work, we need to
turn to Him for the spiritualising of our earthly
thoughts, the elevation of our earthly aims, and
the pardon of our shortcomings and sins. Peter
and the apostles ought not to forget this. They
had all been truly united to Jesus except one ; and
there is sadness in the way in which the words
are added, 'but not all.'
Ver. 1 1. For he knew him that was betraying
him: therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
What a contrast to the eleven do these words
present: they full of faith and love, 'clean;'
Judas with his heart full of evil passions, at that
very moment his treachery not a thing of the
future, but of the present. And yet more ! Jesus
knew this. The eye that sees what is in man,
saw what was in the heart of the traitor while he
1 his feet. It may he asked. What is
the import of the foot-washing in such a case?
We can only answer. It is nothing but an outward
rite. The complete bath must have been
accepted, before the subsequent washing of the
feet can bring its blessing to us, or be other than
a carnal form.
Ver. 12. When therefore he had washed their
feet, and had taken his garments, and had sat
down again, he said unto them, Perceive ye
what I have done to you? Again three par-
ticulars introduce the words of Jesus : and the
frequent recurrence of this structure throughout
these verses harmonizes well with the touching
solemnity of the whole scene. Having washed
the feet of the disciples, resumed His garments,
and again taken His place at the table, Jesus pro-
ceeds to enforce the lesson of what He had dom .
He first awakens their attention by His question,
and then proceeds.
Ver. 1 ;. Ye call me Master and Lord: and
ye say well; for so I am. It was in the full
consciousness of the dignity belonging to Him
that (ver. 3) Jesus had entered upon this scene.
It is in a similar consciousness that He now urges
its lesson. The word used for ' Master' is [ohn's
Greek rendering for the Hebrew ' Rabbi ' (chap,
i. 29, xx. 16). No special meaning therefore, such
as ' Teacher,' is to be given it.
Ver. 14. If I therefore, the Lord and the
Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought
to wash one another's feet. The order of the
ch Jesus assumes to Himself is changed
in this as compared with the preceding verse.
The object appears to be to give prominence to
that title of 'Lord' in the thought of which lay
the strength of the obligation resting upon His
disc. pies to do as He had done. They, then,
w.o- 10 wash one an' 'ill. r . fei : « hen 1 [e would
no longer be beside them to doso : they could not
another, make one another ' clean ; ' but
this they could do in self-denying love and fellow-
ship,— they could restore one another's failing
faith and love by ever-renewed manifestations I
that love to one another which, springing from
the love of Jesus, leads back to Him.
Ver. 15. For I gave you an example, that
ye also should do even as I did to you. Whal
the giver of a commission does may well be done
by the servant to whom the commission is given.
It is important to observe that the act spoken of
is only that of 'washing one another's feel.'
Ver. 16. Verily, verily, I say unto you, No
servant is greater than his lord ; neither one
that is sent greater than he that sent him.
How often does Jesus speak of Himself in this
gospel as the ' Sent ' of God ! It is impossible to
dissociate this usage from the words here, so that
the same word is applied to the disciple in refer-
ence to his Lord as is applied to the Lord Him-
self in reference to God (comp. xvii. iS). The
disciples are the 'sent,' taking the place of Him
who was first 'sent' but is now gone to the
Father.
Ver. 17. If ye know these things, happy are
ye if ye do them. Simple as might a]
duty to which the disciples were called, Jesus
knew that it was a hard and trying task. He
connects therefore a promise of blessedness with
the actual performance of the duty.
Ver. iS. I speak not of you all At this point
Jesus again turns to the thought of Judas, yet
not with the view of simply repeating what I Ie
had said at ver. lo. It is contemplation of the
blessedness first spoken of that fills His mind,
and pity for that disciple who was not only to
separate himself from the others, but, in doing
so, to lose their blessedness. — I know whom I
chose. The choosing refers to election to the
apostleship, not to eternal life (comp. vi. 70,
xv. 16, 19). The precise object of the statement
is more difficult to determine. The most pro-
liable explanation seems to be that our Lord
would anticipate what could not fail to be after-
wards a source of perplexity to the disciples. It
will seem strange to them that a traitor should
have been chosen to be one of their number ; and
they may even be tempted to think that, had
Jesus known what He was doing, no such choice
would have been made. Therefore, with much
emphasis on the 'I,' he says, 'I know whom 1
chose. You may imagine that I have been
deceived, but it is not so ; I knew well what was
to happen, and that it was a part of the purposes
of God,' — but, that, the scripture may be fulfilled.
He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel
against me. The words are from Ps. xli. 9.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 1-20.
As originally used they refer to the .suffering
righteous man, but the Psalmist is led to employ
words which have their full meaning only as applied
to the ideal righteous one, that is, to Jesus; and
Jesus now speaks them directly in His own person.
As found here they are not a reproduction of the
Septuagint, but are an original translation of the
Hebrew, The figure may be taken from the
tripping up of a runner in a race, or from the
thought of kicking. The latter allusion is tin'
more probable. The peculiar offensiveness of the
conduct spoken of lies in the fact that the person
guilty of it has 'eaten the bread' of him whom
he injures, and has thus violated those laws "I
hospitality and friendship than which the East
knew none more sacred.
Ver. i'i. From henceforth I tell you before it
come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye
may believe that I am. The ■ words can hardly
mean that Jesus would henceforward tell them
events that were to happen in order that, when
the events did happen, they might see that lie
had been a true prophet and might have their
faith confirmed. He is here dealing with them as
with persons who are to be sent forth to do His
work in the world ; and it is as it He would say,
' Because the moment of your work is come I put
you in possession of what is to happen, I make
you anticipate and foresee it, I give you the same
knowledge of it that I have myself, in order that,
when suffering conies, you may not only not lose
faith by the shock, but may be strengthened in
your progress towards a deeper and truer faith.
My ever present knowledge corresponds to my
ever present Divine existence, to the tact that I
am (comp. on viii. 24). Your knowledge shall be
to you a proof that it is indeed One who can say
" I am " that is in you.' It is not so much of faith
in Him as the .Messiah that Jesus speaks: it is
of faith in the Divine in Him, bestowed through
Him upon themselves.
Ver. 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth
me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him
that sent me. The difficulty of tracing the
connection of these words with tire rest of our
Lord's discourse at this time has been felt by all
commentators. Let us observe that they are in-
troduced by 'Verily, verily,' and that we are thus
taken back to ver. 16 with the expectation that
the thought here will closely correspond, although
in a deepened form, to the thought there. There,
however, the distinct reference had been to that
work of lowly love which ' in the form of a
servant 'Jesus had just per formed for 1 li- disciples.
What, therefore, lie had done for them, they are
now to do for one another, and for the world.
Laying aside all thought of earthly pre-emii
■I God and not their own,
they are to go out, like their Master, 'in the form
of a servant,' and in a spirit of self-sacrificing love
like His to be I lis representatives to men. As
they do so, they will experience the same recej 'tic 11
as 1 le had done. Some will ' receive ' them, — that
is, will not merely view with favour their general
woif, but will accept them when they come, and
bi tuse they come, to them in the samr spirit as thai
which Jesus had displayed in the act which llehad
just performed towards them. ( fillers, it is implied,
will reject them; will accept indeed the outward
service, the external rite ; but, yielding to the
evil suggestions of Satan, and so proving them-
his children instead of the children of God,
will cast away from them the precious truth of
which the service and the rite were only the
symbolical expression. Men will thus divide
themselves into two classes which will take up
towards the apostles doing the work ol Jesus the
same position as that which the eleven on the one
hand, and Judas on the other, had now taken up
towards Jesus Himself. It is important to keep
this thought of Judas as well a, of the others pro-
minently in view in the verses before us. Just
as vers. 1 and 3 constitute a parallel to ver. 19,
and there is One behind Jesus who 1, received
when Jesus is received (ver. 20), so ver. 2 consti-
tutes a parallel to the implied thought of Judas,
and there is one behind the traitor whose children
the rejectors of Jesus, as lie acts in the apostles,
show themselves to be. Nor is this all ; for,
while the thought of which we speak binds the
whole passage, vers. 1-20, into one, it also ex-
plains the apparently sudden transition to the
powerful emotions stirred in the Redeemer's
breast by the thought of Judas at ver. 21,
as well as the emphatic 'Now' of ver. 31, —
now, wdien the last who would resist that true
glory which consists in self-sacrificing love has
been expelled. The last clause of ver. 20 is
explained by chap. i. 12.
It is desirable to pause here for a moment, and
to ask as to the real meaning of the wonderful
scene, the details of which we have been con-
sidering. It is not a mere lesson of humility.
The lesson is far deeper. It is the completing act
of that great work of self-sacriticing love in which
(esii, was engaged. He even includes in the
"thought of it the thought of the crucifixion now
so near; and, as then He shall depart unto the
Lather, He afford, now the most touching, the
culminating, illustration of the fact that ' the Son
of 111.111 came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister.' That is the very essence of His glory,
a glory so different from that of the world, so
different even from that upon which the thoughts
of His disciples were yet fixed. Therefore He
humbles Himself anew. Laying aside His glory
He takes up His cross, not that He may justify
disciples who are already His, who are 'clean,'
but that He may bring them ever and again to
Himself the source of all true spiritual nourish-
ment, and may wash away any fresh stains of
defilement which they have contracted in their
work in the world.
That is His part, Wli.it is ours? It springs
from the consideration that, exalted in glory, He
really labours and suffers no more. His disciples
take His place and carry on lb- wi rk, constantly
leading one another back to Him, and washing
away those weaknesses of faith, those defects of
love, which their work in the world brine-- with it.
Thus they ' fill up what is behind of the sufferings
of Christ for His body's sake, which is the
lurch' (Col. i. 2j): and it is thus only that,
suffering with Him, they shall at last be glorified
'with Him' (ver. S) in Hi- glory.
Chap. XIII. 21-30.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 159
Chapter XIII. 21-30.
The Expulsion of Judas Iscariot.
21 \li 7 II EN Jesus had thus said, he was " troubled in spirit, and »c_hap .v. ._>.
VV testified,1 and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that
22 ''one of you shall betray me. Then- the c disciples looked one *Comp. Matt.
2\ on another, doubting3 of whom he spake. Now4 there was Marie xiv.
J ' ta ' 18 ; Luke
leaning on5 Tesus' bosom one of his disciples, ''whom Jesus xxii.ai.
0 J 1 . c u,imP- Matt-
24 loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he >
^ Mark xiv.
2? should ask who it should be of whom he spake.6 Me then 19;. Luke
26 lying7 on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it ? Jesus <*Chap.»x.
answered,8 He it is, to9 whom I shall give a10 sop, ' when I e\-"[ '
have dipped it.11 And when12 he had dipped the sop, he '
27 gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.13 And after the
sop f Satan1* entered into him. Then said Jesus15 unto him, /Luke
28 That thou doest, do quickly.1" Now no man at the table vi. 70
29 knew 17 for what intent he spake this ls unto him. For some of
than " thought, because Judas had the ^bag, that Jesus hail
said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against21
the feast; or, that he h should give something to the poor. /<Deut.
30 He then22 having received the sop went immediately out:
' and it was night.
1 and bare witness 2 omit Then 3 in perplexity
1 omit Now •"' reclining at meat in
6 Simon Peter therefore beckoneth to this one, and saith unto him, Say who
it is of whom he speaketh
7 He leaning back thus * Jesus therefore answereth ° for
10 dip the u and shall give it to him 1J When therefore
18 he taketh and giveth it to Judas the son of Simon Iscariot
14 then Satan 15 Jesus therefore saith li: more quickly
17 No one of those reclining at meat perceived ls he said it
19 omit of them 20 omit had 21 for -- therefore
chap.
36
CONTENTS. The leading idea of this section is 'Verily, verily.' Compassion, however, is not
the expulsion of Judas from the company of the (lis- the leading feature of His mind at present. It is
ciples. We have already seen that before the chap- rather horror and indignation at the thought that
ins the world i> shut out, and Jesus is to be over against His glorious mission of love to the
alone with 'His own.' But Judas is of the world, world there should now appear in their utmost
the last remnant of it left in the apostolic company, intensity the worldliness, the selfishness, and the
the last particle, as it were, of the leaven that had sin that would fain defeat it all. Then fore H
to be removed with such scrupulous care from 'troubled' (comp. on xi. 33. xii. 27), and troubled
every Jewish house before the feast of the Pass- ' in spirit,' in the highest region of the spiritual
over. ' Before the true Christian Passover then life. Therefore He 'bare witness:' not simply
celebrated, Judas must withdraw. Then were His words plain, as compared with His
only will the house be clean, the air be pure ; and previously obscure intimations of the approaching
with no jailing clement in their midst, Jesus will treachery (vers. 10, iS), but He was now delivering
be able to pour forth all the fulness of His love a part of that mystery of the will of His Father
towards those who are bound up with Him in the which it was His mission to proclaim, and which
closest and most sacred fellowship. announced the thickness of Satanic darkness no
Ver. 21. When Jesus had thus said, he was less than the brightness of heavenly light. And
troubled in spirit, and bare witness, and said, therefore also He said 'Verily, verily;' so solemn,
Verily, verily, etc. All the expressions of the verse so awful, so full of deep and far-reaching meaning,
indicate how deeply the spirit of Jesus was moved, was the fact about to be realised. The same
the 'troubled in spirit,' the 'bare witness,' the three-fold statement shows the greatness of the
ico
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 21-30.
impression made upon the mind of the Evangelist.
— I say unto you, That one of you shall betray
me; sad, painful words, but as yet not understood
by the disciples.
Ver. 2 \. The disciples looked one on another,
in perplexity of whom he spake. From the
parallel passages of the earlier Gospels (Malt,
xxvi. 22, etc.; Mark xiv. 19; Luke xxii. 23) we
learn that they expressed their perplexity to one
another in words. To John, hastening always to
the main figure of the scene, it is enough to speak
of their looks.
Ver. 21. There was reclining at meat in JesuB'
bosom one of Ms disciples. It had been origin-
ally enjoined that the Passover should be eaten
standing (Ex. xii. in, but after the return from
the captivity the custom had been changed; the
guests now reclined upon couches. The reason
for the original injunction no longer existing,
it had been permitted to fall aside ; and our
Lord recognised the propriety of the change. At
this moment indeed the feast, properly so called,
had not yet begun; but there is no reason to
doubt that the attitude of reclining would not
be changed when it did so. — Whom Jesus loved.
The universal tradition of the Church, as well as
the information afforded by the gospel itself when
various intimations contained in it are put together,
leave no doubt that this disciple was John himself.
Ver. 24. Simon Peter therefore beckoneth to
this one, and saith unto him, Say who it is of
whom he speaketh. Peter, as usual the first to
act, is the spokesman of the rest. Nothing is
said to explain why either he or any other of the
apostolic band should have supposed that John
would know what they themselves were ignorant
of. It may have arisen simply from their having
witnessed many tokens of love and confidence on
the part of Jesus towards him.
Ver. 25. He leaning back thus on Jesus' breast,
saith unto him, Lord, who is it ? Nothing can
be more graphic than the account here g'ven of
the movement made by John. He had been
reclining on the bosom of Jesus : he now throws
back his head upon His breast, looking up into
His face that he may ask his question. It is
worthy of notice that this little act is fixed on by
the beloved disciple in xxi. 20, to characterize
himself: not 'which also leaned,' but 'which
also leaned back on his breast' at the supper.
Perhaps, too, we may justly infer that the ques-
tion was neither asked nor answered in under-
tones, but that all could hear.
Ver. 26. Jesus therefore answereth, He it is
for whom I shall dip the sop, and shall give it
to him. The use of the definite article with the
wad 'sop' can leave no doubt upon our minds
that it is the well-known sop of the Paschal Supper.
The sauce in which it was dipped does not belong
to the original institution, but had been intro-
duced befi ne the days of Christ, and was partaken
of before the lamb was placed upon the table.
At this point then we are at the beginning of the
'feast.' Two important questions meet us, In
what spirit is the sop offered? Does Judas par-
take of it ?
As tn the first nf these, it was certainly more
than a sign to point out Judas as the traitor. This
particular sign is chosen in order even at the last
moment to touch his heart. For this purpose
Jesus departs from the ordinary custom at the
feast at which each guest dipped his own bread
in the bitter sauce, and offers Judas a piece which
lie Himself had dipped. It was as if He would
say, ' Thou art at my table, thou art my guest, I
would fain have thee to be my friend ; canst thou
violate every rule of love and friendship?' The
giving of the sop then is more than an index to
the traitor. It is a final appeal to Judas which
may yet soften his heart, but which, if it do not
soften him, will only make him more hardened
than before.
The second question, Does Judas partake of
the feast? is not distinctly answered by the Evan-
gelist. We must probably answer in the negative,
because — (:) The 'least' was only now begin-
ning. (2) The drift of the passage, and indeed
of tlie whole of this section of the gospel, leads to
the conclusion that he did not. This view seems
also to find confirmation from the words of 1 John
ii. 19, which appear to take their form from the
memory of the scene before us. Thus looked at,
the going out of Judas is the token that he did
not belong to the number of the disciples, and
that he could not share in that expression of
communion with Jesus now to be enjoyed. —
When therefore he had dipped the sop, he taketh
and giveth it to Judas the son of Simon Iscariot.
F'or the name Simon Iscariot, comp. vi. 71. That
the name Iscariot belongs to the father as well as
the son, confirms the idea that the meaning is the
• Man of Kerioth ' (Josh. xv. 25).
Ver. 27. And after the sop then Satan entered
into him. After the sop had been given, Satan
took such full possession of the traitor, that he is
no longer only Judas, but one possessed by Satan.
— Jesus therefore saith unto him, That thou
doest, do more quickly. Judas may now be
addressed as 'doing' what he was to do. It was
too late to expect any change. Mercy, grace,
offered to the last, have been to the last rejected.
The sin must be committed now. Let him there-
fore not stay, as in all probability he would have
wished to partake of the feast; let him be even
more active than he is inclined to be ; Jesus not
only desires to be alone with His true disciples,
but He is eager to take that last step which is
now at hand; He is 'straitened' until His
' baptism is accomplished ' (Luke xii. 50).
Ver. 2S. No one of those reclining at meat
perceived for what intent he said it unto him.
From these words the inference is generally drawn
that the conversation between Jesus and John
must have been in an undertone ; otherwise the
disciples would have known the meaning of what
had been said. The inference is hardly warranted.
Even although they now knew that lie was to
betray his Master, they might be so ignorant of
all the steps he was to take for that end, that they
could not attach a correct idea to the words
addressed to him. And they did not.
Ver. 29. For some thought, because Judas had
the bag, that Jesus said unto him. Buy those
things that we have need of for the feast; or,
that he should give something to the poor. On
the ' bag ' here spoken of, see on xii. 6. The first
supposition made, that Judas might have gone out
to purchase things needed ' for the feast,' is a proof
that the feast itself had not begun, or was only
beginning. It is important to observe the word
"feast." It is that of ver. I, and it shows that the
disciples expected to partake of the Paschal Supper
with Jesus. This expectation the Evangelist
would in all probability not have communicated
Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
to us as he has done had he not known it to be
correct. He knows that Jesus partook of ' the
feast;' that what He did not partake of was the
' Passover of the Jews' (comp. on ver. 1). The
words, too, are much more reconcilable with the
idea that the feast was just about to be partaken
of, than that it was to be eaten twenty-four hours
afterwards. On the latter supposition, the ' more
quickly ' loses all its meaning. On the former it
retains its force. The expression here employed
supplies therefore a powerful argument for the
supposition that the evening on which Jesus and
His disciples were thus gathered together was that
of the Paschal Supper. It has indeed been urged
that, if the Supper took place on the evening of
the 14th, — according to sacred calculation, the be-
ginning of the 15th, — such purchases would have
been illegal and impossible, the 15th possessing
all the sanctity of a Sabbath. This, however, is
haAlly a fair representation of the case. There
are clear indications both in Scripture (Ex.
xii. 16 ; Lev. xxiii. 7 ; Luke xxiii. 56) and in the
Mishna, that a difference was made between these
two days in respect of sanctity, the preparation of
food, for example, being expressly allowed on the
latter of the two. A rabbinical provision, also,
for the procuring of the Paschal lamb when the
eve of the Passover fell on the Sabbath, is a proof
that no difficulty was experienced on the point
when the two days did not coincide (Mishna,
treatise Sabbath).
161
The second supposition of the disciples points
to the same conclusion. They thought that Judas
was to give something to the poor ; and that it was
to be given 'more quickly.' This could hardly be
mere general charity to the poor. The time was
not very suitable for the exercise of such charity,
and there could be no call for its being given at
once. We are compelled therefore to I
of charity in general, but of that particular aid
which, in conformity with the law (Lieut, xvi. 14),
was to be given at the Passover to ' the stranger,
ami the fatherless, and the widow,' to enable them
also to rejoice. Such an interpretation of the
words of Jesus on the part of the disciples corre-
sponds much better with the supposition that the
feast was about at this moment to be celebrated
than that it was to be so the following night.
Ver. 30. He therefore having received the
eop went immediately out. Again nothing is
said of the sop's being eaten. — And it was night.
It is impossible to mistake the symbolic meaning
of these words, which thus become important as
illustrating the general character of the thought
and style of the Evangelist. They illustrate, no
doubt, the minute accuracy of the narrative, and
the fact that it is that of an eye-witness, upon
whose memory the events witnessed by him had
made a profound impression. But they certainly
do more. In the darkness of the night in which
Judas went out the Evangelist sees the symbol
of the darkness of his deed of treachery.
Chapter XIII. 31-XIV. 31.
Jesus, alone with His Disciples, begins His Last Consolatory Discourse.
31 ' I THEREFORE, when1 he was gone out, Jesus said,8 Now
J- is the Son of man " glorified, and * God is glorified in ax"1c£ap"
32 him. 'If God be glorified in him,3 God* shall also5 glorify *f£%£l;
33 him in himself, and d shall straightway glorify him. ''Little caTap! "vU.1
children, yet S a. little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: 0rrjhap.xii.23.
^and as6 I said unto the Jews, Whither I go,7 ye cannot come ; e !2. "ii'^'g.
34 so now I say to you. A ''new commandment I give unto you, xfi? 3; ap"
'That ye love one another; *as6 I have8 loved you, that ye k 1 John s. 7,"
35 also love9 one another. By this shall all men know that ye are / seechap.
my disciples,10 if ye have love one to u another. *epVv 2
36 Simon Peter said 2 unto him, Lord, whither goest thou ? 7
Jesus answered him,12 Whither I go,7 thou canst not follow me
37 now; but 'thou shalt follow me13 afterwards. '" Teter said2 '£fP8_cha
unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now?11 I will lay
38 down my life for thy sake.15 '"Jesus answered16 him,12 Wilt
thou lay down thy life for my sake ? 17 Verily, verily, I say
Matt, x.wi
3J-3S1 Mark
xiv. 29-31 ;
Luke xxii.
33. 34-
1 When therefore
4 and God
8 emit have
12 omit him
16 answereth
vol. 11.
2 saith
5 omit also
9 may iove
13 omit me
lr for me
11
8 omit If God be gloiified in him
6 even as 7 add away
10 disciples of mine u with
H even now 15 for thee
*Comp. Hcb
x. 20 ; Eph.
fChap. 1. 14.
2 John 1.
TV See chap. v.
26, xi. 25.
xChap. viii.
19.
y Com p.
, J ]::, ii.13,
z Lhap. 1. 44.
a Chap. xii. 45.
162 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.
unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me
thrice.
Chap. xiv. i. Let "not your heart be "troubled: ye19 ^ believe "SmP7chaP.
2 in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many „ chap.'xii. =;
mansions : 19 if it zvere not so, I would have told you.20 1 21 go , vlC\.'£. '
3 'to prepare a place for you. And if I go22 and prepare23 a ?g>aPml-
place for you, r I will24 come again, and receive2'' you unto rVers. 18, «8.
4 myself; that s where I am, thereyz may be also.20 And whither *f"2c£ap-
I go27 ye know, and28 the way ye know.2'
5 'Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou /Chap, xi. is
6 goest ; 27 and 2b how can 30 we know the way ? Jesus saith unto
him, I am "the way, the31 "truth, and the "'life: no man :
7 cometh unto the Father, but by33 me. * If ye had known34 me,
ye should have known 35 my Father also : and 28 from henceforth
■''ye know30 him, and have seen him.
8 z Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it suf-
9 ficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with
you, and yet hast thou not known 34 me, Philip ? " he that hath
seen me hath seen the Father ; and 2S how sayest thou then';
10 Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that 'I am in the *Jw"'|o;
Father, and the Father in me ? the words that I speak 38 unto xvn- *'• 23,
you c I speak not of39 myself: but the Father that dwelleth c fgee chap' v-
11 in me, he doeth the works.40 Believe me that I am in the
Father, and the Father in me: or rfelse believe me for the '^echaP- v-
very41 works' sake.
12 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on42 me, «M*J»a
the works that I do shall he do also ; 43 and greater works than xvi- '?■
1 3 these shall he do ; because S I jjo unto my44 Father. And e what- ^\er- z8.;-
-* ' o J chap. xni. 1,
soever ye shall45 ask in my name, that will I do,4G that ''the V™'5!?' '
14 Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask47 any thing ^^Jjf?,',"',16'
1 5 in my name, I will do /A40 ' If ye love me, keep 48 my command- vit^'cd.
16 ments. And I will pray49 the Father, and he shall'''0 give you //chap'xiii.
another k Comforter,51 that he may abide52 with you forever; ,- ^ere. 2I> 33 .
17 Even l the Spirit of53 truth ; '"whom the world cannot receive, i4fPcomp.0'
because it seeth54 him not, neither knoweth65 him: but50 ye i.3°n"
know67 him ; for he dwelleth58 with you, and shall be59 in you. chap? xv. 26,
xvi. 7;
, I ,hn i . :.
18 omit ye 19 places of abode -° you ; 21 because I /Chap.xv.s6,
22 shall have gone 23 prepared 24 omit will 2~' will receive ij'ohn'v. 6.
26 there ye also may be 2r add ^away 28 omit and 29 omit ye know ra1C0r.ii.14.
30 do 31 and the "- no one 3S through
' learned to know 35 ye would know s0 ye learn to know
37 omit then 38 say 39 from
40 but the Father abiding in me doeth his works 4I believe for his
42 in 43 also do •" the *s omit shall
": this I will do *" ask of me 4S ye will keep 49 ask
50 will 51 Advocate •'- be 53 of the
54 beholdeth t5 learneth to know 5,i omit but
67 learn to know 6S because he abideth 69 and is
Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 163
18 I will not leave you comfortless:6" " I will 61 come to you. Yet "Ver- *
19 "a little while, and the world seeth" me no more;02 but ■''ye »SeechaP.
20 see63 me: because I live, ye04 shall live also.65 At66 that ? day P chapl'xvi.
ye shall know that r I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in ?cl>aP xvi-
21 you. • He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he rW"- IO-
it is that loveth me: and s he that loveth me shall be loved of 'Chap.**,
my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 ' Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it 67 that thou ' Luke vi- '6-
23 wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world ? Jesus
answered and said unto him, ' If a man09 love me, he will keep
my words:69 and my Father will love him, and "we will come »R« iii.30.
24 unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me
not keepeth not my sayings :70 and "the word which ye hear is "V«. 10;
not mine, but the Father's which sent me. vu. 16. '
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present71
26 with you. But the "'Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,72 wVer- '6-
whom the Father will send in my name, ""he shall73 teach you .rChap. xvi.
all things, and 'bring all things74 to your remembrance, what- S™,*?;"
27 soever" I have70 said unto you. " Peace I leave with 77 you, my ichapi'xvi'6'
peace78 I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto "•' S« '
you. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. aVer.'i.
28 Ye have76 heard how79 * I said unto you, I go away, and come avers 2,3,4,
again unto80 you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice,81 because82
I said S3 I c go unto the Father : for 84 my 8S Father is greater than < Ver. 12.
29 I. And now d I have told you before it come to pass, that, when «chaP. »;;.
30 it is come to pass, ye might86 believe. Hereafter87 I will not88 '9' *"' 4'
talk much with you: for the e prince of this89 world cometh, «SeechaP.
3 1 and 90 hath nothing in me. But 91 that the / world may know 92 /chap' xvii.
that I love the Father; and ^as93 the Father gave me com- f-cLp.xii.49.
mandment, even94 so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
60 desolate C1 omit will C2 no longer 63 behold
64 and ye ,; ' omit also ce In
1,7 how hath it come to pass C8 any one 69 word 70 words
71 while abiding 72 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit
73 will 7* and he will bring ' 75 all things that
'_''■ omit have 7r unto r8 a peace that is mine
711 that so and I come unto sl would have rejoiced
82 that S3 omit I said si because 85 the
80 may sr omit Hereafter 88 no longer 89 the
00 cometh. And he 91 But he cometh 92 perceive
03 and that even as c'4 omit even
Contents. Judas has now gone out ; Jesus is inmost feelings of His soul on their behalf; and
alone with the disciples whom He loved ; and the He does this in the discourse extending to the
last disturbing element has been removed from close of chap, xvi., and in the intercessory prayer
the midst of the little company. But the hour is of chap. xvii. We shall mistake the object of these
come when the servants must be left without the chapters, however, if we suppose that they are
immediate presence of their Master, and when intended mainly to console : they are still more to
they are to take that place, amidst the trials of the instruct and train those by whom the work of
world, which He was about to leave for the imme- Christ in the world is to be carried on. The
diate presence of the Father. It is the moment, subordinate parts of the section before us are—
therefore, for the Redeemer to pour forth all the (1) chap. xiii. 31-35 ; (2) vers. 36-3S ; (3) chap.
i64
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.
(6)
xiv. 1-4; (4) vers, c-7 ; (5) vers. S-
12-21 ; (7) vers. 22-24; (8) vers. 25-31.
Vers. 31, 32. When therefore he was gone
out, Jesus saith, Now is the Son of man glori-
fied, and God is glorified in him ; and God
shall glorify him in himself, and shall straight-
way glorify him. In the g"ing out of Judas
Jesus sees the disappearance of the last trace of
the world from His presence. It is the token to
Him, therefore, that the struggle is past, that the
victory is won, that the moment of His glorifica-
tion has arrived. To the eye of sense, indeed, it
seems as if at that instant the powers of darkness
triumphed. But that was only the outward aspect
of the event 1 now to be consummated. We are
on the verge of the ' lifting on high ; ' and in what
the world thinks shame there really bejin^ the
brightest manifestation of the 'glory' both of the
Son and of the Father. Hence the emphatic
'Now' with which Jesus introduces His words.
The 'glorifying ' spoken of in the first two sen-
tences is not tn be distinguished from that of the
last two, as if the former were the gl< »ry of suffer-
ing by which Jesus glorified the Father, the latter
that of reward by which the Father glorified Him.
It is throughout the same glory that is in view,
and that not an outward but an inward glory ;
although the word ' glorify ' implies that what had
been for a time veiled, obscured, is now made
manifest in the brightness which is its true and
proper characteristic. The glory spoken of is that
of Sonship, the glory belonging to the Son as the
absolutely perfect expression of the father, and
especially of that love of the Father which is the
essential element of the Father's being. This ex-
pression had been found in the Son, not only
throughout the eternity preceding the foundation
of tlie world, but also after He became Son of
man ; and it is to lie particularly observed that it
is of the glorifying of the 'Son of man ' that Jesus
speaks in the words before us. His life on earth,
not less than His previous life in heaven, had been
the manifestation of the Father's love. But its
'glory 'had not been seen. The world's idea of
glory was altogether different ; it had misunder-
stood and persecuted, and was about to crucify,
Him whose life of lowdy and self-denying service
in love had been the highest and most glorious
expression of the love of God to sinful men. This
had been the cloud obscuring the 'glory.' But
' now,' when the struggle was over, — when, not-
withstanding all appearances to the contrary, the
' lifting on high out of the earth ' (comp. on chap,
xii. 32), the resurrection, the ascension, and the
bestowal of the Spirit established the triumph of
Jesus, — the cloud was rolled away, and the glory
always in Him, but hidden for a time, was to shine
forth with an effulgence that all, though some un-
willingly, should own. In this respect the 'Son
of man' is 'now glorified.' Thus, also, 'God is
glorified in Him ;' because it i^ seen that even all
the humiliation and sufferings of His earthly state,
flowing as they did from love, the expression as
they were of love, are the manifestation of the
love of God. Nor is this all, for ' God shall
glorify Him in Himself;'' that is, shall bring out
before the whole universe of being that the lowly,
the crucified, Son of man is 'in Himself,' one
with Him, Ills beloved in whom Ills soul i, well
pleased (lsa. xlii. I; Matt. xii. iS). Finally. God
will do this 'straightway,' for the moment of
death, of resurrection, and of all that followed, is
at hand. Can we fail to understand the triumphant
'Now' of Jesus at the very instant when Judas was
on his way to complete his treachery? But if there
be triumph for Himself, what of His disciples?
Ver. 33. Little children, yet a little while I
am with you. For them there is separation from
Him, and the thought of its nearness lends more
than ordinary tenderness to the words of Jesus.
He calls them 'little children,' a term found no-
where in the New Testament, except here and in
the First Epistle of John (chap. ii. 1, 12, 28, iii.
7, iS, iv. 4, v. 21) ; for the more probable read-
ing of Gal. iv. 19 is simply 'children.' — Ye shall
seek me: and even as 1 said unto the Jews,
Whither I go away, ye cannot come ; so now I
say to you. These words had been spoken to
the Jews at chaps, vii. 34, viii. 21. It is remark-
able that, formerly addressed to determined ene-
mies, they should now be addressed to beloved
disciples. Vet we are probably to seek for no other
basis of the common thought than this, that the
'going away' of Jesus involved His separation
from the community of human life, from friends
therefore no less than foes. The desolate state in
which the disciples would thus be left, and, not
less than this, the greater responsibility that would
then rest upon them to carry out the work of Jesus,
prepare the way for the words that follow.
Ver, 34. A new commandment I give unto
you, That ye love one another ; even as I loved
you that ye also may love one another. The
new commandment is love, such love as Jesus had
Himself exhibited, and as had been His 'glory'
(ver. 31); and this love to one another they would
need, that in an evil world they might be to one
another sources of strength and comfort It is
again the lesson of the foot-washing ; though here
it appears not so much in the form of general love
to all men as of that specific love which can only
be exercised towards the members of the body of
Christ. By 'commandment' is meant not a
definite precept, but rather a sphere of life in
which the disciples are to walk (chaps, x. iS, xii.
50); and it is this, rather than the character or
quality of the love, that makes the commandment
'new.' The whole life of Jesus had been love ;
the life of His disciples, as that of those in Him,
was to be love also. There was to be a transition
in them from the outward to the inward, from the
letter of an injunction to its felt experience.
Hence the first half of the verse is complete in
itself ; and the second half points out the ground
upon which this love was to rest, and the means
by whicK it was to be obtained. It was the very
purpose of the love of Jesus that He might form a
community all whose members, born again into
His love, might love one another, — ' Even as I
loved you, that ye also may love one another.' Out
of Him is selfishness ; in Him, and in Him alone,
we love.
Ver. 35. By this shall all men know that ye
are disciples of mine, if ye have love one with
another. The expression ' disciples of mine ' is
worthy of notice. It seems to show that the
meaning is not exhausted by the thought of that
language so often quoted in connection with it,
'Behold how these Christians love one another.'
It directs our thoughts, not to the disciples only,
but to Jesus Himself. He was love : in the love
of the Christian community, the love of its mem-
bers 'with' one another, it was to be seen net
merely what they were, but what He was, and
CHAP. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
more particularly that He was love. Thus, then,
the disciples have their great charge committed to
them, — to be in the season now at hand what lie
had been who had washed their feet.
Ver. 36. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord,
whither goest thou away? Jesus answered,
Whither I go away, thou canst not follow me
now, but thou shalt follow afterwards. Peter
has not been able to apprehend aright the truths
of which Jesus has been speaking. We need not
wonder at it ; and, had he understood them fully,
there would have been less necessity either for the
instructions that follow or for the discipline of his
fall. As it is, thinking only of himself and his
fellow-disciples, failing to see the greatness of the
charge that would be committed to them when
lesus went away, and not yet trained as he will
be, lie turns to the thought of the separation
spoken of in ver. 33, and asks whither his Lord
goeth. No direct answer is given to the question.
Peter must have known his work and done it
before he could have properly comprehended the
answer, had it been given ; for a disciple's reward
stands in such a relation to his work, that without
a knowledge of the latter he can have no true
knowledge of the former. Therefore it is that
he is told that the time is not come for his follow-
ing his Lord. He shall follow Him afterwards ;
follow Him in shame, in humiliation, to the cross,
to the life beyond the grave : then shall he know.
Ver. 37. Peter saith unto him, Lord, why
cannot I follow thee even now ? I will lay
down my life for thee. Peter sees that in the
words, 'Thou canst not follow me now,' there
lies the meaning that he is not yet morally pre-
pared for following Jesus. His self-confidence
is hurt by the suggestion ; and not in devotion
only, but in too high an estimate of his own
readiness to meet every trial for the sake of the
Master whom he loved, he cries out that he is
ready to follow Him 'even now,' — nay, that he is
ready to lay down his life for Him. Such want
of self-knowledge must be corrected.
Ver. 3S. Jesus answereth, Wilt thou lay down
thy life for me ? Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
The cock shall not crow till thou hast denied
me thrice. For a similar repetition of Peter's own
words in the answer of Jesus, comp. chap. xxi. 17
and the commentary. The words of Jesus fix with
solemn emphasis His disciple's attention on what
He Himself had said.
Before we pass on, it may be well to ask at
what point in these chapters we are to place the
institution of the Supper. The point has been
very variously fixed : at the beginning of chap.
xiii., at the end of chap, xiv., at the end of
chap, xiii., between vers. 30 and 31, vers. 32 and
33, in the midst of ver. 34 of the present chapter.
Hut these suppositions are attended with more or
less improbability. We have already seen (in ver.
26) that 'the feast,' with the institution of which
the Supper was most closely connected, was then
beginning ; but that there is reason to think that
Judas did not actually partake of it. If so, the
natural inference is that it was completed between
vers. 30 and 31, immediately after the traitor had
gone out. The objection to this view, that the
words of ver. 3 1 follow too closely upon ver. 30 to
permit us to think that time was occupied between
the two verses, is less weighty than at first appears.
The words would follow with great appropriateness
the giving of the cup which was the ' new covenant
16;
in the blood of Jesus ; ' and the word ' therefore '
of ver. 31 does not necessarily imply that Jesus
spoke at that moment, but only that the thoughts
awakened by the departure of Judas must have
remained in all their freshness when ver. 31 was
uttered. This they would do even although the
giving of the cup intervened, because that cup
expressed in the most solemn form the exclusive
intimacy of communion which now existed be-
tween Jesus and His disciples, and the existence
of which is presupposed in vers. 34, 35, and 36.
If this explanation is not accepted, there seems
no valid reason why the institution should not be
placed between vers. 35 and 36. The latter of
these need not follow the former at once. The
words ' I go away ' (ver. 33), once uttered, would
linger in the minds of those present as the one
thought demanding explanation ; and ' This do in
remembrance of me ' would deepen it.
Chap. xiv. ver. 1. Let not your heart be
troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.
No separation ought to be made between this
chapter and the last section of chap, xiii., for the
place, the circumstances, and the object of the
discourse here entered on are the same as there.
The dominating thought of all is that of chap. xiii.
31, — that the time is come when a full revelation
is to be made of the ' glory ' of the Son of man
in the Father, and of the Father in Him ; when it
shall be seen that the 'going away' of Jesus to
the Father not only contains in it what swallows
up all the humiliation of His earthly lot, but is the
great proof and illustration of that union of Him-
self with the Father in love, the manifestation of
which 'glorifies' both the Father and the Son.
To such a manifestation, then, it is evident that
the 'going away' of Jesus was necessary: He
must in His earthly form be separated from His
disciples, that His glory may be revealed not only
to those who had the spiritual eye, but to the world
(chaps, xvi. 10, xvii. 21). While however separa-
tion must thus take place, it is, on the other hand,
the object of our Lord to show that it was really no
separation, — that He does not 'go away' in the
carnal sense understood by Peter in chap. xiii. 36,
but will ever be with His disciples in an abiding
union and communion of spirit (comp. the interest-
ing parallel in chap. xx. 17).
The ' trouble ' spoken of in the words now
before us is not that of mere sorrow ; it is rather
that which Jesus had Himself experienced (see
chap. xii. 27) when the prospect of His sufferings
rose immediately before Him. It is ' trouble '
from the opposition of the world while they carry
on their work of love ; but ' trouble ' which at
the same time passes into the heart, and leads
to the conflict of all those feelings of anxiety,
perplexity, fear, and sorrow, which make the
heart like a ' troubled sea ' that the Divine voice
' Peace, be still ! ' alone can calm. The work
of the disciples, committed to them as it had
been to their Master (chap. xvii. iS), will
bring with it this ' trouble ; ' yet they have
enough to keep them calm with His own calm-
ness (ver. 27), enough to lead them to say with
Him, ' But for this cause came I unto this hour '
(chap. xii. 27). — The foundation of all peace
comes first, and the word ' believe ' must be taken
in the same way in both clauses of the statement.
To understand it differently in the two would give,
either to faith in God or to faith in Jesus, an in-
dependent existence inconsistent with the general
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.
166
teaching of this Gospel. We must, therefore,
either translate, ' Ye believe in God, ye believe also
in me,' or, ' Believe in God, believe also in me ; '
the hortatory form of ' Let not your heart be
troubled ' anil of the whole discourse makes the
latter probable. Yet, as the disciples already
believed, the exhortation must have reference not
to the formation, but to the deepening and con-
stant exercise of that faith, the object of which is
really one — God in Jesus. Thus also we may
understand why faith in God is mentioned first,
and not second, as in chap. xii. 44. It is the
highest act of faith that is referred to, — faith, no
doubt, in God through Jesus, but faith in Him as
the ultimate Guide of all that happens. It is the
evolution of the Divine plan that they have to do
with; therefore let them believe in 'God.' In
addition to this, we may call to mind that God
Himself was the Fountain of that Messianic hope
of which, by the departure of Jesus, the disciples
would think themselves deprived. At the same
time, it is to be observed that the order of the
words in the two clauses is different, ' God '
following, but ' me ' preceding, its verb. The
effect is to bring ' in God ' and ' in me ' into the
closest possible connection.
Ver. 2. In my Father's house are many places
of abode : if it were not bo. I would have told
you ; because I go to prepare a place for you.
All the substantives here used — ' house,' ' places of
abode,' 'place' — are full of meaning. The first
is not the material building, but the building as
occupied by its inmates (comp. chaps, ii. 16, xi. 20,
withiv. 53, viii. 35, xi. 31) ; the second, used in the
New Testament only in this verse and in ver. 23,
is connected with the characteristic ' abide ' of our
Gospel ; and the third embodies the idea of some-
thing fixed and definite — something that we may
call our own (comp. chap. xi. 48). But the full
force and beauty of the words are only under-
stood by us when we look at them in a light
different from that in which they are generally
regarded. For ' my Father's house ' does not
mean heaven as distinguished from earth, nor are
the 'abiding places' confined to the world to
come. Farth as well as heaven is to the eye of
faith a part of that ' house : ' ' abiding places ' are
here as well as there. The universe, in short, is
presented to us by our Lord as one 'house' over
which the Father rules, having ' many ' apart-
ments, some on this side, others on the other side,
the grave. In one of these the believer dwells
now, and the Father and the Son come unto
him, and make their abode with him (ver. 23) :
in another of them he will dwell hereafter. When,
therefore, Jesus ' goes away,' it is not to a strange
land, it is only to another chamber of the one
house of the Father : and thus 'many' is not to
be understood in the sense of variety, — of different
degrees of happiness and glory provided for
different persons. The main thought is that
wherever Jesus is, wherever we arc, we are all in
the Father's house : surely such separation is no
real separation. Had not this been the true
nature of the case, — had it not been essentially
involved in the mission of Jesus that His disciples,
once united to Him, could never be separated
from Him, He would 'have told' them, His
teaching would have been entirely different from
what it had been ; but, because wherever He was
there He would prepare a place for them also, He
had not thought it necessary till now to speak
either of being separated or of being united again.
It will thus be seen that the words beginning with
' because ' are to be connected with those going
immediately before, and not with the earlier part
of the verse.
Ver. 3. And if I shall have gone and pre-
pared a place for you, I come again, and will
receive you unto myself, that where I am there
ye also may be. All that has preceded these
winds has rested upon the idea that, although
Jesus is now ' going away ' to the Father, He is
not really forsaking His disciples. Even when in
one sense separated from them, in another He will
still be with them ; and this latter presence will in
due time, when they like Him have accomplished
their work, be followed by their receiving again
that joy of His immediate presence which they
are now to lose. This double thought seems to
explain the remarkable use of two different tenses
of the verb in the second clause of the verse, — ' I
come,' 'I will receive.' 'He is' wherever His
people are: they 'shall be,' when their toils areover,
wherever He is (comp. chap. xii. 26). The Second
Coming of the Lord is not, therefore, resolved by
these words into a merely spiritual presence in
which He shall be always with His people. The
true light in which to look at that great fact is as
the 7ihmifeslation of a presence never far away
from us (comp. ver. 18). Our Lord is always
with us, though (as we have yet to see) it is in the
power of the Spirit that He is so now. He will
again Himself, in His own person, be with us,
and we with Him, when our work is 'finished.'
Observe also the change of order in the original
in the case of the words ' I am ' and ' ye may be,'
the effect being to bring the ' I ' and the ' ye ' into
the closest juxtaposition (comp. on ver. 1).
Ver. 4. And whither I go away ye know the
way. These words convey to the disciples the
assurance that they already had the pledge and
earnest of all that Jesus had spoken of; for their
interpretation depends on the san* principle as
that formerly applied at chap. iv. 32. To 'know'
is not merely to know of ; it is to have inward
experience of. As, therefore, ' whither I go ' is
the Father's presence ; as Jesus is the way to the
Father ; and as they have experimental knowledge
of Him, they 'know the way.' They might have
feared that it was not so, that they had still much
to be taught before they could anticipate with
confidence the possession of their hope ; and who
was to teach them now ? But Jesus says, ' Ye
know me ; and, in knowing me, ye know the
way; it is already yours.' Difficulties arise in
their minds, the first of which is started by Thomas,
and has reference to the way to the goal.
Ver. 5. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know
not whither thou goest away : how do we know
the way ? In ver. 4, Jesus had spoken of ' going
away,' — not of 'going,' as in ver. 3. The idea of
separation is thus again brought prominently for-
ward, and Thomas is overborne by the thought of
it (comp. chap. xi. 16). His discouragement,
which blinds his eyes, is uttered in the words
before us.
Ver. 6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
and the truth, and the life : no one cometh unto
the Father but through me. The three terms
here used must not be taken as expressing three
independent thoughts ; still less can we fuse them
into one, as if the meaning were, ' I am the true
way of life.' It is evident, both from what pre-
Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
.67
cedes and from what follows, that the emphasis is
on 'way,' and that the two other terms are in some
sense additional and explicative. But in what
sense ? Let us notice that the thought of the
Father is the leading thought of the previous
verses of the chapter, and that in ver. 7 the
knowledge of the Father is the great end to be
attained ; let us further observe that ' truth ' and
' life ' are precisely the two constituent elements
of that knowledge, the one that upon which it
rests, the other that in which it issues ; and we
shall see that Jesus adds these two designations of
Himself to the tirst, because they express the
contents, the substance, of that in which the ' way '
consists. The Father is 'the truth,' 'the life:'
Jesus is the revelation of these to men : because
He is so He is ' the way ; ' and because He only
is so, He is the only way to the Father. We must
beware, however, of the supposition that the
' life ' thus spoken of is only life to us in a future
world. It is life now in that ever-ascending cycle
of experience in which the believer passes from one
stage to another of ' truth,' and thus from one
stage to another of corresponding 'life.' In the
present ' way ' we have present ' truth ' and pre-
sent ' life ; ' and each fresh appropriation of the
truth deepens that communion by which the life
is conditioned. It may be well to notice, too,
that the prominence here given to the mention of
the ' way ' arises from that thought of separation
with which the minds of the disciples were filled.
Jesus had said to them, ' I must go away,' and it
seemed to them as if in the language a journey-
were involved, which would separate them from
their Lord. Therefore with loving condescen-
sion the figure is taken up, and they are assured
that He is Himself, if we may so speak, this very
distance to be traversed. Is it a ' way ' that they
have to travel? Then He is 'the way,' and all
along its course they shall be still with Him. Hence
also the following verse.
Ver. 7. If* ye had learned to know me, ye
would know my Father also. The change in this
verse from 'the Father' of ver. 6 to 'my Father,'
as well as the use in the original of two different
verbs for ' know,' is peculiarly instructive. The
meaning seems to be, that when we have gained a
knowledge of the Son, we find ourselves possessed
of a knowledge of His Father ; then, in that
knowledge, the veil which hides from us in our
natural condition the true knowledge of God is
withdrawn, and we possess the highest knowledge
of all, the knowledge of God in the deepest verity
of His being, the knowledge of ' the Father.' It
is true that we immediately read, From henceforth
ye learn to know Him, and have seen Him. But
we must bear in mind that possession of a perfect
knowledge of God is never reached by us. Each
stage of ' knowing ' is but the beginning of a new-
stage of ' learning to know ' more ; ' forgetting
the things that are behind,' we start ever afresh
towards a knowledge of ' the Father,' always
increasing but never consummated. The same
remark applies to ' have seen,' by which we are to
understand ' have begun to see. ' This knowledge,
this sight, the disciples have 'from henceforth.'
The point of time is not Pentecost anticipated.
It dates from the great 'Now' of chap. xiii. 31,
and the explanation is to be found in the peculiar
circumstances in which the disciples have been
placed since then. They have been separated
from all worldly thoughts of Jesus ; His true
'glory' and the true glory of the Father in Him
have been revealed in all their brightness ; and
in an intimacy of communion with their Lord
never enjoyed before they ' learn to know ' with
an inward spiritual discernment, they 'have seen'
with a sharpness of spiritual intuition, not pre-
viously possessed by them. Another difficulty
arises in the breast of Philip.
Ver. 8. Philip saith unto him, Lord, Bhow us
the Father, and it sufficeth ub. The same
bluntness of spiritual sight (that is, really the
same weakness of faith) that had been exhibited
by Thomas is now exhibited by Philip, though
in relation to another point. Jesus had said (ver. 7)
that the disciples had seen the Father, meaning
that they had seen the Father in Him. Philip
fails to understand ; and, thinking perhaps of the
revelation given to Moses in Ex. xxxiii. 18, 19,
misusing also those words of our Lord which
alone made his request possible, he asks that he
and his fellow-disciples may have granted them
some actual vision of the Father (comp. his spirit
in chap. vi. 7). The reply of Jesus, vers. 9-21,
falls into three leading parts, of which the first is
found in vers. 9-1 1.
Ver. 9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so
long time with you, and yet hast thou not
learned to know me, Philip? he that hath
seen me hath seen the Father: how sayest
thou, Show us the Father? ' Have I been with
you,' literally, 'Am I with you,' the very words of
ver. 3. The words are those of astonishment and
sorrow that the effect of all this spiritual inter-
course has failed ; and the declaration of Jesus in
the latter half of the verse rests upon the fact that
He is the complete expression of the Father (comp.
chap. i. 18). He does not say 'my Father' but
' the Father,' because He speaks not of the
personal relation between the Father and Him-
self, but of the light in which God is revealed as
Father to all who learn to know Him in the Son.
Ver. 10. Believest thou not that I am in the
Father, and the Father in me ? The words that
I say unto you I speak not from myself, but the
Father abiding in me doeth his works. If what is
stated in the first clause of this verse be the fact, the
bluntness of Philip's spiritual vision will be proved.
It is of this truth, therefore, that Jesus speaks. The
statement is that of one great truth with two sides,
each of which has its appropriate proof — the first,
in the 'words' of Jesus; the second, in the Father's
'works.' For, as to the first, that Jesus is 'in the
Father,' He is the Word, and words characterize
Him. If His words are not 'from Himself,' He
is not from Himself; if they are the Father's, He
is ' in the Father.' As to the second, the Father
does not work directly, He works only through
the Son ; therefore as the Father He can be
known only in the Son. Thus the Son is in the
Father ; He is in no other way : the Father is in
the Son ; He is the Father in no other way.
