Chapter XXIV (continued, part 5)
fort as well as aid of the Spirit's work. The Spirit Is here promised as One who would supply Christ's oum place in His absence, that He may abide with you forever never go away, as Jesus was going to do in the body, whom the world cannot receive, Ac.—See 1 Corinthians
2. 14. He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you Though the proper fulness of both these was yet future, our Lord, by using both the present and the future, seems phii ]i ly lo s;iy that they already lind t ho germ of t h is great blessing. IH-^O. I will not leave you eoitil TortlrS!!—in ft bereaved and desolate condition—or (as Margin) 'or- •phans.' I will come to you—
' I come' or 'am coming' to you, i. e., plainly by the Spirit, since it was to make His departure to be no bereavement, world seeth (' bcholdpth') me no more, but ye see ('behold') me—His bodily presence, being all the sight of Him which "the world" ever had, or was capable of. It "beheld Him no more" «fter His departure to the Father; hut by the coming of tee, many a gift destined that never reaches Its proper object. But Christ Is the Executor of His own Testament; the peace He "leaves" He "r/ittes:" Thus all Is secure, not as the M-orld givcth—in contrast with the
Hje Spirit, the presence of Christ was not only continued to His spiritually enlightened disciples, but rendered far
Cfirist Leaveth ITis Petux JOHN XV. Mutual Love of Christ and His People.
—As in a fruit tree, some branches may he fruitful, others quite barren, according as there \f, a, vital connection between the branch and the stock, or no vital connection ; so the dis» ciples of Christ may be spiritually fruitful or the reverse, according as they are vitally and spiritually connected with Christ, or but externally auWd mechanically attached to Him. The fruitless He "taketh away'" (see on v. 6); the fruitful He "purgeth" ('cleanseth,' ' ^vnnetAi') — stripping it, as the husbandman does, of what is rank and luxuriant (Mark 4. 19), "that it may bring forth more fruit;" a process often painful, but no less needful and beneficial than in the natural husbandry. Now—rather, 'Already' —ye are clean through (' by reason of) the word I have spoken to you—already in a purified, fruitful couilition, world, He gives siwerely, substantially, eternally. 38, 39. If ye loved me, ye wonld rejoice, because I said, I go unto tl»e Father, for my Fattier i« greater than I—
These words, which Arians and Socinians perpetually quote as triuniphantevidence against the proper Divinity of Christ, really yield no intelligible sense on their principles. Were a holy man on his death-bed, beholding his friends in tears at the prospect of losing him, to say, 'Ye ought rather to joy than weep for me, and would if ye really loved me,' the speech would be quite natural. But
If they should ask him, tvfiy joy at his departure was more suitable than sorrow, would they not start back with astonishment, if not horror, were he to reply, "Because my Father is greater than If" Does not this strange speech from Christ's lips, then, presuppose such ieachingon His part as would make it extremely difficult for them to think Hecould gain anything bydeparting to the Father, and make it necessary for Him to say expressly that there was a sense in which He could do so? Thus, this starthng explanation seems plainly intended to correct such misapprehensions as might arise from the emphatic and reiterated teaching of His proper equality with the Father—as
In consequence of the long action upon them of that searching "word" which was "as a refiner's fire." (Malachi 3. 2, 3). abide In me, and I in you ; as the branch caiuiot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in tite vine, &c.—As all spiritual fruitfulness had been ascribed to the mutual inliabitation, and living, active interpenetration (so to speak) of Christ and His disciples, so here the keejiing up of this vital connection is made essential to continued fruitfulness. without me—'apart,' or 'vitally disconnected from Me.' ye can do nothing—spiritually, acceptably, if a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch . . . withered . . . cast into the fire . . . burned—The one proper use of the vine is to bear fruit failing this, it is good for one other thing—/tte?. (See Kzekiel 1.5. 1-5.) How awfully striking the figure, in this view of it ! if ye abide in me, and my words in you—Mark the change from the inhabitation of Himself to that of His words, paving the way for the subsequent exhortations i u.
if so Exalted a Perscm were incapable of any accession by transition from this dismal scene to a cloudless heaven and the very bosom of the Father—and by assuring them that this was not the ca.se, to make them forget their own sorrow in His approaching joy. 30,31. Hereafter I will not talk much with you—
' I have a little more to say, but my work hastens apace, and the approach of the adversary will cut it sliort.' for the Prince of this world—See on ch. 12. 31. cometh—with hostile intent, for a last grand attack, having failed in His first formidable assault, Luke 4., from which he " departed (only) for a etasmi" (v. 13). and hath nothing In me nothing of His oicn—nothing to fasten on. Glorious saying ! truth of
9, 10). ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you —because this indwelling of His words in them would secure the harmony of their askings with the Divine will. glorl Aed that ye bear much fruit—not only fiom His delight in it for its own sake, but as from ' the juices of the Living Vine.' so shall ye be my disciples evidence your discipleship. 9-11. continue ye in my love—not, 'Continue to love me,' but, 'Continue in the possession and enjoyment of My love to you;' as is evident from the next words. If ye keep my commandments, ye sball abide in my love—the obedient spirit of truediscipleslilp cheiishing and attracting the continuance and increase of Clirist's love; and this. He adds, was the secret even of His own " abiding in His Father's love !" l'^16. That ye love one another, &c.—See on ch. 13. 34, 33. greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends—The emphasis lies not on " friends," but on "laying down his life" for them. q. d., 'One can show no greater regard for those dear to him than to give his life for them, and this is the love ye shall find in Me.' ye are my friends. If ye do whatsoever I command you —
It is, that which makes the Person and Work of Christ the life of the world. (Hebrews 9. 14; 1 John 3. 5; 2 Corinthians 5. 21.) But that the world may know that I love the Father, &o.—The sense must be completed thus 'But to the Prince of the world, though he has nothing in
Boe, I shall yield myself up even unto death, that the world may know that I love and obey the Father, whose commandment it is that I give my life a ransom for many ' Arise, let us go hence—Did they then, at this Btageol the discourse, leave the supper-room, as some able Interpreters conclude? If so, we think our Evangelist would have mentioned it : see ch. IS. l, which seems clearly to intimate that they then only left the iiper room. But what do the words mean if not this? We think it was the dictate of that saying of earlier date, "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it beacconiplisked .'"—a spontaneous and irrepressible expression of the deep eagerness of His spirit to get into the conflict, and that if, as is likely, it was responded to somewhat too
' hold yourselves in absolute subjection to Me.' Henceforth I call you not servants—t. e., in the sense explained in the next words; for servants He still calls them {v. 20). and they delight to call themselves, in the sense of being "under law to Christ" (1 Corinthians 9.20). the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth—knows nothing of his master's plans and reasons, but simply receives and executes his orders, but frienils, for all things that 1 have heard of my Father I have made known unto you—admitted you to free, unrestrained fellowship, keeping back nothing from you which I have received to communicate. (Cf. Genesis IS. 17; Psalm 25.14; '^saiah 50.4.) Ye have not chosen me, but I you—a wholesale memento after the lofty things He had just said about their mutual indwelling, and the unreservedness of the friendship they had been admitted to. ordained ('appointed') you, that ye should go and l>ring forth fruit. i. e.,give yourselves to it. and that your fruit siiould remain showing itself to be an imperisliable and ever-growing literally by the guests who hung on His lips, in the way
Of a movement to depart, a wave of His hand would be enough to show that He had yet more to say ere they broke up; and that disciple, whose pen was dipped in a love to his Master which made their movements of small consequence save when essential to the illustration of His words, would record this little outburst of the Lamb bastening to the slaughter, in the very midst of His lolly di.sconr.se; while the effect of it, if any. upon His hearers, as of uo consequence, would naturally euough be passed over.
