The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 168

e.s the Rea!orer of forfeited life, o.s well a.a o.nd punish. When the Christ c11,me him- the originnl Giver of life to men (eh. xi. 25). self to this baptism, came confesaiug the The ninth chapter rccorda the symbolio Aina of the wholo world, co.me with awful holineas and yet infinite sympathy for the event by which he proved himself to be the sorrows and perila of the people, to fulfil all Bnn of the spiritual universe, "the Light of righteousne~s, a new revelation was made tha world" (of. eh. i. 4 with viii. 12; cf. eh. to John. The voice from heaven, the .ym• xii. 86, 46). The whole history of the con- bol of the Holy Spirit which descended o.nr\ fiiot with the people whom he came to aave, ftbode upon him, brought John into a. new world. He was e.sone do.zed and bewilrlered with "his own," with the world-power, and by excess of light. The abnnr-\o.nce of the the death-doom, is the material which is revelations became a new test of his own generalized in the solemn statements of eh. misaion, and a new explanation to him of i. 5-10. what his purpoae in the world had really The prologue says nothing in express been. The contrast between the minis- try of John as detailed by the synoptists words of Chtist's supernatural conception, and the Fourth Gospel is explicable so of his death, or of his resurrection and soon as we observe that the latter takes up eternal glory ; yet these objective facts are the career of John where the former had woven through, o.nd involved in, the entire lo.id it down. Here, consequently, is a context, for the incarnation of the Eternal chapter in John's history concerning which the syuoptists a.re silent. When the bap- Word is the historic basis of the apostle's tism of Jesus was accomplished, and the experience of such A. life o.s that which he Spirit had led him away into the wilder- proceeds to sketch. The aboolute anta- ness, John stood, much o.s Elisha mil!;ht gonism of the darkness to the light, o.nd the have done (in the very so.me region) when rejection of the light o.nd life by the world, Elijah went heavenwards in B chariot of fire. But he proceeded to testify new e.nd never ho.d such exposition as that which the strange things a.bout his kinsman. The repudiation o.nd crucifixion of the Son of God effect of his ministry was, for the time, gave to them; while the eternal nature of greatly au,,"lllented by the suspense and ex- the oentral life o.ud being of him who, when pectation of some rapidly approo.ohing mani- incarnate, was thus resisted by unbelief festation. In the midst of the excitement renders the resurreotion e.nd ultimate o.nd thus produced we lea.m from this verse : And thls is the testimony of 1oh.n, when the etemol glory o. necessity of thought even to 1ews sent (to him') from 1ernsalem priests those who have not yet seen, but ye.t have and Levites, that, 'etc. The copula. "and" believed. shows how the narrative roots itself in the prologue, and points bo.ck to the citation Vers. 19-31.-2. The testimony of the already made from John's words. In ver. Baptist. 15 they were introduced a.pa.rt from their Ver, 19.-The historic no.rrative com- historical connection as the summation of mences with the nineteenth verse of the the highest and most fruitful mis,tlon of chapter. The scene is la.id after the minis- the Baptist.. Now the p=ise antecedents try of John had reached its climax in the which give to them special weight a.re set baptism of Jesus-an event presupposed and forth. "This" is the predicate of the sen- implied, but not described. John's ministry tence. The occasion referred to is when had produced the most amazing excitement "the Jews" sent their deputation. The among the people. They had flocked to evangelist is accused of always using the his side and to hie baptism, confessing their term, "the Jews," in a. sense that is hostile sins ; they had heard his summons to re- to them, and thus an argument ho.s been pentance ; they had trembled under his framed against the l\uthenticity of the threats of judgment; they hnd received their Gospel. It is true that John uses this term appropriate messo.ge from the inspired seer. far more frequently than the synoptists His prophetio indignation against their (Matthew five times, Mark aeven times, selfishness and greed, their formo.lism, and Luke five times), for it is found more than their boast of covenanted immunity from seventy times in his Gospel; but it is not the consequences of moral fault, had rouaed exclusively used in a deprecia.lory sense eonscience into preternatural activity. The wail of concern 11.nd the excitement of 1 npos a~.,-ov is introduced by La.chmann, alarmed inquiry had as yet only secured 'l'regelles, Alford, R.T., and Westcott I\Ud. from John the promise of another Teaoher, Hort, into the text, on the authority of B, of Another, mightier than he, whose fan was c•, 33, not by Tischendorf(Sth edit.), Lange, in his hnnd, who would test, divide, save, or Bile Revisers, 2G THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [en. 1. 