PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels — St. John — Volume 1
Ryle, J. C. (John Charles), 1816–1900 · 191,919 words · 370 reading sections
PREFACE
I SEND forth the volume now in the reader's hands, wifh much diffidence, and a very deep sense of responsibility. It is no light matter to publish an exposition of any book in the Bible. It is a peculiarly serious undertak- ing to attempt a Commentary on the Gospel of St. John. I do not forget that we are all apt to e…
257 wordsSECTION 2IV PKEFACE.
and St. Luke, the basis of the work is a continuous series of short expositions, intended for family or private read ing, or for the use of those who visit the sick and the poor. But, unlike the previous volumes, the work now in the reader's hands contains full explanatory notes on every verse of the portions expounded…
395 wordsSECTION 3PREFACE. Y
Tlie theological stand-point which the writer of this Commentary occupies will be obvious to any intelligent reader. Such an one will see at a glance that I belong to that school in the Church of England which, rightly or wrongly, is called " Evangelical." He will see that I have no sympathy whatever with either Komish…
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Bible were partially inspired, or inspired to such a limited extent that discrepancies, inaccuracies, and con- tradictions to the facts of science and history, must be expected and do exist in their writings. I utterly repu- diate such a theory. I consider that it practically destroys the whole value of God's Word, put…
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mistakes, and were not in all things guided by the Spirit, and I know not where I am. I see nothing certain nothing solid, nothing trustworthy in the foundations of my faith. A fog has descended on the Book of God, and enveloped every chapter in uncertainty ! Who shall decide when the writers of Scripture made mis- tak…
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receive no light from them. I see nothing solid in their arguments, and am utterly unmoved by them. I believe that the want of our age is not more "free" handlino- of the Bible, but more ''reverent" handling, more humility, more patient study, and more prayer. I repeat my own firm conviction, that no theory of inspirat…
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III. Of Rornan Catholic Writers. Rupertus, Ferus, Arias Montanus, Toletus, Barradius, Maldonatus, Cor« nelius a Lapide, Jansenius, Quesnel. lY. Of Scotch and English Writers. Rollock, Hut- cliesoD. Poolers Synopsis and Annotations, Cartwright, Trapp, Mayer, Leigh, Lightfoot, Baxter, Hammond, Hall, Henry, Burkitt, Whit…
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(C.) The Eoman Catholic writers often contain much that is useful and little that is objectionable. Happy would it be for the Church of England if all her Clergy knew their Bibles as well as such men as Ferus and ToletusI (D.) The few German writers that I have consulted appear to me to be far too highly esteemed, wit…
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improved " versions which I have seen, I doubt much -whether we should gain anything by attempting to mend it. Taking it for all in all, the authorized English ver- sion is an admirable translation. I am quite content to " let well alone." I now conclude this preface with an earnest prayer, that it may please God to p…
162 wordsSECTION 10J. C. E7LE, B.A.,
CHRIST CnURCH, OXFORD. Stradbroke Vicarage, Suffolk, February, 1865. P.S. I feel it due to many of my readers to offer some explanation of the long delay which has taken place since the publication of this work on St. John began. An interval of almost five years has elapsed between the publication of the first four ch…
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principal cause has been my removal to my present parish. The work was begun in a little quiet parish of 800 people. It has been resumed in a widely-scattered parish of 1400 people, requiring almost the whole of my attention. Even now, in sending forth the first volume of the Expository Thoughts on St. John," I dare n…
261 wordsSECTION 12TABLE OF CONTENTS.
