BS 2615 .R63 1916 
 Robertson, A. T., 1863-1934 
 The divinity of Christ in 
 the gospel of John 
 
The Divinity of Christ in the 
 Gospel of John 
 
Books by 
 
 PROF, A, T, ROBERTSON 
 
 The Divinity of Christ in the Gospel of 
 
 John. 
 Studies in the New Testament. 
 Critical Notes to Broadus's Harmony of 
 
 the Gospels. 
 Life and Letters of John A. Broadus. 
 Teaching of Jesus Concerning God the 
 
 Father. 
 
 Keywords in the Teaching of Jesus. 
 
 Syllabus for New Testament Study. 
 
 Students' Chronological New Testament. 
 
 Epochs in the Life of Jesus. 
 
 Epochs in the Life of Paul. 
 
 John the Loyal. Studies in the Ministry 
 
 of the Baptist. 
 A Short Grammar of the Greek New 
 
 Testament. 
 A Commentary on the Gospel According 
 
 to Matthew. 
 
 The Glory of the Ministry. 
 
 A Grammar of the Greek New Testament 
 
 in the Light of Historical Research. 
 Practical and Social Aspects of Christianity. 
 
The Divinity of Christ 
 
 In the Gospel of John 
 
 DEC 29 ] 
 
 By 
 
 A. T. ROBERTSON, M.A., D.D., LL.D. 
 
 Professor of New Testament Interpretation in 
 the Southern Baptist Theological Semi- 
 nary, Louisville, Ky. 
 
 ** The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." 
 
 ^f^ 
 
 New York Chicago Toronto 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 London and Edinburgh 
 
Copyright, 191 6, by 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 
 
 New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
 Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
 Toronto: 25 Richmond Street, W. 
 London: 21 Paternoster Square 
 Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street 
 
To 
 
 Mrs, Mary Seaton Cary 
 
 like the Marys of this Gospel 
 Helpful Friend of Many Preachers 
 
Preface 
 
 THE Gospel of John has fascinated me 
 for over thirty years. The invitation to 
 speak on it for a week to the Sunday- 
 school teachers of Atlanta in October induced me 
 to write out the five addresses in the hope that 
 other Sunday-school teachers and ministers might 
 at least be stimulated to a fresh study of this most 
 wonderful book in all the world. There are all 
 sorts of books about the Gospel of John and a 
 brief bibliography is appended at the end of this 
 volume. I do not undertake to write a full com- 
 mentary on John's Gospel, but rather to develop 
 the thesis of the book, as I understand it, with 
 brevity and clearness so that the average man may 
 understand the book better as a whole and in detail 
 as he is led to read it with new interest. John 
 can help us to see Jesus and thus to see God. It is 
 just this vision of God in Christ that makes life 
 worth while and rich. This is a good time for us 
 all to say to Jesus in our hearts, " My Lord and my 
 God." 
 
 A. T. R. 
 
 Louisville^ Ky, 
 

 Contents 
 
 
 I. 
 
 Preliminary Points . . • • 
 
 II 
 
 II. 
 
 The Manifestation of the Messiah . 
 {Chapters 1-4..) 
 
 34 
 
 III. 
 
 The Growing Hatred of Jesus . 
 (Chapters J-//.) 
 
 65 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Secret of Jesus . . . . 
 {Chapters 12-1';) 
 
 95 
 
 V. 
 
 The Scorn of Christ's Enemies . 
 {Chapters 18 and ig.) 
 
 131 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Vindication 
 
 {Chapters 20 and 21.) 
 
 153 
 
I 
 
 PRELIMINARY POINTS 
 
 " We know that his witness is true." 
 
 I, The Author. 
 
 A MYSTERY hangs over the authorship of 
 the Fourth Gospel that may never be com- 
 pletely removed. For some reason the 
 writer repeatedly speaks of "the disciple whom 
 Jesus loved" and never mentions by name the 
 Apostle John, though he does speak of " the sons 
 of Zebedee" (John 21 : 2) as two of the seven pres- 
 ent by the Sea of Tiberias, and he apparently identi- 
 fies one of these seven with " the disciple whom 
 Jesus loved following " Jesus and Peter (21 : 20), and 
 the claim is pointedly made in 21 : 24 that the dis- 
 ciple whom Jesus loved is the author of the book. 
 If it is not modesty on the part of the author that 
 keeps him from calling himself by name when there 
 was occasion for it, one seems forced to think that 
 the author has a strange prejudice against John the 
 Apostle. One other alternative is, of course, possi- 
 ble, that the writer was trying to create the impres- 
 sion that he was the Apostle John without saying 
 so in plain language. But one who desired to do 
 
12 THE DIVINITY OP CHEIST 
 
 that would hardly hesitate to go further like the 
 other pseudonymous writings of the period. Delff ' 
 advocates the view that the author of this Gospel 
 was not one of the Twelve, but a native of Jerusa- 
 lem and of a family of wealth and priestly rank. 
 There is some attractiveness in this view to Sanday ^ 
 who offers it as a possible alternative to the Johan- 
 nine authorship which he still tentatively holds. The 
 trouble is that we have to hypothecate an unknown 
 bosom friend of Jesus in Jerusalem outside the 
 number of the Twelve who yet was as close to Jesus 
 as the inner circle of three (Peter, James, and John) 
 in the Synoptic Gospels and who, like John in the 
 Synoptic Gospels and Acts and Galatians, was also 
 a companion of Simon Peter. There is also left 
 unexplained the apparent prejudice against John 
 the Apostle in the Fourth Gospel. The Gospel 
 itself, taken in connection with the facts in the 
 Synoptic Gospels, calls for the Apostle John as 
 the author. Sanday ^ holds that this is " the more 
 natural and obvious view." The arguments for it 
 are very strong as presented by Luthardt,* Light- 
 
 *"Das Vierte Evangelium wiedergestellt " (1890); 
 " Ncue Beitrage zur Kritik und Erklarung des vierten Evan- 
 geliums '* (1890). 
 
 '"The Criticism of the Fourth Gospel," pp. 17, 107. 
 Swete ("The Journal of Theological Studies," July, 19 16, 
 pp. 271-278) puts the view of DelfF plausibly as a tentative 
 alternative to the Johannine authorship. 
 
 ^ " Criticism of the Fourth Gospel," p. 107. 
 
 * " St. John the Author of the Fourth Gospel " (1875). 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 13 
 
 foot/ Westcott,2 Ezra Abbott,^ Godet/ Zahn,^ B. 
 Weiss,^ Dods/ James Drummond,^^ Sanday,^ Stan- 
 ton/'' VVatkins/^ These are weighty names in 
 modern criticism and they offer powerful argu- 
 ments for the position that the Apostle John wrote 
 the Fourth Gospel. He was a Jew, a Palestinian, 
 and an eye-witness of the ministry of Jesus, and 
 claims the most intimate relation with Jesus. All 
 this points to John beyond a doubt and the argu- 
 ment is to me satisfactory and convincing. 
 
 Probably there would have arisen no doubt on 
 the subject if we did not have the Apocalypse 
 of John which expressly claims to have been writ- 
 ten by a " John " (Rev. i : 9). The tone and tem- 
 per of this book, along with its grammatical sole- 
 cisms, have led many to conclude that the same 
 
 *" Biblical Essays," pp. 1-122. ^ 
 
 ^ Vol. I of his commentary (1909), pp. ix-clxxviii. 
 
 '" Critical Essays " (1888), pp. 9-108. 
 
 *** Commentary on the Gospel of John," 2 vols. (1886- 
 1890). 
 
 ^"Introduction to the New Testament," 3 vols. (1909). 
 
 * " A Manual of Introduction to the New Testament," 
 2 vols. (1889); "Dritte Auflage " (1897). " Meyer- 
 Komm. 9 Aufl." (1902). 
 
 '' " Expositor's Greek Testament " (1902). 
 
 ^ ** An Inquiry into the Character and Authorship of the 
 Fourth Gospel " (1904). 
 
 ^"The Criticism of the Fourth Gospel " (1905). 
 
 ^° " The Gospels as Historical Documents," Part I (1903). 
 
 ^^ " Modern Criticism Considered in Relation to the Fourth 
 Gospel" (1890). 
 
14 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 man cannot be the author of both books. The 
 Epistles cause httle difficulty since in style they 
 closely resemble the Gospel. There are, to be sure, 
 men who deny the real Johannine authorship of any 
 of these books, like Moffatt, who regards the author 
 of the original P'ourth Gospel (chaps. i-20) and the 
 Appendix (chap. 21) as " both unknown " ^ and the 
 author of the Apocalypse as probably the Presby- 
 ter John.'^ He admits the possibility that the Pres- 
 byter John is the author of all the Johannine writ- 
 ings. Papias, as quoted by Eusebius,^ is responsible 
 for the theory that the Presbyter John is the author 
 of one or of all the Johannine books. " The elder " 
 (3 John i) is the author of the Third Epistle of 
 John. But it is by no means certain that Papias 
 means to assert the separate existence of the " Pres- 
 byter John." He may simply be repeating his 
 reference to the Disciple or Apostle John.^ Some, 
 accepting this nebulous " Presbyter John," would 
 claim the Gospel and Epistles for him and the 
 Apocalypse for the Apostle John because of its 
 grammatical crudities (cf. Acts 4 : 13). Others 
 would argue precisely the other way and claim 
 the Gospel for the Apostle and the Apocalypse for 
 the Presbyter. 
 
 There is thus a considerable body of opinion 
 
 ^ " Introduction to the Literature of the New Testament " 
 (191 1), p. 570. 
 
 ^ Ibid.y p. 615. 
 
 ^ Eus. H. E., Vol. Ill, p. 39, 6 Trpeff^utepo^ 'Iwdvvrj^. 
 
 *See the matter argued by Dom Chapman, "John the 
 Presbyter and the Fourth Gospel" (191 1). 
 
PEELIMINARY POINTS 15 
 
 against the Johannine authorship of the Fourth 
 Gospel represented by such names as Bacon, H. J. 
 Holtzmann, O. Holtzmann, Jiilicher, Loisy, Moffatt, 
 Pfleiderer, Reville, Schmiedel, Wernle, Wrede. 
 There is obviously not room in my book for an 
 examination of the various objections raised by 
 these critics to the Johannine authorship of the 
 Fourth Gospel. They are presented both on in- 
 ternal and external grounds and are ably and subtly 
 argued. In general it may be said that these men 
 reject the supernatural and the deity of Jesus Christ, 
 though this is by no means true of Moffatt who 
 ably defends both positions, and not vi^holly true of 
 Bacon. Per contra, it is pleasant to note that both 
 Ezra Abbott and James Drummond are Unitarians 
 and no writers have produced abler defenses of the 
 Johannine authorship than they have done. Bishop 
 Lightfoot* once said that the opponents of the 
 Johannine authorship of the Fourth Gospel were 
 either Rationalists who rejected the supernatural or 
 Unitarians who denied the deity of Christ Jesus. 
 This is not precisely true to-day as Bacon ^ shows, 
 although it is to some extent. Bacon himself is a 
 keen representative of those who wish to hold on 
 in some form to belief in the deity of Jesus and yet 
 who find themselves much puzzled by modern 
 knowledge in science and Biblical criticism.^ He 
 overemphasizes the contrast between the Fourth 
 
 * " Biblical Essays," p. 47. 
 
 ' " The Fourth Gospel in Research and Debate " (1910), 
 pp. 2f. »/^/V., pp. 535 f. 
 
16 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels and bluntly says 
 that both accounts cannot be true and we must 
 make our choice.* This standpoint is only true of 
 those who hang up on this or that detail and lose a 
 clear grasp of the total picture. No one has put 
 the case against the Johannine authorship more 
 adroitly than has Bacon, though his objections are 
 in the main those of his predecessors. The style of 
 the narrative and of the discourses is the same ; the 
 picture of Jesus differs radically from that of the 
 Synoptics ; the teaching of Jesus in language and 
 thought is too unlike that of the Synoptics ; the 
 philosophy of the book is Alexandrian (like Philo) ; 
 the book is a later development of Hellenism and 
 Paulinism and even with Gnostic tendencies ; the 
 language is too finished for John the fisherman- 
 apostle. These arguments are more or less impress- 
 ive, but are all capable of a different shading in 
 entire harmony with the Johannine authorship. 
 If John lived to the close of Domitian's reign, as 
 Irenaeus says he did, he had ample opportunity in 
 Ephesus for contact with Hellenistic, Gnostic, and 
 Philonic teaching and for the furbishing of his style, 
 if indeed a group of friends there did not read the 
 manuscript for him. Contrast the *'we" and the 
 "I" in 21 : 24, 25. An old man would naturally 
 tend to report the dialogue somewhat in his own 
 style. Indeed, the Synoptic Gospels vary greatly 
 in the report of the words of Jesus, some of which 
 
 ' "The Fourth Gospel in Research and Debate " (1910), 
 PP- 3 f. 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 17 
 
 certainly were translated from the Aramaic. It 
 would not be surprising if Paul had some influence 
 on John the Apostle as he did upon Simon Peter. 
 It is not true that the picture of Jesus in the Fourth 
 Gospel differs wholly from that in the Synoptic 
 Gospels nor even from that in Q (the Logia of Jesus) 
 supposed to he behind our present Matthew and 
 Luke. In Q Jesus is both Lord and Christ and 
 makes claims to a rank above that of man. 
 
 There are other theories about the Gospel of 
 John. Some men admit a Johannine kernel and 
 explain the book as the work of a disciple of the 
 Apostle John or as the work of a Johannine school. 
 These views are held in various forms by von Dob- 
 schutz/ Harnack,^ Briggs,^ Wendt.* Sanday^ con- 
 siders all these efforts " foredoomed to failure " and 
 I agree with him. Some of these theories also sug- 
 gest a great deal of transposition of material which 
 is a rather easy way out of a difficulty. 
 
 This great problem will continue to be discussed 
 and men will be convinced one way or the other 
 partly by temperament and predisposition. There 
 is no such thing as absolute impartiality. It would 
 probably be wholly negative and ineffective if it 
 
 ^ ** Probleme des apostolischen Zeitalters " (1904). 
 
 '^ ** ChronoJogie d. altchristlichen Litteratur.** 
 
 ^"General Introduction to Scriptures" (1899); "New 
 Light on the Life of Jesus " (1904). 
 
 '"The Teaching of Jesus " (1892); "The Gospel Ac- 
 cording to John : An Inquiry into its Genesis and Historical 
 Value" (1892). 
 
 *" Criticism of the Fourth Gospel," p. 22. 
 
18 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 were found. I have not space here to give the 
 reasons for the faith that is in me for the Johannine 
 authorship of the Fourth Gospel, but I at least may 
 be allowed to say that the reasons are satisfying to 
 my own mind after due and long consideration of 
 the minute and zealous criticism on all sides of the 
 problem. There is one point at least that I wish to 
 accent a bit, and that is the double strain in John's 
 own temperament. Jesus called John and James 
 Boanerges, or sons of thunder (Mark 3: 17), and 
 the selfish ambition of these two men and their 
 mother when they requested the two best places in 
 the temporal kingdom (Matt. 20 : 20; Luke 18 : 35) 
 which they expected justifies this description. Be- 
 sides, they wished to call down fire on the Samaritan 
 village that did not welcome Jesus. John wished 
 to stop a man who was casting out demons in the 
 name of Jesus, but who did not belong to the com- 
 pany of the Twelve (Mark 9 : 38 f. ; Luke 9 : 49 f.). 
 And yet if John was the author of the Fourth 
 Gospel and the disciple whom Jesus loved, a won- 
 derful change must have come over him. That is 
 possible. I happen to know that Basil Manly, Jr., 
 who used to be called " the Beloved John " because 
 of his gentleness and grace, was once a man of 
 violent temper with occasional outbursts of vehe- 
 mence. But he overcame his temper. However, in 
 the First Epistle of John we still see both traits in 
 the old disciple who writes so tenderly to the " little 
 children " about love (i John 2:7-17) and almost 
 in the same breath says that the man is " a liar " 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 19 
 
 who claims to know God and does not keep His 
 commandments (i John 2 : 4). There is the crash 
 of the thunderbolt still and the lightning flash of 
 anger in the old man yet as he rages against the 
 professional pietists who claimed exclusive mystic 
 knowledge of God but denied Him by their loose 
 living, justifying themselves by their Gnostic philos- 
 ophy. The Apocalypse has still more of the thun- 
 der and the lightning, but even here there are 
 flashes of tenderness and notes of love and grace. 
 
 I may be allowed to say in passing that, while 
 the Apocalypse presents difficulties all its own, it is 
 entirely possible that the Hnguistic freedom seen 
 there may be partly due to the excitement of the 
 visions and partly to lack of revision owing to the 
 author's isolation on the Isle of Patmos.* The lan- 
 guage in John 21: 24 may suggest that the Ephe- 
 sian elders revised the work of the Apostle. But 
 this matter is not an essential phase of the problem 
 of the Fourth Gospel. We must not forget how 
 much we do not know of the work and growth of 
 the Apostle John, who had no Luke to record his 
 deeds for future ages after the opening chapters of 
 Acts, and even there John is distinctly overshad- 
 owed by Simon Peter. The figure of the Apostle 
 John remains in the shadow, now behind Jesus, now 
 behind Peter, and now behind Paul. And yet this 
 quiet (anon explosive) man of poetic and reflective 
 temperament outlived all the circle of the Twelve. 
 
 * See Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New Testa- 
 ment in the Light of Historical Research," pp. 133-137. 
 
20 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 It was his glory to be the eagle of that circle and to 
 fly higher than any of them in his flight after the 
 truth that is in Jesus. He became the Mystic 
 Christian * who rivalled " Paul the Mystic," ^ His 
 old age is delicately alluded to in the Epilogue to 
 his Gospel (John 21 : 20-23) ^^d the misapprehen- 
 sion of the word of Jesus about it corrected.^ But 
 John lived through the entire wonderful first cen- 
 tury A. D. He knew the humble hfe around the 
 Sea of Galilee and followed Jesus till Calvary came 
 and the Resurrection and the Ascension. He was 
 at Pentecost and shared the prison with Peter during 
 the early years in Jerusalem. He was co- labourer 
 with Peter, James and Paul (Gal. 2: i-io) in the 
 great missionary plans for the age. Canon Selwyn 
 {The Expositor, September, 19 16, pp. 229-236) 
 claims that in John 3 : 32-35 John makes a direct 
 reference to Ephesians 4: 16. If true, there is cer- 
 tainly no harm in it and no surprise about it, for 
 these are probably the writer's own words. He is 
 said to have lived long in Ephesus after Jerusalem 
 was destroyed and the Temple gone. He hved on 
 after the men of the first age of Christianity had 
 disappeared. He was able to look back upon the 
 old Judaism and the early Christianity and upon 
 the later expansion into a world faith in competi- 
 
 ^ Cf. Watson, ** The Mysticism of St. John's Gospel " 
 (1916). ^Campbell, 1907. 
 
 ^ I wish to call especial attention to the beautiful sketch of 
 the life of John the Apostle in Stalker's ** The Two Johns " 
 (1895). . 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 21 
 
 tion with the cults of the East and the philosophies 
 of Greece in the great new age of Roman imperial- 
 ism. And John seeks to interpret Jesus after many 
 others had done it with great ability and success, 
 and yet he carried within his breast hallowed mem- 
 ories of hours on the bosom of Christ, a rich legacy 
 of words that he must tell before he die. 
 
 2. The Purpose. 
 
 The author tells us himself why he writes his 
 Gospel: «* Many other signs therefore did Jesus in 
 the presence of the disciples, which are not written 
 in this book : but these are written that ye may 
 believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; 
 and that believing ye may have life in his name " 
 (John 20 : 30 f.). His purpose * is thus avowedly 
 stated to be to induce continued^ belief that the 
 man Jesus, whose career he has portrayed in part, 
 is the Anointed One,^ the Hebrew Messiah of prom- 
 ise and Jiope, and also the Son of God * (not a son 
 of God, but the Only-begotten Son of God as he 
 has previously shown) ; and last, but not least, his 
 further purpose is that thus the readers of the book 
 may by believing^ have Hfe^ in the name^ of Jesus. 
 The author is thus perfectly frank with his readers. 
 
 * Note 7va in the full final sense. 
 ^ Linear tense TriffTeurjrs (present subjunctive). 
 ' 6 j(pt<Tr6^. * 6 ulo^ TOO Oeou. ^ irtffrevovre^, 
 
 l^wrjv e^yjTs. Keep on having life. 
 
 tv ru) dvdfiaTt. Name here stands for the power of Jesus 
 as in the Old Testament usage and this usage occurs also in 
 the papyri. 
 
 6 
 
 7 2. 
 
22 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 He is a preacher first of all of life by faith in Jesus 
 Christ, the Son of God. He is in no wise ashamed 
 of that fact. He is, besides, an apologist for Chris- 
 tianity. He has laid down a thesis in the Prologue 
 of the Gospel to the effect that the Logos or Word, 
 the Eternal Son of God (i : l, i8), was not only with 
 God in the Pre-incarnate state, but was also God ; 
 and that this Logos, who was God, became flesh 
 and dwelt among men (i : 14), who beheld His 
 glory and testified to His power. This thesis he 
 sets out to prove. He claims that he has succeeded 
 in his undertaking and hopes to win converts to 
 Christ by his book. 
 