Hence the proof of the statement to Philip, 'He
that hath seen me hath seen the Father,' is com-
plete. The distinction between ' words ' and
' works ' in this verse thus springs from a point of
view wholly different from that which refers the
one to the teaching, the other to the miracles, of
Jesus ; it is connected with the essential qualities
of that Son who is the Word, of that God who is
the Father. The transition from the ' words ' to
the 'works,' otherwise so inexplicable, is also
thus at once explained. This is the only passage
i6S
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.
of the Gospel in which the verb 'say ' is connected
with the ' words ' or with the ' word ' of Jesus.
' The words that I say unto you ' are equivalent
to ' My words.'
Ver. 11. Believe ine that I am in the Father,
and the Father in me : or else believe for his
works' sake. Jesus has established the proposi-
tion by which He would show Philip the im-
propriety of his request, lie now calls upon him,
and upon the other disciples through him, to
receive it. First, they ought to do this upon the
authority of His own statement, the statement of
One who is in the Father ; but, if that be not
enough, then upon the authority of the Father's
works in Him. By these last we are certainly
not to understand miracles alone. Miracles are,
no doubt, included, although not simply as works
of supernatural power. All the works of the
Father in the Son are meant, all bearing on them
those tokens of the Father which appeal to the
heart, and ought to satisfy men that, in doing
them, Jesus reveals not Himself but the Father.
The second part of the reply follows in vers. 12-14.
Ver. 12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth in me, the works that I do shall
he also do ; and greater works than these shall
he do, because I go unto the Father. It seemed
to the disciples that, by the departure of Jesus,
all the glorious manifestations of the Divine which
they had beheld in Him would be brought to an
end. So far is this from being the case that
these shall not only continue but become even
more glorious than before. By ' works ' we are
obviously to understand something wider than
miracles, for the promise is to all believers, and it
cannot be said that they in any age have wrought
greater miracles than their Lord. What Jesus
speaks of is the general power of the spiritual
life, not only as it exists in the breast of the
believer, but as it shows itself in all life and
action corresponding to its nature. What He had
been and had done was to be exhibited in the dis-
ciples themselves. They were to be put into His
position, to take His place, to be sustained in all
inward strength and outward manifestation as He
had been. Nay more, He viasgoing to the Father,
— not the verb of chaps, xiii. 33, 36, xiv. 4, 5, but
another, suggesting less the thought of what He
was leaving than the thought of what He was going
to; and He was going to 'the' Father, not His
own Father only, but One who stood in the same
relation to all the members of His body. There-
fore what He had been and had done would be
still more gloriously unfolded in them than it had
been as yet in Him. When He went to the
Father, His life would be set free from the
struggles and sufferings by which its power and
glory had been obscured on earth. But His
disciples were one with Him, and what He was
they should be. They are the organs not of a
humbled only but of an ascended Lord ; and
through what He is at the right hand of the
Father they shall do ' greater works ' than He
did in the world. The same great truth is ex-
pressed in I John iv. 17, 'Because as He is' (not
was), 'so are we in this world.' Plow little do
Christians realise their position and their privi-
leges 1
Vers. 13, 14. And whatsoever ye ask in
my name, this I will do, that the Father may
he glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask of me
any thing in my name, this I will do. The twice
repeated 'this I will do' of these verses, is the
taking up again of the 'do' of ver. 12; so that
what Jesus says is, that He in His glorified con-
dition, being the believer's strength for what he
does, will be the real doer both of the ' works '
and of the ' greater works ' done by him.
The condition on our part of the accomplish-
ment of this promise is prayer. (1) Prayer in the
name of Jesus, the words 'in my name' occurring in
both these verses. This expression is connected
not only with our asking, but, in ver. 26, with the
Father's sending ; and that the order as well as
the contents of the thought is to be observed, is
made clear by the fact that in the later part of
the discourse the same order is observed (comp.
chaps, xv. 16 and xvi. 23). The ' name' spoken of
is in the first place the name of ' Son ; ' as we shall
find that in chap. xvii. the 'name' of God spoken
of is in the first place that of ' Father.' But the
thought is not to be confined to this. When we
bring all the passages together in which the words
occur in chaps, xiv. -xvii., and particularly the
verse before us and chap. xvii. 11, 12 (' Thy name
which thou hast given me'), it becomes clear that
we must extend the meaning of ' name ' so as to
include the revelation of what the Father is in
the Son. To ask 'in the name of the Son of
man, therefore, is to ask in a confidence and hope
which have their essence and ground in the reve-
lation of the Son. It is not so much asking 'for
the sake of Christ,' or 'in Christ,' as asking
because we know the Father in the Son, and have
learned to cast ourselves, as sons, upon the revela-
tion thus given us. (2) Prayer to the Son as well
as to the Father ; yet not to Jesus regarded as an
independent personality, but to Him as the Son, so
that in praying to Him we pray at the same time to
the Father, for only in the Father do we know the
Son. Hence also the ' whatsoever ' of ver. 13, and
the ' anything ' of ver. 14, have in this their neces-
sary limitations. Believers are not viewed here
simply as members of the human family in the
midst of the weaknesses, perplexities, and sorrows
of humanity. They possess the spirit, they aim at
the aims, of Jesus. They pray with the mind of
the Son, which is the mind of the Father, and in
that sphere alone can they be assured that what-
ever they ask shall be done for them and through
them, 'that the Father may be glorified in the
Son.' Only by the explanation thus offered does
it seem possible to account for the insertion of
' me ' in ver. 14 ; and the whole statement may be
regarded as a realisation of chap. i. 51, even the
very same order of thought being there observed,
the ' ascending ' preceding the ' descending ' of
angels upon the Son of man. The third part of
the reply to Philip follows in vers. 15-21.
Ver. 15. If ye love me, ye will keep my com-
mandments. An abiding communion between the
glorified Redeemer and His disciples on earth has
been spoken of as established, — a communion, as we
have already seen, not to be broken by the ' going
away' of Jesus to the Father. The object of the
present verse (which is no interruption of the dis-
course by a direct precept) is to point out the
condition by which alone this communion can be
preserved and its greatest blessing, the presence
of the Advocate, enjoyed — love. This love, too,
consists in a loving self-surrender of ourselves to
the sole object of glorifying the Father, analogous
to the loving self-surrender of Jesus ; for ' my
commandments' are not merely commandments
CHAP. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
which He gives, but which He has Himself first
received and made His own (comp, ver. 27).
Ver. 16. And I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another Advocate, that he may be
with you for ever. The word here translated in
our English Version 'Comforter,' and partially
introduced into the English language as 'Para-
clete,' means properly, One called to stand by us for
our help, our Advocate, Helper, Representative.
'Comforter' is not its meaning. And the unfortunate
use of this term, so dear to the Christian amidst
the troubles of the worid, has tended in no small
degree to make believers think less of strength
than of comfort, of the experience of a private
Christian who needs consolation instead of that of
one who has to face the opposition of the world
in his Master's cause. Trie 'Paraclete' is really
One who stands by our side, sustains us in our
Christian calling, and breathes into us ever new
measures of a spirit of boldness and daring in the
warfare we have to wage. He is the representative
of the glorified Lord with His militant people
upon earth. The promise of this Paraclete or
Advocate is given four times in the chapters before
us (the only other passage in the New Testament
where the word occurs being 1 John ii. 1) ; and in
the first two, chap. xiv. 16, 26, it has reference
mainly to the preparation of the heart and mind
of the disciples ; in the other two, chaps, xv. 26,
xvi. 7, to their actual work.
The Advocate thus spoken of is further marked
out by the remarkable addition of the word 'an-
other;'' and the word implies that the first Advo-
cate had been Jesus Himself, whose 'going away'
prevented His continuing to be still the Advocate
and Helper of His disciples. In this sense we find
Him described by the very term here used in
I John ii. 1 : ' We have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.' It is in the
idea of representation that the two designations
meet. Jesus glorified represents us before the
Father's throne ; the Holy Spirit abiding with us
represents Jesus gone to the Father. This word
' other ' is thus full of the most precious meaning.
It tells us that Jesus when on earth had been the
Paraclete, the Advocate of His disciples. It
suggests that what He had been to them during
His earthly life, His representative will be after
He has 'gone away,' so that every narrative of
what He had done for them becomes a prediction
of what the Holy Spirit will do for them and for
us who come after them. The verb 'ask' of this
verse is different from that so translated in vers.
13 and 14; and it can be used only of One who
stands in that closeness of relation, in that inti-
macy of union with the Father, in which Jesus is
represented throughout these chapters as standing
to Him (comp. chaps, xvi. 26, xvii. 9, 15, 20).
Ver. 17. Even the Spirit of the truth; whom
the world cannot receive, because it beholdeth
him not, neither learneth to know him: ye
learn to know him, because he abideth with
you, and is in you. What this Advocate is, is
imw explained more fully. He is the Spirit of
' the truth,' the Spirit whose essence is ' the truth,'
and who is the medium by which ' the truth '
comes to men. This Spirit the world cannot
receive, because it has no perception of the things
with which He deals, no sympathy with them, no
adaptation to them. As it cannot ' hear God's
words, because it is not of God ' (chap. viii. 47), so
it cannot receive the Spirit of the truth, because it
169
has no eye for the spiritual and invisible, and no
growing apprehension of them. The Spirit comes
to the world, and would stay with it ; but it will
not have Him for a guest, and it never attains to
that experimental knowledge of Him which is
alone worthy of the name. But the disciples are
' of the truth ; ' they welcome the heavenly Guest ;
He ' abides ' with them ; He ' is ' in them ; they
advance to ever deeper knowledge of what He is
and does. How much by these words ' abideth '
and ' is ' is the analogy between the presence of
Jesus and of the Spirit with us brought out. Xo
two words of the Gospel are more characteristic of
the former.
Ver. 18. I will not leave you desolate : I come
to you. The disciples were the ' little children
of Jesus (chap. xiii. 33), and He may therefore
well speak to them as a father. Xot from Pente-
cost, but from the moment of His reunion to the
Father, and by means of the Spirit of the truth,
He comes to them (see ver. 20).
Ver. 19. Yet a little while, and the world
beholdeth me no longer; hut ye behold me. The
' little while ' here spoken of is that of chap,
xiii. 33, extending from the moment immediately
at hand to the resurrection. After that ' little
while ' the world beholdeth Jesus no more, but His
disciples behold Him, — the present tense being
used in both clauses absolutely, and not as the
mere present of time. In the first clause 'be-
holdeth ' can be understood only of physical vision,
for in no other way had the world ever beheld
Jesus, and it is thus impossible to exclude a refer-
ence to the fact that the risen Saviour did not
show Himself to the world. In the second clause
' behold ' must be so far at least used in the same
sense, and the appearance of the risen Jesus must
again be thought of. Yet the meaning of the
second ' behold ' is not thus exhausted, for it
obviously includes a vision of the Redeemer not
limited by the forty days between the resurrection
and the ascension, but stretching onward into the
eternal future. The difference of vision, how ever,
does not lie directly in the word itself : it is con-
ditioned by the state in which Jesus is supposed to
be, and by the necessities of the case. The ' Me '
of the verse is Jesus glorified : Him, because He
is glorified, the world unfit for the vision ' be-
holdeth no longer.' But the disciples, one with
Him not only in His humiliation but in His
' glory,' behold Him, first from time to time with
the eye of sense, always with the eye of faith and
in the power of the Spirit. It need only be further
remarked that this intensifying of the meaning of
the second ' behold ' may be indicated by the order
of the original, which gives the place of emphasis
to the word in the second clause ; and that, by
the view now taken, we at once see the connection
of the words that follow : only the ' living ' can
behold the risen Lord, or have the abiding spiritual
sight. — Because I live and ye shall live. Xot,
' Because I live ye shall live also,'— which would
divert the thoughts to something entirely foreign to
the course of our Lord's remarks ; but, ' Because I
live glorified, and ye, in this respect wholly dif-
ferent from the world, shall live in the power of
Me your risen Lord, therefore shall this intimacy
of intercourse, implied in My coming and your
beholding, last unbroken and for ever.'
Ver. 20. In that day ye 6hall know that I am
in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Not the particular day of the resurrection, or of
170
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.
Pentecost, or of the Second Coming, but the day
beginning with the return of Jesus to His Father,
when He shall send to His disciples the promised
Advocate, the Spirit of the truth. Then in the
knowledge of ever-deepening experience they shall
know that the Son of man whom they had thought
' gone away ' is really in the bosom of His Father,
glorified in the Father (comp. chap. xiii. 31), that
they are in Him thus glorified, and that He thus
glorified is in them. So shall the end of all be
attained, the perfect union in glory of Father,
Son, and all believers, in one uninterrupted,
unchanging, eternal unity (comp. xvii. 21, 23).
It is of great importance to note the expression,
' Ye in me, and I in you.' We cannot here follow
out the thought, but we must not fail to notice
that the fulness of the union referred to belongs
only to the time of Jesus glorified. The limiting
influence:; of the world, of the flesh, must be
overpassed before that perfect union of all exist-
ence is reached which can be established only
(for ' God is Spirit,' chap. iv. 24) where the Spirit
is the dominating, all-embracing, all-controlling
element of being. Jesus says 'my Father,' not
'the Father,' because His personal union with the
Father forms the basis of the wider and more
glorious union here referred to.
Ver. 21. He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and
he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father,
and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him. The thought of privilege in ver. 14 led to
that condition on which alone privilege can be
preserved (ver. 15). We have a similar transition
now. Here, as there, one thing must be distinctly
remembered, that this unity is one of love. There
is love on the part of the believer to his Lord,
love on the part of the Father to the believer, love
on the part of Jesus to the believer. In this
fellowship of love the result of all will be the
manifestation by Himself of the glorified Redeemer
to His people. He will ' manifest ' Himself y)w«
His glory, and in knowing and seeing Him by the
power of the Spirit they will know and see the
Father. A third difficulty arises in the breast of
Judas.
Ver. J2. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot,
Lord, how hath it come to pass that thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the
world? Judas is distinguished from the traitor,
that we may have kept distinctly before us that
the latter had gone out (chap. xiii. 30). His error
consists in not seeing that the spiritual can only
be apprehended by the spiritual. Filled with the
thought of the external kingdom, he cannot under-
stand why the glorious revelation of Christ to be
made to himself and his fellow-disciples should
not be made to all, so that all may believe and
be blessed.
Ver. 2 ;. Jesus answered and said unto him,
If any one love me, he will keep my word ; and
my Father will love him, and we will come unto
him, and make our abode with him. Again the
thought of ver. 15, and a fuller expression of the
main teaching of this chapter, and, indeed, of this
whole section of the Gospel. The answer to
Judas is, that the manifestation referred to must
be limited, because it can only be made where
there is that communion of love which proves
itself by the spirit of self-denial and submission to
the charge of Jesus (comp. vers. 17, 21). Two
additional points are to be noted — (I) The climax :
no longer 'I' but 'We,' a fuller presentation of
the truth. (2) The beginning of the discourse is
taken up again, and thus its parts are more closely
united : ' In my Father's house are many places of
abode ' (ver. 2) ; ' We will make our abode with him. '
Ver. 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not
my words : and the word which ye hear is not
mine, but the Father's which sent me. A
fuller explanation than before why the world
cannot receive the manifestation of the Father and
the Son, but given now from the negative rather
than the positive side. It will be observed that
in vers. 23, 24, we have first ' word,' then ' words,'
and then, again, a return to the singular ' word.'
The explanation may in part be that to him who
receives in faith the ' words ' of Jesu* are one ; he
sees their unity ; they are a ' word : ' to him who
receives not in faith they are scattered and un-
connected, 'words' not a 'word.' It may be
found also in another consideration, — that he who
keeps keeps a whole, he who disobeys disobeys
the several precepts. We remark only further
that our Lord, while implying in vers. 23 and 24
that the world cannot receive such a manifesta-
tion of the Father and of Himself as had been pro-
mised to His own, shows with equal distinctness
that there is no class favoured in an arbitrary
manner. All make themselves what they are. If
'anyone,' He says, 'love me;' and, again, 'he
that loveth me.' The world need not be the
'world.' Every one may come and have the
promise in all its fulness.
Ver. 25. These things have I spoken unto you
while abiding with you. We now enter upon a
new part of the discourse, in which the leading
idea is the strength to be afforded to the disciples
after the departure of their Lord. It is important
to notice that this is bestowed upon them not
merely as disciples, but as disciples about to be
sent forth to occupy their Master's place, and to
do His work. During the absence of their Master
the Advocate shall be with them.
Ver. 26. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, he will
teach you all things, aud he will bring to your
remembrance all things that I said unto you.
Again we meet with the expression 'in my name '
already considered by us at ver. 13, where we saw-
that it primarily refers to the name 'Son,' and
then to the revelation of the Father in the Son.
It will be found that this conception suits each of
those nine places in chaps, xiv.-xvii. where the
words occur, as well as the two others in chap,
xvii. where Jesus speaks of manifesting or declar-
ing the ' name ' of God. Here the Father sends
the Holy Spirit 'in the name' of Jesus; that is,
the sending of the Spirit is grounded in the
Father's revelation of Himself in the Son. It is
because in Him He reveals Himself to us as our
Father, because He makes us by faith in Him His
own sons, that we are brought into that relation
to Him which enables us to receive the fulness of
His Spirit. In this \cr>c, as contrasted with ver,
16, we have not merely a promise of the Spirit of
the truth. There is an advance of thought, and
the Spirit is spoken of in His training power, as
He applies to the heart 'the truth' which is His
being. Several particulars in the words before us
illustrate this, first, there is the epithet 'holy,'
which here, as throughout this Gospel, expresses
the idea of complete separation from all that is of
the world, and complete consecration to all that is
Chap. XIII. 31-XIV. 31.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
spiritual and heavenly (comp. chaps, iii. 34, x. 36).
Secondly, the father is to ' send ' the Spirit to the
disciples even as He sent the Son (ver. 24), a state-
ment indicating that He is sent to be in them for a
similar purpose. And lastly, the 'all things' that
the Spirit is to teach must (according to the rules
suggested by the climactic structure of our Gospel)
be included in the 'all things' spoken by Jesus,
and now to be brought to their remembrance.
What Jesus taught shall be the 'all things ' that
they are taught ; can they be taught for any other
purpose than to be again spoken for the salvation
of men? In the words of Jesus 'all things'
needed for man's salvation are implicitly con-
tained, and with that teaching the disciples shall
be filled. These considerations lead directly to
the conclusion, of which we shall often have to
make use in the closing chapters of this Gospel,
that Jesus is now dealing with His disciples not as
simply believers in His name, but as persons about
to enter on His work.
Ver. 27. Peace I leave unto yon ; a peace that
is mine I give unto you : not as the world
giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid. The peace
spoken of here is not the legacy of a dying father,
but the salutation of a departing Master. It is
thus not mere peace of heart, a pacified conscience,
the result of a personal resting in the love of God.
It is peace in the midst of the trials which the
world brings on the followers of Jesus while they
perform their task ; peace that is the result of His
having ' overcome the world ' (comp. on chap. xvi.
33). ' My ' peace, again, is the peace which Jesus
Himself enjoys, as well as that which He alone can
give : this peace becomes the true possession of the
receiver (comp. on chap. xvii. 14). The effect is
that the disciples shall neither be ' troubled '
Irom within, nor 'afraid' with a coward terror
in the presence of outward foes.
Ver. 28. Ye heard that I said unto you, I go
away and I come unto you. If ye loved me, ye
would have rejoiced that I go unto the Father,
because the Father is greater than I. But the
disciples were not only to have peace : true love
would fill their hearts with joy. The 'going
away ' of Jesus is really a ' going unto the Father, '
a re-establishment in all the glory of the Father's
immediate presence. The last clause of the verse
contains simply the general teaching of the Gospel,
of the whole Bible, and of all the greatest theo-
logians of the Church, that the Son, while of the
same nature as the Father, is subordinate to Him,
inferior (for essence is not spoken of) economically,
as Mediator. While, however, the departure of
Jesus was thus a return to the glory of the Father's
presence, and good for Him, we must not suppose
that it is on that account that the disciples are to
'rejoice.' ' If ye loved me ' is not an appeal to
their personal interest in Himself: it appeals
rather to their interest in His work and purpose ;
it is a statement of the fact that ripened Christian
perception, when they stand in the ' love 'spoken
of in vers. 21, 23, 24, will lead them to see that
the departure of Jesus to His Father was an
arrangement fraught with far higher blessings, both
to His believing people and to the world, than
His remaining among them would have been. The
love which is the condition of higher revelations
will teach them that the departure preliminary
to these is not a matter of sorrow but of joy.
Ver. 29. And now I have told you before it
17'
come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye
may believe (comp. on chap. xiii. 19). It is not
a first faith, but tie deeper working of faith, the
experimental seal to it, that is spoken of.
Ver. 30. I will no longer talk much with you,
for the prince of the world cometh. (Comp. on
chap. xii. 31.) Here it is particularly to be noted
that ' the prince of this world ' is equivalent to the
world in its essence. He embodies the spirit of
the world, so that what is said of it may be said
of him, what is said of him may be said of
it. Observe the ' cometh,' the contrast of the
' cuming' nf Jesus. — And he hath nothing
in me. Ver. 31. But he cometh that the world
may perceive that I love the Father, and
that even as the Father gave me command-
ment so I do. Arise, let us go hence. The diffi-
culty of interpreting these words is undoubtedly
very great. The common interpretations of
'hath nothing in me' — such as, 'hath no power
over me,' I die freely ; ' hath no ground of accusa-
tion against me,' I am innocent ; ' hath no hold
on me,' I present no point on which he can fasten
his attack — are all at variance with the meaning
of the verb ' hath ' in the writings of John. Nor
is the difficulty met by the suggestion which
removes the full stop after 'so I do,' and connects
' Arise, let us go hence ' with ' but,' thus making
the intermediate words ('he cometh' not being
then, as in our translation, supplied) express the
object to be attained by the arising and going.
For, in that case, instead of the discourse in
chaps, xv. and xvi. and the prayer of chap, xvii.,
this chapter ought to have been immediately
followed by the last conflict with the world. The
true interpretation seems to be that there is an
absolute barrier between the ' prince of this
world ' and Jesus. Neither in the Person (in
whom is no sin) nor in the work of the Redeemer
has he any interest ; there is absolutely no point
of connection (the expression of the original is
strong) between him and these. He has deli-
berately opposed, denied, and rejected the truth.
Therefore he has now nothing to do with it —
except in one terrible respect ! The following
words point out the exception. He 'comes,' and
the ' world ' ruled by Him comes, to see that He
whom they have rejected is the 'consecrated One'
of God, the ' Sent ' of God, the Fultiller of the
Father's will. But they come to see this only
when it is too late ; when amazement and horror
alone remain for them ; when the judgment shall
be executed ; and when out of their own mouth
they shall be condemned. The words in short ex-
press, although far more pointedly than elsewhere,
the great truth so often stated in Scripture, that
those who reject the salvation shall meet the judg-
ment of Jesus, and that, when they meet it, they
shall acknowledge that it is just. Blind now,
they shall not be always blind ; their eyes shall be
opened ; and to their own shame they shall confess
that He whom they rejected was the ' Beloved '
of the Father, and that His work was the doing of
the Father's will. It is only necessary to add that,
while this shall be the fate of this ' world ' and
of its 'prince,' the possibility of the individual's
passing from the power of the world into the
blessed region of faith in Jesus is always presup-
posed. The description applies to the world as it
hardens itself in impenitence against its rightful
Lord, and rushes on its fate.
Hence the startling close of the discourse,
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XV. i-XVI. 33.
172
" Arise, let us go hence. ' Not merely, ' Let us mean-
while arise, and leave this place that we may go
to another where my discourse may be resumed ; '
but, ' Let us go : I have led you to the glorious
places of abode in my Father's house, and I have
followed the world to its doom ; I have traced the
history of mankind to its close ; it is over ; arise,
let us go hence.'
It is not easy to determine with certainty at
what moment, or even in what place, the discourse
which we have been considering was spoken. As
to the latter point, indeed, the closing words of
the chapter do not leave much doubt. Jesus and
His disciples must still have been in the upper
chamber where the Supper was instituted. The
precise moment is more difficult to fix. Yet,
when we turn to Luke xxii. 35-38, we find there
words of Jesus so obviously connected with the
topics handled here that we may, with great
probability, suppose that both belong to the same
period of that night. If so, the discourse in the
present chapter was delivered after the Supper
was instituted, and before our Lord rose from the
table. We may further express our belief that the
discourse in chaps, xv. and xvi. was spoken in the
same place, the difference being that during its
delivery, as well as during the intercessory prayer
of chap, xvii., Jesus and His disciples stood. Not
only is chap, xviii. I (hardly permitting us to think
of a ' going forth ' till after 'He had spoken these
things') favourable to this view, but it is extremely
improbable that chaps, xv.-xvii. could have been
uttered on the way to Gethsemane. The tone of
thought, too, in chaps, xv. and xvi. appears to be
in harmony with this conception of the circum-
stances. We shall see in the exposition how
much more the idea of apostolic action and suffer-
ing comes out in these chapters than it does even
in chap. xiv. To this corresponded the attitude
of rising and standing. The appropriate demands
of the moment, therefore, and not any change of
intention, led to our Lord's still continuing in the
upper room. He stands there with the solemnised
group around Him. ' I have given you,' He would
say by action as well as word, 'My commission and
My promise ; let us be up and doing ; there is still
deeper meaning in the commission, still greater
richness in the promise.'
Eph. v. 26.
Vers. 5, 6, 7 ;
1 John ii. 6,
Chapter XV. i-XVI. 33.
Jesus, alone with His Disciples, finishes His last Consolatory Discourse.
1 T AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 I Every "branch in me which beareth not fruit he taketh1 "ul^Ilu".
away: and every brand/ that3 beareth fruit, he purgeth3 it, x
3 that it may bring forth4 more fruit. Now * ye are5 clean * 9_ha.P-.^"!-_ .
4 through6 the word which I have spoken unto you. c Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine ; no more7 can ye, except ye abide ^*^'J£
5 in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches : c He that abideth
in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth 8 much d fruit : rf.phil- '■ «■
' t> _ IV. 13.
6 for9 without10 me ye can do nothing. If a man" abide not in
me, ' he is cast forth as a 13 branch, and is withered ; and men 13 'J£a";x"';
gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.14
7 If ye abide in me, and -^ my words15 abide in you, s ye. shall I6 ^§™{j;vj!j*'
8 ask what17 ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ''Herein £.3^; Coi.
is19 my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; -^so shall ye ''^l1^.,,
9 be19 my disciples. ''As20 the Father hath21 loved me, so *^S|'i*i1,i61
10 have 22 1 23 loved you : continue ye '* in my love. * If ye keep ' 2|*p- ltTU'
my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have *J*»p-™
1 kept my25 Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 'Chap. via.
r J 55, x. 17. iS.
1 taketh it - and all that whicli 8 cleanseth ' may bear
•' Already are ye c because of " so neither s beareth
9 because I0 apart from u any one 12 the ls they
14 and they burn 15 sayings lr' omit ye shall l: whatsoever
is was 19 that ye might bear much fruit and become 20 Even as
21 omit hath 22 omit so have 23 I also 24 abide 25 the
CHAP. XV. I-XVI. 33.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 173
1 1 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might
12 remain26 in you, and that '"your joy might be full.27 "This is «Chap.xvi. _
my commandment, That ye love one another, as28 I have29 ' j
13 loved you. Greater love hath no man30 than this, "that a 9.
14 man31 lay down his life for his friends. ^Ye are q my friends,
15 if ye do whatsoever32 I command you. Henceforth I call you !
not33 servants; for34 the servant knoweth not what his lord
doeth : but I have called you friends; rfor34 all things that I £w
have "heard of35 my Father I have29 made known unto you. ' Chap.1il'. 3"'.
16 Ye have not chosen36 me, but sl have chosen37 you, and ,*
ordained38 you, that ye should go39 and bring forth40 fruit, and '.',..
that your fruit should remain:41 that ' whatsoever ye shall42 <ver. 7.
17 ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. "These »Ver. ».
things I command you, that ye love43 one another.
18 " If the world hate 44 you, ye45 know that it hated 46 me before wChan. yii 7:
19 it hated you. " If ye were of the world, the world would love iv. 5.
his 47 own : but because w ye are not of the world, but * I have o>ChaP. xvii.
[4 J 1 I 1.1
chosen37 you out of the world, therefore48 the world hateth v. ,9.
20 you. Remember the word that I said unto you, x The 49 servant -*chap. xiii.
is not greater than his lord. If they have 9 persecuted me,
they will also persecute you ; 50 if they have " kept my saying,5'
21 they will keep yours also. But •''all these things will they do ^ s« chap,
unto you for my name's sake,52 because they know not him that
22 sent me. z If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had -^T 2;4x:
2 s not had 53 sin : but now they have no cloke S4 for their sin. " He « chap. v. 23 ;
J ' Luke x. 16 ;
24 that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done ijohnii. 23.
among them the b works which none other man55 did, they had * Chap. Hi. *,
not had 53 sin : but now have they both seen and hated both
25 me and my Father. But this comet h to pass, c that the word rChap. xiii.
might56 be fulfilled that is written in their law, d They hated rfPs.xxxv.19,
& J Ixix. 4.
26 me without a cause. But57 when 'the Comforter58 is come, <Chap. xiv.
16, 17, 26.
whom I will send unto you from the Father, even 59 the Spirit
of truth,60 which proceedeth61 from the Father, ^he shall /Acts v. 32 ;
27 testify62 of63 me: And e ye also shall64 bear witness, because «-chap xix.
. 35 '< Luke
ye have been with me from the beginning.65 xxiv 48;
CllAP. XVI. 1. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye SeeActsi.8
2 should66 not be ''offended.67 They shall * put you out of the *Matt. xi. 6.
i Chap, be 22
26 may be 27 may be fulfilled 23 even as 29 omit have
30 no one 31 one 32 that which 33 No longer do I call you
34 because 35 from 3C did not choose S7 I chose
88 appointed 39 flyaway 40 bear 41 abide 42 omit shall
43 may love 44 hateth 45 omit ye 4G hath hated
■'" its 48 because of this 49 A 50 will persecute you also
51 word 52 because of my name 63 would not have i4 excuse
M omit man 56 may "7 omit But 5S Advocate
59 omit even 60 the truth 61 goeth forth e- will bear witness
C3 concerning C4 omit shall cs because from the beginning ye are with me
Sli may C7 made to stumble
174 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XV. i-XVI ^
synagogues: yea, the time68 cometh, that * whosoever 69 killeth **«$«& 3.
3 you will 70 think that he doeth God service." And these things phU- "'■ 6-
will they do unto you.72 because ' they have not known " the 'c.h.aP- '• >°.
J J < J viu. 19, xv.
4 Father, 'nor me. But '"these things have I told74 you, that "j^'iif5,'
when the time shall come,75 ye may remember76 that I told you '"^^V^";
of them.77 And these things I said not unto you at 78 the be-
5 ginning, because I was with you. But now " I go my way " to "Yers- 1?.>:8:
him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest wii-3»»v.
6 thou ? 80 But because I have said 81 these things unto you,
7 "sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the "Ver-"-
truth ; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not
away, the ^Comforter82 will '' not come unto you; but r\i I / c6haP- *iv-
8 depart,83 I •''will send him unto you. And when he is come, he ?c?mP. chap.
1 ' va. 39.
will ^reprove84 the 'world of85 sin, and of85 righteousness, and rAct.sl-'-33i
r ' ^ ' Eph. IV. 8.
9 of85 judgment: Of85 sin, because they believe not on86 me; ^f°5ap-
10 Of8' righteousness, because I go80 to my88 Father, and ye see ' Chap- '• -g-
11 me no more;89 "Of87 judgment, because the prince of this »Chap.xii.3l.
world is90 judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
13 them now. Howbeit91 when he,92 ''the Spirit of truth,93 is -'Ch.ip.xiv.
come,94 he m will guide you into all truth : 93 for he shall9''' not "Chap. xiv.
speak of 9C himself ; but whatsoever97 he shall hear, that** shall iJohnii.20,
14 he™ speak: and he will show you1 things to come.2 He shall
glorify me: for3 he shall receive of mine,4 and shall show5 it
1 5 unto you. ''All things that8 the Father hath are mine: therefore .rChap. xvii.
said I, that he shall take 7 of8 mine, and shall show 5 it unto you.
16 'A little while, and : ye shall not see me : 9 and again, a little ^ See chap,
while, and ''ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.10 sVek io, 17,
17 Then said n some of his disciples 12 among themselves,13 What "Ch.,P. xiv.
is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see
me:14 and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and,
18 b Because15 I go16 to the Father? They said therefore, What ^Ver. 10.
is this that he saith,17 A little while? we cannot tell18 what he
68 an hour 69 every one that 70 should
71 offereth service unto God ''- omit unto you 73 they know not
74 spoken unto 75 when their hour is come li add \Wm
" omit of them 78 I told you not from 70 I go away
y" iid.i aw.iv 81 spoken 82 Advocate 83 go
84 And he, when he i^ come, will convict 8S concerning
■''• in 87 and concerning S3 the
89 vc no longer behold me 00 hath been al But 9- he is come
os the truth 64 omit is come 95 will '-"'from !'r add things
;,< omit that ''•' he will * declare to you : the things that are coining
3 because 4 of that which is mine will he receive 5 and will declare
0 whatsoever 7 he receiveth s of that which is
9 ye behold me no longer 10 omit because I go to the Father
11 omit Then said '-' add therefore I3 said one to another
li ve behold me not 15 omit Because 16 add away
17 this which he calleth ls we know not
Chap. XV. i-XVI. 3.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 175
19 saith.19 Now80 Jesus knew81 that they were desirous to ask
him, and22 said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves
of23 that ' I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me : l* and c Ver- l6-
20 again, a little while, and ye shall see me ? Verily, verily, I say
unto you, That d ye shall2* weep and lament, but the world rfP°™P; JJ* V
shall !* rejoice : and " ye shall 24 be sorrowful, but your sorrow *V1 '°-
21 shall be turned into joy. 'A woman when she is in travail * Isa- **"■ *7-
hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but as soon as she is
delivered of the child, she remembereth no more26 the anguish,"
22 for28 joy that a man is born into the world. And ^ye now /Ver. 6.
therefore23 have sorrow: but I will see you a?ain, ^ and your ^Lukexxiv.
° 41, 52 ; chap.
heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man"0 taketh 16 from you. *w. i.xx.
J ' J ■> J J 20 ; ACtS 11.
23 And* in that day ye shall 'ask me nothing.31 Verily, verily, f^efi5*'
I say unto you, * Whatsoever ye shall ask32 the Father in my ''^,",2^M
24 name,33 he will give it you."* Hitherto have35 ye asked nothing ' cjhap- ^'v!' _
in my name : ask, and ye shall receive, l that your joy may ^ ^"lo-
be full.86 *ctixi8:
25 These things have I spoken unto you in '"proverbs: but37 the /Ch' xv ,,
time38 cometh, when I shall no more39 speak unto you in pro- *"diap.*l.;6 ■
26 verbs, but I shall show40 you plainly of41 the Father. "At48 „ vS^"' **'
that day ye shall ask in my name : and I say not unto you,
27 that I will pray*" the Father for41 you : For "the Father him- oChap. xiv.
self loveth you, ^ because ye have loved me, and have 'believed pcimp. chap
28 that I came out*4 from God.45 rI came forth from the Father, ?ver. 30;
and ram come into the world : again, * I leave the world, and rChap. viii.
29 go to the Father. His disciples said46 unto him,47 Lo, now *Ver- '°i
30 speakest thou plainly, and speakest 48 no proverb. Now are '• 3-
we sure49 that 'thou knowest all things, and needest not "that ?chaP ii. 25.
any man50 should ask thee:51 by this "we believe that thou vVa.lj.
31 earnest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now
32 believe? Behold, the52 hour cometh, yea,53 is now64 come,
that "'ye shall55 be scattered, every man56 to his own, and «Matt. xxvi.
shall57 leave me alone: and yet ''lam not alone, because the .re'hap viii.
33 Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you,
that ^in me ye might58 have peace. z In the world ye shall59 ^Chap. xi<r.
have tribulation : but "be of good cheer;60 b I have overcome "Chap.xv.I9l
the world. sTim.'iii.i2.
a Chap.
19 speaketh
20 omit Now
21 perceived
22 and he
1 John
23 concerning this,
24 will
25 omit and
26 no longer
v 4.
-" tribulation
28 for her
29 therefore now
30 one
31 no question
32 If ye shall ask anything of
83 omit in my name
34 add in '
my name
35 omit have
36 fulfilled
37 omit but
38 an hour
39 no longer
40 tell
41 concerning
42 In
43 ask
44 forth
45 from the Father
46 say
47 omit unto him
JS sayest
49 now we know
60 one
51 add questions
hi an 53 ancj
•''' omit now
55 should
56 each one
b" omit shall
58 may
69 omit shall
60 courage
176
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. LChap. XV. i-XVI. 33.
Contents. We have already considered the
circumstances under which the two chapters upon
which we now enter were spoken ; and, if we
have been correct in the view taken of them, we
are not to imagine that the first figure of chap. xv.
was suggested by a vine seen at the moment on
the slope of the temple mount, down which the
Lord and His disciples were passing. It is equally
improbable that it was suggested by a vine pene-
trating into the room where they were gathered
together. Apart from all other considerations, it is
enough to say that, at this season of the year, the
vine was hardly far enough advanced to supply
materials for the different illustrations used. The
solemnity of the moment, the fulness of Old
Testament thought which dwelt in the mind of
Jesus, perhaps even a reminiscence of that 'fruit
of the vine ' of which they had all so recently par-
taken, are enough to account for the language with
which our Lord begins this second part of His last
discourse. It is of more importance to observe
that it is distinguished from what goes before, not
so much by presenting us with matter entirely new,
as by applying the same line of instruction in an
advanced form to the advanced position in which
the disciples are supposed to be. In chap. xiv. the
main thought is that of the true union brought
about by the apparent separation ; the chief refer-
ence has been to personal experience; and the
climax is reached in vers. 20 and 23. That is the
preparation of the disciples for their work; they
' are ' in Him, and He in them. The chief
thought now is that of ' abiding,' and this abiding
presupposes difficulty and trial. ' Being ' in Him
is life : ' abiding ' in Him is life working, triumph-
ing. It is the disciples working, then, that we
have before us ; and how well does this correspond
to what we have already said of the standing atti-
tude in which this discourse was most probably
delivered. It will be observed that the advance
from chap. xiv. to chaps, xv. and xvi. consists in
the application of principles rather than in any
change from one set of principles to another.
The subordinate parts of the section are — (1)
chap, xv., vers. 1-17 ; t2) vers. 1S-27 ; (3) chap,
xvi., vers. 1-11 ; (4) vers. 12-15; (5) vers. 16-24;
(6) vers. 25-33.
Ver. 1. I am the true vine, and rny Father is
the husbandman. In the Old Testament the
vine is the type of Israel, planted by the Almighty
as the husbandman to adorn, refresh, and quicken
the earth (Ps. Ixxx. ; Isa. v. I ; Jcr. ii. 21 ; Ezek.
xix. 10 ; Hosea x. 1 ). But Israel proved itself ' the
degenerate plant of a strange vine.' Jesus, there-
fore, is here the 'true vine,' because He is the
true Israel of Cod, in whom is fulfilled all that is
demanded of the true vine, whether for beauty and
blessing to the world, or for glory to the husband-
man. In Him all His people are summed up.
He is not merely the stem : He is 'the vine,'
including in Himself all its parts. He is thus
also the 'true' (comp. on chap. i. 9) vine, in
contrast not so much with a degenerate Israel
within Israel as with Israel after the flesh as a
whole, with theancieni Theocracy even in its best
and palmiest days. That Theocracy had been no
more than a shadow of the true ; now the ' true '
was come, and God Himself had planted it.
Ver. 2. Every branch in nie which beareth not
fruit, he taketh it away; and all that which
beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may hear
more fruit. Two parts of the husbandman's
operations with his vine are here alluded to,
the first that of taking away unfruitful branches.
Any branch of the vine that is found, and as soon
as it is found, to be not fruit-bearing is cut off.
It is probable that the allusion is primarily to
Judas (comp. chap. xvii. 12), but thereafter to all
of whom the traitor is the representative, who,
taking their places for a time in the number of the
disciples, prove by the result that they have no
right to be there (comp. 1 John ii. 19). They are
branches of the vine ; but, as only outward and
carnal not inward and spiritual, they are taken
away, their further fate being not yet mentioned.
The second part of the husbandman's work
follows, that of pruning, for which the word
cleansing, with its deeper meaning, is appropri-
ately used. The object of the Father is the
inward, spiritual, cleansing of His children, in
contrast with the outward purifications of Israel
(chaps, ii. 6, iii. 25) ; and the cleansing spoken of
(which follows, not precedes, their fruit-bearing) is
future and continuous. The means are afflictions,
not of any kind but for the sake of Jesus, here
especially the afflictions to which the disciples
shall Lie exposed in doing their Master's work, as
He Himself 'learned obedience by the things
which He suffered.' The attaining of this perfec-
tion is, however, a gradual process, and hence the
words ' that it may bear more fruit.' It is possible
that the ' fruit ' to be borne may include all
Christian graces, although it would seem as if the
general growth of the Christian life were rather
set forth in the growth and strengthening of the
'branch.' The considerations already adduced,
and the whole strain of the discourse, lead us
rather to understand by the ' fruit ' now spoken of
fruit borne in carrying on the work of Jesus in the
world (comp. on ver. 16).
Ver. 3. Already are ye clean because of the
word which I have spoken unto you. On
'word,' not 'words,' see on chap. xiv. 24. The
'ye' is emphatic. The}' were pruned, I hey were
'clean;' and that 'already,' because they had
already received the word which they were now,
in their turn, to communicate. Jesus does not
say that they are clean 'through, but 'because
of the word which He had spoken unto them.
They have heard (and received) the word of 'the
Holy One of God,' and because His word is in
them they are clean. Thus are they fitted for
imparting the means of a like cleansing to others.
Not personal piety but Christian action is still in
view, and still the 'cleanness ' which they possess
does not exclude the future and continuous
cleansing.
Ver. 4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine ; so neither can ye, except ye abide in
me. Thus cleansed, one thing more is required,
that they maintain their position, that they con-
tinue in the vine. It is the law of the branch
that, if it is to flourish and bear fruit, there must
be a constant and reciprocal action between it and
the vine of which it is a part. This is expressed
in the two clauses before us. He who will not
abide in Christ cannot have Christ to abide in
him. How much is made dependent upon the
human will !
Ver. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches.
He that abideth in nie, and I in him, the same
beareth much fruit ; because apart from me ye
can do nothing. The transition from ver. 4 to
Chap. XV. i-XVI. 33. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
17?
ver. 5 appears to be similar to that from chap. v.
19-23 to chap. v. 24, — a transition from the prin-
ciple to its application to men. In substance the
lesson is the same as before; and it has only to
l>c distinctly observed that the words 'ye can do
nothing' refer to the efforts of one already a
believer. The state of faith is presupposed.
Ver. 6. It' any one abide not in me he is cast
forth as the branch, and is withered ; and they
gather them, and cast them into the fire, and
they burn. 'The branch' here is simply 'the
branch' of ver. 4, the branch considered in itself:
ili- words 'cast forth' and 'is withered' are so
used in the original as to denote the certainty, the
immediateness, of the doom referred to : the
last three verbs of the verse carry our thoughts to
a later period than that to which the casting out
ami the withering belong. Instead of exhibiting
beauty of leaf and bearing clusters of fruit, these
blanches shrivel up, die, and are consumed. It
is to be observed that, although the branches
spoken of are barren, it is not their barrenness
that is the immediate thought here, but the fact
that they do not abide in the vine.
Ver. 7. If ye abide in me, and my sayings
abide in yon, ask whatsoever ye will, and it
shall be done unto you. The sudden departure
in this verse from the figure which our Lord had
been employing is worthy of notice. A somewhat
similar departure occurs at ver. 3, and in both
cases it takes place in connection with a reference
to the ' word ' or ' sayings ' of Jesus : these belong
to living men. The thought that the 'sayings' of
Jesus abide in us as the condition of blessedness is
fundamentally the same as that expressed previ-
ously in ver. 3, ' because of the word ; ' the mode
in which the word works is now more full)'
brought out. Still more worthy of notice is the
fact that, in the latter part of the verse, where the
asking is spoken of, the words 'in My name' do
not occur ; but in their place we find, ' If ye
abide in Me, and My sayings abide in you.' This
strikingly illustrates what we have already endea-
voured to bring out, that ' in My name ' implies a
union with Jesus by faith, resting on a knowledge
of and adherence to the revelation that He has
given. The asking spoken of must be understood
not in a general sense, but with a special reference
to bearing fruit. Were this not the case the verse
would be quite isolated.
Ver. 8. Herein was my Father glorified, that
ye might bear much fruit and become my
disciples. The last verse had expressed the
highest and closest communion that can be estab-
lished between the believer and the Father
revealed in the Son, — a communion so high, so
close, that the former asks whatsoever he wdl and
it is done unto him. But that is the attainment
of all God's purposes, the issue of all His dealings,
with His people. The ' Herein ' of this verse is,
accordingly, not to be explained by the words
that follow, as if the meaning were that the glory
of God is found in His appointing His people to
bear much fruit and be disciples of Jesus. That
is the result of His purpose rather than the purpose
itself. The purpose is union, communion, fellow-
ship ; and out of these flows an ever-increasing
bearing of fruit (' much fruit'), and an ever-grow-
ing conformity ( ' become ' not ' be ') of the
believer with his Lord, alike in privilege and in
life. ' Herein was my Father glorified ' belongs,
therefore, to the previous verse, — to that abiding in
VOL. II. 12
Jesus, and that asking and receiving in Him,
which expressed the purpose of the Father (comp.
chap. xiv. 13). At the point we have reached
this is supposed to be accomplished, and as a
consequence of such abiding fellowship with the
Father and the Son comes the growing fruitfulness,
the deepening discipleship, of those who are true
branches of the fruitful vine. Hence the render-
ing ' was glorified' seems preferable to ' is glorified,'
which we retain in chap. xiii. 3;. It is an ideal
state of things with which we are dealing ; and the
much fruit and the discipleship referred to do not
belong only to the present, but, like the 'clean-
ness ' spoken of in ver. 3, are also future and
continuous.
Ver. 9. Even as the Father loved me, I also
loved you: abide in my love. By keeping in
view what has been said on ver. 8 we shall undei
stand the transition here to the thought of love.
The main thought of that verse was, as we have
seen, that of union and communion with the
Father and the Son ; but the main element of that
communion is love, — love which flows forth from
the Father to the Son, and then from the Son to
the members of His body, thus forming that com-
munity of love so often spoken of in these chapters.
In this love, then (it follows as a necessary conse-
quence), we must 'abide' if we would experience
its fruits. It is hardly necessary to say that ' My
love ' is the Lord's love to His people, not theirs
to Him.
Ver. 10. If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love ; even as I have kept the
Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
The disciples have heard the words 'abide in my
love.' How are they to do so ? The words before
us are an answer to the question ; and they con-
stitute a parallel to those which we have already
met at xiv. 20, 21, only that now we read not
merelyof 'being,' but of 'abiding,'thecharacteristic
word of this chapter. It is not simply the doing of
special commandments that is thought of (comp.
on chap. xiii. 34), but a complete adoption of the
Father's will by the Son and of the Son's will by
us : and this is not spoken of as a proof of love,
but as the condition which makes continued love
possible. The Father never ceases to love the
Son, because the Son's will is the expression of
His own. The Son never ceases to love His
disciples, because their will is the expression of
His will ; and without this harmony of will and
act union and fellowship are impossible.
Ver. 11. These things have I spoken unto
you, that my joy may be in you, and that your
joy may be fulfilled. ' My joy ' must be inter-
preted in the same way as ' My peace ' at chap.
xiv. 27. It is the joy which Jesus possessed as
'anointed with the oil of gladness above His
fellows,' which flowed from His uninterrupted
possession of His Father's love (ver. 9), which was
ever and again renewed as He felt that lie was
accomplishing His Father's will (ver. 10), which
was crowned in that uninterrupted intercourse
with His Father in which He asked and received
whatsoever He desired (chap. xi. 42), and which
filled His heart amidst all the trials and sorrows
of His work on earth (comp. Luke x. 21). That
very joy He will communicate to His disciples,
and their joy will be then 'fulfilled.' Like Him
who went before them, they shall ' see of the
travail of their soul and shall be satisfied.' The
arrangement of the words in the original of this
i78
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XV. I -XVI. 33.
verse, by which ' my ' is brought into the closest
juxtaposition with 'in you,' is worthy of notice
(comp. chap. xiv. 1, 3).
Ver. 12. This is my commandment, That ye
love one another, even as I loved you. The sum
of what was to be said in this part of the discourse
has been spoken. One point needs further eluci-
dation— love. It is here enjoined and explained
anew. The singular 'commandment' does not
differ materially from the plural of ver. 10 (see
on that verse, and comp. on chap. xiv. 23, 24).
Jesus had loved them with a self-sacrificing love;
and because lie had so loved them He charges
them i<> live in self-sacrificing love for one another.
The ' I loved you ' is not to be resolved into ' I
have loved you.' As at chap. xiii. 34, it is of His
love brought back to their minds in His absence
that He speaks.
Ver. 13. Greater love hath no one than this,
that one lay down his life for his friends. How
great 1 1 is five which showed itself even unto
death for them ! They must imitate such love if
they will ' keep His commandment ' and exhibit
His spirit. There is no contradiction between this
statement and that in Rom. v. 6-8. Enemies are
not here in question. Jesus is alone with His
friends, and one friend can give no greater proof
of love to another than to die for him. The em-
phasis rests upon 'lay down his life,' not upon
' friends.'
Ver. 14. Ye are my friends, if ye do that which
I command you. We have here no second motive
to the exercise of brotherly love, based upon the
obedience which the friends of Jesus are bound
to render to Him. 'lire emphatic 'Ye' shows
clearly that Jesus would impress upon them with
peculiar force that they were His friends. We
must accordingly interpret in a manner similar to
that applied at chap. xiv. 15. The words describe
a condition or state : ' Ye are my friends for whom
in love /lay down My life,' and ye continue such
in being led by the power of My love to lay down
your lives for one another. This is your new and
glorious state, for
Yer. 15. No longer do I call you servants,
because the servant knoweth not what his lord
(loeth ; but I have called you friends, because
all things that I heard from my Father I made
known unto you. At chap. xiii. 16 Jesus had
spoken of them as ' servants ; ' and (so closely
connected with one another are the chapters which
we are considering) we can hardly doubt that
it is this very passage that He has now primarily
in view. Then they had to learn the lesson of
the foot-washing: now it is learned ; and, ani-
mated by a self-sacrificing love like His, they are
no longer 'servants' but 'friends.' In one sense,
indeed, they would be always 'servants' (comp.
ver. 20), and in the other writings of the New
Testament we see that even some of those now
listening, as well as Paul, delighted to appropriate
to themselves the title (2 Pet. i. I ; Apoc. i. I ;
Rom. i. I, etc.) ; but that is not their only rela-
tionship to their Lord. Nor are the two relation-
ships inconsistent with one another. Rather may
we say that the livelier our sense of the privilege
of friendship the deeper will be our humility, and
that the more truly we feel Jesus to be our ' Lord
and Master' the more shall we be prepared to
(liter into the fulness of the privilege bestowed by
Him. The evidence of this their state (or privi-
lege) is given in the remainder of the verse. Jesus
had kept nothing back from them of all that He
their Lord was to 'do ;' He had revealed to them
all the will of God, in so far as it related to His
Own mission and theirs for the salvation of men.
This was what He 'heard' from the Father, with
whose will His will was in such perfect unison
that what He heard He did (comp. chap. v. 30) ;
and now, in the familiarity, the confidence, the
fondness, of friendship He makes it known to
them.
Ver. 16. Ye did not choose me, but I chose
you, and appointed you, that ye should go away
and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide.
But He had not taught them merely to fill their
minds with know ledge. He had ' heard ' from the
Father that He might 'do.' They 'hear' that
they may ' do ' also. As the Father, having
taught, had sent Him, so He, having taught,
sends them. He had ' chosen ' them — a choice
having here nothing to do with eternal predestina-
tion, but only with choosing them out of the world
after they were in it. He had ' appointed ' them,
had put them into the position which they were to
occupy on their post of duty. The manner in
which their post is described is important. It is
by the word ' go away,' the word so often used of
Jesus Himself in this part of the Gospel. They
were to ' go away ; ' that is, they had a departure
to make as well as He. This can be nothing else
but their going out into the world to take His
place, to produce fruit to the glory of the Father,
and to return with that fruit to their Father's
house. How manifest is it that here again we
have to do with the fruits of active Christian
1 ibour, not of private Christian life ! — That what-
soever ye ask of the Father in my name, he
may give it you. This is the culminating-point
of the climax, taking us to the thought of that
intimacy of communion with the Father which
secures the answer to all our prayers, and the
supply of all our needs.
