The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 300

Ver. 27.-'lor the 'lather himaelf loveth light h11s hegun to irradi&t.e the whole of 7ou (cp,11.,i), with love of a fatherly nffection, this sublime hnt partially renlized reveln- BUoh 11e mine to you, beoauae 7e have loved tion of God in Christ. The doubts vauish me (tho perfoct pretorite, in the eenso of the in this sunshine. re11lized pnet in the present which shall then Ver. 30.-Now know we that thou lmoweet be), 1md have believed that I oame forth from all things. He had answered their unutter- tlie ,ida of (',rapli) the :rather.' In their be- able yearning. That which stirred them lief of this tr11nscendent fact is the hope of very deeply on many occasions was this the world. It wne wrought in them by the proof that nothing in their hearts was hid- strengthening puleee of a deepening love, den from him. Nathcmael was one of them, nnd to this love God himself responds with and now he saw "angels of God ascending a persono.l tender 11ffection that encourages and descending on the Son of man." "Thou boundless prayer. 'fhe disciple and lover knowest all things." The idea in their minds of Jesus, having Jesus in the heart, united does not embrace the full range of human to him by living faith, will find in Christ iaquir7, nor the depths of Deity, but all the that there is o. perpetual pledge of reciprocal things which are in their hearts to ask him. lovo between the I•'ather o.nd himself. Christ Their word is true even if in their intention will not (/po,Tav) o.sk the Father, beca119e they fall short of ascribiag omniscience to his entire position as Mediator esto.blishes a their Lord. And thou hast no need tha.t any continual appeal, is a perpetual fvTEu(1<, e. one should put to thee these inquiries. Thou continuous dro.wiug near and appeal to God hast sounded the depths of our hearts, and on our account, a pledge and guarantee of found out the unutterable and unuttered our own fellowship with and access to the within us. When we were afraid to ask Father. Our Engli,h word "intercession," thee concerning "the little while," thou though apparently corresponding with the didst discern our unspoken yearning, and Latin and with the Greek word, does not now thou art so establishing thy Divine now represent its original meaning. That claim upon our reverence and affection, that meaning is by no means equivalent to the we can trust thee to give us all needful illu- kind of prayer whioh is here excluded mination when we most require it. In this (Trench, • Syn. N. T.,' § Ii.). fact, in this consideration just stated, we find Ver. 28.-ln these words our Lord gathers our jnsti.fication and the ea.use of our faith. BUblimely up a record of his entire self- We believe that thou camest forth from ( ao) manifestation. I oame forth out of the God (a,ro differs from the solemnity of the Father (where l(e11.6ov /,c, instead of 1rap/i, is rape or the '" of ver. 28. Though Lange the new and better reading), as from the makes the 3n equivalent to "because," yet Divine Source of my pre-existent glory, I generally John gives to the 3-r, which fol- have oome into the world, incarnate in hu- lows e. verb after iv -rOll'Tl'f' the sense of ma.aity, "the Word was made :flesh," "the "that, n th118 introducing the object of the Light lighting every m11n has come into verb, though in one place, I John iv. 13, the world." Again, I am leaving the world both constructions are seen in the same sen- behind me, though for a little while you tence. The objective force of" that" is to be may behold me, and I am going on a great preferred here). We believe that thy whole mission, with a goal in view, to the Father. ministry and meBBage is a revelation of God, "Recapitulationem maximam habet hio ver- e. coming near to 118 of the Father. Thy sus" (Bengel). Christ had said all this name is "Immo.nuel, God with us." A before, but they have never seen it as a question ariHes whether the disciples in this whole. The several parts had been so im- gush of faith said more than they really pressive, that the whole truth had been con- meant, and deserved reproof, or whether they cealed from them. had reached an elevation of thought from Ver. 29.-Ris disoiples say to him, Behold, which they never would absolutely recede. even now thou speakest (11.a11.,is); thy utter- Ver. 31.-J'esus ~wered them, Now, at ance is with plainness and clearness, e.nd this stage in my self-revelation, do ye be- speakest (11.e-yus) no proverb.• The promise lieve 1 It seems as though the whole of made so recently (ver. 25) seems to them al- Christ's ministry turns on their acceptance ready fulfilled. Some beam of the heavenly of his olaims. If he should pass from the world and return to the Father, and 1 T.R. reads 0eou with N•'•'b, A, c•, .6., A, n, leave behind him none who had discovered so 'l'ischendorf (8th edit.); but R.T., Lach- and become intensely convinced of his mann, Westcott lllld Hort, and Tregelles read Divine nature, the whole work he had IlaTpos, with N°r, B, c•, D, L, and many done would be, humanly speaking, a failure. Fe.there. Au almost womo.nlike passion of desire j Westcott and Hort ancl Tischendorf(Bth breathes through the inquiry, "Do ye edit.) here read iv before Tr<Z/3~71<Ti1f, but not now believe?" or, as some commentators the R.T. (Godet and Meyer) trnnslo.te it indic11tivdy,  /\JO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING- TO S'r. .tORN. [m. xvi. 1-33,