51 And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into Heaven. Beautiful words! denoting rather that He was taken away from the men He loved, than that, by an act of His own, He left them. For His Passion, it is said that He was impatient: (d) for His Ascension, not so. He did not leave His Apostles, but was parted from them." In the Commentary on St. Mark's Gospel, several remarks of a doctrinal character will be found on the subject of the Ascension,-to which the Reader is invited to refer.(e) He sat on the Right Hand of GOD,"-as St. Mark is careful in this place to add.(f) But St. Luke's supplementary record, in the Acts, is especially worthy of remembrance here. After rehearsing a part of our LORD's Charge and Commission, nowhere else recorded, (g) the blessed writer adds,-"And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight." A chariot-cloud,-which was doubtless a host of ministering Angels: for "the chariots of GoD are twenty thousand, even thousands of Angels; and the LORD is among them, as in the holy place of Sinai."(h) "Lift up your heads, O ye gates," is their song; "and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in."(i) "And while they looked steadfastly towards Heaven, as He went up, behold, two Men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing up into Heaven? This same JESUS, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven." That is,-As ye have seen Him in a cloud depart, so “in clouds"(k) shall ye behold Him return. "And His feet shall stand in that Day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the East."(1) "Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath-day's journey."(m) The record of the same Evangelist, in his Gospel, is much briefer: namely,― 52, 53 And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the Temple, praising and blessing GOD. Amen. They had been sorrowful, but their sorrow hath been turned into joy. CHRIST hath seen them again, according to His true promise: wherefore their heart rejoiceth; and now, their joy no man taketh from them.(n) They repair to the Temple; and lo, the Temple-Service becomes henceforth filled with new meanings. The Song of Moses has become to them the Song of the LAMB." To them the Psalms speak henceforth another language, for they speak to them only of CHRIST. Well may the Apostles have been henceforth "continually in the Temple, praising and blessing GOD!" THE PRAYER. ALMIGHTY GOD, who through Thine Only-begotten SON JESUS CHRIST hast overcome Death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting Life; we humbly beseech Thee, that, as by Thy special Grace preventing us, Thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by Thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the HOLY GHOST, ever one GOD, world without end. Amen. (d) St. Mark x. 32, St. Luke xii. 50. (e) See the note on St. Mark xvi. 19. (g) Aets i. 6 to 8. (f) St. Mark xvi. 19. (i) Psalm xxiv. 7. (k) See the note on St. Matthew xxiv. 30,-the latter part of the verse. (2) Zech. xiv. 4. (h) Psalm lxviii. 17. (m) Acts i. 9 to 12. (n) St. John xvi. 20, 22. A PLAIN COMMENTARY ON THE FOUR HOLY GOSPELS. ST. JOHN. CHAPTER I. 1 The Divinity, Humanity, and office of JESUS CHRIST. 15 The testimony of John. 39 The calling of Andrew, Peter, &c. ST. JOHN wrote his Gospel long after the other three Evangelists; at a time, when "many deceivers" had "entered into the world, who confessed not that JESUS CHRIST had come in the flesh."(a) Now, "every Spirit that confesseth not that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh, is not of GOD."(b) "This," (as the beloved Disciple states repeatedly.) "is the Spirit of Antichrist."(c) Accordingly, it was the object of the blessed writer to check the growing Heresy. "These [signs] are written," as he declares, at the end of chap. xx., (speaking of his own Gospel,) "that ye might believe that JESUS is the CHRIST, the SON of GOD; and that, believing, ye might have life through His name." We are prepared, after these statements, for the very express declaration concerning the Divinity and Humanity of CHRIST, with which the present Gospel commences. 1 IN the beginning was the WORD, "In the beginning,"-to remind us of the first words of Genesis (i. 1.) See the note on St. Matthew i. 1. St. Matthew and St. Luke supply the human genealogy of CHRIST; and the former Evangelist begins his Gospel with it. But the Disciple whom JESUS loved, soars up far higher; and discourses at once of his LORD and ours, as "without descent,having neither beginning of days, nor end of life:"(d) as "the Root" as well as the offspring of David;"(e) the WORD, who was "in the Beginning;" and was GOD." "Who shall declare His generation?"(f) By this less usual name also, ("the WORD,") St. John draws away our thoughts from the Human to the Divine Nature of our Redeemer. And yet it was no new designation, but one perfectly well recognized at the time. The reason of the Name may be perceived by many considerations. It is designed to teach us that the Son was "with the FATHER," somewhat as a word dwells in the mind. It is the utterance of the mind; and the SoN is the utterance (so to speak) of the FATHER. Begotten from all Eternity, He yet abstracted nothing from the FATHER; whose very Image and Representation He yet was and is. And the name seems especially designed to preclude many of the thoughts which the mention of Sonship is sure to awaken, and which cannot attach to a Being "without Body, (a) 2 St. John ver. 7. (c) 1 St. John iv. 3; ii. 22; 2 St. John ver. 7. (b) 1 St. John iv. 3. 627 66 parts, or passions." Then, further, CHRIST was fitly called "the WORD" because He came upon Earth "to declare" the FATHER (i. 18:) whom He revealed to every creature, somewhat as words reveal the heart and mind of man. All things," He said, "that I have heard of MY FATHER, I have made known unto you." (xv. 15.) Accordingly, it is stated in the Epistle to the Hebrews, GoD "hath in these last days spoken unto us by His SoN." (i. 2.) See more, in the note on ver. 18. Lastly, it may be observed that a word becomes known, by clothing itself with a sound. Expressed in writing, it becomes visible also. And somewhat thus it was, that the Eternal WORD, by assuming flesh, manifested Himself to the World: and was beheld, not only by human eyes, but, as the Apostle remarks, was "seen of Angels." (g) not. and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD. The Son was "in the Beginning:" so that there never was a time when He was But lest any one should suppose from this, that the WORD was Unbegotten, the Evangelist adds immediately,- "And the WORD was with GOD." To the same effect does the Second Person in the Blessed Trinity discourse concerning Himself, in the Book of Proverbs:-"The LORD possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from Everlasting, from the beginning, or When there were no depths, before the mountains ever the Earth was. were settled, while as yet He had not made the Earth." (viii. 22-26.) So that there is one Person of the FATHER, and another Person of the SoN. This was He whom the same St. John beheld by Revelation "clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His Name" was still "called the Word of God."