John. 1 — 5. Christ eternal, — a distinct Person, — very God, — ^the Creator of all things, — the source of aU light and life 6 — 13. The minister's office,— Christ the light of the world, — the wickedness of man, — ^the privi- leges of believers .... The reality of Christ's incarnation .…
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14. 16—18. 19—28. 29—34. 35—42. 43—51. 1—11. 12—25. The fulness of Christ, — ^the superiority of Christ to Moses, — Christ the Eevealer of the Father John the Baptist's humility, — the blindness of the unconverted Jews .…
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67—71 Christ the Lamb of God, — Christ the taker away of sin, — Christ He that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost .... The good done by testifying of Christ, — the good behevers may do to others Souls led by various ways, — Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures, — Philip's advice to Nathanael, — High character of Nathan…
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The beginnings of some Christians very feeble, — the necessity of the new birth, — the Spirit's operation hke the wind . 118 — 123 Spiritual ignorance, — God's love the source of salvation, — Christ's death the means of providing salvation, — faith the instrument which makes salvation ours . . 139 — 145 Jealousy and …
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Christ's tact and condescension, — Christ's readiness to give, — the excellence of Christ's gifts, — the necessity of conviction of sin, — the uselessness of formal religion, —Christ's kindness to great sinners . 201 — 206 27—30. Christ's deaUngs marvellous, — grace an ab- sorbing principle, — true converts zealous to…
394 wordsSECTION 17JOHN I. 1—5.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the begin- ning with God. 3 All things were made by him ; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life ; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in dark- ness; and the d…
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one of the four Gospel-writers has given us such full statements about the divinity of Christ, — about justifica- tion by faith, — about the offices of Christ, — about the work of the Holy Ghost, — and about the privileges of believers, as we read in the pages of St. John. On none of these great subjects, undoubtedly, …
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Let ns however never forget that there are plain practical consequences flowing from the passage, which we can never grasp too firmly, or know too well. Would we know, for one thing, the exceeding sinfulness of sin? Let ns often read these first five verses of St. John's Gospel. Let us mark what kind of Being the Rede…
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specially called " the disciple whom Jesus loved." He was one of the chosen three who alone saw the daughter of Jairus raised — were eye-witnesses of the transfiguration — and were by-stand- ers during our Lord's agony in the garden. He was the one who leaned on Christ's breast at the last supper, and to whom our Lord …
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frequent short explanations of Jewish customs and terms, which serve to show that it was not written so much for Jewish read- ers as for the whole church throughout the world. " Matthew," (says Gregory Nazianzen, quoted by Ford,) " wrote fur the He- brews ; Mark, for the Italians ; Luke, for the Greeks ; the great hera…
932 wordsSECTION 22EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
19. The proof in all these cases is somewhat doubtful. Never- theless the idea is strengthened by the fact that in Rabbinical writings the Messiah is often spoken of as " the Word." In the third of Genesis, the Chaldee paraphrase says that Adam and Eve " heard the Word of the Lord walking in the garden." Arrowsmith, i…
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and the Father are one." '' He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." (John xiv. 9—11; John x. 30.) Let us be fully- persuaded t^i at the Father and the Son are two distinct Per- sons in the Trinity, co-equal and co-eternal, — and yet that they are one in substance and inseparably united and undivided. Let us p^rasp …
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agree with Bernard's devout remark about the subject, "It is rashness to search too far into it. It is piety tobeheve it. It is life eternal to know it. And we can never have a full ccmpre- hcfi.sion of it, till we come to enjoy it," 2. — [I'Ae same was in the heginniyig, &c.'\ This verse contains an emphatic repetiti…
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the Father, and that He is not the maker of heaven and earth. But it does imply that such is the dignity of the eternal Word, that in creation as well as in every thing else. He co-operated with the Father. " What things soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John v. 19.) "By whom also He made th…
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Some think, as Luther, Melancthon, Bre^tius, Flacius, Liglit- foot, Lampe, and Pearce, that tlie expression apphes solely to spiritual life, and that it is meant to declare that Christ alone is the source of all life to the souls of men, whether in time or eternity. He was the creator of all things, and He also was the…
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13 The Grreek word which we render "comprehended," is the same that is used in Ephes. iii, 18. In Acts iv. 14, it is trans- lated "perceived," — in Rom. ix. 30, " attained," — in Phihpp. iii. 13, "apprehend," — in John viii. 3, "taken," — and in 1 Thess. v. 4, " overtake." At this point, the remark of Bengel upon the…
219 wordsSECTION 28JOHN I. 6—13.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. t The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him mighi believe. 8 He was not that Light, but loas sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which light eth every man that Cometh into the world. 10 He was …