 There are critics who say at once that this is 
 history with a purpose and hence it is devoid of 
 real historical value. But this is very superficial 
 criticism at best and implies that historians write 
 in a purely objective way like the Anglo-Saxon 
 Chronicle. This is, of course, untrue. No history 
 worth the reading is other than the writer's inter- 
 pretation and arrangement of the facts to prove his 
 philosophy of history. This is just as true of 
 Ferrero's *' Greatness and Decline of Rome " as of 
 Gibbon's " DecHne and Fall of the Roman Empire." 
 Purely objective historical writing is a myth in so 
 far as it applies to the interpreters of men and 
 movements of the ages. Moffatt,* though not ac- 
 cepting the Johannine authorship, pointedly says : 
 ** The day is now over, or almost over, when the 
 
 ^ ** Introduction to the Literature of the New Testament,** 
 p. 540. 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 23 
 
 Fourth Gospel and the Synoptists could be played 
 off against each other in a series of rigid antitheses, 
 as though the one were a matter-of-fact and homo- 
 geneous chronicle and the other a spiritual reading 
 of the earlier tradition. The problem is too delicate 
 and complex for such crude methods. Recent 
 criticism of the Synoptic Gospels has brought them 
 nearer to the Fourth Gospel." The Gospel of 
 Matthew is just as much a treatise as is the Gospel 
 of John. The one undertakes to show that Jesus 
 of Nazareth is the Messiah of the Jews, the other 
 to prove that He is the Son of God. And Mark's 
 Gospel is really a pamphlet to set forth the power 
 of God in the work of Christ with the necessary im- 
 plications and inferences of a theological nature 
 concerning the person and claims of Jesus. Luke, 
 the Hellenistic historian, with the scholar's instincts 
 and habits (Luke i : 1-4), though expressly claim- 
 ing to write accurately, by no means presents a 
 colourless narrative, for he clearly takes sides in 
 the issue about Jesus whose deeds and teachings he 
 sets forth in the Gospel and also in the Acts (Acts 
 I : 1-5)- The New Testament writers are all 
 advocates of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, 
 else they would not have written at all. It is 
 preposterous to say that the very men who knew 
 most by personal experience and by research about 
 Jesus were the least qualified to set forth a true 
 record of His character and worth. There is in 
 them the bias of love, but not the blindness of love. 
 Indeed, nothing is more striking in all the Gospels 
 
24 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 than the naive truthfulness in the report of the dull- 
 ness of these very men in the presence of the full 
 brightness of Christ's glory. The Gospels are, to be 
 sure, to be studied like other historical documents, but 
 certainly with the same spirit of fairness that is ac- 
 corded toThucydides and Livy (which is by no means 
 always the case). There is also the additional cir- 
 cumstance of the greatness of the character who 
 is here set forth. This latter point is not reasoning 
 in a circle, for the Gospels did not create Jesus 
 Christ. To be sure He began His career as Jesus 
 and won the title of the Christ, but it is not true 
 that early Christianity is merely the record of the 
 deification of Jesus. There was a *• Jesus or Christ " 
 controversy,' but it was fought before a pen was 
 
 * For modern " Jesus or Christ " controversy see the 
 Hibbert Journal Supplement (Reprint for January, 1909) ; 
 Abbott, "The Son of Man'* (19 10); Bacon, "Jesus the 
 Son of God" (191 1); Briggs, ** The Incarnation of Our 
 Lord" (1902); Bruce, "The Humiliation of Our Lord" 
 (1902) ; Denney, "Jesus and the Gospel" (1908); Dorner, 
 "History of the Development of the Doctrine of the Person 
 of Christ," (5 vols., 1 878) ; Fairbairn, " The Place of Christ 
 in Modern Theology " (1893) ; Feine, ** Jesus Christus und 
 Paulus " (1905); Forrest, "The Christ of History and 
 Experience " (1897), "The Authority of Christ " (1906) ; 
 Forsyth, " The Person and Place of Jesus Christ" (1909); 
 GifFord, *' The Incarnation" (1897); Gore, "The Incar- 
 nation of the Son of God " ( 1 89 1 ) ; Knowling, " Testimony 
 of St. Paul to Christ" (2d edition, 191 1); Liddon, " Our 
 Lord's Divinity " (1889) ; Mackintosh, " The Doctrine of 
 the Person of Jesus Christ" (1912); A. Meyer, "Jesus or 
 Paul" (1909); Nicoll, "The Church's One Foundation " 
 (1902) ; Parker, " Eccc Dcus " (1875) ; Sanday, " Chris- 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 25 
 
 put to paper and the record of it is told in the 
 Gospels themselves. Here we see how the claims 
 of Jesus were met, how the little band of believers 
 were true when the ecclesiastics closed round the 
 Master in hate, how they fell away in sheer despair 
 when He lay buried in Joseph's tomb, how they 
 won their way back to faith and hope in the Risen 
 Lord by His own triumph over their stubborn 
 doubts, how at last power came after the Risen 
 Lord ascended on high with the promise to return 
 and with the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to 
 help them interpret the wondrous Being whom 
 they had known. All this is clearly set forth in 
 all the Gospels and in the opening chapters of Acts. 
 These men grew, to be sure, in the fullness of their 
 knowledge of the significance of Jesus, as He had 
 promised that they should under the tutelage of the 
 Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:14). The same 
 story is repeated in the growth of Paul as is told in 
 the Acts and in his Epistles. But no one of these 
 men grew more than did the gifted son of Zebedee, 
 who in spite of lack of the culture of the schools, 
 like Bunyan, had the spark of genius and the 
 supreme culture of the spirit through suffering and 
 long reflection and communion with God. " The 
 
 tologies Ancient and Modern" (19 10); Schweitzer, "The 
 Quest of the Historical jesus " (19 10); Stalker, "The 
 Christology of Jesus" (1901); Thorburn, ** Jesus the 
 Christ : Historical or Mythical " (1912) ; Warfield, " The 
 Lord of Glory " (1 907) ; Weinel, " Jesus im neunzehnten 
 Jahrhundcrt " ( 1906); J. Weiss, ** Christ : The Beginnings 
 of Dogma " (191 1). 
 
26 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Historical Value of the Fourth Gospel " is the title 
 of an excellent volume^ that seeks to sift and 
 weigh the various portions of the story of Jesus as 
 told in John's " Memorabilia " of a greater than 
 Socrates and by a greater than Xenophon or Plato. 
 But just as we can get a true picture of Socrates 
 from both Xenophon and Plato who differ greatly 
 in style, so we can see Jesus in each and in all the 
 Gospels. 
 
 Certain it is that to-day scholars are much more 
 inclined to credit historical statements in the Fourth 
 Gospel when standing alone than was once the 
 case.^ The danger of our deciding what could or 
 could not have taken place in ancient days is a 
 
 ^By E. H. Askwith, 19 lo. E. F. Scott ("The His- 
 torical and Religious Value of the Fourth Gospel," 1909) 
 thinks (p. 83) that John ** has modified and idealized the 
 facts," but yet ** it possesses an inestimable value even for 
 history." 
 
 ^ After I had written this portion of my discussion I read 
 with much interest in the September Expositor (1916) Rev. 
 John Macaskill's article on ** A Transformation in Socratic 
 Criticism — vv^ith an Analogy." Here the strong defense of 
 the correctness of Plato's presentation of Socrates by Prof. 
 John Burnet in his ** Greek Philosophy " is deftly used by 
 the writer as a parallel to the Fourth Gospel. The Synoptics 
 are more like Xenophon and the Fourth Gospel like Plato. 
 Professor Burnet takes Plato as the true interpreter of Socrates 
 instead of Xenophon, contrary to the usual custom. Macas- 
 kill argues cleverly that Socrates may be correctly presented 
 by both writers, Socrates in different moods. ** As it was 
 reserved to Plato with his metaphysical insight to give to the 
 world the higher flights of his master's genius, so it may have 
 been reserved to some * beloved disciple ' to interpret the 
 larger and the diviner elements in the teaching of Jesus." 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 27 
 
 perilous proceeding as Inge * so well shows. At 
 best we have only fragments of the life and teach- 
 ings of Jesus as John himself says (21 : 25) in a 
 beautiful hyperbole, if you will, but which clearly 
 recognizes the partial nature of the book of John. 
 Indeed, if John seems to have caught one strain in 
 the music of Christ's life to the exclusion of other 
 notes, that in itself is not inconceivable on the part 
 of the bosom friend of Jesus whose sensitive nature 
 responded best to that high key. But it is more 
 than curious that the logion in Matthew 11:2/ 
 (Luke lO:2i) is in precisely the style of the dis- 
 courses of Jesus in John; and this logion goes back 
 to the Q of criticism. The very claim to intimate 
 fellowship with Jesus on the part of the author pre- 
 pares one to expect in the Fourth Gospel an un- 
 usual amount of original material as the justification 
 for a later book in addition to the three well-known 
 and long accepted Synoptic Gospels. The book is 
 not to be discounted because of the personality of 
 the writer, but is to be interpreted in the light of 
 it. There is, no doubt, some shading by that rich 
 personality through the mellow mist of the long 
 years since the now old man mingled so freely in the 
 years of his youth with the incomparable Person 
 whose light even now dazzles John as he writes. 
 But John has truthfully drawn the Portrait of Christ 
 as he saw Him, and as He is, a picture that in a 
 wonderful way supplements and harmonizes with 
 
 ^ " The Historical Value of the Fourth Gospel '* (** Cam- 
 bridge Biblical Essays," 1909). 
 
28 THE DIVINITY OP CHEIST 
 
 that drawn in the Synoptic Gospels. Neither is a 
 complete picture of the Christ nor both combined. 
 My purpose therefore is frankly not to find fault 
 with John for the way in which he has presented 
 the story of Jesus, but to interpret that story, so 
 far as I may, for those who wish to follow John as 
 guide. E. F. Scott (" The Fourth Gospel; Its Pur- 
 pose and Theology," 1906, p. 15) says : " Ignorant 
 as we are of the personality of the writer, we are 
 forever deprived of the ultimate key to his Gospel." 
 But I do not believe that we are so ignorant and 
 the writer gives us the key himself. If John the 
 Apostle did not write the book, we have to imagine 
 an unknown genius equal to the task. 
 
 3. The Method. 
 
 The writer in the Epilogue (21 : 25) tells us that 
 " 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 would not contain 
 the books that should be written." The " many 
 others," * are of a similar nature. John has made a 
 brief selection out of a great mass of material. He 
 has " sampled " the deeds and words of Jesus with- 
 out any attempt to be exhaustive. This, of course, 
 he had a perfect right to do. This, in fact, is what 
 all historians and biographers do. They pick out 
 and arrange and expound in order to throw a true 
 picture on the pages which they write. The same 
 method appears in the Synoptic Gospels which often 
 ^ akXa, not erepa. 
 
PKELIMINAEY POII^TS 29 
 
 speak of the great number of miracles which Jesus 
 did without any effort to give details/ But John 
 spoke also of the embarrassment of the wealth of 
 material at his disposal in 20 : 30 : ** Many other 
 signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of his 
 disciples, which are not written in this book." 
 Here we have two additional statements. One is 
 that he speaks of " signs." ^ He in this book is re- 
 garding the works of Jesus as " signs " or " proofs " 
 (cf. " many proofs " ^ in Acts I : 3) of the claims of 
 Jesus to be the Son of God. The other point is 
 that these other " signs " were also wrought " in 
 the presence of the disciples," " in the eye of" * the 
 " learners " ^ who sat at the feet of the greatest 
 teacher of the ages. John is fully conscious that 
 he has not produced all the proof that is at hand, 
 evidence from eye-witnesses ^ who saw the " signs " 
 and heard the words of Jesus. Some of these were 
 still living when John wrote, as many were still alive 
 who had seen the Risen Jesus when Paul wrote to 
 the Corinthians (i Cor. 15:6). John has obviously 
 made a selection of a few of the " signs " that suited 
 his purpose best. " But these are written, that ye 
 may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 
 God ; and that believing ye may have hfe in his 
 
 *Cf. Matthew 4:23-25; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4: 
 42-44. 
 
 ^ ffri/xelov instead of Tipa<^ (wonder, miraculumy miracle) or 
 8bvaiJ.i<i (power, dynamite). It requires all these words 
 adequately to describe a gospel miracle. Cf. Acts 2 : 22. 
 
 ^ /j.a6T)T(bv. ^ aoTo-Kzat (Luke I : 2). 
 
30 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 name" (John 20:31). Here John has laid bare 
 his plan with the utmost frankness. If we turn 
 back and go over the whole Gospel, we shall find 
 that he has correctly described his work. Chapter i 
 is an introductory picture of the Eternal Logos, the 
 Witness of the Baptist, and the First Disciples, but 
 the First Miracle or •' sign " comes in 2 : i-ii. In 
 2 : 13-22 there is a demand for a " sign" in proof 
 of the Messianic prerogatives assumed by Jesus in 
 the Temple. This incident leads to the case of 
 Nicodemus in chapter 3. Chapter 4 gives a mir- 
 acle of grace in the conversion of the Samaritan 
 woman greater than the healing of the nobleman's 
 son at Capernaum at the close of it. Chapter 5 is 
 a picture of the miracle by the Pool of Bethesda in 
 Jerusalem and the controversy over it. Chapter 6 
 tells of the miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand 
 near Bethsaida-Julias and the controversy in the 
 synagogue in Capernaum that grew out of it. In 
 chapters 7 and 8 we have an echo of the miracle at 
 Jerusalem in chapter 5 and chapter 9 sets forth with 
 great detail the case of the man born blind which 
 runs in its results into chapter lO. Chapter 1 1 is 
 the great miracle of the Raising of Lazarus with its 
 effect on the Sanhedrin. The result of these and 
 other deeds of Jesus leads to the climax in Jeru- 
 salem. Chapter 12 gives a private and a public 
 glimpse of Jesus just before the end. Chapters 
 13-17 are the most distinctive thing in the Gospel, 
 the Heart of Christ, as He unfolds to the eleven the 
 inner secrets of His soul. John shortens the de- 
 
PEELIMINAEY POINTS 31 
 
 tails about the Trial and Crucifixion (chaps. 1 8 and ig\ 
 and adds fresh items of his own. Likewise the ap- 
 pearances in chapters 20 and 2i are from a fresh angle. 
 Chapter 21 centers round the miracle of the fishes. 
 
 But John does not merely relate fresh miracles ; 
 he has only eight in all. He uses the narrative of 
 the selected miracles as turning-points in his story 
 and connects the discourses with them. In other 
 words, he chooses a very small number of " signs " 
 which illustrate the power of Jesus from various 
 angles and interprets their bearing on the work and 
 mission of Christ both from his own standpoint 
 and in their effect on friend and foe. The signs 
 are hinges in the narrative. 
 
 In his use of dialogue John gives a dramatic ef- 
 fect to his book. Indeed, the Gospel of John is as 
 dramatic in effect as the Book of Job and requires 
 the most careful reading and comprehension of the 
 various parts if one is to understand what seems at 
 first so simple. He has a marvellous clarity and 
 simplicity in the use of words which deceives one 
 into thinking that one understands the book without 
 much thinking. But, if he loves to use a compara- 
 tively few and more or less common words * to ex- 
 press his ideas, let no one imagine that there is a 
 paucity of ideas or any shallowness of thought be. 
 cause of that fact. There is consummate art in the 
 author's use of parallelism and antithesis, repetition 
 and delicate turns of language. There is no arti- 
 
 ^ Cf. Abbott, "Johannine Vocabulary" (1905); "Jo- 
 hannine Grammar " (1906). 
 
32 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 ficiality, but the very pulsing of life. Few men 
 have ever written more realistic lines than can be 
 found in chapters 7-11 where the tension is at the 
 highest point. It is not always clear when the au- 
 thor is giving the thought of Jesus and when his 
 own as in 3 : 16-21, 31-36. 
 
 The most striking thing about the material in 
 the Gospel is, not simply that it is nearly all ad- 
 ditional to what we have in the Synoptic Gospels, 
 but also that the gaps in the narrative are so wide 
 apart. The opening chapters fill out in brief outhne 
 an early ministry of a year's duration previous to 
 the great Galilean ministry of the Synoptics. There 
 may be a year between chapters 5 and 6 and six 
 months between chapters 6 and 7. There are ap- 
 parently some three months between verses 21 and 
 22 of chapter 10. John also mentions three pass- 
 overs (2 : 23 ; 6:4; 12 : i) and a fourth is possible 
 (5 : i). He gives chiefly the Jerusalem ministry as 
 the Synoptics tell mainly of the Galilean work. It is 
 obvious that the author is familiar with the Synoptic 
 Gospels and selects his material chiefly from the great 
 mass outside of their narratives, but with no hostile 
 purpose at all. He was in a position, as the Beloved 
 Disciple, to do a unique service for his Master and he 
 does it with supreme genius and consummate skill. 
 
 One must not forget that, when John wrote 
 towards the close of the first century A. d., he is no 
 longer the young man that he was when first he 
 saw Jesus and followed Him (John I : 37). He must 
 inevitably look back upon the treasured words and 
 
PRELIMINARY POINTS 33 
 
 deeds of Jesus out of a rich and long experience. 
 He had tested the hfe that is in Christ in his own 
 heart and in the hves of many others. He himself 
 has grown tremendously with the years. He is 
 now John the Theologian.' He is a citizen of the 
 great world and looks at Christianity more from the 
 world-view from Ephesus and is able to speak of 
 " the Jews " as if he were not one himself, for now 
 the Jews and the Christians are separate. But if 
 John is now cosmopolitan with a touch of Philo or 
 even of Plato in his intellectual equipment, he is 
 still more a citizen of heaven. The story may or 
 may not be true that John ran out of the public 
 bath when Cerinthus came in for fear that harm 
 might come to him in the presence of the great 
 Gnostic heretic. He was still the Son of Thunder. 
 It may be true that he used to say, " Little chil- 
 dren, love one another," as he was borne about in his 
 chair in his old age. But it is true that John felt him- 
 self a citizen of heaven in as true a sense as Paul did 
 and surpassed Paul in the steadiness of his gaze into 
 the eternal mysteries of grace in Christ Jesus Paul 
 has more heat and a stronger blaze, but John has more 
 light for those with eyes to see into the depths with 
 him. Watson's closing chapter in his " Mysticism 
 of St. John's Gospel " is •* The Practical Application 
 of the Incarnation." That is John's idea. He is 
 no idle " crystal gazer." He is a practical mystic, 
 " that believing ye may have life in his name." He 
 is sure that Jesus is Life and can give life. 
 
 * 6 OeoXoyo^. 
 
n 
 
 THE MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 
 
 (Chapters I -4) 
 
 " We have found the Messiah'* 
 
 I. The Prologue (i : 1-18). 
 
 VOLUMES* have been written upon these 
 verses alone for they challenge attention 
 by the very boldness of the language used 
 and as a forecast of the thought of the entire book. 
 Many continue to be puzzled as well as charmed by 
 this remarkable picture of the eternal relations of 
 the Son of God. The other Gospels have shown 
 Jesus to be the Saviour, the Messiah, the Son of 
 man, and the Son of God. In Matthew and in 
 Luke the nature of Jesus Christ is shown to be both 
 divine and human since He is begotten of the Vir- 
 gin Mary by the Holy Spirit (Luke X : 26-38 ; Matt. 
 I : 18-25). Jesus is presented as sinless and well- 
 pleasing to His Father. But John treats the Incarna- 
 tion as only an incident in the life of the Son of God. 
 He is profoundly convinced both of the humanity 
 and the deity of Jesus Christ. He insists against 
 the Docetic Gnostics that Jesus shed real blood on 
 
 ^ Cf. Baldensperger's ** Dcr Prolog des vierten Evan- 
 geliums " (1898); Harnack, " Ueber das Verhaltniss des 
 Prologs des vierten Evangeliums zum ganzen Werke ** 
 (1892). 
 
 34 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 35 
 
 the Cross of which he was a personal witness (John 
 19 : 35). But he is equally confident against the 
 Cerinthian Gnostics that Jesus and the Christ are 
 one and the same person, Son of man and Son of 
 God. He will have none of the notion that the 
 ^on Christ came on Jesus at His baptism and left 
 Him at His death. The Word became flesh (i : 14), 
 but retained the same personality. As Christianity 
 came into contact with rival faiths, it was inevitable 
 that Christian leaders and teachers should reexamine 
 their theology in the new outlook as they had done 
 in the light of Judaism. Comparative religion was 
 not an academic procedure for Paul as it is not to- 
 day for the wide-awake missionary in China, India, 
 or Japan where one has to expound his faith in 
 terms intelligible to followers of Buddha or Con- 
 fucius. Paul quickly took the language of the 
 Stoics and of the Mystery-religions * of the day 
 (Mithraism and the rest), but without adopting their 
 ideas or standpoint. He filled their language which 
 they understood so well with the rich content of 
 Christian truth. It is not a bit surprising to find 
 the Apostle John doing the same thing. We know 
 now that the Jewish Palestinian theology of the first 
 century a. d. was a richer thing than was once sup- 
 posed to be true. Hellenism was married to Juda- 
 ism in Alexandria, but in Palestine itself not all the 
 Jews followed blindly the scribes in the letter of the 
 law. There was an appreciable body of intelligent 
 
 *Cf. Kennedy, "St. Paul and the Mystery-Religions" 
 (i9U). 
 
