The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 262

thoP<' 'll'ho do not obey lhe gospel &nd 11.?e never altogether realized. Just ns fnlth ign0mnt or th<' Le.w of Goo, the curee he1e l~R<ls t.o ftt.ith, an~ l_ove to love, and light to utt,,ml falls hennlyupon thosewbohave been hght, eo does d1smpleehlt1 to dieoipleehlp. on<'<' enlightcnC'd, <'to., and have 11.postnti.zed As Bengel e&ys, disoipleship ie the funda- (Heb. vi. 4--6). The 11.nxicty of the npostlee mimtum et fam.giiim of Cbristio.nity. On is !!rlevoUB, and they desire deliverance from 011,rth the vine reveals itself in the bro.nchee, this doom. And our Lord next unfolds the and thus ooucenls itself behind them. "Thie orineiple or p111yer which lnid puch hold on explains why the diffusion of spirituo.l life the mind of the Apostle ,Tohn : If ye abide m,;.kes suoh slow progress in the worl,1-the in me (anrl then, inet.e,vl of ndding, "And I Vine effects nothing but by meo.ne of the nbicle in you,"heenys); a.ndmywoidubidein branches, and these so often paralyze in- you; i.e. if my teaching so abide with yon RS stee,d of pMmoting the notion of the Vine " to control your thoughts and ideas, remain in (Godet). If the other text be maintnined, you as your guide and inspiration, then ask 1 Herein tDaB my Father glorified, so that ya whatsoever ye will, &nd it shall be done to might bear much fruit, and that ye may yon. A timid in terprete.tion of this pMmise become my disciplu, the " herein" points limits the "wbe.t.soever" to deeds of service back to the previous verse, and then the in the l..-ingdom of God, e,nd fears, with contemplated result of the o.rrangement, A uguetine, to trust the se,nctified will of the rather than the purpose of the glory, ie the believer. But in euoh l.umnony with Christ matter referred to. w, these words supply, e,ll the conditions of Ver. 9.-Two we.ye of explaining this 11.eccpt&ble prnyer n?e present. The believer verse : Ef!en as-inasmuch as-the Father in Christ, fnll of his words, evermore con- 1iath loved me, and a, 1 have l01Jed you, abide sciously realizing union with Christ, che.rged in my lo'll6; i.e., as GrotiUB has put it, the with the thoughts, burning with the pur- first clause suggesting accordo.nce with tho poses, filled wi t.h words of J esua, will ha,e mystery of the Trinity, e,nd the second the no will that is not in he,rmony with the mystery of redemption : " So do ye continue, Divine will. Then faith is possible in the or so do ye abide, in the amplitude of this fulfilment of hie own desire, and prayer double love whioh is mine, dwell in it as in becomes e, prophecy and pledge of the a holy atmosphere, breathe it and live by it." answer. The apostle, after many years of But there is another and more satisfactory pondering and of putting these principles way of translating the passage : Even as the into practice, oon:firme the truth of them Father loved me, I also loved you ; a fact of (1 Epist. v. 14-16). This is the true philo- stupendous interest o.ud transcendent claim. sophy of pru.yer. The psalmist had gone a Heaven had opened over the incarnate long way in the same direction (Pa. u:xvii 4, Word, and other ears as well as his own had " Delight thyself in the Lord; and he shall heard the Father say, " Thou art my be- gi.e thee thy heart's desire "). loved Sou," etc. The Lord was conscious Ver. 8.-Here the Lord shows what he of being the Object of this infinite love be- knows will be and must be the dominant fore the foundation of the world ( eh. xvii. desire of the man who e,bidee in himself, in 24), and of reciprocating and responding to whom bis own word abides. Buch a mnn it; and this love of the Father to him on hie will seek, yearn, o.ek, that he should bear e,esum ption of his media torie.l functions was much fruit. This prayer will be heard, and the well-spring of bis obedience unto death in this sublime synthesis between Christ and after it (see eh. x. 17, note). Now, if and his disciples, says Christ, was my Father the ,.4-,@ is to be translated as above, Christ glorified. "In the fruitfulness of the vine declares that even a, the Father hns loved is the glory of the hnsbandmnn," e.nd in the him, he has loved his disciples. Again and answer of yonr prayers, and the regulation again he has emphasized this love to them of oll yonr deeires, BO ye eha.11 beoome my dis- (eh. xiii 34), but here he asserts a loftier eiplea. 2 "Discipleshlp" is a very large word, claim, viz. that his love to them corresponds with the eternal Father's love to himself. 1 >J.,-f,<Ta<TB• is the reading of A, B, D, L, The one great fact is the ground on whioh M, X, and some i.mporte.nt cursives and he commands them to abide in his love, versions, o.nd followed by Meyer, Tischendorf This is obviously a more explicit and more (8th edit.), Tregelles, R.T., e.nd Westcott intelligible form of the commandment to and Hort. The aJrf,tTe<TB• of T.R. is that of abide in him. With Olshansen &nd West- l<, E, G, H, o.nd many others. cott, " The love that is mine " is not the love • 'r .R., Le,chmann, Tregellee, Weetoott to Christ, nor the love o/ Christ exclusively, o.nd Hort, with B, D, L, M, X, .o., read <P•· but e. blending of the active and passive P71.,.,, ,.gJ '"YEY11<T6<, "that you may become." idea in "the love that is mine"-in the 'l'his is placed in the margin by B. T., but llt>eing llt, A, E, G, H, and mo.oy others read come," the latter is preserved by Tischen• t/>•p11.,..