This being so, we must take account of the application of these ideas of cleansing and quickening to the circunxstances under which
6 That which is born of the flesh 7 Marvel not that I said unto is flesh; and that which is born of thee, Ye must be born "again, the Spirit is spirit. 8 The wind bloweth where
the words were first spoken, and of their application to the fulness of the Christian economy. The words had an immediate, if incomplete, sense, as they were addressed to Nicodemus: they have also a final and complete sense for us. And yet more, the inceptive sense must be in complete harmony with the fuller sense, and help to illustrate it.
It can, then, scarcely be questioned that as Nicodemus heard the words, 'water carried with it a reference to John's baptism, which was a divinely appointed rite (i. 33), gathering up into itself and investing with a new importance all the lustral baptisms of the Jews: the spirit, on the other hand, marked that inward power which John placed in contrast with his own baptism. Thus the words, taken in their immediate meaning as intelligible to Nicodemus, set forth, as required before entrance into the kingdom of God, the acceptance of the preliminary rite divinely sanctioned, which was the seal of repentance and so of forgiveness, and following on this the communication of a new life, resulting from the direct action of the Holy Spirit through Christ. The Pharisees rejected the rite, and by so doing cut themselves off from the grace which was attached to it. They would not become as little children, and so they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
But the sense of the words cannot be limited to this first meaning. Like the corresponding words in ch. vi., they look forward to the fulness of the Christian dispensation, when after the Resurrection the baptism of I water was no longer separated from, but / united with, the baptism of the spirit in the " laver of regeneration " (Titus iii. 5. Comp. Eph. v. 26), even as the outward and the inward are united generally in a religion which is sacramental and not only typical. Christian baptism, the outward act of faith welcoming the promise of God, is incorporation into the Body of Christ, and so the birth of the Spirit is potentially united with the birth of water. The general inseparability of these two is indicated by the form of the expression, born of <water and spirit (e'£ v8. KOI 7Ti>.), as distinguished from the double phrase, torn of water and of spirit.
According to this view the words have a distinct historical meaning, and yet they have also a meaning far beyond that which was at first capable of being apprehended. They are in the highest sense prophetic, even as the following words, in which the Lord speaks of His Passion; and at the same time they contemplate the fulness of the organized life of the Christian society (enter into the kingdom of heaven — not see life, -v. 36).
enter into] become a citizen of the kingdom, as distinguished from the mere intelligent spectator (see v. 3) of its constitution and character. The image suggested by the words enter into is that of entering into the promised land — the type of the kingdom of heaven — as in Ps. xcv. n.
A new birth is necessary to gain a true conception of the divine kingdom: a new birth, distinctly specified as having an outward fulfilment as well as an inward, is necessary for admission into the kingdom, which is itself at once outward and spiritual. This conclusion follows from a very simple consideration. No principle can produce results superior to itself. If man is to enjoy a spiritual life, that by which he enters it — his birth — must be of a corresponding character. The flesh (i. 13, see note) can only generate flesh. Spiritual life cannot come forth from it.
The fact which the Lord affirms is at once more marvellous and more natural than that by which Nicodemus typified it. A mere repetition of the natural birth would not bring that which man requires.
6. That which is born...] The original tense (TO yryewTjpevov) conveys an idea which can only be reproduced by a paraphrase: "that which hath been born, and at present comes before us in this light." There is an important difference observed in the narrative between the fact of the birth (aorist, w. 3, 4, 5, 7) and the state which follows as the abiding result of the birth (perfect, w. 6, 8)." In i John v. 18 the true interpretation depends upon the contrast between the one historic Son of God (o yevvrjdfis, opposed to the evil one) and the sons of God, who live in virtue of their new birth (o yfyevvrj^evos)- Compare also Gal. iv. 23, 29 for a fainter representation of a corresponding difference of tenses.
The neuter (that -which is born...') states the principle in its most abstract form. In •y. 8 a transition is made to the man (every one that is born). There is a similar contrast in i John v. 4 (neuter) and i John v. i, 18 (masc.).
flesh... spirit] The words describe the characteristic principles of two orders. They are not related to one another as evil and good; but as the two spheres of being with which man is connected. By the " spirit " our complex nature is united to heaven, by the " flesh," to earth. Comp. vi. 63, note.
listeth, and thou hearest the sound cometh, and whither it goeth: so is thereof, but canst not tell whence it every one that is born of the Spirit.
flesh} This term probably includes all that belongs to the life of sensation, all that by which we are open to the physical influences of pleasure and pain, which naturally sway our actions. Thus, though it does not of itself include the idea of sinfulness (i. 14; i John iv. a), it describes human personality on the side which tends to sin, and on which actually we have sinned.
It must also be noticed that that which is born of flesh and spirit is described not as "fleshly" and "spiritual," but as "flesh" and "spirit." In other words, the child, so to speak, is of the same nature with the parent, and does not only partake in his qualities. The child also occupies in turn the position of a parent, from which a progeny springs like to himself. Compare the corresponding usage, i John i. 5 (light), iv. 8 (love).
of the Spirit] Or, of spirit. While the term is essentially abstract and expresses spirit as spirit, the quickening power is the Spirit. The idea of nature passes into that of Person. The (water is not repeated, because the outward rite draws its virtue from the action of the Spirit.
Many early authorities (Lat. vt., Syr. vt.) add the gloss, quia Deuj spiritus est et de (ex) Deo nattu est. Ambrose ('De spir.' ill. § 59) accuses the Arians of having removed the words quia Deus spiritus est from their MSS. The charge is an admirable illustration of the groundlessness of such accusations of wilful corruption of Scripture. The words in question have no Greek authority at all, and are obviously a comment
7. Marvel not...] If then this is a necessary law — such is the force of the Lord's words — that the offspring must have the essential nature of the parent, and if the kingdom of God is spiritual and its citizens therefore spiritual, while the nature of man, as all experience it to be, is fleshly, swayed by powers which belong to earth, Marvel not that I said unto tbee, Ye must be born again, even ye who think that you have penetrated to the true conception of Messiah's work and prepared yourselves adequately for judging it and entering into it.
There appears also to be in the emphatic ye an implied contrast between the Lord, who needed no re-birth, and all other men. He does not say, as a human teacher, '•We must be born again.'
8. The wind...the Spirit} In Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, the words are identical (as properly Geist and Ghost) and Wiclif and the
Rhemish Version keep "spirit" in both cases, after the Latin. But at present the retention of one word in both places could only create confusion, since the separation between the material emblem and the power which it was used to describe is complete. The use of the correlative verb (rri/fT, ch. vi. 18; Rev. vii. i; Matt. vii. 25, 27; Lukexii. 55; Acts xxvii. 40), and of the word sound (voice), is quite decisive for the literal sense of the noun (irvt 0/ia); and still at the same time the whole of the phraseology is inspired by the higher meaning. Perhaps also the unusual word (irvfvua, i K. xviii. 45, xix. n; » K. iii. 17) is employed to suggest this. The comparison lies between the obvious physical properties of the wind and the mysterious action of that spiritual influence to which the name "spirit," "wind," was instinctively applied. The laws of both are practically unknown; both are unseen; the presence of both is revealed in their effects.
where it listeth'} The phrase is not to be pressed physically. The wind obeys its own proper laws, which depend on a complication of phenomena which we cannot calculate, and consequently for us it is a natural image of freedom. For a similar phrase applied to the Spirit, see i Cor. xii. 11.
the sound} Rather, the voice. The word commonly implies an articulate, intelligible voice, as even in a passage like i Cor. xiv. 7 ff.; yet in the Apocalypse the word is used more widely, e.g. ix. 9, xiv. a, &c.
so is every one..."] The form of the comparison is irregular. The action of the spirit on the believer is like the action of the wind in the material world. As the tree (for example) by waving branches and rustling leaves witnesses to the power which affects it; so is every one that hath been born of the Spirit. The believer shews by deed and word that an invisible influence has moved and inspired him, He is himself a continual sign of the action of the Spirit, which is freely determined, and incomprehensible by man as to source and end, though seen in its present results.
