As we turn to the fourth Gospel we come to
entirely different ground from that which we have traversed in the other three.
True, the period of time which is covered by it, is the same as in the others;
true, that some of the incidents that have already been looked at will here
come before us again; and true it is that he who has occupied the central
position in the narratives of the first three Evangelists, is the same One that
is made preeminent by John; but otherwise, everything here is entirely new. The
fourth Gospel is more elevated in its tone, its viewpoint is more exalted, its
contents bring before us spiritual relationships rather than human ties, and
higher glories are revealed as touching the peerless person of the Saviour. In
each of the first three Gospels, Christ is viewed in human connections, but no
so in the fourth. Matthew presents Him as the Son of David; Mark, as the
perfect Workman of God; Luke, as the Son of Man; but John unveils His Divine
glories. Again; Matthew writes, particularly, for the Jews; Mark, is specially
adapted to God's servants; Luke's is written for men as men; but John's Gospel
is concerned with the Family of God.
John's Gospel is the fourth book of the New
Testament, and four is 3+1. The numerals of Scripture are not employed
fortuitously, but are used with Divine discrimination and significance. The
reverent student is not left free to juggle with them at his own caprice, nor
may he give to them an arbitrary meaning, so as to fit in with any private
interpretations of his own. If he is honest, he will gather his definitions
from the manner in which they are employed in Scripture itself. Thus, whether
our statement that four is 3+1 is an arbitrary assertion or not, must be
determined by its support, or lack of it, in the Word. The numeral four is used
two ways in the Bible. First, its meaning as a whole number, and second, its
meaning as a distributive number. In its first usage, four is the world number,
the number of the earth and all things therein, the number of the creature, as
such; and hence, it comes to signify, Universality. But in its second usage,
the distributive, when employed in connection with a series, it is frequently
divided into three and one. Four is rarely, if ever an intensified two; that
is, its significance does not represent 2x2.
The last paragraph sounds somewhat academical, we
fear, but its force may become more apparent as we apply its principles to our
present subject. The four Gospels form a series, and the character of their
contents obviously divide them into a three and a one, just as in the four
kinds of soil in the parable of the Sower, representing four classes of hearers
of the Word, are a series, and similarly divided - three barren and one
fruitful. As we have seen, the first three Gospels have that in common which,
necessarily, binds them together - each looking at Christ in human connections.
But the fourth is clearly distinguished from the others by presenting Christ in
a Divine relationship, and therefore it stands separated from the others. This
conclusion is established beyond all doubt, when we observe that the character
of its contents is in perfect accord with the significance of the numeral one.
One speaks, primarily, of God: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord"
(Deut. 6:4). And again: "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that
day shall there be one Lord, and His name one" (Zech. 14:9). In all languages
one is the symbol of unity: it excludes all others. The first of the ten
commandments, therefore, was: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Ex.
20:3). So in John's Gospel, the one following the other three, it is the
Godhead of Christ which is in view.
Each book in the Bible has a prominent and
dominant theme which is peculiar to itself. Just as each member in the human
body has its own particular function, so every book in the living Body of
Divine Truth has its own special purpose and mission. The theme of John's
Gospel is the Deity of Christ. Here, as nowhere else so fully, the Godhead of
the Lord Jesus is presented to our view. That which is outstanding in this
fourth Gospel is the Divine Sonship of our Saviour. In this Gospel we are shown
that the One born at Bethlehem, who walked this earth for over thirty years,
who was crucified at Calvary, and who forty-three days later departed from
these scenes, was none other than "the Only-Begotten of the Father." The
evidence presented for this is overwhelming, the proofs almost without number,
and the effect of contemplating them must be to bow our hearts in worship
before "The great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
Here is a theme worthy of our most reverent and
prayerful attention. If such Divine care was taken, as we saw in the previous
chapter, to guard the perfections of our Lord's humanity, equally so, has the
Holy Spirit seen to it that there should be no uncertainty concerning the
affirmation of the absolute Deity of our Saviour. Just as the Old Testament
prophets made known that the Coming One should be a Man, and a perfect Man, so
did Messianic prediction also give plain intimation that He would be more than
a Man. Through Isaiah, God foretold that unto Israel a Child should be born,
and unto them a Son should be given, and that "the government shall be upon His
shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
the Father of the ages (Heb.), the Prince of Peace" (9:6). Through Micah, He
declared, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be
Ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from the days of eternity" -
marginal rendering (5:2)! Through Zechariah, He said "Awake, O Sword, against
My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My Fellow, saith the Lord of hosts"
(13:7). Through the Psalmist, He announced, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit
Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool" (110:1). And
again, when looking forward to the time of the second Advent, "The Lord hath
said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee" (or, "brought
Thee forth") 2:7.
Coming now to the New Testament we may single out
two or three of the most explicit witnesses to the Deity of Christ. In Rom. 9,
where the apostle is enumerating the peculiar privileges of Israel, he says in
verse 5, "Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ
came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." In 1 Cor. 15 we are told,
"And the first man is of the earth, earthy, but the second Man is the Lord from
Heaven" (v. 47). In Col. 1:16 we read, "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 again, in 2:9, "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily." In Heb. 1 we learn that "God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in
these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all
things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the Brightness of His glory,
and the express Image of His person, and upholding all things by the Word of
His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:1-3). While in Rev. 19:16 we are informed that
when He comes back to earth again, "He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a
name written, King of Kings, and Lord of lords." A more emphatic,
positive, and unequivocal testimony to the absolute Deity of Christ could not
be borne.
In these days of widespread departure from the
Truth, it cannot be insisted upon too strongly or too frequently that the Lord
Jesus Christ is none other than the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. Vicious
but specious are the attacks now being made upon this cardinal article in the
faith once for all delivered to the saints. Satan, who poses as an angel of
light, is now sending forth his ministers "transformed as the ministers of
righteousness." Men who are loudly trumpeting their faith in the verbal
inspiration of Scripture, and who even profess to believe in the vicarious
Sacrifice of Christ are, nevertheless, denying the absolute Godhood of Him whom
they claim to be serving: they repudiate His essential Deity, they deny His
Eternality, and reduce Him to the level of a mere creature. It was concerning
men of this class that the Holy Spirit said, "For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ" (2 Cor.
