The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 291

intenaitv of the renaticil!ID WM well exhibitro. 11long they must have bittl>rly felt the in t.11c jwre('('ution in whioh Stephen fell, nnto.gonism which their Lord m1countore<1. and wliich 8t. Paul deemed wo1thy l!ervice, Tho difficulty is removed by including In ond one whioh he ought to ha\"e rendored the TIIV'l'4 of Vcl:'. 4 what certo.inly is involved (Aoh! xx,;. [I; Gal. i. 13, 14). The curse in the .-110.-11 or vr,r. 1: and the rcforeuco is was J011g end deep and trngio, nnd Ohrist to the whole of his instructions touching exph\ins it by the awful rcit<>mtion, Theae hie departure and the coming of tho other things will they do 1 beoanse they have not Pam~lete, nnd the principle from which the known the Father, norme(l'OC eh. xv.22,eto.). hatred of the world would spring; the ex- Be reiterates the explnnRtion Rlroady given plsMtion of the anticipated hostility which of the manner Rnd form BB well ae the fact he had now offered, and tl.10 way in which of the world's h1ttred. they might overcome it. So long as he wns Ver. 4.-:But-the <i.uu euggeete a kind of with them they could not be ma<lo to under- pauFe, as if Le bad said, "I will go into no stand tho Di vintl riches of the console.tion further details" (Meyer)-these thinga- which was now so near. From the begin- these prophecies of approaching persecu- ning he had not given all this class of tion-I have ll}loken to you, that (here fv11 instruction, because he was with them. hae iai proper telic force) when [their] hour While e.t their side, it was premature to ill come, ye may remember (them] how that speak of the special help they would require I told you.• Thie awkward form is that in their beree.ved condition. due to the perplexities of the position of Vere. 5, 6.-Now-at this very moment- ,..,.,...,., in the text. Frequently our Lord th118 I go away to him that aent me. I have prepared hie dier.iples for the future, called completed his work, and none of you aeketh upon them to remember hie predictions as me, Whither goest thou t This seems at pledges of his Dh-ine mission, but still more variance with Peter's inquiry, "Whither ns consolations and supply of strength when goest thou?" (eh. xiii. 86),and with Thomo.s's they would most of all need iL These things question (eh. xiv. 5), "We know not whither I told you not trom the beguming; not •• at thou goest," etc.? yet they e.re only opposed in the beginning,",., dp,cij, nor cl1r' dp,cijr, but i{ e.ppesre.nce. Peter's question had obviously dpxf/s ( cf. Isa. xl. 21 ; xii. 26; xliii. 9), from turned the whole matter back upon himseir, the beginning of my ministry (as Marki. I), e.nd the we.y iu which the Lord's departure and continuously throughout it. If" these affected his own duties and position: and things" are restricted to the prediction of the same may be so.id of Thomas. They cruel perl!eCution, they are certa.inly contm- had both lost sight of the "whither" in the dicted by the language of Matt. L 17, 21, 28; pain e.nd anguish of the depe.rture. Our Luke vi. 22 ; Jllatt. v. I 0, etc. ; xxi. 36; Lord had great difficulty in inducing them :i:xfr. 9; Luke xii 4, etc. The numerous to realize tho blessedness that would befall explanations of tile cowmentators, that Cb.rist tl,emselves from his own exaltation, e.nd had now ginn a more detailed, particular, even now, after nil tbat he had so.id a.bout and tragic outlook. cannot be sustained. Nor this great power and glory which a.waited does the supposition that John is here the him, he e.dded, :Deco.use I havo spoken these mrrector of the synoptic narrative satisfy things to you-since all a.long you are (Meyer); nor that of Godet, that Matthew, taking the dark side, and looking on the in his tenth chapter. was gathering together anguish of my departure and desolateness all that Cilrist hnJ said of this nature, of your own condition, instead of the antedating instructions that the Lord had grandeur of the new kingdom and dispen- given, at nil explain the corresponding sation of which you will be witnesses nn<l pas;;;o.g,-·s in Luke's Gospel The 111.Dguage organs-sorrow hath filled your heart; the of I.he lru;t clause, because I was with ;you, one heart which I throughout have been throws wore light upon it. This doea not seeking to comfort. You are not looking llll!'ely mean " because I was bearing for on the end of my departure, or on tho fut. you the brunt of tbe oppoeition,"-it would nees of my glory, or ou the addition to your be unnecessary altogether to say thnt. All own bleeseduess, but on your own loss, dis- appointment, and chogriu. 1 'TµJ,,," to you,•• of T.R., has the authority or K, D, L; but it iJ! omitted by twelve uncial Vers. 7-33.-(9) TIie promw of thti manuscripts and numerous cunnves, by Paraclete. Trege:llcs, Tischendorf (8th edit.), R.T., and Vere. 7-11.-{a) The threefold com,iction West..cott nnd Hort. of tli.e tDOTld. • Ain-ii,,, aft.er &pa. ill omitted by K, D, r, ~, The extraordinary fulness of suggestion end other uncials and cursives, by T.R., and by Tischendorf (8th edit.), but inserted by in the following words, a.nd the fftrong LecLmann, Trtgclles, Wt.-stcoit and Hort, opinions entertained by different theological and R.T., with A., B, n, and cur~ives. achools, render interpretRtion a diflicult task. en. xv1. 1-88.) 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO 81.'. JOHN. 301