36 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 opinion represented by the Apocalyptists (as in the 
 Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Book of 
 Enoch, etc.) that sought the spirit rather than the 
 letter and hungered for a higher type of Messiah 
 than the average Pharisaic rabbi of the period.* 
 But the disciples of Christ came to see that Christ 
 was higher and richer in His nature and work than 
 was outlined in the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul 
 himself plainly sets forth the cosmic relations of 
 Jesus Christ in Colossians I : 15-17. The writer 
 of Hebrews does the same thing in Hebrews I : 1-3 
 in language redolent of the Alexandrian philosophy. 
 Jesus as the Son of God did sustain relations to the 
 universe, and the Christians early came to see it. 
 Jesus had claimed this power while on earth (cf. 
 Matt. 28:18). Already Philo in Alexandria had 
 taken over the Stoic doctrine of the Logos as both 
 Reason and Word and had made abundant use of 
 it. The same usage had occurred before him in the 
 so-called Wisdom of Solomon. Indeed, the Tar- 
 gums made free use of the Memra (word) as the 
 personification of God. The personification of Wis- 
 dom is common in the wisdom books of the Old 
 Testament as in Proverbs 8 : 22-30. Indeed, Prof. 
 J. Rendel Harris^ argues that, since Paul calls Jesus 
 " The Wisdom of God and the Power of God " 
 
 * Cf. Charles, " Religious Development between the Old 
 and the New Testaments " (1914) ; OesterJey, ** Doctrinal 
 Teaching of the Apocrypha " (19 14). 
 
 ''In The Expositor for August, September, etc., 1916, 
 «* The Origin of the Prologue to St. John's Gospel." 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 37 
 
 (i Cor. I : 31) and since in Luke 11 149 the Wis- 
 dom of God is personified, we need not be surprised 
 at John's use of the term Logos. In fact, he argues 
 very plausibly that the use of Wisdom in Proverbs 
 8 : 22-30 was what suggested John's use of Logos 
 in John I : 1-18 : " The Lord possessed me (sophici) 
 in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 
 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning 
 . . . when he prepared the heavens / was there : 
 when he set a compass upon the face of the deep 
 . . . then / was by him!' One need not follow 
 Professor Harris in all his ingenious suggestions ' to 
 see that there is a general parallel of thought about 
 Wisdom. In Ephesus, where John probably wrote, 
 the work of the Stoic philosopher Heracleitus was 
 well known. Moffatt^ even suggests that a Stoic 
 might very well have written : " In the beginning 
 was the Logos, and the Logos was God." Cer- 
 tainly there is no harm in the world in thinking 
 that the aged Apostle, all alert for the thought of 
 his day among educated men, was only too glad to 
 use this Jewish-Platonic-Stoic term Logos as a 
 further effort to expound the nature and mission of 
 Jesus in the universe. It is " an intellectual form " ^ 
 
 ^ He shows also (The Expositor, September, 19 16, pp. 
 166, 169) that Cyprian in his Testimonia not only calls Christ 
 the Wisdom and the Word of God, but explains Wisdom as 
 being the Son. 
 
 * " Introduction to the Literature of the New Testament," 
 p. 525. 
 
 ' Scott, " Historical and Religious Value of the Fourth 
 Gospel," p. 40. 
 
38 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 of the Graeco-Roman world just as " Messiah " be- 
 longed to the Jewish world, but with this difference 
 that the Logos idea was already at home in the 
 Jewish world also. Neither term is a complete pre- 
 sentation of the Person of Christ, but both are use- 
 ful. It is, however, very difficult to translate Logos 
 into English because of the double idea in it of 
 Reason and Expression. The Poet Laureate, Rob- 
 ert Bridges, translates these words in his new book * 
 thus : ♦♦ In the beginning was mind." That is cer- 
 tainly possible, but it is equally certain that it is not 
 all that John meant by the term as is made plain in 
 I : i8 by the words: "he hath declared him." It 
 boots little therefore to try to find the " sources " 
 of the Logos idea so far as John's Prologue is con- 
 cerned save as an historical preparation for John's 
 concept. It is impossible to fit John's Logos into 
 that of Philo, of Plato, or of Heracleitus, though be- 
 yond a doubt traces of each may be found in John's 
 use besides the term given to Wisdom in Proverbs 
 8 : 22-30. The " Doctrine of the Logos " * cannot be 
 carried over bodily into John's Prologue for he adds 
 features of his own. John is not so much con- 
 cerned with the abstract philosophical conceptions, 
 though he does outline a real philosophy of religion 
 in these verses, as he deals with the revelation of 
 the nature of God in Christ the Logos and Son.^ It 
 
 ^"The Spirit of Man." 
 
 ^ Cf. Scott, " The Fourth Gospei : Its Purpose and The- 
 ology," pp. 145-175. 
 
 ' Watson, ** Mysticism of St. John's Gospel," Chapter II. 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 39 
 
 is true that John makes no further use of the term 
 Logos after he leaves the Prologue, but that fact 
 does not indicate any change of purpose on his 
 part. In fact the Logos terminology is merely em- 
 ployed as an aid to John's purpose in the Prologue 
 to set forth in bold outline the eternal relation of 
 the Logos and the broad features of the Incarnation. 
 He has no further use for such philosophical terms 
 when he proceeds with the body of his book. 
 
 It is not difficult to follow the thought in the 
 Prologue. We have first the personal relations be- 
 tween the Logos and God (verses 1-2). One is 
 reminded of Genesis by the opening words. Of 
 course there never was a '• beginning " with God or 
 with the Logos, but we use the term for all that 
 portion of eternity previous to man's career. We 
 have to fall back upon Origen's contradictory lan- 
 guage that the Son is eternally begotten. Father 
 implies Son and yet seems logically to antedate Son. 
 There we have to leave it. But we are more con- 
 cerned with the phrase " with God " * which does 
 not have the customary Greek preposition ^ mean- 
 ing " by the side of," but one that means " face to 
 face," ^ and suggests the most intimate fellowship 
 as equals. The flat assertion that " the Logos was 
 God" * has probably created more prejudice against 
 this Gospel than anything else in it. But this is the 
 
 ^ TTpdg Tov deov. ^ napd. 
 
 * 7:p6?, Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New 
 Testament in Light of Historical Research," p. 625. 
 
 * Note ;yv, not kyivero. 
 
40 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 thesis of the book. The Pre-incarnate state of the 
 Logos is not simply affirmed, but it is pointedly as- 
 serted that He was God in the sense that the Father 
 is God.* He repeats his point before he goes on. 
 He next affirms that the Logos was the Agent in 
 creation (verse 3). He is the intermediate^ Agent. 
 He says that not only •' all," ^ but every single 
 thing ^ was made by Him. One recalls in the 
 Genesis account how God spoke and it was done. 
 The full power of creative activity is thus claimed 
 for Jesus on a par with the Father. It is but a 
 natural step to say in plain words : " In him was 
 life." The ancient and more probable punctuation 
 is : " That which hath been made was life in him " 
 (verse 4). The creative work of the Word (cf. 5 : 
 17, " My Father worketh even until now, and I 
 work") supplied the proof of His being the life of 
 the world which His personal manifestation in the 
 Incarnation made plainer {" I am the life," 1 1 : 25). 
 John is fond of the words Hfe and light in connec- 
 tion with God (cf I John i : 1-7). Indeed, in 
 I John I : I he speaks of " the Word of life" com- 
 bining the Logos with Life. In Revelation 19: 13 
 we find : " And his name is called the Word of 
 God." Thus the use of the Word as applied to 
 Jesus is one of the indications of identical author- 
 ship for these books. The Gnostics made frequent 
 mystical use of these terms as did the Mithraists 
 and other followers of the mystery-religions, but 
 
 ^ By the use of 6s6<^, ' did. 
 
 ' izdvTa. * oude iv. 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 41 
 
 John is not afraid to take great words that were 
 familiar to men and pour into them the truth of 
 Christ. The term is not unknown in the Psalms 
 also as applied to God. John's style here is not 
 simply a mixing of images when he says : " And 
 the Hfe was the light of men." This is a good 
 specimen of John's style. He leaves us to relate 
 the various facts stated. " He is the Light through 
 the medium of Life " (Westcott, in loco). We are 
 familiar with the properties of radium and elec- 
 tricity. But no physical image can fully present 
 the truth about the preexistent state and work of 
 the Logos, God's Son. These verses (i-5) are very 
 wonderful and rich. The Logos was the Light of 
 men as a whole * and not merely the Light of the 
 Jews. John means, of course, that the Word was 
 the moral and spiritual Light of all men, all the 
 real light that they had. Verse 5 pictures the in- 
 evitable conflict between light and darkness. It is 
 the mission of light to drive away darkness. This 
 is a parable of the eternal conflict between good 
 and evil, between Christ and Satan. The Tempta- 
 tions of Jesus by Satan are one illustration of it, but 
 it continues through the ages and we are all sharers 
 in the struggle (cf. I John i) and must take sides. 
 We see this conflict in every city and in every ham- 
 let, in politics, in business, in religion, in school, in 
 the home, and in every heart. The light shines on 
 in the darkness, is not discouraged by the long 
 night and the stubborn and thick darkness. The 
 * TcDv dvdpwTttov. The article for class. 
 
42 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 light will win in the end. " And the darkness over- 
 came it not." This is beyond a doubt the true ren- 
 dering.* We have the same idea in John 12 : 35, 
 " that darkness overtake you not." ^ John claims 
 final victory for Christ in Revelation il : 15. 
 
 Verses 6-8 tell of the work of the Forerunner, a 
 God-sent man, a real Apostle ^ from God, sent to 
 bear witness about the Light, to help men see that 
 He is the true Light of God, that all men may be- 
 lieve in the Light by means of John's witness. One 
 may think at first that this was a needless mission, 
 for surely men can tell light from darkness. But 
 this is precisely what men cannot do. They have 
 poor eyes, so used to the darkness, bHnded by sin 
 and selfish passions, that false lights easily lead them 
 astray and they are not able clearly to distinguish 
 in the flickering shadows. Satan knows this so well 
 that he himself poses as an angel of light (2 Cor. 
 II :I4). Indeed, John the Baptist himself was 
 taken to be the Light in the very act of telling of 
 the Light (verse 8). It is small wonder then that 
 multitudes fall victims to every religious dreamer 
 who comes along, Buddha or Mahomet, Baha or 
 Besant, Schlatter or Schweinfurth, Joseph Smith or 
 Mary Baker Eddy. The light-bearer must be sure 
 that he bears the Light of Life and that men see 
 what they ought to see. It will be shown that John 
 was loyal to the Light. 
 
 The coming of the Light into humanity was the 
 
 ^ ou UaziXa^ev, * ha — firj karaXd^-q. 
 
 ' d.i:t<rxaXiiivo<i^ 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 43 
 
 crucial time of history. This great era is broadly 
 sketched in verses 9- 14. The Word was the true 
 light of every man even before the Incarnation. 
 The Cosmic Christ John has already set forth above, 
 but this Light was too dimly perceived to be really 
 effective for the salvation of men. So the promise 
 was given of the One who was to come into the 
 world (John 1 1 : 27).^ This is probably the idea in 
 1 : 9, though the words may refer to " every man 
 coming into the world." But the presence of the 
 Logos in the world which He had made revealed a 
 tragedy (verse 10). " The world knew him not," 
 *• did not recognize him." ^ He was as much a 
 stranger to the human world after the Incarnation 
 as He was before. The Light was blazing in the 
 darkness and the darkness could not see the Light. 
 Here we are brought face to face with the difficulty 
 of God in revealing Himself to men. The imma- 
 nence of God in nature is as true as His transcend- 
 ence over nature. But how can the Eternal make 
 Himself known to sinful men ? It is only possible 
 in terms of personaHty, for men are persons. But 
 the Tragedy was enough to break the heart of 
 Christ as it did in the end, this supreme Tragedy 
 of the Ages and of the Race. At first it was a 
 " Hebrew Tragedy " (Conder), for He came unto 
 His own home^ which He had made and His own 
 people * did not take Him to their homes and their 
 
 ^6 el^ Tov A'OfTfiov ip^ofxevo^. Cf. also John 6:14. 
 
 ^auTov ah/i eyvuj. 
 
 ^d^ra rSta. *oi tdtot. 
 
44 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 hearts/ but received Him as a stranger. There 
 were some who did open their hearts to Him. To 
 these He gave the right (and the power ^) to become 
 the spiritual, not merely the cosmic, children of 
 God, to those who believe on His name. Thus He 
 made faith in Himself the touchstone to member- 
 ship in the family of God. This second birth is of 
 God. But the cardinal historical fact is that " the 
 Word became^ flesh, and tabernacled^ among us." 
 The Virgin Birth is not mentioned, but certainly is 
 not denied. It is rather, I think, implied by the 
 very language of John which suggests something 
 other than ordinary generation. Indeed, it is diffi- 
 cult to conceive of a real Incarnation of God in any 
 other way than that of the narratives in Matthew 
 and in Luke. " The eternal and divine Christ 
 entered into this world not by human generation " 
 (W. P. Du Bose, " Incarnation," Constructive Quar- 
 terly, September, 19 16, p. 438). The wonder and 
 glory of it all John and the rest will never forget, 
 for " we beheld his glory, glory as of the only- 
 begotten from the Father" (cf. Luke 9: 32). He 
 probably refers to the Transfiguration scene. He 
 was " full of grace and truth." 
 
 The Baptist bore witness also after he saw the 
 Light, not merely beforehand (verse 15). He put 
 his witness in paradoxical form : " He that cometh 
 after me is become before me." He was only after 
 
 ^ ou TtapiXa^ov. ' i^oofftav. ^kyivero^ not ^v. 
 
 * i(T/CTJva}ff£v. Pitched his tent in human flesh. (Cf. 2 Cor. 
 5:1.) 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 45 
 
 John in order of time and of manifestation in human 
 birth. He was always before John in eternity and 
 in eminence and He always will be. This John 
 saw and said. 
 
 The plenitude* of Christ (cf. the fullness of the 
 Godhead bodily in Col. 2:9) he has already pre- 
 sented, but now he emphasizes the idea that we 
 Christians all receive some portion of Christ's grace 
 and truth (verses 16-18). It is ** grace for^ grace," 
 new grace to take the place of the old. The word 
 Law describes the Mosaic system, but Christ has 
 given us grace and truth, words rich and fresh with 
 eternal youth and freedom. Grace shows the love 
 of God and truth the passion for reality. The 
 writer has said in I : i that the Word was God, and 
 in I : 14 that the Word became flesh. Now he com- 
 bines both ideas in the correct text of 1 : 18, " God 
 Only-begotten." ^ Only the God-man can fully re- 
 veal God to man. He is God and He is man and 
 can and does act as interpreter of God to man. 
 ** He hath declared him." Jesus, the Logos (Rea- 
 son and Word of God), the Incarnate God, Son of 
 God and Son of man, hath made the Interpretation * 
 of God that man can read. He is God's Living 
 Speech, the Eternal Idea of God spoken in flesh 
 and blood that men may see and hear and handle 
 
 * iA: Tou TzXrip(l)!xaTo<s aorou. He probably has in mind 
 the Gnostic use q'l pleroma for all the attributes of God. 
 
 * i^Tjyijffaro. Cf. our exegesis. It is the timeless aorist 
 here. 
 
46 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 (i John I : i) and yet live and obtain eternal life 
 (John 20: 31) by loving God in Christ. 
 
 2. The Witness of the Baptist (i : 19-36). 
 
 As has already been stated, it is not the purpose 
 of this book to expound in detail all the Gospel 
 of John, but only those portions pertinent to the 
 Divinity of Christ. As a matter of fact this method 
 deals with the heart of the Gospel, for this is the 
 theme that is central in John's thought and purpose. 
 In the Prologue he had spoken of the Witness of 
 John concerning the Light. Now he proceeds to 
 tell what the witness is (i : 19). He selects first the 
 striking incident of the visit of the committee of 
 Sadducees (priests and Levites, i : 20) appointed by 
 the Sanhedrin at the suggestion of the Pharisees 
 (i : 24). John is at Bethany beyond Jordan (i : 28) 
 after the baptism of Jesus when the committee 
 comes. He had previously denounced the Phari- 
 sees and Sadducees in severe terms when they fol- 
 lowed the multitudes from Judea and Jerusalem in 
 the earlier stages of his ministry (Matt. 3 : 7- 10). 
 It is a tremendous tribute to his popular power that 
 the Sanhedrin feels called upon after that rebuke to 
 see if after all he makes any Messianic claims for 
 himself. But John the Baptist does not take it as 
 a compliment. He is greatly perturbed in spirit 
 that any one should so mistake his spirit and mes- 
 sage as to imagine that he is capable of such treach- 
 ery to his Chief. His disclaimer is vehement and 
 repeated. He is not the Christ nor Elijah (in flesh 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 47 
 
 and person) nor the prophet promised by Moses 
 (really the Messiah, though some thought not). He 
 is only a voice crying in the wilderness and the 
 darkness of the night. As the Forerunner of the 
 Messiah he has introduced the new order of baptism 
 which really treats the whole nation as heathen and 
 calls them to repentance. " In the midst of you 
 standeth one whom ye know not" (i : 26) because 
 of your bhnded eyes (cf. 1 : 10 f.). Thus John boldly 
 announces the actual arrival of the Messiah the 
 latchet of whose shoes he is unworthy to unloose 
 (I : 27). 
 
 The committee may have returned to Jerusalem 
 with a puzzled state of mind at these wondrous 
 words. On the next day at any rate John identifies 
 the Messiah to those who are with him (i ; 29-34). 
 " Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the 
 sins of the world," he cries as he sees Jesus coming 
 to him. This is a call for the people to see the 
 Light. It is argued that the writer has made the 
 Baptist too theological in this saying and too ad- 
 vanced for his circle. But John's theological atmos- 
 phere was not that of the Pharisees whom he 
 denounced. He was a man of the hills and of the 
 Old Testament. He was the son of a priest. He 
 was the last and greatest of the old prophets and 
 the first of the new age. He could see the sacrificial 
 side of the servant of Jehovah in Isaiah 5 3 and he 
 knew the meaning of the Paschal Lamb. So the 
 Baptist groups the central fact in the work of the 
 Messiah, His atoning death as the Paschal Lamb for 
 
48 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 the sin of the world. He did, but his hearers did 
 not. John went on to explain the purpose of his 
 preaching and his baptism, to manifest the Messiah 
 to Israel. It was not mere spiritual insight and 
 intuition on John's part, for he had the sign of the 
 Holy Spirit in the form of a dove promised, by 
 which sign he was to recognize the Messiah when 
 He came to ask baptism at his hands. He knew 
 Him not, certainly not as the Messiah, till the in- 
 stinctive recognition when Jesus came to the Jordan, 
 probably not at all, for John and Jesus lived far 
 apart, though kinsmen. He had seen the Mes- 
 siah and the sign came also and now John stands 
 here to tell the people that yonder Jesus is the 
 Messiah of promise, the Light and the Life, the 
 Son of God. " I have seen, and have borne witness 
 that this is the Son of God " (i : 34).* The testi- 
 mony of the Baptist to the Deity of Jesus Christ is 
 thus clear and explicit. But John repeated his 
 witness on the day following (i : 35 f.). He looked 
 on Jesus as He walked and in his emotion could 
 only say : *' Behold, the Lamb of God." But he 
 had two disciples with him who heard this repeated 
 testimony. Jesus went His way and John never 
 saw Him again, but he had borne his witness. 
 
 3. The First Group of Disciples (i: 37-51). 
 One of these two disciples was Andrew the 
 brother of Simon (i : 40) and the other was probably 
 
 * Note the perfect tenses idipaka^ kai ixefiapTvpT,Ra. It 
 is John's settled conviction. 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 49 
 
 John the brother of James, though that inference is 
 not stated by the correct text of 1 : 41 " findeth 
 first." * We are not to think that Jesus, though 
 God's Only-begotten Son and in reality God Only- 
 begotten, looked to those who saw Him other 
 than man, for His flesh was a veil to conceal His 
 deity (Heb. io:20) as well as the Image of the 
 Father whom men should see in Christ (Heb. 1:3; 
 John 14:9). There was no " posing " as God on 
 the part of Jesus, no striking of attitudes and de- 
 manding worship from those who came near Him. 
 We need not trouble ourselves over the term " the 
 Son of God " used by the Baptist nor how much 
 that meant to Andrew and John as they went to 
 spend the first of many wonderful days with Jesus 
 (i : 39). We are not told anything that passed be- 
 tween them, but the result spoke for itself. Andrew 
 could stand it no longer. " He findeth first his 
 own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have 
 found the Messiah." ^ That was a startling message, 
 but Andrew did not stop with that. He brought 
 Simon to Jesus, face to face with^ Jesus. John 
 seems to have brought James also. The Light is 
 beginning to shine. Some are coming into the 
 kingdom. 
 
 Now Jesus Himself finds Philip who in turn wins 
 
 * TzpwTov, not 7:pa)T0<^. 
 