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things,— -the source of life and light. Of John the Baptist we are told simply, that " there was a man sent from God, whose name was John." We see, firstly, in these verses, the true nature of a Christian miiiister^s office. We have it in the description of John the Baptist : " He came for a witness, to bear wit ness …
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and for low, for rich and for poor, for Jew and for Greek. Like the sun, He is free to alL All may look at Him, and drink health out of His hgbt. If millions of mankind were mad enough to dwell in caves under ground, or to bandage their eyes, their darkness would be their own fault, and not the fault of the sun. So, li…
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fessed to be waiting for His coming. And yet, when He came, those very Jews received Him not. They even rejected Him, despised Him, and slew Him. Well may ? the natural heart be called " desjDcrately wicked !" We see, lastly, in these verses, the vast privileges of all who receive Christ, and believe 07i Sim. We are t…
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new birth, — sense of sin, foith in Jesus, love of others, righteous living, separation from the world ? Let us never be content till we can give a satisfactory answer to these questions. Do we desire to be sons of God ? Then let us " receive Christ" as our Saviour, and believe on Him with the heart. To every one that…
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Baptist's testimony, Andrew was led to believe in Jesns and become a disciple. Just so now, through the preaching of minis- ters sinners learn to believe on Christ and are saved. 8. — [He luas not that light] This expression would be more lite- rally rendered, "' He was not the light," the promised light of sinners, t…
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may be said on either side, that I venture my own judgmont with much hesitiition. But I am inchned to think on the whole, with Chemnitius and Grlassius, that our translators are right, and that the clause " that cometh into the world," is better con- nected with " every man " than with " the true hght." — If the verse …
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faith in Ohrist Jesus." (Gal. iii, 26.) " Whosoever beHeveth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." (1 John v. 1.) There is , no sonship to God without Hving faith in Christ. Let this neyer Ibe forgotten. To talk of Gcd being men's Father, and men \ being God's children, while they do not believe on the Son of vG…
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Saviour. ^Believing on Christ's name is exactly this faith of reliance, and is the faith that saves and justifies. 13, — [ Which luere horn, &c., &c....of Godi\ The birth here spoken of is the new birth, or rep-eneration, that complete change of heart and nature which takes place in a'man when he becomes a real Christ…
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new birth, he fences it in like manner, (I Pet. i. 23,) and when he speaks of baptism '' saving " us, he carefallj adds that it is "not the putting away the filtli of the flesh." (1 Pet. iii, 21.) In the face of all these cautions, it is curious to observe the pertinacity with which many overthrow the whole doctrine of…
185 wordsSECTION 38JOHN I. 14.
14 And the "Word was made flesh, gotten of the Father,) full of grace and dwelt among us, (and we beheld and truth, his glory, the glory as of the only be- , The passage of Scripture now before us is very short, if we measure it by words. But it is very long, if we measure it by the nature of its contents. The substan…
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of a woman, though born in a miraculous manner. Like ourselves, He grew from infancy to boyhood, and from boyhood to man's estate, both in wisdom and in stature. (Luke ii. 52.) Like ourselves, he hungered, thirsted, ate, drank, slept, was wearied, felt pain, wept, rejoiced, mar- velled, was moved to anger and compassio…
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man at the same time, the divine and human natures in Him were never confounded. One nature did not swallow up the other. The two natures remained perfect and dis- tinct. The divinity of Cln-ist was never for a moment laid aside, although veiled. The manhood of Christ, during His life-time, was never for a moment unlik…
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fact is a pledge that He will raise our bodies at the last day, and glorify them together with His own. Notes. John I. 14. [And the ivord was made flesh.] This sentence means that the eternal Word of God, the second Person in the Trinity, became a man, like one of ourselves in all things, sin only excepted This He ac…
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the finman nature of any one family, or class, or people, but that nature which is common to all Adam's children, whether Jews or G-entiles. Ke came to be a Saviour for " all flesh," and so was made " flesh." The subject of this sentence is a deeply mysterious one, but one about which it is most important to have clea…
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Miey also are confuted by the right understand! jg of the union between the Word and flesh." He then goes on to show how the ancient Church met all these heretics with four adverbs, which briefly and conveniently defined the union of two natures in Christ's person. They said that the divine and human natures when " th…
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raculous actions tbrougliout His ministry, in all of which, as it is said of the miracle of Cana, He " maniftsted forth his glory," and His disciples saw it. — Others think tliat they aj^iply especially to our Lord's transfiguration, when He put on for a little season His glory, in the presence of John, James, and Pete…