11:13).
In keeping with the special theme of the fourth
Gospel, it is here that we have the fullest unveiling of Christ's Divine
glories. It is here we behold Him dwelling "with God" before time began and
before ever a creature was formed (1:1,2). It is here that He is denominated
"the Only Begotten of the Father' (1:14). It is here John the Baptist bears
record that "this is the Son of God" (1:34). It is here we read, "This
beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His
glory" (2:11). It is here we are told that the Saviour said, "Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (2:19). It is here we read that
God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn but to save (3:17). It is here
we learn that Christ declared, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. For the Father
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men
should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the
Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him" (5:21-23). It is here that we
find Him affirming, "For the Bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven,
and giveth life unto the world" (6:35). It is here we find Him saying, "Before
Abraham was, I am" (8:58). It is here that we find Him declaring, "I and Father
are One" (10:30). It is here we hear Him saying, "He that hath seen Me, hath
seen the Father" (14:9). It is here He promises "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My
name, that will I do, that the Father may glorified in the Son" (14:13). It is
here that He asks, "And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own Self with
the glory which I had with Thee before the world was" (17:5).
Before we take up John's Gospel in detail, and
examine some of the more prominent lines in his delineation of Christ's person
and ministry, a few words should be said concerning the dispensational scope
and bearings of this Gospel. It should be evident at once that this one is
quite different from the other Gospels. There, Christ is seen in a human
relationship, and as connected with an earthly people; but here, He is viewed
in a Divine relationship, and as connected with a heavenly people. It is true
that the mystery of the one Body is not unfolded here, rather is it the family
of God which is in view. It is also true that the Heavenly Calling is not fully
disclosed, yet are there plain intimations of it - what else can be said, for
example of the Lord's words which are found in 14:2,3? - "In My Father's House
are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
In the first three Gospels, Christ is seen
connected with the Jews, proclaiming the Messianic kingdom, a proclamation
which ceased, however, as soon as it became evident that the Nation had
rejected Him. But here, in John's Gospel, His rejection is announced at the
beginning, for in the very first chapter we are told, "He came unto His own,
and His own received Him not. It is, therefore, most significant to note that
John's Gospel, which instead of presenting Christ in connection with Israel,
views Him as related to believers by spiritual ties, was not written until
after A.D. 70, when the Temple was destroyed, and the Jews dispersed throughout
the world!
The dispensational limitations which attach to
much that is found in the first three Gospels, do not hold good with John's
Gospel, for as Son of God, He can be known only by believers as such. On this
plane the Jew has no priority. The Jews claim upon Christ was purely a fleshy
one, whereas believers are related to the Son of God by spiritual union. The
Son of David, and the Son of Man titles link Christ to the earth, but the "Son
of God" connects Him with the Father in Heaven; hence, in this fourth Gospel,
the earthly kingdom is almost entirely ignored. In harmony with these facts we
may observe, that it is only here in John's Gospel we hear of Christ saying,
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this (i.e., the Jewish) fold. Them
also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold
(i.e., the Christian fold), and one Shepherd" (10:16). It is only here in John
we learn of the wider scope of God's purpose in the Death of His Son, "Being
high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And
not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the
children of God that were scattered abroad" (11:51,52). It is only here in John
that we have fully unfolded the relation of the Holy Spirit to believers. And
it is only here in John that we have recorded our Lord's High Priestly prayer,
which gives a sample of His present intercession on high. These considerations,
then, should make it abundantly clear that the dispensational bearings of
John's Gospel are entirely different from the other three.
Coming now to a closer view of this fourth Gospel
we may observe how striking are its opening verses: "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not
anything made that was made" (1:1-3). How entirely different is this from what
we find in the introductory statements in the other Gospels! John starts,
immediately, by presenting Christ as the Son of God, not as the Son of David,
or the Son of Man. John takes up back to the beginning, and shows that our Lord
had no beginning, for He was in the beginning. John goes right back behind
creation, and shows that Christ was Himself the Creator.
Every clause in these opening verses is worthy of
our closest attention. First, the Lord Jesus is here termed, "The Word." The
significance of this title may, perhaps, be most easily grasped by comparing
with it what is said in v. 18 of this first chapter of John. Here we are told:
"No man hath seen God at any time; the Only Begotten Son, which is in the bosom
of the Father, He hath declared Him," or "told Him out." Christ is the One who
came here to tell out God. He came here to make God intelligible to men. As we
read in Heb. 1: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us
by His Son." Christ is the final Spokesman of God. Again; the force of this
title of Christ, "the Word," may be discovered by comparing it with the name
given to the Bible - the Word of God. What are the Scriptures? They are, the
Word of God. And what does that mean? This: that the Scriptures reveal God's
mind, express His will, make known His perfections, and lay bare His heart.
This is precisely what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for the Father. But let
us enter a little more into detail:
(a) A "word" is a medium of manifestation. I have
in my mind a thought, but others know not its nature. But the moment I clothe
that thought in words, it becomes cognizable. Words, then, make objective,
unseen thoughts. This is precisely what the Lord Jesus has done, as the "Word"
Christ has made manifest the invisible God. Christ is God clothed in perfect
humanity.
(b) A "word" is a means of communication. By
means of words I transmit information to others. By words I express myself,
make known my will, and impart knowledge. So, Christ as the "Word," is the
Divine Transmitter, communicating to us the Life and Love of God.
(c) A "word" is a method of revelation. By his
words a speaker reveals both his intellectual caliber and his moral character.
It is by our words we shall be justified, and by our words we shall be
condemned. And Christ, as the "Word," fully reveals the attributes and the
character of God. How fully He has revealed God! He has displayed His power: He
has manifested His wisdom: He has exhibited His holiness: He has made known His
grace: He has unveiled His heart. In Christ, and nowhere else, is God fully and
finally revealed.