It is not unreasonable to suppose that this image of the wind was suggested by the sound of some sudden gust sweeping through the narrow street without. Thus the form of the Lord's teaching corresponds with the teaching by parables in the Synoptists (Matt. xiii. 4, note).
born of the Spirit] v. 6. An important group of ancient authorities (K, Lat. vt., Syr. vt.) read born of water and the spirit. The gloss is a good example of a natural corruption by assimilation.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
1 1 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
9. How can these things be?~\ How can these things come to pass (yei/ecr&u, Vulg. fieri)? How can this new birth, issuing in a new life, be realised? The idea is of change, transition, not of essence, repose. The emphasis lies on can (rros dvvarai, v, 4).
10. Art thou a master (the teacher) of Israef] the authorized teacher of the chosen people of God. The definite article (o &i8do- KaXoi) marks the official relation of Nicodemus to the people generally.
knowest not] perceivest (ywaa-Ktts) not, by the knowledge of progress, recognition. Comp. ii. 24 note. Though Nicodemus had previously been ignorant of that which the Lord declared, he ought to have recognised the teaching as true when he heard it.
these things'] the reality and character of the spiritual influence shewn in the actions of man, which yet is not of man, but comes from another region.
11. We speak] The plural contrasted with the singular w. 3, 5, 7, la (all are unemphatic) is remarkable. It has oeen explained as a simple rhetorical plural, or as containing an allusion to John the Baptist, to the Prophets, to the Holy Spirit, to the Father (viii. 16, 18), but all these explanations appear to fail when taken in connexion with the you and jr. The Lord and those with Him, of whom some, including the Evangelist, may have been present at the interview, appear to stand in contrast to the group represented by Nicodemus. Gomp. iv. 22. There were already gathered round Christ those who had had personal (we have teen) and immediate (we know) knowledge of thedivine wonders which He announced. Their witness is indeed distinguished from His afterwards (v. 13), but so far it reached as to meet the difficulties, and fill up the shortcomings of the faith which Nicodemus had attained to. The plural, it will be noticed, is used in connexion with "the things on earth," but the singular only (curoA of "the things in heaven."
we do know — absolutely and immediately (oldaptv) — and testify (bear witness of)...] The words answered to actual knowledge, the witness declared actual experience. The object in each stands first: "That which we know, we speak; and that which we have seen, we witness."
and ye receive not] The pronoun is unemphatic, as the we before. The stress lies on our witness. "What we have seen we witness, and our witness ye receive not." Comp. •v. 27 n. For the use of the simple and in this connexion of sad contrast see i. 10, v. 32, vii. 28, 30, xiv. 24, xvi. 32.
12. If I have told] If I told. As, for example, in what He had just said to Nicodemus of the spiritual birth, though this was but as a sample of the teaching which He had already addressed to men (you, not thee) such as Nicodemus. Comp. Wisd. ix. 16.
earthly things'] The word "earthly" is ambiguous, and may mean that which is "of the nature of earth" (cf. v. 31) or which "has its sphere and place on earth'"1 The original word expresses the second notion distinctly (fjriytios, Vulg. terrenus); and it must be so interpreted in the other places where it occurs: t Cor. xv. 40 (bodies fitted for life on earth). Comp. Col. iii. 2; a Cor. v. i; Phil. ii. to, iii. 19 (whose thoughts rest on earth); James iii. 15 (wisdom which finds its consummation on earth, and reaches no higher). Thus the strictly local meaning (i Cor. xv. 40; Phil. ii. 10) passes insensibly into a meaning predominantly moral (Phil. iii. 19; James iii. 15).
Here the phrase "earthly things" will mark those facts and phenomena of the higher life as a class (TO. (iriyfia) which have their seat and manifestation on earth: which belong in their realisation to our present existence: which are seen in their consequences, like the issues of birth: which are sensible in their effects, like the action of the wind: which are a beginning and a prophecy, and not a fulfilment.
bow shall ye believe'] The words are spoken with a view to the future already realised. The question is not abstract (How can ye?), but framed in regard of actual circumstances. of (omit) heavenly things'] those truths which belong to a higher order, which are in heaven (TO. eVoupdi/ia), and are brought down thence to earth as they can become to men. Such was the full revelation of the Son, involving the redemption of the world and the reunion of man with God, which is indicated in the three following verses. The reality of these truths finds no outward confirmation as the new birth in its fruits. The difference thus indicated between the " earthly " and the "heavenly" elements of the Lord's teaching serves to shew the ground of the contrast between St John and the earlier Evangelists. The teaching of the Lord was on one side,
to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 U "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
like the teaching of the Baptist, a preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark i. 15); and on the other a revelation of the kingdom both in its embodiment and in its life.
13. And no man...'] The transition by "and" is completely according to the Hebrew idiom, which adds new thoughts without defining the exact relation in which they stand to what has gone before. That must be determined by the thoughts regarded in juxtaposition. Men might be unprepared to receive the teaching of heavenly things, yet side by side with this fact were two others: that Christ alone could teach them, and that His mission was but for a time. While also these facts included the two great mysteries of the spiritual life: the truths as to the Person and as to the Work of the Son of Man.
bath ascended up (gone up) to heaven] Comp. Deut. xxx. 12; Prov. xxx. 4. No man hath risen into the region of absolute and eternal truth, so as to look upon it face to face, and in the possession of that knowledge declare it to men; but the Son of Man, He in whom humanity is summed up, has the knowledge which comes from immediate vision. And His elevation is yet more glorious than a mere ascent. He did not mount up to heaven, as if earth were His home, but came down thence out of heaven, as truly dwelling there; and therefore He has inherently the fulness of heavenly knowledge. Comp. Plato's myth in the 'Phaedrus.' but... the Son of man] The particle but (ti /IT;) does not imply that Christ had ascended to heaven, as though He were one of a class and contrasted with all the others (except), but simply that He in fact enjoyed that directness of knowledge by nature which another could only attain to by such an ascension. The exception is to the whole statement in the preceding clause, and not to any part of it. Comp. Luke iv. 26 f.; Matt. xii. 4; Gal. i. 7.
The exact form of expression is very remarkable. It preserves the continuity of the Lord's personality, and yet does not confound His natures: "He that came down from heaven, even He who being Incarnate is the Son of man, without ceasing to be what He was before." Comp. i. 14, vi. 38.
<wbich is in heaven] These words are omitted by many very ancient authorities, and appear to be an early gloss bringing out the right contrast between the ascent of a man to heaven and the abiding of the Son of Man in heaven. See Additional Note at the end of the Chapter.
14. as Moses...] The character of the revelation through the Son of Man has been set forth in the former verse, and in this the issue of that revelation in the Passion is further indicated. This mystery is shadowed forth under the image of an Old Testament symbol (Num. xxi. 7 ff.), just as the Resurrection had been half veiled, half declared, under the figure of a restored temple (ii. 19). In the last miracle of Moses, on the borders of the promised land, the serpent had been "lifted up," and made a conspicuous object to all the stricken people; and so too was Christ to be "lifted up," and with the same life-giving issue. How this "lifting up" should be accomplished is not yet made clear. See Additional Note. The point of connexion between v. 13 and v. 14 lies in the repetition of the title "the Son of Man." The Incarnation, under the actual circumstances of humanity, carried with it the necessity of the Passion.
so must the Son of man be lifted up] The same phrase (lifted up, fymdfjvai, Vulg. exaltari) occurs viii. 28, xii. 32, note, 34, in reference to the Passion; and elsewhere (Acts ii. 33 » v- 31? [Phil. ii. 9]) in reference to the Ascension consequent upon it. Thus the words imply an exaltation in appearance far different from that of the triumphant king, and yet in its true issue leading to a divine glory. This passage through the elevation on the cross to the elevation on the right hand of God was a necessity (so must, 8«) arising out of the laws of the divine nature. Comp. xx. 9 note, v. 30 note.