 ' Eopyjkajxsv rov Meffcriav. We need not discuss the con- 
 tent of the term Messiah in Andrew's mouth. The Jews 
 differed much themselves about it. Some assigned divine 
 attributes to the Messiah, but only in a vague way. 
 
50 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Nathanael (1:43-51). Nathanael is sceptical and 
 cautious. " Can any good thing come out of Naza- 
 reth ? " What a chance for a debate and a wrangle ! 
 Nathanael is prejudiced against Jesus because of 
 town pride which is as good a ground as many- 
 critics of Jesus have to-day. Philip refused to argue 
 the point and drew Nathanael to the fellowship of 
 Jesus. This he could not well refuse. Once there 
 Jesus paid Nathanael the most delicate compliment, 
 for he was a rare spirit, as is often true of the young 
 men and women with doubts and fears. The sur- 
 prising insight of Jesus completely won Nathanael 
 who threw away his doubts and cried ; *' Rabbi, 
 thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of 
 Israel " (i : 49). He may have heard the words of 
 the Baptist about Jesus (i : 34) and now confesses 
 fully both the Messiahship (King of Israel) and the 
 Deity of Jesus. Nathanael is a true Israelite when 
 he reveals this spiritual insight and quickness of 
 apprehension. The heart of Jesus is comforted by 
 Nathanael's words, for a beginning has been made. 
 Six men, probably all from the circle of the Baptist's 
 disciples, have come out boldly for Him as the 
 Messiah the Son of God. But better things are 
 coming. This has been a Bethel to Jesus and like 
 Jacob of old (Gen. 28 : 12) He sees a vision of the 
 future work of the Kingdom : " Ye shall see the 
 heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending 
 and descending upon the Son of man" (1:51). 
 Jesus here calls Himself the Son of man, a term 
 applied to the Messiah in the Book of Enoch, but 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 51 
 
 Christ seems to have chosen it Himself, for it makes 
 a Messianic claim in veiled language and thus 
 avoided technical legal difficulties incident to the 
 use of Messiah, as we shall see. Besides, it pre- 
 sents Jesus as the Representative man of the race 
 as He is. It is as the Son of man, the Mediator 
 between God and man, that He is able to be a 
 " Jacob's ladder " for heaven and earth to meet in 
 Him. The heavens are open to Christ Jesus and 
 men draw near to Him and in Christ can look into 
 heaven. Westcott (Vol. I, p. 79) makes a list of 
 the confessions of Christ made by the successive 
 men and women who come under His power in the 
 Gospel of John. The high confession of the Baptist 
 we have seen, and of Andrew, of Philip, of Na- 
 thanael, and now we have the claim of Jesus Himself. 
 If one is surprised that Nathanael should use the 
 words " the Son of God," he must recall that the 
 Baptist heard the Father call Jesus " My Beloved 
 Son" at the baptism (Matt. 3: 17) and Nathanael 
 probably heard the Baptist's testimony (i : 34) as 
 already stated. 
 
 4. The First Display of Power (2 : i-ii). 
 
 In the Prologue John in broad outline presents 
 his conception of the eternal Son of God entering 
 humanity as the Expression of God to reveal the 
 Father to men. Then follows the witness of the 
 Baptist to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. 
 Next comes the discovery of the first band of be- 
 lievers that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God as 
 
52 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 shown by the words of Andrew, Philip, and Na- 
 thanael, and Christ's own claim about Himself. It 
 is objected by some modern critics that John's 
 Gospel is unhistorical in this presentation of the 
 claims of Jesus, since according to the Synoptic 
 Gospels Jesus conceals the fact that He is the 
 Messiah, the Son of God, till the latter part of His 
 ministry and even then warns the disciples not to tell 
 what they have found out (Matt. i6 : 13-20). But 
 on closer examination of the Synoptic Gospels one 
 notes that they give also the early presentation of 
 Jesus as the Messiah the Son of God. It is seen 
 in the words of the Father at the baptism of Jesus 
 (Matt. 3:17; Mark i : 1 1 ; Luke 3 : 22) and in the 
 temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:3; Luke 4 : 3) and in 
 various other ways as in the exclamation of the 
 healed demoniacs, and the growing appreciation of 
 the disciples and the people. It is, besides, per- 
 fectly natural that in the first year of the public 
 ministry which the Synoptics omit save the baptism 
 and temptation, when He is recognized as Messiah, 
 there should be acknowledgment of Jesus as Mes- 
 siah in the first glow of enthusiasm till it was seen 
 that the Pharisees were jealous and hostile when 
 caution made it wise to omit the term Messiah so 
 as to avoid the technical charge of blasphemy 
 (cf. John 4 : 1-4 ; Luke 3:19 f.). Indeed, the Gospel 
 of John itself, which gives the early claims and as- 
 criptions of Messiahship, shows most clearly of all 
 the avoidance of the term Messiah on the part of 
 Jesus in this later ministry (John 8-10). Here, 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 53 
 
 then, this Gospel, supplementing the Synoptics in 
 the early ministry, gives the touch of life which is 
 needed to fill out the story. 
 
 Now comes the first display of power on the part 
 of Jesus, already hailed as Messiah and Son of God, 
 to show that He acts like God. The devil had 
 suggested that Jesus turn the stone into bread to 
 prove that He is a Son of God (Luke 4 : 3). But 
 Jesus needed no such proof. He had known this 
 mystery for long, how long we do not know, for 
 He has had clear Messianic consciousness of this 
 peculiar sonship since He was twelve years old 
 (Luke 2 : 51). The mother of Jesus does not need 
 the miracle to convince her of the nature and mis- 
 sion of her wondrous Son. She had carried His 
 secret in her heart all these years (Luke 2 : 19). 
 But the little band of disciples (probably six in all) 
 did need confirmation of their new faith in Jesus 
 as the Messiah of Israel. It was all so new and 
 strange to them. The protest of Jesus to His 
 mother was not an outburst of impatience with her, 
 but a declaration of independence on His part, for 
 His Messianic activity lay outside of her control. 
 He had gladly been subject to her and to Joseph 
 (Luke 2:51), but now He must follow the path 
 that His heavenly Father showed in His great task. 
 The language of Jesus probably means : " What 
 does it matter to you and me ? " It is like our 
 " Never mind." * But Mary had a woman's and 
 a mother's instincts and saw beneath the form of 
 
54 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 the words and bade the servants to follow the 
 directions of Jesus. It is useless to quibble over 
 the miracle of turning the water into wine, this first 
 miracle wrought by Jesus, and a nature miracle at 
 that. If we have come thus far in John's Gospel 
 with any kind of sympathy and assent, we can 
 easily go the whole way. I am assuming that the 
 readers of my book have made up their minds about 
 God and Christ and the world. I am not advocat- 
 ing obscurantism in any sphere, but just the op- 
 posite. I may say frankly that I am not antago- 
 nistic to evolution as a process used by God in the 
 creation of the universe. I am not sure that the 
 evolutionary hypothesis has been proved, but I do 
 not object in the least if it should be. I have no 
 fear that science will again become materialistic as 
 it once threatened to do. It is nothing like so 
 negative and agnostic as it once was. Modern 
 scientists, barring Haeckel, are becoming decidedly 
 spiritualistic in outlook and open advocates of the 
 supremacy of mind over matter. If we really be- 
 lieve that, there is little to bother over further save 
 questions of fact. If God created and is creating, 
 why trouble about the present activity of God ? 
 If Jesus is God, why deny to Him the power of 
 God ? What we call a nature miracle differs no 
 whit from any other save that we are more familiar 
 with the impact of mind on mind, though we recog- 
 nize clearly the power of mind over matter in our 
 own bodies. The Gospel of John represents Jesus 
 as justifying His miraculous power on the score of 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 55 
 
 the continuous activity of His Father (John 5 : 17). 
 The notion of an absentee God who cannot touch 
 the work of His own hands with His own will for 
 fear of upsetting His own laws is puerile. We are 
 not to think of God as whimsical, but as personal 
 and as supreme in every realm, supreme even over 
 the laws of nature which are simply the orderly ex- 
 pression of His own will. These laws are meant 
 for our protection and blessing and they are so. 
 But it is unscientific and unhistorical to say that 
 God cannot do this or that unless the thing con- 
 tradicts God's own nature. For instance, God can- 
 not lie. 
 
 This first miracle of power over inanimate nature 
 at Cana of Galilee " manifested his glory " as it was 
 meant to do. It served immediate need, to be sure, 
 but it " made plain " * the glory of Jesus as the Son 
 of God in accordance with His claims and the faith 
 of the disciples who " believed on him " afresh and 
 more deeply because of this surprising display of 
 creative activity. Faith was helped by sight. 
 
 5. The First Clash with the Jerusalem Au- 
 thorities (2 : 12-22). 
 
 The first impression that one gets from this vivid 
 incident in the Temple in Jerusalem is that of the 
 feeling of Jesus Himself. The Synoptics give a 
 similar account at the close of the ministry (Matt. 
 21 : 12 f. ; Mark 11 : 15-18; Luke 19: 45-48), which 
 is entirely possible and reasonable as a last protest 
 
56 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 against the desecration of the Temple by the money 
 traffic allowed by the ecclesiastical grafters. That 
 story in no way contradicts or makes incredible this 
 one at the start. Indeed, if the thing could only 
 happen once, it is easier to understand it at this 
 juncture, when for the first time Jesus, conscious of 
 Messianic authority, meets the abuses in His Father's 
 house. He is doubtless well aware that his words 
 and deeds mean the assertion of authority over the 
 Temple worship in opposition to the official eccle- 
 siastics only sufferable in case the usurper should be 
 the Messiah Himself. Certainly Jesus did not look 
 to be that as He came in the garb of a labourer 
 with a whip of cords in His hand. There was, in- 
 deed, a strange majesty of mien, that swept all before 
 Him, but the Jews soon ralHed on the outside and 
 clamoured for a " sign " in proof of His right to do 
 such deeds (John 2 : i8). Perhaps they meant that, 
 as He had no •' paper " as a token of legal power. 
 He should give some heavenly attestation since He 
 claimed a peculiar relation to God. The reply of 
 Jesus was not understood by foe or friend, but was 
 remembered in garbled form against Him till His 
 trial. Jesus is here presented as conscious of His 
 death which is foreshadowed by this hostile attitude 
 of the ecclesiastical authorities on this first appear- 
 ance of the Messiah in Jerusalem. Jesus means 
 also that His resurrection shall be the final proof of 
 His claim to be the Messiah the Son of God. It is 
 clear that this attitude of Jesus is quite other than, 
 that of modern critics who say that Jesus did not 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 57 
 
 mean to make any issue with the authorities and 
 only gradually came to feel that He was a possible 
 Messiah and did not expect death as a means 
 of redemption from sin. The trouble about that 
 view is that it is opposed by the Synoptic Gospels 
 (and even by Q) as strongly as by the Gospel 
 of John. In the temptation there is presented 
 the shadow of the Cross and that is before 
 the incident in John 2. In the Synoptic Gospels 
 the death of Christ is soon plain in the background. 
 The Gospel of John cannot be understood unless 
 one is willing to see that Jesus from the start sees 
 the path which He is to tread. Nor can the Sy- 
 noptics properly be made to mean anything else. 
 
 6. The Rush of the Crowd (2 : 23-25). 
 
 Jesus would not work a " sign " at the demand 
 of the ecclesiastics (cf. His like refusal to the devil), 
 but He did perform a number in Jerusalem which 
 many beheld and, as a result, many " believed " ' on 
 Him probably as the Messiah, but certainly in a 
 very superficial way, for Jesus distrusted their pro- 
 fession of faith. There were always great crowds 
 of Jews from all sections at the passover (John 2:23). 
 There are always many who are caught in the cur- 
 rent and borne along with any new popular move- 
 ment without clearness of ideas or depth of con- 
 viction. Fortunately Jesus, as the Son of God, had 
 the power to read aright the hearts of men and so 
 to guard His mission from these effervescent be- 
 
 * Cf. kniaTsoffav with ovfc iniaTeosv, 
 
58 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 lievers. " He himself knew what was in man," not 
 only in one man or in these men, but in all men, in 
 the race.* Here we are given an instance of the 
 knowledge of Jesus as God, no mere mind reading 
 or telepathy, but the full insight into the human 
 heart. Missionaries in heathen lands have to guard 
 constantly against the rush of people after novelty 
 as well as against the bread and butter brigade 
 (cf. John 6). 
 
 7. The Secrecy of Nicodemus the Pharisee 
 
 (3 •• 1-21). 
 
 Nicodemus had likewise noticed the " signs " of 
 
 Jesus (3 : 2) and had reflected on the consequences 
 of these miracles in connection with the teaching 
 and claims of Jesus. But he was not like the un- 
 thinking crowd who were swept off of their feet by 
 John or Jesus or Barcochba or any other new- 
 comer. He was a scholar, a theologian, a teacher, 
 a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, and, as a 
 man of importance and standing, owed it to him- 
 self to proceed with due caution so as to make no 
 mistake and avoid needless talk among his asso- 
 ciates. All the city was agog over the Nazarene, 
 and it was not easy to manage. So he sought a 
 visit by night to the tent of the new and irregular 
 rabbi on the hills near Jerusalem. Jesus is thus face 
 to face with one of the leading scholars of current 
 
 ' iv T(J) dvOpwTcw, The generic use avOjnwTzo? and the class 
 use of the article. Mr. E. S. Buchanon reports a Spanish 
 manuscript as reading : ** For He, being God, knew what 
 men were." 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 59 
 
 Pharisaism, who is seeking further hght concerning 
 the claims and message of Jesus Himself. It is no- 
 torious that scholars are the most difficult men to 
 teach because they know so much already. In the 
 case of Nicodemus, he had his own theology con- 
 cerning the Messiah and the Kingdom of God, and 
 it was clear that Jesus did not fit into his theories, and 
 yet he was fascinated by Jesus. The effort of Jesus 
 is a kindly and gracious way of enabling Nicodemus 
 to understand the new view-point. He sees into 
 the mind of Nicodemus and may have read the 
 Pharisaic books/ for He shows always a thorough 
 understanding of the defects of Pharisaic theology 
 and practice. The new birth, which so puzzled 
 Nicodemus, is the door into the real Kingdom of 
 God which is spiritual. Nicodemus is a tragic in- 
 stance of the preacher or teacher of heavenly things 
 who has no personal experience behind his words 
 and merely repeats logical conclusions or the 
 parrot-like repetition of sentences which he has 
 been taught. Jesus shows him his ignorance of the 
 elements of true religion and opens the door into 
 the purposes of God in heaven, the great theological 
 problems that concern God's redemptive love. The 
 true text in verse 13 mystifies Nicodemus still more, 
 for it says that the Son of man who descended out 
 of heaven (the Incarnation) " is in heaven " even 
 now while he speaks to Him. Jesus also tells 
 Nicodemus of the death of the Son of man, lifted 
 
 ^ Cf. Thomson, " Books Which Have Influenced Our 
 Lord." 
 
60 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 up like the serpent in the wilderness that any one 
 may have eternal life by beHeving on Him (3 : 14 f.). 
 It is not certain whether verses 16-21 are the words 
 of Christ to Nicodemus, as is probable, or the re- 
 flections of the evangelist on the interview. But, in 
 either case, it is a clear announcement that Jesus is 
 the only begotten * Son of God, sent into the world 
 because of God's love to save the world. There is 
 nothing in this wonderful " Little Gospel" (John 
 3:16) that Jesus could not have said at this time to 
 Nicodemus. It is all involved in what has preceded. 
 So then the deity of Jesus is presented to Nicode- 
 mus, but we are not told how he received it, for his 
 own querulous doubts were no longer expressed, 
 but gave way to silence. Certainly a deep im- 
 pression was made upon him by Jesus, and he will 
 later openly champion His cause (John y : ^o; 
 19 : 39), though we do not know when he acknowl- 
 edged to himself that he was a secret disciple of 
 Jesus. But the timid scholar was won to Christ. 
 
 8. Rivalling the Baptist (3 : 22-36). 
 
 Jesus is now out of Jerusalem, but still busy in 
 Judea and making a tremendous sensation as He 
 had down in the city of His fathers. John the Bap- 
 tist had kept on with his work as was best to avoid 
 the appearance of pique at the success of the Mes- 
 siah whose Forerunner he was. John went on up to 
 -^non near to Salim in Samaria where the abun- 
 dance of water served the purpose of baptizing as well 
 
 ^ 3 : 1 8, rod fiovoyevou^ uloo. Cf. I : 18, 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 61 
 
 as the Jordan had done. We had seen him last at 
 Bethany in Perea. But the very success of Jesus 
 raised questionings in the minds of some of John's 
 followers who sought to stir up jealousy in his heart 
 towards Jesus and even blamed John for having borne 
 witness to Him (3 : 26). Nothing in John's life is 
 nobler than the way in which he spurned this subtle 
 temptation.' He repeated his denial of any claim to 
 be the Messiah himself, as whom he had joyfully 
 hailed Jesus. For himself he was content and glad 
 to be the friend of the Bridegroom, rejoicing at the 
 music of His words. Besides, he saw clearly that 
 he, like the morning star, was to fade before the Sun 
 who was now filling the horizon with His glory. 
 Verses 31-35 may be the further words of the Bap- 
 tist or the meditation of the evangelist on the inci- 
 dent. But here again Jesus is pictured as the Son 
 of God, belief in whom brings eternal life. 
 
 9. The Samaritan Welcome to the Messiah 
 (4 : 1-42). 
 
 Jesus succeeded only too well in Judea and finally 
 had to leave for Galilee unless He were willing to 
 bring things to an issue with the Pharisees at once. 
 John the Baptist had already been shut up in prison 
 in Machaerus by Herod Antipas (Luke 3 : 19 f.) for 
 his bold denunciation of the marriage with Herodias, 
 both of them having divorced their spouses for the 
 purpose, like some modern marriages. It is proba- 
 ble that the Pharisees had somehow inveigled John 
 
 * Cf. Robertson, "John the Loyal," Chapter VII. 
 
62 THE DIYIOTTY OF CHEIST 
 
 into the clutches of Herodias. The Pharisees are 
 now jealous of Jesus and so He goes north through 
 Samaria (4 : I-4). The Samaritans did not object 
 if travellers passed out of Judea through Samaria, 
 only if they went towards Judea. The ministry of 
 Jesus in Samaria is only an incident by the way as 
 He went back to Galilee. The disciples evidently 
 did not expect it, for they exhibit surprise that Jesus, 
 a rabbi, should speak to a Samaritan and in public 
 with a woman (4 : 27), contrary to Jewish customs 
 and prejudices. The woman herself had expressed 
 like surprise (4 : 9) and note also the evangelist's 
 parenthetical explanation of the hostility between 
 the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus was a Jew in 
 His human birth, but He was the Son of man in 
 reality and in His sympathy and outlook. He even 
 piqued her curiosity about the living water which 
 He could give for the asking. So he had no hesi- 
 tation about revealing Himself to this wicked Sa- 
 maritan woman as the Messiah expected alike by 
 Jew and Samaritan (4 : 25), though He expressly 
 asserted that salvation is of the Jews (4 : 22) and so 
 took the Jewish side in the famous controversy. 
 But Jesus is keen to show also that God is spirit and 
 to be worshipped by our spirits and that His wor- 
 ship is independent of temple or mountain. The 
 conversion of this woman brought rare joy to the 
 soul of Jesus and showed that His kingdom would 
 be cosmopolitan in fact (4 : 27-38). Every soul- 
 winner knows how to appreciate the joy of Jesus 
 here in saving this soul from ruin. The Samaritans 
 
MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH 63 
 
 who are won to Jesus as the Messiah by this woman's 
 zeal proclaim Him as " indeed the Saviour of the 
 world " (4 : 39-42)/ It was easy for them to make 
 the world-wide application of His mission so as to 
 include themselves. Progress is thus made in the 
 reception of Jesus not only as the Messiah of Israel, 
 but the Saviour of mankind, that is, of men of all 
 races and ages. He is no local, or national, or racial 
 Redeemer, but the one and only Saviour for all 
 time. 
 
 10. The Welcome in Galilee (4 : 43-54). 
 
 The very popularity of Jesus had led Him to leave 
 Judea because of the jealousy of the Pharisees. A 
 prophet, as a rule, had no honour in his own country. 
 Hence it seemed safe for Jesus to go back to Gali- 
 lee, His home land. But an element of surprise 
 awaits Him there, for the Galileans, who had heard 
 Him and seen His signs in Jerusalem at the pass- 
 over, had brought the great news back with them 
 to Galilee. Hence the fame of Jesus in Jerusalem 
 made Him known in Galilee before He came to 
 Cana again where His first miracle was wrought. It 
 is to be noted that the Gospel of John, though 
 written primarily to prove the deity of Christ, has 
 no hesitation in recording instances of the limita- 
 tions of Jesus because of His humanity. Indeed, 
 one may say that the writer takes pains to show the 
 reahty of His humanity against the Docetic Gnostics 
 who denied it. For instance, note the weariness 
 
 ^diX7jda><^ 6 ffwTTjp TOO kofffiou. 
 
