The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 5

in<livi<lunl. If the Fourth Gospel l,e nothing but e.n invention, a snbjectlv;c creation, without historic bRSis or conviction; and if the Apocalypse be a polltiool manifesto, and answers t.o no objective revell\tion ;-then the authorship of the two documents, notwithst1m<ling remarkable coincidences between them, cannot be rercrred to one and the ss.me individual. 7. Let us, for the sake of argument, suppose, however, that the Christ of the synoptic Gospels is e.n objective ren.lity, and that the fishem1an John (a near relative of Jesus) was one of his earliest disciples; that he did come into the closest intimacy with, his Master, eaw his greatest signs of power, bis deepest humiliation1 his tragio dcath1 tbat John was one of the witnesses of his resurrection; that he saw his Mnster assume a new humanity, the same, yet not the same, and in that supernal vesture of his Divine mRjesty ascend into the heave11s and vanish in the light. Let us suppose that this reticent but yet passionately 1oving man became from that moment pro- foundly impressed with the belief that the Divine Spirit which was in his Lord came forth from heaven, and, by its mighty working, did produce a new and sacred fellow- 5hip which, as the months and years rolled on, became the most notable fact to him, and was obviously biddinf!; fair to move, to change, to revolutionize, the whole world. If this were so, there is no difficulty in the supposition that nm who had shone upon the dazzled eyes of the disciples with a glory surpassing that of the sun should, at some subsequent epoch in the apostle's life, when the new society had been suffering from grievous faih1res an<l cruel persrcntion, have favoured him with ve1itable assurances that his Master was indeed the" Prince of the kings of the earth," the "Lamb in the midst of the throne," the human but Divine Lord of all men, and the Consummator of the kingdom of God. On that supposition it is clear that a .series of Divine and awful communications might be made to him, that these would be the symbolic clothing of great principles of providential rule., by which the old theocracy would merge even- tually into a heavenly and eternal rule over all the kingdoms of men, over all forces visible and invisible; and definitely reveal, to him at least, the Eternal Now into which he calls all souls that believe his Word and have life through his Name. Let us suppose that John described what it was given him to see, and uttered and wrote what had been spoken to him with a voice !oud as the sound of many waters; that the heavens were veritably opened to him; that he saw the glory of God and the city of God; that he beheld in vision the judgments and the battle, the victory and the abiding blessedness, of the saints of God. The experiences through which be passed before .these visions dazzled him had been unique and wonderful. He must have witnessed the :ma.rvellous rise of the Christian Church irresistibly forming itself into a visible and spiritual power, not only in Judaism, but- embracing a multitude that no man could number, of every country, kindred, and tribe. The troubles of Jerusalem and Antioch and Ephesus must have entered into his soul. He must, on any hypo- thesis, have lived through the fall of Jerusalem, and suffered persecution of a bitter kind, a lifelong martyrdom; but he cherished ,an invincible faith in the ultimate triumph of the Christ. Apart from the great place which he himself took, in the order of the Church and the creation of Christi.an ideas, we know that there were hundreds of , thousands of men and women who believed in the Lord Jesus, and were ready to die rather than forego their loyal trust, not in a new method of life, but in the living, reigning Christ-the Man who was appointed to judge the world. Untold multitudes praised him, and were ready to eonfide in him as the Saviour of mankind, to imitate what they knew of the manner of his life, t.o eat his flesh and drink hie blood, to take up his croee and follow him. . 'l'hrougb him Jews and Gentiles had access to the Father by the one.Spirit which he, their Lord, had given (Eph. ii. 18). Christ was the Power of God to the Jew, and the Wisdom of God oo the Greek (1 Cor. i. 24). From Jerusalem to Rome men were pray- ing in the name of the Lord Jesus, and saying, "Our Father . . . thy will be done, thy kingdom come, as in heaven eo on earth" (Luke x_i. 2). The Beatitudes and the parables and the deeds of mercy wrought by Jesus were passiog like watchwords from lip to lip. Such words as the following were among the divinest an~ the most Racred: "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; and neither knoweth any man the Father, but the Son, and be oo whomsoever the Son will reveal him ; " " Come unto me, all yo that labour end are heavy l11de1J, and I will ~ive you re&t ··• (Matt. xi, 27, 28). 'l'he word  TUE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO Hr. JOHN. vii