into heaven, it is plain that the Holy Ghost could not have come down with special power on the day of Pen- tecost, and bestowed His manifold gifts on the Church. Mysterious as it may be, there was a connection in the eternal counsels of God, between the ascension of Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit.
If Christ had remained bodily with the disciples. He could not have been in more places than one at the same time. The presence of the Spirit whom He sent down, would till every place where believers were as- sembled in His name, in every part of the world.
If Christ had remained upon earth, and not gone up into heaven. He could not have become a High Priest for His people in the same full and perfect manner that He became after His ascension. He went away to sit down at the right hand of God, and to appear for us, in our human nature glorified, as our Advocate with the Father.
Finally, if Christ had always remained bodily with His disciples, there would have been far less room for the exercise of their faith and hope and trust, than there was when He went away. Their graces would not have been called into such active exercise, and they would have had less opportunity of glorifying God, and exhib- iting His power in the world.
After all there remains the broad fact that after the Lord Jesus went away, and the Comforter came down on the day of Pentecost, the religion of the disciples be- came a new thing altogether. The growth of their knowledge, and faith, and hope, and zeal, and courage, was so remarkable, that they were twice the men they were before. They did far more for Christ when He was absent, than they had ever done when He was pres- ent. What stronger proof can we require that it was expedient for them that their Master should go away I
134: EXPOSITOEY TIIOUGIITa.
Let us leave the whole subject with a deep convic- tion that it is not the carnal presence of Christ in the midst of us, so much as the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, that is essential to a high standard of Christianity. What we should all desire and long for is not Christ's body literally touched with our hands and received into our mouths, but Christ dwelling spir- itually in our hearts by the grace of the Holy Ghost.
Notes. John xvi. 1—7.
1. — [These things. ..spoken...not... offended.'] The chapter we now begin is a direct continuation of the last chapter, without break or pause. Our Lord's object in this first verse is to cheer and revive the minds of the Apostles, and to prevent them being discouraged by the persecution of the unbelieving Jews. " I have spoken the things which I have just been speaking, in order to obviate the depressing effect of the treatment you will receive. Lest you should be stumbled and otfended by the conduct of your enemies, I have told you the things you have just heard."
Stier remarks that " these things " include both the warning of the world's hatred and the promise of the witnessing Spirit. Foreknowledge of the world's hatred would prevent the disci- ples being surprised and disappointed. The promise of the Spirit would cheer and encourage.
The word " oflfended " is literally " scandalized." It is a re- markable instance of a word which has greatly changed its meaning since the last translation of the Bible, to the great perplexity and injury of many Bible readers.
How great a stumbling-block it often is to young and unes- tablished Christians to find themselves persecuted and ill-used for their religion, it is needless to point out. Our Lord knew this, and took care to arm the eleven apostles with warnings. He never kept back the cross, or concealed the difllculties in the way to heaven.
2. — [They shall put...out...synagogu6.'] In this verse our Lord tells the disciples most plainly what they must expect. " They will excommunicate you, and cast you out of the Jewish Cliurch, and expel you from their assemblies." The Greek words are curious : " They will make you out-of -synagogue men." How great a grief and loss this was to a Jew we have little idea, unless we have studied the work of Christianity among the Jews in modern times. Nothing affects a Jew so much as expulsion from the synago;'ue, or excommunication.