But was not God fully revealed in Nature?
"Revealed," yes; but "fully revealed," no. Nature conceals as well as reveals.
Nature is under the Curse, and is far different now from what it was in the day
that it left the hands of the Creator. Nature is imperfect to day, and how can
that which is imperfect be a perfect medium for manifesting the infinite
perfections of God. The ancients had Nature before them, and what did they
learn of God? Let that altar, which the apostle beheld in one of the great
centers of ancient culture and learning, make answer - "To the unknown God," is
what he found inscribed thereon. No; in Christ, and in and by Him alone, is God
fully and finally revealed.
But lest this figurative expression - "the Word"
- should convey to us an inadequate conception of the Divine person of the Lord
Jesus, the Holy Spirit goes on to say, in the opening verse of this Gospel,
"And the Word was with God." This denotes His separate Personality, and also
indicates His essential relation to the Godhead. He was not "in God." And, as
though this were not strong enough, the Spirit expressly adds, "And the Word
was God." Not an emanation from God, but none other than God. Not merely a
manifestation of God, but God Himself made manifest. Not only the Revealer of
God, but God Himself revealed. A more unequivocal affirmation of the essential
Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ it is impossible to imagine. Granted, that we
are in the realm of mystery, yet, the force of what is here affirmed of the
absolute Godhead of Christ cannot be honestly evaded. As to how Christ can be
the Revealer of God, and yet God Himself revealed; as to how He can be "with
God," and yet be God, are high mysteries that our finite minds are no more
capable of fathoming than we can understand how that God can be without
beginning. What is here stated in John 1:1, is to be received by simple,
unquestioning faith.
Next we read, "All things were made by Him; and
without Him (apart from Him) was not anything made that was made" (1:3). Here,
again, the absolute Deity of Christ is emphatically affirmed, for creation is
ascribed to Him, and none but God can create. Man, despite all his proud boasts
and lofty pretensions, is utterly unable to create even a blade of grass. If,
then, Christ is the Creator, He must be God. Observe, too, that the whole of
Creation is here attributed to the Son of God - "all things were made by Him."
This would not be true, if He were Himself a creature, even though the first
and highest. But nothing is excepted - "all things were made by Him." Just as
He was Eternal - before all things - so was He the Originator of all things.
Again we are told, "In Him was life; and the life
was the Light of men." This follow, necessarily, from what has been said in the
previous verse. If Christ created all things, He must be the Fount of life. He
is the Life-Giver. But more: "The Life was the light of men." What this means
is made clear in the verses that follow. "There was a man (in contrast from
"the Word," who is God) sent from God, whose name was John," and he, "Came for
a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe"
(1:6,7). Compare with these words what we are told in 1 John 1:5, "God is
Light, and in Him is no darkness at all." The conclusion, then, is
irresistible, that the Lord Jesus is none other than God, the Second Person in
the Holy Trinity.
But we pass now to the fourteenth verse of this
opening chapter of John. Having shown the relation of our Lord to Time -
without beginning; having declared His relation to the Godhead - a separate
Person of the Trinity, but Himself also God; having defined His relation to the
Universe - the Creator of it, and the great Life-Giver; having stated His
relation to Men - the One who is their God, their "Light," having announced
that the Baptist bore witness to Him as the Light; and having described the
reception which He met with here upon earth - unknown by the world, rejected by
Israel, but received by a people who were "born of God," the Holy Spirit goes
on to say, "And the Word was made (better, "became") flesh, and dwelt
(tabernacled) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only
Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." This verse announces the
Divine incarnation, and brings out, once more, the Divine glories of the One
born of Mary.
"The Word became flesh." He became what He was
not previously. He did not cease to be God, but He became Man. becoming Man, He
"tabernacled" among men. He pitched His tent here for thirty-three years. And
then we are told that the testimony of those whose eyes Divine power had
opened, was, "We beheld His glory." The language of this verse takes us back in
thought to the Tabernacle which was pitched in the wilderness, of old. The
Tabernacle was the place of Jehovah's abode in the midst of Israel. It was here
that He made His dwelling-place. The Tabernacle was where God met with His
people, hence was it termed "the Tent of Meeting." There, within the Holy of
Holies was the Shekinah Glory manifested. The Lord Jesus Christ was the
Anti-type. He was, in His own person, the Meeting-place between God and men.
And just as the Shekinah - the visible and glorious manifestation of Jehovah -
was seen in the Holy of Holies, so those who came near to Christ, in faith,
"beheld His glory." The Lord Jesus was God manifest in the flesh, displaying
"the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father." For, as the 18th verse goes
on to say, "No man hath seen God at any time; the Only Begotten Son, which is
in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." Thus, the essential Deity of
the One born at Bethlehem is, once more, expressly affirmed.
Next we have the witness of John the Baptist.
This is quite different from what we find in the other Gospels. Here there is
no Call to Repentance, there is no announcement of "The kingdom of heaven"
being at hand, and there is no mention of Christ Himself being baptized by His
forerunner. Instead of these things, here we find John saying, "Behold the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (1:29). And again he says, "And
I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God" (1:34). It is also to be
noted that when referring to the anointing of Christ with the Holy Spirit, a
word is used which is not found in the other Gospels: "And John bare record,
saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it
abode upon Him" (1:32). The Spirit did not come upon Him and then leave
again, as with the prophets of old: it "abode," a characteristic and prominent
word in John's Gospel (see particularly chapter 15), having to do with the
Divine side of things, and speaking of Fellowship. We have the same word again
in 14:10 - "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?
the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that
dwelleth ("abideth," it should be) in Me, He doeth the works."
