The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 206

a part.icular nation. This \\·ns a necessity, an1l according to pre-arrangement, The Jewish 11ation wore bis own people: (1) By a Divine and sovereign choice. '!'hoy wcro chosen out or the nations of the earth to bo the recipients of God's spcch1l revelations of his will, the objects of his special care and protection, and the special medium of bis great redC'mptive thoughts and purposes. 'l'here was a mutual engagement. (2) Dy a f'_Jwial cove11a11t. God entered into a covenant with them by which they wore his pc-ople, to obey and serve him; and ho was their God, to bless and BRVa them, (3) By special p1·omi,ses. The central one of which was the promise of the Messiah and the blessings of his reign. This promise 1iermeated every fibre of their constitution, and hcCl\me the soul of their national and religious life. ( 4) Dy a special training. They we're dh·incly disciplined for ages for his advent. They were taught to expect him, ~nd trained to i:ec~iv~ him, and, under this training, their expectation grew into a passion. The Mess1amc idea was fostered among them by a long and careful training, by promises, by the occasional appearance of "the Angel of Jehovah," who was doubt- less no other than the Eternal Word himself. They were trained by special privileges, revelations, and protection; by an economy of ceremonial rites and sacrifices, which all point<'d to the Messiah as coming. In the light of these facts he was their own Me.<:siah, and they -were his own people; and it was necessary, as well as natural, that he should come to his own. There was a special attraction and affinity felt on his part, and there ought to be on theirs. Had he appeared in any other land than that of Israel, or identified himself with any other nation than the Jewish, he would not have come according to the volume of the book written of him. But there were the most cogent reasons, the fittest propriety, and the most absolute necessity that he should come to his own, and he came. 3. This was a special coming to all his own. Not to some, but to all. Not to a favoured class, but to all classes-rich and poor, learned and unlearned. The unlearned and poor being the large majority of the nation as well as the world, he identified himself rather with them; for he could rerlch the higher classes better from below, than the lower classes from above. He taught all without distinction, offered the blessings of his coming to all without the least partiality, and invited all to his kingdom by the same road, viz. repentance and faith. II. As REJECTED JIY THE MAJORITY. " And his own received him not." A few received him; but they were exceptions, and they received him individually, not nationally ; as sinners and aliens, and not as his own. So complete was the rejection that it is a sad truth, "his own received him not." Their rejection of him: 1. Was a sad dereliction of duty. A duty they owed to their God and Defender; a duty most sacred, important, and obligatory. A duty for the performance of which they had been chiefly chosen, specially blessed, preserved, e.nd prepared for ages; but when the time came, they sadly failed to perform it. "His own received him not." 2. Was most inea;cusable. It is trne that they knew him not to be the Son of God, the promised Messiah. This is stated by the apostle. But this is not a legitimate excuse; they ought to know him. They had the most ample advantages; they were familiar with his portraits as drawn by the prophets, and be exactly corresponded. His holy character, his mighty deeds, and his Divine kindness were well known, and even confesseu by them. 'fhey had the mightiest proofs of his Messiahship and Divinity. So that they had no excuse for their ignorance, and consequently no excuse for their rejection. 3. Was cruelly ungrate- ful. Ingratitude is too mild a term to describe their conduct. It was cruel. Think who he was-the Son of God, the Prince of Life, their rightful King, their promised and long-expected Messiah, come to them all the way from heaven, not on a message of vengeance as might be expected, but on a message of peace and universal good will, to fulfil his gracious engagement and carry out the Divine purposes of redeeming grace. Leaving out the graver charge of his crucifixion, his rejection was cruelly un11rateful and ungratefully cruel "His own received him not." 4. Was most fatal, to them. They rejected their best and only Friend and Deliverer, who had most bene- "olently come to warn and save them--come for the last time, and their reception of him was the only thing that could deliver them socially and spiritually; but "his own received him not." This proved fatal to them. '!'here was nothing left but national dissolution and ruin, and that was soon the case; and they are the victims of their own conduct to this day. 'l'o reject Jesus is ultimately fatal to uation~ as well as to indil'iduals. 5. Was most diBWur<I{Jit19 to him. 'l'o be rejected, and to be rejected by his Oil, I, 1-51,] 'fHE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 67