64 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 of Jesus at Jacob's well (4 : 6), His hunger and thirst, 
 and His joy at the woman's conversion. So here 
 we have the apparent surprise of Jesus at His wel- 
 come in Galilee as later we have His emotion at the 
 grave of Lazarus and the reality of His blood at His 
 death. In the Gospel of John the humanity of Jesus 
 is just as actual as His deity. Westcott notes that in 
 the First Epistle of John the deity of Christ is as- 
 sumed and His humanity is proven, just the reverse 
 of the situation in the Gospel of John. The writer 
 makes no effort to explain how these things can be, 
 but modern science has revived our sense of wonder 
 and we are not so sceptical of what we cannot un- 
 derstand or explain. We do not understand either 
 the nature of man (as spirit and matter) or the na- 
 ture of God (as infinite). There is small surprise 
 that the combination puzzles our intellect sorely. 
 But our intellects have so many limitations that we 
 are learning modesty in the use of them. The con- 
 duct of the nobleman^ of Capernaum is one illustra- 
 tion of the enthusiasm in Galilee towards Jesus at 
 this early stage of His work there. Jesus (4 : 48) 
 does not wish to minister to popular excitement as 
 a mere miracle-monger, but the man's evident sin- 
 cerity wins the day. Galilee is apparently ripe for 
 receiving Jesus as Messiah. The work seems to be 
 hastening on all sides. 
 
 ^ Iia(7dik6<;. An attendant at court, possibly at the court 01 
 Herod Antipas. 
 
Ill 
 
 THE GROWING HATRED OF JESUS 
 (Chapters 5-1 1) 
 
 " / have believed that thou art the Christy 
 the Son of God!' 
 
 THE increasing revelation of Himself as the 
 Messiah, the Son of God, and the growing 
 recognition of the claims of Jesus rapidly 
 increased the hostility of the ecclesiastics in Jerusa- 
 lem. In particular the Pharisees were enraged at 
 the power of Jesus with the people, for He seemed 
 the antithesis of all their hopes and plans. We do 
 not know the precise length of time covered by 
 chapters 5-1 1 in John's Gospel. It was certainly 
 two years because of the three passovers in 2 : 22 ; 
 6 : 4 and 12 : i. If the feast in John 5 : I is a pass- 
 over, or if there is an unmentioned passover, then 
 we have three years. At any rate John selects here 
 what he considers the crucial events in the unfold- 
 ing of Christ's mission in addition to those in the 
 Synoptic Gospels, having only one miracle contained 
 there (John 6 : i-i 5). The scene of the events given 
 by John oscillates between Jerusalem and Galilee, 
 though mostly in Jerusalem. 
 
 I. The Claim of Equality with God (Chap. 5). 
 As Jesus went up to Jerusalem on purpose to at- 
 tend this feast, it was probably passover, pentecost, 
 
 6s 
 
66 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 or tabernacles. The healing of the impotent man by 
 the Pool of Bethesda might have been passed by if it 
 had not taken place on the Sabbath (5 : 9) and 
 if also the healed man had not carried his pallet 
 (bed) on the Sabbath as Jesus had directed him. 
 He seems to be a rather ingenuous sort of a fellow 
 and did not even know who it was that had healed 
 him and had bidden him violate the Pharisaic rules 
 concerning the Sabbath. They probably had their 
 suspicions as to who the man was who had thus de- 
 fied them right in Jerusalem by the Temple. They 
 evidently made the healed man feel quite uncom- 
 fortable, for, as soon as he saw Jesus again and 
 learned His name, with curious ingratitude he ran 
 and told the Pharisees so as to throw all the blame 
 on his benefactor. This fellow's infirmity was due 
 to personal sin, but he apparently did not heed the 
 warning of Jesus (5 : 14) if one may judge by his 
 conduct. He showed no sign of a new heart and 
 hfe. The heaUng of the body did not mean the 
 healing of the soul. He was slow-witted at any 
 rate. But he drops out of sight and the Phari- 
 sees (the Jews) turn their attention to Jesus, the 
 cause of the trouble. They were used by now to 
 the fact of the miracles of Jesus which they had 
 already begun to ascribe to the prince of the de- 
 mons who worked through Jesus (Matt. 9 : 34). 
 So they '• began to persecute * Jesus because he 
 was in the habit of doing ^ these things on the Sab- 
 
 ^ kdiioftov. Inchoative imperfect. 
 ' iizoisi. Customary action. 
 
THE GEO WING HATEED OF JESUS 67 
 
 bath " (5 ; 1 6). The Sabbath controversy grew very- 
 keen for the Pharisees now hated Jesus very much. 
 His defense angered them more than the offense : 
 *' My Father worketh even until now and I work." 
 This claim of equality with the Father and the cor- 
 responding right to work on the Sabbath as God 
 continues His creative activity did not escape the 
 notice of His enemies. They " sought the more ' to 
 kill him" (5: i8), having already had murder in 
 their hearts. Religious persecutors are usually men 
 of strong convictions of their own orthodoxy and 
 infaUibility, but with weak ethical principles. These 
 men felt evidently that they were the champions of 
 God against a Sabbath-breaker and a blasphemer 
 who happened, however, to be the Son of God 
 Himself and who was in reality doing the very will 
 of God. So they pressed against Jesus ** because 
 he not only brake ^ the Sabbath, but also called 
 God his own^ Father, making himself equal* with 
 God "(5: 1 8). 
 
 Certainly Jesus is fully aware of the serious na- 
 ture of the charge. He has evidently meant for 
 them to see what He really claims to be. Jesus 
 now avoids further use of the term Messiah in His 
 claim because that has a political meaning and 
 plays more into the hands of His enemies. The 
 
 * IxaXkov i^TJTouv. Conative imperfect. 
 ' eXus. Customary action. 
 
 ' idtov because Jesus said /lou. 
 
 * cffov T(f> Osaj. Cf. Phil. 2:6; cffa 0e^. Associative 
 instrumental case. 
 
68 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 claim to deity is theological and narrows the 
 issue between Jesus and the Pharisees. The usual 
 claim of Jesus to be the Son of man is in reality 
 Messianic though in a veiled form that the Phari- 
 sees cannot well attack. The charge of blas- 
 phemy is involved here, but the Pharisees must 
 prove the charge if they formally make it. The re- 
 ply of our Lord to the Pharisees (5 : 19-47) ^^ a 
 great apologetical exposition of His claim to 
 equality with God and completely silences His 
 enemies, though they are in no wise convinced. 
 The explanation comes first (19-30). Here Jesus 
 constantly refers to Himself as " the Son " and 
 speaks of God as " the Father " and thus reiterates 
 His previous claim of equality with God. But He 
 gives various details of great moment. The Son's 
 deeds are precisely those of the Father (5 : 19), as, 
 for instance, healing the impotent man on the Sab- 
 bath. The son has open access to the love,* knowl- 
 edge, and power of the Father, and this case of the 
 impotent man is a small matter compared with what 
 the Son will do " that ye may marvel " ' (5 : 20). As 
 for instance He will even raise the dead (5 : 21), as 
 He had already done in the case of Jairus' daughter 
 (Mark 5 : 35-42). The Son is the Judge of man- 
 kind (John 5 : 22). There is no honouring the Fa- 
 ther without honouring the Son (5 : 23) and thus 
 the Pharisees are dishonouring God in not honour- 
 
 * <piXeJ here, not dya-n^^ from <ptXo^ friend. 
 " ?va Ofxel^ 0aopLdZrjT£, Continue to wonder. Durative 
 tction. 
 
THE GEOWING HATEED OF JESUS 69 
 
 ing Jesus, a pertinent word for present-day theology 
 which so often patronizes Jesus. BeUef in the Son 
 brings eternal life and escape from spiritual death.* 
 Apparently (note •' and now is ") in verse 25 Jesus is 
 claiming power over spiritual Hfe, though in 28 f. He 
 undoubtedly refers to the resurrection from the tomb. 
 One may note also the resurrection of both classes 
 in 29. In verse 26 Jesus claims to ** have hfe in 
 himself"^ as the Father has. All of these are 
 attributes of deity and are meant by Jesus to be 
 so understood. It is only in the matter of judg- 
 ing man that Jesus explains that this power is given 
 Him by the Father " because he is a Son of man " 
 (5 : 26).^ This is certainly a tremendous claim and 
 not compatible with any theory that Jesus is only a 
 man, even the best of men. In fact, Jesus expressly 
 asserts that His work has value because He sustains 
 this very relation to the Father and does His 
 will (5 : 30). 
 
 Such a claim calls for proof. This Jesus recog- 
 nizes and proceeds to give (31-47). His witness 
 will not be accepted as true (5 : 31), He knows, if 
 He only bears witness of Himself. The proof that 
 Jesus offers is that of " another " ^ (5 : 32). He is 
 
 * Note two senses of death and life in this paragraph (literal 
 and spiritual) in 21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29. 
 
 ' wfo? dvdpwTzou, not 6 ulo^ rod d.v6pd>7:oo. The Ara- 
 maic barnashay son of man, is ambiguous, but it is note- 
 worthy that the Gospel of John notes the difference so care- 
 fully in the Greek idiom. 
 
 * aXXofi, Another of like veracity with Jcsug. 
 
70 THE DIVINITY OP CHEIST 
 
 glad to point to the testimony of the Baptist, to 
 whom the Sanhedrin had sent an embassy, and in 
 whose Hght they were all willing enough to re- 
 joice for a season (32-35), this •* burning and shin- 
 ing lamp." ^ But Jesus has more than the witness 
 of man, even of so good and great a man as John. 
 He has that of the Father Himself by the very 
 works of Jesus which show that the Father has set 
 His seal of approval upon Him (36-38). In verse 
 37 Jesus may by implication refer to the voice of 
 approval at His baptism, but at any rate He point- 
 edly claims acquaintance with the Father and His 
 Word, which the Jewish leaders do not possess. 
 They prove their lack of connection with God by 
 refusal to believe God's " Apostle " ^ to them (verse 
 38) who was now addressing them. But this is not 
 all. Jesus has the witness of the Scriptures which 
 they profess to know and to "search"^ to find 
 eternal life. These very Scriptures testify of Jesus 
 (cf. Luke 24 : 27), but their stubbornness blinds 
 their eyes and paralyzes their wills.^ They prefer 
 death to life at His hands. In particular, Moses 
 rises up to accuse them, Moses who wrote of Him 
 in his writings as the Prophet (Deut. 18:15) whom 
 they should receive (verses 41-47). 
 
 2. The Clamor of the Multitude (6 : 1-15). 
 The scene changes to the Sea of Galilee on a 
 
 * 6 Xoj^vo<i 6 kaidiievofs /lal ipaiviov. His lamp still shines 
 on through the ages. 'Sv airiffTttkev i/celvo^, 
 
 ' ipauvdre. Probably present indicative. 
 
 * «u OiXsTS iXOeiu Tzpd^ /ze. 
 
THE GEOWING HATEED OF JESUS 71 
 
 grassy slope on the northeastern side near Beth- 
 saida-JuHas in the tetrarchy of Philip. There is a 
 great multitude who are carried away by the words 
 and the deeds of Jesus. The great Galilean minis- 
 try lies behind this day (see Mark 1:14-6:13; 
 Matt. 4:12-13:58; Luke 4 : 14-9 : 9). The feed- 
 ing of the five thousand men, besides the women 
 and children, was the climax. " When therefore 
 the people saw the sign which he did, they said, 
 This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the 
 world " (6 : 14). This was a popular description of 
 the Messiah (cf. Matt. 11:3; John 1 1 : 27). In 
 Galilee, as wc know, Jesus had been avoiding the 
 term Messiah and the Pharisees had tried to destroy 
 His power with the people by saying that He was 
 in league with Beelzebub (Matt. 12:24; Mark 
 3 : 22). But here the people renounce the Pharisaic 
 tutelage and in ecstasy of enthusiasm propose to 
 " seize " ^ Jesus " in order to make him king " ^ 
 whether or no. They are just at the point ^ of start- 
 ing this enterprise when Jesus perceives ^ it in time 
 to nip it in the bud. It is a crisis and calls for in- 
 stant action on the part of Jesus. These people 
 have the notion of a political Messiah which the 
 Pharisees had taught them, which even the disciples 
 
 ^ dp-KaXetv. Common in the papyri for violent seizure. 
 Cf. P. Par. 66 8 f. (Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the 
 Greek Testament). 
 
 ' ha 7:oi7J(Tiu(T(v ^acdia. Note aorist tense of instant 
 action. 
 
 ' fiiXXoufftv, * yvohg. 
 
72 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 held in spite of Christ's teaching till the Holy Spirit 
 came (cf. Acts I : 6). They planned a political 
 coup, so to speak, and were going to take Jesus to 
 Jerusalem and proclaim Him King in opposition to 
 Caesar and so throw off the hated Roman yoke. It 
 had come to this that the Galileans would welcome 
 Jesus as Messiah in defiance of the Pharisees if 
 Jesus would be their sort of a Messiah. In truth, 
 the Pharisees themselves would have hailed Him as 
 Messiah on the same terms. It was the voice of 
 the people, but, alas, not the voice of God. John 
 does not tell about the sending of the multitude 
 away (Matt. 14: 22 f.; Mark 6: 45), but only of the 
 withdrawal of Jesus " again into the mountain him- 
 self alone " * (John 6 : 15). He was absolutely alone 
 in the world so far as human understanding went, 
 for the Twelve themselves evidently sympathized 
 with the mad purpose of the crowd to make Jesus a 
 political King in Jerusalem. 
 
 3. The Fear of the Disciples (6 : 16-21). 
 
 Delayed by the sudden storm on the lake and the 
 thick darkness the disciples about the fourth watch 
 (three o'clock at night) see what looks like a ghost 
 (Mark 6 : 49) walking on the sea and " drawing 
 nigh 2 unto the boat." ** They became' afraid " and 
 naturally so. They were willing Uo take Jesus into 
 the boat only after His reassuring voice. John 
 
 ^ auTo? 1x6^0^. For He had also sent the disciples across 
 the lake. 
 
 ^ ytvofxevov. Coming closer and closer. 
 
 • i<poj^ij07jffav, Ingressive aorist. * ^OeXov, 
 
THE GEOWIl^G HATEED OF JESUS 73 
 
 touches this miracle lightly (cf. Matt. 14 : 24-34), 
 but it is clear that the disciples gained a fresh im- 
 pression of the power of Jesus over wind and wave 
 as they had just seen His mastery in the matter of 
 the loaves and the fishes. 
 
 4. The Sifting of the People (6 : 22-71). 
 
 In the synagogue in Capernaum on the morrow 
 Jesus faces a great crowd, including the people who 
 the day before showed such fanaticism because of 
 the loaves and the fishes. The populace are fickle 
 and even now seem to be hinting for a fresh meal 
 at the hands of Jesus. There is not here space to 
 follow in detail the steps by which Jesus almost 
 casts pearls before swine in His patient endeavour 
 to help these people see what sort of a Messiah He 
 really is in contrast to their political hopes ex- 
 pressed the afternoon before. When He seeks to 
 turn their thoughts to the food for eternal life (26 f.), 
 and belief on Him as sent of God (28 f.), they actu- 
 ally demand a new sign for such faith, something 
 on a par with the manna in the wilderness which 
 came every morning, not one meal on an afternoon 
 (30 f.). When Jesus offers them better bread than 
 that, they eagerly cry for it, thinking only of literal 
 bread (32-34). But when He explains that He is 
 Himself the bread of life and the water of Hfe 
 (35-40), they murmur* like a swarm of bees with 
 sceptical scorn at His divine claims, this Jesus 
 " whose father and mother we know " (41 f.). Here 
 
 * iydyi'uCov. An onomatopoetic word like our murmur. 
 
74 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 we face the popular incredulity of the possibility of 
 the combination in one person of God and man. 
 Modern unbelief illustrates precisely the same atti- 
 tude of mind. But Jesus explains the folly of their 
 scorn (43) and their impotence to come to Him for 
 life without the drawing ' of the Father (44). They 
 are not taught of God (45). So Jesus repeats His 
 claim to be the bread of life in His own flesh, which 
 He is giving for the hfe of the world (46-51). The 
 Jews were indignant at this presentation of the mat- 
 ter and actually came to blows ^ (a sort of riot) with 
 each other at the idea of eating His flesh as if they 
 were cannibals (52). When Jesus further explained 
 that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood 
 (53-59), it was plain that He was far beyond the 
 depth of these people without mystical insight. It 
 is not necessary to see here a forecast of the Lord's 
 Supper, but simply a mystical and bold statement 
 of the necessity of the spiritual appropriation of the 
 life and death of Christ. He even says " eateth 
 me." ^ It is evident that Jesus is testing this crowd 
 to the bottom to see how they will rally to a spir- 
 itual Messiah. It was only too clear what they 
 would do by what they did. Many of the pro- 
 fessed disciples now followed the other Jews in dis- 
 gust out of the synagogue (66). " They walked no 
 more with Jesus." If this is all that He meant to 
 do, they had had enough of Him and of His mes- 
 sage. Now at last they had their eyes opened. 
 All had gone save the Twelve. Jesus turned to 
 * kXkoarj, * ifid^ovTO, * 6 rptoywv fis. 
 
THE GEOWING HATEED OF JESUS 75 
 
 them and asked ; *' Would ye also go away ? " 
 The form* of the question expects a negative 
 answer, but the mere asking of it shows how much 
 Jesus took to heart this rejection by the populace 
 whom He longed to save. Perhaps the Twelve had 
 also been disenchanted like the rest. They now 
 have their opportunity if they wish to leave Jesus. 
 It is Peter who speaks, as usual, and his answer 
 shows clearly that they had faced that alternative 
 and decided against it : " Lord, to whom shall wc 
 go ? " That is one point. " Thou hast the words 
 of eternal life." That is another. But best of all is 
 this : " And we have believed and know that thou 
 art the Holy One of God." This is not a new dis- 
 covery on their part. They had seen that at the 
 start, but it is now their settled conviction^ after all 
 their doubts and fears and they gladly reaffirm their 
 faith at this moment when the floating crowd have 
 renounced their allegiance to Jesus who is no 
 longer the Galilean Hero. It is plain, therefore, 
 that the hope of Jesus lies in this little band of 
 faithful men, but there is bitterness at the bottom 
 of this cup of joy, for one of these men of Christ's 
 choice is a devil.' Judas, one of the Twelve, was to 
 betray Jesus. This Jesus knew, though He did not 
 explain the terrible accusation. A sudden look of 
 dismay was probably shot at each other when Jesus 
 said, " one of you." 
 
 " Note perfect tenses izsTziffrsbkafisv kai iyvcu/iafiev, 
 ^ did^okoi, not daifxoviov^ a real old<s too dia^dkou. 
 
76 THE DIVIKETY OF CHEIST 
 
 5. The Ridicule of Christ's Brothers (7 : i-io). 
 John skips again some six months during which 
 
 time Jesus kept out of Judea as for the year before, 
 because the Jews sought to kill Him (John 7 : i) 
 and for most of this six months Jesus withdrew 
 from Galilee also. The Son of man is hated in 
 Jerusalem, disliked by many in Galilee, and now His 
 own brothers reflect the change in the public atti- 
 tude towards Jesus. They had come to feel that 
 He was beside Himself (Mark 3:21,31) and now 
 they became insolent and scornful in the sneering 
 suggestion that Jesus was ashamed to appear in 
 public any more and was hiding His light under a 
 bushel. " Manifest thyself to the world," they said, 
 " for even his brethren did not believe on him " 
 (5 : 5). This heavy additional burden Jesus had to 
 bear, misjudgment in His own home and, for a 
 while, even by His own mother (Mark 3:31), the 
 one of all others who did understand Him and 
 believe in Him. But Jesus would walk His path 
 alone if need be. So He did just the opposite of 
 the impudent advice of His brothers when He did 
 go to the feast of tabernacles. He made no claims 
 to them. 
 
