The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 172

aud j\V N~?, e.re variously e.nslated by th~ showing- he had rejected all proposals which might bring Israel to his feet by assuming LXX., but generally in the ense of bearing the role of their conquering Messiah. He t!1e consequences of per~onal guilt or the had even treated these suggestions as temp- srn of another (Numb. xiv. 31; Lev. v. 17; tations of the devil. Not to SIi Ve his physical ~- ~ 7; Ezek. xviii. 19). In Lev. x. 17 it is life from starvation would he use his d1strnclly used of the priesil expio.tion for miraculous energies for his own personal sin to be effected by EleAzar. Here and end;;. Not to bring the whole Sanhedrin, elsewhere N\l'} is translated in the LXX. by priesthood, and temple guard, nay, even the atf,a,peiv, where God as the subject of the Roman governor and court, to his feet, will verb is described as lifting off sin from the he utter a word or wave a signal which they transgressor and by bearing it himself- could misunderstand. His purpose was to bearing it away. In several places the identify himself, Son of God though he be, LXX. has gone further, translating the with the·world-to " snfi"er nil, that he might w?rd, whe~ God is th~ subject, by litf,«va/1 succour e.ll." Because John knew that with the idea of forg1vrness (Ps, xxxii. 5; Jesus was so great he was brought to lnxv. 3; Gen. l. 17; Isa. xxxiii. 24). apprehend the veritable fact and cent,e.l Hence the Bnptist, in using the word a!pew reality of the Lord's person and work. He hRd doubtless in his mind the large conno: saw by e. Divine inspiration what Jesus was, tation of the Hebrew word Nilll with the and what he was about to do. The simple fundamental prereq_ui8ite of the t~king away supposition that Jesus bad me.de John the which the oracle of Isaiah had suggested I~ De.ptist his confidant, on his return from him. John knew that the taking e.we.y of the wilderness of temptation and victory, and Bin involved the twofold process: (1) the that we owe the story of the temptation to the ronferenee of a new spiritual life by the facts of Christ's experience which he.d been gift e.nd grace of the Holy Spirit; and (2) communicated to John, do more than e.ny such e. remove.I of the consequences and other supposition does to expound the stand- shal';'-e e.nd peri_l of_ sin e.s i~ ~n vol ved by the point of John's remarkable exclamation. A bee.nng of sms lll his own D1vme personality. library of discussion and expo.ition has been Thus he not only perceived from the produced by the words which John uttered accompaniments of the baptism that Jesus on this ocee.sion, and difl"erent writers have we.s the Son of God e.nd the Baptizer with to.ken opposite views, which in their origin the Holy Ghost, but that, being these, his proceed from the same root. The early meek submission and his triumphant re- Greek interpreters were moving in a true pw:lie.tion of the temptations of the devil direction when they looked to the celebrated which were based upon the fact of his Divine oracle of Isa. !iii. as the primary signification sonship proved that he was the Divine sin- of the great phrase, •• The Lamb of God." bearing Lamb of Isaiah's oracle. Many The image used to portray the suffering commentators have, however, seen e. special Sin-bearer is the "Lamb brought silently reference to the Pasche.I lamb, with which to the slaughter," "e. Sheep dumb before his Christ's work we.s, without hesitation, oom- shearers." Douhtless the first implication pared in later years (1 Cor. v. 7). There of this compe.ruon arose from the prophet'■ ce.n be no doubt that the Passover lamb r.,onception of the patience, gentleness, and we.s . a " sin offering " (Hengstenberg, submission of the 1mblime but su1fering 'Chnst of the Old Testament,' vol. iv. 851 • OH, I, 1-61.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 31