The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 218

EXPOSITION. object of it was to convey to his disciplea, to CHAPTER n men who knew that he WM the Messiah, Ver. 1-ch. iii. 2.-4. The testimony of the Son of God, the Lamb of God, some- lii!Jn,s to the glory of the Word made fleih. thing of the power which he had for meet- Vers. 1-12.-{l) The.first sign, the begin- ing any emergency that might arise. Ho ning of signs. Maswry MJer flie old creation. did not seek:to promote, nor did he succeed Sign of lot1e and, power. The description of in exciting, the village wonder at a magical the preceding narro.tive, given in vor. I J, is entertainment; nor did the bridegroom, nor the true key to it. It is impressive on the governor of the feast, nor so fe.r e.s we several accouuts. Christ had not yet given know even Mary herself, fully apprehend in any "sign " of the .invisible and eternal the event what " the disciples" saw, These glory which the evangelist in bis proioguo disciples were probably acting the po.rt of had cle.imed for him. He ha.d not in his the lha.,covol. They were admitted to e. great own perBOn " manifested " the unique sigu of superhuman. power. They believed majesty of his will. nor revealed the direc- on him. This is all we are told of the tion in which the power he wielded would effect of the "sign." (5) The entire ori- most freely move. John, by this sl.e.tement, ginality of the sigu, one for which the (I) puts down a positive discle.imer of the previous narrative and prologue do not in whole cycle of portents which, when ho the least prepare us, is one of the continual. wrote, bad beguu to hover in romantic e.nd surprises of this Gospel The introductory exaggerated fashion around the in.fancy and notes of this great symphony o.re such that minority of JeS11s. (2) He shows that his we might be disposed to conjecture before- purpose i.9 to bring back from forgetfulness hand that One who is the:Logos me.de flesh, the primary e.nd most impressive events whose glory is that of an only begotten Son. wlrich did in rce.lity characterize the earliest of God, who is the predestined Baptizer ministry of Christ. (3) He emphasizes the with the Holy Ghost, who is the Lamb of scene of some of these me.nifesta.tions as God the.t takes away the sin of the world, reatrictcd to a BpOt which, however difficult and the Link and Ladder l;,otwoon heaven actue.lly to identify, was nevertheless in and earth, the predicted Messiah and Son Galilee, in which prophecy had foretold a of Man, will with Divine aloofness scarce gr«:at me.nifestation of Divine light. (4) touch with his feet this common earth. He lays stre8S on the fact that the prime Human homes o.ud love and festal rejoicing, 011, ]I, 1-25.J 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 79