Three times now have we met in this discourse
the promise just given, and the attentive reader will
easily perceive the interesting gradation in the cir-
cumstances in which those to whom it is successively
given are supposed to be. At xiv. 12, 13, they
are viewed simply as believers ; at xv. 7, they
'abide in Christ, and His sayings abide in them ;'
now they have 'gone away,' and have borne
abiding fruit. To each stage of Christian living
and working the same promise in words belongs,
but the fulness included in the words is dependent
in each case on the amount of need to be supplied.
It may be questioned how we are to understand the
second 'that' of this verse, whether as co-ordinate
to the first ' that,' and so, like it, dependent on ' I
have chosen you,' or as expressing a consequence
of their bringing forth abiding fruit in their work
of Christian love. The latter is undoubtedly to
be preferred. Jesus chooses out His disciples for
work first, for correspondingly higher privilege
afterwards ; and those who faithfully bear fruit are
here assured that in this sphere of fruit-bearing
with all its difficulties, and temptations, and trials,
they shall want nothing to impart courage, bold-
ness, hope, to make them overcome the world, as
He Himself overcame it.
Ver. 17. These things I command you, that ye
may love one another. A verse characteristic of
the structure of this Gospel, forming like chap. v.
30 at once a summary (to a large extent) of what
has preceded, and a transition to what follows.
Chap. XV. I-XVI. 33.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
'79
All the great truths spoken by Jesus are intended
to promote that which is the truest expression of
the Divine, that which is the real ground and end
of all existence— love. On the other hand, again,
the mutual love of believers is that armour of
proof in which they shall be able best to withstand
the hatred of the world.
Ver. 1 S. If the -world hateth you, know that
it hath hated me before it hated yon. It is the
active work of the disciples that lias been before
us in the preceding verses, but that work always
lias provoked, and always will provoke the world's
hatred. In such a prospect, therefore, there is
need for strength ; and strength is given by means
of truth presented in one of the double pictures of
our Gospel, — the fust extending to the close of
chap, xv., the second to chap. xvi. 15. First of
all, in that hatred which they shall certainly experi-
ence, let them behold a proof that, engaged in their
Master's service, they are really filling their Master's
place ; and let them feel that the trials that befell
I Iim ought surely to be no ' strange thing ' to them.
Their Master, their Friend, their Redeemer trod
the same path as that which they must tread.
What thought could be more touching or more
full of comforting and ennobling influences?
\ er. 19. If ye were of the world, the world
would love its own ; but because ye are not of
the world, but I chose you out of the world,
because of this the world hateth you. The
word 'of here calls attention to the root from
which one springs. Did the world behold in them
its own offspring, it would love them; they would
be its own. The rule is universal and needed no
further exposition; but they were not 'of the
world, they were born of a new and higher birth,
they had even like their Master to bear witness of
the world that its works were evil, and therefore
it must hate them as it hated Him (comp. chap,
vii. 7, and 1 Kings xxii. 8).
Ver. 20. Remember the word that I said unto
you, A servant is not greater than his lord : if
they persecuted me, they will persecute you also ;
if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
'1 he word referred to had been spoken at chap,
xiii. 16, in an apparently different sense, but really,
alike there and here, with the same deep oneness
of meaning. The disciples are in the position of
their Master, are one with Him; therefore are they
bound to the same duties and exposed to the same
trials. The parallelism between the ' word ' of Jesus
and that of His disciples is instructive. Lying at
the bottom of all the language here employed is the
great truth that what He has been they are to be.
Ver. 21. But all these things will they do unto
you because of my name, because they know not
him that sent me. Their sufferings shall not
only be like those of Jesus, but 'because of His
name,' because of all that is involved in His
Pel "ii and work — the Person and thework which
they continually hold forth to men. The latter
part of the verse contains at once an explanation
of the world's folly and guilt, and a striking
comment upon the fulness of meaning involved in
the word 'name.' It is because the world knows
God that it haies alike the Son and His
disciples. It thinks that it knows God, it has
even a zeal for His worship ; but the spirituality
of His nature, the love which is the essence of His
Icing, it does not know; it turns from them and
them when they are revealed in their true
character ; how can it do otherwise than hate One
who is the very expression of that spirituality and
love ; and, hating Him, how can it fail to hate
those who continue His work ?
Ver. 22. If I had not come and spoken unto
them, they would not have sin; but now they
have no excuse for their sin. But in so doing
the world is without excuse. Its unbelief, with
all that hatred of the disciples to which it led, is
its own deliberate act, its ground of condemnation
at the bar of God, to be in due time the terrible
ground of its own self-condemnation. Everything
had been done, alike by the word ami the w irks
(ver. 24) of Jesus, to lead it to the truth and to a
better mind. The revelation of the Father, given
by the Son, was not only the highest that could be
given, it was such that it ought to have found an
answer in that voice which even in the heart of
the world echoes to the Divine voice. That it did
not do so was the world's sin, — a sin self-chosen,
without ground, without excuse. There is not
merely instruction, there is also consolation to the
persecuted followers of Jesus in the thought.
Ver. 23. He that hateth me hateth my Father
also. Nay more, in hating Jesus the world was
also setting itself against that very God whom it
professed to honour. It was really hating not the
Son only but His Father whom He revealed.
This was the disastrous issue of its course of
action ! Not they who inflicted suffering, but they
who suffered, were the conquerors.
Ver. 24. If I had not done among them the
works which none other did, they would not
have sin ; but now have they both seen and
hated both me and my Father. Jesus had spoken
in ver. 22 of his ' words ' as sufficient to deprive
the world of all excuse in rejecting and hating
Him. He now turns to His ' works ' as effecting
the same end. The words of Jesus were the
Father's words as well as His own (chap. iii. 34) ;
of the same character are the ' works,' which here,
as elsewhere, are not to be confined to miracles.
They include all that Jesus did, and their appeal
had been to the same internal eye which ought to
have seen the force and beauty of the 'word.'
But that eye the world had closed, and for the
same reason as before, so that it was again with-
out excuse.
Ver. 25. But this cometh to pass, that the
word may be fulfilled that is written in their
law, They hated me without a cause. The quo-
tation is in all probability from Ps. lxix. 4, with
which Ps. xxxv. 19 and cix. 3 may be com-
pared. On the ' fulfilment ' spoken of see what
has already been said on chaps, ii. 17 and xii. 3S.
The quotation is made for the purpose of bringing
out the aggravated guilt of those who were reject-
ing Jesus. They had condemned their fathers
because of the persecutions to which God's
Righteous Servant of old had been exposed : yet
they ' filled up the measure of their fathers. ' Their
pride and carnal dependence upon outward
descent from Abraham blinded their eyes to the
di-tinction between truth and falsehood, right and
wrong, and made them do what they acknow-
ledged in the light of Divine truth, of Scriptures
which they honoured, to be worthy of condemna-
tion in their own fathers.
Light is thus thrown upon the words ' their
law,' which become the Fourth Gospel rendering
of Matt, xxiii. 30. The very law of which the
Jews boasted, and into which, from imagined
reverence for it, they were continually searching, —
i8o
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XV. I-XVI. 33.
the Father, not from the Son. So far as this text
is concerned, the question resolves itself into the
further one, Is Jesus here speaking of the Person
or of the office of the Advocate, of the sourceol His
being or of His operation ? Attention to the pre-
position used with 'the Father ' ought at once to
decide this point. It is ' from ' not ' out of that
is employed : it is of office and operation, not of
being and essence, that Jesus speaks (comp. chaps,
i. 6, 14, vii. 29, ix. 16, x. iS, xvi. 27, xvii. 8).
The words ' which goeth forth from the Father '
are not intended to express any metaphysical rela-
tion between the First and Third Persons of the
Trinity, but to lead our thoughts back to the fact
that, as it is the distinguishing characteristic of
Jesus that He comes from the Father, so One of
like Divine power and glory is now to take His
place. The same words ' from the Father ' are
a^ain added to 'I will send,' because the Father
is the ultimate source from which the Spirit as well
as the Son 'goes forth,' and really the Giver of
the Spirit through the Son who asks for Him (comp.
chap. xiv. 16). In the power of this Spirit,
therefore, the connection of the disciples with the
Father will, in the time to come, be not less close,
and their strength from the Father not less effica-
cious, than it had been while Jesus was Himself
beside them. The emphasis on the ' I ' of ' I will
send ' ought not to pass unnoticed. It is as if
Jesus would say, ' You tremble at the prospect of
my going away, you fear that you will be desolate,
but it is not so. / will not forget you ; /will be
to you, through the Spirit, all that I have been ; /
will send the Advocate to be in you and by your
side.' Could more be necessary to sustain them ?
The consolation offered reacheshereitsculminating
point ; but all has yet to be made clearer, fuller,
more impressive ; and to effect this, not to intro-
duce new teaching, our Lord proceeds to what we
have spoken of as the second of the double pictures
of this part of His discourse.
Chap. xvi. i. These things have I spoken
unto you, that ye may not be made to stumble.
The ' things ' referred to are especially those
described in chap. xv. 18-27, an<J 'he verse is a
pause (not the introduction of a new idea) be-
fore the same subject is resumed : there is no
change either of circumstances or of topic : the
difference between this passage and the earlier is
simply one climax. Vers. 1-6 correspond to chap.
xv. 18-25 : vers. 7— 11, to vers. 26, 27 of the same
chapter. The word ' make to stumble ' is used in
this Gospel only in one other passage, vi. 61. It
points to the danger of having faith and constancy
shaken by trial instead of standing firm in allegiance
to Jesus, whatever might be the difficulties en-
countered in His 51
Ver. 2. They shall put you out of the syna-
gogues ; yea, an hour cometh that every one that
killeth you should think that he offereth service
unto God. It is of Jews that Jesus speaks, and the
figure is therefore naturally taken from Jewish
customs ; but opposition on the part of Jews is in
these discourses the type of all opposition to the
truth. On the severity of the trial alluded to in
the first clause of the verse, see on chap. ix. 22.
Yet not merely excommunication but death in
everyone of its varied forms shall be their portion.
Nay, they shall even be regarded by their mur-
derers as a sacrifice to be offered to God ; they
shall lie slain as a part of the worship due 10 Him.
' Every one who sheds the Mood of the impious is
in that very law they might see themselves. In
such a connection of thought might it not be called
' their law '?
Vers. 26, 27. When the Advocate is come, whom
I will send unto you from the Father, the Spirit
of the truth, which goeth forth from the Father,
he will bear witness concerning me, and ye also
bear witness, because from the beginning ye are
with me. Up to this point Jesus had encouraged
His disciples by the assurance that they shall be
strengthened to overcome whatever hatred and
opposition from the world they shall have to en-
counter in the performance of their work. Now
He further assures them that this is not all. They
shall not merely meet the world unshaken by all
that it can do : they shall also receive a Divine
power, in the possession of which they shall bear
a joyful and triumphant witness even in the midst
of suffering. The Advocate shall be with them,
and with them in a manner adapted to that stage
of progress which they are thought of as having
readied. In the promise of the Advocate here
given there is an advance upon that of chap. xiv.
16, 26. In the latter passage the promise had
been connected with the training of the disciples
for their work ; in the present it is connected with
the execution of the work. First of all, the
Advocate ' will bear witness ' concerning Jesus,
will perform that work of witnessing which belongs
to heralds of the Cross. But He will do this in
them. We are not to imagine that His is an inde-
pendent work, carried on directly in the world,
and apart from the instrumentality of the disciples.
It is true that there is a general influence of the
Holy Spirit by which He prepares the ear to hear
and the eye to see — such an influence as that with
which Fie wrought in Judaism and even in hea-
thenism ; but that is not the influence of which
Jesus speaks in the words before us. It is a
specific influence, the /«t*r of the Spirit, to which
He refers — that influence which, exerted through
Himself when Fie was upon the earth, is now
exerted through the members of His Uody. In
the two last verses of this chapter, therefore, we
have not two works of witnessing, the first that of
the Advocate, the second that of the disciples.
We have only one, — outwardly that of the
disciples, inwardly that of the Advocate. Hence
the change of tense from the future to the present
when Jesus speaks of 'ye,'— the Advocate 'will
bear witness, ye 'bear witness.' The two wit-
nessings are not on parallel lines, but on the same
line, the former coming to view only in and by the
latter, into which the power of the former is intro-
duced. Hence also the force of the emphatic
'Ye.' The personality and freedom of the
disciples does not disappear under this operation
of the Advocate ; they do not become mechanical
agents, but retain their individual standing ; they
are still men, only higher than they could other-
wise have been. Hence, finally, the reason
assigned for the part given to the disciples in the
work; they are from the beginning 'with Jesus,'
with Him as partners and fellow-workers ; and
this 'from the beginning,' that is, from the be-
ginning which belongs to the subject in hand
— the beginning of His ministry.
The 26th verse of this chapter is often thought
to be of great importance in regard to the doctrine
of the 'Procession' of the Holy Spirit, the Greek
Church finding in it its leading argument for
maintaining that that ' Procession ' is only from
CHAP. XV. I-XVI. 33.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
181
as if he offered a sacrifice,' is said to have been a
Jewish maxim. Not in indifference only or in
lightness of spirit shall they be slain, to make a
Jewish or a Roman holiday, when perhaps their
"fate might be mourned over in soberer hours, but
in such a manner that those who slay them shall
return from the scene as men who have eng
in what they believe will gain for them the favour
of heaven. It is impossible to imagine a darker
picture of fanaticism. Yet the picture is
heightened by the mention of 'an hour,' an hour
laden with the divine purpose, which must 'come '
to them as it had come to Jesus Himself.
Ver. 3. And these things will they do, because
they know not the Father, nor me. The root
of the opposition as formerly spoken of, chap. xv.
21.
Ver. 4. But these things have I spoken unto
you, that, when their hour is come, ye may re-
member them, that I told you. The analogy of
such passages as chaps, ii. 22, xii. 16, xiv. 26,
seems to show that the 'remembering' here
spoken of is not an effort of memory alone. It
involves the deeper insight given by experience
and the teaching of the Spirit into the meaning
and purpose of trial in the economy of grace. The
disciples shall so remember that they shall have a
fresh insight into the mystery of the Cross. Nay
more, they shall learn to feel themselves peculi-
arly identified with their Lord. As there was an
'hour' in which His enemies were permitted to
rage against Him, an hour which was theirs (Luke
xxiii. 53), so there is an hour again given them
when they shall rage against the preachers of the
truth (comp. ver. 2). — And these things I told
you not from the beginning, because I was with
you. Had Jesus, then, not told them these th ngs
in the earliest period of His ministry? It is often
urged that passages such as Matt. v. 10, ix. 15, x.
16, show us that He had, and that it is impossible
to reconcile these with the words before us. Yet
we have only to put ourselves into the position of
our Lord and His disciples in order to see that
there is no contradiction. It is not merely that
He now speaks, or that they now understand, with
greater clearness than before. His ' going away '
is an essential part of ' these things,' and with it
all that He now says is so connected that it has
its meaning only in the light of that departure. He
could not then have so spoken ' from the begin-
ning,' for the simple reason that He was not then
going away. General allusions to their coming
sufferings there might be and were. But that
they would have to take His place, and, in doing
so, to find that His trials were their trials, He had
never said. That solemn lesson was connected
only with the present moment, when their training
was completed, and they were to be sent forth to
be as He had been.
Vers. 5, 6. But now I go away to him that
sent me ; and none of you asketh me, Whither
goest thou away ? But because I have spoken
these things unto you, sorrow hath rilled your
heart. It was in the joyful consciousness that
His 'going away' was really a going to the
Father, that Jesus had been speaking. But the
disciples had not sufficiently considered this. They
had looked upon His departure simply as a depar-
ture from themselves, and had failed to enter into
all the glorious consequences connected with it.
Thus they had been overwhelmed with sorrow.
It is true that, at chap. xiii. 36, Peter had asked
' Whither goest Thou away ?' But he had done
this with no sufficient thought of the ' Whither ':
the parting, not the goal to which Jesus went, had
been in his mind. It was with no proper sense ot
its real meaning, therefore, that the question had
been put. The suitable words might have been
used, but not with the spirit and feeling which
they ought to have expressed. This state of mind,
not the failing to use certain words, is that which
Jesus has now in view, and to which He refers
with a certain sadness before He points out (as
He does in the following verses) that, truly con-
sidered, His departure was not less a cause of
rejoicing to His disciples than it was to Himself
(comp. chaps, xvi. 22, xvii. 13).
Ver. 7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It
is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go
not away, the Advocate will not come unto you ;
but if I go, I will send him unto you. Sorrow
filled the hearts of the disciples at the thought of
the departure of their Lord. Now, therefore, in
these His crowning teachings, not only must their
sorrow be dispelled, but they must be sent forth
with the joyful assurance that, so far from His
departure's being a just cause of sadness, it is rather
that which shall secure to them the most gloi
strength in their conflict with the world, and the
final possession of the victory. The great truths
set forth, then, in the deeply-important verses on
which we now enter are : (1) That the departure
of Jesus is the indispensable condition of the
bestowal of the Holy Spirit ; (2) That through such
bestowal the world with which the disciples must
contend shall become to them not onlya conquered,
but a self-convicted, foe. The first of these truths
comes before us in ver. 7, the second in vers.
8-1 1. The first thing to be observed in the
former verse is that in it, along with ver. 5, no
fewer than three different words are used to express
the idea of 'going away' or 'going.' Between
the first two there is probably little difference,
although the second may bring less markedly into
view than the first the mere thought of departure.
The third, in the words ' if I go,' is distinguished
from both of them in that it distinctly expresses
not so much the thought of departure as that of
going to the Father (comp. chaps, xiv. 2, 3, 12,
2S, xvi. 2S). The glorification of Jesus, then, is
here clearly in view ; and this passage teaches the
same lesson as chap. vii. 39, that upon that glori-
fication the best >wal of the power of the Spirit was
dependent (comp. on chap. vii. 39). Not that
the Holy Spirit had been given in no degree
before. He had certainly wrought in Judaism,
and had even been the Author of all the good that
had ever appeared in heathenism : but He had not
been given in power, had not been the essential
characteristic of an era in which lie had made
only scattered and isolated manifestations of His
influences. It was to be different now. The era
to begin was the era of the Spirit, in which He
was to breathe a new life into the world. Various
reasons may be assigned why this gift of the Spirit
could be bestowed only after Jesus was glorified ;
but we omit them for the sake of that wdiich
seems to us the main consideration upon the point.
The end of all God's dealings with man is that he
shall be brought into the closest and most perfect
union with Himself, and that, in order to this. He
shall be spiritualised and glorified. This is
effected through Him who took human nature into
union with the Divine, and the end of whose course
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XV. i-XVI. 33.
is not the Incarnation, but His being made 'the
first-born' among many brethren so spiritualised, so
glorified. Only, therefore, when this end is reached
is Jesus, as not only Son of God but Son of man
(chap. iii. 14, 15), in full possession of the Spirit :
only then is He so set free from the conflicts and the
troubles of the time of His 'sufferings ' (Heb. ii.
10, v. 8) that His Own spiritual power and glory
are illimitable and unconditioned ; only then can
He bestow in His fulness that Spirit which, as the
essential characteristic of His Own final, perfect
state, is to raise us to the similar end which the
purpose of God contemplates with regard to us. In
this sense the Holy Spirit not only was not but
could not be given so long as Jesus was on earth,
unglorified. But then, when, as Son of man
glorified, and still, because Son of man, in closest
fellowship with us who are men, He should have
in Himself all the power of the Spirit, — then would
lie be able — and how could they who knew Hi,
love doubt that He would be willing? — to pour
forth upon His disciples that ' Spirit of glory and
of God' which should make them more than
conquerors over all their adversaries. Surely it
was 'expedient' for them that He should 'go
away,' and, in going away, 'go' to the Father.
Nay, it was better for them that He should ' go
away ' than that He should remain ; for not only
was this fulness of the Spirit connected with His
glorified condition, but the disciples, instead of
leaning upon Him as they had done, would gain
all that strengthening of character which flows
from working ourselves rather than having work
done for us by another.
Ver. N. And he, when he ig come, will con-
vict the world conceruing sin, and concerning
righteousness, and concerning judgment. The
Agent has been spoken of ; we now enter upon
His work, and the climax from chap. xv. 26,
where the same aspect of the Spirit's work is
spoken of, is clearly perceptible. We are not to
understand by the word ' convict ' either simply
' reprove ' or 'convince.' It is much more than
both, and implies that answer of conscience to the
reproving convincing voice, by which a man con-
demns himself (chaps, iii. 20, viii. 26). The word
' concerning ' also is not the same as ' of. ' The
inference to be drawn from these considerations
(comp. also on chap. xiv. 30, 31) is that in the
conviction of the world here spoken of its conver-
sion is not necessarily implied. Conversion may
or may not follow for anything here stated. The
promise now given to the disciples is not that they
shall convert the world, but that it shall be
silenced, self - condemned, overwhelmed with
shame and confusion of face. The Judge of all
the earth is upon their side ; He will judge for
them.
Vers. 9-1 1. Concerning sin, because they
believe not in me : and concerning righteous-
ness, because I go away to the Father, and ye no
longer behold me: and concerning judgment,
because the prince of this world hath been
judged. The general work of conviction to be
effected by the Spirit having been stated in ver. 8,
the several particulars are next explained more
fully. The point of view from which all are to be
looked at is that of the contioversy with the
world in which Jesus had Himself been engaged.
So long as He was on the earth this controversy
was left unsettled; but after His departure, His
disciples, in the power ol the promised Advocate,
shall bring it to a triumphant issue. The first
part of that controversy had reference to sin. The
world had cast on Jesus the imputation of sin
(chaps, v. 18, vii. 20, etc.) ; and, on the other
hand, His whole work and life had been first
directed to bring the charge of sin home to the
world. But the world had no just idea of what
sin was. It thought of gross violations of the
Divine law, or of violations of positive religious
ceremonial : of sin in its true sense, not only as a
departure from truth and love, but as even a
failing to recognise and welcome these with all the
atfection of the heart and devotion of the hie, it
had no idea. Hence the work here spoken of —
the work of Him who was at once the Advocate of
Jesus and of His disciples. Fie shall convict the
world of wrung in its estimate of Jesus, and thus
also in its estimate of itself. He shall bring home
to the world the fact that it believed not in Jesus,
did not trust itself to Him as the impersonation of
Divine truth and love, and that in this lay sin.
Nay, not only so, the world shall learn that in this
lies the very essence and root of all sin, for it is
really a rejection of the Father manifested in
Jesus— it is hating the light and choosing darkness
(chap. iii. 21, etc.). Thus it was unnecessary to
speak of other sins : this was the crowning sin,
inclusive of them all.
The second part of the controversy of Jesus
with the world had reference to righteousness ;
— in what righteousness really lay, what the
true nature of righteousness was. The world
boasted of its righteousness ; in its form as the
Jewish world it was proud of its fathers, of its
outward inheritance from them, and of itself.
Jesus had pronounced that righteousness to be
worthless (Matt. v. 20, etc.). Again, which of
them is right? The Advocate, working in the
disciples, shall decide the controversy in such a
manner that the world shall be silenced. He will
bring home to it the truth that, notwithstand-
ing its rejection of Jesus, the Father has received
Him, and has set His seal upon Him as His
Righteous One. Hence the last words of ver. 10,
' because I go away unto the Father, and ye no
longer behold me,' — words which do not seem to
mean that the realm of faith shall henceforth be
the abiding state of the kingdom of God on earth,
and the home of the righteousness which is of
faith, but which appear simply to give expression
to that removal from the bodily sight of the dis-
ciples which is the essential concomitant of the
glorifying. They gently explain that what brought
such grief to those who were now to be separated
from their Lord was the very means of accom-
plishing the great purpose that the Father had in
view — the settlement of the controversy as to His
Son, and the manifestation of what the Son really
was. It is interesting to notice how the disciples,
at a time when the work of conviction here spoken
of had begun, dwell upon that characteristic of
Jesus which is thus referred to (Acts iii. 14, vii.
52, xxii. 14; Rom. i. 1, etc.).
The third part of the work of conviction is that
of judgment ; and it has reference to the same
controversy to which, as we have seen, the two
previous parts of the work of the Spirit are related.
The world had judged Jesus ; but He, on the
other hand, had judged the world ; and His
judgment would be proved to be just when the
Advocate should enable the disciples to bring
home to the world that it was founded upon
CHAP. XV. I-XVI. 33.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
1S3
eternal reality and truth. ' The lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life ' were
now the objects of the world's ambition and pur-
suit ; but a day was coming when it should be
compelled to acknowledge a different standard of
judgment; when it should discover, with terror
and dismay, that its past standard had been alto-
gether false ; that what it had approved was
passing away ; that what it had despised was
abiding for ever. Then should it see that its very
prince had been judged in a manner against which
there was no appeal, and that, instead of being
the conqueror, he had throughout been the con-
quered. Then should the world be constrained
to confess that it had been madly attempting to
reverse the position of the everlasting scales, and
had been foiled in the attempt.
Such, then, is the great work of the Holy
Spirit upon the world during the whole period
that was to pass between the departure of Jesus
to His Father and His coming again in glory. It
will be observed that it is the same work which
Jesus had Himself carried on, that is now com-
pleted by the ' other ' Advocate. The difference
does not lie so much in the nature as in the effect
of the work : to the one period belongs the
beginning of the controversy; to the other, the
final decision. It is also clear that the conviction
spoken of is to be understood in the same sense
throughout. It is not primarily a work of con-
version (although it may lead to conversion) that
is referred to : it is a work that confounds and
overwhelms the world when, as God gives His
judgments unto the King and His righteousness
unto the King's Son, ' they that dwell in the
wilderness shall bow before Him, and His enemies
shall lick the dust' (Ps. lxxii. 9). That work is
the glory of the Church of Christ as she takes her
Master's place in the world ; and, when she
remembers that it could not be done, did not
the exalted Redeemer send down to her His all-
powerful Spirit, she may well feel that it was
' expedient ' for her that He should go away.
Ver. 12. I have yet many things to say unto
you, but ye cannot bear them now. Jesus is
about to draw His instructions and consolations
to a close. He does so by returning to the great
promise of the Spirit already given in chap. xiv. 26.
Yet there is a difference between the promise there
and here ; and the difference, as usual, is one of
climax. Teaching of a higher kind is now to be re-
ferred to, for the element of experience comes in. It
isnot enough to have been taught by Jesus Himself.
The disciples were to take their Master's place,
and to carry on His work. The Spirit, then, who
had been His strength, must be also theirs. Thus
it is not so much new teaching that they need as
the old teaching in a new way, brought home to
their hearts with a new power. It is, indeed, often
supposed that the ' many things ' here spoken of
refer to new truths. This seems improbable.
We can hardly suppose that Jesus had left any
large part of His revelation not given, especially
when He had so often spoken of the revelation of
' the Father,' as if it contained the sum and sub-
stance of religious truth. Besides this, we have
already seen that in the words of Jesus ' all things'
are implicitly contained (comp. on chap. xiv. 26).
And, further, the word 'bear' does not mean to
apprehend ; it is to bear as a burden, and the
most glorious and encouraging truths may become
a burden to one too immature to bear them.
Not, therefore, because the disciples could not in
a certain sense even now understand further
revelation, but because they had not yet the
Christian experience to give that revelation power,
does Jesus say that they cannot bear the many things
that He has yet to say unto them. When shall
they, or when shall the Church, be able to under-
stand them ? The answer is, When at any stage
of their or her future history the ' many things '
are needed, and so may have their power felt.
But just because of this they need not lie, as the
whole context teaches us they are not to be, new
truths. They are old truths made new, expanded,
unfolded (as we see especially in the Epistles of
Paul), illumined by receiving light from the lessons
of history, when these are read in the spirit of
Christian trust and confidence and hope, but not
win 'lly new. There will not be in them one reve-
lation, strictly so called, that was not in the words
of Jesus Himself: but their ever greater depths
shall be seen as the relations of the Church and
of the world respectively become more complex.
It has been so in the past : it will be so in the
future. There is no reason to think that the
treasure in the words of Jesus will ever be ex-
hausted : it contains, according to the seeming
paradox of the apostle, what we are 'to know,'
although it ' passeth knowledge ' (Eph. iii. 19).
This is the true development of Christian insight
and experience, not the false development of Rome.
Ver. 13. But when he is come, the Spirit of
the truth, he will guide you into all the truth :
for he will not speak from himself; but what-
soever things he shall hear, he will speak : and
he will declare to you the things that are
coming. These words lend strong confirmation
to what has been said on the previous verse. For
this work of the Spirit is evidently different from
that of chap. xiv. 16, 26, or chaps, xv. 26, xvi. 7 ;
the first pair of these passages relating to prepara-
tion for the work, the second to the discharge of
its duties, while this relates to something to be
given in the midst of these duties and their cor-
responding trials. Further, ' He shall guide '
implies not merely that He shall show the way,
but that He shall Himself experimentally go before
them in the way (Matt. xv. 14 ; Luke vi. 39 ;
Acts viii. 31 ; Rev. vii. 17). It will thus be
observed that we are again led to think, not of new
revelation, but of earlier teaching deepened by ex-
perience. The view now taken is strengthened by
two important particulars in this verse : — (1) The
unexpected use of 'for' in the clause 'for He
shall not speak from Himself.' This word, so
closely binding the clauses together, makes it
plain that 'all the truth' can be nothing else than
the truth of which Jesus was the Proclaimer : 'all
the truth,' Pie would say, ' which I have pro-
claimed, of which I am Myself the substance
(chap. xiv. 6). He will guide you, for it is not
from Himself that He will speak : He comes as
jWy Representative, not for new and independent
offices of grace: He will carry on My work.'
(2) When it is said, ' Pie hears,' we are not told
whence He hears. It is possible that it may be
from the Father ; but when we call to mind that
the unity of the Father and the Son is a leading
thought in this discourse (comp. chap. xiv. 23),
particularly in relation to the sending of the
Spirit (comp. chap. xiv. 26, and especially chap.
xv. 26), it seems highly probable that the mention
of the Source whence the Spirit hears is designedly
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XV. i-XVI. 33.
omitted. Thus we are led to think not of the
Father only, but of the Father and the Son, and
again the revelation given is bounded by what
lesus has Himself revealed. The last clause of
the verse may indeed, at first sight, appear incon-
sistent with this view. Are not ' the things to
come' new revelations? We answer that in no
strict sense of the words are they so. Even should
we suppose that Jesus speaks of such things as
' the things to come ' of the Apocalypse (chap. i.
19), these properly interpreted are not so much
revelations wholly new, as new applications of
what had already been revealed, and in particular
of that very controversy between the Church and
the world of which the mind of Jesus was now
full. ' The things that are coming' are the things
that happen when ' He who is to come ' begins in
the power of His Spirit the great conflict carried
on throughout all the ages of the Christian Church
in her militant condition ; and the whole verse
thus refers not to new revelations, but to revela-
tions made new by the teaching of Christian
experience.
Ver. 14. He shall glorify me, because of that
which is mine will he receive and will declare
it unto you. On the glorifying of Jesus here
spoken of, see on chap. xiii. 31. This glory will
be given Him by the powerful working of the
Holy Spirit in the Church, because that which the
Spirit applies for the ever increasing growth and
efficiency of the Church is only a fuller unfolding
of 'the unsearchable riches cf Christ.' To Him
as the Alpha and Omega of our faith, and never
beyond Him, the Spirit leads us.
Ver. 15. All things whatsoever the Father
hath are mine : therefore said I that he receiveth
of that which is mine, and will declare it unto
you. It is of Himself as Son of man as well as
Son of God, not of Himself only as the Eternal
Son, that Jesus speaks. In that capacity ' all
things whatsoever' had been given Him by the
Father. Therefore might He well say in the pre-
vious verse that, in leading His disciples onward
to the ultimate goal of the Divine purposes, the
Spirit would do this by receiving and declaring of
that which was His. What was so received and
declared would not fall short, therefore, of leading
them into the highest truth — the truth as to ' the
Father.'
Ver. 16. A little while, and ye behold me no
longer; and again a little while, and ye shall
see me. Trial has been spoken of and encourage-
ment given. That both shall soon be known is
the transition to the present verse. The difference
between the verbs ' behold ' and ' see ' must deter-
mine the meaning of the words, the former here
denoting (as in chap. xiv. 19) vision with the
bodily, the latter vision with the spiritual, eye.
The time closing the first ' little while ' is the
death of Christ, when ' not beholding ' begins ; the
time closing the second ' little while ' dates from
the resurrection, when the ' seeing ' begins and
continues for ever (comp. chap. xiv. 19). After
the death of their Lord the disciples shall be
in the position of the world (chap. xiii. 13); under
the saddening influence of that event their faith
shall wane, and all the joy experienced in His
presence shall disappear. But He whom they had
thought lost for ever shall enter at His resurrection
on a glorified existence, from which He shall send
to them that Advocate in whom and through whom
He shall be always with them, and they with 1 1 1111.
Vers. 17, 18. Some of his disciples therefore
said one to another, What is this that he saith
unto us, A little while and ye behold me not: and
again a little while, and ye shall see me : and, I
go away to the Father ? They said therefore,
What is this which he calleth, A little while ?
We know not what he speaketh. Their per-
plexity is natural, and it is occasioned not only
by the last words actually used by Jesus, but by
what had been so prominent a point in the pre-
vious part of His discourse, that He was going
away to the Father (ver. 10). They fear, how-
eve;', to ask a direct explanation from their Lord,
and some of them discuss the matter among them-
selves.
Ver. 19. Jesus perceived that they were de-
sirous to ask him, and he said unto them, Do ye
inquire among yourselves concerning this that
I said, A little while, and ye behold me not:
and again a little while, and ye shall see me ?
He entered at onre into their difficulties, and pro-
ceeded to explain more fully what he meant, not
indeed dwelling most upon the 'little while,' but
upon the great and sudden contrasts of mind to be
experienced by them, and previously hinted at in
the words 'behold' and 'see.'
Ver. 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, That
ye will weep and lament, but the world will
rejoice : ye will be sorrowful, but your sorrow
shall be turned into joy. The one is the result
of the ' not beholding,' the other of the 'seeing.'
Ver. 21. A woman when she is in travail hath
sorrow because her hour is come ; but as soon
as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth
no longer the tribulation for her joy that a man
is born into the world. An illustration of what
had been said familiar to all, but drawn out of the
very heart of Old Testament life and feeling (Isa.
xxi. 3, xxvi. 17, lxvi. 7; Ps. cxxviii. 3; Ezek.
xix. 10). Yet there is more in the language than
meets the eye at first sight, and its peculiarities
form a valuable proof of the correctness of the
interpretation given above by the twice repeated
'little while.' For why (1) the expression her
' hour ' is come, but because the crucifixion was
the ' hour ' of Jesus, that of His deepest sorrow
and the sorrow of His disciples? And why (2)
the use of the word ' man ' instead of child, when
it is said 'a man is born into the world,' but
because that which is brought forth in tribulation
is the new birth of regenerated humanity, and
because that new life with which the Church
springs into being is life in a risen Lord (Eph. ii.
5), and carries us back to the moment when Jesus
Himself rose from the grave?
Ver. 22. And ye therefore now have sorrow ;
but I will see you again, and your heart shall
rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from
you. At ver. 19 Jesus had said ' ye shall see me,'
but now He says 'I will see you.' It is the
blessed reciprocity of intercourse between Him
and His own. From the moment of the resurrec-
tion He will see them, and they shall see Him,
and shall rise to the full brightness of that position
to which He elevates His people. Nor will this
'seeing' terminate with the ascension, for it is
their spiritual vision that is mainly thought of. In
the power of the Spirit 1 le will see them and they
Him, and they shall rejoice with a triumphant and
abiding joy.
Vers. 23, 24. And in that day ye shall ask me
no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If
Chap. XV. i-XVI. 33-] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
yo shall ask anything of the Father, he will
give it you in my name. Hitherto ye asked
nothing in my name ; ask, and ye shall receive,
that your joy may be fulfilled. The two verbs
here rendered ' ask a question ' and ' ask ' are
different ; and though the former may be used of
prayer when our Lord 'asks' the Father (chap. xvii.
9, 15, 20), it seems impossible to separate the
use of ' ask a question ' in ver. 23 from its use in
ver. 19 and again in ver. 30, in both which pas-
sages it refers to asking information upon points
occasioning perplexity to the mind. The declara-
tion of Jesus thus is, that in the day when the joy
of the disciples is perfected they will not need to
feel that they must have Him beside them to solve
their difficulties. They will then be so entirely in
Him, one with Him, that along with Him they
will have such a full knowledge from the Holy
Spirit — a knowledge belonging to His 'day' — as
will exclude the need of such questions. But this
full knowledge will do more. If it restrains the
questioning of ignorance, it at the same time opens
their eyes to see better all their true need, and the
source from which it shall be supplied. Therefore,
not in a spirit of curious questioning but in a
spirit of perfect trust let them approach the Father,
for He will give to them ' in the name ' of Jesus.
1 le has revealed Himself to them in Jesus as their
Father; He has made them in Him His own
sons; therefore shall they receive as sons, and
nothing shall be awanting to the fulfilment of their
joy.
Ver. 25. These things have I spoken unto you
in proverbs; an hour cometh when I shall no
longer speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall
tell you plainly concerning the Father. Jesus
is now about to close His last discourse. At this
point, accordingly, He refers to the method of
leaching, of which He was giving them illustration
at the moment, for the purpose of bringing out by
contrast the glory of the period upon which the
disciples were about to enter. On the word
'proverbs,' comp. on chap. x. 6. The contrast
suggested is not between figurative and direct
speech, or between enigmatical and clear sayings.
Jesus had used few figures, and He had taught
with the utmost simplicity and plainness of
language. But the effect of His teaching had
depended upon the authority of the Teacher, not
on the spiritual insight of the pupil. The Teacher
alone had Himself ' seen ' what He described
(chap. vi. 46), and it had been His aim to make
His pupils understand it. Now, however, that
stage of instruction was to come to a close, and
the pupils, in ripened manhood, were themselves
under the direct teaching of the Spirit to 'see.'
That this is the case, is clear from the fact that
the ' hour ' of ver. 25 and the ' day ' of ver. 26
were an hour and a day when Jesus was to be
personally removed from His disciples, and when
t'nc 'Spirit of the truth' was to take His place.
The contrast, therefore, between ' in proverbs '
and ' plainly ' is to be sought in the difference
between outward teaching of every kind and that
internal teaching which comes from the illuminat-
ing influence of the Spirit of God, and which is
the best, the only true, teaching. The Spirit
shall be given after Jesus goes away, and the
disciples shall see in their own free and inde-
pendent insight what as yet they received only
upon the authority of their Master.
Vers. 26, 27. In that day ye shall ask in my
name; and I say not unto you, That I will ask
the Father concerning you : for the Father him-
self loveth you, because ye have loved me, and
have believed that I came forth from the Father.
In these words, which may be spoken of as the
last words of this discourse before Jesus turns to
its closing thoughts, the encouragement that He
would give to I lis disciples reaches its highest
point. They are assured that they shall stand in
such unity of love with the Father that the Father
shall embrace them in constant affection as His sons,
that they as sons shall approach directly to Him
as their Father ; and that in that intercourse there
shall come to them every blessing which the ful-
ness of Divine love can supply. The verse will
best be understood by contrasting it with the
words of chap. xiv. 1 6. There Jesus had said
that lie would ask the F'ather, and He would give
them another Advocate. Here He says that He
will not need to ask for this Advocate on their
behalf; and why? Because the Advocate has come,
because He has taken full possession of their
hearts, because it is His 'day.' What is the
consequence ? They will ask ' in the name ' of
Jesus, — that is, the habit of their mind is that of
prayer as persons who, through the revelation of
the Father in the Son, know the Father to be
their Father. Further, Jesus will not need to ask
concerning them, for the Father needs no one to
remind Him of His children. Lastly, the Father
Himself will enfold them in His love, because in
faith and love they have been united to the Son
with whom He is one. It is an ideal state, the
perfected state of the Church of Christ under the
teaching of the Spirit ; a state not yet reached by
her amidst her many sins and weaknesses. Never-
theless the state is one not the less ideally true,
because not yet reached ; and not the less to be
kept before us as the hope of our calling to that
glorious issue, when all contradictions and dis-
harmonies shall be done away, and when, through
the power of the Spirit, the one unity of Father,
Son, and redeemed man shall be completely
realised.
Ver. 28. I came forth from the Father, and am
come into the world : again, I leave the world and
go to the Father. The connection of this verse with
the preceding is not to be found in the supposition
that we have here additional mention made of two
great truths in which the disciples are to rest.
They are supposed to be beyond that now, and
the connection is best found in observing that the
discourse of these chapters is about to close, and
that it docs so in the manner of which we have
had so many illustrations, by returning again to
the leading truths that had been spoken of. The
words before us are accordingly a summary of the
whole history of Jesus in the light of His redeem-
ing work, from the period of His pre-existent state
in the bosom of the Father to the period when
He shall again return to His everlasting rest in
Him. He came that He might lead men to the
Father : He goes that they may lie perfected in the
Spirit, and that He may prepare a place for them
in the many places of abode in the Father's house.
Vers. 29, 30. His disciples say, Lo, now speakesl
thou plainly, and sayest no proverb: now we
know that thou knowest all things, and needest
not that any one should ask thee questions : by
this we believe that thou earnest forth from God.
Two entirely different views may be taken of the
feelings and language of the disciples as here
186
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XVII. 1-26.
described. Fither they are really led into a
sudden knowledge of the truth, thus affording a
striking illustration of darkness dispelled and of
heavenly light shining into the heart from the teach-
ing of Jesus, while He again joyfully recognises
their faith and beholds in it an earnest of completed
victory : or the disciples misunderstand them-
selves, and confess their faith in a manner which,
though sincere, is so imperfect that Jesus is con-
strained to speak to them in words of warning.
The latter view is that which deserves acceptance.
The disciples' words, 'now we know,' contrasting
with the promise of ver. 23, a promise relating to
the future, are obviously hasty ; there was nothing
clearer in the latest words of Jesus than in words
often uttered by Him before ; and, above all, the
confession proves itself by its very terms to be
imperfect, inadequate, inferior to that of a true
faith. ' From God,' the disciples say in ver. 30 ;
— not the 'from' of either ver. 27 or ver. 2S,
but one expressing a less intimate relationship
with the Father than that of which Jesus had just
spoken. The disciples think that they believe,
but they do not believe in such a way as will alone
enable them to stand in the midst of coming trial.
They are not content to take Jesus at His word,
that by and by their faith will be experimental,
deep, victorious. They persuade themselves that
even ' now ' it is all that it need be ; and they
must be warned and reproved.
Vers. 31, 32. Jesua answered them, Do ye
now believe ? Behold, an hour cometh and is
come, that ye should be scattered, each one to
his own, and leave me alone ; and yet I am not
alone, because the Father is with me. The view
taken of the preceding verse leads to the conclusion
that the first clause of this verse is interrogative,
not affirmative, and the conclusion is favoured by
chaps, vi. 70, xiii. 38. The meaning of the reply
is, ' You anticipate the time, you deceive your-
selves ; this faith of yours, sincere and real up to a
certain point though it be, needs deepening and
perfecting. It will be deepened and perfected in
such a way that no trial will be too hard for it —
but not yet : rather the hour cometh, and is come,
when you shall all forsake Me in the time of My
greatest need, and shall think only selfishly of
yourselves. Yet, notwithstanding, even then,
when to all appearance alone, I am not alone, for
the Father is with Me.'
Ver. 33. These tilings I hare spoken unto you
that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye
have tribulation ; but be of good courage, I have
overcome the world. ' These things ' refers to all
that had been spoken from chap. xiv. I, to the
thought of which beginning of His discourse Jesus
now returns at its close. The present tense, ' ye
have,' seems to indicate that tribulation is not
merely a historical certainty, but the natural
consequence of the position of the disciples in the
world. It must, as well as will, be so. But what
of that, ' Let not their hearts be troubled ' (chap.
xiv. 1 ). The world is a conquered foe. Jesus has
overcomeit; and that not for Himself only, but for
them. His faithful disciples have still sorrow in
the world, but their sorrow is turned into joy ;
they have still to wage a warfare in the world, but
each part of the field resounds with their exulting
shouts, and the very death which the world may
bring to them is the gate of higher and more
glorious life. The world is not to be overcome :
it is overcome ; and to those who follow in the
footsteps of their Lord, the path through is not so
much a conflict as a victory. As reapers in the
harvest field, they rejoice together with Him wrho
sowed (chap. iv. 36) ; as soldiers of the cross,
they share the triumph of the Captain of their
salvation.
Chapter XVII. 1-26.
The Intercessory or High-priestly Prayer of Jesus.
1 * I "HESE words' spake Jesus, and "lifted2 up his eyes to
J- heaven, and 3 said, Father, the b hour is come ; ' glorify
2 thy Son, that thy 4 Son also5 may glorify thee: As ^thou hast
given6 him power7 over all flesh, that he should give 'eternal
3 life to as many as /thou hast given him.8 And this is 'life
eternal,9 that they might ^know10 thee ;' the only true God,
4 and Jesus Christ, 'whom thou hast sent." 'I have" glorified
thee on the earth: k I have finished13 the work which thou
5 gavest '* me to do. And now, O Father,16 e glorify thou me "
1 things 2 lifting 3 he ' the
5 omit also 6 Even as thou gavest 7 authority
8 in order that all that which thou hast given him, he may give unto tin. 111
life eternal
'•' the eternal life 10 may learn to know
11 and him whom thou didst send, Jesus, as Christ '- omit have
18 having accomplished I4 hast given Is omit 0 Father "' add 1 ) Father
a Chap, xl .
b See chap.
e Chap, iii 1 ;.
\
vi. 37.
g 1 John v. 20.
/: Chap. v. 44 ;
Chap. XVII. i-26.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 187
with thine own self with 'the glory which I had with thee 'Chap- i.1,2,
& ' 111 13, xm. 3,
before the world was. Tl'ohl \
6 '" I have 1! manifested thy name unto the men J which thou ""§r^i
gavest me out of the world : thine they were, and thou gavest
7 them me;17 and they have "kept thy word. Now they have «Chap.viii.
known 18 that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of
8 thee.19 "For I have given unto them the words which thou » Chap. xv. 15.
gavest me;20 and they have'- received them, and have known
surely21 that ^ I came out22 from thee, and they q have23 be- /C,h'lxpiiiviii-
9 lieved that thou 'didst send me. I pray for 2* them : I pray ™-'h2S-
not for"0 the world, but for20 /them which thou hast given me ; ?fe
10 for27 they are thine. And all mine are thine,23 and ''thine rChap.xvi.
11 are29 mine; and SI am30 glorified in them. 'And now31 I am JoC^m',.",;
no more z- in the world, but these 33 are in the world, and I
come to thee. Holv Father, "keep through thine own name »ycr. .2.
J x " [ude i
those whom34 thou hast given me, "that they may be one, »Vers.«,M,
0 J J 23 ; Gal. 111.
12 '"as35 we are. While'" I was with them in the world,37 I "kept *?•
1 a; Chap, x. 30
them in thy name : those that thou gavest me I have kept,38
and rnone of them is lost,39 but -'the son of perdition ; ' that -*Chap. vi.39,
1 xvin. 9.
13 the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come 1 40 to thee ; ^,1,:'
and these things I speak in the world, ''that they might41 have 'i,'-**^'.
14 my joy12 fulfilled in themselves. " I have given them thy BchaV."x5'.i?;
word : b and the world hath 12 hated them, because they are not *chaP. xv.
l8. I9«
15 of the world, c even as I am not of the world. I pray not c\a. 16;
J chap. vin. 23.
that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that ''thou rfMatt.vi._x31
2 Thess in.
16 shouldest keep them from the evil.44 b They are not of the 3;iJohnv.
y _ 18, 19.
17 world, even as I am not of the world. "Sanctify45 them * Chap. xv. 3 ;
' l±,ph, v. 20 ;
1 8 through thy truth : 40 S thy word is truth. s As thou hast sent 47 /.ic.p«- '_;.?.=•
me into the world, even so have48 I also sent them into the £_:_f8Sam-
19 world. And for their sakes49 h\ sanctify50 myself, that they e^'3ix 21
also might 5I be sanctified through the truth.'" ACo™p- ch^-
20 Neither pray I for these alone,53 but for them also54 which Hebx-10-
21 shall" believe on56 me through their word; 'That they all »' Vers, n, «,
may be one ; '''as57 thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that *cliap. xiv,
17 to me thou gavest them IS Now have they learned to know
19 thou gavest me are from thee
-° Because the words which thou gavest me I have given them
"-1 and learned to know truly 22 forth 23 omit they have
24 I ask concerning 25 I ask not concerning 26 concerning
27 because 2S and all things that are mine are thine 29 omit are
30 have been 31 omit now 32 longer 33 and they
34 keep them in thy name which ^ even as 30 When 3; omit in the world
33 I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me, and I guarded them
39 and not one of them perished 40 But now I come 41 may
42 the joy that is mine iz ask 44 out of the evil one 45 Consecrate
40 in the truth 4" Even as thou didst send 4S omit even so have
49 for them s0 consecrate 61 that they themselves also may
52 be consecrated in truth 53 But not concerning these only do I ask
64 but also concerning them 55 omit shall 5C in 57 even as
iSS THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XVII. 1-26.
they58 also may be one50 in us: that l the world may '"believe /Chap.i. 29.
22 that thou hast sent 6" me. And " the glory which thou gavest 61 «Ver! 24.
me I have given them ; ' that they may be one, even as we are
23 one: I ° in them, and thou in me, that they may be made per- ° c.haP- v!- s«.
J J l XIV. IO, XV- 4.
feet in one;1'- and" that 'the ^ world may know" that thou ^v."s- s: "•
' ^ chap. xiv. 31.
hast sent60 me, ?and hast loved65 them, as57 thou hast loved05 «'chap- xiv:
-'■ -3, *n
24 me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou rhast given me, rV^r 2
s be with me where I am;66 that they may behold my glory, iChaP-xii-26-
which thou hast given me: 'for67 thou lovedst me "before the rVers. 23, 26;
foundation of the world. O m righteous Father, "the world x. 17, xv.V
u Ver. 5 ;
hath not known thee:69 but w I have known thee,70 and these EPh. i. 4;
1 Per. 1". ™.
'"have known'1 that thou hast sent60 me.
25
26
And I have »chap. xvj.
_o if Chap. vn. 2
declared'- unto them thy name, and will declare it :73 that the -^Vers. 6, 8.
love -''wherewith thou hast loved74 me may be in them, am
in them.
J y Chap.
58 aJd themselves 60 omit ore Cl) didst send cl hast given
r'2 may be perfected into one ('" omit and C4 learn to know es lovedst
00 Father, what thou hast given me, I desire that where 1 am they also may
be with me
67 because csom/tO C9 both the world learned not to know thee
70 but I learned to know thee 71 and these learned to know
72 And I made known "■" will make it known 74 lovedst
CONTENTS. The chapter on which we now
enter contains what is generally known as our
Lord's High-priestly Prayer. Such a name inappro-
priately given it ; partly, hecause it is the longest
and most solemn utterance recorded of the inter-
cessions with which Jesus approached the throne
of His heavenly Father on His people's behalf;
partly, hecause He was at this moment standing
on the threshold of I lis especial work as their
great High Priest. No attempt to describe the
prayer can give a just idea of its sublimity, its
pathos, its touching yet exalted character, its tone
at once of tenderness and triumphant ex]
We are apt to read it a, if it were full of sorrow ;
but that is only our own feeling reflected back
upon what we suppose to have been the feelings of
the Man of Sorrows. In the prayer itself sorrow
has no place ; and to think that it was uttered in
a tone of sadness is entirely to mistake what must
have been the spirit of Jesus at the time. It
speaks throughout of work accomplished, of
victory gained, of the immediate expectation of
glorious reward. It tells, not of sorrow, but of
'joy,' joy now possessing llis own soul, and about
to be 'fulfilled' in His disciples (ver. 13). It
anticipates with perfect confidence the realisation of
the grand object of His coming, — the salvation of
all that have been given Him (ver. 12), their union
to Himself and the Father (ver. 21), their security
amidst the evils of this world while they execute
in it a nussion similar to llis (vers. 11, iq, 18),
and, finally, their glorification with His own
glory (ver. 24). The prayer, in fact, corresponds
closely with the words of its Utterer imn
preceding it, 'Be of good courage, 1 have ovi r-
come the world' (chap. xvi. 33). It is n
less than a prolonged anticipation of the shout of
triumph on the cross, ' It is finished '(chap. xi.x. 30).
