The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 487

know-then the prooees of proof will be com- the loftiest and moet entirely unique phe- pleted-that I am (ho)-that I am that nomena recorded in history. This arnmlute which fundamentally I am declaring to you, confidence with reference to his whole conrs" that my testimonies have unique but tren- lifts our Lord to a pinnacle of the loftiest oho.nt confirmation 1-e.nd that I am doing elevation. He declares himself absolutely nothing from myself, but that even e.s the free from sin, and even in thonght or deed to Father taught me, (so) these things I speak. have left undone nothing that seeme,I good to The "he that sent me" (ver. 26), is here the Father. If auch an utter:i.nce had not replaced by "tho Father." "The things flashed the conviction of his Divine nature which I heard from (-rrapu) him" is replaced upon some of his hee.rets, it is impossible by "even as the I!'o.ther taught me," and to conceive what wonlcl or could have done so the -ravTa 'A.a7'w are repeated. "The cross Ver. 30.-As he spe.ke these words, many and the crown " will be the proof to the believed on him. This is another inter- most obtuse and bigoted "that I am that jectecl comment or connecting link supplied which I say I am." The foreco.st is here by the evangelist, revealing intimote know- given of the conversion of bis murderers, ledge of the state of feeling and changefnl the overwhelming effects produced by the emotions of the people. Another hint of resurrection and the ascension of Jesus, and the eye-witness and ear-witneBB of this the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts ii. 36; iv. memorable scene; and, supposing that we 4; vi. 7; Rom. xi. 11). Bengel: "Cogno- read here a correct transcript of words that scetis ex re, quad nunc ex vel'bo non cre- proceeded from his Ii ps, we can do no other ditis." thnn cry with Thomas, "My Lord, and Ver. 29.-And he that sent me-of whom my God! "· The remark is intercalated, I now plainly speak to you o.s "the Father" as though St. John wished to emphasize -is with me. He is not in some inacces- the accuracy with which he had reported, sible region of indifference to my mission on this occasion, the very words of his or my word, but with me. He encompasses Lord, conveying their ambiguous phrase, the Son of man, finds willing, unswerving and asserting in fresh form what had response to hie will in my words. He sent convinced St. John, on snbsequeni reflec- me, Rnd commissioned me to undertake this tion, that he was what he BBid. Tha work. He is affirming in his own way e.11 phrase, .,,,11-re{mv •lr, to believe in or on a my message, and corroborating my testi- person, is to close with him, to accept e.ll mony. Yon have asked, "Where is thy the collateral_ consequences of such trust, Father ? " and I now tell yon, "He is with to be content to wait for fuller explana- me." He (the Father•) bath not left me at tion, to cast self upon the object of faith, any moment of my career alone. He has and allow the object of such trust to bear confirmed and sustained my word,and upheld all the responsibility of the act. It is the my life; and you can see the signs of this form most frequently adopted by St. John. abiding communion: Because (i.e. Christ (eh. ii. 11; iii. 16, 18, 36; iv. 39, and many does not account for the a.biding companion- other places; cf. eh. xiv. 1, 12; xvii. 20); ship by the fact of his own obedience, but only once in the synoptic narrative (Matt. refers to the reasons which his hearers xviii. 6 with Mark i.x. 42). The form ,..,. might find for hie great assertion; cf. Luke o-n6<1v /.,,i occurs occasionally with the ac- vii. 47) I do always the things that are cusative (1 John iii. 23, e.nd frequently in the pleasing to him. I do this because he has Acts); and 1r11r-re6<1v i,.( with the dative, also never left me to my mere human nature. 1r111-r•il•1v i!v, are used, implying even a closer This self-consciousness of Obrist is one of and more intimate communion still with the Object of faith (see eh. xvi. 30). With these forms must be compared the more common sense of "exalting" e.nd •• executing." one with the simple dative, 1r,o-n6•iv nv(, Moreover, he remarks that Tala (~Sr:i) means which occurs in vers. 31, 45, and eh. xiv. 11, also to "lift up" and to " crucify." The etc., which implies accephnce of the say- Jewish expression Taluj, for Christ, would ing, promise, or fact there propounded, and confirm this usage (cf. Bleek, 'Beitroge zur falls short of the moral surrender involved Eve.ngelieukritik,' p. 231 ; Grimm, s.v., etc. in the fuller form. John here asserts that 1 'file "comma." here is preferred by the many or his hearers, those who had hitherto R.T. to the " period,'' and the second clause refrained from full acceptance of Jesus as mnde also the objeot of ihe verb "(VW11<118• the Son of God, yielded to his claims there after 8-r,: so Meyer. and then. This faith on the part of "some" • 'O nad1p is omitted by Griesbach, Tre- is almost more wonderful than the unbelief gelles, Tischendorf (8th edit.), Westcott and of others. The difficulties in their way were Hort, and R.T., on the authority ~ 0 , B, D, appalling in comparison with the perplexi- L, T, X, and important cursives, versions, ties which beset our minds. The Lord Vulgate and Coptic, e.nd quotations. appealed to his own inner cou~cionsne88, to  880 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [olt. vtu. 1-89,