The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 162

tnldng humRn nature in its humbled, suffer- oould not contain, was a wondrous ndumbm,. ing, tempted form into eternal,absoluteunion tion of the ultimate proof to be given, thBt, with himsPlf, and by learning through thBt though God WRS infinitely great, he was yet human nRture e.11 that hume.n nature is nnd capable of turning his glorious fnoo upon fenrs e.nd needs, there is an infinite fulness of those who seek him; though unspeBknbly self-humiliRting love and soorifice. Hypo- holy, awful, majestic, omnipotent, he was stntio union of hum1mity with the Logos, yet Rroessible l\nd merciful e.nd l\ble to save in..-olnng the Logos in the couditions of a Rnd sanctify his people. The glory of the complete men, is an infinit.e humiliation, and Lord we.s the central eignific11nco of tho seeing thRt this involved the bitterest conflict taberne.cle nnd temple worship. It WM and sorrow, brought with it ehRme, agony, alwRys Assumed to be present, even if in- and death, ench a stupendous fa.et is (we visible. The Targums in n great variety of believe) assumed to have taken plRce once pBBSRg"eB substitute for tbo "glory of the in historic time. It is fe.r more than the Lord," which is n continuous element in the manifestntion in the flesh of Jesus of the history of the old covenRnt, the word "She- Dinne light and life. Such an hypothesis chinah," "dwelling," e.nd use the term in wonld merely consider Jesus as one super- obvious reference to the biblicnl use of the eminent display of "the veritable Light verb l~~. he dwelt, when describing the which lighteth every man," whereas what Lord's familiar and accessible sojourn with is declo.red by St. John is that the Word his people. It is too much to say that John himself, after a new exercise of this infinite here adopts the Aramaic phrase, or with potency, became flesh. We are not told how certainty refers to it. But itfl<f,v.,"• recalls this occurred. The fa.et of the superne.tural the method by which Jeho-vah impressed birth, IUl stated by the synoptic writers, is his prophets with his nearness, and came their way of announcing a sublime secret, veritably to his own possession. "Now," of which John, who was in the confidence of says John, "the Word me.de flesh took the mother of Jesus, gave a profounder up his tabernacle in our midst." It exposition. In such e. fact and event we is not to be forgotten that John subse- eee what St. Panl meant when he said that quently shows thR t Jesus identified his in the depths of eternity the infinity of body with "the temple" of God (eh. ii. 19, love did not consider the undimmed, un- etc.). The " us" represents the ground of clouded. e.ncl nnche.ngee.ble creative maje;ty e. personnl. experience which makes the of equality with God to be e. prize which hypothesis of e.n Alexe.ndrine origin for the muet never be relinquished, but emptied entire representation perfectly impossible. himself, we.s made in the likeness of the The reference to the old covenant is made flesh of sin, and we.s found in fe.shion as more conspicuous : And we oontemplated his e. man. There was now and for evermore glory. The Bo{a corresponds with the visible a part of his being in such organic union manifestations of the presence of Jehovah with " flesh " that he could be born, could under the Old Testament (Exod. xxiv. 17; learn, could be tempted, su1fer from all xl. 34; Acts vii. 2 ; Isa.. vi. 3 ; Ezek. i. 28). human frailties and privations, die the death Dazzling light e.t the burning bush, in the of the crosa. The phrase, moreover, implies pillar of fire, on Mount Sinai, e.t the dedica- the.t the Incarne.tion we.sin its nature distinct tion of taberne.cle e.nd temple, etc., revealed from the Docetic, angelic, transitory mani- the awful fa.et of the Divine nearness. The festations of the older revele.tion. In the eye of believing men saw the ree.l glory of "Word " becoming " flesh" both Word and the Logos me.de flesh when he set up the flesh remain side by side, and neither is the te.beme.cle of his humanity among us. It first nor the second absorbed by the other, does not follow that all eyes must he.ve seen and so Monophysitism is repudiated, while what the eye of faith could see, The dark- the statement of what the Word thus in- ness he.s resisted a.II the light, the world has carnate did, viz. •• dwelt among 118," etc., not known the Logos ; the susceptibilities -cut.s e.we.y the support of the Nestorie.n of believing men enabled them to perceive diviJrion of the Divine nnd human natures; the glory of the Lord in regions e.nd by a inasmuch a.s what is ea.id of the one nature mode of presentation to which unregenerate can be se.id of the other. To this we turn : men he.ve not e.tte.ined. The apostles saw ... And the Word was me.de fl.esh, e.nd set up it in the absolute more.I perfe<"tiou of his his tabel'Jl&Cle in our midst." The use of holiness e.nd of his charity; of bis grace and this picturesque word Ja:,d,v"'""' paints_ to truth. We co.n scarcely exclucle here a the tabernacle in the wilderness, m which reference to the wondrous vision upon which God dwelt (2 Se.m. vii. 6; Ps. lxxviii. 67, (e.s we learn from Matthew, Me.rk, Luke) et(l.), e.nd to which reference is me.de in John himself gazed on the Mountaiu of Lev. uvi. 11 nnd Ezek. xnvii. 28. The Transfiguration, when the venerable symbol localization of Deity, the building e. house of Light reappeared from within the person for the L<-rd whom the heaven of heavens of the Lorcl, so linking his personal manifes- OJI, I. 1- ul.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 19