The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 336

process of giving and dmwing wae begun, w11s laid the foundation of the Ch11rch of there wne II eenee in whioh they bore this Christ. And they reoeived th8Dl, 1 This wa• great designation. Their position ae crea- a direct cone( qnence of the Divine giving and tures, or as Israelites, or ae believers in the of the Divi11e driiwing. And they oame to Old Teehtment manifestation of the Name, know-discerned, i.e. by Jersonal experience seems to fill! short of the solemn RBeertion, -and truly that I oame out from thee, and "Thine they were." There w1Jre in every believed that thou didst 1end me. 1 This case spiritual prediepoeitione. 'fhey were knowledge and belief is the germ of the com- "of God " ( eh. viii. 47); "doers of the munication to others of the Divine mrmi- truth" (oh. iii. 21); "willing to do the festation; it is the Loro.'a reward for all the will of God " ( eh. vii. I 7) ; they were of toil and sacrifice and Divine humiliation 1Jf the truth (eh. xviii. 37; vi. 37, 44). All his earthly ministry (eh. xvi. 30). The iu these expressions reveal an extraordinary oarne.te Word is recognized as such, the only rel11tion of human souls to the Father, which begotten Son of the Father is known to be ia presupposed, and precedes the power over the Brightness of hie glory. We see in this them and adv1mtage to them of the grace great uttemnce the true origin of the evan- of Christ. Thie may throw light on the gelist's own words (eh. i. 14-18; 1 John i. work of grace in pre-Christian e.nd non- 1-5). This thought of Christ's baa now be- Christian times end places. Thine they come their voluntary, spontaneous, assured were, and thou gavest them me, and they conviction. The inward reason corresponds have kept thy A&,.ov-the sum total of thy with the objective facts. revelation or Word to them. They, these Ver. 9.-I-very emphatic-am praying men, these epeoie.l represente.tive men, have for them (for this use of /pa,Tw, see note, eh. been true to their light, and know of the xvi. 23). We must remember that this is doctrine whether it be of God. Their own perfectly consistent with the fact that, in quiokened conscience ho.a been strong enough the day of the spiritual manifestation to the to justify all my lii'liax.fi, my p.f,µaTa., as disciples, when both the Father and Son Divine assurances. To Christ's eyes they came to them, the disciples would ask the have alree.dy oome out of their fiery trial Father for the gifts which his love to them fo.i.thful and true. Now, at this point in wae waiting to supply ; e.nd he, Christ him- their training, they have known, by a strong self, would hear them if they asked in his experience, by tasting, handling, seeing, Name; and that then there woaltl be n" trusting, by vivid fle.shes of light, by keen, need that he should pray the Father for olee.r intuition of the ree.lity, that all things them, That time be.d not yet come, though whatsoever which thou hast given me, ere it was coming. Both statements are also from thee. There ia no tautology here; the perfectly consistent with his "intercession " 80'11 e.re the truths, the fresh revelations, for us. Not oonceming---0r, not jor-the the glorious communion of the Son of me.n world am I praying. Surely this is not an with the Father, which he me.de known to assertion that he would never pray, or that the dieoiplea-trutha which he.ve e. world- he he.d not already prayed, for the world. wide bee.ring, e.nd e.Iao a direct bearing upon Nay, his entire ministry is the expression themselves-are from thee (1r11pfr. O'ov, not 1rapci of the Father's love to the whole world ( eh. 0'01). Thie obscure utterance, in its mystic iii. 16). He came e.s Jebovah's Lamb to vagueness, is clearly expounded in the next take awe.y its sin ( eh. i. 29), he bade his sentence, which is the echo of the grand disciples (Matt. v. 44) pray for their enemies, assertion of oh. xvi. 30, which drew from the and he cried at the last for a blessing on breaking heart its lond and sublime note of his murderers. He "came to seek and save triumph. :Beoauee the words, the various the lost," to "call sinners to repentance," sayings, utterances of Divine reality, whioh "not to condemn, but to save the world." thou gavest to me, I he.ve given to them. Moreover, in this prayer (ver. 21) bd does This blessed recital and exposition of his pray for those who should ultimately, though previous ministry ia followed by the record they do not now, believe on him through of the effect, without which the whole Chris- the word of the disciples ; therefore it ia in- tian dispensation would the.t very night conceivable that he should here dogmatic- have come to an abrupt end. They believed ally limit the range of bis gracious desire. that all Christ's words, works, energies, reve- Co.I vin here observes, " We e.re commanded lations, warnings, promises, like Christ him- to pray for all (l Tim. ii. l)," and quotes self, came from the eternal Father, there- Luke xxiii. 34 tbRt Christ prayed for his fore represented the supreme reality, more murderel's. " We ought to pray that this ce1te.in the.n demonstration, more vivid than 1 The historiCll,l aorists, lAa/3ov, r,.vwuav, intuition, They have rendered invincible assent to them as the Divine, absolute, un- l(~A9ov, E1r(crrt1.1cra.v, 41rEareLA'1s, are well ohe.ngea.ble, irrevocable, eternal truth. In worthy of nofa•e, contrasted with the pei:- \bi~ overwhelming 11nd satisfying oouviction feots. -rer11p1I1<110'1 1 o.iow1<as, oeow1<0.. 346 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO BT. JOHN. [CD, xvu. 1-20.