 6. The Wrangle Over Jesus at the Feast of 
 Tabernacles (7 : 11-8 : 59). 
 
 At the feast of tabernacles six months before 
 His death Jesus is the uppermost topic of con- 
 versation even before He comes and His enemies 
 openly sought Him as if to kill Him (7 : 1 1). The 
 
THE GEOWING HATRED OF JESUS 77 
 
 multitudes from Galilee and elsewhere were divided 
 over the problem of Jesus (7 : 12), for He was now 
 the outstanding figure of Palestine and challenged 
 the attention of all classes. Jesus Himself was now 
 " a sign which is spoken against " " set for the fall- 
 ing and the rising of many in Israel " (Luke 2 : 34), 
 as old Simeon had said would be the case. Who is 
 this Jesus of Nazareth whom the Jewish rulers so 
 disHke ? This question was now to the fore in 
 every group that gathered in the corridors of the 
 Court of the Gentiles. But the talk was in whispers, 
 for the friends of Jesus did not wish to play into 
 the hands of the Jewish leaders (7: 13). Nowhere 
 is John more dramatic and powerful than in the 
 swift movement of these chapters. The various 
 elements of the national life move before us as they 
 take various attitudes towards Jesus of Nazareth. 
 Jesus is still the lodestone of human hearts, the 
 standard of measurement for all modern men who 
 cannot escape the moral appeal of the Full Stature 
 of the Manhood of Christ (Eph. 4:13). Some 
 deride, some praise and pass by, some linger and 
 strive humbly to attain, but all notice the only FuU- 
 Grown Man of the Ages. So Jesus comes boldly 
 to the feast in the midst of its celebration and stands 
 in the Temple teaching without fear, though fully 
 conscious of the electric atmosphere about Him. 
 The hostile Jews scoff in wonder at His audacity in 
 trying to teach without scholastic preparation or 
 ecclesiastical permit, a sort of theological ignoramus 
 and free-lance in their opinion (7;i4f.). Jesus 
 
78 THE DIVIKITY OF CHRIST 
 
 promptly accepts this challenge and admits the 
 technical correctness of their charge, but denies the 
 implication of ignorant invention of ill-considered 
 teaching because He gets His teaching directly 
 from God. This is a fact which they can test for 
 themselves by the willingness * to do God's will in- 
 stead of mere academic disputation which gets 
 no whither, and thus they will find no unrighteous- 
 ness in Jesus (5 : 16-18). Then, while they listen 
 with amazement at the skill and courage of Jesus, 
 He suddenly charges them with failure to keep the 
 law of Moses which they praised so much and yet 
 covered up with their own pettifogging rules, a 
 cutting indictment of current Pharisaism in line 
 with that in Matthew 23 and justified by the later 
 Talmud itself. But like a bolt from the blue, Jesus 
 lets fall this question : " Why seek ye to kill me ? " 
 (5 : 19). The Jewish leaders are speechless at this 
 putting them on the defensive, this reading of their 
 own hearts in public. Some of the Galilean multi- 
 tude, ignorant of the plans of the ecclesiastics, re- 
 tort in behalf of the rulers that Jesus had a demon 
 (5 : 20), a favourite " fling " in those days on the part 
 of exasperated disputants. Certainly there is no lack 
 of heat in the discussion. The sparks fly fast. 
 Jesus refers to the one great work done by Him 
 probably a year and a half ago when they tried to 
 kill Him in Jerusalem (5:18) and once more justifies 
 
 ^ kdv r«9 OiXy) — rrotelv. Not a mere periphrastic future, 
 but ** the will to obey.'* It is in the will that the decision 
 of life is made. Cf. " The Will to Believe." 
 
THE GEO WING HATEED OF JESUS 79 
 
 His habit of healing on the Sabbath day by the 
 practice of circumcision on the Sabbath, when one 
 Mosaic law overrides another (7:21-24). They 
 are entirely too superficial in their criticism, as is the 
 way of carping critics. The Jerusalem populace, 
 who know of the plans of the rulers, next comment 
 in wonder on the failure of the rulers to arrest Jesus 
 after all their boasts and tauntingly ask if they 
 *• have come to know * of a truth that this fellow ^ is 
 the Messiah " (7 : 25 f.). They add a bit of popular 
 theology of a piece with the advice of the devil to 
 Jesus to let the people see Him drop down from 
 the pinnacle of the Temple as if from heaven. The 
 people and some of the Pharisees thought that the 
 Messiah would drop out of the skies (7 : 27). The 
 reply of Jesus, in which He claims a knowledge of 
 God which this mob does not possess, angers them 
 so that they try to kill Him without waiting on the 
 rulers (7 : 28-30). The pot is boiling now. The 
 Galilean multitude is divided over Jesus, but many 
 more openly champion His cause and pertinently 
 ask whether, if Jesus is not the Messiah, the Mes- 
 siah Himself will do more signs (7:31). This 
 espousal of Christ leads the Pharisees to order the 
 arrest of Jesus by Roman " officers," while Jesus 
 calmly teaches on in defiance of their efforts. The 
 Pharisees sneeringly explain the words of Jesus as 
 the counsel of despair and a flight to the dispersion 
 of the Jews among the Greeks (7:32-36). But 
 
 ^ dXrjda)? eyvuxTav. Effective aorist and timeless. 
 ' ohro<i in derisive mood. 
 
80 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Jesus is not arrested and on the last day of the feast 
 proclaims that He has the water of life for all who 
 will come ; * and once again the multitude are keenly 
 divided over Jesus as to whether He is the Christ, 
 some explaining that the Messiah comes from 
 Bethlehem while Jesus is from Galilee (7 : 37-44). 
 So men argued in their ignorance, but the hands of 
 men were stayed from Jesus for His hour was not 
 yet come. The officers did come finally to report 
 to the Sanhedrin, but they did not bring Jesus and 
 bore witness to the power of Christ's words. The 
 rage of the Pharisees reveals their scorn of Jesus 
 and of the accursed multitude (the 'Am-ha-'Aretz^ 
 the people of the land), who alone follow the up- 
 start Galilean (7 : 45-49). But Nicodemus, who has 
 now won more courage, dares to make a point of 
 law in behalf of Jesus and justice, only to bring 
 down a fresh vial of wrath on his own head 
 (7:50-52). 
 
 The feast of tabernacles is over and the crowds 
 from abroad go home, but Jesus lingers on a few 
 days. The Pharisees are full of resentment at the 
 turn of affairs and very inflammable and explosive.^ 
 Jesus is again in the Temple when the Pharisees 
 are. He probably said : " I am the light of the 
 
 ^ On each of the first seven days of this feast water from 
 the Pool of Siloam was carried in a golden pitcher before a 
 procession. On the eighth day this was not done, for the 
 people were now supposed to be in the land of springs. 
 
 ^The incident of the adulterous woman (7 : 53-8 : ii) 
 is almost certainly not a part of the Gospel of John, though 
 it bears every mark of being a veracious story. 
 
THE GEOWING HATEED OF JESUS 81 
 
 world " (8 : 12) on purpose for them to hear. This 
 is precisely what the Pharisees thought that they 
 were, though they would hardly say it in plain 
 terms. But such a claim from Jesus, who was 
 taboo in Pharisaic circles, was intolerable. They 
 were quick to take Jesus up and to accuse Him 
 of simply praising Himself (8 : 1 3). His bare word 
 was not acceptable. We are bound to admit the 
 technical justice of this retort of the Pharisees. If 
 Jesus is only a man, it is well-nigh impossible to 
 justify such language in His mouth. The claim is 
 universal, for all the world and for all time. It is 
 only consonant with the fact of the deity of Jesus 
 and the revelation of this truth on the part of Jesus, 
 and thus follows naturally without the conceit which 
 would otherwise be inevitable. Jesus replies that 
 He can speak the truth all by Himself, but admits 
 their right to demand confirmation which He pro- 
 duces in the witness of His Father (8 : 14-18). At 
 this turn the Pharisees throw in His face the charge 
 of being a bastard ' : " Where is thy Father ? " with 
 a grin and a leer (8 : 19). But Jesus witheringly 
 adds that they know neither Him nor His Father 
 (8 : 19), meaning God. 
 
 The Master seems to be in a provocative mood 
 and draws the lines of cleavage very sharply be- 
 tween Himself and the Pharisees in destiny, in 
 origin, in spirit (8 : 21-30). He defiantly tells them 
 that they shall die in their sins unless they believe 
 in Him. His language (8 : 24) is absolute : " That 
 * As is done in the Talmud. 
 
82 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 I am " * and may be itself a claim to deity, though 
 Jesus stoutly refuses to say the word " Messiah " to 
 them or to explain further when they pointedly ask 
 Him : " Who art thou ? " (8 : 25). He does say 
 that they shall come to know who He is when they 
 have lifted Him up on the Cross (8 : 28), as many 
 did at Pentecost and afterwards (Acts 2-6). 
 
 Some of the Pharisees had been impressed by 
 the tremendous claims of Jesus and expressed be- 
 lief in Him as the Messiah (8 : 30), but Jesus was 
 suspicious of the Jerusalem Pharisees (cf. 2 : 23-25) 
 and proceeded to test the reality and sincerity of 
 their faith (8 : 31-59). He wishes no disciples under 
 false pretenses. The only real disciples are those 
 who hold out and stand by the word of Jesus 
 (8:31). Thus they will know the truth and the 
 truth will make them free (8 : 32). Nothing else 
 liberates the spirit of man from the bondage of sin 
 and the shackles of human prejudice. At once it 
 is clear that these " disciples " are more Pharisee 
 than Christian, for they resent the implication that 
 they had ever been " in bondage to any man," 
 though at that moment they were under the 
 political yoke of Rome and the still heavier re- 
 ligious yoke of the rabbis in spite of their pride 
 in being " Abraham's seed " (8 : 33). Jesus ex- 
 plains that they are in bondage to sin and repeats 
 that the Son can set them free from that, although 
 they (the Pharisees) were seeking to kill Him, clear 
 proof that their father is not the same as His Father 
 
THE GEOWING HATEED OF JESUS 83 
 
 (8 : 34-38). In spite of their plea that Abraham is 
 their father (8 ; 39), they do not act hke it (8 : 40) 
 and do the works of their spiritual father (8 : 41). 
 In a flash they deny that they are the children of 
 fornication, as by implication Jesus is (for Jesus 
 passed as the son of Joseph begotten out of wed- 
 lock). They now claim God as their " one Father " 
 (8 : 41). Once more Jesus explains that their con- 
 duct shows that God is not their spiritual Father, 
 but on the contrary proves that the devil is their 
 spiritual father (8 : 42-47). This was a terrific turn 
 of the argument against these claimants of ex- 
 clusive spiritual prerogatives as the children of 
 Abraham. John the Baptist had called them 
 broods of vipers (Matt. 3 : 7), but this indictment 
 was far worse. Jesus had practically also accused 
 the Pharisees of being liars while asserting sinless- 
 ness for Himself. The Pharisees hiss back the 
 bitter words : ** Say we not well that thou art a 
 Samaritan and hast a demon ? " (8 : 49), the two 
 meanest things that they can think of in their rage. 
 But Jesus proceeds and claims to be able to pre- 
 vent death (spiritual death, of course), while the 
 Jews accuse Jesus of claiming to be greater than 
 Abraham and the prophets (8:50-53). This is 
 precisely what Jesus did claim. He must speak 
 the truth about Himself as God's own Son, else be 
 silent and so a liar like them, for Abraham rejoiced 
 to see His day (8 : 54-56). The Jews are literalists 
 and at the final claim of Jesus to timeless and 
 eternal existence before the day of Abraham, they 
 
84 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 take up stones to stone Him as a common blas- 
 phemer (8 : 57-59). Jesus escaped, but the sting- 
 ing memory of that day would not pass from the 
 minds of the Pharisees. 
 
 7. The Wit of the Man Born Blind (Chap. 9). 
 
 This chapter relieves the tension of the story by 
 the dehghtful play of wit and humour on the part 
 of the gifted man who was healed by Jesus as he 
 passed out of the storm in the Temple (9 : i). The 
 man's humour appears in his naive confession to his 
 neighbours that he is in reality the very beggar 
 who used to be blind (9 : 9). He tells the simple 
 straightforward story of the facts relative to the 
 opening of his eyes, sticks to it all the time, parries 
 every effort to get himself tangled in his words, ex- 
 presses his own opinion that Jesus is a prophet, 
 refuses to call Jesus a sinner to relieve the Pharisees 
 of their own theological embarrassments over a 
 stubborn fact that upset their theology about the 
 Sabbath, stands by the crucial fact of his receiving 
 sight at the hands of Jesus, playfully twits the 
 Pharisees with the desire to become the disciples 
 of Jesus, makes merry over their ignorance about 
 Jesus, and finally argues conclusively to show that 
 God must be with Jesus at any rate. The Pharisees 
 lose all self-control and blaze out at Him : " Thou 
 was altogether * born in sin, and dost thou teach 
 us ? " (9 : 34). They finished the business by cast- 
 
 ^ 0/I09. Every whit of you. Total depravity with -^ 
 vengeance. 
 
THE GEOWING HATRED OF JESUS 86 
 
 ing the impudent upstart out of the Synagogue 
 (out of church), the way of the bigot in all ages 
 who tries to stifle truth by injury to the herald 
 of it. 
 
 But the outcome of this story (9: 35-41) is beau- 
 tiful indeed. Jesus heard of the poor fellow's treat- 
 ment and sought him out. He had been turned out 
 of the Jewish " church," but Jesus was going to take 
 him into the kingdom of heaven, which, alas, was 
 outside of that " church," as has often been true 
 through the ages. Even organic Christianity has 
 sometimes turned the followers of Jesus out-of-doors 
 and left Jesus Himself standing on the outside of 
 the church and would not open the door to let Him 
 in (Rev. 3 : 20), because to do that would be to dis- 
 turb the smug complacency of a dead church in the 
 grip of the devil. So Jesus reveals Himself to the 
 man, whose eyes He had opened, as the Son of God 
 and at once receives the fealty and the worship of the 
 man's heart. Here we have a flash-light on the his- 
 toric environment of Jesus. The religious leaders 
 of the Jewish people, who should have been able 
 to recognize Him as the Messiah, the Son of God, 
 were so utterly blind that they could not tell light 
 from darkness. They even try to put out the Light 
 of the world and to ostracize these who have their 
 eyes opened to see. They preferred the aristocracy 
 of darkness and death to the democracy of light, 
 freedom, and life in Christ. " Are we also blind ? " 
 the Pharisees pitifully asked Jesus. Alas, if their 
 blindness had been only intellectual and not spiritual, 
 
86 THE DIYIKETY OF CHEIST 
 
 their case would have been better. They claim to be 
 the torch-Hghts of truth for the people. They boast 
 of their insight and cannot escape their sin. This 
 word of Jesus holds good of all preachers and theo- 
 logical teachers to-day. We must all speak what 
 we see, but we do it at our own risk. The Light 
 has come, but " men loved the darkness rather than 
 the light; for their works were evil" (4: 19). 
 
 8. A Schism by an Allegory (10: 1-21). 
 
 It is clear that the Pharisees are present. Jesus 
 tells the Allegory * of the Good Shepherd. He evi- 
 dently tells it to draw the distinction sharply between 
 the Pharisees and Himself. His sheep, like the man 
 born blind, hear His voice and come at His call. 
 The Pharisees are too dull and too prejudiced to 
 understand the words of Jesus (10 : 6) and so He 
 tells the story over again with more detail (7-18). 
 He explains that He is the Good Shepherd who 
 lays down His life for the sheep and does not run 
 from the wolf when he comes. He lays down His 
 life voluntarily and therein lies its moral value. He 
 has power also to take it up again, as He will do, 
 and therein lies the supreme proof of His claim to 
 be the Son of God able to make the atoning sacri- 
 fice for the sin of the world. For He has other 
 sheep outside of the Jewish fold. Gentiles, whom He 
 must bring. " I came that they may have life, and 
 
 ^ napotfiia (io:6), a word by the way, a byword, a 
 proverb, a parable, and here an allegory which is a self- 
 explanatory parable. 
 
THE GEOWING HATEED OF JESUS 87 
 
 may have it abundantly*" (lO: lo). Out of these 
 separate folds will be made " one flock " under the 
 " one shepherd," another figure in the Kingdom of 
 God composed of the redeemed of all nations and 
 ages. Both times Jesus has indicated that the 
 Pharisees are like the thieves and robbers on the 
 outside of the Kingdom of God, and yet some of 
 them were convinced by the words of Jesus and in 
 reply to the sneer that Jesus has a demon and is 
 mad (both, as was usually the case) calmly assert 
 that Jesus has not talked like a demoniac, and, be- 
 sides, " Can a demon open the eyes of the blind ? " 
 Thus a " schism " ^ arose among the Pharisees, a 
 great triumph for Jesus under all the circumstances. 
 But all along we see that everything in this Gospel 
 turns round the Person of Jesus Christ. 
 
 9. An Argumentum ad Hominem (10 : 22-39). 
 
 Three months apparently intervene between verses 
 21 and 22 in chapter 10, an interval probably spent 
 in Judea (Luke 10: 1-13: 21). It is now the feast 
 of dedication, about our Christmas time. Jesus is 
 walking in Solomon's porch and the Jews make a 
 circle* round Him as if they are delighted to see 
 Him. In fact their question means that the " sus- 
 pense " ^ has been unbearable and now they must 
 know once for all the truth about Him : " If thou 
 
 ^ Tzepcffffdv. An overflow of life. 
 
 ^fT^ifffia. A split. ^ ikbkluxrav. 
 
 ^TYjv 4>u)(7jv ijiiwv afpec<s. He held their souls in mid-air 
 and gave them no rest. 
 
88 THE DIVmiTY OF CHEIST 
 
 art the Messiah tell us plainly"* (lO: 24). It was 
 all plausible enough and would probably have 
 availed for the ordinary teacher, but it was a skill- 
 ful trap, all the same, set right before the bird that 
 they wished to catch. They wished Jesus to con- 
 fess in plain words that He claimed to be the Mes- 
 siah so that they could arraign Him before the 
 Sanhedrin on this confession. It was not blasphemy 
 to be the Messiah, to be sure, but this fact was in- 
 conceivable in the case of Jesus. But Jesus saw 
 through the plot and declined to be caught in their 
 toils. He reminded them of His previous discourses 
 three months before and repeated some of His say- 
 ings and pointedly said : " I and the Father are 
 one" (10 : 30). This admission they at once inter- 
 preted as blasphemy and they took up^ stones again 
 (cf. 8 : 59). But Jesus was unafraid and proceeded 
 to " rally " them for their logical inconsistency even 
 as they stood with stones in their uplifted hands 
 ready ^ to hurl at Him. Granted that He did claim 
 the term " God " for Himself by saying : '♦ I am 
 Son of God." * That language is not equal to what 
 occurs in Psalm 82 : 6 where the judges of Israel, 
 as God's agents, are called " gods." It was a clever 
 
 ^ TrappTjffia, Fully, holding nothing back. Mr. E. S. 
 Buchanon reports that a Western text from Armagh reads : 
 ** If thou art God, tell us plainly.'* 
 
 ^ i/SaffTaffav, not ^pav of 8 : 59. It is originally to ** lift" 
 as here and later to ** carry." Both uses in the papyri. 
 
 ^ XiOd^ers. Conative (present indicative) or interrupted 
 action. The process had already begun. 
 
 * Note oloi TOO Oeou, not 6 uio^ too Oeou, 
 
THE GEO WING HATEED OF JESUS 89 
 
 turn and a justifiable argumentiirn ad hominem. 
 As a mere man, Jesus could speak of Himself as 
 " a Son of God." The stones seem to have dropped 
 from their hands as the result of it. Certainly Jesus 
 did not mean to say that this was the only sense in 
 which He was the Son of God. This apparent dis- 
 claimer is one of Schmiedel's famous " pillars " of 
 doubt (I call them) about Jesus. 
 
 One is devoid of a sense of humour who does 
 not know how to take this incident. The writer 
 proceeded to show how Jesus, after this bit of theo- 
 logical byplay after the fashion of the rabbis of 
 which so many specimens occur in the Talmud, 
 repeated His claims to oneness with the Father 
 (10:38). The result was that the Jews "sought 
 again to take him," though they did not apparently 
 hurl the stones which they had before lifted up. 
 Jesus escaped (10:39) o^t of their hand as He 
 had done before (8 : 59), but clearly Jerusalem was 
 now a dangerous place for Jesus. 
 
 ID. An Echo of the Baptist's Preaching (10 : 
 
 40-42). 
 
 Once more after possibly some three years He is 
 again at Bethany beyond Jordan, in reality a refugee 
 from Jewish hate, here where John the Baptist had 
 borne his last testimony to Jesus as the Messiah, the 
 Son of God (i : 28, 34). The rare quality of John's 
 preaching is shown by the fact that many there 
 recalled his message about Jesus and saw that it 
 was true when they beheld Jesus. John's portrait 
 
90 THE DIYIKITY OF CHRIST 
 
 of Jesus fit the original and they beheved on Jesus 
 because of it. Thus John's voice has kept on echo- 
 ing through the ages, witnessing for Jesus as the 
 Messiah of God. 
 
 II. The Master of Death (ii : 1-44). 
 
 This chapter has given especial offense to many 
 modern critics because of the part that the raising 
 of Lazarus is made to play in the closing days of 
 Christ's life, though no mention of this great event 
 occurs in the Synoptic Gospels. Drummond, who 
 argues for the Johannine authorship of the Gospel, 
 balks at the historicity of this miracle. There are 
 raisings from the dead in the Synoptic Gospels, the 
 daughter of Jairus (Matt. 9 : 22-26) and the son of 
 the widow of Nain (Luke 7 : Ii-I7),but they might 
 by a stretch be explained by the critics as cases of 
 swooning, while the case of Lazarus admits of no 
 such naturalistic explanation. One is forced to 
 credit Jesus with power to bring the dead to hfe or 
 to treat the narrative as legend or simply symbolic 
 of spiritual life. But, I submit, if one can come 
 with John's argument thus far without flinching, he 
 need not be squeamish about this famous eleventh 
 chapter. If Jesus is the Logos made flesh (chapter 
 i), the Son of God with power over life and death 
 as He claimed (chapter 5), why could He not do 
 what God can do ? It all turns on the power of 
 God at last, unless the narrative bears the earmarlcs 
 of myth or legend. The absence of this incident 
 in the Synoptic Gospels does not render it improb- 
 
THE GROWING HATRED OF JESUS 91 
 
 able or incredible, since, if Lazarus were still living, 
 they might purposely avoid it, as they omitted 
 Peter's name in connection with the cutting of 
 Malchus's ear. We know that the rulers did try to 
 kill Lazarus (I2: lo). I do not see how it is pos- 
 sible to reject this chapter and credit the rest of the 
 book with much value. It may be added that most 
 of the critics who scoff at the raising of Lazarus ex- 
 plain away also the resurrection of Jesus. 
 