It is important to notice that similar figurative references to the issue of the Lord's work in His Death are found in the Synoptic record: Matt. ix. 14 ff., x. 38; Mark viii. 34; Luke xiv. 27.
15. believeth in him] Or, according to another reading, every one that believeth. may have in Him eternal life, according to the familiar formula of St Paul, in Christ. To "believe" is used absolutely v. 12, i. 50, iv. 42, 53, vi. 36, xi. 15, xx. 29; and the excep. tional order of the words («/ avr£ e^) fi"^3 a justification in v. 39, xvi. 33.
should (rather, may) not perish, but have eternal life] The words not perish but in this
j(, q *For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
eternal life'] As the wounded who looked on the brazen serpent were restored to temporal health, so in this case eternal life follows from the faith of the believer on the crucified and exalted Lord.
The exact phrase, have eternal life, as distinguished from live for ever, is characteristic of St John. It occurs vv. 16, 36, v. 24, vi. 40, 47, 54; i John iii. 15, v. la f. (x. 10, xx. 31, hath life). Comp. Matt. xix. 16. The use of the auxiliary verb marks the distinct realisation of the life as a personal blessing (have life), as being more than the act of living. Comp. xvi. aa, have sorrow.
The record of the conversation comes to an end without any formal close. There is nothing surprising in this. The history is not that of an outward incident, but of a spiritual situation. This is fully analysed; and the issue is found in the later notices of Nicodemus, so far as it has an immediate personal value.
Several observations are suggested by the narrative, which will be illustrated by later passages of the Gospel.
i. The account of the conversation is evidently compressed. The Evangelist does little more than indicate the great moments of the discussion. The full meaning and connexion of the parts can only be gained by supplying what he merely indicates.
a. In spite of the compression there is a distinct progress and completeness in the record. The order of thought is real and natural.
verse are to be omitted on decisive authority. See Additional Note.
3. The thoughts are not obvious, but when they are understood they deal with critical difficulties; and with difficulties which belong to the first stage of the preaching of the Gospel.
4. The form and substance of the discussion keep completely within the line of Jewish ideas. All that is said belongs to a time before the full declaration of the nature of Christ's work, while the language is fitted to move a hearer to deeper questionings, and is in perfect harmony with later and plainer revelations.
5. The occurrence of the phrase "Kingdom of God" here only in St John's Gospel belongs to the exact circumstances of the incident.
6. If the narrative were a free composition of a late date, it is inconceivable that the obscure allusions should not have been made clearer; and if it were composed for a purpose, it is inconceivable that the local colouring of opinion and method should have been what it is.
7. The recorded external circumstances, the meeting with Christ at the time of His first public appearance, of one in whom pride of descent and pride of knowledge were united, explains the subject and manner of the discourse. And the essential principles involved in it explain why this Evangelist was guided to report it. The narrative belongs to one definite point in the history of religious development, and also to all time
16 — 21. This section is a commentary on the nature of the mission of the Son, which has been indicated in Christ's words (vv. 13, 14), and unfolds its design (16, 17), its historic completion (18, 19), the cause of its apparent failure (ao, ai). It adds no new thoughts, but brings out the force of the revelation already given in outline (i — 15) by the light of Christian experience. It is therefore likely from its secondary character, apart from all other considerations, that it contains the reflections of the Evangelist, and is not a continuation of the words of the Lord. This conclusion appears to be firmly established from details of expression.
i. The tenses in v. 19 (loved, were) evidently mark a crisis accomplished, and belong to the position which St John occupied but not to that in which the Lord stood, when the revelation of His Person and Work had not been openly presented to the world.
a. The phrase only begotten Son (vv. 1 6, 1 8) is used of Christ elsewhere only in i. 14, 1 8; i John iv. 9; and in each case by the Evangelist.
3. The phrase believe in the name of (v. 1 8) is not found in the recorded words of Christ, while it occurs in St John's narrative, i. ia, ii. 33; i John v. 13.
4. To do truth occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in i John i. 6.
There is also an obvious fitness in the apostolic exposition of the Lord's words at this crisis, as in that of the Baptist's words which follows (vv. 31 — 36). The questionings of Nicodemus and the testimony of John give, so to speak, the last utterances of Judaism, the last thoughts of the student, and the last message of the prophet. They shew the difference and the connexion of the Old and New Dispensations. This difference and this connexion appeared under a changed aspect after Jerusalem had fallen, and it was of importance for the Evangelist to shew that from the first the crisis was foreseen.
17 'For God sent not his Son into that the world through him might be the world to condemn the world; but saved.
(a) Man himself (personal), that he may not perish, but have everlasting life. (,3) The Son (general)
not to judge the world, but that the world through Him may be
(a) The application of the judgment. Those whom it reaches not, Those whom it has reached, (/3) The nature of the judgment. Light offered, Darkness chosen.
3. The cause of the result in man (20, 21). A twofold moral condition, (a) Those who do ill shrink from the light in fear of testing. (0) Those who do the Truth come to the light that their deeds may be made manifest.
16 ff. The pregnant declaration of the character and issue of the Lord's work given by Him to Nicodemus, as the representative of the old wisdom, leads the Evangelist to unfold its meaning more fully in relation to the actual circumstances in which he was himself placed. The issue of the proclamation of the Gospel had not in appearance corresponded with its promise and its power. But this issue did not modify its essential character.
16, 17. The divine purpose in the Incarnation was a purpose of universal love, even though it was imperfectly realised by man: a purpose of life to the believer, of salvation to the world.
loved the world] loved all humanity considered as apart from Himself. See i. 29, note. The love of God shewn in the surrender and gift of His Son for men, is thus set forth as the spring of Redemption. The Father gave the Son even as the Son gave Himself.
so...that] The supreme act serves as a measure of the love. Comp. i John iv. u.
gave bis only begotten Son} The word gave, not sent, as in v. 17, brings out the idea of sacrifice and of love shewn by a most precious offering. The title " only begotten " is added to enhance this conception, and the exact form in which the title is introduced (rov vlov TOV fi), which is different from that in v.
1 8 (TOV povoyevovs vlov) further emphasizes it; " His Son, His only Son." Comp. i John iv. 9; and Matt iii. 17, &c. (o vibs 6 ayairrn-os). There is an obvious reference to Gen. xxii. a. should (may) not perish (airoKrfrai) once for all, but have (*xTl) w'th an abiding present enjoyment eternal (as in v. 15) life} In this verse and in the next the negative and positive aspects of the truth as regards individuals and the race (every one, the world) are definitely opposed; and there is striking parallelism in the related clauses: perish, judge; have eternal life, be saved. The addition of the clause, may not perish, but, in this verse, as distinguished from v. 15, is explained naturally by the actual state of things which St John.saw in the church and the world about him.
the world...whosoever believeth} The love of God is without limit on His part (v. 17, note), but to appropriate the blessing of love, man must fulfil the necessary condition of faith.