Ver. 1-27. DiscouR.SE at the Supper-table ContinOED. 1-8. The sjrir Uual oneness of Clirist and His petiple, and His relation to Diem as the Source of alt their spiritual life and fru UfiUness, are here beautifully set forth l)y a figure familiar to Jewish ears. (Isaiah 5. 1, &c.) 1 am the ti'uc Vine—of Whom the vine of nature is but a sliadow. my Father the husbandman—the great Proprietor of the Vineyard, the I>ord of the Spiritual kingdom. (It is surely unneces.sary to point out llie claim to supreme priiiciiile. (Cf. Proverbs 4.18; 2 Jolin 8.) that whatsoever ye shall ask, &c.—See on v. 7. 17-il. The substance of these important verses has occurre<l more than once liefore. (See on Matthew 10. 34-;i(>; Luke 12. 4!)-,5.3, &c..) 2^ 25.—See on ch. 9.39-41. If 1 had not come and spoken unto them, they had nol ha<l slii comparatively none; tUvinily Involved In this.) every branch in me that iMsareth not fitt . . , every branch that beareth fruit
Christ (Jom/orteth His Disciples JOHN XVI. by the Promise of the Holy Ghost.
all other sins being light compared with the rejection of the Son of Qod. now they Itave no cloak for tUelr sin —rather, ' pretext.' If I lia»l not done thc works wUieli none other did—See on cli. 12. 37. that the word might he fi Uftlled, They hated ine without a canse—quoted from the Messianic Psalm 69. 4, applied also in the s.^me sense ch. 2. 17; Acts 1. 20 ; Romans 11. 9, 10; 15. 3. 36, li7— 8ee on ch. 14. 16, 17. ye also shall bear witness—rather, 'are witnesses;' with reference indeed to their future witness-bearing, but putting the emphasis upon their present ample opportunities for acquiring their qualiflcations for that great office, inasmuch as they had been " with Him from the beginning." (See on Luke 1. 2.)
di cation of Christ's rec?!<Mc/e is to us Divine evidence.brlght as heaven, that Ho is Indeed the Saviour of the world, God's Righteous Servant to justify many, because He bare their iniquities. (Isaiah Si. 11.) Thus the Spirit, in this clause, is seen convmcing men that there is in Christ perfect relief under the sense of sin of which he had before convinced them; and so far from mourning over His absence from us, as an irreparable loss, we learn to glory in it, as the evidence of His perfect acceptance on our belialf, exclaiming with one who understood this point, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justltieth: Who is he thateondemneth? It is Christ that died; yea, rather, that, is risen again, who is even at the right, hand of God," itc. (Romans 8. 33, .34.) of judgment, because the prince of titis world Is Judged By supposing that the final judgment is here meant, the point of this clause is, even by good Interpreters, quite missed. The statement, "The prince of this world is judged," means, beyond all reasonable doub', the same as that in ch. 12. 31, "Now shall the prince of this world be c«.s< out and both mean that his dominion over men, or his power to enslave and so to ruin them, is destroyed. The death of Christ "judged" or judicially overthrew him, and he was thereupon "cast out" or e.vpelled from his usurped dominion. (Hebrews 2. 14 ; lJohn3.8; Colossians 2. 15.) Thus, then, the Spirit shall bring home to men's conscience (1.) the sense of *(«, consummated in the rejection of Him who came to "take away the sin of the world;" (2.) the sense of perfect relief In the righteousness of the Father's Servant, now fetched from the earth that spurned Him to that bosom where from everlasting lie had dwelt; and (3.) thesense of emancipation from the fetters of Satan, whose judgment brings to men liberty to be holy, and transformation out of servants of the devil Into sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. To one class of men, however, all this will carry conviction only; they "will not come to Christ "—revealed though He be to them as the life-giving One—that they may have life. Such, abiding voluntarily under the dominion of the prince of this world, arejudged in his Judgment, the v.sibla consummation of which will be at the great day. To another class, however, this blessed teaching will have another issue—translating them out of the kingdom if darkness Into the kingdom of God's dear Son. 1*-15. when he, the Spirit of truth, is come . . . lie shall not speak of himself—i. e., .from Hintself, but, like Christ Himself, "what He hears," what is given Him to communicate, he will sliow you tilings to come—referring specially to those revelations which. In the Epistles par-
Ver. 1-33. Discourse at the Supper-Tablb ConCLUBED. 1-5. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended, &c.—both the warnings and the eicoxtrac/ements just given, they shall put you out of the synagogue—(Ch. 9. 22 ; 12. 42.) the time Cometh, that whosoever kllleth yon will tlllnk that lie docth Grod service—The words mean religious service—
' that he is offering ii service to God.' (So Saul of Tarsus, Galatians 1. 13, 14; Philemon 3. 6.) these things I said not at ('from') the beginning—He had said it pretty early (Luke 6. 22), but not quite as in v. 2. because I was with you. But now I go my way to htm that sent me, &c. While He was with them, the world's hatred was directed chiefly against Himself; but His departure would bring it down upon them as His representatives, and none of you asketh me, Whlther goest thou T They had done so in a sort, ch. 13. 36 ; 14. 5 ; but He wished more intelligent and eager inquiry on the suliject. C, 7. But because I have said tiiese things, sorrow hath ftlled your heart—Sorrow had too much paralyzed them, and He would rouse their energies. It Is expedient for you that I go away
My Saviour, can it ever be That I should gain by losing thee ? [Keele.]
Yes. for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come onto you, but If I go I will send Him unto you—See on eh. 7. 39 ; 14. 16. And when he Is come, he will, &c.—This is one of the passages most pregnant with thought in the profound discourses of Christ; with a few great strokes depicting all and every part of the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the world—His operation with reference to individuals as well as the mass, on believers and unbelievers alike. [Olshausen.] he will reprove—This is too weak a word to express what is meant. ' Reproof is indeed implied in the term employed, and doubtless the word begins with it. But ' convict' or ' convince' is the thing intended; and as the one expresses the work of the Spirit on the unbe KeviJifir portion of mankind, and the other on the fte Heyinj/, it is better not to restrict i( to either, of sin, because they belleve<l not on n»e—As all sin has its root In unbelief, so the most aggra vated form of unbelief Is the rejection of Christ. The Spirit, however, in fastening this truth upon the conscience, does not extinguish but, on the contrary, consummate and inten.vi/y, the sense of all other tiallj', but most fully in the Apocalypse, open up a vista into the Future of the Kingdom of God, whose horizon is the everlasting hills. He sliall glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine and show it unto you—Thus the whole design of the Spirit's office is to glorify Christ—not in His own Person, for this was done by the Father when ho exalted Him to His own right hand—but in the view and estimation of men. For this purpose He was to "receive of Christ"—all the truth relating to Christ—"and show it unto them," or make them to discern It In its own light. The subjective nature of the Spirit's teaching—the discovery to the souls of men of what is Christ outwardly—\s here very clearly expressed; and, at the same time, the vanity of looking for revelations of the Spirit which shall do anything beyond throwing light in the .soul upon what Christ Himself is, and taught, and did upon earth, all tilings sins, of righteousness, because I go to my Ji'ather, and ye sec me no more—Beyond doubt, it is Christ's personal righteoiisness which the Spirit was to bring home to the sinner's heart. The evidence of this was to lie in the great that the Pather hath are mine—a plainer expression than this of absolute community with the Father in all things cannot be conceived, though the " all things " here have reference to the things of the Kingdom of Grace, which the Spirit was to receive that He might show it to historical fact, that He had "gone to Ills Kather and was no more visible to men :" for if His claim to be the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, had been a lie, how should the Father, who is "a jealous God," have raised such a l)lasi)hemcr from the dead and exalted him to His right hand? But If He Was the "Faithful and True Witness," the Father's "Righteous Servant," "His Elect, in whom His soul delighted," then was his departure to the I'ather, and consequent disappearance from the view of men, but the fitting consummation, the august reward, of all that He did here below, the seal of His mission, the glorificat ion ns. We have here a wonderful glimpse Into the inncirelations of the Godhead. 10-543. A little while, and ye stiall not see me, and again a little wiiile, and yr sliall sec me, because I go to the Father—The 'Joy of the world' at their 'not seeing him* seems to show that His removal from them by death was what He meant; and In that case, their 'Joy at again seeing Him of the testimony which He bore on earth, by the reception
' points to their transport at His reappearance amongst them on His rc#-
Its Bearer to the Father's bosom. This triumphant vln-
JOHN XVII.
