The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 215

perepeotiv11 of tho Lord's npproach to faith- eliciting from (Jhrifft that he 1oas goinr, lo the ful souls is given in tho extrnorclino.ry Father, and that hi• death was their ·• way" pregnnnoy of the "I um coming." Not until ae well ae his ou:n way thith-,,,.. he comes in nil his glory will the words be Ver. 5.-Thomas-truo to the chnracter perfectly fulfilled : but the early Church, on elsewhere attributed tl) him in this Gospel, the bosie of communion with Christ himself of anxious, intellectual striving after truth in the power of his Spirit, expected that and reality, with a certain despondency and Obrist hnd come ond taken to himself ono morbid fear of issues which he could not by one those who died in the faith (1 These. grnsp, e.nd yet with a great love to hia i\Inster iv, 14). Thus Stephen expected the Lord to -saith to him, We know not whither thou receive his spirit (Acts vii. 59): and tho goeet; i.e. we are still in vague perplexity. dying thief woe to be with him, in Paradise; "Whither? oh, whither?" Art thou going and Poul knew that to be from home, so far to the dispersed among the Gentiles? o.s body is concerned, woe to be "nt home or Art thou going to restore the kingdom to present with the Lord" (2 Cor. v. 8). "To Israel? Thon art to be "lifted np;" but be with Christ" was "far better" than to how and where art thou to be lifted np? labour on in the flesh (Phil. i. 23). The Thon o.rt going-that is all we know, and highest thought of peace and Jove was to this ignorance of onrs makes us doubt "the the apostles union nnd presence with Christ. way." 1 How do we know the way 1 Is not Our Lord asserts here thnt by his very near- a knowledge of the goal absolutely neces- ness to them he will make their heaven for sary to bring into proper light for U3 the them. How soon this wonderful idea spread way, the strange mysterious way, thou art among men I Within twenty years, Thessa- taking? There often seems in the language loniane were comforted about their pious of scepticism much common sense, and in dead, with the thought that they slept in the dry light of science a straightforward Jesus, and would together with them be honesty: and in reading the memorable "for ever with thll' Lord." reply of our Lord many have felt a lack of Ver. 4.-Iustend of "Whither I go ye directness and recognition of the difficulty know, and the wny ye know," R.T. reads, of Thomas. But is it really so? Ye know the way whither I am going.• Vers. 6, 7.--Jesns aaith to him, I am the Some Taluable manuscripts and versions, Way, and the Truth, and the Life: no one also the bulk of the cursives, Cyril and cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye Ohrysostom, sustain the T.R.: nor have had learned to know me, ye would have 2 Hengstenberg or Godet departed from it. known (absolutely) my Father also: from The construction of the amended rending is henoeforward ye know (by personal experi- harsh and awkward, but considering the ence) him, and (or, perhaps, even) ye have point-blank contradiction which Thomas seen him. The whole sentence must be taken gives to the words in ver. 5, the truncated together. The whither of Christ is obvious reo.ding is probably the true one. Great enough, and throws consequent illumination emphasis is laid upon the l-yrfi. They ought upon the way thither. "The Father's to have known, if they did not know, after house" is the whither no one cometh unto the hie telling them so frequently of the way he Father (but) except through me. Christ ex- was taking through suffering, self-llllcrifice, 1 The rc,zl before 1rois of T.R. is omitted and aloneness, by spiritual processes rather than secular triumphs, by giving his life a by R.T., on the authority of B, 0, L. T.B., ransom for many, by laying it down that he with (N), A, c•, L, and numerous versions, might take it again. He assumes, he even reads, 6uvdµ,IJ,z Ti/I' dlibv el~iv<u. R.T., Ti- assures them, that whithersoever he may be schendorf (8th edit.), with B, c•, D, qnota- going, and however vague may be hie goal t~o~s from Cyril, Tertullian, etc., read in their idens, they at least must comprehend 01/i<iµEV, the way by whioh he intended to reach it. • In order to a.void the li!llpposed inference Peter in any case ought to have been clenr that the disciples had not known Christ, about it: more than once had he been ~ and D read ,-,.,rfircczT• for o-yvrfi1Ce1-r,. and rebuked for such worldly conceptions as -yvw<TE<rlJe for l-yvoirc,.n. Tregelles, West- beclouded his surer judgment. cott and Hort, and R.T., with B, C, L, Q, Vers. 5-7.-(4) The question of Thomae, here read i.v 116eh•, and Tischendorf (8th edit.) reads, El l-yvrfirc<iTE •µ• ,cczl .,.J., 011-r.ipcz 1 The 0Y611TE rcul .,.~., 66~v or311TE of T.R. and µou -yvwaealJe, "If ye have lel\l'lled to know Griesbach is found in A, c•, D, N, r, A, and me''-simple supposition, not resolved .in the majority of cursives: but Tischendorf the negative-" ye shw.l come to know my (8th edit.), Tregelles, l\le:7cr, Westcott and Fnther nlso." Luthardt, Godet, Meyer, and Hort, and R.T., with~. B, C•, L, Q, X, 83, Alford follow the received text: "If ye hav11 157, and some versions, read, 0Y611Te .-,jv learned to know me, ye would have learne Mov. to know my F11thcr o.lso." :J22 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [ou. uv. 1-31.