 Jesus and the disciples were conscious of the 
 peril of going back to Bethany near Jerusalem from 
 Bethany beyond Jordan. Recent events had made 
 that clear (il : 8 f.), but Jesus was not afraid to go 
 and Thomas finally acquiesced with the courage of 
 despair, for he saw only death for them all (i i : i6). 
 The delay of Jesus made it four days after the death 
 of Lazarus before He came, but Jesus held that it 
 was all " for the glory of God, that the Son of God 
 may be glorified thereby " (i I : 4). Here Jesus calls 
 Himself" the Son of God," though He usually said 
 *' the Son of man." It is significant that Martha 
 believes that Jesus can get power from God to re- 
 store Lazarus to hfe (ii : 22). When Jesus claims 
 to be Himself the resurrection and the life and de- 
 mands of Martha her faith in this claim (ii : 25 f.), 
 she nobly affirms as high a creed as that of Simon 
 Peter (Matt. 16 : 16) and under far more trying cir- 
 cumstances : " Yea, Lord ! I have believed ^ that 
 thou art the Messiah, the Son of God, he that 
 
 ^ ne7ri<TT£o/ca. It is her setded belief. She will not shrink 
 in an hour like this. 
 
92 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Cometh into the world " (i i : 27). So Martha ex- 
 presses her belief that Jesus can raise her brother 
 from the dead now because He is the Son of God. 
 Mary is all tears and Jesus undergoes violent agita- 
 tion/ what with Martha's courage, His own emo- 
 tion, Mary's grief, and the presence of the Jews 
 (friends of the family, but hostile to Jesus). The 
 presence of these Jews and the anguish of the sisters 
 made the raising of Lazarus a test of the claims of 
 Jesus to be the Messiah, especially after what He 
 had said to the disciples (11:4) ^^^ to Martha 
 (ii : 25). Jesus is fully conscious of the issue at 
 stake, but was never more sure of the outcome, as 
 is shown by His deliberate preparations and the 
 prayer of gratitude which assumes that the Father 
 has already heard Him (i I : 38-42). The protest 
 of Martha as she faces the actual opening of the 
 tomb is no real discount to her noble faith, but a 
 woman's instinctive shrinking before the almost 
 gruesome realities of the situation. There are few 
 more majestic moments in the life of Jesus than 
 this when He calls for Lazarus to come forth out of 
 the tomb. One may be sure that failure would 
 have been heralded to the ends of the earth. Jesus 
 spoke in a loud voice so that those present might 
 see that Lazarus came forth in response to His 
 
 ' he^Spifi-qffaro rc5 nveufxart r<ai irdpa^ev iauTov, Both 
 verbs here express powerful emotion in the effort for self- 
 control. He shook himself in the effort and finally burst 
 into tears (^iddupuaev, ingressive aorist) which was some re- 
 lief. See also i[i^t[i(I)[ievo<i in verse 38. 
 
THE GEOWIKG HATEED OF JESUS 93 
 
 command. Jesus stood triumphant, the Master of 
 death and the Giver of hfe. 
 
 12. The Fury of the Sanhedrin (ii : 45-57). 
 
 Small wonder is it that many of the Jews who saw 
 Lazarus step out " bound hand and foot with grave 
 clothes " should beheve in Jesus on the spot (i 1 : 45). 
 Some of the timid flew to the Pharisees for help, if 
 they had any, else they too must believe (11 : 46). 
 A crisis was precipitated and a formal meeting of 
 the Sanhedrin was called to consider what to do * 
 under the circumstances (11 : 47). It was plain to 
 see that, if matters go on thus, soon the people will 
 proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, there will be a revo- 
 lution, " and the Romans will come and take away 
 both our place and our nation" (11:48). This 
 they affirm with delicious naivete, placing their own 
 offices before patriotism. But Caiaphas, the high 
 priest, is bolder still and has a plan already. *' It is 
 expedient for you that one man should die for ^ the 
 people, and that the whole nation perish not " 
 (i I : 50). It is so easy to settle a crisis by making 
 a sacrifice of some one else. His words were hailed 
 as the acme of wisdom and from that day Jesus was 
 doomed by formal vote of the Sanhedrin (11 : 53). 
 He is now a hunted man and it is only a matter of 
 weeks till the inevitable end. Once more Jesus is 
 
 ^ Tt TToiodfiev ; present indicative. A confession that they 
 are doing nothing. 
 
 ^ oTzkp TOO Xaoo, An undoubted use of oitip in the sub- 
 stitutionary sense as the context makes plain. 
 
94 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 in the hills of Ephraitn near where the devil tempted 
 Him after His baptism (i i : 54). The passover of 
 destiny drew on as Jesus moved up to Galilee and 
 down through Perea to meet His Hour, the Hour 
 for which He had come to earth. The people who 
 had gone up to Jerusalem ahead of Him to purify 
 themselves for the feast sought for Him and stood 
 in groups in the Temple and talked of the great 
 crisis on hand. Would Jesus face His enemies at 
 the passover ? On the whole they thought He 
 would not.* The chief priests (Sadducees) and the 
 Pharisees (the Sanhedrin leaders) had placed a price 
 on His head and had advertised for His capture 
 (11 : 57). Probably a tablet was already placed in 
 the Temple courts to that effect like one discovered 
 in the ruins.^ 
 
 * The question in 11:56 has fir) and expects the answer 
 "No." 
 
 'Deissmann, " Light firom the Ancient East," p. 75. 
 
IV 
 
 THE SECRET OF JESUS 
 (Chapters 12-17) 
 
 " He that hath seen me hath seen the Father!* 
 
 THIS section of the Gospel is often called 
 the ** Heart of Jesus." Indeed Sears 
 termed the Fourth Gospel ** The Heart of 
 Christ." These chapters are the most familiar parts 
 of the book and present the sympathetic side of 
 Christ's nature quite in contrast to the militant note 
 in chapters 5-10, but quite in the strain of chapter 
 II. Painters of Christ have taken their cue almost 
 entirely from John 12-17 to the neglect of the mas- 
 terful element of struggle so prominent in the earlier 
 chapters of John and in the Synoptic Gospels. Both 
 aspects of His character are true.* Jesus is both 
 the suffering Messiah and Christus Victor. The 
 circumstances that surround Jesus are the most af- 
 fecting imaginable. He has run His race nearly to 
 the goal. He knows what the outcome will be. 
 He shrinks from the awful catastrophe and yet is 
 sure of triumph. Meanwhile, He must make one 
 
 *See Selbie, " Aspects of Christ " (1909) ; Farrar, " The 
 Life of Christ as Represented in Art ; " Matheson, ** Studies 
 in the Portrait of the Messiah '* (1900) ; " St. John's Portrait 
 of Christ " (1910). 
 
 95 
 
96 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 more effort to prepare the disciples for the gloom of 
 His death, all the more that one of them is to be- 
 tray Him. So here we have Christus Consolator. 
 He is trying to give " the faith that looks through 
 death " for the heartening of the eleven faithful men 
 who go with Him down to the Valley of the Shadow 
 of Death/ 
 
 I. The Feast in Christ's Honour at Bethany 
 (12: 1-8). 
 
 The Gospels of Mark and Matthew record this 
 feast at Bethany on Tuesday evening (Roman time) 
 just two days before the passover (Matt. 26 : 2^ 
 6-13; Mark 14:1, 6-9), while John apparently 
 (12 : i) locates it six days before the passover. It is 
 possible, of course, that John may simply mention 
 the feast in connection with the statement of Christ's 
 arrival at Bethany since he does not again recur to 
 Bethany in his narrative and so out of chronological 
 order. John does not state that it was at the house 
 of Simon the leper, but simply has " they," but notes 
 that Martha, Mary and Lazarus were there. For 
 the purpose of our discussion the point of impor- 
 tance is His justification of Mary's beautiful act of 
 high sentiment against the selfish criticism of Judas 
 who rallied all the apostles to his view. *' Suffer her 
 to keep it against^ the day of my burying "(12:7). 
 
 ^ See Bowen, "Love Revealed. Meditations on John 
 XIII-XVII" (1884); Burrell, "In the Upper Room" 
 (191 3) ; Sample, " Christ's Valedictory ; " Swete, " The 
 Last Discourse and Prayer" (new edition, 19 15). 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 97 
 
 Matthew (26 : 1 2) and Mark (14 : 8) explain more 
 clearly that Jesus meant that the act of Mary was a 
 preparation for His burial. She alone had come to 
 understand the repeated predictions of Jesus about 
 His death reported in the Synoptic Gospels, es- 
 pecially during the last six months. She probably 
 did not understand what He meant by resurrection, 
 but with a woman's delicate insight Mary of Beth- 
 any had caught to some extent the point of view 
 of Jesus, and she showed her love and sympathy be- 
 fore the burial. The shadow of the Cross was thus 
 at this feast of gratitude, but the devil himself en- 
 tered afresh into the heart of Judas (Luke 22 : 3) 
 and sent him in a resentful rage to the Sanhedrin 
 who were in despair how to accomplish the death 
 of Jesus. So while Mary's heart was full of tender 
 sympathy with Christ about His death, Judas with 
 murderous treachery was plotting to hasten that 
 death. 
 
 2. The Curiosity of the Crowd (12 : 9-1 1). 
 
 We must probably go back in imagination to the 
 Friday afternoon and the Sabbath (cf. John 12 : 12 
 Sunday) before the passover when Jesus is at Beth- 
 any, having come on up from Jericho (Luke 19 : 28 ; 
 John 12:1). "The common people"* from the 
 city and from a distance learned that Jesus was there 
 and they went out to see Jesus and to see Lazarus 
 
 ^ 6 0x^0? TTO/lu? (see also 12: 12). On this idiom see 
 Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New Testament," etc., 
 p. 774- 
 
98 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 who had been raised from the dead. One can easily 
 imagine the excitement that this combination created. 
 The raising of Lazarus had led the Sanhedrin by- 
 formal vote to decide to put Jesus to death before 
 His arrest or trial (John li : 53). Now they have 
 decided to put Lazarus to death also and for the 
 same reason that because of him " many of the Jews 
 went and beheved on Jesus " (John 12 : 10 f.). Now 
 all other pubhc questions sank out of sight. The 
 one goal before the Sanhedrin was to put Jesus out 
 of the way and all others, if necessary, who clung to 
 Him. 
 
 3. The Messianic Demonstration (12 : 12-19). 
 
 It is Sunday morning, not the Jewish Sabbath, 
 when Jesus by formal act announces His claim to 
 be the Messiah of the Jews. He allows the multi- 
 tudes (chiefly from Galilee and Perea) which follow 
 Him from the hills around Bethany and which meet 
 Him as they come out of Jerusalem (John 12 : 13) 
 to proclaim Him. A year before this the crowd 
 near Bethsaida-Julias had wished to do this very 
 thing and to make Jesus the King Messiah, but He 
 would not then allow them to do it (John 6: 15). 
 But now it is clear to all who believe in Jesus that 
 the crisis has come and that the policy of secrecy is 
 over. The crowd at Jericho had felt that on this 
 visit of Jesus to Jerusalem " the Kingdom of God 
 was immediately to appear" (Luke 19:11). In- 
 deed, Jesus had made deliberate preparation for this 
 Messianic demonstration (Matt. 21 : 2; Mark 11 : if.; 
 
THE SEOEET OF JESUS 99 
 
 Luke ig:2g{.). Jesus had in mind the prophecy 
 of Zechariah 9:9: " Behold the King is coming to 
 thee, just and saving; he is meek and riding on a 
 beast of burden and a young foal." Neither the dis- 
 ciples nor the populace seem to have understood 
 the significance of this detail (John 12 : 16). It 
 was only later, as so often, that they came to see 
 what was the appropriateness of this humble steed 
 in the Triumphal Entry. The people themselves 
 were stirred to act by the enthusiasm over the rais- 
 ing of Lazarus as John (12 : 17 f.) alone explains and 
 thus enables us to understand the Synoptic account 
 of the sudden outburst (Dods, " Expositor's Greek 
 Testament," m loco). The picture of Jesus on the 
 young ass was probably not very majestic and little 
 calculated to set a crowd so ablaze. And yet they 
 cried : " Hosanna : Blessed is he that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord, even the King of Israel " (John 
 12: 13). They seized the fronds on the palm trees 
 which grew on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem 
 and carried them because palm branches were a rec- 
 ognized symbol of victory and joy.* It was all sim- 
 ple enough in comparison with a triumph of a Roman 
 general in Rome with his chariots, his trophies, and 
 his captives in a procession of great grandeur. 
 But Christ will lead Paul in His triumphal train'* 
 and the mightiest of earth in course of time. There 
 were probably some who mocked as they swept on 
 round Olivet and down the Valley of Jehoshaphat 
 
 ^ Cf. Pausanias, Vol. VIII, p. 48 ; i Mace. 13:5. 
 ' 2 Cor. 2 : 14. 
 
100 THE DIVIOTTY OF CHEIST 
 
 towards the City of the Great King. Some of the 
 Pharisees did try to make Jesus ashamed of this spec- 
 tacular performance of tiie rabble (Luke 19: 39 f.). 
 But Jesus is determined to make public defiance of 
 the Sanhedrin who had been so anxious to learn 
 who He claimed to be (John 10 : 24). Now they 
 know. The enthusiasm of the crowd burst all 
 bounds (Luke 19 : 37 f.). The Pharisees indeed well 
 understood the meaning of this public outpouring 
 of the people who openly hailed Jesus as the Mes- 
 siah. It meant that He was the Hero of the masses 
 here at the passover and that the Sanhedrin were 
 helpless to carry out their plans of murderous re- 
 venge while this multitude of sympathizers were on 
 hand. At the best they must postpone their plans 
 to kill Jesus till after the passover (Luke 19:47^ ; 
 22 : 6). At the worst it meant the complete failure 
 of all their plans and the triumph of Jesus over them. 
 Some of the Pharisees now felt this to be the case 
 and in a burst of despair blamed the other Pharisees 
 for the victory of Christ : " Behold how ye prevail 
 nothing ; lo, the world is gone after him " (John 
 12 : 19). It did look so, for the hills were covered 
 with the crowds that cheered Christ as He moved 
 on into Jerusalem and into the very courts of the 
 Temple where the boys * echoed the cry of the 
 throng right in the ears of the Sadducees (chief 
 priests) and Pharisees (scribes) who were " moved 
 with indignation" (Matt. 2i:iof., 14-17). We 
 need not suppose that this motley crowd of enthu- 
 *Tou9 iraldai (Matt. 21 : 15). 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 101 
 
 siasts understood the spiritual character of the King- 
 dom of God whose advent they were hailing or 
 dreamed that Jesus was not going to be the polit- 
 ical Messiah that they thought He was now an- 
 nouncing Himself to be. Even the Apostles them- 
 selves had not yet come to see the real truth about 
 Christ and the Kingdom. Time and the march of 
 events could alone prepare their hearts for the en- 
 lightening work of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2-3). 
 Even to-day scholars find it difficult to interpret 
 rightly the teaching of Jesus concerning the King- 
 dom of God and His Messiahship. Some, hke 
 Schweitzer/ would make the outlook of Jesus to be 
 purely eschatological and cataclysmic with the re- 
 sult that Jesus expected to the last what did not 
 come and died a broken and disappointed man. 
 But the Gospel of John certainly powerfully pre- 
 sents the idea of the present possession of eternal 
 life in Christ as the heart of the idea of the Kingdom 
 of God. The Kingdom is ♦• within "^ men's hearts, 
 we learn even in the Synoptic Gospels (Luke 17 : 21). 
 It is at bottom the rule of God in the heart of the 
 individual, a present reality which is eternal in its 
 growth and power. There are external features 
 connected with its expansion in society and eschato- 
 logical features in its consummation. It is, however. 
 
 tt 
 
 *"The Quest for the Historical Jesus." So also Lake, 
 The Stewardship of Faith " ( 1 9 1 5). But Sanday, ** Chris- 
 
 tologies : Ancient and Modern," argues against this purely 
 
 ad interim ethics. 
 
 * ^vToj never means " among." 
 
102 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 a wholly one-sided view to limit the horizon of Jesus 
 on this subject to that of His Pharisaic contempo- 
 raries. The Jewish apocalyptic literature of the 
 time does throw undoubted hght on the terminology 
 of Jesus and of the New Testament writers ; but we 
 are not at liberty to make Jesus, the Son of God, a 
 merely mistaken apocalyptic dreamer who was led 
 away by too long perusal of this type of literature 
 and by brooding over the wrongs of His nation till 
 the popular enthusiasm swept Him off His feet. We 
 must look at all the aspects of this subject.* The 
 Gospel of John is a lucid and powerful exposition 
 of the spiritual aspect and present reality of the 
 Kingdom of God. We must distinguish therefore 
 between popular theology on the subject and the 
 ideals of Jesus as He proclaimed Himself the Mes- 
 siah of Israel. 
 
 4. The Agitation of Jesus at the Coming of 
 the Greeks (12 120-36). 
 
 It was not an unknown thing for devout Greeks 
 
 * See Bruce, " The Kingdom of God " (1893) ; Dcwick, 
 "Primitive Christian Eschatology " (19 12); Goodspud, 
 "Israel's Messianic Hope to the Time of Jesus " (1900) ; 
 Haupt, " Die eschatologischen Aussagen in den synoptischen 
 Evangelien " (1895) ; Jackson, " The Eschatology of Jesus " 
 (1913); Muirhead, " The Eschatology of Jesus " (1904) ; 
 Oesterley, "The Apocalypse of Jesus " (19 12); Sanday, 
 "The Life of Christ in Recent Research " (1907) ; Scott, 
 " The Kingdom and the Messiah " (191 1) ; Sharman, " The 
 Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Future " (1909) ; Walker, 
 " The Cross and the Kingdom " (1902) ; Winstanley, "Jesus 
 and the Future" ('9 13); Worsley, "The Apocalypse of 
 Jesus" (19 1 2). 
 
THE SECRET OF JESUS 103 
 
 to attend worship in Jerusalem. In the Acts we 
 find these devout Greeks and Romans in most of 
 the cities. They have not broken with their race 
 connections and yet they attend worship in the 
 synagogues and are open for the reception of the 
 gospel. These men may have been proselytes from 
 Decapolis or GaHlee (Dods, " Expositor's Greek 
 Testament," in loco). Their courteous request ' to 
 Philip means more than the mere desire to " see " ^ 
 Jesus as a spectacle which they could easily do as 
 He publicly taught in the Temple. They wish to 
 make a call on Jesus, to " visit " ^ Him in a formal 
 interview. Jesus had certainly been heard by Greeks 
 in Decapolis, in Iturea, GaUlee, and Phoenicia. But 
 this formal request from Greeks to interview Jesus 
 in Jerusalem puzzled Philip greatly, for it raised the 
 whole problem of race prejudice and the relation of 
 the Kingdom of God to the Gentiles. Philip sought 
 counsel with Andrew, who had shown himself to be 
 a man of wisdom. But even Andrew was not able 
 to solve this knotty question. If we are surprised 
 at the sensitive narrowness of these two apostles, we 
 need only to recall the hatred between Jews and 
 Samaritans, the reluctance of Peter on the housetop 
 at Joppa (Acts lo) and his timidity before the 
 
 ^ The form of the Greek is a bit more abrupt than the 
 English translation, dikojiev is present indicative and means 
 " we desire," but not here our blunt " we want." 
 
 2 iSeXv. 
 
 ^ From videoy to see. For ** see " in another sense cf. 
 John 3:3,** See the Kingdom." 
 
104 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Judaizers at Caesarea (Gal. 2: iiff.), and the in- 
 tensity of race feeling to-day among Christians 
 themselves as seen in various sections and cities of 
 the United States. The whole city of Jerusalem 
 was ringing with talk about Jesus after the Triumphal 
 Entry. There is no reason for surprise at the re- 
 quest of the Greeks. Our surprise is at the hesita- 
 tion of Phihp and Andrew. But they brought the 
 problem to Jesus, as was proper, though we do not 
 know whether they brought the Greeks along also. 
 If Philip and Andrew came in perplexity, it was 
 probably greatly increased by the violent agitation 
 which Jesus displayed as the result of their inquiry. 
 A small match or a spark can set off a powder-mill. 
 Volcanoes of emotion are smothering in all of us. 
 Jesus had faced the hate of races for each other. 
 He loved the whole world and had come to save 
 men of the whole world (John 3: 16; 4:35-41; 
 10 : 16). But He knew also, as His disciples did 
 not know, that nothing but His death on the Cross 
 would ever bring men of varied races together into 
 one flock under one Shepherd. The missionary 
 enterprise is a corollary of the Cross. Without that 
 there is no message and no hope. Instead of giving 
 a direct answer to Phihp and Andrew Jesus pro- 
 ceeded to expound the philosophy of self-sacrifice 
 by the parable of the grain of wheat and the ear 
 that follows its death. All at once in heart Jesus 
 faces the Cross in an agony of suffering that causes 
 a momentary shrinking like that in the Garden of 
 Gethsemane as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 105 
 
 He sees His hour for glorification by death (i2 : 23) 
 and His soul is troubled and cries out for rescue, 
 but with instant acquiescence in the Father's will 
 (12 : 27 f.). Here the human side of Jesus comes 
 out strongly. He is no Docetic Man. At the 
 crisis of His earthly career Jesus realizes full well 
 the real situation : " For this cause came I unto this 
 hour." He had come to earth at all in order that 
 He might meet this hour and conquer death for the 
 redemption of men. But He trembles for the mo- 
 ment on the brink of the dread leap into the dark 
 abyss. He finds comfort in the word " glorify." * 
 " Father, glorify thy name." The Father answered 
 audibly as He did at the baptism and at the trans- 
 figuration, two great crises in the Saviour's ministry : 
 " I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 
 It is the " glory " of death that is here promised 
 Jesus, and He so understands it. That was the topic 
 of conversation with Jesus and Moses and Elijah on 
 the mount of transfiguration when the glory of God 
 covered the scene. The people do not understand 
 this message, though they hear a sound (John 
 12 : 29), but Jesus is heartened to go on with His 
 task and His talk : " Now is the judgment of this 
 world : now shall the prince of this world be cast 
 out. And I, if I be lifted up^ from the earth, will 
 draw^ all men unto myself" (12 : 31 f.). In the death 
 of Jesus, Satan, who is the prince of this world and 
 
 1 do^d^etv, Cf. 86^a for the Shekinah. 
 