The prayer divides itself naturally into three
parts, in the first of which Jesus prays for Him-
self, in the second for His immediate disciples, in
the third for all who, in every age, shall believe in
Hun. But the three parts are pervaded by one
thought — the glorification of the Father in those
successively prayed for, by the accomplishment in
each of the Father's purpose, and the union of all
in the perfect, the spiritual, the eternal bond of
love. The subordinate parts of the chapter are
thus— (1) vers. 1-5; (2) vers. 6-19; (3) vers.
20-26.
Ver. 1. These things spake Jesus, and lift-
ing up his eyes to heaven, he said. Thus the
Evangelist connects the prayer before us with the
patling discourse contained in the previous
chapters. It is offered in the same place, while
the disciples stand around, and in the same frame
of mind as that in which Jesus had just spoken ;
so that, when we read of His 'lifting up His eyes
to heaven,' we must think of them as full alike of
holy devotion and of the 1 ;s of com-
pleted victory. — Father, the hour is come. The
first word of the prayer is 'Father;' not 'our
Father' as in the Lord's Prayer, but simply
'Father,' and so throughout, though twice with
'righteous' or 'holy' connected with the name
(vers. 5, II, 21, 24, 25). The word sums up
the peculiar revelation of tin <■ pel, and
the whole consciousness of that relation
in (hid in which ' the only-begotten Sun ' stood,
and would have us to stand. Vet it is not a word
of tenderness only, but of authority and power : if
it stirs affection, it awakens also reverence and
awe. 'The hour' referred to is not n
of death, or of death as a transition to glory ; it is
that in which the Son makes perfect the .; a
plishment of the Father's will (comp. ch
CHAP. XVII. 1-26.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
vii. 30, viii. 20, xiii. 32). This no doubt involves
alike the death and the exaltation of Jesus, but it
is the inner character of the hour, rather than
its outward accompaniments, that is mainly
referred to in the words 'The hour is come.' —
Glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee.
On the meaning of 'glorify' compare what has
been said at chap. xiii. 31, 32. It is not a
bestowal of personal glory for which Jesus prays,
for such a thought would both be out of keeping
with the mind of Him who never sought 1 1 1 ^ own
glory, and would compel us to understand the
word ' glorify ' in the first clause in a sense
wholly different from any that can be given it in
the second. What Jesus prays for is, that the
Father would now withdraw the veil which had
hitherto obscured to some, and concealed from
Others, the 'glory' belonging to the Sun's unity
of relation to the Father, in order that that
'glory' of the Father Himself, which is the end
of all existence, and which can be seen only in the
Son, may thus shine forth in the sight of His
creatures without any shadow to dim its bright-
ness. The former is the means, the latter is the
end (comp. on chap. xi. 4). The transition from
' Thy Son ' to ' the Son ' is worthy of notice, the
former including an appeal to personal relation-
ship, the latter bringing especially into view the
work by which Jesus ' declares ' the Father (comp.
chap. i. iS), and leads men into the condition and
privileges of sonship (comp. chap. i. 12).
Ver. 2. Even as thou gavest him authority
over all flesh, in order that all that which thou
hast given him, he may give unto them life
eternal. This verse is clearly connected with
ver. 1. It unfolds the means by which the glori-
fying of the Father is to be accomplished ; and
the first clause corresponds to ' glorify Thy Son,'
the second to ' that the Son may glorify Thee. '
To the Son the Father gave authority over all
flesh, that the Son on His part might give to them
eternal life. The words ' all flesh ' (the Old
Testament expression for all men) here used are
remarkable. No words could more powerfully
bring out that universality which is so character-
istic of this Gospel and this prayer ; while, at the
same time, they set before us the picture of all
humanity, Gentile as well as Jewish, in its weak-
ness and sinfulness, in its want of the power of the
Spirit, in its separation from that spiritual and
eternal life in which alone it accomplishes its
destiny and attains to the completion of its joy.
Over all men the Son received authority that if
they would only listen to Him they might be
saved : thus the Father glorifies the Son. By the
execution of this mission, again, and by the giving
of life eternal to all believers, the Son glorifies the
Father. The commission, in short, was glory to
the Son : the execution was glory to the Father ;
and the prayer is, that the loving purpose of the
Father may be accomplished in the visible glory
properly belonging to it. The peculiar structure
of this verse, by which Jesus first presents those
spoken of as a connected whole, and then pro-
ceeds to refer to them in their more individual
aspect, has already been spoken of (see on chap,
vi. 37) ; and in the commentary on the same
a e have also seen that under the words
' all that wdiich Thou hast given Him,' we are not
to think of any absolute, predestinating decree
having no regard to the moral and spiritual
character of those thus 'given.' Their moral and
spiritual state is rather the prominent thought ;
they are believers ; they possess eternal life. It
is true that this is to be traced to the ' drawing '
of the Father. From Him alone conies every
perfect gift ; they are in themselves only weak and
sinful flesh ; but, at the stage at which we view
them here, the working of prevenient grace is
long since past ; the Father has called them, and
they have answered the call : then they are
viewed as ' given.'
Ver. 3. And this is the eternal life, that they
may learn to know thee the only true God, and
him whom thou didst send, Jesus, as Christ.
The article is used before ' eternal life ' in order
to carry our thoughts back to the ' life eternal ' oi
ver. 2 ; and the conception involved in these
words is now dwelt upun in meditation which
finds utterance because of the disciples who heard
(comp. chap. xi. 42). Therefore when Jesus,
with His mind full of the thought of the glorifi-
cation of the Father and the Son, speaks of the
eternal life bestowed upon His people, He turns
to the manner in which, through the reception of
that life, such a glorification shall be effected by
them. Two points must be kept in view while
we endeavour to understand the words : — (1) The
force of ' that ; ' this word sets before us the
'knowing' as a goal towards which we are to
strain our efforts. (2) That the word ' know '
does not mean to know fully or to recognise,
but to learn to know : it expresses not perfect,
but inceptive and ever - growing knowledge.
Those, then, who receive ' eternal life ' enter into
a condition in which they learn to know the
F'ather and the Son as They really are, — learn
to know Them in Their love and saving mercy,
— and are thus enabled to ' glorify ' Them. The
knowledge of the Father and the Son is neither
the condition of the ' life,' nor the same thing as
the ' life.' It is rather that far-off goal which is
constantly before us, and to which we come ever
nearer, in proportion as we enter more deeply
into the life which Christ bestows. The 'life,' on
the other hand, is that state in which we are in-
troduced to the knowledge of the Father and the
Son, the state in which we learn to know Them
with constantly-increasing clearness and fulness,
and finally the state in which, when life is per-
fected in us, we come to knowrThem as They are.
to ' see ' Them, and to ' be like' Them (comp.
I John iii. 2). Strictly speaking, the knowledge
is thus dependent on the life, rather than the life
on the knowledge. But, in truth, the interde-
pendence is mutual ; neither can exist without the
other ; there is no life which does not lead to
knowdedge ; there is no knowdedge without life.
The 'eternal life' is thus also a present thing,
stretching indeed into the endless future, but begun
now.
The constituents of the knowledge are also
given. They are first to be viewed as two ; and
each has a distinguishing attributive connected
with it. The first is God : He is the ' only true
Cod.' We cannot exclude from these words the
thought of a contrast to heathen divinities ; for,
as we have already seen on ver. 2, the Gentiles
are here present to the mind of Him who prays for
all that are to believe in Him. But, if so, we
must recognise in them an allusion to the cardinal
formula of Judaism, ' The Lord our God is one
Lord ' (Dent. vi. 4) ; and the force of such an
allusion in its present use we shall see imme-
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XVII. 1-26.
190
diately. In addition to this, however, the word
' true ' has also its meaning real. This God whom
we are to know is the foundation of all real being,
the God in whom all things are that are, and thus
as ' true ' the ' only ' God. The second constituent
of the knowledge is Jesus: lie is Christ, — God's
anointed One, the Messiah. In a chapter where
so much importance i-. attached to the word
' name,' we are justified in thinking that the name
'Jons' is here regarded in its proper meaning
of 'Saviour:' it expresses what the word 'Me'
would not express with anything like similar
fulness. These two constituents of the knowledge
spoken of are next to be viewed as one ; for the
fact that the words ' Him whom Thou didst send '
precede the name 'Jesus,' as well as the whole
teaching of this Gospel, suggests not the thought
of God and Christ but of God in Christ, of God
declaring Himself in Him whom He 'sent.'
Herein, therefore, lies the truth, that the one God
whom Israel so vainly boasted that it knew could
only be ' known ' in connection with, and by means
of the knowledge of, Jesus. Hence, also, we
need not wonder that Jesus here names Himself
in the third Person instead of the first. He is
giving expression in its most purely objective form
to the sum of saving knowledge. To effect this
the second clause mentioning this knowledge has
to be combined with the first : it must, therefore,
be presented not less objectively ; and thus, seeing
this knowledge as it were without Himself, our
Lord speaks not of 'Me' but of 'Jesus.' Had
such a use been unsuitable to prayer, it would be
as difficult to account for it from the pen of the
Evangelist (on the supposition that the words are
remoulded by him) as from the lips of Jesus.1
Ver. 4. I glorified thee on the earth, having
accomplished the work which thou hast given
me to do. The first petition of Jesus in this
prayer had been 'glorify Thy Son.' That peti-
tion is now to be repeated in a more emphatic
form (ver. 5), but first we have a fuller statement
of the ground on which it rests. In vers. 2, 3,
the petition had been connected with the design
of the Father ; now it is connected with the accom-
plishment of that design ; and the general prayer
for glorification is to rise into the prayer ' Glorify
Thou Me now. ' This glorifying of the Father is
said to have taken place 'on the earth,' that is,
amidst the humiliations and sorrows of the Lord's
earthly life. There in word, and deed, and suffer-
ing even unto death, Jesus revealed the Father's
loving will for the salvation of men ; there He
accomplished the purpose for which the Father
sent Him ; there He glorified the Father. It will
be observed that all is spoken of as past, for the
whole work of Jesus is at this moment looked
upon as finished. It is not indeed entirely
finished, for He has not yet been nailed to the
cross ; but that final part of it may still be con-
nected in thought with the whole suffering life,
and may be spoken of as if it had been met. All
1 The words of this verse are so important that it may
he well to explain more fully in a note that in tin- i
.ili.n hed to ' learn to know ' there is probably a fusion of
two thoughts ;
I . , Hhat thou art the only true God.
learn to know j , |i( ,. a [h| on[y true God
learn to know Jlnat Jesus whom Thou sentesl is Christ.
(Jesus whom Thou senti i as I Ihrist.
The predicative ' Christ ' requires the verb to express
knowledge of a fact : the impression givi n by the verse is
that great stress belongs to ' know ' in the sense of ac-
quaintance with .1 Person.
the life of Jesus had been a death ; in all of it He
had been accomplishing His work and glorifying
the Father : the one step still remaining, and
already fully taken in will, may thus be easily
iated with the rest, and the whole be con
templated as over. Therefore Jesus prays
Ver. 5. And now glorify thou me, 6 Father,
with thine own self with the glory which I had
with thee before the world was. The glory
prayed for is distinguished by two particulars :
(1) It is 'with Thine own Self (comp. chap.
xiii. 31, 32), in contrast with the words 'on
earth ' of ver. 4. (2) It is a glory that Jesus had
possessed ' before the world was ; ' that is, from
eternity. Thus the prayer is that the clouds
which during His earthly life had obscured the
glory of His Divine Sonship may be rolled back,
and that as Son of man (as well as Son of God)
it may now appear that lie possesses that glory in
all the brightness with which it encompassed Him
before He came into the world (comp. on chap,
xiii. 32). The word 'glory,' in short, is to be
understood in the sense of glory to be mani-
fested as well as in a sense expressing the contents
of the glory ; and the petition is for a bestowal
of the manifested glory rather than of the original
real glory considered in itself. Thus the unity of
thought in the whole passage is preserved. Not
the Son's personal exaltation, but the Father's
glory through the Son's, is still the keynote ; for,
w hen the glory of the Son is seen the glory of the
Father is seen also, and the less the obscurity
resting on the former the less also that resting
on the latter. With this petition the first section
of the prayer closes.
Ver. 6. I manifested thy name unto the men
which thou gavest me out of the world. Jesus
now passes to the thought of those disciples who
had been led to rest on Him in faith. His work
was over : theirs was to begin ; and it involved a
struggle and needed strength, similar to His own.
In tenderest pity and love, therefore, He now
prays for them, that they may be preserved as He
has been. Vet not their preservation (for its own
sake), but the glory of the Father, is still the
leading thought. Jesus is glorified in them (ver.
10), and we have already seen that when He is
glorified the glorification of the Father is secured.
First of all their position is described ; they have
so entered into and embraced the ' word ' of Jesus
that the great purpose of His coming has been
answered in them, and they are fitted to take His
place in the world. That 'word' had been espe-
cially the ' name ' of God, His name as ' Father,'
including His character, His attributes, His saving
will as revealed in Jesus. The whole purpose of
God's Fatherly love had been embraced by them
as tidings "I great joy both for themselves and for
the world. They had been given to the Son by
the Father 'out of the world ;' that is, they were
no longer in the world as the element of their
existence. The position is exactly His own (ver.
14), so that even ahead)' we sec how closely they
are identified with Him, and are fitted, as taking
His place, to lift men up into their own higher
sphere. It is not enough, however, to say this,
for the completeness with which the end has
attained has to be further brought out from two
si'les, the Divine ami the human. — Thine they
were, and to me thou gavest them. That is the
Divine side. The change of order from the same
winds as used in the earlie] part of I lie wise ought
Chap. XVII. 1-26.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
191
to be noticed. The emphasis is now directed to
'Me,' and the meaning is that they weir n i« b)
Divine appointment the Son's, that they might
take up His work.— And they have kept thy
word. This is the human side. They, on their
part, had answered the purpose of the Father :
they had kept the ' word ' of God ; not the general
revelation of His will, but, if we may so speak,
the revelation ol the Logos, of the ' Word,' in the
soul. In the Word of God they have God's word
1:1 them. How completely are they put into the
position of Him who is now ' going away ' !
Vcr. 7. Now have they learned to know that
all things whatsoever thou gavest me are from
thee. These words do more than state that the
disciples knew this fact. They include a far deeper
meaning, intended to bring out more fully the
position of tlie disciples as the representatives of
Jesus. For what was it that lie knew? What
was the element of relation to the Father in which
lie lived? It was that all He had was from the
Father; that all He was was the reflex of the
Father; that His words, His works, His whole
activity, were the Father's ; that He came forth
from the Father, and wis sent by Him into the
world (chaps, iii. 13, vi. 46, vii. 29, iii. 34, xiii. 3).
This was the consciousness which especially dis-
tinguished Him in the fulfilling of His mission;
and now that consciousness has passed over into
them.
Yer. S. Because the words which thou gavest
me I have given them, and they received them,
and learned to know truly that I came forth
from thee, and believed that thou didst send
me. These words explain the fact stated imme-
diately before. The disciples had received a con-
sciousness similar to that of Jesus, because He, on
His part, had implanted Flis words in them ; and
they, on their part, had responded, receiving
what He gave. They 'received,' 'learned to
know,' ' believed : ' the three verbs, closely follow-
ing each other in the same tense, correspond to
the solemnity of the statement. Again, however,
we see that far more is meant than the reception
of particular truths : the main thought is, that He
has transferred His own mind to His disciples,
that He has taught them His own truths and
thoughts, and that they, while retaining their own
proper individuality (the word /key before 're-
ceived' being equivalent to "they themselves'),
have fully made them then own.
Ver. 9. I ask concerning them; I ask not
concerning the world, but concerning them
which thou hast given me. In the preceding
verses the mind of Jesus has been filled with the
thought of the position of the disciples : He now
proceeds directly to pray for them ; and the sub-
stance of His prayer is that they, occupying Ilis
place, may be so preserved as to be what He had
been,- — true to the word given them, victorious
over the devil, consecrated, filled with joy, to His
glory and the glory of the Father in Him. So
fully, too, are His thoughts occupied with them,
that the whole energy of His prayer is devoted to
them alone. He will not for the present ask con-
cerning the enemy to be assailed, but about the
assailants who are to take His place. Without
denouncing the 'world,' therefore, He simply sets
it aside. It may indeed be asked, Why mention
it at all ? The answer probably is, to bring out
that perfect correspondence between the will of
the Son and of the Father, which is the ground
of the Son's confidence in prayer. Hence the
emphatic 'I' with which the verse begins, — 'I,
who came forth from the Father, who am sent of
the Father (ver. 8) ; I, who am the perfect ex-
pression of the Father, willing only what He wills,
— I do not go beyond those whom He has given
Me.' This last thought then finds utterance.
—Because they are thine. In ver. 6 it had been
' They were thine : ' then they had been lookei 1 at
only as the possession of the Father. Now ' they
are thine : ' they have been brought back to Him
and united to Flim in a closer, dearer bond than
ever, — the bond of fellowship in the Son.
Ver. 10. And all things that are mine are
thine, and thine mine, and I have been glorified
in them. It does not seem necessary to regard
the two first clauses of this verse as a parenfhe i ,
and to restrict the last words 'in them' to the
disciples only who had been spoken of in ver. 9.
Jesus seems rather to be carried away, by the
thought that disciples one with Him were as truly
one with His Father, to another and a more
glorious thought, that all that He possessed was
His Father's and all that was His Father's was
His, so real, so intimate, so deep is the unity
between Them. In all things, then, though (it
may be) especially in His disciples, He has been
glorified. But His being glorified in them is
really the Father's being so, because the glory
flows from their recognition of Him, and their
fellowship with Him, as the Son. It is not,
therefore, because they glorify Himself that He is
to pray for their being kept by the Father, but
because the promotion of His glory is the promo-
tion of the Feather's glory. From every thought
of the prayer we must ascend to the Father, that
glorious Name in which, with its blended autho-
rity and love, are given the order and the happi-
ness of all creation.
Ver. 11. And I am no longer in the world,
and they are in the world, and I come to thee.
One thought rising before the mind of Jesus now
deepens His earnestness of entreaty on behalf of
His disciples, — the contrast between their con-
dition and His own. His labours and sorrows
are over, but they are left behind in the struggle
which He is leaving. The very greatness of His
joy in the thought of Flis own glorious return to
llis Father rouses His tenderest sympathy for
those who have so much to do and to surfer before
they can share His joy. — Holy Father, keep
them in thy name which thon hast given me,
that they may be one even as we are. in ver. 1
we had simply 'Father:' we have now 'Holy'
prefixed to that name. The reason is obvious.
'Holy' does not express mere freedom from sin;
He who is holy is entirely separated from all that
is carnal and outward in this present world, so that
pure spirituality and heavenliness alone rule in
Him. As, therefore, a state similar to this is that
to which God would raise His people, the epithet
' Holy ' brings this thought prominently into view,
and strengthens the argument of the prayer. The
petition is that, for the purpose mentioned in the
last words of the verse, they may be kept in the
Father's name which He has given to the Son.
Light is again thrown upon the word 'name.'
It cannot be simply the name ' Father,' for that
could not be given to another : it is His revela-
tion of Himself in Jesus. That revelation had
been given to the Son ; it had been appropriated
by the disciples ; they were living in it ; the prayer
192
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XVII. 1-26.
is that, amidst all the temptations of the world,
they may be kept in it. Then follows the purpose,
that they may be one 'even as ' are the Father
and the Son. It is the Divine unity of love that
is referred to, all wills bowing in the same direc-
tion, all affections burning with the same flame,
all aims directed to the same end— one blessed
harmony of love.
Ver. 12. When I was with them, I kept them
in thy name which thou hast given me, and I
guarded them, and not one of them perished,
but the son of perdition, that the scripture
might be fulfilled. It is out of the fulness of His
heart that Jesus continues to speak. The sad
change that is to take place in the condition of
His disciples after He has 'gone away' presses
on His mind; He recalls tenderly the care with
which He had hitherto watched over them in an
evil world ; and now that He can no longer show
that care, He commends them with longing
earnestness to the Father. He does this all the
more because it was in the Father's name given to
Himself that He had kept them, — in the revelation
of the Father, in the unity of His own relation
to the Father, in the consciousness that God was
their Father as well as His ; so that the Father as
well as He shall keep them, and, in keeping them,
shall only continue the work that He had Himself
begun. The word 'I' is very emphatic, — 'I
kept them: now do Thou.' The distinction be-
tween ' kept ' and ' guarded ' is not to be found
in the thought of different spheres, such as inward
and outward, to which it may be supposed that
the words apply ; but in the fact that the latter
word points to the watchfulness by which the
former is attained (comp. on chap. xii. 47). At
the same time the difference offense in the original
is worthy of notice, the first verb expressing con-
tinued care, the second the completeness of the
security afforded. Yet one dark cloud rested on
the bright past, and the eyes of the disciples might
at that moment be directed to it. Judas had not
been kept : how was that ? To this Jesus gives
an answer in these words. The wonderful fact
itself, when rightly viewed, affords evidence that
He has fulfilled His promise that He will keep
His own. It w?.s in carrying out the Father's will
that not one of the Eleven had been lost : it was
in carrying out the same will that Judas had met
his late. He was 'the son of perdition,' one who
had freely chosen to move in that sphere of perish-
ing, and therefore he perished. A scripture, too,
or word of God (Ps. xli. 9, already quoted in
chap. xiii. iS), had declared God's will, and that
will could not fail to be accomplished. To sup-
pose that Judas is now brought before us as cue
originally doomed to perdition, and that his
character was but the evolving of his doom, would
contradict not only the meaning of the Hebraic
expression ' son of ' (which always takes for granted
moral choice), but the whole teaching of this
Gospel. In no book of the New Testament is
the idea of will, of choice on the part of man,
brought forward so repeatedly and with so great
an emphasis. The history of man is taken up at
that point when God's previous dealings with him
have prepared him for the exercise of a choice in
which his responsibility shall appear. How far
this previous discipline is the result of absolute
decree is not said ; but the very fact that it is dis-
cipline implies that the result might have been
other than it is. They in whom the Father's
object is attained are those 'given' to the Son,
and Judas, therefore, was not one so 'given.' (On
the construction here compare what was said on
chap. iii. 13.)
Ver. 13. But now I come to thee. These
words are to be connected with what follows
rather than with what precedes. The thought of
His immediate departure leads Jesus to pray that
III-, disi iples maybe filled with a joy independent
of His personal presence, — 'in themselves.' — And
these things I speak in the world, that they may
have the joy that is mine fulfilled in themselves.
The words ' these things I speak ' refer to more
than the fact that Jesus is at present praying, — to
more even than the actual petition at present on
His lips. He has in view the substance of His
prayer, continually taught by Him. His 'joy'
was fulfilled in this, that the name of His Father
had been given Him, that He realised the unity
with His Father in which He stood. He had led
the disciples to the consciousness that they too
were in that name of the Father, and by that
means the joy that was His had become theirs, —
it was ' fulfilled ' in them. In answering this His
prayer the Father will only be accomplishing His
own plan, and securing His own glory through the
glorification of the disciples in the Son. ' In the
world ' does not mean merely ' upon earth, ' but in
the midst of the efforts of the world to defeat the
purpose of Jesus.
Ver. 14. I have given them thy word; and the
world hated them, because they are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world. The
prayer for preservation is over : our Lord now
speaks of the work of His disciples in the world.
In ver. 8 He had said ' the words (or sayings)
which Thou gavest me I have given them,'
and the statement had been immediately fol-
lowed by a declaration of their personal faith.
Here He says ' I have given them Thy word,' and
the statement is followed by a declaration that the
world hated them. We see at once the advance
of thought. The disciples have received the
Father's word for utterance ; and, as a natural
consequence, the world, winch might have known
nothing of them had they only nourished their
faith in secret, becomes their persecutor. How
closely are they again identified by Jesus with
Himself : they have not only I lis peace, His joy,
but His work, — the very peace, the very joy that
filled His soul, the very work in which He died.
Ver. 15. I psk not that thou shouldest take
them out of the world, but that thou shouldest
keep them out of the evil one. The disciples
are in the world, and Jesus cannot yet pray that
they may be taken out of it, for it is the very pur-
pi ise ol the Father that they shall be left in it to
carry on His work. What He does pray for is,
that, as their work and His will be identical, so
also their preservation may be identical, with His
own. The element distinguishing His preserva-
tion had been that mentioned in chap. xiv. 30,
— a total separation between the prince of this
world and Him. The same complete separation
He would now have lor them, — not merely that
they may be delivered from attacks of the evil
but also that they may be kept ' out of him, may
have no fellowship u;i!i hiin, no weakening of
their testimony by yielding to him. but may be
single, pure, and faithful to the last as lie had
been. The expression 'to be kepi out of the
evil one' may surprise the reader until he re-
Chap. XVII. 1-26.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
members that in I John v. 19, 20 the Apostle
really speaks of the world as lying 'in the evil
one.' The teaching of this Gospel and of the
whole New Testament is that there are two
spheres in which man may live, that of the world
and its prince, and that of 'Jesus Christ.' (Com-
pare the many passages which speak of the Chris-
tian as ' in Christ.') Our prayer ought to be, not
that we may be kept ' from ' the one, but that we
may be kept 'out of the one and 'in ' the other.
Yer. 16. They are not of the world, even as I
am not of the world. These words met us in
ver. 14, but they are again introduced in a slightly
different order, the emphasis being now thrown on
'of the world,' in order to prepare the way for
the complete antithesis to be immediately ex-
pressed.
Ver. 17. Consecrate them in the truth: thy
word is truth. The word here rendered ' Conse-
crate' is constantly used in the Creek translation
of the Old Testament to express the entire dedica-
tion and consecration both of persons and of things
to God, In this sense, but with the deeper mean-
ing of inward and spiritual consecration, we find
it here. It is thus, when applied to persons, not
less but more than sanctification, the latter being
implied before the former can take place. The
word corresponds to the attribute prefixed to
' Father' in ver. 11 (for which, however, we have
in English no other word than 'holy'): the
same word, too, is used by Jesus of Himself in
chap. x. 36. To be consecrated is, therefore,
to be separated from the world, to be dedicated as
a holy thing to God. This is to be done ' in
the truth,' — in that sphere of the truth which is
the sphere of the Father and of the Son ; in living
communion with, and appropriation of, the truth,
so that the truth shall be that in which their whole
being is moulded and consecrated. This meaning
of ' the truth ' is then more fully brought out by
the statement, 'Thy word is truth.' Here by
' u 1 ird ' we are not to understand the word of God
in general, but the word already spoken of in ver.
14, — that special word of the Father which is found
in His revelation of Himselfin the Son, the Word.
And this word is ' truth ' in its most absolute sense,
truth which finds concrete expression in ' the
truth.' It is the 'truth' that came by Jesus
Christ, — not merely truth in opposition to err r.
but the eternal reality of things in contrast with
that which is unsubstantial and shadowy, that
which must pass away.
Ver. is. Even as thou didst send me into the
world, I also sent them into the world. Jesus has
prayed for the consecration of His disciples in the
truth, and He now speaks of the necessity that
existed for it. They have been sent into the
world (the sending is viewed as already accom-
plished) 'even as' He had been sent into the
world. Not merely is the/cc/ of sending similar,
but they are sent by the Son with the same com-
mission as that with which the Son Himself had
been sent by the Father. They are to ' declare '
the Father as He had done, and to make the
same revelation of eternal truth, of eternal love,
to a sinful world. How much, then, did they
need a consecration like His ! But not only so.
There is a further ground upon which His prayer
for their consecration rests.
Ver. 19. And for them I consecrate myself,
that they themselves also may be consecrated
in truth. It was for the very purpose of bringing
vol.. 11. 13
■93
them to a consecration like His own that His
whole work of love and sacrifice had been freely
undertaken. He might have said ' I was conse-
crated,' a thought which has its perfect parallel in
chap. x. 36. But He speaks of consecrating
Himself, partly because He entered into His
consecration with perfect acquiescence and free-
dom ; partly, perhaps mainly, because He is
thinking of that Iligh-priestly work of His which
was now immediately impending. (It will be
observed that the proleptic form of expression is
not always maintained : see ver. 13.) The follow-
ing words express, with special reference to the
disciples, the end which Jesus had been desirous
to attain. It is that their consecration might be
the exact counterpart of His (' they also') ; that
they might act in it a free and independent part,
devoting themselves in personal faith to the task
assigned them (' they themselves '), and that all
might be done 'in truth,' — not simply truly, but
in conformity with the real, the essential, the
everlasting (comp. on ver. 17). Finally, let us
notice that the consecration spoken of is, alike
in the case of Jesus and of His disciples, not
a process but an act completed at once, — in
His case, when, gathering together in one view
all His labours and sufferings, He presented them
a living sacrifice to His Father : in theirs, when
they are in like manner enabled to present them-
selves as living sacrifices in His one perfect
sacrifice.
Thus the second section of the prayer closes, its
main burden having been that the disciples, who
are about to be sent forth into the world in order
to carry on the work of Jesus there, and who for
this purpose have had the name of the Father
manifested to them that they may know the Father,
and the word of the Father given them that they
may proclaim the Father, may be preserved by
the Father from the world, and may be enabled
to exhibit a perfect consecration to the Father's
work. Thus shall the Father be glorified in them
as lie had been glorified in the Son, who accom-
plished the work that had been given Him to do.
Ver. 20. But not concerning these only do I
ask, but also concerning them which believe in
me through their word. From the thought of
the disciples whom He was sending forth to carry
on His work, Jesus now turns, in the third and
last section of His prayer, to the thought of
all who through their word shall be brought to
faith, to the thought of believers in every country
and in every age. They are spoken of as those
' which believe,' — not indeed in actual fact, for
none had as yet believed through the instrumen-
tality of the disciples ; but in idea they rise before
the mind of Jesus, — His Church down to the very
end of time. The ' word ' spoken of is that of
ver. 14, the special word which is the revelation
of the Father, and which brings man to recognise
the love of the Father as it appears in the Son,
and in the Son to them.
Ver. 21. That they all may be one, even as
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they themselves also may be in us. The peti-
tion on behalf of all believers follows in these
words, and their last clause expresses it in its
highest form. The second ' that ' is neither paral-
lel to the first, nor is the sentence to be inverted,
as if it ran, ' that they themselves also may be
in us as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee.'
It is dependent on the words coming immediately
194
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XVII. 1-26.
before, and thus brings forward the final purpose
of the Incarnation of the Eternal Son, and of that
whole work of His by which our human nature
was perfected into union with the Divine nature, —
that believing men may be taken into the same
glorious unity. The unity spoken of, then, is not
merely that of Christians among themselves,
whether outward or inward. It is unity in the
Father and the Son, effected by that 'word' re-
garding the Son in the Father and the Fathi r in
the Son which has been appropriated in faith,
and which produces a result corresponding to
itself. It is what is known by divines as the
'mystical union;1 yet in it believers maintain
their own personality and freedom, for such is
the force of 'they themselves.'— That the world
may believe that thou didst send lne. The first
' that ' here is not to be connected with a verb so
far removed as 'I ask' of ver. 20. It is a word
of purpose, marking the ultimate result of the ful-
filment of the prayer. And this result is that the
' world,' now the enemy of the truth, may be
brought to faith. Although (ver. 9) Jesus had
not prayed for the world, because He was praying
for those who were to act upon it, He was not
forgetful of its need. It was the world that lie
had come to save ; and, although it rejected and
crucified Him, He looked onward to a time when,
as 'greater works' were done by His disciples
than He Himself had done (chap. xiv. 12), the
world would own the Divine power appearing in
them, and the Divine origin of His mission. It
is the spiritual life of the Church, however, that
(so far as has yet been spoken of) is to effect this
end. Her unity is included, but it does not receive
its special emphasis till we come to ver. 23. Her
spirituality is mainly before us here, that life
which her members live, not conformed to the
world, — not coming down to the level of the world,
with the vain idea that thus they shall bring the
world nearer them, but ever rising as far as pos-
sible above the world, dwelling in the Father and
in the Son, a city of God, from which even
now there streams light that shall kindle light in
hearts that have been formed for light and life like
its own.
Ver. 22. And the glory which thou hast given
me I have given them, that they may be one
even as we are one. Jesus had prayed that all
believers might be one as He and the Father
were one. He now turns to what He Himself
had done that He might effect this end. We
have already seen that the 'glory' referred to
is that of self-sacrificing love, brought out from
amidst the taunts with which men met it when
displayed in Jesus, and owned by the Father as
the only true glory. Such a glory Jesus had given
to His people that, in living fellowship with the
Father and the Son, they may be one in Them.
Not worldly honour or station, the favour of kings,
the patronage of statesmen, or the wealth of
nations, was their glory ; but the gift to love, and
to sacrifice themselves for the world's good.
Then in that love would they be one, even as the
Father and the Son are one.
Ver. 23. I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be perfected into one. That is: not only
that this oneness may be reached, but that, in its
being so, the last step to be taken with believers
may be accomplished, the final issue and perfect-
ing of all that Jesus has to do for them. Where-
upon follows again the effect to be produced upon
the world, stated, however, in a fuller form than in
ver. 2 1 . — That the world may learn to know that
thou didst send me, and lovedst them even as
thou lovedst me. The substitution of ' learn to
know ' here for ' believe ' in ver. 21 is remarkable.
The two words cannot be understood to signify the
same thing, nor can the latter, in conformity with
the style of this Gospel, express less than the former.
In one way or another there must be an advance
of thought. We see this in the addition of the
clause, 'lovedst them even as Thou lovedst Me.'
A similar advance must be traced on the point
immediately before us. Chap. xiv. 31 appears to
solve the difficulty. There the same word is used
as in the present v< rse, .nil we arc thus invited to
extend our thoughts beyond the number of those
who shall be led to faith. The whole world shall
recognise what Jesus speaks of: even they wdio
do not confess in faith shall confess in shame, that
He whom they rejected was the loved of the
Father, and that He has gathered His people into
the same blessed unity of love.
It is in this verse that the unity of the followers
of Jesus is peculiarly dwelt upon. Their spiritu-
ality is accompanied by its highest result when it
is perfected into unity ; and with this result is
connected the most powerful impression which
they make upon the world. It is therefore a
visible unity for which Jesus prays. His Church
is visible ; and that idea of an invisible Church,
in which Christians seek an escape from the sen-
tence of condemnation which their divisions com-
pel them to pronounce upon themselves, finds as
little countenance in these verses as in any other
part of Scripture.
Ver. 24. Father, what thou hast given me, I
desire that where I am they also may be with
me, that they may behold my glory which thou
hast given me, because thou lovedst me before
the foundation of the world. Having prayed for
the spirituality and unity of all His disciples,
Jesus now, in the closing petitions of His prayer,
passes to the thought of their complete deliverance
from the troubles of the world, and of their en-
trance with Flim upon that glory with which He
Himself was about to be glorified. It is difficult
to translate the Greek verb rendered ' I will ' in
the Authorised Version. ' I will ' is too strong ;
perhaps ' I desire ' comes nearest to the original.
The peculiar structure of the verse, in which the
clause ' what Thou hast given Me ' is so remark-
ably thrown forward, arises from the fact that
believers are viewed not so much distributively
as in the unity immediately present to the Re-
deemer's mind. It is the perfect glory of Jesus
not only as Son of God but also as Son of man
that is spoken of, — His glory shining forth in
undimmed brightness in the heavenly world.
There is the true home of His being ; and hence
not 'I shall be,' but 'I am,' as in chap. xiv. 3.
Again, however, we must remember that this
' glory ' is not that of outward estate. It is the
spiritual glory of perfect union with the Father,
seen and shared in apart from the shadows of
earth. Hence the last words of the verse do not
contain a statement of the ground upon which
Jesus prays for His own, but of the nature of the
glory which they are to behold when the ineffable,
everlasting love of the Father to the Son is seen
by them poured forth on Him wdio has taken the
human nature into perfect union with the Divine.
That had not been beheld in the Man of Sorrows :
Chap. XVIII. i-i i.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
195
it shall be beheld when — His sorrows over, but His
humanity as true as it had been upon the earth —
He is crowned with glory. The full, the perfect
love of God will then be seen to have embraced
humanity in its tenderest outgoings, and the joy of
the redeemed in the vision and fruition of that love
will be complete (comp. on ver. 22).
Ver. 25. Righteous Father, both the world
learned not to know thee, — butl learned to know
thee, — and these learned to know that thou didst
send me. Not in the last clause of ver. 24, but
now, we have the ground upon which Jesus prays
that the 'glory' of which He has spoken may be
conferred upon His people ; and it connects itself
not so much with the love as with the righteous-
ness of God. It is just and right that those who
been prepared for the glory to be beheld
should at last obtain it. Hence ' Righteous ' (not
as in ver. 11, ' Holy ')' Father.' For God as
Father is not merely love, but love resting on
perfect rectitude, — is One who will see that what
befalls His creatures corresponds to what tiny are.
The word ' both ' here perplexes commentators,
but is to be explained by what seems to be the
usage of this Gospel (comp. chap. xv. 24), in which
propositions subordinate to the principal state-
ment are thus introduced ; while, at the same
time, like a dark background, they bring out the
main thought with greater force. In the present
instance this thought is contained in the last
clause of the verse, and it is made more note-
worthy by the fact stated in the first. The inter-
mediate clause, again, ' but I learned to know
Thee,' appears to be designed to lead us up to the
main proposition following. It was because Jesus
knew the Father that He had been able to "com-
municate that knowledge to His people. Because
they had received this knowledge, therefore, it
was lilting that the love into which, along with
the knowledge, they had entered, should bring
to them its full reward, and should shine upon
them as it shone upon the Son in whom they had
renounced the world and the world's ways. It
may, indeed, at first sight startle us to find Jesus
using such words of Himself as that He 'learned
to know' the Father. But (1) it has to be borne
in mind that ' learned to know ' is not in every
respect a perfectly satisfactory translation of the
original ; it only approaches much more nearly to
the truth than 'knew.' The proper meaning
would be 'got knowledge,' or 'came to know.'
(2) There is nothing more startling in the state-
ment than in that of the Epistle to the Hebrews
(chap. v. S), ' Yet learned He obedience by the
things which He suffered.' There, indeed, we
have another and a separate word for ' learned ; '
but a process, a progress, is also implied in the
word of the verse before us. The writer to the
Hebrews speaks of an experimental learning of
obedience by One who was possessed of a truly
human, as well as of a Divine nature, — not the will
to obey becoming more perfect, but actual obedi-
ence being practically more and more learned in
the varying duties and trials of life. So here, He
who was human as well as Divine ' learned, 'prac-
tically and exp.-j-imentaHy, ' to know ' the Father ;
and it was because He so learned that He was
able to communicate that knowledge — His own
knowledge — -to His people. Knowledge such as
that spoken of can be acquired by us in no other
way ; and we have repeatedly seen, in consider-
ing this prayer, that what Jesus bestows upon His
disciples is first His own.
Ver. 26. And I made known unto them thy
name, and will make it known, that the love
wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them,
and I in them. The thought of ver. 25 is now
more fully expressed, and, with it, the result to
which the knowledge spoken of conducts all be-
lievers is summed up in the one word inclusive of
every blessing, both for time and for eternity, —
love. How exhaustive is the mode in which
Jesus teaches the 'name 'of God, the revelation
of the Father in the Son, — ' I made it known to
them ; they know ; I shall make it known to
them ! ' It is the expression of complete reve-
lation, similar — so far as in such a matter we
may speak of similarity — to 'Which was, and
is, and is to come.' Therefore there naturally
follows to all who embrace this revelation a per-
fect entering into that of which it tells, into that
love which unites the Father and the Son, and
which shall be in them, as Jesus Himself shall
be in them, the unbroken rest of ' peace ' after the
toils, the eternal sunshine of 'joy ' after the sor-
rows, of the world.
Thus the third section of the prayer closes, its
main burden having been that the whole Church
of God, believers of every age and country, may
be so brought to and kept in the unity of the
Father and the Son that the glory of the Son in
the Father may be theirs. F~or then, the contlicts
of this world ended, they shall be partakers of the
fulness of that love of the Father which shall
encompass them as it encompassed the Son before
the foundation of the world, — pure, undimmed,
undisturbed by the presence of either sin or sor-
row,— the Father in the Son and the Son in them,
all in perfect holiness and blessedness consum-
mated into One. Thus, too, shall the end of all
be attained, the glorifying of Him 'of whom and
through whom and to whom are all things.'
Chapter XVIII. i-ii.
Tltc Betrayal by Judas.
1 \ li /"HEN" Jesus had spoken these words,1 "he went forth aMatt. xxvi.
VV with his disciples over b the brook Cedron,2 where was x°v326. 3"
2 a garden, into the which he entered,3 and his disciples. And (=wt
1 things 2 the winter-torrent Kidron 3 add himself
,96 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XVIII. i-ii.
Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: c for Jesus eLukexxi.37,
\ ofttimes resorted4 thither with his disciples. ''Judas then, d Matt. ixn.
J 47 50 ; Mark
having; received a band of men' and officers from the chief uv;43-3°;
o J Luke xxn.
priests and 6 Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches 47-53- ..
4 and weapons. Jesus therefore, f knowing all 6 things that should /See chap. ii.
come7 upon him, went forth, and said8 unto them, Whom seek
5 ye ? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto
them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood9
6 with them. As soon then as he had said '" unto them, I am
7 he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked
he them again," Whom seek ye ? And they said, Jesus of
8 Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have12 told you that I am he:
9 if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way : That the
saying13 might be fulfilled, which he spake/ Of them which s chap. x«i.
10 thou gavest me have I lost none.u Then Simon Peter 15 having
a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off
11 his right ear. The 16 servant's name was Malchus. Then said
Tesus17 unto Peter, Put up thy 18 sword into the sheath: ;' the "'«' **•".
-* l ' xxvi. 3<j, 42.
cup which my H Father hath given me, shall I 19 not drink it ?
4 assembled 5 Judas therefore having received the band of soldiers
0 ajil the " that were coming 8 saith 9 was standing
10 When therefore he said u Again therefore he asked them
12 omit have 13 word
14 Those which thou hast given me, I lost not one of them.
15 Simon Peter therefore 1G And the u Jesus therefore said
is the 1S should I
Contents. With the beginning of this chapter
we enter upon a new section of the Gospel, ex-
tending to the close of chap. xix. The section
contains the final assault of the devil and the
world upon Jesus. But the struggle is of a kind
entirely different from that contained in the fourth
or leading section of the Gospel, chaps, v.-xii.
There Jesus contended with His foes. Here He
submits Himself into their hands, and they appear
to be the conquerors. Yet they are not really so.
God Himself takes up the cause of His Son, and
so bears witness to Him, that all the suffering
which He endures is but a 'lifting on high,' and
that the death upon the cross is victory. The
first paragraph of this section records the betrayal
by Judas, and the seizure of Jesus by the officers of
the chief priests and Pharisees accompanied by the
Roman soldiers.
Ver. 1. When Jesus had spoken these things,
he went forth with his disciples over the winter-
torrent Kidron. The last discourse of Jesus to
His disciples and His intercessory prayer to His
Father have I cen spoken; and, from the upper
room in which we have already seen that this took
place, Jesus now 'went forth' to meet the fate
that had been prepared for Him. More than this
seems, however, to be expressed by the word
' went forth.' It is the solemn word by which the
Evangelist would express the free surrender of
Himself by Jesus to His approaching fate (comp.
its use in ver. 4). It is the continuation of His
'going forth' from the Father (chap. viii. 42).
Descending the steep slope then which here leads
from the temple-mount into the valley bounding
Jerusalem on the east, Jesus first crossed the
bro ik which flowed down the valley, although in
a course at that date much nearer the temple walls
than is indicated by its present channel. Some
doubt exists as to the precise meaning of the name
given to the brook. The Greek words may signify
either 'The Kidron' or 'The Cedars,' there being
evidence to show that a tree of dark foliage, pro-
bably a species of cedar, is known in the Talmud
by the name Cedrun. The first signification seems,
however, to be the more probable, and the appar-
ently plural termination of the original may be
easily explained : tf is the Grecising of the Aramaic
name ending in 'on,' as ^Enon, Kishon, Arnon.
The context compels us to ask whether the name
is used only in its geographical force, or whether
it is associated in the Evangelist's mind with any
of those deeper ideas so often connected by him
with names. The epithet affixed to it guides us to
a solution of this question. It is the only occasion
on which in the New Testament the term ' winter-
torrent ' is applied to the Kidron, a term derived
from that word ' winter ' which we have already
found used in this Gospel with a reference deeper
than to the season of the year (chap. x. 22) ; while
in the Old Testament it is the symbol of tribulation,
trial, and judgment (Ps. xviii. 4, ex. 7, exxiv. 4;
Jer. xlvii. 2). The Hebrew name Kidron again
is derived from a verb signifying to be black or
dirty, hence to mourn or to be distressed, mourners
Chap. XVIII. i-i i.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
197
being wont to cover themselves with sackcloth and
ashes (Ps. xxxv. 13, 14, xxxviii. 6, xlii. 9, xliii. 2).
Putting these considerations together, we cannot
doubt that the Evangelist sees in the Kidron the
stream of trouble, the ' winter-torrent ' of sorrow
and affliction. If we may suppose that the stream
took its name from the dark colour given to its
waters by the blood of the sacrifices drained off
into its course from the temple-mount, the mean-
ing involved in the language before us will be still
more striking. It was over this brook that David
passed in the darkest hour of his history, that in
which he fled from Absalom (2 Sam. xv. 23).
When, accordingly, we observe that the quotation
in |"lm xiii. tS is from a Psalm (Ps. xli. ) in which
the events of that sad day are commemorated, and
that the quotation is made in illustration of these
last scenes of the life of Jesus, it seems clear that
we are invited to behold in this crossing of the
black mountain-torrent the crossing of the true
David, 'the King of Israel ' (chap. xii. 13), in the
hour of a still deeper anguish than that in which
His great prototype had been involved. — Where
was a garden, into the which he entered,
himself and his disciples. The garden is that of
Gethsemane ; not so much a garden in our sense
of the word as an orchard, a garden with trees,
and these, as appears from the derivation of its
Hebrew name, olives. Peculiar attention is drawn
to the leading person of the scene by the addition
of the word ' Himself.'
Ver. 2. And Judas also, which betrayed him,
knew the place : lor Jesus ofttimes assembled
thither with his disciples. The ' ofttimes ' must
refer to many previous visits to the garden, and
not to those connected with the present brief
sojourn in Jerusalem. The omission at this point
of all mention of the ' Agony ' in the garden has
often occasioned great surprise, and been even
used as an argument against the fidelity of the
narrative of the Fourth Gospel. Yet it may be
observed — (t) That, while the supplementary
theory (see Introduction) cannot, as a whole, be
received in explanation of the structure of our
Gospel, it is quite natural to think that the Evan-
gelist may have felt himself justified in the omission
of particular scenes, because he was aware that
they were already well known, through his pre-
decessors, to the Church. (2) That his relation
of the similar mental conflict and prayer in chap.
xii. — a relation in which he stands alone — made it
both more possible and more natural for him to
omit this section here. (3) That his object being
now to bring prominently forward the calm majesty
with which Jesus met His final sufferings, he was
led to select those parts of His actions and words
which peculiarly illustrate this, and to say nothing
of other parts by vchich the picture might seem
to be disturbed. Such a proceeding is consistent
with the most perfect faithfulness. It was not the
aim of any one of the Evangelists to present us
with a complete narrative of all the life of Jesus,
or of all the aspects of His character and work.
Each drew rather out of His infinite fulness what
was peculiarly appropriate to the design which he
had himself in view, or to the range in which he
felt himself called upon to work. What we have
to ask is not that each shall tell us all, but that
the several narratives shall not be inconsistent
with each other. No such inconsistency can be
urged here. The Agony is the illustration of the
words, ' O my Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from me : ' the narrative before us is the
illustration of the words, 'Nevertheless, not as I
will, but as thou wilt ; ' and we know that both
these sentences were uttered at the same moment
by the lips of Tesus (Matt. xxvi. 39).
Ver. 3. Judas therefore having received the
band of soldiers, and officers from the chief
priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with
198
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XVIII. 1-11.
lanterns and torches and weapons. The cir-
cumstances here mentioned are in contrast with
those of ver. 1, constituting the obverse side of
the picture, before the ' went forth ' of that verse
is again taken up in ver. 4, and thus illustrating
the same principles of structure as those which met
us in the opening verses of chap. xiii. The general
situation is set before us from its two different sides :
the first consisting of (1) Jesus, (2) His disciples ;
the second, of (1) Judas, (2) the band of soldiers,
etc. The mention of ' the band ' has been made an
object of ridicule, as if it could only mean ' half
a Roman army.' The ridicule is groundless, for
— (1) Even if we allow, what it is extremely pos-
sible was not the case, that the band was of its full
strength, it was after all only the same as the
'cohort,' the tenth part of a legion. (2) The
Romans in all probability did not think of one
man only to be made prisoner, but of the danger
of a popular tumult. (3) In Acts xxiii. 23 we
have a remarkable instance of the number of
soldiers used upon a similar occasion. As the
band now mentioned was obtained from the Roman
authorities, we see that, from an early period of
the night, they must have been led to interest
themselves in the transactions taking place. The
' officers ' were the servants of the chief priests and
Pharisees. The trees of the garden made ' lanterns
and torches ' necessary. Although the moon was
near the full, the Jews would imagine that Jesus
might hide Himself in the covert and so escape.
Ver. 4. Jesus therefore, knowing all the
things that were coming upon him, went forth.
It is in the full knowledge of all that was about to
happen that Jesus speaks and acts. In this know-
ledge He ' went forth,' not merely out of the
garden, or out of the shade of the trees into the
moonlight, or out of the circle of the disciples,
but (taking up again the 'went forth' of ver. 1) to
the fulfilment of the Divine purpose. At this
instant the kiss of Judas mentioned by the first
two Evangelists was given (Matt. xxvi. 49 ; Mark
xiv. 45). — And saith unto them, Whom seek ye ?
The object in all probability was partly to allow
them to take Him, His hour being now come ;
partly to direct attention to Himself, so that the
disciples might escape.
Ver. 5. They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth.
The answer may perhaps reveal the light in which
Judas had represented Jesus to the Roman autho-
rities,— 'of Nazareth,' a Gablean, prone to revolt ;
or it may be that the Evangelist beholds in it one
of those unconscious prophecies of the enemies of
Jesus of which we have so many examples in this
Gospel. In chap. i. 45, 'Jesus of Nazareth' is one
of the three great aspects in which we are led to
expect that we shall behold the Redeemer. —
Jesus saith unto them, I am he. Before the
effect produced by the reply is related, a paren-
thetical clause is introduced.— And Judas also,
which betrayed him, was standing with them.
What is the object of this clause ? Not to explain
what afterwards happened, as if Judas had been
the first to fall, and so to produce a confusion
which made his companions also fall ; not merely
to awaken indirectly a deeper feeling of abhorrence
for the traitor who thus dared to present himself
before his victim, and that, too, as we learn from
the other Evangelists, with a kiss ; least of all in
order to connect this Gospel with the earlier ones,
its author feeling that as he had not told the story
of the kiss of Judas it would be well for him at
least to indicate the place where it had been given.
The explanation is to be found in chap. xiii. 27.
We have before us Judas possessed by Satan. The
powers of evil are concentrated in him ; and to
bring him thus prominently forward as sharing the
fate of others illustrates in the most striking
manner the victory of Jesus even in this hour of
apparent defeat. Not man only but Satan shall
fall prostrate before the Divine Son ; and, if the
latter is taken by His enemies, it is not because of
their power but because He freely surrenders Him-
self into their hands (chap. x. iS).
Ver. 6. When therefore he said unto them,
I am he, they went backward and fell to the
ground. It is the Divine majesty and innocence
of Jesus that produced the effect. Like the buyers
and sellers in the temple, the history of whose
terror at the presence of the Redeemer is vouched
for by the testimony of the earlier gospels as much
as by that of the fourth, they are overwhelmed
with awe, and fall before Him (comp. on chap,
ii. 16). As soon as they recover, Jesus repeats His
question.