to Glorify Him and Preserve his Apostles.
Chrisfs Tnteicessory Prayer to the Father the hour is come—See on ch. 13. 31, 32. glorify thy Son —Put honour upon thy Son, by countenancing, sustaining, and carrying Him through that "hour." given Cgavest') him power overall flesh—See on Matthew 11. 27; 2S. 18-20. give eternal life to as many as, &c.—lii., 'to all that which thou hast given him.' (See on ch.6. 37-40.) This is (that) life eternal, that they might (may) know, &c.—This life eternal, then, is not mere conscious and unending existence, but a life of acquaintance with God in Christ. (Job 22. 21.) thee, the only true God—the vrrection, when they oould no longer doubt his identity. At the same time the sorrow of the widowed Church in the al)sence of her Lord in the heavens, and her transport, at His personal return, are certainly here expressed. 24- as. At that <iay—of the dispensation of the Spirit, as ch.
14.20. ye sliall ask ('inquire of) me notltiiig—by reason of the fulness of the Spirit's teaching. (Ch. 1-1. 2<i; 10. l?i and of. 1 Joli n 2. 27.) nitherto have ye asked HotUtiig in my name—for 'prayer ire the name of Christ, and piayer to Christ, presuppose His {/?o)-i/ic(7«on.' [Olshausen.] ask —when I am gone, "ia niy name." In proverbs—in ob-
personal living God; in glorious contrast equally with heathen polytheism, philosophic naturalism, and mystic pantheism, and Jesus Christ whom thoii hast Bent—This is the only place where our Lord gives Himself this compound name, afterwards so current in apostolic preaching and writing. Here the terms are used in their strict signification—"Jbsus," because He "saves His people from their sins;" " Christ," as arjoire<ed with the measureless fulness of the Holy Ghost for the exercise of His saving ofllces (see on Matthew 1. 16); "Whom Thou HAST SENT," In the plenitude of Divine Authority and Power, to save. 'The very Juxtaposition here of Jesus Christ with the Father is a proof, by implication, of our Lord's Godhead. The knowledge of Ood and a creature could not be eternal life, and such an association of the one with the other would be inconceivable.' [AI/Foed.( scure language, opposed to "showing plainly "— i. e., by the
Spirit's teaching. I say not, I will pray the Father for you—as if He were not of //ime?/ disposed to aid you:
Christ does pray the Father for his people, but not for the purpose of inclining an unwi Uing par. for the Father
Ixlinself loveth yon, becaiise ye have loved me—This love of theirs is that which is called forth by God's eternal love in the gift of his Son mirrored in the hearts of those who believe, and resting on His dear Son. I came forth from the Father, &c.—7. d., ' And ye are right, for I have Indeed .so come forth, and shall soon return whence I came.' This echo of the truth, alluded to in the preceding verse, seems like thinking aloud, as if it were grateful to His own spirit on such a subject and at such an hour.
!i9, -30. His disciples said, ]Vo\v speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb, &c.—harilly more so than before ; the time for perfect plainness was yet to come; but having caught a glimpse of His meaning (it was nnthing more), they eagerly express their satisfaction, as if fjlad to make anything of His words. How touchiincly does this sliow both the simplicity of their tiearts atid the in-
4:, 5. I have gloritied thee on the earth—rather, ' I glorified' (for the thing is conceived as nowpasO. I have finished (' I finished') the work which thou gavest me to do—It is very important to preserve in the translation the past tense, used in the original, otherwise it might be thought that the work already "finished" was only what He had done be/ore uttering that prayer-; whereas it will be observed that our Lord speaks throughout as already beyond this present scene (v. 12, &c.), and so must be supposed to include in His "finished work" the "decease which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem." And now— in return, glorify thou me—The " J thee" and "Thou me" are so placed in the original, each beside its fellow, as to show that a perfect reciprocity op services of fantile character of their faith ! 31-33. Jesus answered. Do ye now believe I—g. d., ' It is well ye do, tor it is soon to be tested, and in away ye little expect.' the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye sliall be scatiereil, evci'y man to his oivn, and shall leave nie alone ; and yet lam not alone—A deep and awful sense of tvrong experienced is certainly expressed here, but how lovingly! That He was not to be utterly deserted, that there was One who would not forsake Him, was to Him matter of the Son to the Father first, and then of the Father to the Son in return, is what our Lord means here to express with the glory which I had with thee before the world was—when " in the beginning the Word was u'ith
IneflTaljle support and consolation; but that He should be without all human countenance and cheer, who as Man was exquisitely sensitive to the law of sympathy, would fill themselves with as much shame, when they afterwards recurred to it, as the Redeemer's heart in his hour of need with pungent sorrow. "I looked for some to take
Ood" (ch. 1. 1), "the only-begotten Sou in the bosom of the Father" (ch. 1. IS). With this pre-existent glory, which He veiled on earth, He asks to be reinvested, the design of the veiling being accomplished—not, however, simply as before, but now ire our nature. 6-8. From praying for Himself He now comes to pray for His disciples. I have manifested ('I manifested') thy name—His whole cliaracter towards mankind, to the men thou gavest me out of the vi-orld—See on ch. 6. 37^0. they have known surely that I came out trom thee—See on cli. 16. 30, 31. 9-14. I pray for them-not as individuals merely, but as representatives of all such in every succeeding age (see on V. 20). not for the world—for they had been given Him "nut o/the world" {v. 6), and had been already transformed into the very opposite of it. The things sought for them, indeed, are applicable only to such, all mine are thine, and thine are mine lit., 'All my things are thine and thy tilings are mine.' (On this use of the nexder gender, see on ch. G. 37-40.) Absolute community or property between the Father and the Son is here expressed as nakedly as words can do it. (See on «. .5.) I am no more in the world (see on t). 4), but these arc in the world q. d., ' Though My struggles are at an end, theirs are not; though I have gotten beyond the scene of strife.
pity, Ijut there was none; and for comforters, but I found Tione." (Psalm 69. 20.) because the Father is with me how near, and with what sustaining power, who can express? TIjese things I have spoken unto you—not the Immediately preceding words, but this whole discourse, of which these were the very last words, and whkh He tiius winds up. that In me ye might have peace—in the Bublime sense before explained. (.See on ch. U. 27.) in the world ye shall have tribulation—specially arising from
Its deadly opposition to those who "are not of the world, but chosen out of the world." 80 that the "peace '' promised was far from an unruffled one. I have overcome the world—not only 6e/ore you, but /or you, that ye may be able to do the same. (1 John 5. 4, 5.)