17. For God sent not his (the) Son...~\ A transition is here made from the notion of sacrifice, love, gift (v. 1 6), to that of work and authority. (Yet see i John iv. 9, dirto-raXntv, not drr«oT€tX*v.) There are two words equally translated "send," which have different shades of meaning. The one used here (an-oore'AXo)), which contains the root of " apostle," suggests the thought of a definite mission and a representative character in the envoy; the other (TTt/iTrca) marks the simple relation between the sender and the sent. See xx. 21, note. It will be observed also that the title Son (the Son, not his Son), which is that of dignity, takes the place of only begotten Son, which is the title of affection.
condemn} Rather, judge (icpivr), and so in verses 18, 19), as in the exact parallel, xii. 47. It is worthy of notice that St John does not use the compound verb {naranpivut), commonly translated condemn, nor its derivatives, though they occur in the history of the woman taken in adultery (viii. 10, n).
In the later Jewish Messianic anticipations the judgment of the nations by Messiah is the most constant and the most prominent feature.
that the world... might (may) be saved} The divine purpose is, like the divine love, without any limitation. The true title of the Son is " the Saviour of the world" (ch. iv. 42; i John iv. 14. Comp. ch. i. 29; i John ii. a). The sad realities of present experience cannot change the truth thus made known, however little we may be able to understand in what way it will be accomplished. The thought is made more impressive by the threefold repetition of "the world." Comp. i. 10, xv. 19. The general result is given here (be saved) in not condemned: but he that believeth rfthat light is come into the world, *chap.t.
hath not believed in the name of the light, because their deeds were evil, only begotten Son of God. 20 For every one that doeth evil i John iv. 9 the individual appropriation of the blessing (may live).
18, 19. But though judgment was not the object of Christ's mission, judgment is in fact the necessary result of it. This judgment is self-executed, and follows inevitably from the revealed presence of Christ. (Comp. Luke ii. 34, 35-)
18. is not condemned (judged); but (omit)...;j condemned (hath been judged) already] The change of tense is most significant. In the case of the believer there is no^ judgment. His whole life is in Christ. In* the case of the unbeliever, the judgment is completed; he is separated from Christ, because he hath not believed on the revelation made in the person of Him who alone can save. The epithet only begotten, applied here again to the Son, brings out in relation to God (as has been seen) the idea of the Father's love (•v. 1 6); in relation to man the singleness of our hope.
hath not believed in the name of.,.] hath not acknowledged Christ as being the only Son of God, such as He is revealed to be. Comp. ii. 23, note, i. 12, note. The belief in Christ under this one cardinal aspect leads to the full faith in His Person. Comp. i John v. 10, 13. The tense (hath not believed) is emphatic and corresponds with hath been judged: he is not in the state of one who believed when it was open to him to do so.
19. And this...'] The reality — the necessity— of the judgment of the unbelieving is involved in the recognition of the character of Christ's coming. Judgment is not an arbitrary sentence, but the working out of an absolute law.
condemnation] judgment. But more exactly the process (jcpt'o-i?), and not the result («cpi/ia): the judging rather than the judgment. The manifestation of Christ was in fact both a process of judgment and also a sentence of judgment upon man. Comp. ix. 39, note. For the idea of "judgment," see Introd.
that... is come...and...] The two facts are placed simply side by side (comp. i. 10, ii, &c.), each in its independent completeness.
light is come...'] the light, not simply light. Comp. i. 4. And so again, men loved the darkness rather than the light. The alternatives were offered to men in their most absolute form; the contrast of "the light" and "the darkness" was complete; and so men made their choice.
and men..."] This was the immediate and general issue on which the apostle looked. Men as a class (oi avdpwiroi, ch. xvii. 6) passed sentence on themselves in action. Comp. xii. 48.
loved... were] The past tenses are used in the retrospect of the actual reception of the revelation of Christ made to men. Men loved (riyajrqo-av) the darkness at the time when the choice was offered, because their works were habitually (rjv) evil.
rather than..."] i.e. choosing it in preference to. The decision was final. Comp. xii. 43.
because (for) their deeds (works) were evif] The order of the original is very remarkable. Its force might be suggested in English by the inversion, "for evil were their works." It is best to keep the usual rendering of the original (tpya) " works " not " deeds " here and in the following verses (vv. 20, 21).
20, 21. The tragic issue of Christ's coming, the judgment which followed it, was due to the action of a moral law. All that has affinity with the light comes to it, all that is alien from it shrinks from it. Men's works were evil, and therefore they sought to avoid conviction under the darkness.
20. doeth evil (ill)] The word rendered evil here (<paCXor) is different from the common word (Trovjjpdff) used in v. 19. It occurs v. 29; Rom. ix. ii; a Cor. v. 10 (in each case contrasted with good); Tit. ii. 8; James iii. 16; and corresponds to the English bad, as expressing that which is poor, mean, worthless, of its kind, and so unfit for careful scrutiny.
doeth] The words translated doeth here and in v. 21 are different. That used here (irpcuro-a>v) expresses the scope and general character of a man's activity: that used in v. 21 (TTOUOV) the actual result outwardly shewn. There is a similar contrast in Rom. i. 32, ii 3, vii. 15, 19, 20. Bad actions have a moral weight, but no real and permanent being like the Truth.
hateth the light, neither cometh to to the light, that his deeds may DC the light, lest his deeds should be made manifest, that they are wrought
21 But he that doeth truth cometh 22 ^ After these things came Je-
hateth the light...] He both hates the light in itself and shrinks from it in consideration of its effects.
lest his deeds should...'] Rather, In order that his works may not... The particle is the same as in the following verse, and marks the direct object of the evil-doer.
21. But he that...'] In addition to the contrast of the verbs already noticed (v. ao), there is a further contrast in the forms of the two expressions "doing ill" and "doing the truth." In the one case action is represented by the many separate bad works ($aCXa irpao— o-wv), in the other by the realisation of the one Truth (TTOLUV TTjf a\ri6tiav), which includes in a supreme unity all right deeds.
doeth truth] doeth the truth. The phrase is a remarkable one. Right action is true thought realised. Every fragment of right done is so much truth made visible. The same words occur i John i. 6. Comp. Neh. ix. 33; Gen. xxiv. 49, xlvii. 19. The phrase is not unfrequent in Rabbinic writings. St Paul gives emphasis to the same thought by contrasting "the truth" with "unrighteousness:" a Thess. ii. la; i Cor. xiii. 6; Rom. i. 1 8, ii. 8. Comp. Eph. iv. a4, v. 9.
cometb to...~] It is not said even of him that ' ' he loveth the light." This perhaps could not be said absolutely of man. Action is for him the test of feeling. It must be noticed that the words recognise in man a striving towards the light. Comp. vii. 37 (thirst), xi. 5 a, xviii. 37.
be made manifest, that...'] Whatever may be the imperfection of the deeds of the Christian in themselves, he knows that they were wrought in virtue of his fellowship with God. He is not therefore proudly anxious that they may be tested, and that so the doer may have praise since they abide the test; but looks simply to this that their spring may be shewn.
Hence it follows that A. V. is right in the rendering that. The other rendering because introduces a thought foreign to the argument. For the construction, see i John ii. 19.
be made manifest'] for they have a character which bears the light. Comp. Eph. v. 13.
are -wrought (have been wrought) in God] in union with Him, and therefore by His power. The original order lays the emphasis on God: "that it is in God, and not by the man's own strength, they have been wrought." The perfect participle (eWti» «pya<rp.tvd) has its full force. The works of the believer are wrought in God, and as they have been once wrought they still abide. St John elsewhere adopts the same resolved form. Comp. ii. 17 note (ytypap.fjifv
This section forms the natural sequel to the visit of Christ to Jerusalem. He had offered Himself there with a significant sign as Messiah. The sign was generally not interpreted or misinterpreted; and leaving the Holy City, He began His work (so to speak) again as a prophet, following in part the method of the Baptist. Thus slowly by act and word He prepared a body of disciples to recognise Him, and to believe in Him, and to accept the true conception of Messiah's nature and work.
