Ὁ. The teaching in the Fourth Gospel. — This introduces both aspects of our Lord’s mediatorial work more clearly than the Synopties, but here it is not so easy to discriminate between Christ’s original teaching and the form in which it is cast πὶ the writer. Jesus comes claiming Divine Son- ship and union with His Father (Jn 1039), and dispensing the Water of Life (4 757, He is the Bread of Life (6°55), the Light of the world (8%), the Good Shepherd (10"), the True Vine (15'*) ; in all these aspects He is the medium for bringing to us the life and blessedness that God confers, Then, on the other hand, He also appears as the Mediator through whom men attain toGod. He is the Door of the sheepfold (10°), the only Way to the Father (14°), and to see Him is to see the Father (14°). Further, He intercedes on behalf of His disciples (17°). He teaches that the raising of Lazarus was in answer to His prayer (11"). In regard to His death, Jesus does not here use the sacrificial language found in the Synoptics, but He describes it as voluntarily accepted, for He has authority to lay down His life and to take it again (1018), and also as being on behalf of His veople. He is the Good Shepherd laying down
is life for (ὑπέρ, ‘on behalf of —John never uses
ἀντί, ‘instead of,’ in this connexion) His sheep 410"),
The metaphor in its connexion suggests
MEDIATOR, MEDIATION 317
the shepherd facing the wolves in defence of his flock ; and the first historical application of it may be found in the scene in the garden, where Jesus, instead of escaping,—like the hireling who ‘ fleeth’” wher he sees the wolf coming (10"*),—came forward and surrendered, with the stipulation that His disciples should not be touched (18*8). But it is not possible to see the full meaning of our Lord’s words realized in this incident or in any external event. His solemn reference to His authority to lay down His life, combined with the assertion that He does so for the benefit of His people, points to a deeper purpose, though one that is not here at allexplained. Wendt holds that Jesus was pointing to His whole saving work, which would be ruined if He deserted His people and relinquished His task ; and also that Jesus thus set His disciples a ae example, and in doing that died for their
enefit—a somewhat gratuitous limitation where nothing but the great purpose is defined. Wendt points out that as the author himself is more explicit on the relation of the death of Christ to the forgiveness of sins (1 Jn 2? 410), and ascribes to John the Baptist sayings on the subject (Jn 139- 88), the reticence of Christ is an indication that so far our Lord’s teaching has been correctly rendered (Lehre Jesu, p. 539).
3. The teaching of the apostles on mediation.—a. The speeches in Acts. sate St. Peter's speeches redemption is offered through Jesus Christ, who is described as God’s servant (ὁ παῖ»), a title reminding us of Is 53 (e.g. Ac 3:8. 36) and therefore as bringing His gift of redemption in obedience to the will of God. The name ‘Son of God’ is not here given to Him; but He is called ‘Lord’ (κύριος), though in distinction from Jehovah in an OT passage applied to Him (Ac 2), The primary point to be made out is that He is the Messiah. In treating of this, St. Peter has to encounter the fact of our Lord’s crucifixion. He does not here connect it with the mediatorial work by introducing any doctrine of the Atonement. He has to face the great objec- tion arising in Jewish minds from the fact that He who is aflirmed to be the Christ had been executed in ignominy. This he does (1) by correcting popular conceptions of the Messiahship, in calling attention to other titles than that of the victorious king, viz. that of Prophet (Ac 3”), and that of God’s servant (3'% 457); (2) by pointing to predic- tions of the death of the Christ (e.g. Ac 2%), so that this should have been expected ; (3) by appear- ing as a witness of the Resurrection, and appealing to the like testimony of the other apostles. This was the clinching proof that death had not an- nulled the Messianic claims of Jesus, since He had received the greatest mark of God’s recogni- tion. Having thus met the reproach of the Cross and elev piven the positive proof of the Messiah- ship of Jesus afforded by the Resurrection, St. Peter proceeds to urge His claims (2%) ; to lay the charge of their guilt against His murderers (3'4) ; and to invite them to repentance with the promise of future ‘seasons of refreshing’ in the return of Christ (3!-*), but also with the gospel declarations that God had raised up His servant to be a means of blessing to the people in turning them from their sins (35), that in Him and in Him alone is salvation (4"-}#). He was described earlier as the ‘Prince’ or ‘Author of life’ (τὸν δὲ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς, 3"), and later as exalted by God to be ‘a Prince and a Saviour.’ Thus these speeches dis- tinetly set forth the idea of the descending media- tion with the presentation of Jesus Christ as the Divinely-appointed intermediary through whom salvation is brought tomen. They do not set forth any doctrine on the Godward aspect of mediation, though the choice of the title ‘the Servant,’ pointing to Is 53, brings in the germ of it for reflecting minds.