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The phrase is only used five times in the New Testament, and only in St. John's writing's. That God always had a Son appears in the Old Testament. " What is his son's name," says Agar. (Prov. XXX, 4.) So also the Father says to Mes-iah, " rhou art my Son : this day have I begotten thee." (Psal. ii. 7.) But the Sonship …
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Some tliink that they describe our Lord Jesus Christ's cha- r«icter, during the time that He was upon the earth, in general terms. Full of grace were His lips, and full of grace was His life. He was full of the grace of G-od, the Spirit dwelling in Him without measure, full of kindness, love, and favour to man ; — full…
277 wordsSECTION 47JOHN I. 15—18.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me : for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have aU we received, and grace for grace. 1*1 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at …
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that " of his fulness have we all received, and grace ioi grace." There is an infinite fulness in Jesus Christ. As St. Paul says, *' It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell." — " In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Coloss. i. 19; ii. 3.) There is laid up in Him, as in a treas…
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the habitual character of John's testimony to Christ. He was, throughout his ministry, continually proclaiming Christ's great- ness and superiority to himself, both in nature and dignity. [Cried] The Greek word so rendered, implies a very loud cry, like that of one making a proclamation. Parkhurst defines it in this p…
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St. Jo- n's Gospel was written. They seem to have held that there was a certain fulness or plenitude of the Deity, into which only certain spiiitnnl men, including themselves, were to be received, and from which others who were less spiritual, though they had grace, were to be excluded. " St. John," says Water- land, "…
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is the correct view. I admit fully that the Greek preposition, here rendered ''for," is only found in three senses in the G-reek Testament,— viz. : " In the room or place of." (Matt. li. 22.) " In return for." .(Rom. xii. 17.) and '' On account of" (Acts xii. 23 ; Ephes. V. 31.) Ill composition it also signifies " oppo…
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which his testimony eads upon the other theory, — because they run on harmoniously with the fifteenth verse, — and because there is nothing in them which we might not reasonably expect John the Baptist to say. This is the opinion of Origen, Athanasius, Basil, Cyprian, Augustine, Theophylact, Rupertus, Melancthon, Calv…
435 wordsSECTION 53JOHN I. 19—28.
24 And they ■which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither tha^ prophet ? 26 John answered them saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not ; 27 He it is, who coming after m…
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tbis passage we see this emincDt saint lowly, self-abased, and full of humility. He puts away from himself ihi honour which the Jews from Jerusalem were ready to paj him. He declines all flattering titles. He speaks of him.J self as nothing more than the '.' voice of one crying in th( wilderness," and as one who " bapt…
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they sleep, Salvation is within their reach ; but they sleep Mercy, grace, peace, heaven, eternal life, are so nigh that they might touch thera ; and yet they sleep. "Christ standeth among them and they know him not." These are sorrowful things to write down. But every faithful minis- ter of Christ can testify, like Jo…
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[Sent Priests and Levites.... Jerusalem.] These words show that those who questioned John the Baptist on this occasion, were a formal deputation, senl with authority from the Sanhedrim, or ecclesiastical council of the Jews, to inquire about John's pro- ceedings, and to report Avhat he taught, and whom he gave him- sel…
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Bengel says on this verse, '' Whilst John denied himself, he did not deny Christ." — Luther makes some excellent remarks on the strong temptation which was here put in John's way, to take honour to himself, and the humility and faith which he showed in overcoming it. 21. — [Art tliou Elias ?] This question was not an …
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Gregory, quoted by Mayer, says, "Whereas John deni^^th him- self to be Ehas, and Christ after affirmeth it, there is no contra- diction. There is a double coming of Elias. The one is in spirit, before Christ's coming to redeem ; the other in person, before Christ's coming to judgment. According to the first, Christ's s…
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regarded John the Baptist all through his ministry. Our Lord says in another place, " They rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him." (Luke vii. 30.) The text before us would then mean, that they which ask-d all these questions, asked them with a thoroughly unfriendly spirit, and with no real desire to le…
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not with him the previous clay. — The thought seems parallel to that contained in the words, ," Tlie kingdom of God cometh not with observation." — " The messenger of Grod cometh sud- denly to his temple." (Mai. iii. i ; Luke xvii. 20.) All serve to point to the same truth, viz. — that when Messiah came the first time,…
459 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1857). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.