The first chapter closes by describing the
personal Call (not the ministerial call in the other Gospels) of the first
disciples of the Lord. Here only do we read of Christ saying to Nathaniel,
"Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee"
(1:48): thus manifesting His Omniscience. Here only do we find recorded
Nathaniel's witness to Christ. "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the
King of Israel" (1:49). And here only did Christ tell His disciples that, in
the coming Day they should "see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending
and descending on the Son of Man" (1:51).
Coming now to the second chapter, we find
described there the first miracle performed by the Lord Jesus, namely, the
turning of the water into wine. John alone records this, for only God can fill
the human heart with that Divine joy, of which the wine was here the emblem. In
this miracle we are shown the "Word" at work. He, Himself, did nothing. He
simply told the servants what to do, and at His word the wonder was performed.
The special point in connection with this miracle is stated in v.11, "This
beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His
glory; and his disciples believed on Him."
In the remainder of this chapter we witness
Christ cleansing the Temple. Here, again, John brings into the picture his own
distinctive lines. Here only do we find the Lord terming the Temple "My
Father's house" (v. 16). Here only do we find Him saying, in reply to the
challenge of His critics for a sign, "Destroy this temple (meaning His body),
and in three days I will raise it up" (v. 19). And, here only do we read, "Now
when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast, many believed in His
name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself
unto them, because He knew all, and needed not that any should testify of man:
for He knew what was in man" (vv.23-25). What a proof was this of His Deity!
Only He "knew what was in man." Compare with this the words of 1 Kings 8:39 -
"Hear Thou in Heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every
man according to his ways, whose heart Thou knowest - for Thou, even Thou only,
knowest the hearts of all the children of men." In thus reading the hearts of
men, what a demonstration did the Saviour give, that He was God manifest in
flesh!
John 3 records the interview of Nicodemus with
Christ - something not found in the other three Gospels. In full accord with
the scope of this Gospel, we find the Saviour here speaking to Nicodemus not of
faith or repentance, but of the New Birth, which is the Divine side in
salvation, declaring that, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God." And only here in the four Gospels do we read, "God so loved
the world, that He gave his Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life" (3:16).
In John 4 we find another incident that is not
described elsewhere, namely, the Lord's dealings with the poor Samaritan
adulteress. And here, once more, we behold flashes of His Divine glory shining
forth. He tells her, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well
of water springing up into everlasting life" (v. 14). He manifests His
omniscience by declaring, "Thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now
hast is not thy husband" (v. 18). He speaks to her of worshipping the Father
"in spirit and in truth." He reveals Himself to her as the great "I am" (v.
26). He brings her from death unto life, and out of darkness into His own
marvellous light. Finally, He proved His oneness with the Father by
affirming, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His
work" (4:34).
John 5 opens by recording the healing of the
impotent man who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. None of the other
Evangelists make mention of it. This miracle evidenced "the Word" at work
again. He does nothing to the poor sufferer, not even laying hands upon him. He
simply speaks the authoritative and healing word, "Rise, take up thy bed, and
walk," and "immediately," we read, "the man was made whole, and took up his
bed, and walked" (v.9). The miracle was performed on the Sabbath day, and the
Lord's enemies used this as an occasion of criticism. Not only so, but we read,
"Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had
done these things on the Sabbath day" (v. 16). We also read in the other
Gospels, of Christ being condemned because He transgressed the Jews' traditions
respecting the Sabbath. But there, we find a very different reply from Him than
what is recorded here. There, He insisted on the right of performing works of
mercy on the Sabbath. There, too, He appealed to the priests carrying out their
Temple duties on the Sabbath. But here He takes higher ground. Here, He says,
"My Father woreth hitherto, and I work" (v. 17). The meaning of these words
could not be mistaken. Christ reminded His critics, how that His "Father"
worked on the Sabbath day, worked in connection with His government of the
universe, in maintaining the orderly course of Nature, in sending rain, and so
on. And because He was one with "the Father," He insisted that what was right
for the Father to do, was equally right for Him to do. That this was the force
of His reply, is clear from the next verse, "Therefore the Jews sought the more
to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God
was His Father, making Himself equal with God" (5:18). In the remaining verses
of the chapter we find that Christ continued to affirm His absolute equality
with the Father.
The sixth chapter opens by describing a miracle,
which is narrated by each of the other Evangelists, the Feeding of the five
thousand. But, here, it is followed by a lengthy discourse which is not
recorded elsewhere. Here the Lord presents Himself as "The Bread of God," which
had come down from Heaven to give life unto the world. He here declares that He
alone can satisfy the needy soul of man: "And Jesus said unto them, I am the
Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth
on Me shall never thirst" (v. 35). We cannot now follow the details of this
wonderful chapter, but it will be evident to the student that it is the Divine
side of things which is here dwelt upon. For example: it is here we are told
that the Saviour said, "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath
sent Me draw him" (v. 44). It is here we are told that "Jesus knew from the
beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him" (v. 64).
And it is here we learn that when many of the disciples "went back and walked
no more with Him," and He said to the twelve, "Will ye also go away?" that
Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life"
(v. 68).
The seventh chapter brings before us Christ at
Jerusalem during the feast of tabernacles. There is much here that is of
deepest interest, but it is beside our present purpose to give a complete
exposition. We are not here writing a brief commentary on John, rather are we
attempting to point out that which is distinctive and characteristic in this
fourth Gospel. Notice, then, one or two lines in this scene which serve to
emphasize the Divine glories of Christ. We are told that, about the middle of
the feast, "Jesus went up into the Temple, and taught." His teaching must have
been exceedingly impressive, for we read, "And the Jews marvelled, saying, How
knoweth this man letters, having never learned" (v. 15). But, arresting as was
His manner of delivery, what He said only served to bring out the enmity of
those who heard Him: "Then they sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on
Him, because His hour was not yet come" (v. 30). How striking this is, and how
thoroughly in accord with the central theme of John's Gospel! bringing out, as
it does, the Divine side, by showing us God's complete control over the enemies
of His Son. Next, we read "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He
that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water" (vv. 37,38). How this brings out the Divine sufficiency
of Christ! None but God could make such a claim as that. Finally, we may
observe here, that when the Pharisees heard that many of the people believed on
Him, they "sent officers to take Him" (vv. 31,32). How striking was the sequel:
"Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto
them, Why have ye not brought Him? The officers answered, Never man spake like
this Man" (vv. 45,46).
