The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 139

=ivPd informatiClll by public t.eac'hing- Light, though not among them, might still !IUt of the Law that the Chrilt abideth for shine, Rnd the glory of Pentecost would ever. Numerons p11,ssage1 may have Ix-on renew the appe&I. Walk a1 ye have the rraeonnbly in their minde-Ps. ex.; Isa. ix.; Light; mRke progress in the undcrs1Rnding Ezek. xn:vii. 25; Dan. vii, IS, 14-in wbiob of self, of duty, of time, of eternity, nnd not the glori<>e of an everlasting kingdom were accordingly. Tho &r is tho reading pro- pr<:>dfoted. In ver. 28 the Lord he.d in their forred to the fo,r of the T.R. in this nnd hMring spokl'n of himself 88 "Son of man." the following verse by 'l'ischendorf, Meyer J\fey<'r, by giving the dominant sense of Weetoott and Hort, and tho Revisers' text'. i::Iori fkntion to the l},j,,l,8m, thinks that the Meyer here differs from Godet and others who J""'J'k mufi:t be oontTnsting, in pert criticism, accepting tho reading .:Os, give H, in virtu; the lowh· "Son of me.n " before them with of certain pe.ssnrs in the clossics, tho sonso t.he " Son of me,n " of De.niel's vision. But of quamdiu, an justly mnintaiue the sense it would be fnr more probe.hie that the "88," "in the measure that." According people accepted Ohrist'e intimation of the to the light that you see, walk, lest (Yva ,.~, me,nncr of hie death, and hence felt the " in order thot not") darkneaa overtake you: incongruity of such a Son of man-One who and he that wal.keth in the darlme11 lmoweth dies, and therefore lives again-with the not whither be goeth; lest the possibility of i::Iowing pictures of De.niel or the 'Book of seeing the Divine revelation in me be te.ken Henoch.' "The Christ abidelh for ever." from you, and lest there be ta.ken away from And how sayest thou that the Son of man you that which you seem to have (cf. Jer. xiii. must be lif'ted up , Wbo ill this Son of me.n 1 16). Then, in harmony with the great se.y- 'I'hcy did not identify" the Son of man" with inge of eh. ix. 4, 5 and xi. 9, "In the night the JI! essiah. They probably supposed two no man can work;" "In the night, when manifest.atinns. They may have doubted, 88 men cannot see the light of this world, they ,John the Baptist did, whether Jesnshad ful- stumble over unseen perils nnd pitfalls;" filled the whole conception of the Jpxoµ•vos. so here, he says, in the darkness that will It W88 once more a vagne, dull inquiry," Wbo come upon men from me.king no use of the nrt thou?'' We a.re Btill in doubt who thou Light of the world, "they will not Imow art, and how thou canst claim to be the whither they are going," they will find Christ of our propheoies. To be our Christ, no work, have no perception of imminent and die, is a -contradiction in terms. danger, but, <il-iven on and on by measure- Ver. 35.-Chriet's reply is introdnoed with less foroe, they will drift over the fathom- a lrimple .r..-•.,. .1811ll8 therefore said to them, less unknown into infinite and endless not in 11.IlSWer to their q nestion, bnt by snspense. When the Light of the world is tal..-ing np a title of dignity that he had spurned, and e. godless evolution made to claimed before. He evidently ILSl!llIDes to be supply its place, humnnity and the world the Light of the world (eh. viii. 12), and have no goal set before them; there is no now the time is e.lmoet over when they could end at which they aim-no mind or will to see it.s lustre or di.soern other things., either guide the progress of mankind. them.eel vee, or their Bina, or this world, or the Ver. 36.-But he concludes with one more next world, by that Light. The time for glorious invitation. As, up to this moment, further instruction. or remonstrance, or decla- you have the Light, believe in the Light; ratioue is at an end. The evangelist sums neat it e.s light-receive the revelation I up, in ven;. 44-50, the general substance of have given you (of. the ninth and eleventh our Lord's tea.ching with reference to him.- chapters); "Work while it is called to-day;" self and hie disciples and the world which "stumble not;" make no irrepe.rable mis- would not believe; and thus, then, in a take. " Become "-so walk that ye may be- wonderful way, jnsti1ies, 88 it were, the non- come yourselves sons of Light, illumined and BnBwer to the captious question, " Who is luminous. Thie fine expression is found this Son of man?" Yet a little while ill the in Luke xvi. 8; 1 These. v. 5; and, with Light a.monpt you. The " little while" of a.Iteration of ufol into -rE,cva, in Eph. v. 8. our Lord's day of ministry WDB often upon This le.et word, public word, of JeBUS, which hie lips (eh. vii 38; xiii. 33; xiv. 19; xvi. we.s in part a.ccepted by some of his hearers, 16). Verily to his consciousness it must a.s we see from ver. 42, corresponds with the have been bnt u the twinkling of an eye, Beatitudes, and sustains one at leost of the and now it was a very little while even for main theses of the prologue : " The Life bis hearers. Based on this solewn fact, he wu the Light of men." These things apake make11 a lasi public appeal to individuals, .Je11na, and departed, and was hidden from propounding gracious invitation, Divi~e pro- them. This utterance records the close of n,.ile, solemn warning; and so he terminated the Lord's public ministry, and therefore the hie public ministry, and vanished from before solemn termination of the various scenes them. As far as the memory of his living a.nd dUJCOurees preserved in the synoptic words and deeds might influence them, the narrative. The people of his love saw him on. xn. 1-60.) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOITN. lH