Ver. 7. Again therefore he asked them, Whom
seek ye ? Their reply is in the same terms as
before.— And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. The
moment is come when Jesus is to deliver Himself
up, and His sole concern now is for the safety of
His disciples.
Ver. 8. Jesus answered, I told you that I am
he : if therefore ye seek me, let these go their
way. And then the Evangelist tells us of the
illustration which he beheld in this of the meaning
of certain words of lesus uttered not long before.
Ver. 9. That the word might be fulfilled, which
he spake, Those which thou hast given me, I lost
not one of them. The words thus referred to are
those of chap. xvii. 12. There they primarily apply
to spiritual and eternal safety ; here to what is, in
the first instance at least, temporal deliverance.
It is impossible to imagine that the Evangelist did
not understand this : but the powers of the world
and of evil are so identified in his eyes that
oppression by, or deliverance from, the one is
oppression by, or deliverance from, the other.
The tempora'l is the shadow of the eternal, and
the principles working out upon man's stage here
stretch into the long hereafter. In addition to
this, however, it is to be noticed that the temporal
deliverance thus afforded was really a means to
secure the spiritual safety of the disciples. Seized
by the Roman guard, they would in all probability
have denied their Master even more faithlessly
than Peter was so soon to do.
Ver. 10. Simon Peter therefore having a
sword drew it, and smote the high priest's
servant, and cut off his right ear. And the
servant's name was Malchus. It is possible that
the position of ' therefore ' in the original, between
' Simon ' and ' Peter,' may be designed to call
attention to the import of the apostle's name. It
is not Simon only who does the act about to be
mentioned, but Simon who is ' Peter,' the rock,
the bold and determined one. The 'servant 'is
not one of the 'officers' formerly mentioned, but
the high priest's own attendant, who may have
bome his master's message to the 'officers.' His
name was Malchus, and the mention of this fact,
as well as of the minute circumstance that the ear
cut off was the right ear, illustrates the personal
knowledge possessed by John of what he describes.
The earlier Evangelists, who all mention the in-
CHAP. XVIII. 12-27.1 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 199
cident, do not give the servant's name (Matt. xxvi. sword, and thus shows that He can Himself resort
51 ; Mark xiv. 47 ; Luke xxii. 50). As the great to no measure of outward self-defence. It is His
object of John in this passage is to illustrate the Father's will that He should suffer and die, and
perfect submission of Jesus to the will of His to that will He unhesitatingly resigns Himself,
heavenly Father in the 'hour' now come, nothing The particular form in which the submission is
is said of the healing of the ear. Luke alone tells expressed reminds us of the prayer in Gethsemane
us of it (chap. xxii. 51). (Matt. xxvi. 39), and the same form of expression
Ver. 11. Jesus therefore said unto Peter, Put occurs at Matt. xx. 22. It appears to have been
up the sword into the 6heath : the cup which frequent on the lips of the Son of man. Jesus is
the Father hath given me, should I not now of His own accord at the disposal of His
drink it? The aid of all violence is disclaimed. enemies. His words have put a stop to all further
Jesus speaks not of 'thy' sword but of 'the' steps for His defence.
Chapter XVIII. 12-27.
Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas.
12 ' I AHEN the band1 and the "captain and2 officers of the « Mark vi.ai
13 -*- Jews took Jesus, and bound him, And * led him away 3 to etc.
c Annas first ; for he was father-in-law to c Caiaphas, d which xxvi. 57. '
< I uke in. 2.
14 was the high priest that same year.4 Now ''Caiaphas was he rfchap. xi. <<
which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one
man should die for the people. And ' Simon Peter followed
Jesus, and so did another disciple : that disciple was known
unto the high priest, and 5 went in with Jesus into the -^palace'
/ Matt.xxvi.3.
16 of the high priest. But e Peter stood at the door without. ir^3Xt:x^k
Then went out that7 other disciple,8 which was known unto the ^i4-' Luke
high priest,9 and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought xxiL S4~57-
17 in Peter. Then saith the damsel10 that kept the door11 unto
Peter, Art not 12 thou also one of this man's disciples ? He
18 saith, I am not. And the servants and 2 * officers stood 13 there, /<ver 3.
who had made a 'fire of coals;11 for it was cold: and they «'ChaP. xxi.?.
warmed " themselves : and k Peter stood with them, and warmed * v" *s-
19 himself.16 The high priest then 17 asked Jesus of his disciples,
20 and of his doctrine." Jesus answered him, 'I spake openly19 'Matt. xxvi.
to the world ; I ever '"taught in the20 synagogue, and in the '"chaP- "-s*
' temple,21 whither the Jews always resort ;22 and in secret have
21 I said23 nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which
heard 2i me, what I have said unto them ; behold, they *a
22 know what26 I said. And when he had thus spoken,27 one of
1 The band of soldiers therefore " add the 3 omit away
4 which was high priest of that year '* add he 6 court
7 omit Then went out that 8 The other disciple therefore
9 addv/ent forth 10 The damsel therefore n add saith
12 omit not 13 were standing
14 having made a fire of charcoal u were warming
16 and Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself
17 therefore 18 teaching VJ I have spoken boldly
2P omit the 21 temple-courts ■- where all the Jews assemble
23 I spake 24 have heard 25 these
26 the things that 27 had said these things
200 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XVIII. 12-27
the officers which stood by "struck Jesus "with the palm of2S
23 his hand, saying, Ansvverest thou the high priest so ? Jesus
answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil :
24 but if well, why smitest thou me? Now25 Annas had sent31
25 him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. p And Simon Peter
7 stood and warmed31 himself. They said therefore unto him,
Art not32 thou also one of his disciples? He denied it,33 and
26 said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, being
his kinsman34 r whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee
27 in the garden with him? Peter then35 denied again: and
immediately * the cock crew.
1 Comp. Acts
o Matt. xxvi.
67 ; chap.
Luke xx
58-62.
V \ er. . I.
28 omit the palm of -° omit Now
31 was standing and warming :;2 omit not
31 being a kinsman of him 35 therefore
30 Annas therefore sent
33 omit it
Contknts. We have in this passage the
appearance of Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas,
together with the three denials of the Apostle Peter.
The difficulties of the passage, both in itself and
in its relation to the earlier Gospels, are unques-
tionably great. Our first aim must be to under-
stand the narrative as it is here presented to us,
without regard to any other narratives that we
possess.
Ver. 12. The band of soldiers therefore, and
the captain, and the officers of the Jews, took
Jesus and hound him. The words addressed by
Jesus to Peter lend boldness to His cowardly foes.
They see that no further resistance is to be offered.
A passive victim is before them; and they seize
ami bind Him.
Ver. 13. And led him to Annas first, for he
was father-in-law to Caiaphas which was high
priest of that year. The word ' first ' is worthy
of notice. It may be used only with reference to
the narrative that follows ; but it is also possible
that we have here another instance, similar to that
which we have already met in chap. iii. 24, of the
clear and decided manner in which the writer of
the Fourth Gospel corrects impressions drawn
from the incomplete statements of the earlier
Gospels. In the latter we read only of a hearing
before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, and no men-
tion is made of Annas. That Jesus was taken
before Annas ' first ' is the statement of John, and
the very distinctness with which it is male is no
small evidence that we are dealing with real
history.
Ver. 14. Now Caiaphas was he who had given
counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that
one man should die for the people. The intro-
ductii hi of these words obviously indicates that the
reason why Jesus was taken to Annas first is not
to be found in the mere fact of his relationship to
Caiaphas, but that it is to be sought also in that
character of the latter which, it was hoped, would
influence the former. By the reference made to
chap. xi. 50 we are reminded that, in his hostility
to Jesus, Caiaphas had lost self-control, and had
become a mere instrument in the hands of higher
powers who were urging him onward to fill up the
measure of his guilt. Either, therefore, the Jews
thought that the hostility to Jesus raging in his
breast must have already influenced his whole
family circle (comp. chaps, vi. 71, xiii. 26), or
they hoped that Annas, if not as yet so deeply
implicated in the plot as his son-in-law, might now
be persuaded to throw himself heartily into their
plans. It was at the same time of the utmost
importance to secure the co-operation of Annas,
whose influence, as we learn from Josephus, was
very great in Jerusalem. Before this powerful
man then Jesus stands, bound, submissive, know-
ing the fate that is before Him. Resting upon
this as its background, we have now what the
Evangelist, as we shall yet more clearly see, is
greatly concerned to describe, the faithlessness of
Pet' r.
Ver. 15. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and
so did another disciple. Although not certain,
it is upon the whole most probable that the ' other
disciple' thus unnamed is John himself. He and
Peter may have tied at first with the others ; but,
if so, they had immediately returned. The name
given to Simon is again important. We have
already seen at ver. 9 the manner in which the
Evangelist brings out the force of ' Peter.' Of
that force we must not here lose sight. Simon is
still ' the rock,' notwithstanding what he is about
to do. It is the very fact indeed that he is ' Peter'
which shows how terrible is the moment, and how
deep the stab inflicted upon Jesus. But so far is
[ohn from wishing to depreciate his fellow-apostle
that he regards him, even in the midst of his
greatest defection, as the lion of the apostolic
band, the man to whom Jesus had given the name
l'eter in order to indicate his boldness, the man
with whom he had himself stood side by side, in
years at the time he wrote long gone by, fronting
undismayed the very judges who made him tremble
now. At the door opening into the high priest's
' court ' Peter is stopped. It is indeed only for a
few moments, but they are full of weight for the
uiid islanding of the narrative. During them
Jesus passes through. The two apostles do not
pass through at the same instant : John alone finds
immediate admittance; and we are justified in
saying that, before l'eter has well begun his parley
at the door, Jesus will be out of sight. Had it
not been for an accidental circumstance the two
apostles would not have been admitted at all. This
circumstance is next related.— And that, disciple
was known unto the high priest, and he went
Chap. XVIII. 12-27.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
in with Jesus into the court of the high priest.
Reserving until we come to the close of ver. 27
any inquiry into the question whether the ' high
priest ' here spoken of was Annas or Caiaphas, we
remark only that it is unnecessary to ask by what
means John was known to him. There is no
improbability in the circumstance, especially when
we remember that the relatives of the Apostle
were persons in easy circumstances (Mark i. 20).
Thus known, he finds no difficulty in obtaining
entrance into the court.
Ver. 16. But Peter stood at the door without.
Peter is stopped at the door ; and, while he stands
there, Jesus is lost to his view. — The other dis-
ciple therefore, which was known unto the
high priest, went forth and spake unto her that
kept the door, and brought in Peter. The cir-
cumstance thus related is in the highest degree
natural, and it is related in the most simple
manner.
Ver, 17. The damsel therefore that kept the
door saith unto Peter, Art thou also one of this
man's disciples 1 He saith, I am not. The
maid knew that John was one of the disciples of
[esus, an I theinterest taken by him in Peter leads
her to suppose that the latter must also be one of
them. She asks the question, and the first denial
takes place. As Peter enters the court, he says,
' I am not.' A little incident is now mentioned
which, slight as it seems, must be carefully
attended to.
Ver. 18. And the servants and the officers
were standing there, having made a fire of
charcoal ; for it was cold, and they were warm-
ing themselves ; and Peter also was with them,
standing and wanning himself. These ' servants '
and 'officers,' it must be remembered, are those
who had so recently laid hold of Jesus, and who.
were the instruments of His sufferings. They had
made a fire of charcoal, a circumstance in itself
exceedingly natural in the cold of that spring
night ; and at it they stood and warmed them-
selves. ' Peter ' also ' with them ' was standing
and warming himself. Such seems at first to be
the sole meaning of the words : but the clause
' for it was cold,' reminding us of chap. x. 22 and
chap. xiii. 30, forces upon us the impression that
the Evangelist has something more in view than
the simple fact apparent to the first glance at the
words employed by him. Tile fact is historical.
We know that even from the other Gospels. But
it is more than historical. To the symbolic eye of
John it has a deeper meaning. In this ni.ht of
cold he sees Peter associating himself with the
enemies of Jesus, perhaps consulting his own
comfort while his Master suffers, at all events
putting himself in a position where the faithless-
ness that had already led to his first denial must
gain strength ; and he thus prepares us to expect
that the sin of which he has been already guilty
may, probably will, be followed by a still greater
fall. Whether this idea is brought out also by the
' fire of charcoal ' is more difficult to say. It seems
not unlikely that it is, for the word is not used by
the other Evangelists ; ' coals of charcoal ' are in
the Old Testament one of the symbols of Divine
judgment (Ps. xviii. 13, cxx. 4, cxl. 10) ; and this
symbolic meaning may be extended to chap. xxi.
9, the only other passage of the New Testament
where we find the word. Apart from this, how-
ever, there is enough to show that ver. iS is not
simply historical. The peculiar spirit of the
Evangelist appears in it, and we have thus the
less occasion for surprise if we meet in the narra-
tive other traces of the same spirit.
Ver. 19. The high priest therefore asked Jesus
of his disciples and of his teaching. Again
reserving for the moment any inquiry as to who
the ' high priest ' here spoken of was, and also as
to the special character of the investigation itself,
we remark only that the object of the narrative is
to direct our attention mainly to Jesus. The
Evangelist would place Him before us in the
dignity and calmness with which He bore His
sufferings, as well as in the consciousness of that
perfect innocence through which He was able to
confront, and really to defeat, His enemies in what
seemed the very height of their power. To this,
accordingly, he immediately proceeds.
Vers. 20, 21. Jesus answered him, I have
spoken boldly to the world: I ever taught in
synagogue and in the temple-courts, where all
the Jews assemble, and in secret I spake nothing.
Why askest thou me? Ask them which have
heard me what I have said unto them : behold,
these know the things that I said. The answer
is dignified, self-possessed, and calm. Jesus sim-
ply makes His appeal to the frank openness of
His whole past teaching. He is willing to cast
Himself even on the testimony of His enemies.
They know what He has spoken, and He has no
need to fear if they tell the truth. At the same
time the words are intended to rebuke the hypo-
crisy of those who pretended a wish to know more
about His teaching, when in truth they sought
only a pretext for accusation. The mention of
' the world ' and of ' all ' the Jews lends great force
to what is said.
Ver. 22. And when he had said these things,
one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus
with his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high
priest so ? When we remember that the ' court '
in which the examination was going on could not
be large, it seems probable that this ' officer ' said
to have been 'standing by' was one of those
referred to in ver. IS as the officers who 'stood '
by the fire. If so, the circumstance is important,
as showing that Peter must have been in the im-
mediate vicinity of Jesus at the moment when the
blow was given. Under no circumstances indeed
can he have been far off ; and the fact is to be kept
in view, for it constitutes one of the points of dis-
tinction between his first and his subsequent denials.
The blow was a rude, perhaps a cruel one. It
was also wholly unprovoked, for in the answer of
Jesus there had been no want of courtesy. Yet it
failed to disturb in the least degree the equanimity
of the Sufferer, or to provoke Him out of His
spirit of submission to His Heavenlv Father's
will.
Ver. 23. Jesus answered him, If I have spoken
evil, bear witness of the evil ; but if well, why
smitest thou me ? ' Bear witness ' here is cer-
tainly not equivalent to ' prove by bearing testi-
mony in a regular manner,' an injunction which
would have been out of place. It is simply the
solemn word demanded by the circumstances of
the moment. Jesus is where He is by Divine
appointment ; and everything relating to His
present state bears impress of the solemnity of His
position. — It is precisely in John's manner that no
answer to these words is recorded. The picture
of submission is complete. Mere historical detail,
such as might satisfy curiosity, is of subordinate
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XVIII. 12-27.
interest to the Evangelist. The fact, however, that
this is the case is worthy of notice. It helps to
throw light upon that structure of the narrative
as a whole which we have not yet examined.
Ver. 24. Annas therefore sent him bound to
Caiaphas the high priest. The difficulty con-
nected with these words will be best explained
when we have completed the consideration of the
three following verses. In the meanwhile it is
enough to observe that in the original Annas is so
introduced to our notice as to lead us directly back
to the 'Annas' of ver. 13.
Ver. 25. And Simon Peter was standing and
warming himself. The remarkable taking up
again in these words of the fact already mentioned
in ver. 18 cannot fail to arrest attention. As far
as mere history is concerned, the words are un-
necessary. Nor does there seem to be any ex-
planation of their presence here but that they are
designed to elucidate the idea of the scene about
to be described. Peter is no longer only near the
door; he is within the court. He is no longer
only in the cold ; he is warming himself at the
charcoal fire. He is no longer only with John ;
he is along with the servants and officers of the
Jews. Everything corresponds to that more de-
termined, that double, denial of our Lord now
to be described. — They said therefore unto him,
Art thou also one of his disciples ? He denied
and said, I am not. We are not told who asked
the question. The general pronoun 'they' is
used. In the narratives of the earlier Evangelists
we find that, according to Matt. xxvi. 71, this
denial was drawn forth by ' another maid ; ' accord-
ing to Mark xiv. 69 by 'the maid,' probably the
maid of the porch ; according to Luke xxii. 5S by
'another man.' In John we have what seems the
solution of these apparent discrepancies. It was
not one person only that thus spoke to Peter. The
remark was made by many, — in the excitement of
the moment by many at the same time ; and Peter
(as is even implied in Mark xiv. 70) repeated his
answer to one after another. The ' they ' thus
suggests what was the true course of events. The
second denial, as in Matt. xxvi. 72, was in bold-
ness and recklessness an advance upon the first.
At ver. 17 only the word 'saith' is used; now
'denied and said.'
Ver. 20. One of the servants of the high
priest, being a kinsman of him whose ear Peter
cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden
with him ? It is natural to ask why mention is
made of the relationship between the servant who
asks this question and the other servant who had
suffered through Peter's hasty zeal. The probable
answer is, that the circumstance is not merely
historical, but that it aids in developing the idea
which the Evangelist has in view. It heightens
the effect. This man would ask his question with
far more bitterness than the others (comp. the
expression of Luke when he says in chap. xxii. 59,
' he confidently affirmed '). He had been person-
ally aggrieved by the injury inflicted on his kins-
man. His question too is much more pointed, —
not whether Peter is one of the disciples, but
whether his own eyes had not seen him but a little
before upon a spot which he could name.
Ver. 27. Again therefore Peter denied.
Nothing is said of the adjurations mentioned by
the first two Evangelists. — And immediately the
cock crew. All else recorded in the earlier
Gospels is omitted.
We are now in a position to look back upon
the whole narrative from ver. 12 to the present
point, with the view of endeavouring to meet the
difficulties presented when we compare it with
the narratives of the first three Evangelists. As
to those connected with the three denials of Peter,
it seems unnecessary to add much to what has
been already said on ver. 25. We may only
notice that a use of the pronoun ' they ' exactly
similar to its use in that verse meets us in
Matt. xxvi. 73 and Mark xiv. 70 when com-
pared with Luke xxii. 59 and John xviii. 26. In
these passages the third denial is in question, and
in the first two Evangelists it is drawn forth by
' them that stood by,' in the last two by a single
person. The solution depends upon the same
principle as that of which we have spoken with
regard to the second denial in John. Not one
only but many of the eager and excited spectatcrs
would ask the question, and of that number Luke
and John might easily single out the person
peculiarly prominent. All three denials took
place in the court of the high priest's house, and
within the range of both the light and the heat of
the fire that had been kindled there, — the first,
immediately after Peter had been brought into
the court ; the second, when he had retired into
the opening of the porch but was still within hear-
ing of remarks made around the fire (Matt. xxvi.
7 1 ) ; 1 the third, when he was again more fully
within the court.
From the denials of Peter we pass to the nature
of the trial of Jesus here recorded and to the judge
before whom it took place. Is the trial described
by John the same as that of which an account is
given us by Matthew (chap. xxvi. 57-6S) ? or is it
a preliminary examination, having the nature of a
precognition, and instituted for the purpose of
laying a foundation for the more formal trial before
the Sanhedrin? The impression produced by
the narrative is that it was the latter ; that it is a
record of the proceedings taken before Annas
'first,' and that at it therefore Annas presided.
Yet two difficulties stand in the way of this inter-
pretation,— the first, that Caiaphas, not Annas,
appears to be the high priest so repeatedly men-
tioned in John xviii. 15-22 ; the second, that
in Matthew's Gospel the first denial of Peter is
related after thepzeb/i, trial is finished, while here,
on the supposition of which we speak, it will be
distinctly stated to have taken place befor that
trial began. As to the first of these, it is at least
possible that Annas may be 'the high priest ' of
vers. 15-22. Though he had been deposed by
the Roman authorities, the oihee was, according
to the provision of the Old Testament, for life ;
and a Jew like John might well speak of him as
still the rightful possessor of the title (comp. Luke
iii. 2). But if this solution is not very probable,
there is another which fairly meets the case. Annas
and Caiaphas may have occupied apartments in the
same house surrounding the 'court' of our nana-
1 'the first impression produced by this verse is that the
word ' there ' in it relates to the interior of the porch. But
it is absolutely impossible to think that many would be
standing in sulIi a place. They may have been around
it, even within it, where it opened inlo the 'court:' in its
deeper recesses they certainly would not be. In this point
of view great interest and importance attach to an alterna-
tive reading of Matt. xxvi. 71, which is very probably the
true reading,— not 'and saith unto them that were there,
This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.' but ' and saith
this fellow also was with Jesus of
Na
eth.'
Chap. XVIII. 28-40.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
tive. The structure of higher-class houses in Pales-
tine, the relationship of the persons themselves,
and the customs of the East read not unnaturally
to such a view ; and it was very early entertained.
But if so, though Jesus was really taken to Annas,
Caiaphas would in all probability be present at the
examination ; and, thus present, his more youthful
years and the passionateness of his rage against
Jesus would lead him to act the prominent part
which is assigned to him. The second difficulty
is still more easily met. We have to bear in mind
the peculiar structure of the first Gospel, and the
tendency of its author (of which we had a marked
illustration in considering the supper at Bethany
in chap. xii. ) to group his particulars according to
their substance, rather than in strict chronological
arrangement. Such may well be his object in
chap. xxvi. 69-75, where the three denials are
obviously brought into the closest proximity to
each other. We seem even to be furnished with
a hint to this effect by the words of ver. 69, ' Now
Peter sat without in the porch.' It is not at all
likely that, at the close of the trial, amidst the con-
fusion and bustle of the moment, and when the
enemies of Jesus were hurrying Him away, after
having so far accomplished their object, a person
of Peter's impetuous disposition would continue
silling in the porch. There is indeed another
difficulty, connected with ver. 24 of our passage ;
where, after Caiaphas has taken the part of which
we have spoken, Annas is said to have ' sent '
Jesus to him. This difficulty cannot be overcome
by the rendering of the Authorised Version, ' had
sent ; ' and the particle connecting the verse with
those preceding it is undoubtedly not ' now ' but
' therefore.' Vet we may well suppose that the
203
reference is to the public trial which was yet to
take place before Caiaphas as high priest by law:
in this capacity, and not in the more private
one in which he had been acting at the investiga-
tion before Annas, he is now to have Jesus sent to
him. If to these considerations we add the fact
that we are ignorant of many of those details
which would throw light upon the customs of the
time, we shall, while not denying that some
difficulty still remains, be able to rest with perfect
confidence in the general faithfulness of the
narrative.
One word more may be permitted in regard to
the mode in which the three denials of Peter are
presented to us by John. It will be observed that
they are given in two groups, and that between
the two there is advance ; the effect is heightened
as we proceed. Thus, in the first group there is
only one denial : in the second there are two.
The first takes place at a moment when Jesus has
passed out of Peter's sight : the second and third
at a moment when Jesus is under Peter's eye, —
bound, yet patient and submissive. The first is
made when Peter is as yet with John : the second
and third when he has associated himself with the
enemies of Jesus. At the moment of the first
Peter is in the 'cold ;' at that of the second and
third he has seated himself at the fire of charcoal.
The first is expressed by ' Peter saith :' the second
and third are much more emphatic, ' he denied
and said,' ' he denied again. ' So many particulars
warrant the inference that here, as in various other
passages of his Gospel, John sees the historical
facts with which he deals presenting themselves in
two pictures, both unfolding the same truth, but in
a climactic form.
Chapter XVIII. 28-XIX. 16a.
First Part, XVIII. 28-40.
Jesus before Pilate.
2S 'HRHEN "led they1 Jesus from Caiaphas* unto * the hall of
-L judgment:3 and it was early;4 and they themselves
c went not into the judgment hall,3 lest they should 5 be defiled ;
29 but that they 6 might eat the passover. Pilate then 7 went out
unto them, and said,8 What accusation bring ye against this
30 man ? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a
malefactor,9 we would I0 not have delivered him up unto thee.
31 Then said Pilate" unto them, Take ye him,12 and judge him
according to your law. The Jews therefore 13 said unto him,
32 It is not lawful for us to put any man to death : d That the
saying14 of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, 'signifying
33 what 15 death he should die.16 Then Pilate entered into the
1 They lead therefore 2 from the house of Caiaphas s into the palace
4 add morning 5 that they might not 6 omit that they
7 therefore 8 saith 9 If this man were not an evil-doer 10 should
11 Pilate therefore said Vl Take him yourselves 13 omit therefore
14 word 15 by what manner of 1G he was about to die
1 Matt, xxv
a ; Mark i
1 ; Luke
18.
e Chap.
204 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XVIII. 28-40.
judgment hall again,17 and called Jesus, and said unto him,
34. J Art thou the King of the Jews ? Jesus answered him,18 f^^gg*-
Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it 19 thee ™ii?:3Luke
35 of20 me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation
and the e chief priests have21 delivered thee unto me: what *^*'L """■
36 hast thou done ? Jesus answered, * My kingdom is not of this *^,I4iV 44'
world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my chap- V1 IS'
servants fight,22 that I should not be delivered to the Jews :
37 but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said
unto him, Art thou a king then ? !3 Jesus answered, Thou
sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born,2* and for this
cause came I " into the world, that I should bear witness unto
the truth. ' Every one that is k of the truth heareth my voice. '%ch_aP-
38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said k}J°^n''-21-
this, he went out 2S again unto the Jews, and saith unto them,
39 l I find in him no fault27 at <r//.2s '"But ye have a custom, that '^fLuke'"'
I should release unto you one at the passover : will ye there- jj££ 4;x_
40 fore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then ,„4N',^t „vii
cried they all again,2,5 saying, " Not this man, but Barabbas.
Now Barabbas was a robber.
Luke xx
iS. 19.
: Acta in
18 omit him l;' omit it
17 Pilate therefore entered again into the palace
20 concerning "l omithzve
23 A king art thou then ? 24 have I been born
25 and to this end have I come 2r" forth '■
28 omit at all 29 They cried out therefore again
strive
Contents. From the examination before
Caiaphas we are taken to the trial before Pilate.
The scene is in every respect one of the most
remarkable in the Gospel, alike in its selection of
incidents and vividness of description, and in
that tragic under-current of thought by which
it reveals the humiliation, the condemnation, and
the shame of the guilty Jews, while they clamour
for judgment upon One whom a heathen would
have set free. Again and again, in rejecting their
true King, they confess the degradation to which
they have reduced themselves, until at last that
degradation culminates in words implying the
forfeiture of all that had distinguished Judaism, all
that of which it had been most proud. The 1 lassage
contains one of those double pictures which mark
the style of John, and the incidents of the two
pictures are so arranged that the second exhibits
an advance upon the first.
Ver. 28. They lead therefore Jesua from the
house of Caiaphas into the palace, and it was
early morning. The 'palace' here spoken oi
was in all probability a part of the castle of
Antonia at the north-west corner of the temple-
mount. Pilate had come for the time from Caesarea
to reside here, in order more effectually to repress
the disturbances apt to arise at the season of the
Passover. The hour, immediately after ' cock-
crowing,' was certainly not later than 3 or 3.30
A.M. It need excite no surprise that the Jews
should lead Jesus to Pilate at such an hour.
During the whole night of the Passover the city
would be in commotion ; on this night in particular
they were prepared for disturbance (comp. on
chap, xviii. 3); and the governor would certainly
be ready to receive any delinquent. It is worthy
of notice, however, that Pilate does not take his
formal seat on the tribunal until 6 A.M. (chap,
xix. 14), the hour before which, according to
Roman law, no judge was entitled to pronounce
judgment.
And they themselves went not into the palace,
that they might not he defiled, but might eat
the passover. In a commentary such as the
present, where space is necessarily limited, the
difficulty occasioned by these words must be very
briefly stated. Looked at in their present context,
the words ' that ihey might eat the Passover' can
refer to nothing but the Paschal meal properly so
called, and not to any of the other meals of the
Paschal season. Thus, however, the expression
seems to indicate that the Paschal Supper had not
been celebrated on the evening previous to the
events now passing, but that it was to be cele-
brated on the evening of the day now begun.
On the other hand, the earlier Evangelists dis-
tinctly state that it was from the Taschal Supper
that Jesus and His disciples rose when they went
into "the garden, and when the betrayal took place.
These Evangelists and John thus appear to be in
direct contradiction to one another. We have to
do with the question now only in so far as it
concerns the verse before us. That verse cannot
mean that the Jews referred to in it were looking
Chap. XVIII. 28-40.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
20S
forward to the celebration of the Passover on the
evening of the day about to begin, or just begun.
The hour was probably 3 or 3.30 A.M. The
Passover was a night-festival. It certainly would
not begin till the eVening was well advanced ; that
is, not less than eighteen hours had to pass from
the point at which we are now standing till we
reach it. These hours include a sunset, the time
at which uncleanness of a much more serious kind
than that produced by entering into the house of
a Centile was removed by the simple process of
washing with water. The Jews could have no
fear that by entering into Pilate's hall they would
unfit themselves for eating a Paschal meal to be
celebrated the following evening. But if it be so,
what is the meaning of the words? The answer is, —
they were afraid that they might lose their Passover.
The meal was not yet ended in the city. Jerusalem
was crowded at the time : a very large number of
lambs had to be killed and roasted after 3 P. M. ;
and it must have been impossible to close the feast
in every Jewish family by midnight. The cele-
bration must have gone on the whole night
through. Now the persons here referred to had
been interrupted in their feast. They may have
sat down to the supper ; but, before they had
finished, Judas had been with them, his offer
made, his plans accepted. They had hastily seized
the opportunity, and had rushed out to the garden,
resolving to return and finish their meal before
daybreak. They had failed in this : yet they will
take one step more. They will try to obtain from
the Roman governor the pronouncing of a final
sentence upon their victim. If, however, this is
to be done, it must be done quickly. We shall
see immediately the marks of haste upon the
narrative. From their haste came most naturally
their scrupulousness at the thought of entering
Pilate's house. To think that they would have been
thus scrupulous had there been from eighteen to
twenty- four hours to pass before they should becalled
to eat the Passover, is at variance with every feeling
of human nature, as well as with the prescriptions of
the ceremonial law. They were scrupulous because
they desired to eat without an hour's delay. They
had lost time already ; the night was flying fast ;
the morning light would soon appear ; it would
be too late then : no interruption that can be
escaped must be allowed : they would not go into
the palace 'that they might not be defiled, but
might eat the Passover.' It is here that we see
the marks of rapid action spoken of above : the
effect of the true reading and the true rendering
being to bring the two verbs ' be defiled ' and
' eat ' into close connection with each other. The
Jews were afraid of defilement at that moment,
because at that moment they were desirous to
complete their feast. It may perhaps be said in
reply that, if this was their intention, it failed.
Morning broke before they left Pilate, and they
lost the opportunity of eating. Precisely so. It
is probably one of the very thoughts that John
wishes us to carry away from his story as he tells
it. Instead of welcoming the true Paschal Lamb,
these Jews rejected Him. What thought more in
the manner of our Evangelist than to let us see
that, seeking to retain the shadow, and sacrificing
the substance for its sake, they lost not only the
substance but the shadow too (comp. chap. xi. 4S)?
Yer. 29. Pilate therefore went out unto them,
and saith. What accusation bring ye against
this man ? Pilate was Procurator of Judea under
the Roman government ; and his character, as
described by writers of the time, is that of a
sceptical, cold, and cruel man, arbitrary in his
acts, and cherishing no feelings but those of con-
tempt for the religion of Israel. He was, however,
a Roman judge, and until his passions were excited
there is no cause to think that he would not show
the usual Roman respect for law. His first ques-
tion, accordingly, was that of one who would try
the prisoner before him with all fairness.
Ver. 30. They answered and said unto him,
If this man were not an evil-doer, we should
not have delivered him up unto thee. There
is pride in the reply, a lofty sense of their own
importance and dignity, — that importance and
dignity which they are so soon to sacrifice. The
person whom we bring before thee is a malefactor :
is it not enough that we say so, and that -we deliver
him up to thee?
Yer. 31. Pilate therefore said unto them, Take
him yourselves, and judge him according to
your law. Pilate has already seen enough to
satisfy him that no offence against civil order,
calling for his interposition, has been committed.
He will have nothing to do with merely religious
squabbles, and he remits the whole matter to the
Jews themselves. Thus the Jews are compelled
to declare their purpose, and their self-*
humiliation begins. — The Jews said unto him, It
is not lawful for us to put any man to death.
Shortly before this time the Jews had lost the
power of putting criminals to death. But the
point now is, that they have to confess it. In
their answer the Evangelist seems to see a mockery
of their high pretensions. The bitter irony of
circumstances forces from them an acknowledg-
ment of their shame. But, while they are thus
degraded, the Divine purpose proceeds calmly to
its accomplishment.
Ver. 32. That the word of Jesus might be
fulfilled, which he spake, signifying by what
manner of death he was about to die. The
'word' referred to is chap. iii. 14, or still more
probably chap. xii. 32. The appeal to Pilate
paved the way for the 'lifting on high' there
spoken of. The Jewish mode of putting to death
was stoning. Crucifixion was a Roman punish-
ment, and could be inflicted by the Roman
power alone. Hence, accordingly, the fulfilment
of that ' word ' of Jesus by the very persons
who seemed to have Him completely in their
hands. So far from its being s ', they were in
His.
Ver. 33. Pilate therefore entered again into
the palace, and called Jesus, and said unto Mm,
Art thou the King of the Jews ? The emphasis
of the question is remarkable. The word ' thou '
stands in the original at the head of the sentence,
as if Pilate would say: ' Thou, — thou so humbled,
despised, handed over to me as a malefactor, — art
thou the King of the Jews?' Pilate may not
embrace the idea, but he at least thinks the ques-
tion worthy of being asked. We may notice
already that grouping of his materials by which
the Evangelist would impress on us the folly as
well as the sin of the Jews. Boasting of their
superiority to the heathen governor, looking upon
him as a ' sinner ' and reprobate, they yet at this
moment fall behind him in spiritual vision. They
treat the claim of royal dignity on the part of Jesus
as blasphemy. Pilate asks, ' Can it be true ? ' The
charge leading to the question, omitted by John
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XVIII. 2S-40.
206
as not necessary to his purpose, is given in Luke
xxiii. 2.
Ver. 34. Jesus answered, Saye3t thoj this
thing of thyself, or did others tell thee concern-
ing me? Many reasons have been suggested to
account for this question of Jesus. The real reason
seems to be, that the guilt of those now compassing
His death may be fixed upon the proper parties.
It is to appear that not Pilate before whose bar Pie
stands, but others altogether are the guilty ones.
The object is attained, for Pilate's answer shows
that he knew of no harm in Jesus.
Ver. 35. Pilate answered, Am I a Jew ? Thine
own nation and the chief priests delivered thee
unto me. What hast thou done? Nothing
could more strongly express the contempt of the
Roman governor for the Jews than these first
words in reply, 'Am I a Jew?' No words of
Jesus had called for a repudiation of Jewish birth,
but He had spoken in such a way as might imply
that Pilate had been taking counsel with the Jews
about His case. Take counsel with them! The
very suggestion of such a thing fills the governor's
mind witli disgust; and he cries out, 'Am I a
Jew ? What have I to do with so contemptible
a race? Thine own people have delivered thee
to me. But for them and for their wretched
squabbles I care not. I make my appeal to thy-
self. Tell me thyself, what hast thou done ? '
All tends to bring out the frightful degradation
to which 'the Jews,' the very flower of Judaism,
have reduced themselves. A Gentile treats them
with open scorn, and prefers the words of one
brought before him as a malefactor to theirs.
Ver. 36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not
of this world: if my kingdom were of this
world, then would my servants strive, that I
should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is
my kingdom not from hence. Pilate had hardly
comprehended the charge that Jesus made Himself
a King. That Jesus really was so is the great
point now to be established, — the point to the
confession of which Pilate shall ultimately be
brought. Jesus, accordingly, without replying
directly to the question, ' What hast thou done ? '
turns to this. It is not His chief aim to explain
the distinction between a spiritual and a political
kingdom, a distinction which the Roman governor
would hardly have been able to appreciate. It is
to satisfy Pilate that He may be and is a King,
although in a sense different from that in which
Pilate understood the word. For the same pur-
pose He adds, 'Then would my servants strive
that I should not be delivered to the Jews:' — where
the word ' servants ' (the same as ' officers' in ver.
18) does not point to spiritual disciples of the
Lord, but to such as would be His attendants and
soldiers if Pie were a monarch of this world. The
mark of an earthly kingdom thus selected is pre-
cisely to the purpose of our Lord's argument as
we have understood it. Pilate thought that He
could not be a King, else His servants would strive
to prevent His present humiliation and fate. That
is no argument against My royal claims in their
true sense, is the reply, for My kingdom is not one
that has its origin in this world. In short, the
whole argument is not one of self-defence alone ;
it is intended to lead Pilate to the acknowledgment
that the prisoner before him is a King. Thus
also the ' now ' must be understood as the ' now '
of the Divine counsels, not of merely present time.
The period can never come when other words than
those before us may be used of the kingdom of
Christ. It is never 'of this world,' never 'from
hence.'
Ver. 37. Pilate therefore said unto him, A
king art thou then ? It is of importance to notice
the difference of construction between the question
as put here and at ver. 33. There ' Thou '
stands in the first place, here the ' King.' The
difference corresponds exactly to the course of
thought which we have endeavoured to trace. In
the first passage 'thou' is emphatic; 'thou so
poor, so humbled, thou a King ? ' In the second
' King' is emphatic ; 'a King then, high as that
is, art thou?' In the first the thing is regarded
as impossible ; in the second the possibility has
dawned upon the mind. — Jesus answered, Thou
sayest that I am a King. It is hardly possible to
understand these words as a directly affirmative
reply to the question of Pilate, for Pilate had not
acknowledged that Jesus was a King. It seems
better to understand them in the sense, 'Thou
usest the word king in regard to Me, but not in
the right sense '; and then the following words
point out what it was that really conferred on
Jesus the empire that He claimed. — To this end
have I been horn, and to this end have I come
into the world, that I should bear witness unto
the truth : every oue that is of the truth heareth
my voice. The transition here from the thought
of kingship to that of ' witnessing ' is very remark-
able. It is to be explained by the consideration
that, as ' the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister,' and as the true glory of His
work lay in submission to the demands of self-
denying love, so His kingdom consists in witness-
ing to that eternal truth which is the foundation
of all existence, which all were created to own,
and in which alone is life. The word ' witness '
must be taken in a very emphatic sense. Jesus is
not only the perfect, He is also the free and
willing, Exponent or Revealer of all this truth to
men. It is in His entire and voluntary surrender
to it that His kingdom lies : His service is really
His authority and power. In this respect, too,
His dominion is universal over all who will own
the truth : bowing to it, they must bow to Him in
whom it is contained and by whom it is ' declared.'
Thus in His witnessing He is King. We cannot
fail to notice how the absoluteness of this witness-
ing is brought out by means of the formula used
by Jewish writers, ' I have been born and am
come,' as well as by the twice repeated 'to this
end.' For this Jesus had become incarnate: for
this He was still standing there. Was not such a
witness to ' the truth ' in all its glorious range of
meaning in reality the universal King?
Ver. 3S. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth ?
Not surely the question of one seriously searching
after truth, for in that case he would have waited for
a reply; nor that of one in despair, which would pre-
suppose a moral depth in Pilate's character incon-
sistent with the light in which he comes before us
both here and elsewhere; nor of mere frivolity, as if
he were treating the whole subject lightly, for in that
case he would probably have made fewer efforts
to release Jesus ; but simply the question of one
who, having no correct ideas as to truth, and no
conviction even that there was such a thing, found
in this frame of mind a hindrance to the faith to
which he might otherwise have risen. 'Were
there such a thing as truth,' he says, 'then I
might believe Thee, but truth is nothing, and
Chap. XIX. i-i6<i.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
therefore Tliy kingly position, if in this respect
only Thou art a King, need not command my
homage.' — And when he had said this, he went
forth again unto the Jews, and saith unto them,
I find in him no crime. It is a distinct sentence
of acquittal ; and the point of the whole, as it
presented itself to the eye of the Evangelist, seems
to be in this, that a Roman governor, a Gentile,
declares the innocence and even feels to some ex-
tent the true majesty of Him who, though King of
the Jews, is rejected and doomed to death by that
blinded and guilty pe >ple. This guilt of theirs,
however, has to be brought out more fully.
Another opportunity of retracing their steps has to
be offered them, and to be cast away,
Ver. 39. But ye have a custom, that I should
release tinto you one at the passover ; will ye
therefore that I release unto you the King of
the Jews ? The origin of the custom thus alluded
to is unknown, although it is generally supposed
with no small measure of probability that, as con-
nected with the Passover, it had been introduced
as a symbolical expression of the deliverance of
Israel out of Egypt. Pilate's object in making the
proposal and in styling Jesus the King of the Jews
is neither 'unwise mocking bitterness,' nor 'abor-
tive cunning.' He had been impressed by the
majesty of Jesus, and was satisfied of His inno-
cence. But he had no depth of feeling in the
matter, and his sense of justice was hardly awakened
by it. Any irony in his words therefore has refer-
ence to the Jews and not to Jesus. Surely the poverty,
the humiliation, the sufferings of the latter make
Him a fit King for the former. As he really cares
not what becomes of Him, but sees no reason to
detain Him, he will make an effort to let Him go.
One subordinate circumstance connected with
the words now before us must be noticed. They
supply an argument for the fact that the Passover
had begun, and that John cannot be understood
in other passages to mean that it was still to be
celebrated, on the evening of the day following
the night in which we at present find ourselves.
Even were it true, as urged by some, that the
phrase 'at the Passover' might have been used
of the 14th as well as the 15th Nisan, it is to be
observed that, on the supposition of variance
C07
between John and his predecessors, the 14th,
according to the ordinary method of teckoning,
was not yet come, because daylight of the 14th had
not yet broken. But if so, we must either accept
the supposition that ' at ' or rather ' in ' the
Passover could be applied to the night between
the 13th and the 14th (for Pilate is speaking of
the present moment), or we must reject the idea
that this last is the night in which we
standing. The former supposition, besi
in a high degree improbable, is destitute of all
proof; and the only theory consistent with the
facts is that which proceeds, upon the perfect
harmony of all the Evangelists, placing u^, at the
instant before us, in the night between the 14th
and the 15th. It may be worth while to add that
those who understand the words of chap. xix. 14,
' the preparation of the Passover,' as meaning the
day previous to it, have no right to say that when
the words ' at the Passover ' occur here, we are
substantially at the same point of time. Sun ly
3 a.m. cannot be said to be 'at the Passover,'
and 6 a.m. to be 'the preparation of the Pass-
over.'
Ver. 40. They cried out therefore again,
saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. The word
'again' is here peculiarly worthy of notice. No
previous cry of the Jews had been mentioned by
the Evangelist ; and, had his story been constructed
merely to illustrate an idea, he certainly would
not have spoken of a second cry when he had said
nothing of a first. The word can only be a
historical reminiscence in the writer's own mind.
He knew that the Jews had cried out before,
although he had not thought it necessary to men-
tion it. 'Now, therefore, when a cry was to be
spoken of, which he remembers was a second one,
an indication that it was so comes naturally from
his pen, 'They cried out therefore again.' The
cry was, ' Not this man but Barabbas ; ' and the
guilty nature of the cry is immediately intensified
by a brief but emphatic statement, designed far
more to bring out this guilt than to make us
acquainted with a fact of history. — Now Barabbas
was a robber. A robber ! and yet they preferred
him to the holy Jesus, to the Only-Begotten of the
Father, to their King !
Chapter XVIII. 2S-XIX. 16a.
Second Part, XIX. i-i6j.
Jesus before Pilate.
1 '"T^HEN "Pilate therefore took Jesus, and b scourged him.
2 -L And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it
3 on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said,1
Hail, King of the Jews! and 'they smote him2 with their
4 hands. Pilate therefore went forth again,3 and saith unto
them, Behold, I bring him forth 4 to you, that ye ma)- know 6
1 And they came unto him and said
3 And Pilate went out again * out
2 and they
5 perceive
rave him blows
i Mate, xxvi
26-30 ; Ma
xv. 15-19.
I Matt. xx.
Chap, xvii
2o8 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIX. i-i6a.
5 d that I find no fault 6 in him. Then came Jesus forth,7 wearing Wo, 6:
the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate9, saith 3s.
6 unto them, Behold9 the man! When the chief priests there-
fore and 10 officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify
him, crucify him.1' Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him,12 and
7 crucify him : for I find no fault I3 in him. The Jews answered
him, * We have a law, and by our u law he ought to die, because « Uv. xxiv.
S /he made himself the15 Son of God. When Pilate therefore /Man. x*v;.
9 heard that saying,16 he was the more afraid; And17 went chap. v. 18,
again into the judgment hall,18 and saith unto Jesus, s Whence s chap. ix. 29.
10 art thou? But ;' Testis fjave him no answer. Then saith * Matt, xxvii.
"4-
Pilate19 unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou
not that I have power to crucify 20 thee, and21 have power to
11 release22 thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest23 have no
power at a//2i against me, except it were25 given thee from
above: therefore26 he that delivered me27 unto thee hath the15
1 2 greater sin. And 2a from thenceforth 29 ' Pilate sought to release 'Acts m. ij.
him : but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go,30
thou art not Caesar's friend: ^'whosoever31 maketh himself a * Luke xxffi.
13 king speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore heard
that saying,32 he brought Jesus forth,33 and ' sat down in34 the 1 Matt. xxvii.
judgment scat in35 a place that is30 called the Pavement, but
14 in the37 Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the '" preparation 3S >»v«s- 3>. 42;
^ ' r 1 Matt xxvu.
of the passover, and3'1 about the sixth hour: and he saith unto (-'; M
1 ? the Tews, Behold9 your King! But they 4" cried out, " Away f^-s . ...
J J ' J •=> J J 71 Luke xxiu.
with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, lS-
Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We
1 6a have no kin" but Csesar. Then41 ''delivered he him there- " Matt. xxvii.
" 26; Mark
fore42 unto them to be crucified. xv.is;Luke
'; crime 7 Jesus therefore came forth 8 he
'■' Behold, I0 When therefore the chief priests and the
11 Crucify! Crui ify ! 12 Take him yourselves 13 crime
14 the ls omit the 1(i this word K ,t,tdhe ls palace
19 Pilate therefore saith 20 release 21 add that I — crucify
23 Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest -4 omit at all -■' had been
26 for this cause l7addup Z8 omit And ■'■' Upon this
30 If thou release this man ::1 every one that :;- these words
33 out 34 on ■"' .it 3C omit that is
:;" omitthe 38 And it was Preparation-day 3'J it was
10 They therefore 41 Then therefore i2 up
1 . 1 1 NTS. The dreadful tragedy is still con- inflicted by order of Pilate. The name of the
tinued; and that it is so in the same line of governor indeed is mentioned, but this
thought and with the same object as before, is simply to be because without his authority the
evident from the parallelism between chap, xviii. punishment could not have been inflicted. The
33-40 and chap. xix. I — 1 6. The subject is the punishment is itself the main point, — the increas-
humiliation of Jesus, the half-hearted efforts of ing sufferings of Jesus and His deepening humilia-
Pilate to release Him, and the determined hostility tion and agony as, under the pressure of His sinful
and cruelty of the Jews. nation, He goes onward to the cross. In the first
Ver. i. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and picture (chap, xviii. 33-40) Jesus is simply the
scourged him. It is the scourging itself that is prisoner bound ; in the second, that before us, lie
the prominent thought, not the fact that it was is the prisoner scourged and treated with con-
I 111 E
Chap. XIX. i-ifa.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
temptuous mockery of his royal claims. This
mockery follows the scourging.
Vers. 2, 3. And the soldiers platted a crown
of thorns, and placed it on his head, and they
put on him a purple robe, and they came unto
him and said, Hail, King of the Jews ! and they
gave kim blows with their hands. All is in
mockery of His royal claims : first the crown
of thorns, secondly the purple robe, thirdly the
coming to Him with mock obeisance, fourthly
the 'Hail, King of the Jews,' fifthly the blows
with their hands. We include this last in the
same series as the acts preceding it, for the Evan-
gelist, by his peculiar language, appears to mean
more than that Jesus was struck. The blows are
the mock presents that the subjects bring. They
approach Jesus with lowliness and with a ' Hail ; '
ami then, as if laying their offerings at His feet,
they strike Him. The picture of humiliation and
suffering is drawn in striking colours, and its
advance upon that of chap, xviii. must be obvious
to every reader. A similar advance appears in
the next two verses.
Vers \, 5. And Pilate went out again, and
saith unto them, Behold, I bring him out to you,
that ye may perceive that I rind no crime in
him. Jesus therefore came forth, wearing the
crown of thorns and the purple robe. And he
saith unto them, Behold, the man! The differ-
ence between the situation here and that at chap,
xviii. 39 does not lie so much in the actual words
in which Pilate proclaims the innocence of Jesus,
although it is possible that the change of order is
nut a matter of entire indifference. It lies rather
in the fact that on the former occasion he left
Jesus in the palace, and came out alone to the
Jews with his verdict of acquittal ; while here he
leads Jesus forth, exhibiting such a bearing towards
Him that the Jews may themselves perceive that
he considers Him to be innocent. It is further
evident from the words of ver. 8, 'he was the
more afraid,' that a mysterious awe had already
taken possession of his soul, an awe increased no
doubt by the message of his wife (Matt, xxvii. 19)
which had just before reached him. In his words
' Behold, the man ! ' we have a clear trace of the
sympathy and pity existing in his breast. He
5] 11 aks of the ' man,' not of the ' king.' It is the
human sufferer to whom he draws attention, one
whise sufferings and whole aspect would have
melted any heart not dehumanised by personal
envy or that fierce spirit of revenge which has
marked ecclesiastical fanaticism in ever}' age. So
far, however, as he expected to touch the hearts
of the Jews by the spectacle presented to them,
he is doomed to be disappointed.
Ver. 6. When therefore the chief priests and
the officers saw him, they cried out, saying,
Crucify ! Crucify ! The advance from what is
stated at chap, xviii. 40 to the present point is at
once perceptible. Then the Jews refused to have
Jesus released to them, and cried out for Barabbas.
Now their cry reaches its culmination, 'Crucify!
Crucify!' — Pilate saith unto them, Take him
yourselves, and crucify him ; for I find no crime
in him. The words do not seem to contain any
serious authorisation on the part of Pilate to the
Jews to crucify Jesus. The latter at least did not
understand them in that sense, or they would
probably have at once availed themselves of the
permission given. The emphatic 'yourselves'
guides us to the true interpretation. There is in
VOL. II. 14
209
the words partly scorn of the Jews, partly the
resolution of Pilate to free himself from all respon-
sibility in the guilty deed which he began to see
could hardly be avoided. It is as if he would say,
'Is He to be crucified? then it shall be by your-
selves, and not by me.' The Jews, accordingly,
are sensible that they dare not avail themselves of
the permission. They must adduce fresh reasons
for the sentence of condemnation which they
desire.
Ver. 7. The Jews answered him, We have a
law, and by the law he ought to die, because he
made himself Son of God. The ' We ' is em-
phatic. 'Thou, Pilate, mayest pronounce Him
innocent ; and He may be innocent of all such
crimes as are wont to be tried at thy bar. But
We have a law, and that law denounces death to
persons like Him ; for He made Himself Son of
God.' The law referred to is Lev. xxiv. 16, and
the crime is that Jesus represented Himself to be
what He really was. Such was the guilt of the
Jews. Not upon false pretences, but upon the
greatest of all falsehoods, the misinterpretation of
the truth, — in the thickest of all darkness, the light
itself made darkness, — they hurried Jesus to His
doom. The effect upon Pilate of this charge they
had not anticipated.
Vers. 8, 9. When Pilate therefore heard this
word, he was the more afraid; and he went
again into the palace, and saith unto Jesus,
Whence ar't thou? The remarkable expression
by which the Evangelist designates the language
of the Jews deserves our notice, — ' this word.' It
is not a mere saying that the Jews have uttered.