The section falls into three parts. There is a summary notice of Christ's work (aa — 24). This is followed by John's testimony (25 — 30); which is drawn out at greater length by the Evangelist (31 — 36).
The contents of the section are peculiar to St John, who writes as a companion of the Lord.
22 — 24. For a time Christ and the Baptist worked side by side, preaching "repentance" (Mark i. 15), and baptizing. The Messiah took up the position of a prophet in Judaea, as afterwards in Galilee. (See v. a4-)
22. After these things'] The phrase does not indicate immediate connexion. Comp. v. i, note. The first preaching of Christ was in the temple. When He found no welcome there He spoke in the Holy City: then in Judaea: afterwards in Galilee, which thenceforth became the centre of His teaching.
The phrase occurs also in Matt. ix. 10 (Markii. 15), 19; Mark viii. 87. In each case there is a special force in the vivid representation of the great Teacher and of the accompanying disciples as two distinct elements in the picture.
the land of Jud*a\ as distinguished from Jerusalem itself. The exact phrase occurs here only in the New Testament. Compare Mark i. 5; Acts xxvi. 20, where "the country of Judza" is similarly contrasted with the capital.
tarried] The stay was probably prolonged for some time. See Additional Note on v. i.
sus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with «chap. 4. a. them, 'and baptized.
23 1T And John also was baptizing in./Enon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 1T Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was
ministered by the disciples, iv. 2, would belong to the preparation for the kingdom, like John's baptism. It was not and indeed could not be an anticipation of the Christian Sacrament which it foreshadowed. Comp. Matt. iv. 17; Mark i. 14, 15. At this point then the work of Christ and of His Forerunner met. Christ had not been acknowledged as king in the chief seat of the theocracy: therefore He began His work afresh on a new field and in a new character.
23. And John also,..'] The Baptist continued to fulfil his appointed work though he had acknowledged Christ.
in jEnon near to Salim'] The word JEiion is probably an adjectival form from the familiar am (eye, spring), meaning simply "abounding in springs" (fountains). The situation of Salim is disputed. In the time of Eusebius Salim was identified with a place on the confines of Galilee and Samaria on the west of Jordan, six or eight miles south of Scythopolis (Rethshan). A place bearing the name of ^Aynun has been found not far from a valley abounding in springs to the north of the Salim which lies not far to the east of Nablous (' Palestine Exploration Report,' 1874, pp. 141 f., comp. 1876, p. 99). Comp. Introd.
much water] The form of the phrase (rroXXa vSara) probably indicates many fountains or streams or pools of water. Mark ix. 22; Matt. xvii. 15. Elsewhere the plural is used of the gathered or troubled waters; Matt, viii. 32, xiv. 28, 29; Rev. i. 15, &c.
24. For John..."] More exactly, For John had not yet been cast... This note of time must be taken in connexion with Matt. iv. 12, 13, 17; Mark i. 14. The public ministry of the Lord in Galilee did not begin till after this time, after John was cast into prison as the Synoptists record. The events in Galilee, which the evangelist has already related (ii. i — 12), were preparatory to the manifestation at Jerusalem which was the real commencement of Christ's Messianic work. St John records the course and issue of this manifestation: the other Evangelists start with the record of the Galilaean ministry which dates from the imprisonment of the Baptist. Comp. Mark i. 14, note.
25 — 30. The outward similarity of the work of Christ and of the Baptist gave an occasion (25, 26) for the last testimony of the Baptist to Christ. In the eyes of some Christ appeared as his rival. To these the Baptist himself shewed what his own work was, and then he left his hearers to recognise Christ.
25. Then there arose] The particle (ovv) is one not of time but of consequence: There arose therefore... as a consequence of this double work of baptizing, the Jews'] According to the most probable reading, a Jew, which gives a definiteness to the incident otherwise wanting.
about purifying] that is, as we may suppose, about the religious value of baptism, such as John's. We cannot but believe that Christ, when He administered a baptism through His disciples, explained to those who offered themselves the new birth which John's baptism and this preparatory baptism typified. At the same time He may have indicated, as to Nicodemus, the future establishment of Christian Baptism, the sacrament of the new birth. In this way nothing would be more natural than that some Jew, a direct disciple, should be led to disparage the work of John, contrasting it with that of which Christ spoke; and that thereupon John's disciples, jealous for their master's honour, should come to him complaining of the position which Christ had taken.
26. Rabbi...'] The title of reverence is emphatic. The speakers first contrast the new Teacher with their own, and then describe his present action. Rabbi, he that was -with thee, in thy company as one of thy disciples, beyond Jordan, in the most conspicuous and successful scene of thy ministry, to whom thou (o-v) hast borne witness, as the authoritative judge, behold he is baptizing...
/chap. i. 7, wjth thee beyond Jordan, Ao whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 2j John answered and said,
K)r, take man can ' receive nothing, except it bridegroom: but the friend of the not only the fact, "barest witness," but by the perfect, "thou hast borne witness," marks the testimony as being yet effective: ch. i. 34.
27 — 30. The words of the Baptist meet the jealous zeal, of his disciples. He (i) lays down the principle of revelation (v. 27); and then (i) applies it to his own work, both as to (a) The past witness (v, 28), and as to (0) The present fulfilment (v. 29); and then (3) draws the main conclusion (v. 30).
27. Every contrast of teacher with teacher is harmonized by the truth that each has only that which God has given him.
answered} The answer lies in the simple explanation of the essential relation between the Forerunner and the Christ, drawn from the universal truth. When this is once apprehended all possibility of rivalry is gone. The message which was brought to John by his disciples as a complaint, in his eyes crowns his proper joy.
A man... heaven} The principle is general, and must not be interpreted either of Christ, or of the Baptist, alone. It has an application to both. The Baptist says in fact: " I cannot claim any new authority which has not been directly assigned to me; He, of whom you speak, cannot effectually exercise His power unless it be of divine origin."
A man...'} The word has force (comp. v. 4). It is the law of human existence as dependent upon God, to which even Messiah is subject.
receive} The original word (\ap&ca>(iv) includes the conceptions of "receiving" and "taking." Comp. v. 32, note. The thought here is that there is but one source of spiritual power, and that opened by God's love, and not by man's own will.
be given} More exactly, have been given. The divine gift, already complete in itself, makes the human appropriation possible.
from (eV, out of) heaven} The phrase is not the same as "from God:" out of the treasury, so to speak, of all true and abiding blessings. Comp. xix. n.
28, 29. The principle stated in v. 17 is applied directly by the Baptist to himself, according to his earlier definition of his work, and, under a figure, to Christ.
28. Ye yourselves} You need no teacher to meet your difficulty. The zeal which you display is shewn to be mistaken if you only recall what I said. When I announced my mission I declared it to be provisional. No word of mine can have given occasion to the error whereby you claim for me the highest place.
before him} The Baptist. now distinctly identifies Him of whom he had spoken before in general terms (i. 26, 30) as "the Christ." The manifestation to Israel had taken place. The difference of language is very significant.
