17.— [It is also written, etc.~\ Our Lord, in this verse, reminds cne Jews of an admitted principle of the law of Moses,— that the testimony of two witnesses deserved credit. (Deut. xvii. 6; xix. 15.) " You will admit that the testimony of two witnesses deserves credit at any rate, although one witness alone may prove nothing. Now, admitting this, hear what testimony I can adduce to the divine character of my mission."
Let it be noted, that where our Lord says " in your law," He did not mean that He was above the law and did not recog- nize its authority. He only intended, by laying stress on the word "your," to remind the Jews that it was their own honoured law of Moses, to which they were continually pro- fessing to refer, that laid down the great principle to which He was about to direct their attention. "It is written in the law that you speak of so much, and that you so often quote."
It admits of consideration whether our Lord did not mean to use the expression " of two men " emphatically. It may be that He would put in strong contrast the testimony of two mere men, with the testimony of Himself and his Father in heaven. It is like the expression, " If we receive the wituess of men, the witness of God is greater." (1 John v. 9.) At any rate the word rendered " men " is emphatic in the Greek.
18. — [7«m one, etc.~\ The connection and sense of this verse are as follows : " Admitting that the testimony of two witnesses is trustworthy, I bid you observe that there are two witnesses to My divine nature and mission. I myself, the Eternal Son, am one of these witnesses : I am ever testifying concerning my- self. The Father that sent Me into the world is the other witness : He is ever testifying concerning Me. He has testilied by the mouth of the Prophets in the Old Testament. He is testifying now by the miraculous works which He is continually doing by My hands." The reader should compare John v. 31 — 39.
There is undeniably something very remarkable about this verse. It seems a singular condescension on our Lord's part to use the train of argument that it contains. The true solution probably lies in the very high dignity of the two witnesses, whom He places together before the Jews. The Greek words beginning the verse are peculiar, and cau hardly be rendered in English. They will almost bear to be translated, — " I, the great I am, am the person witnessing about myself; and the Father," etc.
Chrysostom and Theophylact both remark that our Lord here claims equality of honour with the Father, by putting His testi- mony and the Father's side by side.
Poole remarks : " Our Saviour must not be understood here to distinguish Himself from His Father in respect of His divine