The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 218

l!OOm to be mine ne the Son or man, but 11.re sense dra"s them up into his own Divinity, the operat.ion of the Fnther himself, he who Wilh these words muet be comparecl the ebidee in the Son. And the Father a.biding closely pnrallel words addressed to them (RB in me, doeth' hie worka. These worke of mine (lna) nre &11 eiini8 (<T'lll"ia) of my rel&tion to preserved by Matt. xxi. 22, 23) a few d11ya t.he F&tber. They &re indioatione to Philip before. This was a saying 11t once explain- of the nature, and qUJ11ity, nnd character, and ing the rererence to the "greater work&" fooling towar<le him or the Father himself. and also to the power of pmyor (see Ver. 11.-Believe me when I say that I Hengstenberg'e masterly trootment of this am in the Father, and the Father in me, on }Jl\llBRge). the ground or my ~imple affirmation. My words are spil'it and life, and ca.rry their Ver. 12.-Verily, verily-with a. fresh own evidence with them. Christ is not here empl1e.sis he turns now, not from Philip to antithetically contrasting (as Lange eng- the eleven, but from the eleven to a.II who gest.s) words and worke, as though the words will believe on him through their word-I aay were his. and the works the Father's; but unto Y<KL, He tha.t believeth on me-observe be is appealing to their spiritual intuition of here a. nominntive absolute, which gives truth which is legible by its own light as great empho.sis to the universo.lity of the re- eternal and Divine, and then reminding them ference; the form is slightly varied, Els lµl, that they may fail in transcendental vision in pie.cc of µoi, var. 11,-believeth, trueteth ,md fall ha.ck on reason and its processes, on me, confides in me, by reason of believing which will come nearer to their understand- me-he a.lso shall do the works that I do ing-Or else (Ei ~. µ-fi), ifit be after all that (see for similar empha.sis prooured by the vou cannot take my words e.s the Father's word 1<41<•ivos, l'h. vi. 57; ix. 87; xii. 48). words,e.s the nttere.nceofthe Divine thought, The disciples might nature.Uy have rea.soned believe me-believe that I am in the Father, on this wise : " Our Master is the incarnate etc.-by reason of the very works which Word, the very Hand and Grace of the are the witness of the Father's power, Fa.ther; but he is going to the invisible holiness, a.nd love. In this last a.ppea.l he Father, a.nd will be lo;;t in light. His series turns from Philip to the whole group of the of proofs will be a.t nn end ; we shall only apostles. Miracles are, if not primary evi- have the memory of them. The glory of <lenoc, secondary and convincing evidenoe, God is great, but, like a gorgeous sunset, its where the eye ha.s been blinded by the mists fie.mes will die a.wa.y into the night." To of doubt, and the vision of the :Father con- rectify such fear for all the ages of the fused and withheld by lack of inward purity. Church, he adds, " The very works of heal- Moreover, by Christ's t,,-ya are meant, not ing and helping men, even of raising the merely the superna.ture.l portents, but all dead, and preo.ching gle.d tidings to the the wo:ck of hiB life, all the healing of souls, poor e.nd needy,-these will be proofs of the ell the conversion of souls, all the indnbi- union of the believer in o.ll time with me a.nd te.hle issues of his a.pproa.ch to the bee.rt of with my Father." In the case of snch be- , man. The great fp-yo11 is sa.lva.tion_from sin, liever, a.s well a.s in my case, the works may • the gift of righteousness, a.nd the life where increase the faith of others. They are not before there wa.s more.I dea.th (see notes, vers. indispensable, bnt comforting and reassuring, • HJ, 20; eh. L ';fl, 88). and they show that every believer ia near , Vers. 12-15.-{b) The grwterU1orks, and to the bee.rt of the Father and wields the • power of God. But the full force of this t1Jeir conditiom and iBBueB. He offers a somewhat perplexing sentence is heightened fresh ground of consolation, baaed on the and to some extent explained by the addi- • double consideration, first of his departure tion : And greater works than these he from them and abiding presence with them, shall do; beoause I a.m goiDg to the ' Father, and then on the reflex effect on their own Greater works than any wrought by the Lord in tho do.ye of his humiliation are faith and on the world of their consoionsness predicted of Messiah. He is to be the" Light of union with him. He throws the arms of of the Gentiles" (Isa.. xiii. 6; cf. Ps. lxxii. his love round a.bout, not only the eleven 8, 11: ex.). He is to rule the world, to disciples, but all believers on him, and in a. cover the ea.rth with the glory of God. How he wa.s to do this wa.s hidden from the 1 This alteration of the text, on the disciples, but it wonld soon e.ppee.r tha.t they authority of ~ D, D, ia accepted by Tischen- were the instruments, in his loving hands, dorf (8th edit\ Meyer, R.1', and Tregelles, 1 ii being supposed that in avTbs 'B"Olft TA lnv. The ~ov is here omitted, with N, A, B, of the T.R. the ai,,,-&s ha.d been added in D, L, numerous cursives and versions, by aple.nation, a.nd displaced the avToii in some Tischeudorf (8th edit.), Tregelles, B.T., and early ma.n uacri pts. Westcott and liorl on. xiv. 1-31.J THE GOSPEL ACCOllDING TO ST. JOIIN'.