Ver. 1-2B. The Inteuces-sory Ppaver. — See on ch.
14. 1. Had this prayer not been recorded, what reverential reader would not have exclaimed. Oh to have been within hearing of such a prayer as that must have been, which wound up the whole of His past ministry and ff)rnied the point of transition to the dark scenes which immediately followed! But here it is, and with such signature of the Lips that uttered itth-at we seein rather to hear it from Hiraself than read it from the pen of His faithful reporter. These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes—'Jolin very seldom depicts the gestures or looks of our Lord, as here. P,ut this was an ooaision of which the impression was indelible, and the upward look could not be passed over.' [Aj.i-ord.J Father,
I cannot sever myself in spirit from them, left behind and only just entering on their great conflict.' Holy Fnther—an expression He nowhere else uses. " Fathei-" is His wonted appellation, but "holy" is here prefixed, because His appeal was to that perfection of the Father's nature, to "keep" or preserve them from being tainted by the unholy atmosphere of "the world" they were still in. keep through thine own name—rather, 'in thy name ;' in the exercise of that gracious and holy character for which He was known, that they may be one—See on c. 159
CJirist Pruyelh for His Aj/oslks, JOHN XVII. and for all True Bdievert.
21. I kept (guarded) *l»em in thy nnme—arti ng as thy Representative on earlli. nniir of Uirni lost, but the gon of perdition—' It is not implied here that the son of perdition was one of those whom the Father had given to the Son, but rather the conlnuy, eli. I.!. !S. [Wisbster and Wilkinson.] It is just as in Luke ). 26, 27, where we are not to suppose that the woman of Surrpta (in .Sidon) was one of the widows of I.traet, nor Naanian the Syrian one of the lepers in Isr(tel, lliongh the laniuage—the same as here—might seem to express it. son of perditiondoomed to it. (2Thessalonians 2. 3; Marli 11. 21.) I speak In the world, that they might luiv-e my joy fialfilled in tUemselTes—7. d., '.Such a strain befils rather the upper sanctuary than the scene of conflict; but I speak so "in world beyond its own pale of the divinity of the Gospel, tl generates infidelity to a large extent within its own bosom. But the Spirit of Christ, illuminating, transforming, and reigning in the hearts of the genuine disciples of Christ, drawing them to each other as members of one family, and prompting them to loving co-operation for the good of the worlil — thiij is what, when sufflciently glowing and extended, shall force conviction upon tho world that Christianity is divine. Doubtless, the more that differences among Christians disappear-the mora they can agree even in minor matter.s—the impression upon the world may be expected to be greater, liut it Is not depeiideyit upon this; for living and loving oneness in Christ is sometimes more toucliingly seen even amidst and in spite of minor differences, than where no such differences exist to try the strength of their deeper unity. Yet till this living brotherhocxl in Christ shall show itself strong enough to destroy the sectarianism, selfishness, carnf\lity, and apathy that eat out the heart of Christianity in all the visible sections of it, in vain shall we expect the world to be overawed by it. It is when "the Spirit shall be poured upon us from on high," as a Spirit of truth and love, and upon all parts of the Christian territory alike, melting down differences and heart-burnings, kindling astonishment and sh.ame at past unfruitfulness, drawing forth longings of catholic affection, and yearnings over a world lying in wickedness, embodying themselves in palpable forms and active measures— it is then that we may expect the effect here announced to be produced, and then it will be irresistible. Should not Christians ponder these thi?iffsf "should not the same mind be in them which was also in Christ Jesus" about this matter f should not His prayer be theirs f and the glory whi«'h thou gavest (' hast given') me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one—The last clause shows the meaning of the first. It is not the future glory of the heavenly state, but the secret of that present unity just before spoken of; the glory, therefore, of the indwelling Spirit of Christ; the glory of an accepted state, of a holy character, of every grace. I in them, and thon In me, thnt they may be made perfect In one—See on t'. 21. 2426. Father, I will—The majesty of this style of speaking tfie world," that My joy, the joy I exi)erience in knowing that such intercessions are to be made for them by their absent Lord, may be tasted by those who now hear them, and by all who shall hereafter re.ad the record of them. 15-1'J. I pray not that thon slionldest take them ont of the ivorld—for that, though it would secure their own safet.y, would leave the world unblessed by their testimony. Imt keep them from the evil—all evil in and of the world. They are not of the world, even ns I am not of the world—See on ch. 15. 18, 19. This is reiterated here, to pave the way for the prayer which follows. Sanctify them—As the former prayer, "Keep them," was negative, asking protection for them from the poisonous element which surrounded and pressed upon their renewed nature, so this prayer, "Saneti/i/ them," is positive, asking the advavcement and completion of their begun sanctiflcation. through (or 'in') thy truth—God's revealed truth, as the medium or element of sanctiflcation; a statement this of immense importance, thy word Is tnith—Cf. ch. 15. 3; Colossians 1. .5; Ephesians 1.
13. As thon hast sent ('sentest') ine into the world, even so, have I also sent ('sent I also') them into the world—.\s their mission Was to carry into effect the purposes of their Master's mission, so our Lord speaks of the avthorit}/ in both cases as co-ordinate, and for their gakes I sanctify (consecrate) myself, that they also might ('may') be sanctified (consecrated)—'The only difference between the application of the same term to Christ and the disciples is, as applied to Christ, that it means only to 'consecrate;' whereas, in app Ucation to the disciples, it means to 'consecrate' with the additional idea of previous sanctiflcation, since nothing but what is holy can be presented as an of Tering. The whole self-sacrificing work of the disciples appears here as a mere rpnult of the offering of Christ. fOLSH.\uSEN.] through (or 'in') the truth—Though the article is wanting in the original here, we are not to transl.ate, as in the margin, ' trvly sanctified;' for the reference seems plainly to l)e "the truth" mentioned 17. (See there.) aO-'J.S. Neitherpray 1 for these alone—This very important explanation, uttered in condescension to the hearers and readers of this prayer in all time, is meant not merelv of what follows, but of the whole prayer, them also which shall believe —The majority of the liest MS."-;, read 'which believe,' all future time being viewed as pre.vjyit, while the present is viewed as past and gone, that they nil may be one, ns thoii, Father, in me, and I in thee, that they may he one ill us The indirrllinf/ Spirit of the F<fther and the Son Is the one perfect boniiof union, knitting up into a living unity, first, all believers amongst themselves ; next, this unity into one still higher, with the Father and the Son. (Observe, that (Christ never mi.rex ITim.ietf iip trith His is quite transparent. No petty criticism will be allowed to fritter it away in any but superficial or perverted readers, be with me where I am—See on ch. I I. 3. that they may beliold my glory which thou hast given me —See on v. 5. Christ regards it as glory enough for ns to be admitted to see atid gaze for ever upon His glory ! Tills is ' the beatific vision ;' but it shall be no mere vision, for "we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."