· '"" -yn,/J<T•ri•, "and ye Bhall_ be- dorf (8th edit), B.T., and Meyer. CIR, xv, 1-27.J , 'rIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. ,JOHN. 27[ ---------------------------- --- • 1 love" lavished upon ma from ctr.rnHy, a.nd plnined. AngURtin~, "My joyfnlnesa con- to which I hove eternBlly responded, which cerning yon," which is Rr1trcely the burrlen I hovo mBde known to you a.ncl expended or tho previous verses; Grotius, " Your de- on you nnd received book aga.in from yon. light in me," which wuuld be somewhnt Abide ln that love tha.t is mine, toutologous; Calvin nn l De Wotte, "The Ver. 10.-If ye keep my oommandments, joyfulness CApable of being produced in you yo 1hall abide in my love, This is the by me, might be in yo11." But the wnrda method a.nd secret, the stimnlt1s e.nd proof, are more simply cxplninerl by Lnnge, Meyer, of abiding in tho love of Christ. Thie is Liicko, Westcott, Alford, and Moulton, as not exa.ctly the converse (Westcott) of "If the communication to his disciples of his ye love me, koop my commaudmcuts." own absolute and personal joy. "The joy Doubtless there is o love which dictates that is mine," like "the peace which is obedience to the loved One's will. Oar Lord mine," is graciously bestowed. A joy was here avere, however, something farther, viz. set before him, the joy of perfect e~lf-sacri- thnt obedience issues in a. Maher love. The fice, which gave to hie present nets an inten- obedience here described is the outcome of sity and fnlness of bliss. It was this, in ite love, but the power is thus gained to con- motives e.nd character nncl supernatural tinue, dwell, in the Divine love, to a.bide, sweetness, which would be in them. If they that is, in the full enjoyment e.nd fulnesa of receive hie life into them, it will convey not my Divine love to you. Thie is obvious only hie peace, but that pea.ce uprising aml from the confirmatory cla.use : Even as I bursting into joy ; and he adds, in order he.ve kept my FBther's commandments, and that your joy may be fnlftlled, i.e. perfected, abide in his love. The Lord kept the reach its highest expression, its fulness of Father's commandment alwo.ys, doing those contents e.nd entire sufficiency for all needs. things which please him, offering up his I John i. 1--4 is the best commentary on precious life, laying it down that he might this last clause. The Old Testament pro- take it age.in; a.nd the consequence is that phets had often spoken of Jehovah's joy in he then e.nd there kuew tha.t he we.a filled his people, comparing it to the bridegroom'~ with' Bll the fulness of the Di vine love. The joy, e.nd the bride's (Isa. I.xii 5; Zeph. iii. very impressive line of thought perva.des 17). Thie entire idea. is linked with ver. 10, this passage, tha.t wha.t the Father was to where the keeping of his commandments, him, that he would prove to his disciples. from motives of love, will enable the dis- Wha.t the love of God we.a to the Christ, ci plea to '' abide in his love." He now po.sees the love of Christ we.a to his disciples. the whole law of the second table into the light of hie joy and the power of his example. Ver. 11-oh. xvi. 6.-{8) The results of tho Ver. 12.-This is my oommandment, that union between Christ and his disciples. ye love one another, even as I loved you. Vere, 11-16.-(a) To themselves. This (eh. xiii. 3-1) was given as a "new The Lord moves into another and wider commandment; " now he gathers the many development of the union between himself comma.ud.ments iuto one, as though all were included in it (1 Jolm iii. 16). This thought and his disciples. He drops the metaphor of is further vindice.ted by an endeavour to the vine e.nd the branohee, e.nd comes to the explain in what sense a.nd way he was essence of the relation between them; that loving them. is, he does much to explain the meaning Ver. 13.-Gree.ter love than this (love) no e.nd nature of hie e.bidin,g in, them, and the one hnth, namely ('lve), that one should lay down his life for his friends. Meyer and charo.cter of the fruit which they were ex- Lange endeavour to maintain even here the pected by the great Haebandme.n and Father telic force of Tve&, "The love to you is of so to bring forth e.nd ripen. A conneotion be- consummate a character, that its object and tween the eeoond section and the first is purpose is seen in, my laying down my life revealed in, the new beginning. for my friends ; " and Hengstenberg thinks so because probably a reference here is mnde Ver. 11.-These things I ha.ve spoken, and to Isa. liii. 10, thut our Lord was pointing am still speaking, to you (perfect, not a.orist) to his atoning death-to e. de11th needed alike with this purpose, that the joy that ia mine by enemies and friends. Such un in terpre- ma.:, be 1 in you. Thie is variously ex- te.tion supposes the lofty purpose of the greatest love. To me, however, it seem~ 1 TH, the reading of A, B, D, ], 93, Vul- more probable th11t the translation given gate, Gothio, and me.ny oursives, is Ji>rererred above places the argument upon a surer, by Meyer, R.T., Westoott e.nd Hort, Godet, because more common, hume.n, experience. and Tisobendorf (8th edit.), though µElvr, is The disposition to die for ungodly and for read by N, L, X, r, A, and other unoials, enemiel3 is exa.lted by St. Paul (Rom. v. 8) cursives, e.nd Fathers. a.hove the eelf-ee.orifice involved in dyiLg for 272 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. JOHN. [cR, xv.1-27