It is a ' word.' The Divine is in it. At the very
time when they are pursuing the Lord of glory to
His death, they are unconsciously impelled by a
Divine power to ascribe to Him the glory that is
His due. We are not indeed to suppose that
Pilate felt this. But the strange awe — the sense of
mystery — that had comeover him before isdeepened
in his mind. He must renew his investigation
with all seriousness ; and for this purpose he goes
again into the palace, taking Jesus with him, and
asks Him, 'Whence art thou?' The question
has certainly no reference to the place where Jesus
had been born, or from which He had come to
Jerusalem. It is a deeper origin that is asked
after. Art Thou from this world, or from another ?
a man, or from the gods ? — But Jesus gave him
no answer. The question had not been asked in
the spirit to which an answer was never refused.
Pilate had no sense either of sin or need, liven
had he been answered and received the answer as
true, he would only have bestowed freedom upon
One who sought nothing for Himself : he would
not have 'believed.' That this was the state of
his mind is clearly indicated in the words next
spoken by him.
Ver. 10. Pilate therefore saith unto him,
Speakest thou not unto me ? Knowest thou not
that I have power to release thee, and that I
have power to crucify thee? There is no trace
of spiritual feeling in these words ; nothing but the
sense of offended dignity, that to one in his posi-
tion, and possessed of his power, a poor prisoner
should decline to reply. Hence the position of
'to me,' at the head of the sentence, and hence the
twice repeated ' power,' to emphasize the authority
which he possessed. The mention of ' release '
comes first, as the consideration most likely to
tell upon one in the danger in which Jc us
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIX. l-l6a.
stood. To this remark of Pilate an answer is
given.
Ver. II. Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest
have no power at all against me, except it had
been given thee from above ; for this cause he
that delivered me up unto thee hath greater sin.
These words call attention to the fact that the
source whence Pilate derived his power, — 'from
above,' — was the same as that whence Jesus came.
In using his power, therefore, against the Son of
God, he was really fighting against God. ' For
this cause,' also, he that delivered Jesus up to him
(notjudas orCaiaphas only, but whosoever shared
in the deed) had 'greater sin.' Why 'greater'?
Partly, perhaps, because the delivering up was the
first step in the process of invoking against God
the power of God ; mainly, because the sin thus
committed was, on the part of those who were
guilty of it, a sin against greater light than in
Pilate's case. The Jews professed to know (and
ought to have known) God better than the heathen
judge. They ought to have known better than he
the true nature of that source ' from above,' from
which they derived their power. Therefore their
sin, a sin against God, was in them ' greater ' than
in him. In this reply Jesus had done more than
speak as an innocent man. He had assumed a
position of superiority alike to His accusers and
His judge. The effect produced upon Pilate was
proportionally great.
Ver. 12. Upon this Pilate sought to release
him. The verb 'sought ' in the original implies
that Pilate now made repeated attempts, not
recorded, to effect with consent of the Jews the
release of his prisoner. The attempts were vain.
— But the Jews cried out, saying, If thou release
this man, thou art not Cassar's friend : every one
that maketh himself a king speaketh against
Csesar. The term ' Caesar's friend ' had been,
since the time of Augustus, conferred by the
emperor upon legates and prefects as an honour-
able distinction. It is not improbable that the
hope of obtaining it might even now be floating
before Pilate's eyes. The argument, although not
deliberately reserved for this moment, but dictated
by the quick insight of excited passion, was thus
fitted to tell most powerfully upon him. How it
did tell the sequel shows. We shall err, however,
if we imagine that the only object of John in
mentioning the circumstance is to point out the
consideration to which Pilate yielded. He has
another object far more nearly at heart, — to ex-
hibit the woeful, the self-confessed, degradation
to which the proud Jewish people, by their opposi-
tion to Jesus, had reduced themselves. Something
similar had been already noted by him at chap.
xi. 48, but that fell far short of what is exhibited
here. In order to effect their guilty end, they by
whom the friendship of Caesar was regarded as
degradation and not honour, appeal to the desire
for it as a noble ambition ; they who would fain
have trampled the authority of Caesar under foot
as the source of the oppression from which they
suffered, and of the loss of all the ancient glories
of their nation, represent the effort to maintain it
as one that loyalty ought to make. With what
clearness does the Evangelist see these wretched
'Jews,' in the very act of accomplishing their ends,
plunging themselves into the greatest depths of
ignominy and shame ! The effect of the appeal is
not lost upon Pilate.
Ver. 13. When Pilate therefore heard these
words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on
the judgment seat at a place called the Pave-
ment, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. The decisive
moment is now come ; and, according to the fre-
quent method of our Evangelist, the way is pre-
pared for it by the mention of several particulars.
First, we have the place. It was not in the palace,
but at a spot called in the Aramaic tongue
Gabbatha, and in the Greek the Pavement. The
Greek name was probably given because the floor
was laid down in the mosaic work common in
those days in places of importance, such as theatres
and halls of justice, and before altars of the gods.
It literally means inlaid with stones. The Aramaic
word Gabbatha signifies a hill or elevated spot of
ground, so that we are to think of a spot in the
open air where a tribunal was erected on a rising
ground, the top of which was laid with tesselated
pavement. The time is next noted.
Ver. 14. And it was Preparation-day of the
passover; it was about the sixth hour. It is not
to be denied that the difficulties connected with
each of these two clauses are very great ; and we
have again to regret, as at chap, xviii. 2S, that in
a commentary such as this it is impossible to do
justice to the question. We shall endeavour to
indicate as clearly as our space will permit the
solution that we propose.
1. It is urged that the first clause means, 'It
was the preparation of the Passover,' that is, the
day before it. Difficulties are thus removed at
the cost of making John contradict the earlier
Evangelists as to the night when the Last Supper
was instituted, and the day when Jesus was cruci-
fied. Apart from all consideration of the new
difficulty thus created, we observe — (1) That the
interpretation thus offered makes the Evangelist
contradict himself (comp. what has been said on
chap, xviii. 39 ; and bear in mind that Pilate at
the moment there spoken of released Barabbas,
Matt, xxvii. 26; Mark xv. 15; Luke xxiii. 25).
The Passover was therefore then begun. To speak
now of the day preceding it is impossible. (2) The
translation 'the preparation' cannot be accepted.
There is no article in the original. The Greek
term must be rendered either 'a preparation,' or
it must be taken in its well-known sense of
'Friday.' (3) It has never been shown that the
day before the Passover was called ' The prepara-
tion of the Passover.' It has been conjectured
that it was, because it is believed that the day
before the Sabbath was called ' The preparation
of the Sabbath.' No such nam- as this last has
been pointed out. It did not — we may venture to
say that, without a different mode of connecting
the two words, it could not — exist. The whole
foundation upon which rests the idea of a day
called ' the preparation of the Passover ' is re-
moved.
2. A second solution is offered. By ' prepara-
tion ' we are to understand Friday ; by ' the Pass-
over ' the Paschal feast ; by the whole expression,
'It was Friday of the Paschal feast.' There is
much in this to be accepted, for it appears from
Josephus that the seven days' festival was often
nated 'the Passover,' and there can be no
doubt as to the rendering 'Friday.' The diffi-
culties, if nothing more can be said, are — (1)
To see why the words 'of the Paschal feasl '
should be added ; they are unnecessary; and they
do not occur at ver. 31, although the day there
spoken of is the same as that before us here.
Chap. XIX. l-l6«.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
(2) That it is not easy to exclude from the original
the thought of the 'Paschal lamb.' That is the
proper rendering of the Greek, and the rendering
which lies closest to the whole conception and
drift alike of the chapters with which we are now
dealing and of the special verses in which mention
of 'the Passover' is made. Notwithstanding these
difficulties, we accept this rendering as in part at
least the meaning of the Evangelist. The diffi-
culties will vanish when we consider that it is not
all his meaning. For, in truth, he seems to be led
to his choice of the particular form of expression
which he employs by the tendency that we have
so frequently had occasion to observe in him, —
the tendency to see things in the doubles presented
by symbols and their realities. Both the leading
words of the clause before us are susceptible of
tin's double meaning; and it is because they are
so that we find them here. Thus — (i) The
former word is to be taken in its double sense, 'a
preparation ' or ' Friday.' (2) The words rendered
'the Passover,' or as it might be simply 'the
PascAe,' are to be taken in their double sense, ' the
Paschal lamb ' or ' the Paschal feast or week.'
At the time when John wrote, if not also much
earlier, both senses were in use in the Christian
Church. Exactly then as in chap. iii. S John has
in view the double meaning of the Greek word for
spirit or wind, so here he has in view the double
meaning of these expressions. The day now
dawning, and the events now occurring, were 'a
preparation of the Paschal lamb ' — yet not of the
lamb of the Jewish feast, but of the true Paschal
Lamb, Jesus Himself, — of the Lamb now on His
way to be sacrificed for the life of His people. It
was also 'Friday of the Pasche.' Both these
meanings are prominent to the eye of the Evan-
gelist ; and as, with the ready appreciation of
symbolism possessed by the symbolic mind, he
sees that one of his deepest thoughts can be ex-
pressed by words which shall at the same time
express an outward incident of the scene, he
chooses his language for the sake of the richer
meaning to which he is thus able to give utter-
ance.
The view now taken derives confirmation from
the fact that at ver. 31 of this chapter, where the
word ' a preparation ' or ' Friday ' is again used,
the addition ' of the Passover ' is dropped. Why
is this ? Because by the time we come to that
verse the true Paschal Lamb has been slain : it
is no longer possible, therefore, to speak of a pre-
paration of Jesus. If, on the other hand, the
word denotes the weekly day of preparation
(' Friday '), it is clear that in ver. 31 any explana-
tory addition would be superfluous. The particular
view to be taken of chap. xix. 28-37 W'U also lend
confirmation to what has been said.
The second clause of the words with which we
now deal is much more easily explained than the
first : 'and it was about the sixth hour.' If this
hour be according to Jewish modes of reckoning
12 (noon), we are in direct conflict with Mark xv.
25, ' and it was the third hour, and they crucified
Him.' There, at 9 a.m., the crucifixion takes
place. Here, at noon, the sentence is not yet
pronounced. The main elements of the solution
are to be found in what has been already said with
regard to the mode of reckoning time employed
in this Gospel. ' The sixth hour' is thus 6 a.m.,
an hour supplying us, as nearly as it is possible
for us to imagine, with the space of time needed
for the events already past that night, as well as
with that needed for things still to be done before
the crucifixion at 9 A.M. To these considerations
has to be added the fact, that Pilate now for the
first time took his formal place upon the judgment
seat, and pronounced sentence with the suitable
solemnities of law. But by Roman law this could
not be done before 6 A.M.; and it is much more
likely that Pilate would embrace the earliest
opportunity of ridding himself of a disagreeable
case than that he would carry on the process until
noon.
Both the place and the time for the last step in
the trial of Jesus have now been mentioned. Pilate
is on his judgment seat, on a spot elevated above
the people. The true Lamb of God is before him
ready for the sacrifice. The awful ' hour is come.'
— And he saith unto the Jews, Behold, your
King ! The words are not spoken sarcastically of
Jesus, but contemptuously of the Jews. Pilate had
no motive for being sarcastic with regard to the
former. He had been impressed by the spectacle of
meekness and innocence which Jesus presented.
He would have set Him free had he possessed suffi-
cient earnestness and depth of moral character to
carry into effect what he knew to be right. We
cannot, therefore, suppose that he has any wish to
treat Jesus with contempt. But all the more that
this was the case, and that his own conscience
was reproving him for his weakness, would his
contempt be increased for those who were urging
him to act unjustly. His secret displeasure with
himself would seek satisfaction in his indignation
and disgust with them. He had shown his con-
tempt for the Jews from the first (comp. ver. 35),
and now, with that contempt raised to its highest
point, he says, 'Behold, your King.' It is possible
also that in these words the Evangelist sees one of
those unconscious prophecies or Divine declarations
concerning Jesus of which we have had repeated
illustrations in this Gospel.
Ver. 15. They therefore cried out, Away with
him, away with him, crucify him. Instinct tells
them that the last moment when they may accom-
plish their object is arrived : and, roused to the
utmost pitch of fury by the words of Pilate, they
cry out, with a quick repetition of words corre-
sponding to their feelings, Let him be hurried off
to crucifixion. But Pilate will still further provoke
them, still further pour out his contempt upon
them. — Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crttcify
your King ? Then follow those words evidently
so full of meaning to the Evangelist. — The chief
priests answered. We have no king but Caesar.
The chief priests, the heads of the Theocracy of
Israel, give the answer, which thus comes upon
us with a more terrible force than it could other-
wise have done. What an answer is it ! It is
the utterance of self-condemnation, the renouncing
of the chief honour of the chosen people, the
casting away of what had most distinguished them
in the past, of what they hoped most from in the
future, 'We have no king but Caesar.' God is
rejected ; Messianic hope is trampled under foot.
In the moment of securing the death of their true
King, 'the Jews,' by the mouth of their leaders
and representatives, plunge themselves into the
lowest depths of guilt and shame.
Ver. 16a. Then therefore delivered he him
up unto them to be crucified. The tragedy has
reached its climax ; and in this single sentence the
rest of the direful story may be told.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIX. 1 64-22
Chapter XIX. \6b-22.
The Nailing of Jesus to the Cross.
l6b, 17 A ND "they took1 Jesus, and led him away." And he
-t\- bearing his cross3 went '''forth into a4 place called
the place of a skull, which is called in the'"' Hebrew Golgotha :
18 Where they ''crucified him, and two other with him,15 on either
19 side one, and Jesus in the midst. And c Pilate 7 wrote a title,
and put it on the cross. And the writing was,8 JESUS OF
20 NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title
then read many of the Jews : for the place 9 where Jesus was
crucified was nigh to the city : 10 and it was written in Hebrew,
21 and Greek, and Latin.11 Then said the chief priests of the
Jews12 to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews ; but that
22 he said,13 I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I
have written I have written.
b Heb. j
c Matt.
37, 38 ;
Mark
27..:
1 They therefore received
3 And bearing the cross for himself he
G with him two others 7 add also
9 add of the city 10 omit to the city
12 The chief priests of the Jews therefore said
- omit and led him away
4 unto the 5 omit the
8 and there was written
11 and Latin and Greek
13 but, That man said
Ver. i6i. They therefore received Jeaus.
' They,' not the soldiers, but the chief priests of
ver. 15 and the Jews of ver. 14. The verb is
that of chap. i. II, 'His own accepted him not.'
Now they did 'receive' Him, but only to hurry
Him to a cruel death. It will be observed how
much this peculiar force of the verb is brought out
by the true reading of the verse, which omits 'and
led him away.'
Ver. 17. And bearing the cross for himself
he went forth unto the place called the place of
a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.
It is a trace of the accuracy of John both in
observing and relating facts, that he is the only
Evangelist who mentions the circumstance. Nor
is there any contradiction betwixt this statement
and that of the three earlier Gospels which tells
us that they compelled Simon of Cyrene to bear
the cross after Jesus. Jesus had borne it at fust,
but had afterwards been compelled through fatigue
to resign it. On ' went forth ' comp. on chap,
xviii. 1. The place was called Golgotha, 'the
place of a skull,' probably as being a small round
hillock. The most interesting point to be notii • 1
is the manner in which John dwells upon the
meaning of the name. The 'place of a skull ' is
the emblem to him of the sad transaction about
to be completed there. The Evangelist adds,
Ver. lS. Where they crucified him, and with
him two others, on either side one, and Jesus
in the midst. On the lingering torture of death
by crucifixion it is unnecessary to dwell. We
learn from the earlier Gospels that the two cruci-
fied along with Jesus were robbers (Matt, xxvii.
3S ; Mark xv. 27). To this death they too must
have been doomed by the Roman power, and as
we find the Roman governor writing the inscrip-
tion and Roman soldiers taking part in the cruci-
fixion and dividing the spoils (comp. ver. 23), it
is reasonable to think that it was also a Roman,
not a Jewish, arrangement by which the two
robbers were suspended on either side of Jesus.
If so, the object must have been still more to
bring out that idea of His royalty with which
Pilate to the last mocked the Jews. Not only,
however, did he mock them thus. Following the
custom of the ■ time, by which an inscription
describing the crime for which a malefactor suffered
was nailed to the cross, he ordered this to be done
now, and he himself dictated the words.
Ver. 19. And Pilate also wrote a title, and
put it on the cross; and there was written,
JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE
JEWS. The object, as before, was to do despite
to the Jews, not to Jesus. To the last moment
their terrible crime must, under the overruling
providence of God, be brought home to them.
Ver. 20. This title then read many of the
Jews, for the place of the city where Jesus was
crucified was nigh. The language in which this
proximity of Golgotha to the city is spoken of
is in a high degree remarkal Je : m it ' the place was
nigh to the city,' but 'the place of the city was
nigh.' We are not to imagine that by these
words the Evangelist means to say that the place
of the crucifixion was within the city. He knew
well, as every one knew, that it was ' without
the gate.' It is the power of the idea, 1
verting the fact but leading to a special view of it,
that meets us here, as so often elsewhei ! I
Chap. XIX. 23-30.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 213
place outside the city, but really belonging to the doubt that the latter words determined the form of
city, is viewed only in this latter aspect, as 'the the phrase before us. On the one side we see the
place of the city,'' because a closer connection is Kingof the Jews defeated, yet victorious; suspended
thus established between the crime committed on the cross, yet proclaimed to be what He is in
there and the guilty city of Jerusalem. — And it all the great languages of the world ; set before
was written in Hebrew and Latin and Greek, us as universal King. On the other side we see
the three great languages of the then known world, the chief priests of the Jews victorious, yet defeated;
Ver. 21. The chief priests of the Jews there- their object apparently accomplished, yet its
fore said to Pilate, Write not, The King of the accomplishment turned to their own shame, and
Jews, but, That man said, I am King of the their Victim's glory.— Their request was denied in
Jews. The offence taken might have been, and the most curt and contemptuous language,
probably was, expected by Pilate ; but the mode Ver. 22. Pilate answered, What I have
in which it is described is again highly worthy of written I have written. It is impossible to
our notice. This is the only occasion on which we mistake the feeling of the Evangelist that in all
meet with the expression ' the chief priests of the this the finger of God is to be traced. Those who
Jews ;' and as it occurs in such close connection with refuse to ' believe ' shall yet be compelled to own
the words 'the King of the Jews,' we can hardly that Jesus is King.
Chapter XIX. 23-30.
The Crucifixion.
23 ' I ^HEN "the soldiers,1 when they had crucified Tesus, took «Matt.jomi.
J 35 ; Mark
-*- Ins garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a xv.?4;Luke
part; and also his coat:2 now the coat2 was without seam,
24 woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among
themselves,3 Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it
shall be: 'that the scripture might be fulfilled, 'which saith.4 'Vers. 28,36;
l t> t chap. vn. 3s,
They parted my raiment5 among them, and for my vesture cp"'xI|;,i l3
they did cast lots.6
25 These things therefore the soldiers did. d Now 7 there stood rfMa"- **y»;
5;, 56; Mark
by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary xv:.*°; Luke
26 the wife of Cleophas,8 and f Mary Magdalene. When Jesus '^- j^1,
therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standino- by, g whom fi l6, "ft
he loved, he saith unto his mother, h Woman, behold 9 thy son ! ;!^pc°xmp2;
27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold 10 thy mother ! And from 7'chap- "■ 4
that hour that11 disciple took her unto his own home.
28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accom-
plished,12 ' that the scripture might be fulfilled,13 saith, * I thirst. pP?.rK;,i „
29 Now " there was set 15 a vessel full of vinegar : ' and they filled 'J^'mS™-
a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop,16 and put u it xv- 36-
30 to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar,
he said, '"It is finished : and he bowed his head, and "gave up '" chaP- *"'•
the ghost.18 «l'iatt. xx-vii.
& 5°-
1 The soldiers therefore 2 tunic 3 to one another
4 omit which saith 6 garments c and upon my vesture they cast lots
7 But 8 Clopas » behold, 10 Behold, 1] the
12 are now finished "accomplished " omit Now 15 add there
16 they put therefore a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop
' brought '» and delivered up his spirit
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XIX.
214
Contents. This paragraph details some of
the events of the crucifixion, but not in strict
historical sequence to vers. 21 and 22. The con-
ference with Pilate there allude 1 to, following as
it did the reading of the inscription spoken of in
ver. 20, must have been later than the moment
when the division of the raiment of Jesus by the
soldiers began. We can hardly doubt that this
latter would begin as soon as the cross was erected
and Jesus nailed to it.
Ver. 23. The soldiers therefore, when they
had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made
four parts, to every soldier a part ; and also his
tunic : now the tunic was without seam, woven
from the top throughout. The soldiers are no
longer a * band. ' They are only four in number,
the usual number of a Roman guard (comp. Acts
xii. 4). When they went out against Je-us to the
garden of Gethsemanc it was in force, because
they knew not how far He might really be the
leader in a popular insurrection against the govern-
ment. There was evidently no occasion for Mich
a fear now, and their number therefore could with
perfect safety be reduced. By the 'garments'
here spoken of we are to understand all the articles
of clothing belonging to Jesus with the exception
of His 'vesture' or tunic, — viz. His sandals,
girdle, outer robe, head-dress, etc. These they
divided into four parts, giving to each of the
four soldiers a part. Another course had to be
taken with the tunic or under -garment. By
it we are without doubt to understand the long
garment reaching to the feet, woven so as to fit
closely to the body (not pieced or sewed together),
which was worn by the high priest, — the garment
of Rev. i. 13. It is hardly possible not to feel
that this vestment is to John the symbol of the
fact that He who now hangs upon the cross as
King is also Priest of His people. We are next
told what was done with the vestment.
Ver. 24. They said therefore to one another,
Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it
shall he. Both in the dividing and in the casting
of lots the Evangelist sees Scripture fulfilled. —
That the scripture might be fulfilled, They
parted my garments among them, and upon
my vesture they cast lots. The quotation is
from Ps. xxii. i.S, and is accurately reproduced
irom the Septuagint. — These things therefore the
soldiers did. The words may either be intended
to emphasize the presence of God in the scene, as
He made the Roman soldiers fulfil His Scripture ;
or may simply arise out of the intense interest
with which John narrates each particular of these
eventful hours. — Another scene is now presented
to us.
Ver. 25. But there stood by the cross of Jesus
his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the
wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. In
Matt, xxvii. 55 we are told of ' many women
beholding from afar.' But as there is nothing to
say that the moment was the same as that now
before us, the supposed contradiction between 'by
the cross ' and ' from afar ' disappears. If the
third "f the women here mentioned be the same as
the second, we shall have two sisters of the same
name in one family; for 'sister' cannot mean
cousin. The high improbability of this leads to
the supposition that we have here/our women, in
two groups of two each. This view is confirmed
by the fact that the lists of apostles arc in like
manner given us in groups of two, and by what
does not seem to have been urged as an argument
upon the point, that the four women seem de-
signedly placed in contrast with the four soldiers.
(Not that the Evangelist makes the number in
order to suit his purpose ; but that out of the
'many' spoken of by Matthew he selects four for
its sake. It is the same habit as that of which we
have seen so much, — the selection of particulars to
illustrate the historical idea which he is desirous
to unfold.) On the supposition that four women
are mentioned, it appears from the earlier Gospels
that the second, here unnamed, was Salome,
John's own mother. Whether Clopas may be
identified with Cleopas (Luke xxiv. 18) it is
impossible to decide.
Vers. 26, 27. When Jesus therefore saw his
mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he
loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold,
thy son. Then saith he to the disciple, Behold,
thy mother ; and from that hour the disciple
took her unto his own home. The act thus re-
corded has been variously interpreted; by some
as in its main purpose an act of filial care for the
mother whose soul was now about to be pierced
by the sword spoken of in the prophetic word ol
Simeon (Luke ii. 35); by others as a formal
renunciation of her, that He may surrender Him-
self wholly to the will of His heavenly Father.
It is in the first of these two lights that we must
chiefly regard it. Then we can best explain the
words of ver. 27, which are evidently the Evan-
gelist's commentary upon what had just passed ;
and the renunciation spoken of had really taken
place at chap. ii. 4.
Ver. 2S. After this. Jesus knowing that all
things are now finished, that the scripture might
be accomplished, saith, I thirst. It is a ques-
tion whether the words ' that the Scripture might
be accomplished ' are to be connected with what
precedes or with what follows. In favour of
the former connection it may be said — (I) It is
John's practice to point out the fulfilment of
Scripture after, not before, the event fulfilling it.
(2) It is his usual practice to notice the fulfilment
of Scripture in what is done to Jesus, rather than
in what is done by Him to fulfil it. (3) The use
of the word ' now ' seems to show that we have
already reached a complete accomplishment of
Scripture. It would thus appear that it is the
intention of the Evangelist to present to us a
word spoken by Jesus at a moment when lb-
knew that Scripture had been already fulfilled.
He is in the position of One whose work is done,
and lor whom nothing remains but to depart.
The strong counter-argument is that everywhere
else in this Gospel (see chap. ii. 22) 'the scrip-
ture * denotes some special ^s, however,
we cannot doubt that John regarded the utterance
here recorded as fulfilling Ps. Ixix. 21 (see chap,
ii. 17), the difference between the two inter-
pretations is less than it at first appears. — That
thirst was a great part of the agony of the cross
we know; nor in all probability should we think
of more, were it not the manner of John to relate
minor incidents, not for themselves alone, but for
the sake of the deeper meaning which he always
sees to be involved in them. This manner of the
Evangelist, therefore, compels us to ask whether
there may not be a deeper meaning in this cry?
Let us turn to chap. iv. 7. There, immediately
after mention of 'the sixth hour,' Jesus says
to the woman of Samaria, 'Give me to drink."
Chap. XIX. 31-37.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
.4
Here, in close contiguity with another ' sixth hour '
(\er. 14), Hesays, 'I thirst.' But we have already
seen in the language of
chap. iv. 7 the longing of
the Redeemer for the fruits
of that work which He
was then accomplishing in
toil and weariness ; and
we are thus led to think
of something of the same
kind here. It was not
merely to temper suffer-
ing that Jesus cried, but
it was for refreshment to
the body symbolizing a
deeper refreshment to the
soul. — The request thus
made was answered.
\\r. 29. There was set
there a vessel full of
vinegar : they put there-
fore a sponge full of the
vinegar upon hyssop, and
brought it to his mouth.
It is possible that the
vinegar here referred to
may have been the mix-
ture of vinegar and water
used by the Roman soldiers
to quench their thirst ; or
it may even have been a
vessel of vinegar itself, of
which large quantities were
used at the Passover. The
* hyssop ' cannot be equiva-
lent to the ' reed' of Matt,
xxvii. 48 and Mark xv. 36,
for the hyssop plant was of
too low and bushy a habit
to supply a reed. It is simply a small bunch of
•:'■,
hyssop, which was most probably attached to the
end of a reed. A piece of sponge soaked in
vinegar was fastened to the hyssop end of the rod,
and the draught was in this way conveyed to the
lips of Jesus.
Ver. 30. When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and he
bowed his head, and delivered up his spirit.
It is not said that Jesus took much of the vim
and the probability is that He did not. When
He had taken it He exclaimed, 'It is finished.'
The word is the same as in ver. 28, but now
He utters what there He 'knew.' It is the
shout of victory, not the cry of satisfaction that
suffering is at an end. Having said this, ' He
bowed His head ' (which had been previously
erect), and 'delivered up His spirit.' The verb
used for ' delivered up ' is peculiarly important.
The choice of the word leaves no doubt as to the
meaning of the Evangelist. However true it
is that by the cruelty of man the death upon
the cross was brought about as by its natural
cause, there was something deeper and more
solemn in it of which we must take account. It
was His own free will to die. There is in Him
an ever-present life and power and choice in which
He, even at the very last moment, offers Himself
as a sacrifice (Heb. ix. 14). He tells us Himself
of His life, ' No one taketh it away from Me, but
I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again ' (chap,
x. iS); and these words have now their illustration.
Compare the language of His dying cry, recorded
by Luke (chap, xxiii. 46) : ' Father, into Thy
hands I commend my spirit.' We forbear to enter
further upon the physical cause of the death thus
recorded. It is impossible not to feel that the
speculations which have been indulged in on this
subject have done more to shock Christian feeling
than to satisfy a legitimate spirit of inquiry.
Chapter XIX. 31-37.
The Body of Jesus on the Cross.
31 'npiIE Jews therefore, because it was the "preparation,1 that
JL '' the bodies should 2 not remain upon the cross on the
sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day)
besought3 Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that
32 they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers,* and
brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified
33 with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was
34 dead already, they brake not his legs : Rut one of the soldiers
with a spear pierced his 'side, and ''forthwith came there out5
35 blood and water. And he that saw6 it1 bare 'record,8 and his
record 9 is true : and he knoweth that he saith true, ■'that ye
c Chap. >
,/> ' imp.
John v
e Comp.
1 it was Preparation-day - might 3 asked of
s straightway there came forth
7 omit it 8 hath borne witness
4 The soldiers therefore came
6 And he that hath seen
9 witness
:l6 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XIX. 31-37.
36 might believe.10 For these things were done,11 that s the scrip- s See ver. 24.
ture should 12 be fulfilled, ;' A bone of him shall not be broken." aex. xii. 46j
37 And again another scripture saith, ''They shall look on him PsU«xiy"o.
~" ° A 1 Zech. xu. 10;
whom they pierced. Kev- '• i-
10 that ye also may believe
12 might
came to pass
; crushed
Contents. Jesus is now dead, and this para-
graph relates the events immediately following,
before His body was removed from the cross.
Ver. 31. The Jews therefore, because it was
Preparation-day. It has already been remarked
(on ver. 14) that the word here used has in itself
the double meaning of ' preparation ' and of
'Friday.' Here, without the article, it cannot
have the general sense of ' the preparation.' Any
thought of preparation, too, lying in the word
must, as appears clearly from the following clause,
be connected with the Sabbath and not with the
Passover. Had the latter been thought of, it
would surely have been expressly mentioned, to
obviate the mistake to which the use of a well-
understood technical term could not fail to give
rise. These words, therefore, so far from support-
ing the view of those who think that the legal
Passover had not yet been celebrated, tend rather
in the opposite direction. Nor is there any weight
in the argument that, had the term been used as we
have supposed, theEvangelistwould have explained
it for the benefit of his Greek readers. It was the
Christian name for Friday, and to Greek Chris-
tians it could suggest nothing else. — That the
bodies might not remain upon the cross on the
Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was an bigh
day), a6ked of Pilate that their legs might be
broken, and that they might be taken away.
It is generally allowed that the Sabbath here re-
ferred to is termed 'high,' because it was one of
more than ordinary solemnity, deriving its im-
portance on this occasion from the fact that it
coincided with either the first or the second day
(both being important) of the Paschal festival. —
The operation of breaking the legs, though not
sufficient to cause death, would naturally hasten
it. Under any circumstances it prevented the
escape of the prisoners.
Ver. 32. The soldiers therefore came and
brake the legs of the first, and of the other
which was crucified with him. The bodies had
been suspended on the cross with Jesus in the
midst. It is natural to suppose that the soldiers,
approaching from two opposite sides, would pro-
ceed in the order thus mentioned : each would
strike his blow on one malefactor's body ; then
they would come to Jesus.
Vers. 33, 34. But when they came to Jesus,
and saw that he was dead already, they brake
not his legs; but one of the soldiers with a
spear pierced his side, and straightway there
came forth blood and water. The explanation
of the fact here recorded has always been felt to
lie attended with peculiar difficulty. The idea
that Jesus was not dead, but that death was pro-
duced by the spear-wound, must at once he set
aside. It is inconsistent with the distinct lan-
guage of the Evangelist, which states the fact,—
and not merely what the soldier thought, — that
Jesus was 'dead already.' It is inconsistent with
what we have been previously told, that Jesus had
'delivered up' His spirit into the hands of His
Father. And it is not less inconsistent with the
symbolism of the passage, which would have been
inadmissible had not John believed that death
was past. But the impossibility that blood and
water should issue from the side of a person
already dead is urged on physiological grounds.
It might be possible to adopt the explanation of
some eminent commentators, that we have here a
unique appearance based upon a unique situation.
If it be a general truth that the moment death
comes corruption begins, and if, notwithstanding,
Jesus 'saw no corruption,' we are prepared to
expect that the phenomena accompanying His
death will transcend our experience ; and it may
well be that we have such phenomena before us
here. Before we resort, however, to such an
explanation, we ought to ask whether, when we
take all the circumstances into account, it is really
necessary. We remark therefore that — (1) There
is nothing to prevent our assuming that the spear-
wound was inflicted the instant after death. The
Evangelist does not convey the slightest hint to us
that any interval elapsed between the two events,
and the nature of death by crucifixion is such as
to call us to think of the latest possible moment
as that of death. 'Pilate marvelled if He were
already dead ' (Mark xv. 44). (2) In conformity
with the opinion of all expositors, the region of
the heart must be looked upon as that penetrated
by the spear. (3) The ' blood and water ' derive
all their importance from that symbolical meaning
which they have in the eyes of John. The circum-
stance which more than any other has led inquirers
astray in judging of what we have here before us
is, that they have supposed it to be the aim of the
Evangelist to establish the fact that Jesus was
really put to death. But, as we shall see on ver.
35, this is certainly not the point before him.
The fact now spoken of has no connection what-
ever with proof that death had taken place; and
it is mentioned solely for the sake of the deeper
meaning which it involves. (j) These things
being so, it is obviously a matter of no moment
what the quantity of ' blood and water ' that
issued from the wound may have been. The
smallest quantity will suffice ; and will suggest
the truth intended as well as the largest.
But it has never been proved that such a small
quantity might not issue from a wound thus in-
flicted. The wound would be a large one; the
iron point of the spear, we may be sure, was both
heavy and rough ; and if the instant after death
the pericardium and heart were pierced, there is
no difficulty in supposing such an effusion of blood
and of water, ox scrum, as could not fail to attract
the attention of the beholder, and suggest to his
mind lessons of deep spiritual significance. If
this be so, the literal interpretation ol the passage
may be retained.
Chap. XIX. 38-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
What the water and blood symbolized to John
must be learned from the general tenor of his
writings. The ' blood ' brings to mind the sacri-
fice for the world's sin (chap. i. 29), the life laid
down for the life of the world (chaps, vi. 51, x. 15),
the cleansing of and by atonement (1 John i. 7;
Rev. i. 5, v. 9). The 'water' recalls the teaching
of chaps, iii. 5, vii. 38, xiii. 8, 10 ; and symbolizes
the abiding gift of the Spirit of holiness. Tims in
His death Jesus is presented as the Source of Life,
in all its purity and spiritual power. That this
section of the Gospel stands in closest connection
with 1 John v. 6 seems to us beyond doubt : what
is the exact nature of the relation between the
passages is a question which belongs to the
exposition of the Epistle, and cannot be investi-
gated here.
Ver. 35. And he that hath seen hath borne
witness, and his witness is time ; and he knoweth
that he saith true, that ye also may believe. It
is of himself that the Evangelist speaks : compare
1 John i. 1,2, 3. The witness that he bears is
'true.' The word differs from that which is used
in the second member of this verse and in chap.
xxi. 24 ('We know that his witness is true').
It designates the testimony as genuine and real.
Not only is it truthful, but it is all that testimony
can be : the witness will not deceive, but — more
than this — in regard to the matter which he here
attests he cannot have been deceived or mistaken.
See the notes on chaps, iv. 37, viii. 16. The
object of this solemn testimony is that they may
' believe ; ' not simply may believe the facts, but
may rest in a true and settled faith upon Him of
whom these wonders can be related. The signifi-
cance belonging to the facts thus solemnly com-
memorated is now further illustrated (vers. 36, 37):
they are the fulfilment of the Divine counsels
expressed in Scripture.
Vers. 36, 37. For these things came to pass,
that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of
him shall not be crushed; and again another
scripture saith, They shall look on him whom
they pierced. The passages referred to in the
first of these quotations seem to be Ex. xii. 46 and
Num. ix. 12, rather than Ps. xxxiv. 20. It is
probable, however, that the last of these is founded
upon the first two. Great importance was attached
by the Jews to the precept that no bone of the
Paschal Lamb should be broken. God's counsel,
typified in this, is now fulfilled in the true Paschal
Lamb (see chap. i. 29).
In the second passage referred to (Zech. xii.
217
10), the Evangelist sets aside what is universally
allowed to be the false translation of the Sep-
tuagint, and translates from the Hebrew. It is
not impossible that in this passage also there
may be a distant allusion to the rites of the Pass-
over ; for the bitterness of the ' mourning ' alluded
to seems to be founded on the mourning of Egypt
for its first-born. But, whether this be so or not,
it will not be denied that the allusion in the
Prophet to Him who is to come as the manifesta-
tion of God to His people is distinct. The true
reading of the passage in Zechariah is, ' They shall
look on Me whom they pierced,' where the word
' Me ' is to be explained by the fact that the
Sender is identified with the Sent, the Lord with
His prophet. It is worthy of notice that the
words translated ' pierced ' in vers. 34 and 37 are
different, from which we may conclude that the
Evangelist does not rest in the mere detail of the
piercing, but dwells upon the wider thought, that
Israel rejected and crucified its Lord. Such, how-
ever, had been God's counsel ; and thus spoken,
not only by the law but by the Prophets (comp.
chap. i. 45), this counsel is now fulfilled in Jesus.
One remark more may be permitted on the
peculiar light in which the whole of this remark-
able scene seems to present itself to the eye of the
Evangelist. Jesus is obviously here, as indeed He
has been throughout the Gospel, the true Paschal
Lamb (chaps, i. 29, vi.). Yet He is that Lamb
looked at not simply in the moment of dying, but
as, in dying (in that dying which has been going
on throughout His whole suffering life and only
culminates now), the true substance of His people's
Paschal feast, their nourishment, their life. The
conduct of the Jews to Jesus as He hangs upon
the cross thus assumes the form of an inverted, a
contorted, Passover. They had that morning lost
their legal Passover, — had lost even the shadow,
because they rejected and despised the substance.
' Yet,' says the Evangelist, ' they found a Passover.
Let us follow them to the cross. There let us see
the righteous dealings, the deserved irony, of the
Almighty, as He makes their cruel mockings of
the true Paschal Lamb shape themselves into a
Passover of judgment, of added sin and deepened
shame.' If the passage be looked at in this light—
the only light, as it seems to us, which at once
explains the general structure of the section and
the peculiar expressions employed — it will be
found to be full of the most important conse-
quences alike for the biblical critic and for the
dogmatic theologian.
Chapter XIX. 3S-42.
The Burial oj Jesus.
38 ° A ND after this ' Joseph of Arimathea, bein
-L\- Jesus, but secretly * for fear of the Tews, besought
_,.,,, Luke won
Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus : and Pilate ,5.°-s6-
gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the bod)- of v,i '3-
39 Jesus.3 And there came also ° Nicodemus, which at the first ^ See chap.
1 these things 2 asked of 3 and took away his body
a disciple of "Matt.
■7-61 ;
2iS THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CHAP. XIX. 38-/
came to Jesus4 by night, and5 brought" a mixture of myrrh
40 and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they '
the body of Jesus, and ""wound8 it in 'linen clothes'-' with the ^gjg-*;,
41 /spices, as10 the manner of the Jews is to bury." Now in the %}£%*
place where he was crucified there was a garden ; and in the /^kexxii
garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 5<i,xx'
42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' e prepara- j-v". m-
tion day ; for the ''sepulchre was nigh at hand.1- *v«r.3i.
4 him 5 omit and c bringing '' They took therefore
s bound ° cloths 10 even as n to prepare for burial
12 There therefore, because of the Preparation-day of the Jews (because the
sepulchre was nigh at hand), laid they Jesus.
Contents. The paragraph before us records
the committal of the body of Jesus to the tomb.
Ver. 3S. And after these things Joseph of
Arirnathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate
that he might take away the body of Jesus:
and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore
and took away his body. It is easy to under-
stand that Pilate should at once grant the permis-
sion asked. He had no interest in keeping the
body; and by giving it up to disciples uf Jesus he
would have a fresh opportunity of at once doing
despite to, and exasperating, the Jews. It seems
not unlikely that in the fact that disciples receive
the body of the Lord the Evangelist beholds a
token of the care with which it was watched over
by His Father in Heaven. Joseph, however, was
not alone.
Ver. 39. And there came also Nicodenius,
which at the first came to him by night, bring-
ing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an
hundred pound weight. The quantity of spices
thus brought by Nicodemus is certainly remark-
able ; and hence some have shrunk from taking
the words in their literal sense, holding that ' a
hundred pound ' (especially as here qualified by
' about ') may be an expression merely denoting a
great quantity. Others, following the suggestion
of 2 Chron. xvi. 14, have supposed that, when
part of the mixture of spices had been spread on
the linen cloths in which the body was to be
wrapped, the remainder was destined for ' a burn-
ing.' Whether this be accepted or not, the pas-
sage referred to is interesting as bringing before us
the burial of a King, The distinct identification
of this Nicodenius with the ruler who came to
Jesus by night (chap, iii.) is undoubtedly signi-
ficant. The humiliation of the King of Israel
(chap. iii. 3, xii. 13), so far from discouraging,
does but strengthen the once weal; faith of the
true disciple ; and in contrast with (and — may we
not add — in expression of shame and penitence
for) timorous hesitation, we read of tlie lavish
offering of a love open and avowed. The declara-
CHAP. XIX. 38-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
lion of chap. xii. 32 begins to receive its fulfil-
ment.
Ver. 40. They took therefore the hody of
Jesus, and hound it in linen cloths with the
spices, even as the manner of the Jews is to
prepare for burial. It is hardly possible to sup-
pose that the fact mentioned in the last clause is
without a purpose. The words 'even as 'would
of themselves seem to indicate as much as this.
Let us remember then the importance which was
attached by all to a splendid burial (comp. Luke
xvi. 22) ; let us bear in mind that by 'the Jews'
we are here to understand not the nation, but
rather that portion of the nation which best exem-
plified its narrowness and bigotry, and which
included its more respectable class; lastly, let us
think of the worldly circumstances of Joseph, ami
in all probability of Nicodemus ; and we shall feel
that the Evangelist desires to call our attention to
the striking fact, that, notwithstanding the igno-
219
millions death to which Jesus had been put, and
though the rage of His enemies appeared to have
so completely triumphed, there were yet those
who prepared for Him as honoured and as costly
a burial as could await any 'Jew.' That the word
'burial' is used to describe the wrapping of the
body in the linen cloths may arise from the
Evangelist's desire to mention a circumstance
which brings strongly into relief the condition in
which these cloths were afterward, found (chap.
xx. 7). The body having thus been prepared lor
burial, the actual entombment alone remains to
be spoken of.
Ver. 41. Now in the place where he was
crucified there was a garden ; and in the garden
a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet
laid. Nothing further is told by John of the
garden and of the sepulchre thus refined to. We
learn only from the other Evangelists that they
belonged to Joseph, and that the sepulchre, as is
common round Jerusalem, was hewn in the rock.
It is not easy to say whether the Evangelist, in
referring to the particulars he mentions, may have
desired to prepare the way for the reality of the
resurrection. They certainly tend to do so, because
they help to show that, when the grave was found
empty, none but Jesus could have risen from it.
It seems more 1 robable, however, that they are
mentioned with the view of bringing out the honour
paid to Jesus in His death. He was laid, not in
the place of common burial, but in a garden, and
in a new sepulchre, where no one had been laid
before Him. Finally, we are informed why they
laid Jesus there in the condition in which He
was.
Ver. 42. There therefore, because of the
Preparation-day of the Jews (because the sepul-
chre was nigh at hand!, laid they Je3us. These
words can hardly mean that Jesus was laid in this
tomb simply as a matter of convenience, owing to
the nearness of the Sabbath. The meaning must
rather be that, owing to this nearness, the embalm-
ing had been more readily left in that unfinished
state of which we read in the other Evai
The proximity of the tomb to the city has little
bearing on the former, it has a distinct bearing on
the latter point. It is unnecessary to say more on
the question of ' the Preparation-day of the Jews.'
There is only one simple and natural meaning of
the words. It was now Friday afternoon ; the
Sabbath was at hand ; the hours of that part of
the Friday devoted to preparation for the Sabbath
had set in. It was desirable, therefore, that the
work of embalming the body should for the present
be brought to a close. The reader cannot fail
to be struck with the touching pathos lent to the
whole sentence by making it close with the words
' laid they Jesus.'
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XX. 1-10.
Chapter XX. i-io.
The Empty Grave.
1 ° ''PHE ' first day of the week cometh * Mary Magdalene earl}-,
J- when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth c the
2 stone2 taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth,3
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
3 laid him. ' Peter therefore went forth, and that 4 other disciple,
4 and came to '' the sepulchre. So G they ran both together : and
the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the
5 sepulchre. And ' he 7 stooping down, and looking in, saw 8 the
6 f linen clothes9 lying; yet went he not in. Then 'cometh10
Simon Peter" following him, and 12 went into the sepulchre,
7 and seeth 13 the linen clothes9 lie,14 And ^the napkin, that was
about" his head, not lying with the linen clothes,9 but wrapped 16
8 together in a place by itself. Then went in also l; that " other
disciple,19 which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and
9 believed. For as yet h they knew not 20 the ' scripture, * that
io he must rise again from the dead. Then21 the disciples22 went
away again unto their own home.
a Matt, xxviii.
I, 2 ; Mark
xvi. i-4;
b Chap, xix
c Matt, niii,
f o ; Mark
xv. 46; chap,
xi. 38.
</Comp. chap,
xiii. 23.
e Luke xxiv.
g Chap. xi. 44.
h Comp. chap.
* See chap, vii
33.
* Ps. xvi. 10 ;
Matt. xvi.
21; Luke
xxiv. 46;
Aclsn.25-31,
xiii. 34. 35;
: Cor. xv. 4.
1 But on the " that the stone had been
4 the 5 and they came towards
s he seeth ° cloths
11 add therefore also cometh 12 add he
15 upon ll1 rolled 1T therefore
-° For not even yet knew they -1 omit Then
3 She runneth therefore
0 And "• omit he
10 omit Then cometh
13 beholdcth 14 lying
18 the 10 flrttf also
22 add therefore
Contents. The victory of Jesus over His
enemies, in the midst of apparent defeat, is still
the subject before us. The preceding chapter had
closed with the statement that He was laid in the
tomb : when the narrative of chap. xx. begins, the
tomb is empty. The great event of the Resurrec-
tion had already taken place. The victory of
Jesus over the world and death had been consum-
mated, for at the very instant when their attack
was fiercest He had escaped their hands. The
question may indeed be asked, whether chap, xx.,
as containing an account of the risen Saviour,
ought not to constitute a separate section of the
Gospel. But the reply is easy. The death and
resurrection of Jesus always accompany one another.
They are complementary parts of one whole, each
impossible without the other. It must be dis-
tinctly kept in view that the leading thought of the
Fourth Gospel is not that of defeat in suffering
followed by victory, but of triumph through and
over suffering.
The first paragraph of chap, xx., extending to
the close of ver. 10, may best be described as
Preparation for the risen Saviour.
Ver. I. But on the first day of the week
cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was
yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth that
the stone had been taken away from the sepul-
chre. Few parts of the Fourth Gospel illustrate
better than these words the principle of selection
upon which it is composed. They mention Mary
Magdalene alone ; and yet we learn from her own
words in ver. 2, ' we know,' that she could not
have been alone, — that she formed (as indeed we
are expressly told by the other Evangelists) one
of a group of women who came on the morning
of the first day of the week to finish the embalm-
ing of the body of Jesus. Again, we here read
of ' the stone taken away from the sepulchre,'
though no mention had been made of this stone
in the previous narrative. It is obvious that
here, as elsewhere, we have to deal not so much
with events of full historical detail as with events
selected on account of their bearing upon the idea
which the Evangelist wishes to illustrate. In the
present instance that idea is not the mere fact of
the Resurrection of Jesus, but the nature of His
post-resurrection state. With this His appearance
Chap. XX. i-io.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
to Mary Magdalene is closely associated; and
hence the Evangelist, omitting all mention of the
other women, concerns himself with her alone.
Of Mary, then, we are told that she came to the
sepulchre on the first day of the week 'early,' and
' when it was yet dark.' Similar expressions are
found in the other Gospels : thus Luke speaks of
'early' (literally 'deep') 'dawn,' and Mark (ver.
2) records that the women came to the sepulchre
'very early.' The only difficulty that presents
itself here is occasioned by words which follow in
the same verse of Mark's Gospel, which state that
the sun had risen. The discussion of this diffi-
culty rloes not belong to this place, and we must
content ourselves with mentioning three solutions
which have been proposed. (1) That the words
of Mark xvi. 2 are intended only as a general in-
dication of time, at or about sunrise, the rays of
dawn being in the sky, but the measure of light
still small. (2) That, though the sun had risen,
yet haze or cloud obscured its light. (3) That
John's reference to the darkness strictly belongs to
the time when Mary set forth, not to the time of
her arrival, as indeed the words might be rendered
' Mary is coming to the sepulchre : ' compare
ver. 3, where we read that Peter and John ' were
coming to,' i.e. they came towards the tomb.
It is easy to understand that the writer of the
last words in chap. .xiii. 30 would in thought
naturally dwell upon the outward darkness as
symbolical of the mental state of Mary and her
fellow-disciples.
The stone which had been fitted into the door
of the sepulchre had been taken away ; and, with-
out observing the particulars which are recorded
below (vers. 6, 7), Mary hastens to tell what she
has seen.
Ver. 2. She runneth therefore 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. That
the Lord is risen does not enter into her thoughts:
she can but imagine that enemies have stolen away
the body so precious alike in her eyes and in those
of her fellow-disciples, and she hastens to tell the
tale to those who would feel with her most deeply
and would be most able to help in the sad ex-
tremity. The statement of Mary produces its
immediate effect upon the disciples.
Ver. 3. Peter therefore went forth, and the
other disciple, and they came towards the
sepulchre. The word rendered ' went forth ' is
so often used in this Gospel in regard to the most
solemn events in the life of Jesus, as implying a
Divine mission, the accomplishment of a Divine
purpose, that we may well doubt wdiether the
Evangelist does not here employ the word in the
same pregnant sense. It is possible also that there
is design in the manner in which the names of the
two apostles are introduced : not ' Peter and the
other disciple went forth,' but ' Peter went forth,
and the other disciple.' The other examples of
this construction in the Fourth Gospel tend to show
that here John intends to set forth Peter as the
main person in the narrative : thus the whole
ground is cut away from those who hold that the
design of this section is to bring ' the other dis-
ciple' into peculiar prominence.
Ver. 4. And they ran both together, and the
other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first
to the sepulchre. It is extremely probable that
John was the younger and thus also the more
active of the two. The same supposition throws
light on the next verse.
Ver. 5. And stooping down, and looking in,
he seeth the linen cloths lying ; yet went he not
in. A feeling of awe and mystery in all proba-
bility possessed him. He was afraid to enter. It
was not so with Peter.
Vers. 6, 7. Simon Peter therefore also cometh
following him ; and he went into the sepulchre,
and beholdeth the linen cloths lying, and the
napkin that was upon his head not lying with
the linen cloths, but rolled together in a place
by itself. Peter, ever bold and daring, is less
overcome by awe than his companion. He goes
into the sepulchre, and when within sees not only
that the linen cloths are lying there, but also,
what John had not observed (ver. 5), that the
covering placed upon the head of Jesus had been
carefully (for this idea is clearly implied in the
word) rolled up, and laid in a place by itself, — in
all likelihood where the head had lain. By the
mention of these circumstances, the Evangelist
appears to indicate the calm and orderly manner
in which Jesus had left the sepulchre. They were
inconsistent with the idea, either of a hasty flight,
or of a violent removal of the body : and it is pro-
bable that John would hint at the dawning con-
sciousness of this in Peter's mind by changing the
verb 'seeth,' used in his own case, into 'beholdeth'
in the case of his companion. The effect produced
upon John by Peter's entrance into the sepulchre
was what might have been expected. He takes
courage, and also enters.
Ver. 8. Then went in therefore the other
disciple also, which came first to the sepulchre,
and he saw and believed. It is certainly not a
belief of the statement of Mary that is expressed
in this last word. As John stood gazing on the
signs which bore their silent witness that the body
of Jesus had not been taken away by violent
hands, the truth revealed itself to him, — that Jesus
had of Himself left the tomb. But even more
than this is probably intended by the word
' believed.' To receive the truth of the Resurrec-
tion was to be led to a deeper and more real faith
in Jesus Himself. The uncertainties, doubts, and
difficulties occasioned by the events of the days
just passed disappeared from John's mind. He
' believed ' in Jesus as being what He truly was,
the Son of God, the Saviour of man. The words
which follow are the reflection of the Evangelist
upon the ignorance manifested by himself and by
Peter as to the meaning of the prophetic word.