1 .John 3. 2. O righteous Father, the world hnth not known thee ('knew thee not'), but I have known ('knew') thee, and these have known ('knew') that thon hast sent ('sentest') me—As before He said "Holy Father," when desiring the display of that perfection on His disciples (v. II), so here He styles him "Righteous Father," because He is appealing to bis righteousness or justice, to make a distinction between those two diametrically opposite classes—" the world," on the one hand, which would not "know the Father, though brought so nigh to it in the Son of His love, and, on the other. Himself, who recognized and owned Him, and even His disciples, who owned His mission from the Father. And I have declared (' I made known' or ' communicated') thy name— in His past ministry, and will declare It—in yet larger measure, by the gift of the Holy Ohost at Pentecost and through all succeeding ages, thnt the love wherewith thou hast love<l ('lovedst') me mny lie In them, and J In them—This eternal love of the Father, resting disciple-i as He associotes Himself with the Father, but says I In tTiem and ttiev in us.) that the world may believe that thou hast sent ('sentest') nic—So the grand impression U|)on the worM at large, that the Mission of Christ is Divine, is to be made by the unity of His disciples. Of course, then. It must be something that shall be visible or percepfirst on Christ, is by His Spirit imparted to and takes up its permanent abode in all that believe in Him; and "He abiding in them and they in Him" (ch. I'l. .')), they are "one Spirit." 'With this lofty thought the Uedecmer closes His prayer for His disciples, and in them for His Church through all ages. He has compressed into the last moments given Him for conversation with His own the most sublime and glorious sentiments ever uttoreil by mortal lips. But hardly has the sound of tho last word tible to the world. What is it, then? Not certainly a merely formal, mechanical unity of ecclesiastical machliury. For as that may, and to a large extent does, exist
In both the Western and Kastern churches, wi"i little of frhe Spirit of Christ, yea much, much with which the bp!: 11 of Christ cannot dwell, so instead of convincing the
ICO
BetixM/al and Apprehension of Jesus. JOHN XVIII. Peter Sinilelh off Makhus' Ear.
rush of the soldiery upon the disciples [Bengri.]; and see Mark 14.51,52, as showing a temlency to this: but still rnoi e as part of that courage and majesty which so overawed them. He would not wait to be taken. They answered, Jesus of Nazareth— Just the sort of l>luut, straightforward reply one expects from military men, simply acting on their instructions. I am [HeJ-^ee ou died away, when He passes with the disciples over the hrook Kediou to Gethsemane—and the bitter con Jlict draws on. The seed of the new world must be sown in
Death, that thence Life may spring up.' [Olshausen.]
cli. 6. 20. Judas stood with them—No more is recorded here of his part of the scene, but we have found the gap painfully supplied by all the other Evangelisls. As soon then as Me said unto them, I am [He], they went backward—recoiled, and fell to the ground—struck down by a power such as that which smote Saul of Tarsus and his companions to ihe earth. (Acts 26. 14.) It was the glorious ellulgence of the majesty of Christ which overpowered them. 'This, occurring before His surrender, would sliow His power over His enemies, and so the freedo7H with which He gave Himself up.' [Meyer.] Then asked He thein again, Whom seek yel—Giving them a door of escape from the guilt of a deed which now they were able in some measure to understand. Jesus of Nazareth—The stunning effect of His first answer wearing otr, they thiuk only of the necessity of executing their orders. I have told you that I am [He]: if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way—Wonderful self-possession, and consideraiion for others, in such circumstances ! that the saying might be fulfilled which He spake. Of them which TIiou gavest Me have I lost none—The reference is to such sayings as ch. 6. 39; 17. 12; sliowing how conscious the Evangelist was, that in reporting his Lord's former sayings, he was giving them not in substance merely, but in form also. Observe, also, how the preservation of the disciples ou this occasion is viewed a's part of that deeper preservation undouljtedly intended in the saying quoted. 10, II. Then Simun Peter, having a sword, drew It, and sinoto the high priest's servant, aad cut off his right ear. The servant's name was ftlalclms-None of the other Evangeli^^ts mention the name either of the ardent disciple or of his victim. John being "known to the high priest" (f. 15), the mention of the servant's name by him is quite natural, and an interesting mark of truth in a small matter. As to the n'(//(C ear, specified both here and in Luke, the man was 'likely foremost of those who advanced to seize Jesus, and pi-esented himself in the attitude of a combatant; hence his right side would be exposed to attack. The blow of Peter was evidently aimed vertically at hi« hciid.' [Wehstek and Wilkinson.] Then said Jesus— "Suffer ye thus far" (Luke 22.51). Put up thy sword Into the shenllt ; the cup which my Father hath given me, sliall I not drink itl—This expresses both the feelings wh\(:h struggled in the Lord's breast during the Agony in the garden aversion to the cup viewed in itself, but, in the light of the Father's will, perfect preparedness to drink it up. (See on Luke 22. 39-46.) Matthew adds to the address to Peter the following:—"For all thej' that take
Ver. 1-1". BETRAYAIy AND API-REHENSION OF JeSUS.
Over tJ»c brooU Ke«lroii—a deep, dark ravine, to the north-east of Jerusalem, through which flowed this small 'storm-brook' or 'winter-torrent,' and which in summer is dried up. where was a garden—at the foot of the Mount of Olives, "called Gethseiaane" ('olive-press'), Maithew 26. 30, 36. Jndas kiiew the place, for Jesus ofthiiies (see ch. 8. 1 ; Luke 21. 37) resorted thither with hU disciples—The baseness of this abuse of knowledge in Judas, derived from admission to the close.st privacies of his Master, is most touchiugly conveyed here, though nothing beyond bare narrative is expressed. Jesus, however, knowing that in this spot Judas would expect to find Him, instead of avoiding it, hies Him thither, as a Lamb to the slaughter. "No man taketh my life from me, but
I lay it down of myself." (Ch. 10. 18.) Besides, the scene which was to fill up the little breiithing-time, the awful interval, between the Su'jper and the Apprehension—like the "silence in heaven frr about the space of half an hour" between the br-^'aking of the Apocalyptic Seals and the peal of the Trnmpets of war (Revelation 8. 1)—the Agony —would have been too terrible for the upper room; nor would He cloud the delightful associations of the kiAt
J'asKOver and the flrnl Supper by pouring out the anguish of His soul there. The garden, however, with its amplitude, it sliadj' olives, its endeared associations, would be congenial to his heart. Here He had room enough to retire—first, from eight of them, and then from the more favoured three ; and here, when that mysterious scene was over, the stillness would only be broken by the tread of the traitor. Jndas then—" He that was called Judas, one of the Twelve," says Luke, In language which brands him with peculiar infamy, as in the sacred circle while in no .Bense of it. the baud of men—' the detachment of the Roman cohort on duty at the festival for the purpose of maintaining order.' [Webster and Wilkinson.] officers from the oliief priests and Pliai-iseeu—Captains of the Temple and armed Levites. lanterns and torclies—It^'as full moon, but in case he should have secreted Himself Eomewherein the dark ravine, they bring the means of exploring its hiding-places—little knowing whom they had to do with. " Now he that betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He, hold him fast." (Matthew 26. iS.) The cold-bloodedness of til is speech was only exceeded by the deed itself. "And Judas went before them (Luke 22. 47), and forthwith he came to Jesus, and said. Hail, Master, and kissed Him." (Matthew 20. 49; cf. Exodus 4. 27; IS. 7; Luke 7. 1.5.) The Impudence of this atrocious deed shows how thoroughly he had by this time mastered all his scruples. If the dialogue between our Lord and His captors was before this, as some interpreters think it was, the kiss of Judas was purely gratuitous, and probably to make good his right to the money; our Lord having presented Himself unexpectedly before them, and rendered it unnecessary for any one to point him out. But a comparison of the narratives seems to show that our Lord's " coming forth" to the l)and was subsequent to the Interview of Judas. "And Jesus said unto him. Friend"—not the endearing term " friend" in ch. 1.5. 15, but 'companion,' a word used on occasions of remonstrance or rebuke (as Matthew 20. 13; 22. 12)— "Wherefore art thou come? (Matthew 26. .50.) Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss"—imprinting upon the foulest act the mark of tenderest atlection'/ What UHTundcd feeling does this express! Of this Jesus showed Himself on various o<!casions keenly susceptible—as all generous and beautiful natures do. 4-0. JesuM, knowing all things that should come ('were coming) upon lllm, went forth—from the sliade of the trees, prol)al>ly, Into opfn view. Indicating His sublime preparedness to meet His captons, AVhom seek ye !—Iartly to prevent a the sword sliall perish by the sword" (Matthew 26. 52) q.