1-61. ---------------------------------~ (RC'e eh. ii. 13; iii. I; iv. 22; v. I; uiii. 33). John's profe8siou of a bo.ptizer, and hia For the most p!lrt he uses the term (now implie1l tenching tlutt "Pho.rieees and Sarl- denoto.ti ve of the entire people. thongh for- ducees," the covennnted, eRCrnmento.l people, merly eonfinl'<l. to the tribe of Jud!lh) for 11eeded cleansing nud 1vhnieeion by enme the theooratic nation wbioh had ceased, Mcree\ rite into a fellowship more holy than when he c.omposed his Gospel, to hrwe o.ny that of the theocratio nation itself, demrmded politioo.l exiBtence. More than this, in o. immedio.te examination ; and they were ..-1\st number of texts he uses the term for justified by the letter of the Law in mal..-ing the nuthoritative powers of the nation the inquiry (Deut. xviii. 21). rather than of the people. According to Vers. 20, 21.-(1) He dejinea 11ia ott1t1 the narrative of each or the Gospel:s, the position, negatively. theoorotic people displayed, by its highest Ver. 20.-And he oonfessed, and denied representatives and ruling powers, rancorous not. Perho.ps the double form of statement, hatred and calculated antagonism to the or rather the introduction of the clnuse, "he Son of God. (See Introduction for proof denied not," before the repotition of the that, notwithstanding this separation of the confession with its oontents, wo.s adopted to evangelist's mind from th6m, he must have indiMte that John might have been tempted been a Palestinian Jew himself.) The to "deny" that he was not the Christ. If Jews, the ecclesiastico.l party, sent o. depu- he had hesitated at o.11, he would ho.ve tation of priests and Levites from Jerusa- denied the real Christ, the Son of God, who lem, which consisted, as we learn from the had been revealed to him by special means. twenty-thirJ verse, "of the Pharisees." I for my part-very emphatic-am I not the They came to make a legitimate inquiry Christ. This implies, not only that the sup- from the new prophet. There is no trace of position over which they are brooding is malignity or o.ntRgonism in this act. They unfounded, not only tho.t he is not the would learn from his oven lips who he was, Christ, but tho.t he knows more, and that he what character or functions he wo.s sustain- J..71owe another to be the Christ. If this ing. A simile.!- deputation approached our reading of the text is correct, the Baptist, by Lord o.t a later period, when all their his negative reply, gave to the priests more jealousy and hatred had been aroused. than they asked. There was. however, no better way in which Ver. 21.-And they asked him, What they could learn the facts of the case. The then! What is the stn.te of the case? The Sanhedrin, or great council of seventy-one very repudiation of Messiahship in this members, the elders, high priests (including form seems to imply some association with e.J.-high priests), a.nd scribes, is variously the Messianic period of which they had so described. There is no early trace e.nterior many conflicting ideas. Malachi (iv. 5) had to the time of Antipater and Herod of this predicted the coming ago.in from heaven of bodv as thus constituted, but it was doubt- Elijah the prophet, and the LXX., by less· formed upon the basis of the older in- tro.nslating the passage "Elijah the Tish- stitutien of the seventy elders (Numb. xi bite," had strengthened the common mis- 16; Ezek. viii. 11), or of the .,,~pout1'la. of the take of o. metempsychosis, or such an ab- Books of Maccabeea (1 Mace. xii. 6 ; 2 Mace. normal manifestation before the coming of i 10). It is probable (Hengstenberg) t.ko.t Messiah. Schottgeu (' De Meesia,' H. H., vol. the Levites here mentioned by John re- ii pp 226, 490, 533-537) quotes a variety present those who in the other Gospels are of proofs of this anticipation, o.nd that Elijah described as " s-:-ribes,'' or students of the was expected '' three days before Messiah; Law, belonging to the sacred tribe, though that he would come in the mountains of not to the family of Aaron. The absence Israel, weeping over the people, saying, • 0 of any reference to the Levites in Matthew land of Israel, how long will you remain arid and Mark (Luke x. 32; Acts iv. 36), and and desolate I'" (cf. my • John the Baptist,' the frtquent occurrence of "scribes," make iii § 4). There was a true sense in which it probable that the profession of the Law (as our Lord informed his disciples) John. 'tras specially followed by the remnant of was the fulfilment of Mo.luchi's prediction the tribe of Levi (but see Schurer. •Jewish and of the lang-uage of the angel to Zacharias People in Time of Christ,' §§ 24, 25). The (Luke i. 17; Matt. xi. 14; xvii. 12), and deputation came to receive and convey to that John came veritably in tho spirit and tliose that sent them definite replies to cer- power of Elijah. In tho.t souse "Elijah tain questions. In Luke iiL 15 there is said had come already,'' just o.s Christ their to have been a widespread impression that Da-oid had come, in fulfilment of Ezekiel's John' the Baptist was supposed to be the 1 'E.,,w 0~1< ,lµl is the better reading, and, Clirist of their popular expectation. Such o. porteutous clo.im must be sifted by them with- with K, A, B, c•, X, is read by Tregelles, out delay. They were 11ent that they should Alford, Tischendorf (8th edit.), Westcott put the question to him, Who art thou 1 aud Hort, but not by R,'l'. on. 1. 1-51.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 27