The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 405

and not RUgtn0ntcJ. To 1\Joyor'e objection till now hnvo beon flunlly convincecl. Thoy tbnt thoso Gnldmnn di~ciplcs would not eoe ho.ve understood, o.s they would novor h1wo the ns<'Pndi11g Christ, Rnd therefore the done without snrh holp, tho.t H wo.e possible, rnpp0sition would bo tRnto.lizing, it is suffi- since ho ho.d passed thron~h theso hoe.vene cient to reply (1) thnt, in e. eimile.r sense, tho.t ho miglit fill o.ll thmge, to hold tlio ther<' wne no reason t-0 suppose they would most onlirn and intimate communion witli see tho Lord su!fcr Rnd die upon the cross; him, both I\S tho God-1\Ian and o.s tho (2) thnt, as Christ Jesus was evidently "sot Paschal Lrunb. llloreover, the prince of forth ne cmcificd " o.mong the Galatians this world has boon cast out o.ncl judged (iii. l?, _so these Galil::unn di~ciplos, through becnuso Christ lms gone to tho Father. He the v1s1on of the apostlos, would verily sec ha.a been lifted up, nnd is dre.wing nil mon the Son of man suffer, die, and e.scend. to himself. When tho Son of mo.n in the Ape.rt also from the inappropriateness of the continuity or his Person shall bo behold e.e word ava.f3a./v«v to convey tile subtle thought ascending into the glory from whioh ho in of tho transfigure.tion of death o,s such, his Divine nntnro descended, tlien thoso who 1.bere was not, ape.rt from resurrection and stumbled nt the ideo. of intimo.te Jifo-giving ascension to glory-which is the e.dditional participation in himself will "como to see me.tter to which our Lord refcrre.d-a.ny that the words co.n only be understood justifice.tion of the phrase, whereas it spiritually" (Moulton). 'fhe l\scension of coincides decidedly with tho expressions the humanity to the lifo and glory of the used of the pre-existing glory of the gree.t pre-existent Deity of the Son of God we.e a Personality who, though ea.Hing himself conception fir111ly gm.sped by St. Paul (Eph. "Son of man," yet consciously refer, to his iv. 10; Phil. ii. 6-9), and must hl\ve been existence before the world was (cf. oh. viii. based on the Lord's own words. It is only .58 ; nii. 5, 2-1 ; Col. i 17). Again, the by the e:s:alte.tion of the me.n into God that ava./3alvE<v of these words stands in imposing we a.re e.ble to pe.rticipa.te in the Divine antithesis to the repeated use of ,cua./3a.lvEw hume.nity. Weiss, unfortunately, ce.nnot of the prenous discourse. He he.d been sent believe that there was any reference to "from heaven,"" sent by the living Father," the visible a.scent to heaven, but simply to he he.d "come down from heaven,"" to give the termine.tion of his earthly laboura. The himself and hie flesh for the life of the question, then, of ver. 62 is left to find its world," nnd he now lends his disciples to own answer and to give its own sugges- suspend their murmuring at the form of his tion. But tho intcrprcte.lion here offered is discourse. They may behold and see a strongly confirmed by- greater me.rvel yet, such a losing of hie Ver. 63.-It is the spirit that quiokeneth hume.nity in God and glory, that they will (the .-o, though omitted by t,t•, ia rote.ined by be able to e.pprebend more fully what be ell the principe.l editors); the flesh proflteth mee.ne by eating his flesh and drinking his nothing ; i.e. the " flesh " taken by itself, o.nd blood. Of course, 1.here might be some who apart from the life-giving Spirit which is its a.re so entirely obtuse to the conception of principinm. The antithesis between "flesh" this close identification with him during the e.nd "spirit" occurs frequently in the time of his manifestation in tue flesh, that Gospel, e.nd ia one of tho great pointg of they will be still more powerless to receive Pe.uline doctrine. The Lord does not intro- the spiritual interpretation when, for believing duce the pronoun µ,ou to .. ~ 1rveiiµ,a. or ;, minds, the idea would become clear. John u&.p~. The statement is gonemlized, though recorded this discourse e. gen~rntion after having special reference to himself, or to the the mighty effects of the Res.irrection and spirit and flesh of the Son of man. "Flesh," Ascension had been produced. We know in neither St. Po.ul nor St. John, menns the that long before he present.ad these outlines sensuous n11ture RB opposed to tbo intel- the ideas presented in it h.e.d been widely lectual uature; nor does it menu the " body " diffused. St. Paul had spoken of Christ o.s e.e antithetic to the " soul" -the orgo.nized "the second Man from heaven," as invested me.terio.l fre.mc, to which the Jews were and clothed in e. "spfritual body," as "the attributing so much and felt to be the last Adam," as "a life-giving Spirit," and guo.rantee and seal of his epiritue.l efficiency the Epistle to the Hebrews he.d represented (Meyer)-but the "creaturely n11ture," the him aa "having passed through the hee.vens" "humanity" per se in all its parts. "That that he might fill ell things. Whence co.me which is born of the flesh ia flesh, th11t which l!llch august ideas about the Man Jesus, if is born of the Spirit is spirit." Christ ![ud not from himself? The offeuce of the cross bis hume.nity was fo.ehioned by the Spirit, has never ceased, and Athenians o.nd many and the Spirit dwelt upon him with im- since have mocked at the story of the mcuurable potence. "'.rhe Logos bece.me Resurrection and Ascension; bnt notwith- fieah," but tho.t flesh itself wllll so ordered ste.nding this, there is an ever-increasing and prepe.red by the Holy Spirit 11s the.t it multiinde who from the day of his asoenllion should BUBte.in this lofty oompe.nionahip. on. v1. 1-71.J TUE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. ,JOHN 273