d., 'Those who take the sword must run all the risks of human warfare; but Mine is a warfare whose weapons, as they are not carnal, are attended with no such hazards, but carry certain victory.' "Thinkest thou that I cannot now"—even after things have proceeded so far—"pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me"—rather, 'place at my disposal'—"more than twelve legions of angels;" with allusion, possibly, to the one angel who had, in His agony, "appeared to Him from heaven strengthening Him" (Luke 22. 43); and in the precise number, alluding to the twelve v/ho needed the help. Himself and His eleven disciples. (The full complement of a legioa of Roman soldiers was six thousand.) " But how tiien sliall the Scripture be fulfilled that thus it must be?" (Matthew 26. 53, 54.) He could not suffer, according to the Scripture, if He allowed Himself to be delivered from the predicted death. "And He touched his ear and healed him" (Lulce 22. 51); for " the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save ttiem" (Luke 9. 56), and, even while they were destroying His, to save ttieii's. Then the baud . . . took Jesus—but not till He boci
Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas. JOPIN XVIII. Pcteis Denial of his Master, that he was a privileged person. He gaith, I am not— "He denied before them all, s.aying, I know not what thou sayest," Matthew 26. 70—a common form of pointblank deni.al ; "I know (supply ' Him') not, neither understand I what thou sayest," Mark 14.68; "Woman, X know Him not," Luke 22.57. Tills was the Fiiwr demal. "And he went out into the porch (thinking, perliaps, to steal away), and the cock creiv," Mark 14.08. 19-31. The high priest asked Jesus of His disciples, and of His doctrine—Probably to entrap Him into some statements which might be used against Him at the trial. From our Lord's answer it would seem that "His disciples" were understood to be some secret party. I spake (' have spoken') openly to the world—.See ch. 7. 4. 1 ever taught in the synago,';;ues and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort—Courting publicity, though with sulilime noiselessness. In secret have I said (' spake I') nothing i.e., nothing of any different nature; all His private communications with the Twelve being but explanations and developments of His public teaching—cf. Isaiall 45. 19; 48. 10. Why askest ineT ask them which hear«l me . . . they know what I said—This seems to imply that He saw the attempt to draw Him into selfcrimination, and resented it by falling back upon the right of every accused party to have some charge laid against Him by competent witnesses. Struck .Tesiu with the palms . . . Answerest the iUgU priest so—.See Isaiah .50. 0; and cf. Acts 21 2. If I have spoken—'If 1 sjioke' evil, in reply to the high priest. If well—He does not say " If not" evil, as if His reply were merely unobjectionable: "W'elV seems to ch.'illenge more than this as due to His remonstrance. [Bi-;ngei..] This s'lows that Matthew ,5. f>9 is not to be taken to the letter. 24-'J7. Now Annas had sent Him bound unto C'aiaplias—Our translators so render the words, understanding llial the foregoing interview took place before Otiaphas; .iniias, declining to meddle with the case, having sent Him to Caiaphas at once. But the words here literally are, 'Annas sent Him (not 'had sent Him') to Caiaplias'—and the "now" being of doubtful authority. Thus read, the verse artords no evidence that He was sent to Caiaplias be/ore the interview just recorded, but implies rather the contrary. We take this interview, then, with some of the ablest interpreters, to be a preliminary and iion-otricial on* with Anmr.t, at an hour of the night when Caiaphas' Council could not cpnvene; and one that ought not to be con i'ounded with that solemn one recorded liy the other Evangelists, when all were assembled and witnesses niado thoni foel that "no man took His life from Him, but that He laid it down of Himself." 13. and led Him away—"In that hour," says Matthew (26. .S5, .56), and probably now, on the way to judgment, when the crowds were pressing upon Him, "said Jesns to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves, for to take me"—expressive of the indignity which he felt to be thus done to Him—" I sat daily with you in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But this" (adds Luke 22. .5.3) "is your hour and the power of darkness." Matthew •continues—" But all this was done that the Scriptures of the pr Ophcts might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled" (Matthew 26. 56)—thus fulfilling His prediction, Mark 11. 27; ch. 10. 32.
13-27. Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas—Fali. of Petf.b. 13, 14. And led hiin away to Annas ilr«t—See on Luke 3. 2, and on Matthew 26. 57. 15-18. Simon Peter followed Jesiis — Natural though this was, and safe enough, had he only "watched and prayed that he enter not into temptation," as his Master bade him (Matthew
26. 41), it was, in his case, a fatal step, ami another disciple— Rather, 'the other disciple'— our Kvangelist himself, no doubt, known unto tl»e liigU priest—See on V. 10. AVeiit in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without by preconcerted ari-augement with his friend till he should get access for him. Then went ont that other. . . and spake to her that kept the door, and brought In Peter—the naturalness of the.se small details is not uuworthy of notice. This other disciple first made good his own entrance on the .score of acquaintance with the high priest ; this secured, he goes forth again, now as a privileged person, to make interest for Peter's admission. But thus our poor disciple is in the coils of the serpent. The next steps will best he seen by invertinfj verses 17 and
18. And the servants and officers—The meni.als and some of the "band" that "took Jesus." stood there, who had made ('having made') a lire of coals, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves—'John alone notices the material ('charcoal') of which thefire was made, and the reason for a fire—the coldness of the night.' fWKBSTER and Wilkinson.] " Peter went in and sat with the servants to see the end (Matthew 26..58), and warrried hims(df at the fire." (Mark 14. 5-1.) These two statements are extremely interesting. His wisliing to "see the end," or issue of these proceedings, was what led hiin into the palace, for he evidently feared the worst. But once in, the serpent-coil is drawn chxser ; it is a cold night, and why should not he t.alce ail vantage of the fire as well as others 7 Besides, in the talk of the crowd about the all-engrossing cal led. But the bu Uding in. which both met with Jesns appear.i to have been the same, the room only beimj different, and the court, of course, in that ca,<>e, one. And Simon Pelerwns standing and warming liimyelf. They said therefore. Art thou not also one of his disciples !—In Matthew 26.
topic, he may pick up .something which he would like to hear. ".\nd as Peter was beneath in the palace" (Mark
14.66). Matthew (26. 69) says, "sat withoul in the palace." According to Oriental architecture, and especially in large buildings, as here, the street door, or heavy folding gate through which single perstms entered by a wicket kept by a porter—opened by a passage or "porch" (Mark lt.6K) into a qu.adrangular cmirt, here called the "j>al Hce" or
71 the second cliarge was made by " another maid, when he was gone out into the porch," who "saw him, and said unto them that were there, Tills [fellowj was also with Jesus of Nazareth." So also Mark 14. 09. But in Luke '22.
