The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 484

their eine tn die. B:e said to them, Ye a.'1'8 e.nd "<"er. 58. Elsewhere the prod ico.te mny from beneath : I am from above. You ee.eily be galhcred from tbe oontoxt (eh. ix, epring fmm the lower 11s opposed to t,he 9; xviii. 5, 6, 8; Murk xiii. 6; Luke xxi. 1,i~her world: you are influenced by con- 8). Meyer and many others lmve Blliu "'l'be Fidcrntione drawn from lhe earthly, sensual, true predicate hc1-e is ' the Chri,sl : ' ', I nm superficial, e.nd tr11nsitory. It is not neoes- the coming Oue,' 'the promisccl Oue,' 'the imry to suppo!>e tlie.t our Lord is clenching Sent of God.'" It is R somewhat duhious the Jews' bn.rsh speech about the under- proceeding to drow the crntrn.l idm of this world with a tu-qttoqu,,. RB 1hougb they chapter from an uuc:s.pressecl ellipsis. The ..-erily belonged to the Gehenna to which " I am " of these passages cnn not be re- they were consigning him ; for the next garded o.s equivalent to tbe "I nm that I pair of cl1tuBee a.re in parallel apposition e.m " of Exodus, or to tho incommunicable with the former. In the words, Ye are of narue of I.he eternal One, hut it is a.ne.loo-oua this world ; I am not of this world, "This to it. Throughout the prophets the unique world•· corresponds with the ..-oiv .,,1..,.., of the on,l solitary gmndeur of the Divina nature prenous clause, and the "not of this world" in its special covenant relations with Is1·a.el corresponds with the .-a lfvw, the 1,ea,·el!ly isc:s.pressed by the pl.tmse, "l AM RE." 'rhis regions from which he has conlinue.lly was the sum of the object of the Old '1.'este.- declared, in many val"ieties of phrase, that ment faith (Deut. x:s:.xii. 39 ; Isa. xii. 13; he he.d comP~ or descended, or been sent. xliii. 10, etc.). In like manner, the fulness Certainly and broadly speakin1<, this is of tbe Divine Ego in the iucarua.te Word is trne. as 11. con tmst between Christ o.nd nil inexpressible by e.ny one predicate. His other men before their regeneration. Our entire revelation of himseif h!ld given this Lord especially charges home upon these amplitude and indefinable breadth to his earth-bound souls, on tbese purely human, Personality. He had co.lied himself the Son selfish. nnspiritual, nnrenewed. unbelieving of God, the living Water, the veritable Bread, men. this antagonism to himself, this refusal the Brend of God and of heaven, the Light to walk in Lis light or receive his life. of the world. He was indefinitely more than " That which is born of the flesh is flesh" the current, popular ide.e. of the Christ, im- ( eh. iii. 6). They are flesh. He dces not ex- measurauly different from that which they cl udt them for ever from snch participation persisted in expecting. Faith in tho.t he is, in bis own heo.venlv life 11.s would reverse in what he is, o.nd in what he .. he.s revealed the descriptive :iud characteristic features of to them, is the germ of the life eternal. To their being. The reason why they have refuse this faith is to refuse the hope that not seen the kingdom or the King is the.i breaks o"<"er the gloom of Sheol, and to leave th,-y :ire not born of the Spirit. the full burden of sin upon the conscience. Yer. 24.-Therefore I said unto you, Ye Compare St. Paul's words (1 Cor. xv. 17, shall die ill your sins: for if ye shall not have 18), •• If Christ be not risen, .•. ye_ are yet believed that I am (HE), ye will die in your in your sins." Bills. Tbis last clause, "for," etc., gives our Ver. 25.-Then said they to him-the hos- Lord• s rt!e.son in full for the terrific fact. tile Jerusalem po.rty-iu scornful mockery, It is e. virtue.I reference of the un r ..generate, ;El, .-ls ,1; Who art thou 1 "Define thyself earthly, low-born condition of his hearers more closely ; make thy_ claims ·clear and to the fe.ct of their unbelief in him. This ce.tegoriee.l. Give now a. direct answer to fleshly, worldly state me.y be, might be, a plain question." It is very remarkable reversed by their faith in his essential that the Lord often refuses to rnspond in che.re.cter, e.n e.deque.te moral surrender to the precise form in which his interlocutors his claims. Let tl.iem beliern him to be the.t demand e.n answer. He sees the multitudi- which he really is, the separation would then nous sides of every truth, anu frequently cease, o.nd, like Limself, they too might be gives to his que8tiuners the means C/f " called out of the world." They might be answering their question from the ground " boru of the Spirit," enter into the fellow- of deep spiritunl conviction, rath_er th_an ship of the Son of God. become "not of this furnishes them with a formula. which might world," •• even e,s he is not of this world." easily be abuse.I. Who art thou f How They might "e.rise, and go to their Father." profoundly p1<tlietic ! How coufirmawy of There is no impassable cLasm between them, his own words, "Ye have not Jrnowu me; thuugh it is an e.ppa!Eng one to be crossed nor my Father" I 'l'he reply which OW' ouly Ly u faith which ill itself the form and Lord gave to the question hu.s occ11Bioned essence of regeneratio:i. The faith is espe- greater variety of interpretation the.n, per- cially ddiut:d. Three times in this chapter haps, any other sentence in the Gospel: T~11 our Lord represents the object of faith, the cipx~• ;;.,.. (or 3 .-,) ,,,.1 >..a>.i>l>µiv. The meaning cenl.re.l focus of the Di ,·iue revelation, to be of tbe words taken separately is disputable ; "I .A.H." The predicate is unexpressed the rele.tion to the context he.a been very ht,re, e.nd the l!llllle may be 118.i.d in ver. 28 va.riously understood. (1) The sentence  _,. ctt. \Pltl. 1-69.J TIit GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 3()I