John 8 opens by recording the incident of the
woman taken in adultery, brought to Christ by the scribes and Pharisees. Their
motive in doing this was an evil one. It was not that they were zealous of
upholding the claims of God's law, but that they sought to ensnare God's Son.
They set a trap for Him. They reminded Him that Moses had given commandment
that such as this woman should be stoned - "but what sayest Thou?" they asked.
He had declared that, "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17). Would He,
then, suffer this guilty adulteress to escape the penalty of the Law? If so,
what became of His other claim, "Think not that I am come to destroy, but to
fulfill" (Matt. 5:17)? It seemed as though He was caught on the horns of a
dilemma. If He gave the word for her to be stoned, where was grace? On
the other hand, if He allowed her to go free, where was righteousness?
Ah, how blessedly did His Divine wisdom appear, in the masterly manner in which
He dealt with the situation. Said He to them that sought to trap Him, "He that
is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." It was "the Word"
at work again, the Divine Word, for we read, "And they which heard Him, being
convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest,
even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the
midst" (v.9). The was was now open for Him to display His mercy. The Law
required two "witnesses" at least; but none were left. To the woman He said,
"Where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" And she answered,
"No man, Lord." And then, to manifest His holiness He said, "Neither do I
condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (v. 11). Thus, do we here behold His glory,
"the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Then followed that lovely discourse in which Christ proclaimed Himself as "The
Light of the world," saying, "he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life" (v. 12). This was peculiarly appropriate to
the occasion, for He had just given proof that He was such, by turning the
searching Light of God upon the conscience of those who accused the
adulteress.
What follows in the next chapter is closely
linked to that which has just been before us. Here Christ gives sight to a man
who had been blind from his birth, and immediately before He gives light to the
darkened eyes of this man, He uses the occasion to say, again, "As long as I am
in the world, I am the light of the world" (9:5). The sequel to this miracle
had both its pathetic and its blessed sides. The one who had had his eyes
opened was brought to the Pharisees, and after a lengthy examination they
excommunicated him, because of the bold testimony he had borne to his
Benefactor. But we are told, "Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when
He had found Him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? And he
answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said
unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and He it is that talketh with thee. And he
said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him" (vv. 35-37). Thus did Christ
graciously evidence that when God begins a good work in a soul, He ceases not
until it has been perfected. The chapter closes with a most solemn word
against those who opposed Christ, in which we behold the Light blinding: "And
Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not
might see; and that they which see might be made blind" (v. 39).
John 10 is the chapter in which Christ is
revealed as the Good Shepherd, and there is much in it which brings out His
Divine glories. Here He presents Himself as the Owner of the fold, and makes it
known that believers, under the figure of sheep, belong to Him. They are His
property, as well as the objects of His tender solicitude. They know Him, and
they are known of Him. His, is the Voice they follow, and the voice of
strangers they heed not. For the sheep He will lay down His life. But, be it
carefully noted, the Saviour declares, "No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it
down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again"
(v. 18). No mere man could have made good such a claim as this. Nor could any
mere human teacher say to his disciples, "And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand" (v.
28). That He was more than Man, that He was God the Son, incarnate, is
expressly affirmed in the words with which the Saviour here closed His
discourse - "I and Father are one" (v. 30).
John 11 brings us to what, perhaps, was the most
wonderful miracle that our Lord performed, while here on earth, namely, the
Raising of Lazarus. Record of this was, appropriately, reserved for the fourth
Gospel. The others tell us of the raising of the daughter of Jairus, just dead;
and Luke mentions the raising of the widow of Nain' son, as his body was on the
way to the cemetery; but John only records the raising of Lazarus, who had been
in the grave four days, and whose body had already begun to corrupt. Signally
did the performance of this miracle demonstrate Christ to be the Son of God.
Here, too, we behold "the Word" at work. The daughter of Jairus He took by the
hand; concerning the widow's son, we read, "He touched the bier;" but here He
did nothing but speak: first, to the spectators to remove the stone which lay
over the entrance to the grave, and then to Lazarus, He cried, "Come forth."
John 12 brings us to the close of our Lord's
public ministry as it is followed in this Gospel. The chapter opens with a
scene which has won the hearts of all who have gazed by faith upon it. The
Saviour is seen in a Bethany home, where deep gratitude made Him a supper, and
Lazarus is also one of the guests. After the meal was over, Mary anointed His
feet with fragrant ointment that was "very costly," and wiped His feet with her
hair. It is very striking to notice the differences between Matthew's account
of this incident and what is recorded here. It is only John who tells us that
Lazarus sat at the table with the Lord; it is only John who says that "Martha
served," and it is only John who gives the name of this devoted woman who
expressed such love for Christ: here everything is "made manifest' by the
Light. Moreover, note particularly, that Matthew says the woman poured the
ointment "on His head" (26:7), but here in John, we are told, she "anointed the
feet of Jesus" (12:3). The two accounts are not contradictory, but
supplementary. Both are true, but we see the hand of the Holy Spirit
controlling each Evangelist to record only that which was in keeping with his
theme. In Matthew it is the King who is before us, hence it is His "head" that
is anointed; but in John we are shown the Son of God, and therefore does Mary
here take her place at His "feet"!
John 13 is in striking contrast with what is
found at the beginning of the previous chapter. There, we behold the feet of
the Lord; here we see the feet of His disciples. There, we saw His feet
anointed; here, the feet of the disciples are washed. There, the feet of Christ
were anointed with fragrant and costly ointment; here the feet of the disciples
are washed with water. There, the feet of the feet of the Lord was washed by
another; but here, the feet of the disciples are washed by none other than the
Son of God Himself. And observe that the anointing of His feet comes before the
washing of the disciples' feet, for in all things He must have the preeminence.