58 it is said, "After a little while" (from the lime of the first denial), " another \nmn] s:i w hiin, and .said, Thou art ftaH, which w.as open nb(yi!e,nrn\ is frequently 7«(cfi with flagstones. In the centre of this court the "fire" would be kindled (in a brazier). At the upper end of it, probaalso of them." Possibly it was thrown ivt him by moi-e than one; but the.se ciicnmstantial variations only (ronfirni the truth of t he narr.itive. Hedf i>l> d it, and said, I am not— bly, Wixs the diamber in which the trial was held, open to
In Matthew 2li. 72, " He denieil irith an o<i!h, I do not know the man." This was I'Hio sv;coNi:) iikniai.. 0>ie of the the co-u.rt and not far from the fire (Luke 22. 01), but on a higher level; for Mark says the court was " foim^/t" it. The ascent was, perliaps, by a sliort fllght of steps. This explanation will make the intensely interesting (htails ser\ai«».s of the high piicst, l>eliig ills kinsmiin, whose ear Peter cut oil", saklli. t>id not I see thee In the garden wiilk Illm—No doubt his rehitionsliip to ilalcliusdrew attention to the man who smote him, and thin enabled him to identify Peter. ' Sad reprisals !' [Be.noki..] The more intelligible. Then saith the damsel that Icept the door—"one of the maids of the high priest," says Ma; k (M. (Ki). "When she saw Peter warming liinisclf, she looked upon him and said" (Mark M. 67). Luke is more other Kvaiigelists make his detection to turn upon his
Oialcet. ".Viler a whilo ('about the space of one hr.ur grapliic (22. 50)—,Slie " Ix'held him as he sat by the lire 0 it., niter,' Luke "22. r>S>) came unto him they that Kto<Hi by and said to Peter. .Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech betrayel h thee," .Matthew 20. 7.i. (" Thou art a <j«J-
'the light'), and earnestly looked on him (' fixed her ga/.e opon liltn'), and said." 'His demeanour and timidity,
must have vividly showed themselves, as it so geneially liappcns, l(>a<llng to llie recognition of hiin.'
i lean. 11 lid thy speech iigreeth thereto," Rlark 1 1. 70; and so Luke 22. 5!i.) The Galilean dialect had a more Syrian cast than that of Jiidtsa. If Peter had held his peace, this pecu-
Of.sii AllSEN.J Art thoii not also one of thl.s mtin's disciples ! i. (?.. thou as well as " that other disciple," whoni Bhe knew to bo one, but did not challenge, piirceiviiig liarity liftd not been observed; but liopiug, probably, lo l(i2
Arraignment before Pilate, JOHN XVIII. who Questions Him as to who lie it.
ready to meet such an avowal : To your eyes, which are but eyes of flesh, there stands at this bar only a mortal like yourselves, and He at the mercy of the ecclesiastical aud civil authorities: "Nevertheless," a day is coming when ye shall see another sight: Those eyes, which now gaze on me with proud disdain, shall see this very prisoner at the right hand of the Majestj' on high, and coining in the clouds of heaven: Then shall the judged One be revealed as the Judge, and His judges in this chamber appear at His august tribunal; then shall the. xmrighteoits judges be impartially iutieA ; and while they are wishing that they had never been born. He for whom they now watcii as tlveir Victim shall be greeted with the hallelujahs of heaven, and the welcome of Him that sitteth upon the throne!' r..3, 01. "Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy"—"of his own mouth," Luke 22. 71; an affectation of religious horror. "What think ye?"—'Say, what verdict would ye pronounce.' "They all condemned him to be guilty of death"—of a capital crime. (See Leviticus 2!. 16.) 65. "And some began to spit on him" ("Then did they spit in his face," Matthew 26. 67). See Isaiah 50. 6. " And to cover his face, and to bulfet him, and to say unto him, Propliesy"—or 'divine' "unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?" The sarcasm in styling Him "the Christ," and as such demanding of Him the perpetrator of the blows inflicted upon Him, was in them as infamous as to Him it was stinging, and ttie servants did strike him with the palms of titeir liands— " And many other things blasphemously spake they ag.ainst him," Luke 22. 6.5. Thia general statement is important, as sliowiiig that virulent and varied as were the recorded affronts put upon Him, they are but a small specimen of what He endured on that black occasion.] — 28. TJien led they Jesus from Cainplias to the liall of Judgment—but not till "in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council agair.st him to put him to death, and bound him" (Matthew 27. 1; and see on Mark lo. 1 ). The word here rendered " hall of judgment" is from the Latin, and denotes 'the palace of the governor of a Koman province.' they ttiemselves went mot into the palace, lest they slioiild be deflled—by contact with ceremonially unclean Gentiles, but that lliey mlgUt eat the Passover—If this refer to the principal part of_ the festival, the eating of the lamb, the question put thern off the scent hy joinins in the fireside tallc, he only thus discovered himself. Peter then dtnled again —But, if the challenge of Malchus" kinsman was made simultane 'usly with this on account of his Galilean dialect, it was no simple denial; for Matthew 2G. 7-1 says, "Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man." So Mark 14. 71. This was the third dejiai>. Aud Immediately ("while he yet spake," Luke 22. (iO) the cock crew—As Mark is the only Evangelist who tells as that our Lord predicted that the cock should crow txnce
(ch. 11. 30), so he only mentions that it did crow twice {v.
72'. The other Evangelists, who tell us merely that our Lord predicted that " before the cock should crotv he would deny Him thrice" (Matthew 26. 34; Luke22.31; John 13. 38), mention only one actual crowing, which was Mark's last. This is something affecting in this Evangelist—who, according to the earliest tradition (confirmed by internal evidence), derived his materials so largely from Peter as to have been styled his " interpreter," being the only one who gives both the sad prediction and its still sadder fulfilment in full. It seems to show that Peter himself not only retained through all his after-life the most vivid recollection of the circumstances of his fall, but that he was willing that others should know them too. The immediately subsequent acts are given full only in Luke (22. 61,
62): "And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter," from the hall of judgment to the court, in the way already explained. But who can tell what lightning-flashes of wounded love and piercing reproach shot from that " loolc" through the eje of Peter into his heart! "And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him. Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrioe. And Peter went out and wept bitterly." How dirt'erent from the sequel of Judas' act! Doubtless the nearts of the two men towards the Saviour were perfectly different from the first; and the treason of Judas was but the consunimalion of the wretched man's resistance of the blaze of light in the midst of which he had lived for three years, while Peter's denial was but a momentary obscuration of the heavenly light and love to his JIaster
ruled his life. But the immediate cause of the plessed revulsion, which made Peter " weep bitterly," w;is, beyond all doubt, this heart-piercing "look" which his Lord gave him. And remembering the Saviour's own words at ttie table, "Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have vrayed (rather, ' I prayed") for thee that thy faith fail not" is, how our Lord and his disciples came to eat it the night before; and, as it was an evening meal, how ceremonial defilement contracted in the morning would uuflt them for partaking of it, as after 6 o'clock it was reckoned a new day. These are questions which have occasioned immense research and learned treatises. But as the usages of the Jews appear to have somewhat varied at different times, and our present knowledge of them is not sufficient to clear up all difficulties, they are among the not very Important questions which probably will never be entirely solved. 39-33. Pilate went out to tltem, and said, 'W'liat accusation bring ye agaiiisit this man 1 State your charge. If lie were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered lilm up unto tiiee—They were conscious they had no case of which I'ilate could take cognizance, and therefore insinuate that they had already found him worthy of death by their own law; but not having the power, under the Roman government, to carry their sentence into execution, they had come merely for his sanction, that the saying migiit be fulfilled which lie spake, signifying wiint death lie sliould die— e., by criiciflxion (ch. 12. 32, 33; Matthew 20.
