The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 272

(,•er. 29) and his grief ("l'er. 32) both formed of his serve.nts to whom in theso do.ye of the R noble contTRst to the jealousy of his own baptism of the Spirit, the lloly Gho.st is disciples" (Meyer). poured forth from an iucxhuustiblo trensurc. Vers. 33-86.-(3) The OOOB"(Jt1enees of Augustine and Ualvin urged that it was so.id nccepting and rejeot,ing the suprem9 ,·evela- concerning Christ; for we reo.d in var. 35 lion. that "the Father hat.lt given all things iulo Ver. 33.-Hethat reoeiveth his witness- his hand;" but exclusively to limit the object i.e. his testimony to whRt he bath personally of 6rnaun to Christ is more tho.u the passage soen Rnd hee,rd in the hea"l'en from which he will justify. (2) For he (the l\Iessiah, sc.) ha.s come-sea.led-( lu.ppc!.-ytcnv), confirmed giveth not t1ie Spirit by measure; i.e. ha is by such very act, rntified and "l'indico.ted as exal red to pour forth from the heart of tho trustworthy e,nd ~table (cf. Rom. iv. l l; xv. Deity the Spirit of the Father and Son. 28 ; l C.or. ix. 2; 2 Cor. i. 22. In other This is preferretl by Westcott, o.nd by those plnccs the id,•.a or image of o. "seal" is used who see in the entire passage the reflections for guaro.utecing e. special commission, eh. of the author of tho Gospel ( of. oh. xv. 26), ¥i. 27 (see not.es); Rev. vii. 3; Eph. i. 13)- (3) For the Spirit giveth not by measure ; the tho.t God is true; i.e. admits that fue words objC'Ct (sc.) being "the words of God," of Christ are the words of God, are absolute which he who is sent and is coming from truth e.nd reality-e.n idea which is made hmvcu, n,nd is nbove all, is now lo.vishing more ob¥ious by ver. 3-l, where Jesus is the upon the world. This tre.uslation (Godet) Ambassador of God. It may even mean is in harmony with the vision of John at tho more than this, viz. that in Jesus " all the baptism, when the Holy Spirit after the promises of God are Yea. and Amen," that manner of o. dove descended e.nd nbode upon God is trne in himself, and the witness of him. With o.n unmeasurable supply of Christ embro.ces all that for which prophecy spiritual energy we.a the humanity of him and promise and pre-vious revelation had who came (qua his Divine nature and per- prepared the way (see Lnthe.rdt and West- sonality) from heaven enriched for his cott). Such an idea. is oerta.inly beyond the prophetic e.nd Messio.nic functions a1 the ecope of John's ministry or message. behved Son of God on earth. I see no Ver. 34.-The -yap shows that the former difficulty in this last interpretntion. (a) utterance is sustained. For he whom God Tl.tc present tense is justified by the state- sent uttereth the words of God. The full, ment of the abiding of the Holy Spi..iit upon many-sided, abundant expression of the Jesus, and the continuous operation of the thought of God. He has been sent for this gift in the "words of God," whioh were purpose. Some fake this clause to refer to flowing from his lips. (b) The a.lmj is all the ambassadors of God, o.nd pre-emi- easily supplied in thought. (c) The con- nently to the" man (eh. i. 6) sent from God, nection is thus instituted with the thirty- whose n.e.me was John." llut, on the other fifth vane. Meyer and Lange prefer .a hand, observe that throughout the Gospel, wider significance being given to the words, ?rr:ounM,,, and r,p:,r.,, a.re used of the " Lord seeing iu them a broad reference to the from heaven" (ver. 17). Cl.Lrist certainly ia affluence and meo.sureless capacity of the i,..,,.,<TTa:>,µ.wos as well as tpxoµ.a,os, and this gift of the Spirit. Luthardt; " This is true great statement, viz. that Christ speaks the of all God's messengers, but especially of words of God, is a jUb-ti.fication of the fact him of whom the Baptist speaks" (cf. 1 that, in accepting the witness of Christ to Cor. xii. 4-12). The Lord from heo.ven im·i..s.ible and eternal things, and in the receives all the gifts of the Spirit. ad.mission that he has been sent from Vera. 35, 36.-These final verses certainly heaven charged with the words of God, have the ring of the Gospel as a whole, and every separate believer becomed a seal, 11 correspond with the fulness of Christologico.l ratification, of the veracity of God. 'l'he teaching, with which the words of Christ clause that follows (seeing that" to him" is abound, as well as the Epistle of John; yet unquestionably a gloBB of tra.nsla.t.ora, and is there is no exact parallel in the later revela- not found in o.nyma.n111!Cri.pts)may be trans- tion. From whom could such e. btatement lated in three duferent ways. (1) For God come with greater power the.n from him giaeth flOt tl~ Spirit by measure ; 1 for if cl e,&s who heard the Divine voice from heaven say- ia omitted, still the same subject, "God," ing, ''This is my beloved Son; hear him"? mig:,t L.,e and is generally supplied., and the The Berleb. Bible (quoted by Hengstenberg) object, suppoted to be either Christ or any adds, to the great words, the Father loveth the Son, "as I sufficiently learned from the 1 i.e. if we retain the cl e,cls of T.B. voice e.t the Jordan "-and hath given all which is omitted by II(, B, C", L, T, with thing1 into his hand. The " 1111 things " cursives, is marked doubtful by Lachmaun, may be ta.ken byus in their widest sanse(of &Dd. is deleted by Tischendorf (8th edit.), Matt. xi. 27)-" all i(auuia. in heaven and Wt:ait:oLt a.nd Hort, a.ud R.T. earth" (Matt. :uviii. 18; cf. 1 Cor. xv. 27 ; OH. m. 1-36.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S'l'. JOHN.