Certainly the disciples' belief in a risen Saviour
wras not the result of any assured conviction that
the Resurrection was foretold in Scripture.
Ver. 9. For not even yet knew they the
scripture, that he must rise again from the
dead. The connection between this and the pre-
ceding verse is readily perceived : — 'He saw and
believed,' — sight was needed to evoke this faith.
— -for not even yet had they learnt that thus it
was ' written that the Christ should suffer and rise
again from the dead' (Luke xxiv. 46). It may
perhaps be doubted whether self-reproach is to be
found in this statement, — to the extent, at least,
that is commonly supposed. The words seem
rather to flow from the conviction which has so
strong a hold of the Evangelist, that only in the
presence of actual experience do the power and
meaning of the Divine Word come forth. 7 he
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XX. 1 r-iS.
fact was needed ia order to illustrate and explain
the scripture; and then that faith which has been
resting on the inward perception of the glory of
Jesus receives confirmation from the discovery that
the truth received was long ago made known by
God as a part of His own counsel. As in all other
places (unless chap. xix. 2S be an exception, see
note there) John uses ' the scripture' in the sense
of a particular passage of Scripture (see chap. ii.
22), we are here led to think of Ps. xvi. 10 as
probably being before his mind. It will be re-
membered that this was ' the scripture ' to which
Peter first made appeal as a prophecy of the
Resurrection of our Lord (Acts ii. 27).
Ver. 10. The disciples therefore went away
again unto their own home. We are not told
why or in what frame of mind they thus returned
to their own homes. One thing is clear : they
believed that Jesus was risen, and that it was vain
to search for Him in the tomb.
Chapter XX. n-18
Jesus risen.
1 i T~) UT Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping : and '
JD as she wept,2 she stooped down, and looked into the
12 sepulchre, And seeth3 two "angels in * white sitting, the4 one
at the head, and the 4 other 5 at the feet, where the body of
13 Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest
thou ? She saith unto them, c Because6 they have taken away
14 my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And7
when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and rfsaw
15 Jesus standing, and '* knew" not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith
unto her, S Woman, s why weepest thou ? whom seekest thou?
She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if
thou have borne9 him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him,
16 and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She
turned 10 herself, and saith unto him," ;' Rabboni ; which is to
17 say, ' Master.12 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not ; for I am
not yet ascended to my I3 Father : but go to my k brethren,
and say unto them, ' I ascend unto my Father, and your
iS Father ; and to u '" my God, and your God. " Alary Magdalene
came and told 15 the disciples that she had 16 seen ,r the Lord,
and that he had spoken ,s these things unto her.
1 omit and - add therefore s beholdeth
•' omit the 5 one 6 omit Because
7 omit And s and she beholdeth Jesus standing, and perceived
,J didst bear 10 turneth u add in Hebrew
'-Teacher I3 the li omit to 15 Cometh, bringing word to
a Comp. Matt.
Mark xvi. 5;
Luke xxiv.
4 ; also
Acts i. 10.
b Acts i. 10.
Comp. Matt.
Kev. i>
c Ver. 2.
d .Mark xvi. 9
, I uke xxiv.
16, 31 ; cha;>.
• 4-
A Mark x. 51
i Chap. i. 38
t Ps XML 2!
Matt, xxvi
/ See chap.
m Matt, xxvi
40 ; Eph i
11 Markxvi. 1
1
16 omit that she had
I have seen
lN tli.it he said
Contents. The paragraph now before us pre-
sents an advance upon that last considered. There
we had only preparation for the risen Jesus ; here
we have Jesus risen. There all was negative :
Jesus was not in the tomb, and the inference was
that He was risen. Here all is positive. The
risen One appears to Mary, proclaiming Himself,
and sends a message to His disciples.
Ver. 11. But Mary stood without at the
sepulchre weeping. Peter and John had returned
to their homes. Mary had followed them when
they first ran to the sepulchre ; but (probably in
consequence of their eager haste) she had not
reached it before they departed. Nothing at
least is said of her having met them and been
addressed by them. She stands there with no
thought of a resurrection in her mind, but believ-
ing only that the body has been taken away, and
therefore weeping with loud lamentation (comp.
on chap. xi. 34, 35). — As she wept therefore she
stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre.
Nothing could be more natural than thai she
should desire to view the spot associated with all
that was so dear to her.
CHAP. XX. 11-18.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Vet, 12. And beholdeth two angels in white
sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet,
where the body of Jesus had lain. In each of
the accounts of the Resurrection an angelic
appearance is recorded, — in every case an appear-
ance to the women who came to the tomb : by
Peter and John no angels had been seen (vers. 5,
6). The ' white ' garments are the symbol of
purity ami glory ; see the references in the margin,
and also Rev. iii. 4, 5, vi. II, xix. 14, etc. That
one of the angels was ' at the head ' and the other
'at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain,' is
to be regarded as expressive of the fact that the
body was wholly under the guardianship of
Heaven. This is not the place to enter upon any
discussion of the general credibility of the angelic
appearances recorded in Scripture. They are too
often and too circumstantially spoken of to permit
us to resolve them into mere figures of speech :
nor can we have any difficulty in believing that
in the great universe of God there should be such
an order of beings as that described by the term
'angels.' If, however, they may exist, their
manifestation of themselves must be regarded as
also possible ; and the manner of the manifesta-
tion— their appearing to some and not to others,
their appearing suddenly and then as suddenly
disappearing — is to be looked at as dependent
upon laws of which we can say nothing, because
we have ourselves no practical experience of
them.
Ver. 1 j. And they say unto her, Woman, why
weepest thou ? She saith unto them, They
have taken away my Lord, and I know not
where they have laid him. Mary's reply betrays
neither consternation nor even surprise : as has
been well said, her excitement is such that the
wonderful ceases to be wonderful to her. Her
words are exactly the same as those spoken by her
in ver. 2, except that, as she is now expressing
simply her own feelings and not those of com-
panions, the utterance becomes more tender : thus
for ' the Lord ' and ' we know ' we here read ' my
Lord,' '/know.' She tints comes before us as
more fully prepared for receiving a manifestation
of the risen Saviour : and that no answer of the
angels is recorded may be regarded as a token on
the part of the Evangelist that to such a faith
Jesus will reveal Himself directly, and without
the interposition of any other.
Ver. 14. When she had thus said, she turned
herself back; and she beholdeth Jesus standing,
and perceived not that it was Jesus. Mary has
answered the inquiry of the angels ; and, satisfied
that the Lord is not in the sepulchre, she turns
round to see if information regarding Him can be
obtained from any other source. Could we think
that the morning was still dark, it might be
possible to trace Mary's non-recognition of Jesus
to that cause : but, if light was already dawning
when she came first to the sepulchre, day must by
this time have fully broken. That she did not
know Jesus must, therefore, have proceeded from
some other cause. This could not be the outward
glory of His appearance, or she would not have
supposed Him to be the gardener (ver. 15). Nor
does it seem desirable to resort to the explanation
offered by many, that glorified corporeity has the
power of making itself visible or invisible, or of
assuming different forms of manifestation at its
pleasure. Much may be attributed to Mary's total
want of preparation for the fact. The idea that
-=3
Jesus had risen from the grave had not yet dawned
upon hi : the form now in her presence could not
be His : no supposition lay so near as that it was
the gardener who had drawn near. More, how-
ever, must be said ; and the key to the solution of
the difficulty is to be found in Luke xxiv. 16 (see
also chap. xxi. 4). Her 'eyes were holden ' that
she should not discern her Lord. She was not
yet ready for any such recognition as might corre-
spond to the new stage of existence upon which
He had entered. She would have seen the human
friend, — Jesus as He had been, not as He now
was. Some further training, therefore, is still
needed, and then the glorious revelation shall be
given.
Ver. 15. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why
weepest thou ? whom seekest thou ? The object
of the questions seems to be, to recall Mary to
herself and to awaken more deliberate thought.
She is confounded by all that has happened, over-
whelmed by her emotions, and hence unable to
judge justly of what she is to see. The question-
ing ami answering bring her back to calmness and
self-possession. — She, supposing him to be the
gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou didst bear
him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him,
and I will take him away. So much is Mary
absorbed in her own thoughts, and so completely
is her mind filled with one great subject, that she
imagines that every one must at once enter into
her feelings. Accordingly she does not even men-
tion the name of Jesus, but ask, whether the
gardener has borne ' Him ' away. She seeks but
to learn where He is, that (for no recollection
of woman's weakness presents itself to hinder the
thought) she may take Him to another tomb. As
she speaks, her faith and love are drawn forth in
increasing measure, and the moment is at hand
when they shall be satisfied.
Ver. 16. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. Tliat
single wind completes her present training. Nor
is this wonderful. She is calmer now : the inter-
vening conversation has produced this effect.
Tlren again we cannot doubt that there would be
more of the old tenderness of Jesus in the pro-
nunciation of her name than in the words as yet
spoken to her. The very mark, indeed, of the
relation between Jesus and His people, when that
relation is conceived of in its most tender form,
is that 'He calleth His own sheep by name'
(chap. x. 3). We are not to imagine that it i,
only the sound of the voice that is now recognised
by Mary. By the name, by the tone in which the
name is uttered, a whole flood of recollections is
brought up. All the deepest and most solemn
impressions that had been produced upon her by
her former intercourse with Jesus are re-awakened
in power. She recalls not merely what was most
human but what was most Divine in I Urn. Vet
it would seem, from the epithet that she imme-
diately applies to our Lord, that she thinks of
Him as standing to her in some at least of the old
relations. It .is not strange that it should be so :
any experience that she had had of resurrections
through the power of Christ had been of resur-
rections to the former conditions of life. But now
she is prepared for more, and therefore she shall be
taught to know Jesus fully. — She turneth herself,
and saith unto Him in Hebrew, Babboni, which
is to say, Teacher. The title thus used by Mary
is probably the provincial form Rabban or
Rabbi, and it is found in the New Testament
224
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XX. 1 1-1S.
only here, and in the Gospel of Mark (chap.
x. 51), noted, as is well known, for its use
of expressions from the common tongue. It
means properly 'My Master,' and is thus ex-
pressive of love and devotedness as well as of
respect and reverence. As Mary uttered the
word, she must have endeavoured to fall down at
the feet of her Lord, embracing them (comp.
Matt, xxviii. g).
Ver. 17. Jesus Baith unto her, Touch me
not ; for I am not yet ascended to the Father ;
but go to my brethren, and say unto them,
I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and
my God and your God. Many different interpre-
tations have been given of these words, some
coarse, others either requiring the introduction
into the text of thoughts that are not there, or too
far-fetched and mystical.
The meaning has been made more difficult by a
want of sufficient attention to the force of the
words ' Touch me not ; ' for these words do not
express the touch of a moment only, but a
touch that continues for a time. They are
equivalent to 'Keep not thy touch upon me,'
' Handle me not,' ' Cling not to me.' Mary would
have held her Lord fast with the grasp of earthly
friendship and love. She needed to be taught
that the season for such bodily touching of the
Word of Life was past. But, as it passed, the
disciples were not to be left desolate : the season
for another touching — deeper, because spiritual —
began. Jesus would return to His Father, and
would send forth His Spirit to dwell with His
disciples. Then they should see Him, hear Him,
handle Him, touch Him, in the only way in which
He can now be seen and heard and handled and
touched. In a true and living faith they shall
embrace Him with a touch never more to be
withdrawn or interrupted. Hence the important
word 'brethren.' Those to whom the message is
sent are more than disciples ; they are ' brethren '
of their Lord. His Father is their Father, and
His God their God. They are entering upon a
state of spiritual fellowship with the Father
similar to His own ; and that fellowship is to be
the distinguishing characteristic of their new
condition. Thus the message sent by Mary to
the ' brethren ' of the Lord is not a mere message
that He has risen from the grave. The thought
of His resurrection is rather embraced only as a
part of a new and permanent state of things which
has come in. Even here, however, it is important
to observe that the distinction between our Lord
and His disciples is still carefully preserved.
Jesus does not say ' Our Father,' but ' My Father
and your Father ; ' so that the significance of
' brethren ' lies in this, that the word is used in the
very verse which proclaims so clearly the difference
between Him and them. — The words ' the lather,'
in the first part of the Lord's address to Mary,
ought not to pass unnoticed. The reader may
compare what has been said on chap. viii. 27.
He will then see that the expression ' the Father '
here combines in one thought all that is implied
in the four designations that follow — ' My Father,'
'Your Father,' ' My God,' 'Your God.' — 'I
ascend ' is not to be understood (as some have
maintained) of an immediate ascension, incon-
sistent alike with the forty days of Acts i. 3 and
with the subsequent narratives of this very Gospel.
Yet neither are we to understand it as if it meant
' I will ascend ' at some future day. The use of
the present is to be explained by the consideration
that the Resurrection of our Lord was really the
beginning of His Ascension. At that point earth
ceased to be the Saviour's home as it had been ;
and He Himself was no longer in it what He had
been. Thus it might be said by Him, ' I ascend.'
' My ascent is begun, and shall be soon completed :
then shall I enter into My glory, and the Spirit
shall be bestowed in all His fulness.'
The contrast between the relation in which
Jesus places Himself to Mary in this verse, and to
Thomas in ver. 27 (comp. Luke xxiv. 39), has
often been dwelt upon as if it afforded evidence
of the untrustworthy nature of the whole narrative
before us. Yet a moment's consideration will
satisfy any one that the difference in our Lord's
object on these two occasions necessarily involved
a difference in His treatment of those whom He
would lead to a full knowledge of Himself.
Thomas has to be convinced that He who stands
before him is indeed his Lord and Master risen
from the grave. Mary believes that Jesus is risen,
but needs further instruction as to His present
state. To have treated the latter in the same
manner as the former would have been to make
Mary stop short of the very point to which Jesus
would conduct her. To have treated the former
as the latter would have been to unfold to Thomas
the mystery of the resurrection state of Jesus,
while he had not yet accepted the fact that the
resurrection had taken place.
Ver. iS. Mary Magdalene corneth, bringing
word to the disciples, I have seen the Lord,
and that he said these things unto her. Mary
has now recognised her Lord. We have seen
her longing, with weeping eyes and breaking
heart, for the Friend whom she had loved on
earth. She was prepared for more, and more was
given. Her Master was revealed to her, not as
the human Friend alone, but in all that awakened
at the same time her reverence and awe, in all
that reminded her of the Divine in Him. Thus
she was ready for another step, and she was led
that step forward. She saw before her the risen
and glorified Lord ; and she could look forward
to the future, inviting at the same time the
disciples to join her in the prospect, as a future in
which He who is for ever with the Father should
be for ever, by His Spirit, with her and them,
weeping changed into joy, and defeat into victor)*.
With a message of this kind she goes to the
disciples, and they are prepared for what is now
to follow*.
The relation between the appearance of Jesus
to Mary and that to the women spoken of in Matt.
xxviii. 9, can hardly be discussed here. The
question belongs to the First Gospel, involving, as
it does, considerations connected with the general
structure of that Gospel upon which we are not
able here to enter. It may be enough to say that
we cannot regard the two appearances as identical: 1~
they differ in almost every circumstance.
Chap. XX. 19-23.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Chapter XX. 19-23.
The First Manifestation of Himself by the Risen Lord.
19 ' ' I ^HEN the same day at evening,1 being* the first day of
J- the week, b when 3 the doors were 4 shut where the dis-
ciples were assembled 5 c for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and
stood in the midst, and ° saith unto them, d Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so 7 said,8 he showed unto them 9 his hands
and his side. ' Then were the disciples glad,10 when they saw
21 the Lord. Then said Jesus11 to them again, Peace be unto
you: ^as my" Father hath sent me, even so send I you.13
22 And when he had said this, he e breathed on them, and saith
23 unto them, ''Receive ye1' the Holy Ghost:15 'Whose soever
sins ye remit,10 they are17 remitted unto them; and1* whose
soever sins ye retain,19 they arc 17 retained.
1 When therefore it was evening on that day - omit being
3 and when * had been 5 omit assembled c add he
7 omit so 8 add this 9 add both
10 The disciples therefore rejoiced n Jesus therefore said
'- even as the 13 I also send you u omit ye 16 Spirit
18 If ye shall have remitted the sins of any u have been
18 omit and 1;l if ye retain the sins of any
. Luke x.v
36-40.
(Ver. 26.
(/Vers. :
chap. >
■ Chap.
/Matt, xxviii.
iq ; chap. iv.
1 .11 b.i Li.
g Comp. Gen
/* Comp. chap.
Contents. Mary Magdalene has carried to
the disciples the tidings with which she was
charged. We have now the first appearance to
the Risen Lord.
Ver. 19. When therefore it was evening on
that day, the first day of the week, and when
the doors had been shut where the disciples
were for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood
in the midst ; and he saith unto them, Peace
be unto you. The message sent by the Lord to
His disciples through Mary Magdalene was, ' I
ascend unto the Father.' In other words, it was
an intimation to them that that glorification
had begun whose distinguishing feature would l>e
wal of the Spirit upon the members of
ody. In this thought lies the connection
between the last narrative and that now before us,
as well as the special point of view from which the
Evangelist desires us to look at the manifestation
ot the Risen One which he is about to relate. In
this also we see the difference of aim between
John and Luke, in what is universally allowed
to be the record of the same scene (Luke xxiv.
36-43). Luke would prove to us the reality of the
Resurrection body, and would show that Jesus
is substantially the same as He had been : John
would show us thai, while He is substantially
the same, yet it is Jesus filled with the Spirit
whom we behold. Hence the structure of John's
narrative, in which it will be observed that the
second 'Peace be unto you' (ver. 21) takes up
again the same expression in ver. 19 (romp, on
chap. xiii. 3), and that ver. 20 is in a certain
sense parenthetical. This aim of our Evangelist
also explains the stress which is laid upon the fact
vol.. n. li
that this manifestation of Jesus took place 'when
the doors had been shut.' That we are to see
something miraculous in this is clear, alike from
the repetition of the statement below (ver. 26), and
from the whole tone and bearing of the narrative.
Any idea, therefore, of the withdrawal of the bolts
of the doors must be at once dismissed. It is im-
possible to do justice to the passage unless we
admit that, at a moment when the doors were
shut, and when no one could enter through them
in the ordinary way, Jesus suddenly stood in the
midst of the disciples. But this is all that we have
any right to say. The travesty of the whole scene
by those who have ridiculed the idea
that a body with ' flesh and bones ' (Luke xxiv.
39) should penetrate through the substance of the
wood, finds no countenance in the words with
which we have to deal. Such a thought is not
present to the mind of John. He dwells himself,
and he would have us dwell, upon the simple cir-
cumstance that, at an instant when an ordinary
human body could not have entered the apartment
because the doors were shut, the glorified Jesus
'came and stood in the midst.' Thus looked
at, the passage sets before us what is no doubt
miraculous, what is at variance with our present
knowledge of the properties of a material frame,
but at the same time nothing unworthy of the
solemnity of the hour. As at Emmaus Jesus
suddenly disappeared from those whose eyes were
opened and who knew Him, so here He appears
with equal suddenness to those who are ready to
recognise Him. How He thus appeared through
the physical obstacles presented by a room closed
on every side it is not possible for us to say. The
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XX. 19-23.
126
properties of matter spiritualised and glorified are
entirely unknown to us from any experience of our
own, nor is light thrown upon them here further
than this, — that Jesus, in His glorified humanity,
had the power of being present when He pleased,
without reference to the ordinary laws which con-
trol the movements of men. In this absolute
subjection of the body to the spirit, John sees
proof and illustration of the fact that in the person
of Jesus dualism has disappeared, and that the
perfect unity of body and spirit has been reached.
The old struggle between the material and the
spiritual, between the limited and the unlimited,
has been brought to an end : the spiritual and the
unlimited have absolute control. As 'the first
Adam became a living soul,' so ' the second Adam
became a life-giving Spirit' (I Cor. sv. 45), and
such life of the Spirit the disciples shall imme-
diately receive. — The salutation of the Saviour
when He manifested Himself was ' Peace be unto
you;' and the meaning and force of the salutation
are deepened by the contrast with the ' fear of the
Jews ' spoken of immediately before. As in chap,
xiv. 27 (see commentary), this is the salutation of
a departing Master, not of a dying Father. Amidst
the troubles of the world upon which the disciples
are about to enter, and when there is no help from
man, Jesus is at hand to speak peace : ' In the
world' they 'have tribulation,' but in Him 'peace '
(chap. xvi. 33). — It will be observed that the Evan-
gelist seems carefully to distinguish between ' the
disciples ' (vers. 18, 19) and 'the Twelve' (ver. 24).
Hence we should naturally conclude that this
manifestation of the Risen Lord was not limited to
tics; and Luke xxiv. 33 shows that this
conclusion is correct.
Ver. 20. And when he had said this, he showed
unto them both his hands and his side. If the
words of Luke xxiv. 40 are genuine, the feet were
aLo shown ; but the genuineness of that passage is
too doubtful to permit us to argue from it with
confidence. In whatever respects the glorified
body of Jesus differed from what it had been before
His death, there was at least enough of resem-
blance to make identification not only possible but
the necessary result of careful observation ; and it
is worthy of notice that the very Evangelist who
has given us the most striking conception of the
change which it had undergone, is the one by
whom the identification is also most clearly estab-
lished. We shall err, however, if we think that
the only object which Jesus had in view in show-
ing His hands and His side was identification.
He would also connect His present glorification
with His past sufferings. Even now, amidst His
glory, His peopie must not forget that His path
to it had been the Cross. He is the Lamb that
was 'slain ' (comp. Rev. v. 6, 12). — The disciples
therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
These words describe the effect of the manifestation
upon the disciples (comp. chap. xvi. 22). They
who thus rejoice when they see Him are prepared
for further manifestations of His grace.
Ver. 21. Jesus therefore said to them again,
Peace be unto you. The words are exactly the
same as before (ver. 19), but they must have gone
home with a deeper power to the hearts of the
disciples, who now understood more fully the
Person from whom they came. They prepare the
way for the great commission to be given, — a com-
mission which, amidst all the trials it would bring
with it from the world, the disciples are to execute
in peace. — Even as the Father hath sent me, I
also send you. The words ' even as ' bring out
the close correspondence between the mission of
Jesus Himself and that upon which He sends His
disciples. In both cases it was a mission of self-
denying love to men ; in both one of labour,
suffering, and death, followed by glory ; in both
we have the thought of willing service imposed by
an authority that is supreme. We have already
met with words expressing a very similar thought
in our Lord's intercessory prayer : ' Even as Thou
didst send Me into the world, I also sent them
into the world ' (chap. xvii. 18). But there is one
important point of difference, which an English
translation fails to exhibit. In chap. xvii. the
Greek word for ' sent ' is the same in both mem-
bers of the sentence ; in the verse before us it is
otherwise. Here the former clause ('Even as the
Father hath sent Me ') contains the word of chap.
xvii. 18 (apostello), but in the latter clause ('I also
Sfiul you ') the verb is different ( pempo). The
distinction in meaning seems to be that the
second word expresses mission, the first more
properly commission. When the first is used, our
thoughts turn to a special embassy, and special
instructions which the ambassador receives ; the
second brings into view rather the authority of
the sender and the obedience of the sent. Both
words, therefore, may be used either of our Lord
or of His disciples. Thus in more than twenty
verses of this Gospel Jesus applies the second
word to Himself (see especially chap. iv. 34, ' My
meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me ') ;
whilst in such passages as chap. vi. 29, xvii. 3 (8,
18, 21, 23, 25), we find instead the more expressive
word. In chap. v. 36, 37, and again in chap. vii.
28, 29, the two are brought together, as they are
here ; and the appropriateness of each word in its
place may readily be seen. In chaps, v. 37 and vii.
2S our thought must rest chiefly on the Sender ;
but in chaps, v. 36 and vii. 29 on the commission
which the Father has given to His Son. On the
other hand, the word apostello is used by Jesus in
regard to His disciples in chap. iv. 38 ('I sent
you to reap ') as well as in chap. xvii. 18 ; and is
indeed the word from which the distinctive name
of the Twelve, 'apostles,' is derived. Various
thoughts are suggested here by the marked and
sudden transition from one word to the other. It
may be said with truth that, as chap. xvii. iS has
its primary application to apostles, the word which
designates their special office was naturally chosen
there ; here, on the contrary (see note on ver. 19),
the disciples in general are addressed, — the dis-
ciples who are the representatives of the whole
Church of Christ. Again, the word by which
Jesus here expresses the mission of His disciples
(pempo), is one which brings into relief their
separation from His bodily presence : formerly
they were continually at His side, but now they
must be dismissed for their labour throughout the
world (Matt, xxviii. 19). One other thought it is
impossible to overlook. There is peculiar dignity
in the avoidance on the part of the Risen
Lord of that form of speech which would seem
to identify two relations which (however closely
they may sometimes be associated) are essentially
distinct. No human disciples can really bear the
commission of Jesus as Jesus bears that which He
has received from the Father (comp. note on ver.
17). By design, therefore, the Lord here, reserv-
ing for Himself the higher word, speaks of the
CHAP. XX. 19-23.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
disciples as His envoys to the world. The com-
mission which they hold from Him receives
ieparate mention in a later verse (ver. 23).
Ver. 22. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and saith unto them. Receive
the Holy Spirit. Not only did the Risen Lord
thus send His disciples on their mission to the
world, He gave them also the preparation which
should enable them to fulfil their trust. The
literal and correct rendering of the original Greek
is not 'Receive the Holy Spirit,' but 'Receive
Holy Spirit;' the difference being, as was pointed
out on chap. vii. 39, that by the latter expression
we are to understand not the personal Holy Ghost,
but His (lower or influence over the hearts of men.
It was in the power of Holy Spirit that Jesus had
entered upon His own ministry (Luke iv. 1, where
the same expression is used as here) ; with the
like preparation shall His Church enter upon the
work to which she is called. The gift now
bestowed is, therefore, not simply symbolical but
real : at that moment the Spirit was given. All
this is in perfect harmony with the words of chap.
cause at this moment the glorification of
Jesus has begun (see note on ver. 17). The gift,
too, was imparted not to apostles only, but to all
the disciples present ; it is a gift not for the
ministry alone, but for the whole Church of
Christ. 11 so, the interesting question immedi-
ately arises, What is the relation of the gift spoken
of here to that bestowed at Pentecost? The
answer would seem to be that here the gift relates
to the inner life of the disciples, there to the more
outward equipment for their work ; here to the
enlightenment and quickening of their own souls,
there to preparation for producing an effect on
others. Perhaps we may seek an illustration (to
be applied, as always, with reserve) from the life
of the Saviour Himself. As His public ministry
began when the Holy Spirit descended on Him at
His baptism, so did His apostles receive their full
commission and power on the day of Pe
But as before His baptism the Holy Spirit had
rested on Him continually, so now, before Pente-
cost, the same holy influence is bestowed on His
disciples, preparing them for the day of final con-
secration to their work. It has, indeed, often
been maintained that we have before us a promise
and not a present gift. But such cannot be the
meaning of the language which is here used.
Even were it granted that the word ' Receive '
might be understood as an assurance of a future
gift, the action which accompanies the word must
imply much more than this. ' He breathed on
them : ' this surely was the outward symbol of an
actual impartation — of His breathing into them (see
Gen. ii. 7, where the same word is used) the power
and influence of which He spoke. And yet it is
true that this gift was both present (actual) and
also future (a promise). As present, it brought
with it the quickening of spiritual life ; as future,
it included in itself all that Pentecost gave. The
former thought is important in relation to the
development of the disciples : the latter in its
connection with ver. 23, and especially in its
presentation of the Redeemer as Himself the
Giver of the Holy Spirit (chap. xvi. 26).
Ver. 23. If ye shall have remitted the sins of
227
any, they have been remitted unto them ; if ye
retain the sins of any, they have been retained.
We regard two points as established from what has
been already said. I. The words of this verse are
not addressed to apostles alone. 2. Though con-
joined with a present impartation of the Holy
Spirit, they belong really to the days when the
disciples shall have fully entered on their work as
representatives of their Lord and His witnesses in
the world. This verse and the last stand in the
closest possible connection : only when the Holy
Spirit has been received can such a conin
this be executed. Without unduly entering on
controverted ground, let us seek to collect the
meaning which the words (which we have thought
it desirable to render with unusual closeness) must
necessarily bear. It is clear that two remissions
of sin are spoken of, — two which agree in one.
Where Christ's servants ' have remitted the sins
of any,' these sins 'have been remitted unto them,
— remitted absolutely, i.e. remitted by God, fot
'who can forgive sins but Clod only?' (Mark ii.
7). But as we know that the Divine forgiveness
is suspended on certain conditions, — penitence and
faith, — it follows that the remission granted by
Christ's disciples must (since it agrees with the
Divine remission) be suspended on the same con-
ditions. Either, therefore, the disciples must
possess unfailing insight into man's heart (such as
in certain cases was granted to an apostle, see
Acts v. 3), or the remission which they proclaim
must be conditionally proclaimed. No one can
maintain the former alternative. It follows, then,
that what our Lord here commits to His disciples,
to His Church, is the right authoritatively to de-
clare, in His name, that there is forgiveness for
man's sin, and on what conditions the sin will be
forgiven. Nor does there seem to be ground for
thinking that we have here a special application
by one individual, whether minister or not, to an-
other of the remission (or retention) of sin spoken
of. The use of ' any ' in the plural number appears
to be inconsistent with such a view. It is nut a
direct address by one person to another that is
thought of, — 'I declare that thy sins are thus
authoritatively remitted or retained.' It is a pro-
clamation from one collective body to another, —
from the Church to the world. The mission of
the Church is to announce to the world her own
existence in her Lord, as a company of forgiven
men, and to invite the world to join her. Let the
world comply with the invitation, it shall enjoy
forgiveness in the company of the forgiven : let
it refuse the invitation, it can only have its sins
retained in the company of those who have been
'judged already' (comp. chap. ni. iS). Here, as
in all else, the Church only witnesses to what her
Lord does. But as it is by her life, even more
than by words, that she witnesses, so it is by ac-
cepting or rejecting her life that her witness is
accepted or rejected ; and thus it is that by com-
munion with her the blessing is enjoyed, that by
separation from her it is forfeited. It ought par-
ticularly to be noticed that of the two remissions
or retentions of sin spoken of in the words before
us, the Divine act, although the last to be men-
tioned, is the first in thought — 'ha- e been remitted,'
' have been retained
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XX. 24-29
B
Chapter XX. 24-29.
The Second Manifestation of Himself by the Risen Lord.
UT " Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not «Chap. *i. is.
with them when Jesus came. The other disciples there-
fore said unto him, * We have seen the Lord. But he said *v«s. io,»o.
unto them, Except I shall h see in his hands the print of
the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and
26 thrust ' my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after
eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with
them: then 2 came Jesus, the doors being shut,3 and stood in
27 the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to
Thomas, c Reach hither thy finger, and behold4 my hands; cijohni. 1.
and reach hither5 thy hand, and thrust1 it into my side: and
28 be not faithless," but believing. And 7 Thomas answered and
29 said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him,
Thomas,8 d because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed : "'po'pp- Lake
blessed9 are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. IpS'J.'J.'
Jesus cometh when the doors had been shut
unbelieving 7 omit And
happy
1 put - omit then
4 see "' omit hither
8 omit Thomas
( ontents. We have here a second ap-
pearance of Jesus to the disciples, distinguished
from that coming immediately before, inasmuch
as it seems especially intended to set forth the
blessedness of those who believe without seeing.
Ver. 29 evidently forms the climax of the whole,
and presents to us the point of view from which
we are to look at this narrative in contrast with
the preceding one. How fitting was it that thus,
at the moment when the Gospel message was
about to be carried into all lands, and when faith
in an unseen Saviour was the only faith that could
be preached, a special blessing should be pro-
nounced on those who should not see but yet
should believe ! When we regard the paragraph
now before us in this light, a remarkable corre-
spondence presents itself between the three
appearances of the Risen Saviour in this chapter
and the three parts into which the intercessory
prayer of chap. xvii. divides itself. The first
appearance corresponds to the first part of the
prayer, for in each we see Jesus Himself. The
second corresponds to the second part, for in
each we see Jesus in relation to His immediate
disciples. The third again corresponds to the
third part, for in each we see Jesus in relation to
all wlio should yet believe in Him.
Ver. 24. But Thomas, one of the twelve,
called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus
came. On the object of thus interpreting the
name Thomas, see on chap. xi. 16. It is impossible
to think that the Evangelist translates the word for
the mere purpose of mentioning that Thomas had
a Greek as well as an Aramaic name. The man
rs in the name.
Ver. 25. The other disciples therefore said
unto him, We have seen the Lord. Thomas
received information from his fellow-apostles of
the first manifestation of Himself by Jesus ; but
he is not satisfied. — But he said unto them,
Except I shall see in his hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the
nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not
believe. In other words, he will not believe
unless he sees. Yet it hardly seems as if the
Resurrection of Jesus were the sole object of his
incredulity. That is no doubt primarily in view ;
but we have already seen that the word ' believe '
must be understood in a fuller and deeper sense
at ver. S, and the same remark applies to its use
in ver. 29. It includes therefore belief in Jesus
as the glorified Lord, as the Redeemer who has
completely accomplished the purpose of His
mission, and in whom the highest hopes of Israel
are fulfilled. To Thomas the death upon the
cross had appeared to crush these hopes for ever.
Could he le convinced of the Resurrection they
would revive ; and he would believe not merely in
that miracle as an isolated fact, but in the whole
redeeming work of which it was the culmination
and the seal. Thus also we are not to imagine
that he is content to waver between conviction
and doubt. His old love for his Lord — that love
which seems to have burned in the breasl of no
apostle more warmly than in his — still 1
His mood has been one of disappointment and
sonow ; and the sorrow is deepened in exact pro-
portion to the height of his previous expectations,
and to what lie knows will be the joyful result il
lie It able to believe the tidings of the Resurrec-
CHAP. XX. 24-29 .] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
tion. The harsh impression generally made by
these words of Thomas is probably in no small
measure due to the unfortunate translation 'thrust,'
which suggests the thought of coarseness and reck-
lessness of speech. But there is no such meaning
in the original. The word is indeed the same as
that in the previous clause which the translators of
the Authorised Version themselves render by 'put.'
What Thomas desires is certainly more than had
been granted to the others. Jesus 'showed unto
them both His hands and His side ' (ver. 20) ;
but Thomas would touch them. Had he been
present at the first manifestation, he would
probably have been satisfied with the evidence
that was enough for his fellow-apostles. At all
events he is now ready to believe, if only what
seems to him sufficient evidence is given ; and
his desire is granted.
Ver. 26. And after eight days again his
disciples were within, and Thomas with them.
The place of assembly was without doubt the
same as before ; and that the apostles were as-
sembled on the Sunday appears to indicate that
they already regarded the first day of the w:eek as
a day which the Risen Lord would peculiarly
bless. — Jesus cometh when the doors had been
shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace
be unto you. All is the same as at ver. 19.
Ver. 27. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach
hither thy finger, and see my hands ; and reach
thy hand and put it into my side, and be not
unbelieving but believing. Jesus at once speaks
without needing to be told of the doubts of
Thomas. At the same time he recognises the
naturalness of that element of weakness which
marked the faith of His disciple, and He will so
meet it that it may give place to strength. As
before, under the word 'believing' we must
understand not belief in the Resurrection only,
but a full faith in Jesus Himself as the Saviour
who has triumphed over all His foes, and has com-
pletely accomplished the purposes of His love.
Ver. 2S. Thomas answered and said unto
him, My Lord and my God. He passes at once
from the depths of his despondency and hesitation
to the most exalted faith. The words are certainly
addressed to Jesus ; and it is unnecessary to combat
the position that they are only an expression of
the apostle's thankfulne-s to God for what he has
seen. They are a triumphant confession of his
faith, not simply in the Resurrection, but in Him
whom he sees before him in all the Divinity both
of His Person and of His work. Yet we are not
to imagine that only now for the first time did such
thoughts enter his mind. They had been long
vaguely entertained, long feebly cherished. Nor
can wc doubt thai they had been gaining strength,
when they were suddenly dashed by that death upon
the cross with which it seemed impossible to re-
concile them. Then came the tidings of the Resur-
rection, even in themselves most startling, but to
Thomas (we may well suppose) more startling than
to any of the other apostles. Were they true?
He saw in an instant how incalculable would
he the consequences. It was this very perception
of the greatness of the tidings that led him to reject
them. His state of mind had been the same as in
chap. xi. 16, where, when Jesus hinted at giving
life, he went rather to the opposite extreme, and
thought of a death that would involve not only
Lazarus but them all. Thus also now. He hears
that Jesus is risen, and his first impulse is to say,
229
' It cannot be : thick darkness cannot pass at once
into such glorious light ; the despair which is noti-
fied by what has happened cannot at once be trans-
formed into inextinguishable confidence and hope.'
This depth of feeling prepared him for the complete-
ness of the revulsion that now took place. For a
week he had been able to meditate on all that he
had both seen and heard. We cannot doubt that
during that time the sayings of his Lord about
His resurrection, as well as His death, would all
return to his memory. He would see that what
was said to have happened had been foretold ;
after all it was not to be rejected as impossible.
He would think with himself what kind or amount
of proof could convince him that the fact was true ;
and he would be unable to fall upon any harder
proof than that which his incredulity had suggested
in the moment of its first strength. But, if that
proof can be given, then how powerfully would
he feel the injustice which by his doubting he
had done his Master! With what force would
intimations, once dark but now bright in the light
of the supposed Resurrection, come home to him !
His very highest expectations would seem to him
to have been warranted, and more than warranted,
by the facts. We need not wonder that, having
passed through a week so rich in training power,
Thomas, when he did behold the Risen Lord,
should have leaped at once from his former un-
belief to faith in its highest stage, or that he
should have exclaimed to Jesus, ' My Lord and my
God.' It may even be doubted if, before this con-
fession was made, he found it necessary to put his
finger into the print of the nails or his hand into the
wounded side. It was enough to 'see' (ver. 29).
One other remark may be made. Those who
study the structure of the Fourth Gospel will
hardly fail to trace in the incident thus placed at the
close of its narrative the tendency of the Evangelist
to return upon his own early steps. He had begun
with ' the Word ' who ' was God ; ' he closes with
this highest truth accepted and ratified by those
to whom the revelation was given. The last witness
bome by one of them in the body of the Gospel
narrative is, ' My Lord and my God ! '
Ver. 29. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou
hast seen me, thou hast believed; happy are
they that have not seen and yet have believed,
rds are intended for the Church now about
to be called out of the world, — for the Church of
all ages, which by the very necessity of the case
must believe without seeing. What then is the
contrast which Jesus has in view? Can it be a
contrast between faith which wishes to see the
miraculous fact in order to accept it, and faith
which accepts the fact on the ground of simple
testimony? Such an explanation limits unduly the
meaning of the word 'believe.' It substitutes one
kind of seeing for another (for what does testi-
mony do but place us in the position of the original
witnesses ?) ; and, by failing to bring us into direct
oontact with the Person of Jesus, it lowers the state
of mind to which the blessedness of the Gospel is
attached. The contrast is of a deeper kind, —
between a faith resting entirely upon outward evi-
dence of Divine claims, and a faith rising higher
and resting upon that intuitive perception of the
Divine in Jesus which is afforded by the con-
sideration of what He is in Himself as the Crucified
and Risen Lord. In the ages of the Church which
were to follow the ' going away ' of Jesus, it was
needful that faith should rest first upon testimony ;
23°
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XX. 30, 31.
but it was not to pause there. It was to rest upon
the spiritual apprehension of that to which testi-
mony is borne, — of that which the Lord is in Him-
self as the embodiment of the Divine, and the
unchanging spring of the heavenly power and grace
which are manifested in His people. Thus to us,
who are separated by many centuries from the time
when the Lord was personally present in the world,
is the blessed assurance given that, though we have
not seen Him, we may love Him ; and that, though
now we see Him not, we may rejoice in Him with
a joy unspeakable and glorified (1 Pet. i. 8). We
need not envy Thomas or his fellow - apostles.
They were blessed in their faith ; we may be even
more blessed in ours. The more we penetrate
through the outward to the inward, through the
flesh to the spirit, through communion with the
earthly to communion with the heavenly Lord,
the more do we learn to know the fulness that is
in Him, in whom ' dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily,' and in whom we are 'complete'
(Col. ii. 9, 10).
!?'A
Chapter XX. 30, 31.
S iitn Diary of the Gospel.
ND ' many other signs truly ' did Jesus in the presence of «chaP. :
his3 disciples, which are not written in this book: But *ComP.
1. 4
* these are written, c that ye might* believe that Jesus is the ^chap.
Christ, the Son of God : and that ''believing ye might4 have rfs«draP.iii.
life ' through 5 his name. ' c°™v- cJ?a£-
1 omit And
therefore
the
Contents. The life of Jesus has now been
traced from His eternal pre - existence as the
Logos, through His manifestation of Himself in
action and suffering upon earth, to the beginning
of His glorification. The Evangelist has thus
accomplished the purpose that he had proposed
to himself; and he now sums up the particulars of
the picture that he has presented, and states the
nature of the end that it is designed to serve. It
has indeed been urged that the verses before us
are the conclusion only of the history of Jesus
after His resurrection, and not of the whole
history given in the Gospel. It is enough to say
that this supposition is refuted by the words ' this
book,' and by what we shall find to be the purport
of the verses.
Vers. 30, 31. Many other signs therefore did
Jesus in the presence of the disciples which are
not written in this book : but these are written,
that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that believing ye may have
life in his name. Almost every word of this
statement is of the utmost importance. ' Many
other signs did Jesus : ' hence it is only a selection
that has been given in the book. The writer
knows much more of a similar character and fitted
to make a similar impression, but he has not deemed
it necessary to tell it. What he has related are
'signs,' — not simply miracles of Divine power, but
manifestations (now in deed, and now in word) of
an inner meaning, illustrating the Divine in Him by
whom the deeds are performed or the words spoken.
' In the presence of His disciples :' why not in the
presence of the world ? Had they not been done
in public as well as in private, before enemies as
well as friends ? They had : but it is not upon
them as signs which ought to have convinced the
unbelieving that the Evangelist has chiefly dwelt.
As he recalled them, he once more beheld Jesus
in the midst of the little band of His disciples,
making manifest His glory to them alone ; while
they apprehended that glory, forgetful of every-
thing but itself, and the feelings of admiration,
wonder, delight, and love which it awakened
in their hearts. They thought not of the world
at the time ; they saw only that all was done for
them. So now in the vividness of John's recollec-
tion every 'sign' appears exactly as at the moment
when it was wrought, full of meaning to disciples ;
to others, — nay, it is not necessary to mention
them at all (comp. chap. xvii. 9 ; 1 John v. 16).
'But these are written:' that is, these 'signs'
are written. The Gospel then is a record of
'signs,' and whatever else it contains must be
regarded as subordinate to them. ' That ye may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God : '
— words by which we are not to understand
that the signs have been written in order that
unbelieving readers may be led to acknowledge
the claims of Jesus. The word ' believe ' is not
used in the sense of being brought to faith, as if
those addressed had not had faith before. They
are already believers, disciples, friends. What
has been aimed at is not the first formation but
the deepening of faith within them (such as that
of which we read in chap. ii. II, where we are
told that His disciples ' believed ' in Him), by
which they are led into a truer knowledge of
their Lord, as well as into a more intimate com-
munion with Him and, in Him, with the Father.
To make his readers rest in faith, so that faith
shall not be a mere conclusion of the intellect,
but the element and spirit of their lives, is what
the writer has proposed to himself. ' And that,
believing, ye may have life:' not, that, being
brought to faith through the record which he
gives, they may obtain life in Jesus ; but that,
as already believing, — in Htm as the branch is in
Chap. XXI. 1-14.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 231
the vine, — they may in Him enjoy that spiritual pretation which are supplied by the Gospel ; and,
and eternal life which He possesses, and which with this meaning, they set before us in the most
He makes ever more and more largely the portion definite manner the writer's own conception of the
of His people, as their faith in Him deepens, and task which he had undertaken. They refer ob-
their fellowship with Him increases. Finally, ' in viously, too, to the Gospel as a whole, and not
His name : ' not merely naming His name or con- to any single section. At this point, then, the
fessing Him before men, — but in His Name, in narrative of the Fourth Gospel closes, having
Himself as revealed, made known as what He is, exhibited to us that 'life' which was in 'the Word'
— the revelation of the Father, and possessed of all (chap. i. 4), and having so set that Word before
the glorious qualities belonging to the Son. us that believers, dwelling upon His manifested
Such is the meaning of these words when they glory, may be brought to a deeper knowledge of
are looked at in the light of those rules of inter- what He is, and to more and fuller life in Him.
Chapter XXI. 1-14.
Miraculous Draught of Fishes — The Meal on the Shore of the Sea of Galilee.
1 A FTER these things Jesus showed l himself again to the
jL\. disciples at "the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise a chaP- «■ 1.
2 showed he himself? There were together Simon Peter, and
b Thomas called Didymus, and c Nathanael of "'Cana in3 Gali- *ChaP. » 16.
' c Ch.ip. 1. 45.
lee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. ^f,haP- !'■ »■
' r e Matt. iv. 21.
3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto
him, We also go4 with thee. They went forth, and entered into
a ship5 immediately;6 and ^that night they caught7 nothing. /Luke v. s.
4 But when the morning was now come,8 Jesus stood on the
shore: but" the disciples10 knew e not that it was Jesus. « chap. xx. i«.
5 ''Then11 Jesus12 saith unto them, Children, have ye any * Comp. i,Uk«
6 meat ? 13 They answered him, No. And he said unto them,
' Cast the net on the right side of the ship,6 and ye shall find. »Lukev.4,
They cast therefore, and now they were not able u to draw it
7 for the multitude of fishes. Therefore *that disciple16 whom kv™-*°.}.
r chap. xui. 23.
Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now1" when
Simon 17 Peter heard that it was the Lord, he ' girt his fisher's 18 ' Ver- >«■
coat unto 19 him, (for he was naked), and did "' cast himself into "Matt xiv.
8 the sea. And !0 the other disciples came in a little ship ; 21 (for
they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred
9 cubits,") dragging the net with a3 fishes. As soon then as they
were come to land," they saw" a "fire of coals there,26 and «ChaP.xviiL
10 "fish laid thereon, and "bread." Jesus saith unto them, Bring "Chap. vi.9.
1 1 of the fish " which ye have now caught.7 Simon Peter " went
1 manifested 2 and he manifested himself thus 3 of * come
6 the boat 6 omit immediately 7 laid hold on
s But when morning was now coming 9 omit but 10 add however
11 omit then 12 add therefore 13 have ye anything to eat?
14 and no longer had they strength u That disciple therefore
10 omit Now u add therefore, even I8 omit fisher's 19 about
20 But 21 the little boat 22 add off 23 of
24 When therefore they came out on the land 25 see
26 a fire of charcoal placed there 27 and a fish placed thereon, and a loaf
28 fishes as add therefore
232 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap.
up, and drew the net to30 land full of great fishes, an hundred
and fifty and three : and for all there were so many, yet was
12 not the net broken.31 Jesus saith unto them, * Come and dine.32
7 And 33 none of the disciples durst ask 34 him, Who art thou ?
13 knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then3'' cometh, and
14 r taketh bread,36 and giveth them, and fish37 likewise. This is
now'the38 third time that Jesus showed himself to his 3B dis-
ciples, after that he was risen " from the dead.
XXI. 1-14
/Acts x 41.
g Comp. chap.
r Chap. :
30 add the
34 make inquiry of
31 rent
35 omit then
3'J was manifested to the
breakfast
; the loaf
33 omit And
37 the fish
40 raised
CONTENTS. The authenticity and genuineness
of the chapter upon which we now enter have
been keenly contested ; while many, who admit
that John is the author of the chapter, see in it
not so much an organic part of his original work as
a section added at a later date, but before the Gospel
had passed beyond the first circle of its readers.
The main arguments brought by the defenders of
both these views are, (1) That in chap. xx. 30, 31,
we have what is obviously the close of the Gospel ;
and (2) That certain expressions of this chapter,
particularly those of vers. 24, 25, are inconsistent
with the idea of a Johannine .authorship. In a
commentary such as this we cannot discuss the
subject at any length, or avail ourselves of con-
siderations which the English reader can hardly
be expected to appreciate. A very few words,
therefore, upon the two points above mentioned
must suffice.
As to the first of these hypotheses, that chap.
xxi. was not written by John, we need not say
more than that it is opposed to all the evidence
possessed by us, whether external or internal.
Its defenders, therefore, have been few in number
as compared with those who have accepted the
chapter as genuine. With the latter we agree,
entertaining no doubt that the first twenty-three
verses at all events are from the hand of the
Apostle : of vers. 24 and 25 we shall speak when
we reach them.
It is more difficult to say whether the chapter
is a constituent part of the original plan, or an
Appendix added after the Gospel had been
finished, and when a longer or shorter period of
time had passed. The question is one that must
be determined mainly by taking the contents of
the chapter into account. When this is done,
there seems little reason to doubt that we have
here an Epilogue corresponding to the Prologue,
and — not less than the latter — properly belonging
to the organic structure • >f the Gospel as a whole.
Let us look for a moment at the particular idea
which the chapter unfolds. That idea is not
merely fresh illustration of the glory of the Re-
deemer's post-resurrection life. Were it no more
than this, we should at once allow that the chapter
is at best an Appendix to the Gospel. It would
be impossible to think that, after having written the
words of chap. xx. 30, 31, the Evangelist should
immediately pass to another illustration of the
same thought. No doubt the idea of which we
speak is involved in the first narrative of the
chapter, which is distinctly stated to be a 'third'
manifestation of Himself by the Risen Lord (ver.
14), and is thus placed, in one respect at least, on
the same line as the two preceding manifestations
ot chap. xx. Vet an attentive consideration of
that narrative will show that the great truth which
the Evangelist beholds in it is, the joy provided by
Jesus for His disciples in connection with the work
which they accomplish for the conversion of the
world,— that the dominating thought which it pre-
sents to him is not merely the glory of the Risen
Lord, but the glory of Christian work as it is per-
formed through Him, and its fruits are enjoyed with
Him. If this be the idea of the first part of the
chapter, we shall find, when we come to the com-
mentary, that its second and third parts, relating to
the two Apostles Peter and John, are much more
than simple narratives of facts. They lead the
thoughts to apostolic work and Christian action,
and to waiting for the Second Coming of the Lord.
Three leading thoughts are thus presented to us in
the chapter, which may be thus described : — ( 1 )
The mutual joy of the Risen Lord and His disciples
in the successful accomplishment of Christ's work,
vers. 1-14 ; (2) The work of Apostolic and
Christian witnessing between the Resurrection of
Jesus and His Second Coming, vers. 16-19; (3)
The Second Coming itself, vers. 20-23. If now
we compare these three thoughts with the leading
thoughts of the Prologue, the correspondence will
appear close and remarkable. In the Prologue,
as well as here, three main topics are dwelt upon :
(1) The Word with God, the Son with the
Father, in Plis general manifestations before His
Incarnation, vers. 1-5 ; (2) The witnessing to
Him who was to come, which culminated in John,
the representative of Old Testament witness, vers.
6-13 ; The coming of Jesus into the world, vers.
14-18. In other words, we have in the opening
and closing parts of the Fourth Gospel —
I. The Prologue with its Three
Thoughts.
I. The Light to be witnessed to, as it appears
in its inner fulness and power. 2. The prepara-
tion by witness for that Light. 3. The coming of
the Light.
II. The Epilogue with us Three
Thoughts.
I. The Redeemer who is to be witnessed to, as
He appears in the joy of successful and accom-
plished work. 2. The preparation of the world
for that joy by the work of witnessing. 3. The
Second Coming.
The detailed exposition of these thoughts will
Chap. XXI. 1-14.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
appear in the commentary. In the meantime
we have said enough to justify our regarding chap.
xxi. as an Epilogue, as an integral part of the
organism of the Gospel as we have it, — its Seventh
and last great section.
