In the Fourth Gospel this great claim of Christ occupies a much larger space, and is more explicit and more fully stated, but it is a mistake to sup- pose that it is more strongly expressed. Such a passage as Jn 5^-- -^ ' He hath given all judgment unto the Son ; that all may honour the Son even as they honour the Father,' is very definite, but it is only putting into general terms the teaching of Mt W^ 253iff-, Mk 83^-38, Lk 14^6. The tremendous statement in Jn 10-^" ' I and the Father are one,' summing up as it does the teaching of the whole Gospel, finds perhaps its luost perfect explication in Mt 11^7, Lk 10=^. The great section, Jn 14-17, is but the further development of the same doc- trine, introducing, as was necessary, the promise of the Holy Spirit and certain fundamental instruc- tion concerning His function and work.
(2) Wlien from direct statements made by our Lord Himself we pass to the revelation of His consciousness of His unique relation to God which is to be found implied in His life and methods, we are able to note the following :
(a) The unvarying tone of authority which characterizes all His actions and utterances — authority as regards the greatest subjects which have ever engaged the mind of man. See, further, artt. Authority of Christ and Claims of Christ.
(6) The serene certainty of His judgments upon the greatest questions of morality and religion. This characteristic is most noticeable in the Sermon on the Mount, and in all those parts of His teaching which deal with His own relation to God, and God's love to man. All the highest and greatest things are to Him easy and familiar. He walks upon the mountain peaks of ^dsion with unhesitating confidence. He sj^eaks as One who sees clearly into the heart of God. Examples will be found in the following passages :
Mt 543ff. 623'34 77-12 1120-30 1230-37 1720 187-14 2219-21- 29-33 2337, Mk 218-22. 27 933-50 1042-45 143-9, Lk 249 421 722.23. 47-50 1024. 25-37 15 174. 10. 20. 21 189-14, Jn 33 4=4 51" 142 etc.
(c) He never prays with His disciples. He teaches them to pray. He prays for them, but not with them. (See Chadwick, Christ bearing witness to Himself, pp. 104, 105 ; and Forrest, The Christ of History and of Experience, p. 22 ft'. , and Appendix to 5th ed. ). We read of solitary prayers (Mk Q*^-*^, Jn 6^').
(d) The harmonious combination of opposite qualities in His cArtrac^en— Characteristics which would be incompatible in any one else unite freely and with perfect consistency in Him. Here is perhaps the strongest proof of tlie absolute truth of the portrait presented in the Gospels. Nothing but the strength and reality of the Personality
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which inspired the verious accounts could have made such a result possible. See, furtlier, artt. Chakactek of Chk'st, Divinity of Christ, Mental Charactekstics.
(ii.) His RELATION' TO THE FATHER.— (\) Our Lord asserts and imjjr^es that He stands in a rela- tion of unique intlmao/ with God the Father. The great passage already qiioted (Mt 11'-^, Lk 10^-) is the fullest statement in the Synoptics. The language here associates the Son with the Father in a manner which exalts Him above all creation. It corresponds with certain characteristic phrases and mental liabits of our Lord. For example, He calls God ' my Fatiier ' in a manner which sets the relation indicated by tlie words far apart from that Fatherhood which He attributes to God in relation to men, whether disciples or not : see Mt 7^^ 10^-- ^^ ip7 1513 igio 2023 etc., Mk 8»«, Lk 2« 2229 24-»«, Jn 517 1029- so 1420 2017 etc. These passages but supply the coiTelative to the announcement at the Baptism and the Transfiguration (Mk V^ 9^). They also interpret for us the title ' Son of God ' attributed to Him and accepted by Him (Mt 4-'- « 829 W^ 27*- *'^- »^ Mk 3" 12«-8 15^9^ Lk 4" 22™, Jn l^^- ^9 935 ipy etc.).
In connexion Avith this we observe the cloudless serenity of His relation to God. It has been re- marked that the absence of any note of repent- ance is the strongest proof of our Lord's perfect sinlessness. But we have in His life the marks of a moral state which is very much more than mere sinlessness. The value of the negative is entirely relative to the corresponding positive. The per- fect innocence of a soul which possessed but small moral capacity would, so far as we can see, be of but little value as a moral factor in the universe. But, in the case of our Lord, we find a moral capacity which is absolutely without parallel in human experience, and we find the moral Being who possesses this capacity not merely conscious of innocence, but living a life which is wittingly and willingly all that God would have it be (see Forrest, op. cit., Lect. I.).
(2) Unity tvith the Father. — The revelation W'hich our Lord gives us of His relation to the Father amounts to much more than a manifesta- tion of a peculiar intimacy between Himself and God. He claims distinctly certain Divine attri- butes and privileges. He is King and Judge of all. He is to be the object of the most absolute trust, the utmost devotion. No sacrifice is too great to be made for His sake (see above). To reject Him or His messengers is to reject God and to incur the severest judgment (Mt lO'^- ^^ 1122-24^ Mk 129, Lk 1013- ». 16 1334.35 etc.). The right of the Almighty to supremacy over the hearts and lives of men could not be expressed in stronger terms than tliose in whicii Jesus claims human allegiance. The only possible explanation of His attitude is that given by His own words, ' All tilings have been delivered unto me of my Father ' (Mt 1127, Lk 1022).