Vv.
ς
μὴ τιμῶν τὸν υἱὸν, 24. ᾽Αμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω
25. ᾽Αμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι
740 ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκε τῷ vid: 23. ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν υἱὸν, καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν πατέρα. ὁ οὐ τιμᾷ τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέµψαντα αὐτόν. ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ τὸν λόγον µου ἀκούων, Kal πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί µε, vi ]ο. 11. έχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον' καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται, ἀλλὰ ” µεταβέβηκεν fs ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου eis τὴν ζωήν. w iv. 23.
wr 2 7 A > @ ε 4 > ; 1 an ~ ερχεται ωρα και νυν εστιν, οτε οἱ νεκροι ὀκουσονται ΄ Της Φωνῆς
1 ακουσονται in ΑΓΓ; ακουσουσιν in B, adopted by T.Tr.W.H.R. Soin ver. 28.
even ‘‘judgment,” the allotting of men to their eternal destinies, should be handed over to the Son. But so it is: and without exception, τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν, ‘all judgment,” of all men and without appeal.—Ver. 23. This extreme pre- rogative is given to the Son ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν υἱὸν .. . This is one pur- pose, though not the sole purpose, of committing judgment to the Son; that even those supremely and inalienably Divine prerogatives of giving life and judging may be seen to be in Him, and that thus Deity may be honoured in and through Him. The great peril threaten- ing the Jews was that they should deny honour to the Son, and hereby incur the guilt of refusing honour to the Father. In denouncing Him for breaking the Sabbath they were really dishonouring the Father. ὁ μὴ τιμῶν . . « αὐτόν. μὴ τιμῶν a supposed case, therefore py: οὐ τιµᾷ actual negation. To dishonour the Father’s messenger is to dishonour the Father. Having explained the relation of His work to the Father’s, and having declared that life-giving and judging are His prerogatives, Jesus now, in vv. 24- 30, more definitely shows how these powers are to be exercised in the spiritual regeneration, and in the resurrection and final judgment of men. Vv. 24-26. The voice of Jesus gives life eternal. ἁμὴν, ἀμὴν, however incredible what I now say may seem.—Ver. 24. 6 τὸν λόγον pov ἀκούων; it was through His word Jesus conveyed life to the impotent man, because that brought Him into spiritual connection with the man. And it is thzough His claims, His teaching, His ofiers, He brings Himself into connection with all. It is a general truth not con- fined to the impotent man. But to hear is not enough: καὶ πιστεύων τῷ wépWavti pe, belief on Him that sent Jesus must accompany hearing. Not simply belief on Jesus but on God, The word of Jesus must be recognised as a Divine message, a word with power to
fulfil it. In this case, by the very hearing and believing, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον. As the impotent man had, in his believing, physical life, so whoever believes in Christ’s word as God’s message receives the life of God into his spirit. Faith has also a negative result; eis κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται [cf. οὐκ ἐθελόντων ὑμῶν ἐλθεῖν eis κρίσιν, quoted from Demosthenes by Wetstein. Herodotus also uses the ex- pression]. Literally this means ‘he does not come to trial’’; but has it not the fuller meaning ‘‘come under con- demnation’’? Meyer says ‘‘ yes”’: Godet says πο”. Meyerisright. This clause is the direct negative of the former: to come to judgment is to come under condemnation, ¢f. iii. 19, αὕτη δὲ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις, etc. ἀλλὰ µεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν. The perfect shows (x) that the previous ἔχει is an actual present, and does not merely mean “has. in prospect”’ or “has a right to”; and (2) that the result of the transition con- tinues. Had the impotent man not believed and obeyed, he would have re- mained in his living death, in now a self- chosen and self-fixed condemnation: but accepting the life that was in Christ’s command, he passed there and then from death to life.—Ver. 25. ᾽Αμὴν . . . in- troducing a confirmation of the preced- ing statement, in the form of an an- nouncement of one characteristic of the new dispensation; ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, cf. ἵν.3. In this already arrived ‘hour’ or epoch, the message of God is uttered by the voice of Jesus, τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ and of vex- pot, they who have not made the transi- tion spoken of in the preceding verse, ἀκούσονται, Shall hear it; καὶ ot ἀκού- σαντες ζήσονται [or ζήσουσιν], not “and having heard shall live,” ποτ ‘and when they hear shall live”; but ‘and those who have heard for hear] shall live’’, The insertion of the article in- dicates that not all, but only a certain class of the νεκροί are meant: all the