29. The Baptist spoke plainly of himself, but he speaks of Christ's office and position in mysterious language, answering exactly to the situation. That position must be recognised in order that He may be known, as the Baptist knew Him.
the bride... the bridegroom} The image is commonly used in the prophetical books of the Old Testament from first to last to describe the relation between Jehovah and His people, Hos. ii. 19; Ezek. xvi.; Mai. ii. n. In the New Testament it is applied to Christ and the church as here, Rev. xix. 7, xxi. 2, 9, xxii. 17 (comp. Eph. v. 32 ff.); and also to the connexion of Christ with any particular body of Christians, 2 Cor. xi. 2.
the friend of the bridegroom} To whom it fell to demand the hand of the bride, and to prepare everything for the due reception of the bride and bridegroom. Comp. Buxtorf, * Lex. Rabb.,' or Levy, ' Chald. Wbrterb.' s. v. W3B>1B>. The Baptist had fulfilled his office in preparing and bringing the representatives of the spiritual Israel — the new divine Bride— to Christ— the Bridegroom.
standeth} in the attitude of expectation and ready service, and heareth him not only as cognisant of his presence, but as waiting to fulfil his commands. Comp. xii. 29 (Mark ix. I, TWV f<rrt]ieara>v).
eth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
xxiii. 14; James v. 17. The idiom is common in the LXX. as the representative of the Hebrew construction with the inf. abs., but it is found also in classical writers. It is significant that it is found here only in St John's writings.
because of the bridegroom' 's voice] when he has entered his new home, bringing his bride with him, and there first spoken with her at the marriage feast. The full, clear voice of the bridegroom's love is contrasted with all the words of those who have prepared for His coming.
this my joy] The form of the original is emphatic: this joy, the joy of seeing a work happily consummated, which is mine. Comp. xv. 9, note.
is fulfilled] Literally, hath been fulfilled already, when, as you announce, the Christ is gathering round Him the disciples who are the beginnings of His church. Comp. i. 34.
decrease] in imprisonment, suspense, martyrdom. These last words of St John are the fulness of Christian sacrifice, and fitly close his work, and with it the old dispensation. At the same time, they have an ever-germinant fulfilment. The progress from the Law to the Gospel, from the fulness of self to the fulness of Christ, is the law of Christian life. For the later mission from the Baptist to Christ in relation to this testimony, see Matt, xi. 3, note.
31 — 36. This section contains reflections of the Evangelist on the general relation of the Son to the Forerunner, and to the teachers of the earlier dispensation generally. The Baptist had spoken figuratively in the language of the Old Testament of what Christ was, and so directed his disciples to acknowledge Him. The Evangelist looking over the long interval of years reaffirms in clearer words the witness of the Herald, and shews how it has been fulfilled.
(i) A marked contrast of style. The verses *7 — 3° are m form clear and sharp, with echoes of the abrupt prophetic speech. These (31 — 36) have a subtle undertone of thought, which binds them together closely, and carries them forward to the climax in v. 36.
(3) The use of the title " Son " absolutely (vv. 35, 36) appears to be alien from the position of the Baptist.
(4) The historical position marked in v. 32 (no man) is strikingly different from that marked in v. 29.
(5) The aorists in v. 33 describe the later experience of Christian life. Comp. i. 16.
On the other hand, the use of the present tense, v. 32 (testifieth, receivetti), vv. 51. 34 (speaketh}, is not inconsistent with the position of the Evangelist.
(a) The experience of faith (v. 33). (/3) Christ the perfect and abiding
Teacher (v. 34). (y) The Son the supreme King (v. 35).
31, 32. The earthly teacher, and such were all who came before Christ, is contrasted with the One Teacher from heaven, (i) in origin (of the earth, from above, of heaven), (2) in being (of the earth, above all), (3) in teaching (of the earth, what he hath seen and heard in the kingdom of truth). Comp. Matt. xi. ii.
31. He that cometh from above] not He that came. The work of Christ is regarded not as past nor as future, but as ever-present (vi. 33).
from above] from a higher region. The same w©rd occurs in the original (avadfv) as that used in v. 3 (again, anew); see note. It seems to be chosen from its connexion with the above (eVafco) which follows.
above alf] that is, sovereign over all things (v. 35), and not over all men only (as Vulg., supra omnes), though this is the prominent idea here, where the Son is compared with former teachers.
of the earth...earthly (of the earth)...of the earth] The same phrase (« rrjs yrjs) is thrice repeated. The rendering "earthly" in the second case obscures the thought and introduces confusion with the "earthly," i.e. realised on the earth, and not springing out of the earth, in v. 12 ((iriyfios, see note). The
32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
33 He that hath received his testimony 'hath set to his seal that God ''Rom-3-4. is true.
" earth," as distinguished from the " world," expresses the idea of the particular limitations of our being, without any accessory moral contrast with God. Its opposite is heaven. Contrast i John iv. 5 (« TOW Kovpov). The term does not occur elsewhere in St John's writings in this sense. Comp. i Cor. xv. 47.
he that is of the earth'} He who draws his origin from the earth, a child of earth, a man of men (comp. Matt xi. n), it of the earth, draws likewise the form and manner of his life from the earth, and speaketb of the earth. His birth, his existence, his teaching, are all of the same kind. The phrase to be of (dvai «V), expressing a moral connexion, is characteristic of St John. It includes the ideas of derivation and dependence, and therefore of a moral correspondence between the offspring (issue) and the source. Thus according to the essential affinity of their character men are said to be of the truth, xviii. 37; i John ii. ai, iii. 19; or of the world, xv. 19, xvii. 14, 16, xviii. 36; i John ii. 16, iv. 5; and again with a personal relation of God, vii. 17, viii. 47; i John iii. 10, iv. 1—7, v. 19; 3 John ii, and of the Father, I John ii. 16; or, on the other side, of the devil, i John iii. 8 (comp. John viii. 44), and of the evil one, i John iii. 12. So Christ describes Himself as being/row above ((K TUV avw), and " the Jews " as being from below (« T«I> »caro»), viii. 13. The phrase is comparatively rare in the other writings of the New Testament, but when it occurs it is deserving of notice, Matt. i. 20, xxi. 25 f., and parallels; Luke ii. 4; Acts v. 38 f.; Rom. ix. 5; i Cor. i. 30, xi. la (a Cor. v. 18); a Cor. iv. 7; Gal. iii. 10, ao; Col. iv. ii.
The phrase to be begotten (born) of (ytytvvrjadai «) has a kindred meaning. To be of expresses the essential, permanent, relation; to be begotten of refers to the initial moment of the relation, i. 13, iii. 5, 6, 8, viii. 41 i i John ii. 29, iii. 9, iv. 7, v. i, 4, 18. It is not said of any that "they are born of the evil one." Compare iv. a a, note.
speaketb of the earth] The earth is the source from which he draws his words. Even divine things come to him through earth. He has not looked on truth absolute in the heavenly sphere. But this "speaking of the earth" is not of necessity a "speaking of the world" (i John iv. 5). On the contrary be that lometh from heaven is not only supreme over all creation, and therefore unlimited by the earth, but v. 32, witnessed — testifieth with solemn authority, in this connexion perhaps in contrast with speaketb — <wbat be bath seen and heard in heaven.
In this case the thought is not of the source of being (he that is of the earth), but of the source of authority.
from heaven] This phrase, as contrasted with from above, gives the exact correlative to from the earth.
31, 32. It is not improbable that the words is above all and and should be omitted, so that the words should run on: he that cometh from heaven testifieth <wbat he bath seen and beard. See Additional Note.