This intimate connection of the chapter with the
general plan of the Gospel is the point of real im-
portance, and it is on this that we would lay
stress. Whether the Epilogue formed part of the
Gospel from the very first, or was added by the
apostle at a later date, is a subordinate question,
and one to which different answers will naturally
be given. There are peculiarities of language and
of structure which seem decidedly to favour the
latter supposition. On the other hand, we should
certainly expect that, if the Gospel was ever
circulated in two forms (with and without the
Appendix), the last chapter would be absent from
some of our ancient manuscripts, or would at all
events be occasionally found separated from the
rest. It is possible, indeed, that the Gospel might
in its shorter form be confined to a very limited
circle of Christians, and be published for general
use only when complete. In this form the
Appendix theory may perhaps be said to meet
the conditions of the case. — The whole structure
of the narrative upon which we now enter shows
that, to the eye of the Evangelist, it is not only
history but parable. As, therefore, it is with a
mind alive to the spiritual meaning of the scene
that John describes what actually happened,
special significance may be looked for in the
expressions which he employs.
Ver. 1. After these things Jesus manifested
himself again to the disciples at the sea of
Tiberias, and he manifested himself thus. The
words ' after these things ' are indefinite, and
throw no light upon the length of the interval that
elapsed between the last and the present appear-
ance of Jesus. The point to which the Evangelist
calls attention is that we have here another
' manifestation ' of Himself by the Risen Saviour,
similar to the two mentioned in the previous
chapter (comp. chap. xxi. 14). What we have
before us, therefore, is not merely the fact that
Jesus showed Himself to the disciples, but that
He exhibited Himself in a glory which the
natural eye could not have discerned (see chap,
ii. 11). It was 'at the sea of Tiberias,' that
is, the sea of Galilee, that the manifestation took
place. The earlier Evangelists do not relate it,
but they give the message of our Lord to His
disciples instructing them to go into Galilee, for
there they should see Him (Matt, xxviii. 10, 16 ;
Mark xvi. 7). John does not tell us of the
message, but he relates the meeting. Surely such
notices on the part of different historians are
supplementary, not discordant.
Ver. 2. There were together Simon Peter, and
Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana
of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two
other of his disciples. It is doubtful whether the
seven persons here referred to are arranged, as is
often supposed, in two groups, one consisting of
three, and the other of four members. There
may be significance in the mention of Thomas as
now (after chap, xx.) completely at one with his
brother Apostles, and in the fact that Nathanael
(comp. chap. i. 51) is associated with the miracle.
Ver. 3. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a
fishing. They say unto him, We also come with
thee. They went forth and entered into the
233
boat, and that night they laid hold on nothing.
It is hardly probable that in this the disciples
thought of anything but the supply of their tem-
poral wants. To John, however, there is more
in their act than this. His word 'went forth'
leads us at once to feel that he sees in their going
the Providential guidance of God (comp. notes
on chap, xviii. 1, 4). It is not an ordinary event :
it will illustrate that Divine scheme for the salva-
tion of men which was accomplished through Him
who 'came forth ' from God. Moreover, just as
once before Peter and some of his companions had
been called from the work of fishing to tin:
stage of their apostolate (Luke v. 1-11), so shall he
and those with him be called from a similar scene
to that higher stage upon which they are now to
enter. In Peter's being the first to make the pro-
posal, we can hardly fail to see the elements of
that character which gave him the prominence he
afterwards had in the Church of the Redeemer.
He is the moving spring of the whole apostolic
band ; he proposes, and the others say, ' We also
come with thee.' Vet writers can be found to
urge that one great object of the Fourth Gospel
is to depreciate Peter in comparison with John,
one of this very company ! The seven go forth
by ' night ' (the usual time for fishing), but they
caught nothing. There is no reason to think that
the season was unfavourable ; but they were not
successful. — The word used for 'catch ' is worthy
of notice. It means to lay hold on, and it does
not seem to be elsewhere used in the sense of
catching fish.
Ver. 4. But when morning was now coming,
Jesus stood on the shore ; the disciples however
knew not that it was Jesus. Night passed away,
and the day began to break. Then Jesus stood
on the shore, but they did not recognise Him, —
it may be that the light was insufficient, it may be
that it was not yet His wish that He should be
known.
Ver. 5. Jesus therefore saith unto them,
Children, have ye anything to eat ? They
answered him, No. It is hardly possible to
imagine that the word ' children ' is here used
because Jesus is addressing Himself as ' a master
to his workmen,' or because He is speaking with
the dignity of a superior. It is a word of tender-
ness and affection. At the same time it may
perhaps have a deeper meaning, for the word
' brethren ' of chap. xx. 1 7, which now expresses
the relation of Jesus to His disciples, rather leads
directly to the supposition that, in a certain sense,
He speaks as One standing on a footing of equality
with themselves. There is at least a striking
coincidence between the word ('children') here
used and that used in Heb. ii. 13 (Isa. viii. iS).
He who speaks is engaged in the same occupation,
takes the same position, is called to the same
work as they. The question which He asks is
important, especially the word which is rendered
in the Authorised Version 'meat,' but which we
have rendered by 'to eat.' For thus we observe
the true point of the question, — not, ' Have you
caught fish?' but, 'Have you fish to eat?' The
term, however, was commonly used of fish. Here
it seems to refer to provision of fish taken by them
for eating when they started. It ought to be care-
fully noted also that, as is shown by the particular
form of the question, it is the meal that is before
the mind of Jesus : only when we see this do we
gain the true point of view from which to content-
234
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XXI. 1-14.
plate the whole narrative. To the question of
Jesus the disciples answer, 'No.' They thus
acknowledge the fruitlessness of their labours, and
their need of further light and guidance.
Ver. 6. And he said unto them, Cast the net
on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find.
They cast therefore, and no longer had they
strength to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Comp. Luke v. 6.
Ver. 7. That disciple therefore whom Jesus
loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. When
Simon therefore, even Peter, heard that it was
the Lord, he girt his coat about him (for he
was naked) and did cast himself into the sea.
That the incident thus related of each of the two
apostles is in closest harmony with everything else
that we know of them strikes every reader. It
need only be further noticed that John himself
gives us a token of his desire that we should see
in the action of Peter an illustration of that
character which appeared in his whole subse-
quent career. He does not call him simply Simon
Peter ; but, as in chap, xviii. 10, he interposes a
word between the two names, — ' Simon, therefore,
Peter.' As soon as Peter heard that it was the
Lord, he girt his coat about him, ' for he was
naked.' There is no reason to think that the
nakedness thus spoken of was absolute. The
use of the term is consistent (in Greek as in the
language of common life in Scotland to this day)
with partial clothing. The girding is probably
not to pass unnoticed. It was thus that at chap,
xiii. 4, 5, our Lord prepared Himself for service :
His apostle, when preparing for the active service
of his Master, must do the same.
Ver. 8. But the other disciples came in the
little boat (for they were not far from land, but
as it were two hundred cubits off) dragging the
net of fishes. While Peter takes the lead, im-
petuously dashing into the water (comp. Matt.
xiv. 29), his fellow - disciples reach land more
slowly. Yet they do not actually land the net :
they only drag it to the shore. The landing is
reserved for him who had displayed greatest
earnestness and activity. All now proceeds
directly towards the culminating point of the
narrative, — the meal.
Ver. 9. When therefore they came out on the
land, they see a fire of charcoal placed there,
and a fish placed thereon, and a loaf. No
intimation is given where the fire of charcoal had
been obtained, or how it had been brought there.
The thoughts of the Evangelist are so entirely
occupied with the meal, that it is a matter of no
consequence to him to give explanations upon
such points. Upon one fact he desires us to fix
our attention — the meal is provided by Jesus,
whether miraculously or in some ordinary way he
does not ask. It is impossible not to notice the
words 'a fish' and 'a loaf,' not 'fish' and
' bread : ' the contrast with ' the fishes ' of ver. 10
is obviously designed.
Ver. 10. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the
fishes which ye have now laid hold on. The
meal, therefore, consists of materials provided by
the combined action of Jesus and His disciples.
Ver. II. Simon Peter therefore went up, and
drew the net to the land full of great fishes, an
hundred and fifty and three ; and for all there
were so many, yet was not the net rent. Again
Peter appears in all the prominence of his
character and work, — the leader of the apostolic
company. The fishes drawn to shore by means
of the net were 'great : ' yet neither by their size
nor by their number was the net rent. No fish
was lost. (See further below.)
The comparison of this miracle with that of the
draught of fishes in Luke v. 4-7 supplies various
points of contrast, at once bringing out and con-
firming what we have yet to speak of as the inner
meaning of the section before us. Of these the
most interesting are that the fishes are all great
and good, and numbered ; in the earlier narrative
we have no such statements. In the earlier, too,
the net was breaking : here ' the net was not rent.'
The contrasts all point to the difference between
a ministry of trial with a suffering Lord, and a
ministry of triumph with a glorified Lord.
Ver. 12. Jesus saith unto them, Come and
breakfast. The bringing of the fish from the net
to the fire is not recorded. The Evangelist hastens
to the chief point in his narrative. Jesus gives the
invitation to the meal, and it is accepted. — None
of the disciples durst make inquiry of him, Who
art thou 1 knowing that it was the Lord. Awe
and reverence prevented their asking Jesus who
He was (comp. chap. iv. 271. They did what
they were told.
Ver. 13. Jesus cometh and taketh the loaf,
and giveth them, and the fish likewise. We
might have expected to read of the ' fishes ' rather
than the ' fish,' for the meal prepared must have
included a portion of the ' fishes ' of ver. 10 as
well as the ' fish ' of ver. 9. Yet such is the
importance which the Evangelist attaches to the
latter that he speaks of it alone, and makes no
farther allusion to the rest.
Ver. 14. This is now a third time that Jesus
was manifested to the disciples, after that he
was raised from the dead. It is the third ' mani-
festation,' although the fourth appearance, of the
Risen Lord that has been described. The appear-
ance to Mary Magdalene at chap. xx. 16 is not
counted, either because it only embodied the pre-
paratory message as to the state in which Jesus
was, or because it was made, not (like the three
following) to companies of apostles and disciples,
but only to one single disciple. That the present
manifestation is stated to be the third does
not exclude the other appearances of the Risen
Saviour recorded by the earlier Evangelists. It
is simply the third in John's own enumeration,
the third in that selection of the different mani-
festations which he had thought it desirable to
make. The repetition of the word 'manifested'
(comp. ver. 1) is to be noticed as showing that the
word is intentionally used. It expresses more
than that Jesus showed Himself after His Resurrec-
tion. In these manifestations He really revealed
Himself out of the entirely new state which had
begun at the Resurrection. Just as when ' mani-
fested in the flesh ' He was different Irom what
He had been before, and revealed His glory in
the garb of weak and suffering humanity, so in
His manifestation of Hisiself at this time He
was different from what He had been when
clothed with the lowliness which He had assumed
for a season. That lowliness has been laid aside :
He is still the Man Christ Jesus, but glorified.
We see Him now under a new aspect, and at a
new point in His history. This consideration
will help us to understand the connection of the
next two paragraphs of the chapter, and their
place in the organism of the Gospel.
Chap. XXI. I5-I9-] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Before passing on, however, it is necessary to
say a few words upon the inner meaning of this
miracle, upon the light in which our Lord Him-
self intended it to be looked at, and in which it is
presented by the Evangelist. Referring our
readers to the general remarks made on chap. ii.
ir, we observe that here, as there, the miracle
must be viewed not only historically but symboli-
cally. The facts are historical, but they have at the
same time much more than simple historical force.
They are so arranged and grouped by Him who
taught by action as well as word, that they bring
out one of the great lessons of His kingdom.
Nor can we have any doubt in the present instance
what that lesson is. We have before us a picture
of the wonderful success which was to follow the
apostles when, in the strength of their Risen Lord,
they went forth to preach salvation to the whole
world ; as well as a picture of the joy which they
shall share with Him, when in this success both
I Ie and they 'shall see of the travail of ' their ' soul,
and shall be satisfied.' Around these thoughts it
will be found that all the particulars of the miracle,
in their deeper meaning, easily arrange themselves :
— the helplessness of these ' fishers of men ' when
they are without their Lord, their triumphant
success whenever they listen to His voice, the
235
invitation given them to come and share in that
meal which He has prepared, and whose sacra-
mental character is so strikingly brought out by
the mention of the ' fish' and the 'loaf.' Every
particular of the scene is full of spiritual meaning ;
and, even where we may not be able to satisfy
ourselves that we have discovered the meaning, we
know that it is there, and can rest in the hope that
it will by and by be perceived. Perhaps the most
difficult point to interpret in this way is the number
of the fishes as given in ver. [I. Of that number
we shall say little. It will be hard for students of
this Gospel not to believe that it too has a deeper
meaning than that of simple numbers. What that
meaning is there is little difficulty in determining.
The whole course of the narrative shows that 153
represents the fulness of the Church, the complete
gathering in of all her members, the net not rent,
not one believer lost. It is much more difficult
to say whence the number 153 is obtained. Many
suggestions have been made, but we shall not
discuss them. Not one of them can be said to
have as yet gained anything like general accept-
ance. Until a more satisfactory result is reached,
it is better to rest satisfied with the general mean-
ing, of which we have already spoken, and as to
which no doubt can be entertained.
Chapter XXI. 15-19.
The Restoration of Peter and the Re-institution of Christian Witnessing.
'S
SO when1 they had dined,2 Jesus saith to Simon Peter,
Simon, "son of Jonas,3 lovest thou me * more than these?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee.
16 He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again
the4 second time, Simon, son of Jonas,3 lovest thou me? He
saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He
17 saith unto him, cFeed5 my sheep. He saith unto him d the
third time, Simon, son of Jonas,3 lovest thou me ? Peter was
grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou
me ? And he said unto him, Lord, thou ' knowest all things ;
thou knowest6 that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed
1 S my sheep. / Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast
young,7 thou *girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou
wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth
thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry9 thee whither
19 thou wouldest not. This9 spake10 he, signifying* by what11
death he should '* glorify God. And when he had spoken 10 this,
he saith unto him, * Follow me.
1 When therefore 2 breakfasted s John * a
* Be shepherd of 6 seest * younger 8 bring
* But this 10 said » add manner of
a Chap. i. 42.
b Comp. Matt
d Comp.
chap.
xiii. 38
Matt. ;
75-
e Lhap.
ii. 24,
25, xvi
30.
/Chap. ;
36.
i-Ver. 7.
k Comp.
chap.
xii. 33 ;
2 Pet. i
. 14.
*' Comp
chap.
xii. 27.
>8 i
Acts v.
Phil. i.
I Pet i
16.
/S-Ver. 22
chap, v
ii. 12
236
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XXI. 15-19.
Contents. Before speaking of the contents
of this paragraph it is necessary to make an effort
to discover its place in the organism of the chapter.
So far as we have seen, no successful effort has
yet been made to accomplish this. The usual
explanation is, that before finally departing Jesus
desired to throw light upon the history and fate
of the two leading apostles, Peter and John.
Such an explanation is unsatisfactory. Apart from
the fact that it is not the manner of John to claim
for himself so prominent a position as is thus im-
plied, it is sufficient to observe that, if such be the
object, it is not attained. Light, indeed, is cast
on the future history of Peter, but none on that of
John, which is rather left in a mysterious vague-
ness, perplexing instead of instructive to the
mind. Others, again, pronounce any effort to dis-
cover the connection hopeless, unless we regard
ver. 14 as a parenthesis ; which cannot be done.
In proceeding to the explanation which we shall
venture to propose, we simply ask our readers to
weigh it calmly, and not to reject it because at
first sight it may seem to them improbable.
We have already endeavoured to show that
chap. xxi. is an Epilogue to the narrative part of
the Gospel, and that it has a general correspond-
ence with the Prologue. But if a correspond-
ence exists as to the whole, it is not unnatural
to think that it may also be traced in the several
parts. This is rendered still more probable by
the circumstance that the parts of each are un-
questionably three in number ; and that, while the
one deals with the pre-existent Logos, and the
eternity preceding His Incantation, the other
deals with the Logos after His Resurrection, and
the Second Coming.
In this latter respect the correspondence between
chap. i. 1-5 and chap. xxi. 1-14 is, as we have
seen, exceedingly close. But at chap. i. 6 there
is a sudden and unexpected transition to John the
Baptist and the witness which he bore to the
eternal 'Light,' until the Light itself shone forth
and needed such witness no more. In precisely
the same manner, then, we have here a sudden
and unexpected transition to the apostle Peter,
and the witness borne by him to the Incarnate
Word, until Jesus shall come the second time,
and shall need no more to be proclaimed to men.
Such is the general idea which we offer for con-
sideration as to the connection between the first
two paragraphs of the present chapter ; and when
we come to speak of the contents of the next para-
graph this idea will receive much confirmation. In
the meantime we pass on to observe that if the
correctness of the thought be allowed, it cannot fail
to exercise in another respect a powerful influence
upon our general apprehension of the meaning of
the passage before us. I'or, as the Baptist at
chap. i. 6 is to be regarded as more than an indivi-
dual,— as representative of the whole Old Testa-
ment witness to Jesus,— so with Peter here. He
is representative of all Christian witness to Jesus ;
and the paragraph deals with more than his re-
installation into the apostolic office. It is a
re- institution, now made by Jesus in Ili^ new
estate, of the whole duty of Christian witnessing.
Jesus has shown that the banquet which in His
state of glory He prepares for His disciples is one
consisting of the fruits of successful woik in His
cause ; and now, in the person of Peter, His
disciples receive from Him their commission for
the work in which they are to bear witness to
Him, — a work which can only rest on, and be
carried out through, love to Himself.
Ver. 15. When therefore they had breakfasted,
Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, eon of John,
lovest thou me more than these ? He saith unto
him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee.
The question ('lovest thou') contains the second
of the two Greek verbs for loving, of which we
have already spoken at chap. v. 20. This verb
is less expressive of emotions of tenderness, of per-
sonal feeling and affection, than that verb used by
Peter in his reply. The words ' more than these '
in our Lord's question can hardly spring from any-
thing else than the remembrance of the apostle's
hasty assertion before his denial of his Master,
'Though all men shall be offended because of
Thee, yet will I never be offended.' They were
thus especially designed to expose to Peter's view
the pride and self-sufficiency by which his fall had
been hastened ; and that they effected this object
we may infer from the absence of these words in
his reply. He will make no mention of others now:
one step in his education has been gained. Not
only so ; it is to be further noticed that the
apostle does not use the same word for ' love ' as
had been employed by Jesus. He uses one that
speaks of a more familiar and friendly affection,
implying less depth of serious thought. The
change may be connected with his recollection of
his fall ; but it is to be mainly traced to the
genuine sincerity, the real warmth, of his love
for Jesus. Jesus accepts the declaration of his
love and recognises its genuineness, hence the
charge now given to the apostle.— He saith unto
him, Feed my lambs. This charge will be more
fully noticed when we have dealt with the exposi-
tion of the following verses.
Ver. 16. He saith to him again a second time,
Simon, son of John, lovest thou me ? The same
verb ('lovest') which had been used by our Lord
in His first question again occurs here, and the
question only differs from the first in the gTacious
omission of the words ' more than these. ' Jesus
had appreciated the motive which had led Peter
in his previous reply to avoid all comparison
between his own love to Jesus and that of others.
He accepts the evidence of humility afforded
by His apostle, and in that direction at least
will no longer test him. — He saith unto him, Tea,
Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. 1'
reply is in exactly the same terms as before ; the
word ' I love ' being that which he had previously
used, and not that used by Jesus.— He saith unto
him, Be shepherd of my sheep. See on next
verse.
Ver. 17. He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, son of John, lovest thou me ? In this
third question, apparently a repetition of the first
and second, one word ('lovest') is changed : for
the word which he had used before, Jesus sub-
stitutes that less elevated, more familiar word
with which Peter had already twice replied, ' I
love Thee.' It is this that constitutes to the
apostle the painful force of the third question.
Not only is his own word taken up by Jesus, but
that word is one by which he had sought to give
utterance to the strength of his affection. And
now Jesus says to him, 'Peter, dost thou really
thus love Me as thou sayest? But a little while
ago, what was thy denial of thy Friend? Is it
otherwise now? I will take thee at thine own
word. May I trust thee that, with that love of
Chap. XXI. 15-19.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
which thou speakest, thou lovest Me ? ' — Peter was
grieved because he said unto him the third time,
Lovest thou me ? And he said unto him, Lord,
thou knowest all things ; thou seest that I love
thee. Peter's grief is at once intelligible, — not
simply because he had been three times questioned
as to his love, but because the third time his own
statement, twice made, had been taken up, and
he had been asked to consider well whether it was
really true, whether he might not be again mis-
judging himself. But he was not merely grieved,
he was also disciplined ; his grief was wholesome.
Up to this point there seems to have been some
faint trace of self in his replies : at all events he
had stood before his Lord as if his Lord were
peculiarly reading him: he had not wholly for-
gotten himself. Now, however, all his past
weakness and sin rise to his view : can he who
has been so guilty have any special value ? Surely
not : if he is known, he is known only as one of
' all things ; ' with such emptiness of self he will
cast himself upon his Lord, and only say, ' Lord,
Thou knowest all things ; Thou seest that I love
Thee.' The victory of grace is complete, and he
receives his final charge. — Jesus saith unto him,
Feed my Bheep.
We have still to say a word or two of the three-
fold charge which is given in the words, ' Feed
my lambs,' ' Be shepherd of my sheep,' ' Feed my
sheep.' It is a little doubtful whether we ought
to understand by the ' lambs ' the younger mem-
bers of the Christian community, or the whole
flock in its weakest and most elementary stage of
Christian growth : the contrast with ' sheep' leads
upon the whole to the former view. The charge
to the apostle is ' Feed ' these lambs : not less
than the older members of the flock do they
require the shepherd's most thoughtful as well
as his most tender care. After this we have
' sheep ' twice mentioned (for a slight difference
of reading found in some ancient manuscripts does
not materially affect the meaning), and the only
point we have to consider is the difference
between 'Be shepherd of and 'Feed.' The
structural principles of the Gospel at once tell
that there is a climax ; and that climax seems to
correspond to the gradation exemplified by a
pastor as he himself grows in knowledge and
experience. At first he is eager to perform all
offices for his flock, thinking all equally import-
ant : perhaps even most pleased with the rule
that has been assigned to him, and in which his
own importance most appears. But soon, if he
has the spirit of a real shepherd, he learns that
to bear rule is comparatively a small thing, and
that to ' feed ' the flock of God, to nourish it on
pastures ever fresh, and with waters ever living,
is at once his most difficult and his noblest task.
Peter is now ready to hear what, in tending
his Master's flock, he is to do and suffer.
Ver. iS. Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
When thou wast younger, thou girdedst thyself,
and walkedst whither thou wouldest ; hut when
thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy
hands, and another shall gird thee, and bring
thee whither thou wouldest not. Our readers
may call to mind, before we proceed to the
further examination of this verse, that ' girding '
was the preliminary to crucifixion. The words,
' verily, verily,' with which the verse begins,
mark, as always, the importance and solemnity
of the declaration made, and thus prepare us
237
to think that we have more in them than a
simple announcement of the death which the
apostle was to die. Again, the use of the word
' girded ' — although not the compound of ver. 7,
but the simple verb— reminds us so much of the
action of this latter verse, where the metaphorical
meaning is obviously prominent in the writer's
mind, as to lead here also to the thought of
metaphor. Again, the use of the word ' walkedst '
(comp. chaps, vi. 66, viii. 12, xi. 9, 10, xii. 35),
which in its literal signification is not well adapted
to express the free activity of youth, suggests a
figurative interpretation of the passage. Once
more, the mention of the stretching out of the
hands before the carrying away is spoken of, is
fatal to a merely literal meaning ; for such stretch-
ing out of the hands cannot be looked on as a
necessary preliminary to girding, whereas it would
be a natural action on the part of those who
willingly submitted to their fate, and who were
desirous to help rather than hinder officials in the
discharge of their duty. We seem, therefore,
compelled to adopt a metaphorical interpretation
of the words. When we do so all difficulties dis-
appear.
The allusion to the time when Peter girded
himself and walked whither he would, becomes
the expression of that self-will by which, before
his present entire consecration to the service of
Jesus, he had been marked. Now, however, his
self-will shall be crucified ; the old nature which
sought only its own gratification shall be as com-
pletely powerless as is the body of one nailed to
a cross ; he will be so truly a partaker of the suf-
ferings of Christ as to find in this fellowship with
his dying Lord the very ground and beginning of
his apostolic activity. Then he will ' stretch out
his hands,' will assume the attitude of one who is
giving himself up to another's guidance, and will
resign himself entirely to the disposal of that
' other,' to whose will his own has been subdued.
Then, too, 'another' will gird him, — that is, will
gird him in the sense in wiiich the word has just
been used, will equip him for his task. Finally,
another will ' bring ' (not carry) ' him whither he
would not ; ' will lead him in paths that he would
not himself have chosen, — will guide him to fields
of activity in which he shall joyfully submit him-
self to Him who immediately adds, ' Follow Me.'
The question may be asked, Who then is the
'other' spoken of? The only answer seems to
be that it is the ' other ' of chap. v. 32, — that is,
God (comp. also chap. iv. 38).
Ver. 19. But this said he, signifying by
what manner of death he should glorify God.
It is impossible to deny that in these words the
Evangelist refers to ' death ' in the ordinary sense
of the term. If, then, we consider \i) the pecu-
liar expressions used in the last verse ; (2) the
tradition of the Church (usually regarded as
worthy of trust), that Peter died by crucifixion ;
and (3) the fact that, at the time when the words
were written, Peter's death must have been long
past : it is at once to be admitted that the Evangelist
applies ver. 18, in the first instance at least, to the
actual crucifixion of Peter. But it is not necessary
to suppose that all the clauses of the verse refer to
the literal crucifixion, or that the meaning of any
of them is exhausted by that fact (comp. chap,
xii. 32, 33). The singular words, 'he should
glorify God,' confirm the interpretation we have
given. There is no evidence th^t at this early
238
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XXI. 20-23
stage of Christian history this expression was
used for martyrdom. It cannot therefore be
explained in the light of martyrdom alone. We
must compare such passages as chaps, xii. 28, xiii.
31, xiv. 13, xv. 8, xvii. 1, 4 ; and, doing so, we
learn that the death of Peter is not viewed simply
as the closing act of his career, but as an act in
which that second life of his which had been
spoken of in ver. 18 reached its culminating point.
Thus there is nothing in ver. 19 limiting ver. 18
to that act of crucifixion which the several
clauses of the verse compel us to pass. — And when
he had said this, he saith unto him, Follow
me. To confine the meaning of the words ' Follow
me ' to the literal following of Jesus on the pre-
sent occasion, — as if all their import were that
Jesus had gone forward a few steps, telling Peter
to come after Him, — is so much out of keeping
with the sense in which similar words are used
even in the earlier Gospels, and so much more
out of keeping with the style of John, that such an
interpretation hardly needs to be refuted. That
indeed our Lord did move forward, and that He
meant Peter to follow Him, is highly probable, —
especially from ver. 20. But this is certainly not
the whole meaning. The external following fore-
shadows an imitation of Christ in His accomplish-
ment of the Father's will, and His drinking of the
cup put into his hands by the Father, until, in the
one case as in the other, the cross itself is reached.
Chapter XXI. 20-23.
The Termination of the Toil and Suffering of Christian Witness-bearing.
20 ' I ^HEN ' Peter, turning about, seeth the " disciple whom "Ver 7.
J. Jesus loved following ; which also b leaned " on his breast *ChaP. xiii
25.
at3 supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter4 seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this
22 man do?* Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he ' tarry6 "'till c'S.?r.*y-
J J Phil. 1. 25.
23 I come, what is that to thee? 'follow thou me. Then went "'-\'att.xvi.
this saying abroad 7 among the / brethren, that 8 that 9 disciple
should not die :10 yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die;" "••?5, '"■
but, If I will that he tarry 6 till I come, what is that to thee ? >aS«.' «
1 omit Then
5 and what of this man ?
a omit that 9 That
2 acid back 3 add the 4 add therefore
6 abide 7 This word therefore went forth
10 dieth not He dieth not
Contents. The effort to introduce the passage
now before us into organic unity with the rest
of the chapter has certainly been attended with as
much difficulty and as little success as in the case
of the second paragraph. Without dwelling upon
the opinions of others we apply the same principle
as that applied to the second paragraph, and
regard this third paragraph of the Epilogue of the
Gospel as the counterpart of the third paragraph
of the Prologue (chap. i. 14-1S). That para-
graph is occupied with the coming of Him who in
the second paragraph had been borne witness
to before His Incarnation by Old Testament pro-
phecy. He is indeed expressly spoken of in pro-
phecy as ' He who is to come ; ' and when He comes
preparatory witnessing exists no more. Here in
like manner Jesus in effect speaks of Himself as
the One ' who is to come ; ' at all events, twice
over the words 'until I come' are used (vers.
22, 23). The 'coming' is thus shown to be a
prominent thought of the passage ; and its corre-
spondence with the ' coming ' of the Prologue
must strike every one. The contents of this
paragraph, therefore, are not to give us informa-
tion about the future of John as an individual, —
information which they do not give ; but they are
designed to call our thoughts to the termination of
Christian witnessing, which will at length, with
all its labours and sufferings, close in the joy of
the Second Coming of the Lord. The special
interpretation of the verses will confirm this view.
Ver. 20. Peter turning about seeth the
disciple whom Jesus loved following, which
also leaned back on his breast at the supper,
and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee.
It is impossible to think that the Evangelist in-
tends us to confine our attention to the literal
details given in this verse. The long description
by which he indicates himself would be entirely
out of place were he brought before us as simply
taking a few steps after Jesus and Peter. Besides
this, the verb ' to follow, ' which, as we have
seen, was used metaphorically as well as lite-
rally in ver. 19, must certainly be understood
in the same sense here. John is here not simply
the individual : he is the apostle following Peter
in apostolic work, and like him, representative
(though in a different aspect) of all Christian
labourers and witnesses. What the difference
of aspect is, is shown by the special manner
in which he describes himself. He is not only
the ' disciple whom Jesus loved ; ' he is the
apostle who 'leaned back on the breast of Jesus
at the supper and said, Lord, which is he that
betrayeth Thee?' (chap. xiii. 12, 25). In other
words, he is the apostle whose mind was nearest
Chap. XXI. 24, 25.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN'.
239
to the mind of Jesus, and whom Jesus found most
fitted to receive the deeper revelations of His will,
John, then, represents an entirely different aspect
of Christian witnessing from that represented by
Peter. The latter represents the struggle, and the
death at the end of it, by which God is glorified.
The other represents patientwaiting for the glorious
revelation of Jesus at His Second Coming.
Vers. 21, 22. Peter therefore seeing him
saith to Jesus, Lord, and what of this man? It
was a natural question. Although Peter did not
know the full meaning of the words just addressed
to himself, he felt that they betokened trial, sor-
row, perhaps even prison and death. When, there-
fore, he saw John lollowing Jesus, nothing would
more readily occur to him than to ask, And what,
Lord, shall be his fate? Yet the answer of Jesus
evidently implies that there was something not alto-
gether to be commended in the spirit or in the tone
of Peter's question. We cannot imagine that such
an answer would have been given to a question in
which affectionate interest was the leading feature.
We have indeed no reason to think that the
question was dictated by envy, but there was
probably impatience of the calm spirit of John,
of that calmness which had immediately before
contrasted so strikingly with his own impetu-
osity,— for when he had thrown himself into the
sea to hasten to his Master's feet, John had
remained in the boat dragging to the shore the
net with fishes. To this spirit accordingly Jesus
replies.— Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he
abide till I come, what is that to thee ? Follow
thou me. In other words : ' Thou hast no right to
be impatient of the quiet and meditative spirit of
thy brother Apostle. True, I have spoken to
thee of heavy trials only. But it does not follow
that he may not be as faithful as thou art, or
that he may not have his own trials, in the work
given him to do. Thou art right, I praise thy
spirit, only preparing thee for the inevitable con-
sequences. But his spirit is right too. Let it
be thy concern ' ('thou' is emphatic) 'to follow
Me ; and as for him, if I will that he abide till I
come, what is that to thee ? ' By the ' coming '
here spoken of can be understood nothing but the
Second Coming of the Lord. It is the object of
Jesus, as we shall see more fully on ver. 23, to
give emphasis to the thought of His Second
Coming, that He may thus bring out the truth that
then shall be the end of all toil and waiting, — that
then His witnesses shall rest from their labours,
with their works following them. At the same
time we would not venture wholly to exclude the
thought of the destruction of Jerusalem. But the
relation ol that event to the 'coming of the Lord '
is a topic upon which we cannot enter here.
The point of the contrast then between the
words spoken respectively to Peter and John, is not
that between a violent death by martyrdom and a
peaceful departure ; but that between impetuous
and struggling apostleship, ending in a violent
death, and quiet, thoughtful, meditative waning for
the Second Coming of Jesus, ending in a peaceful
transition to the heavenly repose. Neither Peter
nor himself is to the Evangelist a mere individual.
Each is a type of one aspect of apostolic working,
— of Christian witnessing for Jesus to the very end
of time. But the struggling witnesses are impa-
tient of such as are meditative, the active of the
passive, the warring of the waiting. They do not
see that the work of the latter is not less important
than their own, and that it touches the very springs
of the Church's life. They undervalue it, because
its struggle is not visible enough. They cry, 'This
work, Lord, is it really like our work, work for
Thee ? ' And Jesus replies, ' I judge of that. If
I will that it go on until I come, what is that to
you ? Your path is clear ; follow ye me.'
Ver. 23. This word therefore went forth among
the brethren, That disciple dieth not. Yet Jesus
said not unto him, He dieth not ; but, If I will
that he abide till I come, what is that to thee ?
Having reported the answer of Jesus, the Evan-
gelist is constrained to correct a misapprehension
of its meaning which had prevailed in the Church.
At the same time his giving again the words of
Jesus in the same form as before shows the great
importance which he attached to them, and leads
to the belief that something in them had for him
a peculiar charm. If so, the words that attracted
him could only be 'till I come.' It is the thought
of this Second Coming that John finds to be the
prominent point in the words of his Master. He
beholds in them the assurance that there was an
end fixed for all toil and suffering incurred in the
task of witnessing for Jesus, when the Redeemer
whom he loved will come again and take His
disciples to Himself, that where He is there they
also may be (chap. xiv. 3).
Chapter XXI. 24, 25.
The Close of the Gospel.
24 T*HIS is "the disciple which testifieth of these things, and ^Comp.ch.ip.
xix. 35 ;
J- wrote these things : and * we know that his testimony2 3 John 12.
0 J b Chap. xx. jo.
25 is true. cAnd there are also many other things which Jesus cComp. Amm
did, the which, if they should be written every one,3 I suppose
that even the world itself could 4 not contain the books that
should 5 be written. Amen.6
1 witnesseth concerning
* will
witness
would
8 one by one
r' omit Amen.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [Chap. XXI. 24, 25.
240
Contents. The two verses before us bring the
Gospel to a close. Their authenticity has been
much disputed ; and not a few who accept the rest
of the chapter as John's, refuse to admit that they
are the production of his pen. Both external and
internal evidence forbid our passing upon them
so sweeping a condemnation. Ver. 25 is cer-
tainly authentic, and the force added to it, when
thus viewed in its Johannine character, will, we
trust, appear in the commentary. It is more diffi-
cult to speak of ver. 24. To accept the whole of
it as our Evangelist's seems impossible. A passage
in his Third Epistle has indeed been appealed to
(ver. 12) ; but there the true reading is, 'We also
bear witness, and thou knewest that our witness is
true.' The difficulty in the verse before us does
not lie in the use of the plural pronoun ' we : ' it
is perfectly conceivable that the Evangelist might
write ' we know ' even if referring to himself
alone. But it seems to us inconceivable that in
one and the same sentence he should write, of
himself, ' This is the disciple -which witnesseth. . .'
ami ' We know that his witness is true.' We must
conclude, therefore, that the last clause of the
verse was written by the elders of Ephesus, or
other Christians of influence there ; and the only
question is, whether this clause alone or the
whole verse is to be traced to them. If the whole
verse be their addition, it must have been inter-
calated because they wished to explain who the
' disciple whom Jesus loved ' was. The word 'this'
would then refer to him as the writer of the
Gospel, who was well known in Ephesus to be
no other than the Apostle John : the apostle and
the 'disciple' are thus identified. On the other
hand, the addition made by the Ephesian elders
may begin with the words 'and we know.' In
this case the appended words are to be regarded
as the almost involuntary expression of their con-
fidence in and admiration of one whose Gospel
differed so much from the earlier Gospels that
some may have doubted how it would be received.
The first part of the verse will on this view be
John's own statement ; and its similarity to chap,
xix. 35 is a mark of genuineness. The question
at issue is thus reduced within very narrow limits.
Ver. 24. This is the disciple which witnesseth
concerning these tilings, and wrote these things.
To what has been said above upon this clause we
may add that the use of the present tense, ' wit-
nesseth,' seems to point out John as the writer of
these words : any other would probably have
written 'witnessed,' in conformity with the word
that follows, 'wrote.' The word ' witnesseth ' is
used with great solemnity, and in the sense which
it commonly bears (comp. note on chap. i. 7) in
this Gospel. The writer means more than that the
things stated by him are true ; he ie uttering a
Divine testimony to their inner reality and value.
By his witnessing he claims to be more than a
historian : he proclaims himself a prophet of God,
commissioned to announce gTeat verities to men.
—'These things' must be understood to refer
not only to the things spoken of in this chapter,
but to the Gospel as a whole. The analogous
passage in chap. xx. 30, together with ver. 25 of
the present chapter, renders this interpretation
absolutely necessary. — And we know that his
witness is true. As has been already said, it
seems to us best to regard these words as an addi-
tion made by the elders of Ephesus. They could
not fail to notice how different this Gospel was
from its predecessors. It might seem to them that
hesitation would be felt in receiving it, and they
stamp it with their authenticating seal. Or, if
such were not their motive, the words maybe little
more than a kind of involuntary breathing out
of their awe and wonder, as again and again they
brought the reading of this Gospel to a close.
Ver. 25. And there are also many other things
which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written one by one, I suppose that even the world
itself will not contain the books that would be
written. We have already expressed our belief
that these are the words of no other than John
himself. They seem to contain the Evangelist's
own explanation of that principle of selection
which he has followed throughout his work. To
have given acomplete history of the facts of Christ's
life would have been impossible. He has chosen
those only which bore upon his particular aim.
It has been usual to describe this verse as a strong
hyperbole. But is it not at once more reverent
and more true to say that the language here used
expresses the infinitude which the apostle beheld
in the life of Jesus, — the fathomless depth-, which
he knew his Lord's every work and every word to
contain ? And we may ask, as we read these
words, What apostle or disciple of Jesus, known
to us as belonging to the first age of the Christian
Church, could have so spoken but that apostle
whom Jesus loved ? In no part of his work
does he expressly name himself, nor is this neces-
sary. He is named by almost every line that
he has written, by almost every touch of the pencil
with which he has drawn his picture. Let us
imitate his example ; and, instead of closing with
the thought of the servant, close rather with the
thought of the Master whose eternal existence
was taught us by the first, and whose infinite ful-
ness is now taught us by the last words of this
Gospel.
Chap. VII. 53-VIII. 11.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
Chapter VII. 53-VIII. 11.
The Woman taken in Adultery.
53, vill. 1 A ND every man went1 unto his own house. "Jesus2 went unto the mount
2 l\ of Olives. And * early in the morning 3 he came again into the temple,4
3 and all the people came unto him ; and he 'sat down, and taught them. And the
scribes and" Pharisees brought 6 unto him 7 a woman taken in adultery ; and when
4 they had set her8 in the midst, They say unto him, Master,9 this woman was taken
5 in adultery,10 in the very act. Now Moses in the rflaw u commanded us, that such
6 should be stoned : 12 but 13 what sayest thou ? 14 This 16 they said, 'tempting him,
''that they might have 16 to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger
7 wrote on the ground, as though he heard tliem not.17 So 18 when they continued
asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, *He that is without sin among
8 you, let him 19 h first cast a stone at her.20 And again he stooped down, and wrote
9 on the ground. And they which21 heard z'/, being convicted by their own conscience,22
went out one by one, beginning at the eldest,23 eve?i unto the last : 24 and Jesus 25 was
10 left alone, and the woman standing26 in the midst. When27 Jesus had28 lifted up
himself, and saw none but the woman, he2'-' said unto her, Woman, where are those30
11 thine accusers ?31 hath32 no man condemned33 thee? She34 said, No man, Lord.
And Jesus said unto her,33 Neither do I condemn thee : go,80 and87 'sin no more.
b Luke xxi. 37,
38 ; chap.
c Matt. v. 1 ;
Luke v. 3.
rfLev. XX. 10:
Deut. xxii.
22-24.
e .Man. x\x. 3.
/Matt.xii. 10;
Luke xx. 20.
1 And they went each one 2 But Jesus 3 And at dawn
7 omit unto him 8 and making her stand y Teacher
11 Now in the law Moses 12 commanded to stone such :
11 what therefore sayest thou concerning her? 15 But this ^ at
18 But 19 add be the 2° first to cast the stone upon her
-- omit being convicted by their own conscience 28 elder '^ 01
?! And 23 omit had ■•» omit saw none but the woman. h<
32 did 33 condemn 34 And she 35 omit unto her
4 temple-courts 5 add the 6 bring
1,1 hath been taken committing adultery
13 omit but
whereof ^ omit as though he heard them not
-l But they, when they
' even unto the last 25 he M who was
30 they 31 omii t)
36 go thy way 3. from this time
Contents. The almost unanimous voice of modern
criticism pronounces the narrative before us to be no
genuine part of the Gospel of John. The section is want-
ing in the oldest and most trustworthy MSS. of the Gospel,
and in several of the most ancient versions. It is passed
by without notice in the commentaries of some of the
earUest and most critical fathers of the Church. It is
marked by an unusually large number of various readings,
— a circumstance always highly suspicious. It is full of
expressions not found elsewhere in the Fourth Gospel,
some of the chief of which will be noticed in the comment.
It interrupts the flow of the section where it occurs, — chap,
viii. 12 connecting itself directly with that part of chap. vii.
which closes with ver. 52. Finally, MSS. which contain the
section introduce it at various places, — some at the close of
the Gospel ; others after chap. vii. 36 ; while in a third
class it has no place in John at all, but is read in the Gospel
of Luke, at the close of chap. xxi. These considerations
are decisive ; and the narrative must be set aside as no part
of the work in which it occurs. How the section found its
way into the place which it now occupies it is impossible
to say. Various conjectures, more or less plausible, have
been offered on the point, but all of them are destitute of
proof. It does not follow, however, that the incident itself
is not true. We know that an incident, very similar to
this, probably indeed the same, was related in the early
Apocryphal Gospel of the Hebrews ; and this circumstance
lends probability to the belief that the events actually
happened. But the great argument in favour of the truth
of the story is afforded by the character of the narrative
itself. It bears the almost unmistakeable impress of a
wisdom which could not have originated with the men of
our Lord's time, and which (as is shown by the objections
often made to it) the world even in our own time hardly
comprehends. It may be noted in addition that the inci-
dent bears in its spirit a striking similarity to that recorded
in Mark xii. 13-17 (Matt. xxii. 15-22 ; Luke xx. 20-26).
Bishop Lightfoot adduces strong evidence to show that the
story was one of the illustrative anecdotes of Papias (Con-
temp. Review, vol. xxvi. p. 847). If so, it must have been
in circulation from the very earliest times.
Ver. 53. And they went each one unto his own
house. The first words of the section confirm the doubts
which we have expressed as to its genuineness. They are
not a natural mode of describing the breaking up of the
Sanhedrin which had been in assembly (ver. 45) ; and no
VOL. II. 16
other persons have been mentioned to whom it is possible
to apply them.
Ver. 1. But Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
No mention is made of the Mount of Olives in any other
passage of the Fourth Gospel, but it is more than once
spoken of in the Gospel of Luke as a place to which Jesus
was wont to retire at the close of Hisdaily labours in Jeru-
salem during the Passion week. He could thus pass from
the hurry and confusion of a large city to the solitude of a
hillside or of its retiring hollows, where the sense of peace
is deepened by the thought of the busy life which is so near
at hand. It is probable that our Lord intended to spend
the whole night upon the Mount ; and it may be that He
would spend it as He did before making choice of His
twelve apostles, 'in prayer to God,' (Luke vi. 12).
Ver. 2. And at dawn he came again into the temple-
courts, and all the people came unto him, and he
sat down and taught them. With the return of day
Jesus resumed His teaching of the people ; and they, on
their part, seem to have been powerfully attracted by His
words. According to the custom of the time, He sat with
His hearers gathered round Him. The custom may be
observed in Turkish mosques at the present day. The
sitting of Jesus while teaching is not mentioned elsewhere
in this Gospel. (Comp. for it, Matt. v. 1 ; Mark ix.
35-1
Ver. 3. And the scribes and the Pharisees bring a
woman taken in adultery ; and making her stand in
the midst. . . . For the 'Pharisees,' comp. on chap. i.
24 : for the ' scribes, ' on Matt. vii. 29. John nowhere else
mentions the scribes : they are frequently conjoined with
the Pharisees in the earlier Gospels (Matt. v. 20 ; Mark
vii. 5 ; Luke vi. 7, etc.). The scene described in the words
before us must have been in a high degree impressive and
exciting. The people are still gathered around Jesus and
listening intently to His words, when suddenly His dis-
course is interrupted by the religious authorities of the
land, who force their way through the crowd dragging the
unhappy culprit along with them, — their faces bearing all
the marks of eager passion to entrap the object of their
hatred ; their hands (as will appear more clearly from ver.
7) already grasping the stones by which they would at least
indicate their conviction of the woman's guilt ; their words,
even before they reach the Saviour, sending a thrill of
horror through the multitude, — ' she has been taken in the
very act. ' Without the slightest feeling of compunction,
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. [CnAP.VII.53-VIII.il.
242
they compel the woman to stand in the midst of the throng,
and then they address themselves to Jesus.
Ver. 4. They say unto him, Teacher, this woman
hath been taken committing adultery, in the very
act. Not only was the sin grievous : the point is that
there was no possibility of denying it. No process of
proof was necessary : there was no need to summon
witnesses. We may even well believe that the very coun-
tenance of the woman would betray her own consciousness
of her shame.
Ver. 5. Now in the law Moses commanded to stone
such: what therefore sayest thou concerning her?
The words 'concerning her,' — which do not occur in the
Authorised Version, but which the best authorities lead us
to accept, — throw light upon the scene. It is not a mere
abstract contrast between Moses and a new Lawgiver that
is before us : it is a special case. By the way in which
Jesus deals with this woman shall the end of His enemies
be gained. The law of Moses expressly decreed death by
stoning only to a betrothed virgin who proved faithless,
and to her seducer (Deut. xxii. 23, 24). It has been in-
ferred, therefore, that this woman was only betrothed, not
married. The supposition is unnecessary. It is enough
to remember that adultery (in the ordinary sense of the
word) was punishable with death ; and that, in a case of
violation of the Sabbath, the Divine command to punish
the transgressor with death was interpreted to mean putting
him to death by stoning (Num. xv. 35). We need thus
have no hesitation in believing that the same mode of
punishment would be applied to all sins similar in character
to that which alone has the penalty of stoning expressly
attached to it.
It is hardly possible to pass by without notice the singular
italicised clause of the present Authorised Version at the
end of ver. 6, ' as though he heard than not.' The clause
is intended for a translation of certain words of the Com-
plutensian text which Stephens adopted in his editions of
a.d. 1546 and 1549, but not in that of 1550, which became
the Textus Rcceptus. The words are not found in any
early English Version, neither in Wycliffe nor Tyndale,
nor Coverdale, nor the Great Bible, nor the two Genevan
Versions. They are also absent from the Rheims Version
of A.D. 1582. They first occur in the Bishops' Bible. In
the Version of A.D. 161 1 they are not printed in italics.
Dr. Scrivener says that they were not italicised earlier than
A.D. 1769.
Ver. 6. But this they said tempting him, that they
might have whereof to accuse aim. In what, it may
be asked, did the ' tempting' lie? The common answer is
that, if Jesus pronounced for the sparing of the woman,
His enemies would raise an outcry against Him as contra-
dicting Moses ; that if, on the contrary. He pronounced
her worthy of death, they would accuse Him to the Roman
Government as usurping powers which belonged to it
alone. The explanation thus given is no doubt to a large
extent correct. But the supposition is also possible that
these scribes and Pharisees were not thinking of a calm
judicial sentence which, if it suited their purpose, they
might report to the Romans. They may have thought of
a sentence to be executed at the moment. There before
them was the guilty one ; the crowd was round about her,
— was even pressing upon her in all the excitement which
the circumstances could not fail to awaken. Will Jesus
reply to their question, No? They will instantly rouse the
multitude against Him as contradicting Moses. Will He
reply, Yes? They will stone the woman on the spot. Then
the Roman Government will itself interpose, and Jesus will
be seized as the instigator of the deed of blood. — But
Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on
the ground. Jesus will not heed them at the first: it will
lend more weight to His reply if it be not too quickly given.
We are not to imagine that what He wrote was a
to be pronounced. He was not thus to assume the office
of a judge. What He wrote was probably some text or
precept of Divine truth which, had He not been interrupted,
I Ie .. mid have proceeded to explain to the people. Such
writing on the ground is still to be met with on the part of
teachers in the East.
Ver. 7. But when they continued asking him, he
lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is
without sin among you, let him be the first to cast
the stone upon her. The scribes and Pharisees press
for an answer. Then Jesus lifted Himself up (as we may
well believe) with slow and solemn dignity, and spoke the
words recorded of Him with a glance which must have
showed His hearers that He read their hearts. They had
no official right to condemn the woman ; and our Lord's
words embodied the truth, which finds always, as it found
now, an answer in the heart of man, that we have no per-
sonal right to judge the guilty unless we ourselves are free
from blame. There seems no reason to confine the thought
of ' sin ' here to the particular sin with which the woman
was chargeable; the expression is quite general. It is from
the mention of ' the stone ' that we may draw the conclu-
sion that the woman's accusers had stones in their hands.
Ver. 8. And again he stooped down, and wrote on
the ground. Jesus returned to His writing on the ground,
and left His words to sink into the hearts of His hearers.
Ver. 9. But they, when they heard It, went out
one by one, beginning at the elder. It was a correct
comment on their state when the words ' being convicted
by their own conscience' found their way into the text.
They felt how entirely they had misapprehended the rela-
tion in which sinners ought to stand to sinners. They
were brought to a conception of morality of which they
had never dreamed. They learned that they could only
vindicate that law upon which they prided themselves by
purity of heart. They who came to condemn Jesus went
.may self-condemned, because He had opened their eyes
to that spirit of the law which is so much greater than the
letter. — And Jesus was left alone, and the woman
who was in the midst. Nothing has been said of the
departure of ' the people ' (ver. 2). We may therefore
suppose that they were still around Jesus and the woman ;
but they are silent and awe-struck. To all intents Jesus is
alone with the woman. He reads her heart, as if His
thoughts were concentrated upon her ; and she can see
none but Him.
Ver. 10. And Jesus lifted up himself and said unto
her, Woman, where are they ? Did no man condemn
thee? The word 'condemn,' for which it is not possible
to substitute another, conveys most imperfectly the sense
of the original Greek. The meaning is rather, ' Doth no
man doom thee to the sentence of which they spoke? '
Ver. n. And she said, No man, Lord. Her answer
is a simple statement of the fact. Perhaps the word
' Lord ' may indicate the deep impression of the greatness
of Jesus that had been made upon her mind. — And Jesus
said, Neither do I condemn thee : go thy way ; from
this time sin no more. The word ' I ' is peculiarly em-
phatic. The language, it will be observed, is not a sentence
of acquittal: it is rather an intimation to the woman that
she has still space given her for repentance and faith. Let
her use her opportunities, and profit by the tender com-
passion of Him who drew publicans and sinners to His
side, then will still more gracious words be addressed to
her. Instead of ' Go thy way, from this time sin no more,'
she will receive the joyful assurance, ' Daughter, thy faith
hath saved thee, go in peace.'
We are told nothing of the effect produced upon the
woman by the remarkable scene in which she had borne
a part. But every reader must feel how worthy of Him
who ' came not to destroy men's lives but to save them '
were the words of Jesus upon this occasion. The narra-
tive has lived on through all ages of the Church as an
illustration, not less striking than any other recorded in the
Gospels, of that Divine wisdom with which Jesus knew how-
to combine what human wisdom has never been able to
unite, — condemnation of sin, and free and unrestricted
mercy to the sinner.
14 DAY USE
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