The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 457

Mcensions is rrecluilcd. The difficulty ness of my brethren. I am a■oendlng to my nri•,'s from the pormiBSion the Lor,] gave to Father, and to you l'atb.er. Lot it be ol:i- tho e IrvPn to prove by tangible evidenoe, eerved that ho does not sny, "to our Father," by Yisihle signs, the realiLy of hie resurroc- " He who is Father of Obrist and Fnther oF tion, "howing them by way of identifloation men, is so in different ways, He is FRther the marks upon his person of the greRt of Obrist by nature and 0£ men by grace" e~t1v. Dut there is no need to suppose (West.oott). to Ho saith not • our Father;• th:it Marr WM refueod one touoh when she in one sense, therefore, is he mine, m seemed \'l'i•hful to cling to hie feet, and another Bense yours ; by nature mine, by thus redouble the conviction Rlrcacly wrought graoe yours" (Augustine). To my God, and i11 her by eight and bearing of hie new you God. The same remark may be made mode of being. "A:,rr«rBa, hM this double here. Ohriet does speak of " my God" from meaning, "to handle" and "to hold fast." the throne of glory (Rev. iii. 2, 12). His 'l'he key of the passage is in the oh-":r human consciousness of God has through- " not !Jel have I RSccnded to the l<'ather;' out been uni~ue; his eternal oonsoiousness ,rnd the reasonRble, nay, the imperative, in- of the Fathers love dignified all hie human ference is thRt when he shall have ascended relations with the Father, and became the to the Fa.tiler, there will he ample oppor-- true inspiration of all consciousness of God ruui ty for thRt spiritual communion with possessed by his disciples. "He appears in him which will make him for ever pl'08ent the presence [before the face] of God for us," with his Cburoh. The goa.l of all Chriet'a and so we have acoess unto one Father teachiug (as recorded by John) is his return and draw near to God. Nevertheless, he to the Father, and the consequent fuluess did not say to "our God," any more than of his disciples' joy. Beoause he will be to •• our Father." glorified straightway in God himeelf, be Ver. 18.-111:&ry the lllagdalene oometh and will henceforth be as near to them, as telletb. the disoiplea. She rushes at once competent to teach and guide and protect with speed and zeal, and the word is on her them, 11,8 in the days of hie 1lesh; nay, more tongue, I have seen (she does not eo.y, I so, for they will do greater works than he have grasped him by the. hand, or kissed his wrought before them, beoause he goes to feet) the Lurd,1 and hou, that he said these the Father, o.scending up to where he was things to her. This special message, not before (eh. 1.iv. 18-21, 23, 28; xvi. 14, 17). recorded in Matt. xxviii. 10, we.a olearly not He will be •• seated at the right hand of given to the women who held hie feet. Some the majesty in tl,e heavens," he will pass h.armoniete endeavour to identify the narra- .. through these heavens, that he may :fill tive in Matthew with this passage and others all tl.iug-s." Because he is "the Lamb in to me.ke Matthew's narrative identioa.l with the mi<lst of the throne," he will lead them the account of the revelations made to to the living fountains of water. Because Joanna's party at a 111,ter hour, and therefore he is on the eternal throne, he can dwell in entirely distinct from this (see Commen- them and manifest himself to them. But taries on Matthew, Luke, and Mark). John's go io my brethren. The new D8lll6, dearer account is free from ambiguity in itself, than "slave,;," ths.n " servants," than "die- whereas the rapid summary given in Luke ciplai," than" mi.n.ist.ers," than" apostles," and the general impression produced by than "friends;" one that involves in itself the whole group of events, as recorded by an et.emu.I. inheritance. Obi,erve that, Matthew, suggest the need of supplementary thongh onr Lord (Mlltt. xii 48, eto.) had intelligenoe. The narratives of the synoptists, preps.md the way for this unspeakable then, l'ecord that in the course of this Easter privilege, it is not until he has put on the De.yacompanyofwomen,whomayreasona.bly life et.erual, the life of victory over death, be supposed to be those who bore the names that he freely con.fun; this lofty desigwi.ti.on of Joanna, Susanna, a.ud others, and who upon that timid and dispirited hand of had gone to the tomb with their spices, hnd special followt!?s who had forsaken him been met by the Lord himself, either going and fled in Lis great humiliation. Peter 1 'Ec{,paJC1& is the reading of~. B, X, and four eBpecially (Mark xvi 7) .receive,i this sig- niti.cant 8.&!ur&uce and (Luke wv. 3'1) an~ent versions; 83 reads i"'pd.1taµ.ev, point- oonfullli! its realization together with Paul ing te the harmony between this and Matt. (l ()or. xv. 5). These eleven men are hence- xxviiL 9, lO, and the other synoptists, who do forth J,iB brethnm. And aa7 to them, I am not clearly discriminate the special messo.ge ucen.ding ; tl..ui proceae of &BCension he.a brought by Magdalene. 'Ecf,pa1t• is the re11,d- begun ; I am beginning to aesume all the ing of the great majority of uncials, of Le.ch- prc:rog11,tivee of 11piritual corpol'eity; I am mann, Tregelles (margin); but the first clothing myil81f with my eternal form; I person is the reading preferred by Alford, have laid down. my life, that I might take Tl'egelles, Tischeudorf (8th edit,), a.nd Weet- it again, a.nd Uiie it for the higbe~t blessed- cott a.nd Hort, a.nd R.T. OR. xx. 1--31.] THJiJ GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 471