The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 498

faith WM cnunlcd for rightrousne~. He of Abrnham, other references by our Lorcl beiic,·Nl thnt God could a11d woul,l do whnt to the sttme idea and faot. The paruble, eo ~ecmcd impossihle. 'l'hnt which he rejofrcd called, of the rich man and Lflzarus, intro- thnt '"'. ~hould see WRS the day of Christ, the duces Abrnham as having been acqul\inted, rc'<"elatton of the Father, and. the w11y of life during their lifetime, with the condition of profterc<l t,i n 11 11n tions. lle 1Lntir.ip1Ltcd a the two del\d men (see Luke xvi. 22-25). fnlfiltocnt oft.be promises to such an extent And when our Lord, in conflict with tho that be rcjoico,l in hope of the glory of God. S:idducees. would prove from Scripturo e.nd So f11r there is little diffic,nlty. Our imagi- the language of Jehovah in the "pnssl\ge nation easily pictures Abmlmm in the sncred. concerning the bush" thnt the dead rise, tumult of e. bh•ssed hope concerning that 110 sai,l, "Since God called himself the whid1 wns eveutnallv rcnlized in the Mes- God of Abraham, Isaac, nud Jncob, ho wee sianic glory of the ·Lord J csus. Ilut our not tho God of the de:i.d, but of the living;" Lord added. He saw it, ancl was glad. And therefore Abrah:i.m, Isaa~, e.ud ,Ja.cob were the interpretations of this clause are very living, and not del\d (Luke xx. 36-38). conflicting. Calvin asks whether this does Iu like manner, Moses e.nd Elijo.h are re- not con:-radirt Luke x. 2-1," Many kings and presented es conversing with Jesus concern- prophets de>ired to see the things which ye ing the decease (l(o8ov) he was e.bout to sec, e.nd yet did not see them.'' And be accomplish (Luke ix. 30, 31), St. Peter adds, " Faith has its degrees in behold- ( I Epist. i. 12) declares the.t the angels ing Christ. The ancient prophets beheld desire to look into the mysteries of human Christ e.t a disunce, but not as present redemption. St. Pe.nl tells us that the with them." Wt> :i.re rcmindeJ by ollters of principalities and powers in heavenly places Heh. xi. 13, "These nll died in faith, not receive fresh illustration of the me.nifold hnvin~ reccfred the promises, but having wisdom of God by e.nd from the Church seen ,rnd greeted them from nfa.r.'' Conse- on earth (Eph. ill. 10). So that _the idee. is quently, the only '<"ision of the day of Christ one in harmony with many other. lines of vouchsafed to .A.braham wo.s the far-off pro- Di vine revelation. .A.brahe.m rejoiced e.t phetic glance. This interpretation ignores the e.dvent of Christ. He has seen it, e.nd the <l ilfrrenee of two clauses, " exulted that been gle.ddened. The angels sang their he wnnld see,'' e.nd "saw it, and was glad." prniscs e.t the birth of Christ, a.rid rejoiced This second clause is supposed hy llcng- o,·er one penitent sinner (Luke ':x,y.). The stenberg 1L11d others to reter to the visic::i patriarchs e.lso rejoice that the promises of the angel of the Lor,!, the Logos (Gen. which they handed down to the generations xrui.. ), or to the ret"elation of the vicarious that would follow them he.ve been fulfilled. denth nnd resurrection of Messiah in the The' l\lidrash • decle.res, se.ys Wiii:l.scbe, the.t sacri.fi.ce of Isnac (so Chrysostom and Eras- A.brahnm se.w the Law.giving on'Sinai, e.nd mus). Others, ng-.i.in, have laid emJJhasis on rejoiced e.t it. Westcott se.ys the "tense" the "birth of I se.ac" e.s the fulfilment of is decisive e.ge.iust this joy of Abraham in promiaes preTiously made to his faith. Isaac Pa.re.dise. But the o.orist simply calls atten- we.a regarded o.s " heir of the world," e.nd . tion to the effect at once prc;iduced upon the the embodil'l'.lcntof the Messianic hope. He consciousness of Abraham e.s soon as he be- wi:s the child of promise, of the Spirit rather came awe.re of the day of the Son 'of man. than of the flesh. This view has been urged Rabbinical ideas of the knowledge commu- by Hofmann, Wordsworth, Westcott. The nicated to Abra.ba.m conoerning'· the career proper sense wns, doubtless, that, since the of his descendants, confirm and illustrate Lord became incarnate, Abraham's exulting this interpretation; while the 'light thus hope has been re:i.lized; that which he cast upon the darkness of th,e grave ex- desired nnd rejoiced in anticipation to see pounds the gree.t ete.teme.-t, " He the.t con- has now de.wned upon him. Thls becomes tiuuetb in [keepcth] my w..,rd sbe.11 not see an emphatic revelation by our Lord .in one death." pe.lmary case, and therefore presu:nably in Ver. 57.-The J'ews, therefore, said unto other instances as well, of the reb.liou and him-once more misinterpreting his word~. col!lIIlnnio~, between the glori1ied life of the and giving e. materialistio tone to his Divine saint;;, e.nd the events e.nd progress of the hint-Thou hast not yet fifty years-" Thou kingdom of God upon earth. A great con- a.rt cot fifty yee.ra old "-and hast thou seen sensus of commen to.tore confirms thi.o! in- Abraham l Christ did not say that he he.d terpretation-Origen, Lampe, Lucke, De seen Abraham, but the.t .A.bra.ham he.d soen Wette, Godet, Meyer, Stier, Alford, Lange, and rejoiced iu his day. The Jews chose Watkins, Tlioma. It is objected that tliis to regard the language of Jesus e.s 11dding kind of information a.bout the invisible another immense improbability, if not fe.lse- world is contrary to the manner of Christ, hood, to his previous clnims, viz. that he bu.d e.nd would stnnd alone. This objection, actually lived to twice the age of Methu- J;owevcr, ignore.;, a~d e;iper:ially in the case llf:le.4 11!.ready, Tlle 1• ufty yee.r~ old" may mr. vm. 1-59,] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, 373