(h) 2 The same was in the beginning with GOD. "With" Him,—yet so as to be one with Him: for, as it is said,—“I and My FATHER are one." (x. 30.) "He that hath seen Me, hath seen the FATHER." "I am in the FATHER, and the FATHER in Me." (xiv. 9, 10.) The words of the text are more precise (if possible) than those which went before. They preclude the notion that the FATHER was in any way prior, in time, to the SoN. WISDOM, that is, CHRIST, (compare 1 Corinthians i. 24,) says in the Book of Proverbs, "When He prepared the Heavens, I was there: when He set a compass on the face of the depth: when He established the clouds above, . . . . when He gave to the Sea His decree; then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him." (viii. 27 to 30.) 3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 66 We are carried back to the very beginning of Time,-to that period which is spoken of in Genesis i. 1, and which long preceded Genesis i. 2. What, then, is here declared concerning the birthday of Creation? Even, that when GoD the FATHER, “in the beginning," "created the Heaven and the Earth,"-GOD the SON was "with" Him: "by whom also He made the worlds."(i) The Evangelist lays down this great truth first positively, and then negatively; for it is one of those mighty verities which may admit of no doubt or question. We proclaim in the Nicene Creed," By Whom all things were made," meaning CHRIST: and our warrant for it is the plain and repeated statement of Scripture. There is but one GoD, the FATHER, of whom are all things, . . . . . and one LORD JESUS CHRIST, by whom are all things.") But the most sublime passage of all, perhaps, is found in Colossians i. 16, 17; where it is said, "For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers; all things were created by Him and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." also Ephesians iii. 9, Hebrews xi. 3, 2 St. Peter iii. 5. Also Psalm cii. 25, compared with Hebrews i. 8, 10. See It is asked in the Book of Proverbs, concerning the Author of Creation,—“ What is His Name, and what is His Son's Name, if thou canst tell?" (xxx. 4.) And, in the same Book, as here, God's work in Creation is ascribed to the SoN:-"The LORD (g) 1 Tim. iii. 16. (h) Revelation xix. 13. (i) Hebrews i. 2. (j) 1 Corinthians viii. 6. by WISDOM hath founded the Earth." (iii. 19.) Now, Wisdom, as already explained, is one of the names of CHRIST. 4 In Him was Life; and the Life was the Light of Men. We still linger on the threshold of Creation. "In Him was Life." "In Him,”as in a Fountain! "For as the FATHER hath Life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have Life in Himself."(k) Moreover, the Life which was in Him". was the Light of Men." All the Light which our Spirits are conscious of, and whereby alone they may be said to live,-is from Him! 5 And the Light shineth in Darkness; and the Darkness comprehended It not. Our nature, since Adam's Fall, had become as it were "without form and void, and darkness was upon the face" of it. And it is said," the Light of men" shone athwart that darkness: but "the darkness comprehended It not." The Evange list is hinting at the New Creation. Compare this repeated mention of Light (ver. 4, 5, 7, 8, 9) with what is said in Genesis i. 3, 4, 5; and take notice how the first page of the New Testament again recalls the first page of the Old. But observe that in ver. 9, as if with a special reference to that earlier Revelation, CHRIST is called "the true Light:" just as He is elsewhere called "the true Bread,” (vi. 32,) and "the true Vine." (xv. 1.) All others, therefore, were but "the figures of the true;"(?) that is, they were but types, emblems, figures, of Him who created them;-who, emphatically, is the Truth;-and for whose sake alone, "they are, and were created." 6 There was a man sent from GOD, whose name was John. The Evangelist speaks generally of the office of St. John Baptist,-concerning whom he will speak more particularly by and by. He was sent from GOD: whence, speaking by the mouth of His prophet, GoD says,-"Behold, I send My Messenger!" (m) 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. See note on verse 23. The Baptist bore witness to the glorious Luminary which had arisen on the world, by the rays which it threw upon himself. In like manner the sunlight on the mountain informs men that the Sun has risen, though they do not yet behold the Sun's orb. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the World. In so marked and emphatic a manner is the appellation of LIGHT bestowed upon our LORD at the outset of St. John's Gospel. That Name He often took to Himself,—as in viii. 12: ix. 5: xii. 46: and it is full of high and holy teaching. The creature is evidently meant to instruct us concerning the Creator. Here, the mention of Light seems to carry our thoughts back to "the beginning." (See note on verse 5.) It suggests, moreover, that the Son came from the FATHER,-being "the Brightness of His glory, and the express Image of His Person,"(n)-somewhat as Light comes from Light ("Light of Light," as it is said in the Creed.) Now, it is the nature of Light so derived, to be co-existent, co-substantial, co-equal. Whence our LORD could say, "he that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent Me." (xii. 45.) 10 He was in the World, and the World was made by Him, and the World knew Him not. "The World" here denotes particularly the Gentiles; and the reference is especially to the time of the Old Dispensation. St. John reminds us that CHRIST was (k) St. John v. 26. (7) Heb. ix. 24. (m) Malachi iii. 1. (n) Heb. i. 3. |
