The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 464

t.o the evonln11: of tho second SunclRy. And the no.ii e." Here wo.e the Divine opportunity though, o.s Meyer enye, there ie nothing for him, with more than one eens", to o.seuro inclicRtlve of Rny coneocrntion of the first himself of the reality. And reo.ch hither thy clRy of the week, it ie obviously cRlculRted hand (age.in the Lord quoted the very words t.o explo.in the cnstom which eo rapidly in which the incrednlousness of Thomes he.d eprnng up in the ChrietiRn community. Nor been expresBCd), and put it into my lide. is it without interest thnt John, in the He says nothing of the print of the nails, Apocnlypse, clesoribed himself as receiving bnt offers the sacred privilege to tlie doubt- his first great vision on "the Lord's da.y." ful disciple. Thomaa &hall have the precise And Thomas wa1 with them. He had not evidence he craved. The most Lesitating broken with the disciples, even if he could of the entire gronp she.II have the a.id to his not accept their unanimous testimony. He faith which he fo.ncied indiepensa.ble in hie was now, nt lee.et, she.ring their excitement, particular case. How often baa the nn- and perhaps their hope, 1md ma.ny in addi- believer so.id, " If such or such evidence be tion to the eleven disciples were striving to not granted to me, I cannot, I will not, I by realize with them the new condition of things, no means will believe" I Thus Gideon proved even thoir common rela.tion to an invisible the Lord's willingneBB to utilize his feeble and triumphant Lord. The Gospel of strength in delivering Israel from the Matthew and the undisputed portion of Midia.nites; and even Aha.z was summoued Ma.rk xvi. describe no appeare.nce to the by Isaiah to choose any sign whatsoever in apoatlea in Jerusalem, and consequently the heaven above or in the earth to prove the opponents of the l!'ourth Gospel have com- indestructible vitality of the true seed of mented on the apostles' cowa.rdly flight from Israel and real house of David. Conse- Jerusalem, and on the unhistoric character quently, we cannot say with Bengel, "Si of the two appearances to them in the metro- Pha.rismus ita dixisset, • nisi 1Ji,lero, ete.,' Iril polis. The fact is tha.t there is no indico.tion impetrasset sed discipulo pridem probato nil of flight in the synoptists, and the Fourth non clatur." The Lord does sometimes offer Gospel throws light on the return to Galilee exactly what we ask by way of proof; but we in eh. xxi. (see Weiss, • Life of Jesus,' vol. ill. cannot know the precise effect it will pro- 403,404). Matthew gives ra.ther o. summary duce, even when it is bestowed or when of the appearances of forty days (Acts i. 3), something still more explicit is actually in an event to which probably St. Paul refers provided for our wee.km,se. Just as the (1 Cor. xv. 6). When the doors had been shut cruel taunts which me.lice heaped or hurled (observe here and in ver. 19 the perfect pa.a- on the name and work of our Divine Lord sive participle), J'esu.s oometh, and ltood in became wreaths of glory for his brow, BO the the midst, and Hid (once more, as he saw cruel wounds which nnbelief e.nd bigoted thair nature.I perturbation: for do not men hatred of goodness had infilcted on Immanuel always shrink from manifestation of pure became from tha.t very hour the high, me.in, sphit or spiritual body?), Pea.ea be Ullto you indelible evidence of his supreme victory. (see notes on vere. 19, 20). The repetition And beoome not (p.'h -ylvou) what thou art in of the appearance nt a similar hour and danger of becoming-the Lord does not say place confirmed and intensified their pre- that Thomas is-faithless, but that be runs vious experience. If doubts had crept into the risk of ultimately becoming BO through any minds, the rectification of the first the dependence of his spirit upon the out- impression would be secured, e.nd a Divine ward (so Meyer, Lange, Westcott, etc.); but joy once more surcharge their minds. be believing, faithful It is impossible fully Ver.27.-Then (•Ira, not o3v; deindt1, Vul- to exprese the play upon these two words. go.te: damach, Luther) aaith he to Thomas, • AwurTos is not so mnch a worthless, untrust- as though he had rea.d his heart and sounded worthy person, as one who has settled down the depth of his complicated conflict between into an abiding condition of unbelief; and hope and fear, despair and love, and more- 1rl<TTos is not simply" believing," but" tru.~t- over ill.time.ting the fact that he had heard worthy ," "trusty," e.nd "trustful." his disciple's protestations, as well as mer- Ver. 28.- 1 Thoma.a answered and Hid to cifully e.ppreointed his genuine difficulties, him. Before, so for as we know, any ges- and not unnatural hesito.tion, Reaoh hither ture or effort was me.de on his pa.rt to accept thy finger, that organ with which thou the tests which had been so rashlv demanded, wouldest test the reality of my being. Do but so graciously offered. He aiready found what thou wilt. See! my hands; and a.s the 1 The 1<111 is omitted, on the a.uthority of word was spoken he spread before his doubt- ing, loving disciple those h~nds which ~ere N, B, C, D, and other manuscripts, Vulga.te, nailed to the cursed tree, with all the signs and numerous patristic authorities, by Ti- of hie great agony upon them still. Thomas schendorf (8th edit.), Westcott and H'.lrt, had s11id that he must "see," and that he R.T., etc., greatly to the vividness and dre.· must touch-" lay hie finger in the print of matio force of the passnge.  THE GOSPEL AOOORDTNG TO ST. JOHN, [OH. xx 1-:n,