And what a contrast is here presented! The "feet" speak of the walk. The feet
of the disciples were soiled: their walk needed to be cleansed. Not so with the
Lord of glory: His walk emitted nought but a sweet fragrance to the Father.
At first sight it appears strange that this lowly
task of washing the disciples feet should be recorded by John. And yet the very
fact that it is recorded here supplies the surest key to the interpretation of
its significance. The act itself only brought out the amazing condescension of
the Son of God, who would stoop so low as to perform the common duties of a
slave. But the mention of this incident by John indicates there is a spiritual
meaning to the act. And such, indeed, there was. The "feet," as we have seen,
point to the walk, and "water" is the well known emblem of the written Word.
Spiritually, the act spoke of Christ maintaining the walk of His disciples,
removing the defilements which unfit them for communion with a holy God. It was
members of His Church that were here being cleansed by the Head "with the
washing of water by the Word" (Eph. 5:26). How fitting, then, that this should
have found a place in this fourth Gospel, for who but a Divine Person is
capable of cleansing the walk of believers and maintaining their fellowship
with the Father!
In the remainder of John 13 and to the end of
chapter 16 we have what is known as the Lord's "Pascal discourse." This, too,
is peculiar to John, and almost everything in it brings out the Divine glories
of the Saviour. It is here that He says to the disciples, "Ye call Me Master
and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am" (13:13). It is here that Christ said,
anticipating the Cross, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified
in Him" (13:31). It is here that He speaks of going away to "prepare a place"
for His people (14:2,3). It is here He invites His disciples to pray in His
name (14:13). It is here He says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you" (14:27). It is here that He says
so much about fruit-bearing, under the beautiful figure of the Vine. It is here
that He speaks of "The Comforter whom I will send unto you from the Father"
(15:26). And it is here that He declares of the Holy Spirit, "He shall glorify
Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (16:14).
John 17 contains what is known as the High
Priestly prayer of Christ. Nothing like it is found in the other Gospels. It
gives us a specimen of His present ministry on High. Here we find the Saviour
saying, "Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may
glorify Thee" (v. 1). Here He speaks of Himself as the One given "power over
all flesh" (v. 2). Here He is inseparably linked with "the only true God" (v.
3). Here He speaks (by way of anticipation) of having "finished" the work given
Him to do (v. 4). Here He asks, "O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self
with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was" (v. 5). Here He
prays for His own beloved people: for their preservation from evil, for the
supply of their every need, for their sanctification and unification. His
perfect equality with the Father is evidenced when He says, "Father, I will
that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may
behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovest Me before the
foundation of the world" (v. 24).
The remaining chapters will be considered in
another connection, so we pass on now to notice some of the general features
which characterize this Gospel in its parts and as a whole.
I. THINGS OMITTED FROM JOHN'S GOSPEL.
While examining the second Gospel, we dwelt at
some length upon the different things of which Mark took no notice, and saw
that the items excluded made manifest the perfections of his particular
portrayal of Christ. Here, too, a similar line of thought may be followed out
at even greater length. Much that is found in the first three Gospels is
omitted by John, as being irrelevant to his special theme. Some of the more
outstanding of these we shall now consider:
1. In John's Gospel there is no genealogy,
neither His legal through Joseph, nor his personal through Mary. Nor is there
any account of His birth. Instead, as we have seen, He was "In the beginning."
For a similar reason, John is silent about Herod's attempt to slay the Christ
Child, about the flight into Egypt, and subsequent return to Galilee. Nothing
is said about the Lord Jesus as a Boy of twelve, in the midst of the doctors in
the Temple. No reference is made to the years spent at Nazareth, and no hint is
given of Christ working at the carpenter's bench before He began His public
ministry. All these are passed over as not being germane.
2. Here, there is no description of His baptism.
Mark refers to the Lord Jesus being baptized by his forerunner, and Matthew and
Luke each describe at length the attendant circumstances. John's reason for
saying nothing about this is obvious. In His baptism, Christ, in condescending
grace, took His place alongside of His needy people, saying to the one who
baptized Him, "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt.
3:15).
3. John says nothing about the Temptation. Here,
again, we may observe the superintending hand of the Holy Spirit, guiding the
different Evangelists in the selection of their material. Each of the first
three Gospels make mention of the season spent by Christ in the wilderness,
where He was tempted for forty days of the Devil. But John is silent about it.
And why? Because John is presenting Christ as God the Son, and "God cannot be
tempted" (Jas. 1:13).
4. There is no account of His transfiguration. At
first sight this seems strange, but a little attention to details will reveal
the reason for this. The wonderful scene witnessed by the three disciples upon
the holy mount, was not an unveiling of His Divine glories, but a miniature
representation, a spectacular showing forth of the Son of Man coming in His
kingdom (see Matt. 16:28 etc.). But the earthly kingdom does not fall within
the scope of this Gospel. Here, it is spiritual and heavenly relationships
which are made most prominent.
5. Here there is no Appointing of the Apostles.
In the other Gospels we find the Lord Jesus selecting, equipping, and sending
forth the Twelve, to preach, and to heal; and in Luke we also read of Him
sending out the Seventy. But here, in harmony with the character of this
Gospel, all ministry and miracle working is left entirely in the hands of the
Son of God.
6. Never once is Christ here seen praying. This
does not come out so clearly in our English translation as it does in the
original Greek. In John's Gospel we never find the word associated with Christ
which signifies taking the place of a supplicant; instead, the word "erotos" is
used, and this word denotes "speaking" as to an equal. It is very striking to
compare what each Evangelist records following the miracle of the Feeding of
the five thousand: Matt. says, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He
went up into a mountain apart to pray" (14:23). Mark says, "When He had sent
them away, He departed into a mountain to pray" (6:46). Luke also follows his
narration of this miracle with the words, "And it came to pass, as He was alone
praying" (9:8). But when we come to the fourth Gospel, we read, "He departed
again to a mountain Himself alone" (6:15), and there John stops!