(see on Luke 22.31, 32), may we not say that this prayer fetched doivn all that there was in that " look" to pierce and break the heart of Peter, to keep it from despair, to work In it " repentance unto salvation not to be rejiented of,'' and at length, under other healing touches, to "restore his soul?" (See on Mark 18. 7.)
28-10. Je!3U.S bkfore Pilate. N. B. Our Evangelist, haxying given the interview with Annas, omitted by the other
Evangi'lUsts, here omits the trial and condemnation before Caiaphas, which the others had recorded. See on JIarIc H.
53-(io. [The notes broken otT there at t). 61 are here concluded. (Mark U.) 61. "The high priest asked him. Art thou the Christ, the Son of the blessed ?''—Matthew says the high priest pid him upon solemn oath, saying, I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou lie the Christ, the Son of God" (26. ffi). This rendered an answer by our Lord legally necessary, Leviticus 5. 1. Accordingly. 6!4. "Jesus said, I am" ("Thou hast said," Matthew 26. (M). In Luke 22. 67, 68, some other words are given, "Ii I tell you, ye will not believe; and if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go." Tiiis seems to ha%'e been uttered before giving His direct answer, as a calm remonstrance and dignified protest against the pre-
19); which being a Iloman mode of execution, could only be carried into effect by order of tho governor. (The Jewish moile in such cases as this was by sloni7jg.) 3;t3H. Pilate called Jesus, and said. Art thou the king of the Jews I—In Lulce 23. 2 they cliarge our Lord belbre Pilate with " perverting the nation, anil I'orliidding to give judgment of His case and the unfairness of their mode of procedure, "and ye shall see the Son of man," &c.— This concluding part of our Lord's answer is given somewhat more fully by Matthew and r,nke. " Nev< rtheless I say unto you, Hereafter (rather, 'From henceforth') shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (MaltheM' 26.61; Luke 22. 6!».) {j. d. 'I know the scorn wltii whiclj ye are triljute to Ca!sar, saying that he himself is Christ a king.' Perhaps this was what occasioned Pilate's question. Jesus answered, Snyest thou this nf thyself, or did others tell it of me I—an important question for our
1(13
Clvri&Cs Anmev to Pilate. JOHN XIX. Jcsm Scourged, arid Crowned with Thunts.
but never man yet answered.' And when l»e had said tills—as if, by putting such a question, he was getting into interminable and unseasonable inquiries, when this business demanded rather prompt action — he w«nt again unto the Jews—thus missing a noljle opjiortunity
Ijord's case, to bring out whether the word "king" were meant in a political sense, with which Pilute had a right to deal, or whether he were merely put up to it by His accusers, who had no claims to charge him but such as were of a purely religions nature, with which Pilate had nothing to do. PUate answered, Ami a.Iewl TUlne owu nation and thc cUlef priests delivered (lice to me: What hast thoudoiiel q. d., 'Jewish questions I neither understand nor meddle with; but thou art here on a charge which, though it seems only Jewish, may yet involve treasonable matter: As they state it, I cannot decide the point ; tell me, then, what procedure of thine has brought thee into this position.' In modern phrase, I'ifor himself, and giving utterance to th.at consciousness of the want of all intellectual and moral certainty, which was the feeling of every thoughtful mind at that time. 'The only certainty,' says the elder Pliny, ' is that nothing is certain, nor more miserable than man, nor more proud. The fearful laxity of morals at that time must doubtless be traced in a great degree to this skepticism. The revelation of the eternal truth alone was able to breathe new life into ruined human nature, and that in the apprehension of complete redemption.' [Of8HAUlate's object in this question was merely to determine the relevancy of the charge, Jesiis answered, My kiu|;doiii is not of this world—He does not say 'not over,' but 'not of tills world' i.e., in its origin a.nd na Uire; therefore 'no such kingdom as need give thee or thy master the least alarm.' If my kingdom were of tlais world, then would my servants flgUt, that I shoithl not be delivered to the Jews—'A very convincing argument; for if His servants did not fight to prevent their King from being delivered up to His enemies, much less would they use force
-SEN.] aiidsaith unto thein—in the hearing of our Lord, who had been brought forth—I find no fault in him— no crime. This so exasperated "the chief priests and elders" that, afrai<l of losing their prey, t hey poured forth a volley of charges against him, as appears from Luke '2;?.
4,5: on Pilate's affirming his innocence, "they were tfie more fierce, saying. He stirreth up the people, tep.ching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place." They see no hope of getting Pilate's sanction to His death unless they can fasten iipoii Him a charge of conspiracy against the government; and as Galilee WAa noted for its turbulence (Luke 13.1; Acts 5. S7), and our Lord's ministry lay chiefly there, they artfully introduce lor the establisliment of His kingdom.' [Webster and AViLKlNSON.] Imt now—but the fact is. is my kingdom not from hence—Our Lord only says whence His kingdom is not—first simply affirming it, next giving proof of it, Then reafllrming it. This was all that Pi late had to do wi 111.
The positive nature of His kingdom He would not obtrude upon one who was as li Ctle able to comprehend it, as entiit to give colour to their charge. "And the chief priests accuseii him of many things, but he answered nothing (Mark 15.3). Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And heanswered him to never a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly" (Matthew '27. 13, U). Kee on Mark 15.
tled oflicially to information about it. (It is worthy of notice that the "MY," which occurs/ow)- times in this one verse —thrice of His Icingdom, and once of His servants—is put in the emplial ic foi ni.) Art thou a king, then 1—There was no saicasm or disdain in this question [as TuoiyUCK, AlFOKD, &c., allege], else our Lord's answer would have been
In his perplexity, Pilate, hearing of Galilee, bethinks himself of the expedient of sending Him to Herod, in the hope of thereby farther shaking ofT responsibility in the case. See on Mark 15.6, and on Luke 21 (>-13. The return of the prisoner only deepened the perplexity of diirereiit. Putting empliasis upon "thou," his question betrays a mixture of surprise and uneasiness, partljat the possibility of there being, after all, something dangerous under the claim, and partly from a certain awe which our Lord's demeanour probably struck into him. Thou sayest that I am a king—It is even so. To this end was
Pilate, who, "calling together the chief priests, rulers, and people," tells them plainly that not one of their charges against "this man" had been made good, while even Herod, to whose jurisdiction he more naturally belonged, had done nothing to him: He "will therefore chastise and release him" (Luke '2;?. 13-16). But ye have n custom that I should release one unto you at the Passover, itc.—See on Mark 15. 7-11. 'On the typical import of the choice of Chrisl to suffer, by which Harabbas was set free, see Leviticus 16., particularly r. 5-10, where the subject is the sin-offering on the great day of atonement.'—[Kuafft in LUTHARDT.]