The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 214

declared him to yon, believe &ho in me, 1111 know these many mansions well. I woul<l his highest and most complete Revelation. have told you, for all things thnt I lmvo He claimed from them thus the e1tme kind board from tlie Fnther (up to this timo of seutimcut, as by right of creation and po!!Bible for you to receive) I hnvo mado infinite perfection God Almighty had de- known to you. Here surely is e. colon, if manded from them. There are three other not a period. Mnny interpreters, by roason ways in whfob tbie ambiguous sentence of the 3n, 1 which Lachmann, Tischondorf, may be translated, according as both the Westcott, e.nd Meyer believe to be tbo cor• .,,-«rT,{,<T< are taken either as indicatives rect reading, link the following scntenoo in or imperatives, but the above method is different ways to tile preceding: e.g. some approved by the groat majority of inter- say 3T, is equivnlent to "thnt," and read," I pret.era from the early Fathers to Meyer would have told you thBt I go," cto.: but and Godet. The Yulgate and Authorized age.inst this is tho simple statement of ver. 3, Version and Revised Yersion make the where Jesus proceeds to say that be ill goino- UC<!nd only of the ,,.,<TTron, imperative, and to prepare, etc. Others, tre.DSlating Sn " for,'i'• consequently read, "Ye believe in God, be- differ as to wliether the departure of Jesus lieve also in me," which, in the revelation and bis prepnrntion of e. place for his dis- they had just given of their wretchedness ciples refers to the first or second po.rt of and lack of adequate courage and faithful- tl1e sentence. Surely the rTI, " because" or ness, was a.lmost more than the Lord, in the "for," opens out a new thought based on deep o.nd comprehensive sense in which he the whole of that sentence: " Because, wes using tlie word "God,'' woul,l have seeing if it were not so, I would have told attributed to them. The different order of you," beoe.use our relations are so close as the words in the Greek, bringing the two to hnve involved on your po.rt this claim on clauses, "in God" and " in me," together, my frankness, for I am going to prepare a gives potency to the argument of the verse, plaoe-to make rendy one of these many which is that of the enLire Gospel mansions-for you. Over and above the Ver. 2.-In my Father's house are many vague mystery of the Father's house, my mansions; or, abiding-place.s, homes of rest departure is that of your "Forerunner," and and peace and sojourn. "My Father" is my presence will mo.ke e. new resting-plo.oe the grandest name of all-the Divine father- -it will Joce.lize your home. As you have hood, as conceived in the consciousness of made ready this guest-chamber for me, I Jesus and revealed to them. Had not he am goin~ to make ready a presence-chamber who dwelt for ever in the bosom of the for you 1n the heavenly Jerusalem. Lange Father come forth, as he alone could, to objects to this view of Liicke, Calvin, and revea.l "the Father" and what the Father Tholuck, that it involves a diffusion of had been to him in the eternities? " My knowledge and revelo.tion among the dis- Father's house" is the dwelling-place in ciples, of which thero is 110 proof. This which devout believing souls would a.hide does not seem bettered by another rendering for ever (Ps. mii. 6; xc. 1). In the vast preferred by him, viz. "If it were not so, home filled by my Father's glory and lighted would I have told you I go to prepare e. by his smile of recognition e.nd reconciliation, place for you?" But then this mode of in i.he high and holy ple.ce (Isa. lxiii. 15 ; interpretation implies a previous definite Dent. xxvi. l 5), are "many me.nsiollll" pre- instruct.ion as to the po.rt he himself we.a pared from the fonndation of the world going to take in the furnishing of the (Matt. xxv. 34). Heaven is e. large place; heavenly mansion. Of that most certainly iis possibilities transcend your imagination there is no proof. o.nd exceed your charity. Thome. quotes ell Ver. 3.-And if I go and if I prepare a the grand hopes which Paul's Epistles and place for you--11. simple condition, soon to that to the Hebrews con to.in, that Jesus made be realized by the event-I oome age.in; I heaven and home by his presence there am ever comiug, e.s I am now about to ex- (Phil i. 23: l Thess. iv. 14, 17), and he sup- plain to you, (I) in my resurrection (eh. poses that the J ohe.nnist put these words xvi. 16, 17); (2) in the bestowment of the into the lips of Jesus. One conclusion forced Comforter (vers. 17, 25, 26; eh. xvi 7, etc.); upon the reader, so fe.r as this passage is (3) in the intimate relations which, through concerned, is that there is no reason why the power of the Spirit (vers. 18, 23), ehe.11 this Gospel may not have been written long prevail between us. I am coming to you, before the close of the first century. If it ID my glory and power, e.nd in my victory were nat 10; i.e. if there were any doubt in you as well as for you over death and about it, if the revelations e.Iree.dy made do Hades, to re.oeive you 1lllto myself; that not avail t.o prove &B much &B this, if you where I am, there ye may be also, The full have been cherishing nothing better than vain illusions on this subject, I would have 1 don is inserted by modern editors, with told ;rov., for I ea.me forth from God, and K, A, B, c•, D, and many others. <'tr. xiv. 1-31.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. ,JOHN. 221