The contents of John 17 may seem to contradict
what we have just said above, but really it is not so. At the beginning of the
chapter we read, "Jesus lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and said, Father, the
hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee" (v. 1). And
at its close we read that He said, "Father I will that they also, whom Thou
hast given Me, be with Me where I am" (v. 24). Thus He spoke to the Father as
to an Equal.
7. We never read in John's Gospel of "The Coming
of the Son of Man," and for the same reason as this, He is never addressed as
"The Son of David" here. The Coming of the Son of Man always has reference to
His return to the earth itself, coming back to His earthly people. But here we
read, not of a restored Palestine, but of the "Father's House" and its "many
mansions," of Christ going on High to prepare a place "for His heavenly people,
and of Him coming back to receive them unto Himself, that there may they be
also.
8. We never find the word "Repent" in John. In
the other Gospels this is a term of frequent occurrence; what, then, is the
reason for its absence here? In the other Gospels the sinner is viewed as
guilty, and needing, therefore, to "repent." But here, the sinner is looked
upon as spiritually dead, and therefore, in sore need of that which only God
can impart - "life"! It is here we read of man needing to be "born again"
(3:7)_, needing to be "quickened" (5:21), and needing to be "drawn" (6:44).
9. Neither is the word "Forgive" found in John.
This, too, is a word often met with in the other Gospels. Why, then, its
omission here? In Matt. 9:6 we read, "The Son of Man hath power on earth to
forgive sins." As Son of Man He "forgives;" as Son of God He bestows "eternal
life."
10. No Parables are found in John's Gospel. This
is a very notable omission. The key to it is found in Matt. 13: "And the
disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou unto them in parables? He
answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Therefore speak I to
them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand" (vv. 10-13). Here we learn why that Christ, in the
later stages of His ministry, taught in "parables." It was to conceal from
those who had rejected Him, what was comprehensible only to those who had
spiritual discernment. But here in John, Christ is not concealing, but
revealing - revealing God. It is to be deplored that the rationale of our
Lord's parabolic form of teaching should be known to so few. The popular
definition of Christ's parables is that they were earthly stories with a
heavenly meaning. How man gets things upside down! The truth is, that His
parables were heavenly stories with an earthly meaning, having to do with His
earthly people, in earthly connections. This is another reason why none are
found in John - the word in 10:6 is "proverb."
11. In John's Gospel no mention is made of the
Demons. Why this is we do not know. To say that no reference is here made to
them, was, because mention of them would be incompatible with the Divine
glories of Christ, hardly seems satisfactory; for, Satan himself is referred to
here, again and again. It is, in fact, only here, that the Devil is spoken of
three times over as "The prince of this world;" and, Judas, too, as the son of
Perdition, occupies a more prominent position here than in the other Gospels.
Should it be revealed to any of our readers why the "demons" are excluded from
this Gospel, we shall be very glad to hear from them.
12. There is no account of Christ's Ascension in
this fourth Gospel. This is very striking, and by implication brings out
clearly the Deity of the Lord Jesus. As God the Son He was omnipresent, and so,
needed not to ascend. As God the Son He fills both heaven and earth. We turn
now to,
II. POSITIVE FEATURES OF JOHN'S GOSPEL.
1. The Titles of Christ are very
significant
Only here (in the four Gospels) is the Lord Jesus
revealed as "the Word" (1:1). Only here is He declared to be the Creator
of all things (1:3). Only here is He spoken of as "The Only Begotten of the
Father" 1:14). Only here was He hailed as "The Lamb of God" (1:29).
Only here is He revealed as the great "I am." When Jehovah appeared to
Moses at the burning bush, and commissioned him to go down into Egypt and
demand from Pharaoh the release of His people Israel, Moses said, Who shall I
say hath sent me? And God answered, "Thus shalt thou say unto the Children of
Israel, I am hath sent me unto you" (Ex. 3:14). And here in John's
Gospel Christ takes this most sacred title of Deity and appropriates it unto
Himself, filling it out with sevenfold fullness: "I am the Bread of Life"
(6:35); "I am the Light of the world" (9:5); "I am the Door" (10:7); "I am the
Good Shepherd" (10:11); "I am the Resurrection and the Life" (11:25); "I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life" (14:6); "I am the true Vine" (15:1).
2. The Deity of Christ is prominently revealed
here.
Christ Himself expressly affirmed it: "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live" (5:25). Again;
"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, he said
unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He,
Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen
Him, and it is He that talketh with thee" (9:35-37). Once more. "His sisters
sent unto Him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick. When Jesus
heard that, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God,
that the Son of God might be glorified thereby" (11:3,4). Thirty-five times in
this Gospel we find the Lord Jesus speaking of God as "My Father." Twenty-five
times He here says "Verily, verily" (of a truth, of a truth) - nowhere else
found in this intensified form.
Including His own affirmation of it, seven
different ones avow His Deity in this Gospel. First, John the Baptist: "And I
saw and bare record that this is the Son of God" (1:34). Second, Nathaniel,
"Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God" (1:49). Third, Peter, "And we believe and are
sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (6:69). The Lord
Himself, "Say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God" (10:36). Fifth,
Martha, "She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, I believe that Thou art the Christ, the
Son of God, which should come into the world" (11:27). Sixth, Thomas, "And
Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God" (20:28). Seventh, the
writer of this fourth Gospel, "These are written, that ye might believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life
through His name" (20:31).
3. There is a remarkable series of Sevens
here
It is striking to discover how frequently this
numeral is found here, and when we remember the significance of this numeral it
is even more arresting. Seven is the number of perfection, and absolute
perfection is not found until we reach God Himself. How wonderful, then, that
in this Gospel which sets forth the Deity of Christ, the number seven meets us
at every turn!
By seven different persons is the Deity of Christ
confessed here, and, as we have seen seven times does He fill out the ineffable
"I am" title. John records seven miracles performed by our Lord during His
public ministry, no more and no less. Seven times do we read, "These things
have I spoken unto you." Seven times did Christ address the woman at the well.
