The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 182

unre,uaonnbly felt the weakneM nnd oorrop- tisrn, the regene111tion or the Spirit, e.nd tinn of hie nnt.ure, and oried out, as we all trC'e.t the washing of the feet as cqnivnlont nl"C oflen disposed to do, for renewal and to the daily forgiveness of sins of infirmity, l'lnnotifi<'ation of e,•ery faculty and energy of Archdenoon FMrar, • Early Days of Chris- hie being. In this he ehowC'd e lnck of tianity,' vol. i. p. 120, suggests t.hnt this realizatinn of the new world into which intensely interesting acene mny acooun t for gra<'C hnd brought him, nnd once more Simon Peter'■ picturesque expression (1 Pet need<>d <'Orl'('otion. Ohryao•tnm enye, "In v. 5, ly,coµ.{3durarr8,), wherein ho enjoins on hie deprecation be WBI' vehement, in hie Christ.inns to "tie on humility liko o. drces ~,-jelding mOl"e vehenwnt, but both came fastened with knots;" and Aleo for the from hie love." But even here we eee the apostle's "insight into the true meaning or some <'Bl?nrnees to go beyond the Lord, and baptism, as being, not the putting a.way the di<'tate the course to be pursuC'd. tilth of the flesh, but tha nnswer of a good Ver. 10.---.Jesus saith to him. Christ's conscience towards God." And ye a.re oleo.n; nn~wer here undoubtedly shows that he 11.nd therefore these words and tHs principle is Sp<'nking of something far more impnr- apply to you. Dr. Westcott finds in this t.a.nt than the foot-washing. He goes back phrnso a reference to the purity of the to the spiritual rnenning which Peter attri- msibl.e Church, notwithstanding, i.e., the pre- buted to his words. :e:e that he.a beon sence of J ude.s in the group; but the excep- bathed (>..,>..ouµ.IPo<) is indeed wo.shed from tion itself which follows shows tho.t the head to foot, hath no further need thnn Lord did not regard J ude.s e.s l\,>..ouµ.lvos or io wa.sh his feet, 1 but is altogether clean. ,ca.6a.eos, The suggestion of the passage is By personal communion with the Lord nnd precisely oontrary to the.t so often drawn. belief in I.Jim, by the word which he had But not all. Thie reference to Judll8 mny spoken to !,is disciples, they were (,ca.6a.poi) be.ve been one more warning to the me.n who clean (eh. xv. 8). They had been washed was plotting against his M11eter's life. from the defilement of their old nature, Ver. 11.-For he knew who was betraying they he.cl. undergone a thorough moral and him ; therefore he said, Ye a.re not all clean. spiritual change, by moral union with That Christ should have been ignorant of Obrist. They were reconciled and cleansed ; the devices of Judas, or of his true character, they therefore did not need a fundamental is repeatedly denied by all the evangelists. chnuge to be wrought daily in head, bands, John certainly calls attention to the Lord's and life. Just as a man who had thoroughly knowledge of the secret of Jude.a, and justi- bathed only requires the removal of the fies thus his Divine prerogative. That soil contracted in the daily walk; so e. Strauss, Hilgenfeld, and others should see re~enerated and forgiven mo.n is clean, and, here an inlluendo against Peter, and the like Peter, should not need, being «a.Ba.po,, charge against Peter of advocating a kind ruore tho.n the foot-cleansing which Obrist of Ebionitio daily ablution of the whole in Divine condescension had then granted. body, is wilful and uncalled for. It WUB inevitable thut some of the Fathers Ve.re. 12-17.-The Lord gives other (Au.,<PDstine, Theodore) and mauy modem practice.l instructions based on his own exp"sitors (Hengst.enberg, Godet, and Wordsworth) should see here a reference to humble self-obliterating discharge of a duty baptism, und speak of Peter·~ having over- which it was obvious that, in their desire to looked the grace of bis baptism. When it be great, they had one and all abstained is remembered, howe,·er, that nothing but from doina even for their Lord. Out of it John's "bapti.qm unto repentance" had ha draws the greet lesson of mutual love been administered to the disciples, and that this cleansing is, in eh. xv. 3, distinctly and brotherly regard. referred to the word of Christ, it is a very Ver. 12.-So when he had we.shed their feet nnnece8118ry trifling with the text to find in -the interruption of Peter had brought forth this >..eMJuµ..uos baptism or e.ny sacramental the wonderful and weighty replies, and then, or symbolic oot. Lampe and Cocceius, in in awfulness and great amazement, the pro- rendering >..,>..ouJJ.E110<, substitute for be.p- cess went on. John and Judas 11.e well as Pete, submitted. Jlfatlhew and Thomas, Philip 1 Tischendorf (8th edit.), on the authority and Nathanael, 11.nd the rest yielded and of K, ow its the words el µ..~ e.nd .-ou• ,ro6a.s, received the deep, ineffaceable impression- und thUB alters the meaning of the whole and taken his garment& he was no longer in p:ii!se.ge. LnchmD.nn, Tregellea, Westcott the form of e. slave, but of their Teacher and a.nd Hort. R.T., and others retain these Lord-and again reolined I at their head, he words in the t.Pxt, on the ground that K gi vea 1 R.'1'., Westcott and Hort, Tischendorf a conection to harmonize the saying with ,co.Bap~, o>..os, and from not drawing di.stinc- (8th edit.), etc., read dvl1n<Tf in place of iion between >..E.>..ou;,.l11os and p/,}a.a-fl<U, APO.'lrE<Tow, with ~•. B, c•. 011, ltlll. 1-38.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 1.89