The section falls into the following divisions:
32. bath seen and beard] The change of tense appears to mark a contrast between that which belonged to the existence (hath seen, ioipaKtv), and to the mission (heard, ffnowtv, not bath heard) of the Son. Comp. viii. 26, 40, xv. 15 (vi. 45), and viii. 38 with varr. lectt.
testifieth] witnesseth. Even after the historical manifestation of Christ on earth has ended, He still speaks through His church. The present here is co-ordinate with the plural in v. ii. In that passage the Lord connects the testimony of the disciples with His own; and so here St John regards the testimony of the disciples as being truly the testimony of and no man...~] The issue, as elsewhere (v. ii, vii. 30, viii. ao), is simply added to the description of the revelation. For the time the testimony of Christ through His church found no acceptance. The close of the apostolic age was a period of singular darkness and hopelessness Comp. i John v. 19 (a Tim. i. 15). It was possible then for St John to say no man receivetb (literally, is receiving) his testimony (witness). This sad judgment stands in sharp contrast with v. 39, and v. a 6.
receivetb bis testimony (witness, and so in v. 33)] Two words are translated receive, one used here (\aj3clv) marking that something is taken, the other (8t£a<rdai, ch. iv. 45 only in St John), adding the notion of welcoming or receiving from another (Luke xvi. 6, 7). The former word includes also the idea of retaining that which is taken, while the latter presents only the act of reception. Hence St John uses the former of "receiving the Word" (i. 12; comp. v. 43, xiii. 20). The phrase "receive the witness" is peculiar to St John: vv. n, 33, v. 34, i John v. 9. (Comp. xii. 48, xvii. 8.) The witness is not welcomed only but kept. It becomes an endowment, a possession.
33 35. But even so, though the current of faith was checked, the church was in existence. There were disciples who had received the testimony at an earlier time, and found that in so doing they had been solemnly
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto
35 *The Father loveth the Son, *7Matt »• and hath given all things into his
united with God; and this experience of faith is still assured by the fact of Christ's absolute knowledge and absolute power.
33. He that hath received (that received, <5 Aa£wi/)] The reference appears to be directly historic, going back to the time when the disciples were first gathered round the Lord.
hath set to his seal] hath confirmed in the most solemn manner the statement which follows, that God is true. The term seal is used here only in this sense. Elsewhere the word is used of marking as reserved for a special destination: vi. 27; Rev. vii. 3. Comp. Eph. i. 13, iv. 30. There is a noble Jewish saying, quoted by Lightfoot ('Hor. Hebr.' John vi. 27), that "the seal of God is Truth." See xviii. 37, note.
that God is true] This affirmation admits of two senses, (i) It may mean that in accepting the teaching of Christ the believer accepts the teaching of God, for the words of Christ are in truth the words of God. The believer therefore by receiving these really attests what is a direct message of God; and in so doing he feels that he enters into a certain fellowship with Him, than which man can have no higher glory. The rejection of the testimony of Christ is, according to this interpretation, spoken of as " making God a liar" (i John i. 10, v. 10). (2) The statement may also be taken in a wider sense. The believer finds in Christ the complete fulfilment of every promise of God. By his experience of what Christ is and what Christ says to him he gladly confesses that "God is true," that He has left nothing unsatisfied of the hope which He has given to man. Comp. viii. 26.
The first explanation appears at first sight to fall in best with v. 34, but the second in fact embraces the first in a larger thought.
34. The proof of God's truth is found in the absolute fulness of Christ's spiritual endowment.
he whom God hath sent] the one heavenly messenger as contrasted with all the earthly.
the (words..J] Not "words" only (vi. 68), but the complete, manifold expression (TO pjnara) of the divine message.
for God giveth not...by measure unto him] for he giveth not...by measure. The words God and unto him have no place in the original text. If these are omitted it is doubtful whether the subject of the sentence is "God," or "Messiah." The object in any case must be general
If, as in the common interpretation, God be taken as the subject, the sense appears to be: " Christ speaks the words of God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure, only in a definite degree, to all, but He gives it completely."
If, on the other hand, Messiah is the subject (as Cyril takes it), the sense will be: "Christ speaks the words of God, for His words are attested by His works, in that He giveth the Spirit to His disciples as dispensing in its fulness that which is His own."
This second interpretation, which appears to have been neglected in late times owing to the false text, has much to recommend it (xv. 26).
35. The ground of what has been said lies in the actual relation of God to Messiah, as the Father to the Son.
hath given] Contrast giveth (v. 34). all things'] v. 31. The term is not to be limited in any way.
36. The absolute supremacy of the Christian revelation as compared with all that went before is seen in its final issues of life, and incapacity for life.
that believeth'} with a faith which is con tinuous, not momentary (o THOTCVUI').
hath everlasting (eternal) life'} To believe and confess that Jesus is the Son of God (i John iv. 15) is the pledge of new and abiding life By that belief our whole relation to the world, to man and to God, is changed; and changed already: This is life eternal... (xvii. 3, note).
believeth not] disobeyeth (6 aneiBaiv). Disbelief is regarded in its activity. The same word occurs i Peter iv. 17; Rom. ii. 8, x>- 3°> 3J> &c- Nothing is said of those who have no opportunity of coming to the true knowledge of Christ. Comp. Mark xvi. 16 shall not see life'} shall be unable to form any true conception of life, much less enjoy it. Comp. v. 3. The future is contrasted with the present (hath...shall not...): the simple idea of life with the full conception eternal life. Comp. v. 24, 39 f.
In this sense it is not unfrequent in the Apocalypse (xi. 18, xiv. 10, xvi. 19, xix. 15), hath everlasting life: and he that be- but the wrath of God abideth on lieveth not the Son shall not see life; him.
where "the wrath of God" is set side by side with "the wrath of the Lamb" (vi. 1 6 f.).
Here "the wrath of God" describes the general relation in which man as a sinner stands towards the justice of God. Comp.
Eph. ii. 3. St John goes back from the revelation of God as Father to the original idea of God as God.
abidetb on bini^ The natural law is inexorable. Only faith in the revelation through Christ can remove the consequences of sin which must otherwise bring God's wrath upon the sinner. Comp. i John iii. 14.
3. The word translated again (av<*6tv) properly means "from the top," "from the beginning," "from above." Thus it is used literally of the rending of the vail of the temple "from the top" (Matt, xxvii. 51; Mark xv. 38; compare John xix. 23), and temporally of knowledge possessed from an early date (Acts xxvi. 5), or traced from the source (Luke i. 3), and locally, with a spiritual application, of the wisdom which conieth "from above" (James iii. 15, 17; comp. James i. 17). The word occurs in a sense similar to this last in John iii. 31, xix. n. In Gal. iv. 9 it is combined with the simple term for "again" (iraXiv a»»«0«<), as implying the complete repetition of an entire process, starting, as it were, afresh, so as to obliterate every trace of an intermediate change.
Two interpretations of the word, derived from distinct applications of the fundamental idea, have found favour in the present place from early times: (i) "from the beginning," "over again," "anew," and (a) "from above," "from heaven." The Syriac (Peshito), Memphitic, jtthiopic, and Latin versions give the rendering "anew" (Vulgate, " renatus (natus) denuo "); the Greek writers (from Origen) generally adopt the sense, " from heaven; " the Harclean Syriac, Armenian, and Gothic versions translate " from above." The English versions have vacillated strangely. Tyndale and Coverdale, agreeing with Vulgate, Luther ("von neuen "), and Erasmus, Ed. I., gave " anew; " but Coverdale, in the Great Bible, with the Zurich version ("von oben herab"), and Erasmus, in his later editions ("e supemis"), gave "from above." The Bishops' Bible of 1568 reads " born again," but this is changed back again in 1571 to "born from above."