Seven times, in John 6, did Christ speak of Himself as "The Bread of Life."
Seven things we read of the Good Shepherd doing for His sheep, and seven things
Christ says about His sheep in John 10. Seven times does Christ make reference
to "the hour" which was to see the accomplishment of the Work given Him to do.
Seven times did He bid His disciples pray "in His name." Seven times is the
word "hate" found in John 15. There are seven things enumerated in John
16:13,14 which the Holy Spirit is to do for believers. There were seven things
which Christ asked the Father for believers in John 17, and seven times over
does He there refer to them as the Father's "gift" to Him. Seven times in this
Gospel do we read that Christ declared He spoke only the Word of the Father -
7:16; 8:28; 8:47; 12:49; 14:10; 14:24; 17:8. Seven times does the writer of
this Gospel refer to himself, without directly mentioning his own name. There
are seven important things found in John which are common to all four Gospels.
And so we might continue. Let the reader search carefully for himself and he
will find many other examples.
4. Man's futile attempts on His life
Not only was the Christ of God "despised and
rejected of men," not only was He "hated without a cause," but His enemies
repeatedly sought His life. This feature is noticed, briefly, by the other
writers, but John is the only one that tells us why their efforts were
futile. For example, in John 7:30 we read, "Then they sought to take Him: but
no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come." And again,
in 8:20 we read, "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in the
Temple: and no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was not yet come." These
Scriptures, in accord with the special character of this fourth Gospel, bring
before us the Divine side of things. They tell us that the events of earth
transpire only according to the appointment of Heaven. They show that God is
working all things after the counsel of His own will and according to His
eternal purpose. They teach us that nothing is left to chance, but that when
God's "hour" arrives that which has been decreed by His sovereign will, is
performed. They reveal the fact that even His enemies are entirely subject to
God's immediate control, and that they cannot make a single move without His
direct permission.
The Lord Jesus Christ was not the helpless Victim
of an angry mob. What He suffered, He endured voluntarily. The enemy might roar
against Him, and His emissaries might thirst for His blood, but not a thing
could they do without His consent. It is in this Gospel we hear Him saying,
"Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (10: 17;18).
While He hung upon the Cross, His enemies said, "He saved others; let Him
save Himself, if He be Christ, the Chosen of God" (Luke 23:35). And He
accepted their challenge! He saved Himself not from death, but out of it; not
from the Cross, but the Tomb.
5. The Purpose and Scope of this Gospel
The key to it is hung right under the door. The
opening verse intimates that the Deity of Christ is the special theme of this
Gospel. The order of its contents is defined in 16:28: 1. "I came forth from
the Father:" this may be taken as the heading for the Introductory portion, the
first eighteen verses of the opening chapter; 2. "And am come into the world:"
this may be taken as the heading for the first main section of this Gospel,
running from 1:19 to the end of chapter 12. 3. "Again, I leave the world:" this
may be taken as the heading for the second great section of the Gospel,
comprising chapter 13 to 17 inclusive, where the Lord is seen apart from "the
world," alone with His beloved disciples. 4. "And go to the Father:" this may
be taken as the heading for the closing section of this Gospel, made up of its
last four chapters, which give us the final scenes, preparatory to the Lord's
return to His Father.
The closing verses of John 20 tell us the purpose
of this Gospel: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His
disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that ye
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye
might have life through His name." John's Gospel, then, is peculiarly suited to
the unsaved. But this does not exhaust its scope. It is equally fitted for and
written to believers; in fact, the opening chapter intimates it is designed
specially for the saved, for in 1:16 we read, "And of His fullness have all
we received, and grace for grace."
6. The account of His Passion is
remarkable
Here there is no glimpse given us of the
Saviour's agony in Gethsemane: there is no crying, "If it be possible let this
cup pass from Me," there is no bloody sweat, no angel appearing to strengthen
Him. Here there is no seeking of companionship from His disciples in the
Garden; instead, he knows them only as needing His protection (see 18:8). Here
there is no compelling of Simon to bear His cross. Here there is no mention of
the three hours of darkness, nor is reference made to the awful cry, "My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Here there is nothing said of the
spectators taunting the dying Saviour, and no mention is made of the insulting
challenge of the rulers for Him to descend from the Cross and they would
believe in Him. And here there is no word said of the Rending of the Veil, as
the Redeemer breathed His last. How striking is this, for in John's Gospel God
is unveiled throughout; no need, then, for the veil to be rent here! John says
nothing about Him eating food after the resurrection, for as Son of God, He
needed it not!
7. Christ's dignity and majesty comes out here
amid His humiliation
John is the only one that tells us that when the
Lord's enemies came to arrest Him in the Garden that when He asked them "Whom
seek ye?", and they replied, "Jesus of Nazareth," and he then pronounced the
sacred "I am," they "went backward and fell to the ground" (18:6). What
a demonstration of His Godhead was this! How easily could He have walked away
unmolested had He so pleased!
John is the only one to speak of His coat
"without seam" which the soldiers would not rend (19:24). John is the only one
to show us how completely the Saviour was master of Himself - "Jesus knowing
that all things were now accomplished" (19:28). His mind was not beclouded,
nor was His memory impaired. No; even at the close of all His sufferings, the
whole scheme of Messianic prediction stood out clearly before Him.
John is the only one of the four Evangelists to
record the Saviour's triumphant cry, "It is finished" (19:30), as he is the
only one to say that after He had expired the soldier's "brake not His legs"
(19:33). John is the only one to tell us of Love's race to the sepulcher
(20:3,4). And John is the only one to say that the risen Saviour "breathed" on
the disciples, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (20:22).
The closing verse of this Gospel is in perfect
keeping with its character and scope. Here, and here only, we are told, "And
there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the
books that should be written. Amen" (21:25). Thus, the last note here sounded
is that of infinity!