It has been urged in favour of the second rendering that St John constantly speaks of "being born of God" (yei/i/. <V rou &ov), i. 13; i John iii. 9, iv. 7, v. i, 4, 18, while he does not speak (as St Paul) of a "new creation." But it may be questioned whether the phrase used here (yew. ava>6tv) could be used to convey this idea of being " born of God," and it would be most strange under any circumstances that the usual mode of expressing it should be abandoned. It is further of great importance to notice that in the traditional form of the saying (e.g. Just. M. 'Ap.' I. 61) a word is used (dvaytwao-dai) as equivalent to the ambiguous phrase of St John (ytvtnjdijvai avctdfv), which unquestionably can only mean " to be reborn " (comp. i Pet. i. 3, 23). And, once again, the idea of "a birth from God" (i. 13) does not suit the context. The reality of the new birth has to be laid down first, and then its character (v. 5). The emphasis lies on "to be born." This too was evidently the sense in which Nicodemus understood the sentence (a second time). If he had found a reference to the divine action in the Lord's words he could not have left it unnoticed. There seems then to be no reason to doubt that the sense given by the Vulgate and A. V. is right, though the notion is not that of mere repetition (again), but of an analogous process (anew).
14. The narrative of the setting up of the brazen serpent (Num. xxi. 46*.) presents at first sight several difficulties. The use of an image in spite of the general prohibition, and that image the image of a serpent, is mysterious. Justin Martyr presses his Jewish opponent with this apparent violation of the divine law, and asks for an explanation. " We cannot give one," is the answer: " I have often asked my teachers about this, and no one could account for it " ('Dial.' §94, p. 3«B).
The earliest reference to the incident is in the Book of Wisdom. "[The murmuring people] were troubled for a little while, for warning, having a symbol (cn^/SoXoi/ not ooi/i- £ovXov) of salvation, to remind them of Thy commandments; for he that turned to it was saved, not by reason of that which he beheld (Sia TO Qtvpovpevov), but by reason of the Saviour of all" ( Wisd. xvi. 6 f.). This explanation of the efficacy of the symbol is commonly given by Jewish writers. So the Targum of Jonathan: "it shall come to pass that if [one bitten] look upon it, he shall live, if his heart be directed to the Name of the Word (Memra) of the Lord."
Philo interprets the serpent as the antithesis of the serpent of the Temptation, an idea which is found also in Rabbinic writings. "The ser-
This interpretation found some currency among the Christian Fathers. Ambrose, evidently following some earlier authority, speaks of "my serpent, the good serpent (comp. Matt. x. 1 6), who sheds not poison but its antidotes from his mouth... The serpent which after the winter is past puts off his fleshly dress (exuit se carports amictu), that he may appear in fair beauty" (In Ps. cxliii. 'Serm.'
The belief that the serpent was the emblem of healing and life (Knobel on Num. xxi.) according to the heathen conception, which was developed among the Ophite sects (comp. Tertull. 'de Praescr. Haer.' 47), carries out this conception to a more extravagant form.
There can however be little doubt that the serpent in Scripture is the symbol of the personal power of evil (Rev. xii. 9 ff.; a Cor. xi. 3; Gen. iii. iff.); and that the central thought in the Mosaic narrative is that of the evil by which the people suffered being shewn openly as overcome (comp. Col. ii. 15). He who looking upon the symbol recognised in it the sign of God's conquering power, found in himself the effects of faith. The evil was represented as overcome in a typical form (a brazen serpent") and not in an individual form (a natural serpent), and therefore the application of the image was universal.
If now we consider the immediate application of the symbol, it is at once clear that by transferring the image of the elevation of the serpent to Himself Christ foreshewed that He was to be presented in some way conspicuously to men, and that being so presented He was to be the source of life to those who looked to Him with faith. So much Nicodemus would be able to gather. Can we now after the event follow out the parallel yet further?
The elevation of the serpent on the pole, and the serpent itself, have been supposed to be directly significant of the circumstances of the death of Christ upon the cross. As to the first point, it seems to be reasonable to say that the mode in which the brazen serpent was shewn to the eye of faith aptly prefigured the mode in which Christ was presented to men with redemptive power (comp. xii. 32). The second point presents greater difficulty, but it is frequently pressed by early writers. Thus the author of the Epistle of Barnabas supposes Moses to address the people in these words:
"Whenever any one of you is bitten, let him come to the serpent which is placed upon the tree («rl rov £i)Xou), and let him hope in faith,
that he [the symbolic serpent] being dead can make alive, and immediately he shall be saved "
(Barn. 'Ep.' xii.). In this aspect the harmlessness of the typical serpent was naturally dwelt upon. So Origen writes: "A brazen serpent was a type of the Saviour," for He was not a serpent truly; but "represented (tmitabatur) a serpent..." ('Horn. xi. in Ezech.' § 3). Others follow out this idea more in detail. For example, Gregory of Nyssa, explaining the history at some length, says: "The
law shews us that which is seen upon the tree (TO eVl £v\ov fyaivoptvov), and this is the likeness of a serpent and not a serpent, as also the divine Paul saith, 'in likeness of flesh of sin' (Rom. viii. 3). The true serpent is sin; and he that deserts to sin puts on the nature of the serpent. Man therefore is freed from sin by Him who assumed (yirf\66vros) the form (eiSoj) of sin, and was made after our fashion (yfvopevov naff »fcas), who were changed to the form of the serpent" ('De vit. Mos.' i.
Epiphanius, adopting the. same view, that the serpent represented Christ, explains the connexion quite differently. "The Jews," he writes, "treating Christ as a serpent, were wounded by the wiles of the serpent, that is the devil, and then healing came to those who were bitten, as by the lifting up of the serpent" ('Hzr.' xxxvil. § 7, pp. 273 f.)-
Tertullian, on the other hand, saw in the serpent the image of the devil slain, though he implies that the figure was variously interpreted in his time ('de Idol.' v. Comp. 'adv. Jud.' x.).
Justin Martyr dwells only upon the figure of the cross (arj^tlov LXX.), on which the serpent was raised, and not on the serpent itself, as the emblem of the Lord's saving Passion ('Apol.' I. 60, 'Dial.' 94).
In the face of these and other differences of interpretation in detail, it seems to be far best to compare the two acts together as wholes, the elevation of the serpent, and the elevation of Christ on the cross, without attempting to follow out the comparison of the parts separately. The lifting up of the serpent, as Augustine says, is the death of Christ, the cause being signified by the effect (Aug. 'De pecc. mer. et remiss.' I. 32). In Christ sin was slain, and he who had the power of sin (Rom. vi. 6; Col. ii. 14). Christ lifted up upon the cross "draws all men unto Him for eternal salvation" Ign. (interpol. 'ad Smyrn.' a). Looking to Him the believer finds life. (Comp. Bas. 'de Sp. s.' xiv.)
In the type and the antitype the same great ideas are conspicuous. There is in both the) open manifestation of a source of healing to those smitten, effectual by faith, and that under the form of a triumph over the cause of suffering when it has been allowed to do its worst.
The Jewish writers are singularly silent as to the incident of the Brazen Serpent. " The thing was done by God's command, and it is not for us to inquire into the why and wherefore of the serpent form " (Aben Ezra, quoted by Taylor, ' The Gospel in the Law,' pp. 1 1 9 ff.). They discuss however the manner in which the symbol was efficacious, and commonly agree in supposing that it was by directing men to lift up their eyes to their Father in heaven, and to see in Him the conqueror of their enemy. The chief passages bearing upon the question are collected by the younger Buxtorf in his treatise 'De serpente aeneo' ('Exercitationes,' pp. 458 ff. Basileae, 1659). The general interpretation of the history has been frequently discussed at length. Two essays may be mentioned: Menken, 'Ueber die eherne Schlange,' 1811 ('Schnften' vi. 351 ff. 1858), and Erskine, 'The Brazen Serpent, or Life coming through Death,' 1831.