 ^ uipwdo) can only refer to the Cross. Cf. 8 : 28. 
 
106 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 who sets the standard by which men hate each 
 other and kill each other, has his power broken. 
 This Jesus sees. By the Cross Jesus will, like the 
 magnet of the world, draw all kinds of men, Jew 
 and Greek, bond and free, male and female, to love 
 Him and to love each other. This Paul claimed 
 (Eph. 2) did come to pass by the Cross of Christ 
 which broke down the middle wall of partition be- 
 tween Jew and Gentile. It is true in spite of the 
 riot of hate now running over the earth in the world 
 war. This will pass and peace will come. Jesus 
 shall yet reign in the hearts of men. Then, as now, 
 many did not desire this sort of a Son of man who 
 died on the Cross (12 : 34). The suffering Messiah 
 formed no part of the popular theology as the nev/ 
 theology to-day has no room for the atonement and 
 is ashamed of the Cross of Jesus as were the Jews 
 and Greeks in Paul's day (i Cor. I : 23). But Jesus 
 warned the people not to sin against the light. 
 
 5. Cowardly Disciples (12 : 37-43). 
 
 The warning was needed. Some even of the 
 rulers who had come to believe on Jesus were yet 
 afraid to take their stand on His side " because of 
 the Pharisees," " lest they be put out of the syna- 
 gogue." They cared more for social standing with 
 their " set " than for loyalty to Jesus. They cared 
 more for " the glory " ' from men than for glory 
 from God. Their eyes were blinded by the God of 
 this world so that they were unwiUing to step out 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 107 
 
 into the open on the side of Christ while He was 
 unpopular with the Pharisees. Jesus, as the Son 
 of God, the Saviour from sin to His death on the 
 Cross, is still taboo in many modern religious circles 
 who practise intellectual and religious ostracism as 
 effectually as did the Pharisees of old. In some 
 modern scholastic circles it is unscholarly and un- 
 scientific to advocate the deity of Jesus or the value 
 of the Cross. They laugh at the idea that Isaiah 
 saw the glory of Jesus (John 12 : 41) or that there 
 is much glory for any one to see to-day save that 
 of a well-meaning, but wholly misguided Galilean 
 peasant who came to imagine that He could " save " 
 mankind and whose martyrdom led His followers to 
 " deify " Him and so to start a new superstition 
 which the world is rapidly outgrowing by modern 
 knowledge which is the only Hght of man. And 
 John (or the author of this Gospel), they say, is 
 simply the worst of the " deifiers " of Jesus. 
 
 6. An Epitome of Christ*s Position (12 : 44-50). 
 
 John represents Jesus as giving this summary in 
 one address, though some critics argue that it is a 
 gathering up of teachings on various occasions, 
 though why it is impossible for Him to have said it 
 at this time is not clear. Each sentence presents 
 sharply the claims of Jesus about Himself which 
 Jesus now boldly states. Faith in Jesus is faith 
 in God who sent Him. Seeing Jesus is seeing God. 
 His mission is to bring light to set men free from 
 darkness. Obedience to Christ is the way to escape 
 
108 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 judgment. Rejection of Christ is rejection of God. 
 He has the Father's commandment which brings 
 hfe eternal. All of these things Jesus had spoken 
 at other times and they occur here and there in the 
 Gospel of John before this period. Now Jesus 
 summed the case up between Him and the world 
 which was rejecting Him. There is no escape from 
 the issue of Jesus. He confronts every man in all 
 the world through all the ages. He challenges 
 every man to-day. What think you of Jesus the 
 Christ? What will you do with Jesus the Saviour? 
 What shall Jesus the Judge do with you ? Dr. 
 Philip S. Moxom {North Amefican Review, Sep- 
 tember, 1916, " A Modern Conception of God," 
 p. 405) says : *• But the Jesus of the Fourth Gos- 
 pel is a sublime egotist, sublime but an egotist, 
 wholly unlike the Jesus of the Synoptists." This is 
 a common superficial view of some critics. One 
 need only refer to Matthew 1 1 : 25-30 ; Luke 10 : 
 21-24; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-49. 
 And then there is the voice of the Father at the 
 baptism, the voice of the Father on the mount of 
 transfiguration, the assumption of divine power to 
 forgive sins (Luke 5 : 21 fif.), besides many similar 
 passages. The assumption that the Synoptic Gos- 
 pels present only the humanity of Jesus while the 
 deity of Jesus appears only in John's Gospel is ut- 
 terly false. Both features appear in Mark and in Q 
 (the Logia of criticism). The shading of the picture 
 is different, but the Person is the same in all the 
 Gospels. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 109 
 
 7. An Example of Humility (13 : 1-20). 
 
 The Gospel of John passes by the last day in the 
 public ministry of Jesus in the Temple, that Tuesday 
 of the great debate and the great eschatological dis- 
 course on the Mount of Olives, all so fully presented 
 in the Synoptic Gospels. It is Thursday evening 
 (Roman time, beginning of Jewish Friday) that John 
 takes up the story. Jesus is in the upper room 
 prepared for Him by His directions to Peter and 
 John (Luke 22 : 8) and possibly the home of Mary, 
 the mother of John Mark (Acts 12: 12). This is 
 probably the regular passover meal at the customary 
 time and not an anticipatory meal twenty-four hours 
 ahead.* Jesus had looked forward with eagerness 
 (Luke 22: 15 f.) to this last passover meal with the 
 men who had been with Him in His trials ^ (Luke 
 22 : 28). He was Himself the true Paschal Lamb to 
 be offered up before twenty-four hours have passed. 
 But a rude shock had come to Christ when He 
 found the Twelve contending for primacy at the 
 table, each one considering himself entitled to the 
 post of honour (Luke 22 : 24). They were, hke all 
 Orientals and some Westerners, sensitive on this 
 point of etiquette and had wrangled twice before 
 over the question of rank among themselves as they 
 discussed their plans for a temporal kingdom which 
 was never to be (Mark 9:34; Luke 18 : 35 ff.). 
 
 * The Gospel of John is in real agreement with the Synop- 
 tic Gospels on this point when properly interpreted. See my 
 note in Broadus' ** Harmony of the Gospels," pp. 253-257, 
 
 ' Tteipafffiolis. Same word is used for temptations. 
 
110 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 How they finally reclined we do not know except 
 that John was next to Jesus and leaned back on His 
 bosom. Da Vinci in his great picture has James on 
 the other side, an allusion to the ambitious request 
 of James and John. The strife evidently continued 
 during the meal and those who were disappointed 
 were resentful in look and word. The devil was 
 already in the heart of Judas who knew what he 
 was going to do this very night (John 13:2) and 
 he was trying to get an entrance into the hearts of 
 the rest through jealousy by the eye-gate and ear- 
 gate. Jesus is conscious * that His hour is near and 
 arises ^ during supper ^ and begins to wash the dis- 
 ciples' feet, evidently because the dissatisfaction 
 keeps up. It is hard to stop such an unpleasant- 
 ness. Each one wishes the last word and the last 
 look. The behaviour of Peter is characteristic. 
 But Jesus does not leave His object-lesson to teach 
 its own lesson. He explains it to this kindergarten 
 class. " Ye call me, Teacher, and. Lord : ^ and ye 
 say well ; for so I am." Jesus asserts and repeats 
 (I3:i3f.) His claim to be "the Teacher and the 
 Lord." He is here Hke Socrates with his dis- 
 ciples, but far more. He is the Master in teaching 
 and the Lord of life. He has given them an " ex- 
 ample " ^ of humility and commands their imitation 
 
 * Note eldax^ twice (13:1, 3). ' ^yetperat (13 : 4). 
 
 ' deiTTvou ytvofiivou (13 : 2). 
 
 *'o di!id(TkaXo<s kai 'o ubpto<; as titles, and not in apposi- 
 tion with [IS. 
 
 ^ UTTodeiyfia like the copy-book for writing beneath the copy. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 111 
 
 of their Master. They greatly needed this lesson 
 then and there, given right in the midst of the 
 solemn celebration of this last passover meal. An 
 apostle ' such as they were is not greater than the 
 one who sent him. Jesus has here punctured offi- 
 cial and ecclesiastical pride for all time. But men 
 have missed the point of Jesus in this very " ex- 
 ample " and some have imagined that Jesus meant 
 them literally to wash each other's feet as a church 
 ordinance. Cessation of strife and wrangling and 
 cooperative service in love is the way to " copy " 
 Christ's example of humility. The heart of Jesus is 
 greatly moved, for here is Judas who has already 
 bargained to sell his Master to the Sanhedrin for 
 thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. " He 
 that eateth my bread lifteth up his heel against me " 
 (Ps. 40 : 9). Jesus quoted these words and Judas 
 must have winced inwardly. In all countries it is 
 considered a gross breach of hospitality to eat one's 
 bread and then to act the part of an enemy. The 
 Arabs to-day count it a covenant of friendship if 
 one takes salt in another man's tent. It was so with 
 the Jews.2 Jesus makes it plain beforehand so that 
 the treachery of Judas may be all the plainer. 
 
 8. The Anxiety of Jesus (13 : 21-38). 
 Jesus is " troubled in spirit " ^ as He was by the 
 grave of Lazarus (ii : 33). He has said: " I know 
 
 * dnoffToXog (13 • 16). 
 
 ' Cf. Trumbull, " Blood Covenant," p. 3 1 3 ; " Oriental 
 Life," p. 361. ^ kTapaxOfj tw Tcveu/iart, 
 
112 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 whom I have chosen" (13: 18). He assumes His 
 share of the responsibihty for the selection of Judas, 
 but that fact in no wise reheves Judas of his guilt. 
 We are not mere automata, however much of mys- 
 tery surrounds us in this world of law. A sort of 
 stupefaction seems to rest on the Apostles, for they 
 are completely taken aback by the specific statement 
 that the betrayer was one of their number (13 : 22). 
 They even fail to grasp the point of the sign of the 
 sop which Jesus gives to Judas or to understand 
 the word by which Jesus reveals to Judas knowledge 
 of his treachery (13: 23-29). They are all so intent 
 in their suspicions ^ about each other and protesta- 
 tions of innocence that they fail to see what is 
 plainly before their eyes. But now Judas is gone 
 out into the night on his hellish mission (13: 30) 
 and Jesus turns to the rest with something of the 
 feeling of a hen who has lost one of her brood to 
 the hawk who has scooped it away. He had so 
 felt about Jerusalem (Matt. 23 : 37) and now Satan 
 has made complete conquest of Judas (John 13 : 27). 
 The fact that Jesus knew all along that Judas was a 
 devil (6 : 70) does not lighten His sorrow, though it 
 does relieve Jesus of any moral responsibility 
 (17 : 12) for this ♦• son of perdition." Indeed, Jesus 
 turns to the glorification of the Cross with a sense 
 of relief as Judas goes away from their number.' 
 
 These discourses in John 13:31 to 17 : 26 bear 
 the same relation to the Fourth Gospel that the 
 
 * e,3}.£7:ov. Kept looking in their perplexity (^dnopoufxevot), 
 " Dods, ** Expositor's Greek Testament," in loco. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 113 
 
 eschatological discourse does to the Synoptic Gos- 
 pels (Matt. 24, 25 ; Mark 13; Luke 21) and the two 
 hnes of thought are complementary (Westcott, in 
 loco). The one deals with the outward aspects of 
 the kingdom in the future, the other with the in- 
 ward growth of the soul. The ♦* glorification " * of the 
 Son of man and of God by the death of Jesus now 
 fills His heart. This view of His death transcends 
 all the petty meannesses of His enemies. Jesus 
 even says (13 : 32) that God will take up the glori- 
 fied humanity of the Son of man into His own be- 
 ing (Westcott, in loco). Henceforth the humanity 
 of Jesus will be an added glory to the Son of God 
 (cf. Phil. 2:9-11). But, after this exalted word 
 about His own relation with the Father in His 
 death, Jesus turns again to the Eleven who are left 
 with a promise that they shall follow Him after a 
 while and with the command meanwhile to love^ 
 one another as He has loved them and so carry out 
 " the new commandment," ^ an eleventh command- 
 ment or summary of the Law. This very night 
 they have already shown jealousy towards each 
 other. The key to the work of the kingdom, after 
 Jesus is gone, lies just here in the love of Christians 
 for each other. But Peter passes by this command 
 and is curious to know whither He is going and 
 
 * The aorist tense sdo^dffdrj (13 : 31) treats the death cf 
 Christ as an accomplished fact, the glory of which Jesus al- 
 ready enjoys by anticipation. 
 
 " The word dyaivdrs is here used, the noblest love, 
 
 'Cf. I John 2: 7-1 1. 
 
114 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 why he cannot follow now since he is willing to lay 
 down his hfe for Jesus (13 : 36 f.). So Hghtly does 
 the chief Apostle take the death of Christ and His 
 own courage in the face of it. It is a painful thing 
 to perform a surgical operation on a man's pride, 
 but Jesus does it (13:38). However, Peter does 
 not stand alone in his boasting, for all the rest join 
 in the promise of fidehty till death (Matt. 26 : 35), 
 though Peter shows more vehemence (Mark 14 : 31). 
 Luke reports Jesus as revealing that Satan has been 
 allowed * to " sift you ^ as wheat " and that Jesus 
 has made special suppHcation for Peter ^ (Luke 
 22 : 31 f.). The anxiety of Jesus is not mere nerv- 
 ous apprehension. No one knows the power of 
 the devil over men as does He for the very reason 
 that He has vanquished him. The prescience of 
 Jesus was meant to put the Apostles on guard. 
 His prayer for Peter will bring him back after his 
 fall (Luke 22 : 32). Presumption is merely weakness. 
 
 9. A Plea for Loyalty After Christ's Death 
 (14: 1-15: Tl). 
 
 Jesus understands the disciples better than they 
 do themselves. They have made the most solemn 
 avowals of fealty which Jesus distrusts, but He is 
 not in despair about them. The shock of His sur- 
 render when arrested, and His trial and death will be 
 
 ^ i^TjT-^ffaTo. ** Got permission by asking." Satan was 
 allowed to test them all and they all " left him and fled ** 
 (Mark 14 : 50). 
 
 * Satan was able ** to sift " (tow ctvidaai) them all. 
 
 ' ;re^{ cou. 
 
THE SEOEET OF JESUS 115 
 
 greater than they can bear. They need supreme 
 courage and help. So Jesus talks with these eleven 
 men in the Upper Room which became to them a 
 sort of Holy of Hohes in their memories of it. He 
 lays bare to them the secrets of His heart. He 
 knows that they will not understand it all, but it 
 will stick in their minds and come back to them by 
 the help of the Holy Spirit. Words of consolation 
 do not prevent trouble, but sympathy in the pres- 
 ence of death is necessary to one's breath. In a 
 way this is Christ's farewell talk to this group of 
 men about whom His hopes for the future of the 
 kingdom centre. He has done His best with them 
 and He is not sorry that He chose them rather than 
 others. They have their limitations and weak- 
 nesses, but they possess varied virtues and now the 
 supreme test of their lives has come. It is an un- 
 avoidable test for them, one that Jesus has long 
 foreseen and for which He has tried to prepare their 
 minds and hearts. A mother loves to spare her 
 children trouble, if she can, but the time comes 
 when they too must meet the issues of hfe and 
 death. So Jesus, in full view of His death, pleads 
 for the same faith * in Himself that they have in God 
 (14 : i). This is, to be sure, putting Himself on a 
 par with God as the object of faith, but they should 
 be used to that idea by now. This is the real cure 
 for the disturbance 2 of heart which they now feel. 
 
 ^ This is true whether Tuarsbezs be taken as indicative or 
 imperative or one one way and the other another way. 
 ' TapaffffiaOu). Cf. our palpitation of the heart. 
 
116 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Jesus promises a place for each of them in His 
 Father's house (14:2). That is Christ's picture of 
 heaven, at home with God. He promises also to 
 come back and to take them to that home to be 
 with Him in the Father's house (14: 3). This is 
 the real answer to Peter's query in 13: 36. It is 
 not clear whether Jesus here means death or His 
 own second coming. Both are true comings of 
 Christ for His own. Thomas takes up the state- 
 ment of Jesus about knowing the way, for he, like 
 Peter, is puzzled about the way to the Father's 
 house (14 : 4-6). Modern science has made heaven 
 seem very intangible and far away for many people 
 who sympathize with the scepticism of Thomas 
 about the place and the way. The answer of Jesus 
 to Thomas is the answer to sceptics to-day. It lies 
 in the realm of personality. The Father is spirit 
 and that means personality. Jesus Himself is the 
 way to the Father, the way here on earth and the 
 bridge to heaven at last. These words to Thomas 
 make Christianity inteUigible to the common man 
 in a world of wonder and mystery. Let the phi- 
 losophers speculate about monism. Let the scien- 
 tists find out all they can about matter. Let the 
 theologians theorize about the purposes and nature 
 of God. Jesus brings God into the vision of man 
 so that he can see and follow and live. " I am the 
 way, and the truth, and the life." ' Jesus is each 
 one of these wonderful things. He is all of them 
 
 * ^Eyw eifit 7) 0^09 RaX ij dXTJOsta kai ij t^wT], Note sepa- 
 rate article each time. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 117 
 
 together. He is the Incarnation of God, the Per- 
 sonification of truth, the Energy of life. The proof 
 of this marvellous claim can be put to the test in 
 each man's life. Take a drunken convict like S. H. 
 Hadley, a drunken dealer in counterfeit money Hke 
 Harry Monroe, a drunken hobo like Mel. E. Trotter. 
 They tried the way in Christ, vi^ho gave them life, 
 and enriched their souls with truth. They have 
 blessed thousands of other lives. It works, what 
 Jesus says. No modern sceptic is entitled to deny 
 it till he tries it. So George J. Romanes, the 
 famous scientist, found his way back from doubt to 
 God in Christ. Jesus says that there is no other 
 way to God save through Him. This is obviously 
 true if Jesus is the Son of God. Men who refuse 
 to walk this way to God wander into the wilder- 
 ness. It is good to think that some Unitarians like 
 William EUery Channing really worship Jesus in 
 spite of metaphysical distinctions about His nature. 
 So did the authors of " Nearer, My God, to Thee," 
 and «' In the Cross of Christ I Glory," both of whom 
 were Unitarians. But I press to-day the point of 
 Jesus here in John's Gospel that Jesus is the way to 
 God for sinful men to tread and the only way. 
 
 The disciples are all alert now and realize that 
 Jesus is dealing with the greatest problems of life. 
 So Philip takes up the word of Jesus about knowing 
 the Father by knowing Him* (*3 * 7) ^"^ shows his 
 
 ' Please note that these candid expressions of doubt come 
 from the circle of the Twelve. Jesus treats fairly their in- 
 tellectual difficulties and tries to help them into clearer light. 
 
118 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 own failure to see the Father in Jesus though Hving 
 with Him these years : " Lord, show us the Father, 
 and it sufficeth us"* (13:8). Moses had once 
 begged to see God (Ex. 33 : 17 ff.) and Isaiah (40 : 5) 
 had promised the revelation of " the glory of 
 Jehovah." It was a universal craving to see God, 
 to "feel after him and find him " (Acts 17:27). 
 Let us not be too hard on Philip who voiced their 
 longing for an objective manifestation of God, 
 however childish it is in reality. But the tragedy 
 of it all is that Philip has not really known Jesus, 
 else he would not ask such a question (14 : 9). It 
 is easy to understand how natural it is for men to 
 make idols by which to objectify God, when PhiHp 
 wishes to see more of God than Jesus has brought 
 him, had not in reality seen God in Christ. 
 
 The union of the Father and the Son is a matter 
 of nature, but also of works, and Philip can see the 
 works and believe that far (14: 10 f.). So to-day 
 men criticize Jesus for not being enough like God 
 and then the Gospel of John for making Him too 
 much like God. Jesus has made it possible to 
 interpret God in terms of personality and not of 
 mere abstraction. God is like Jesus. Jesus is also 
 hke God. Jesus is God. 
 
 With this conception of His Person clear Jesus 
 goes on to plead for fidelity because the work will 
 go on with increasing power after His death 
 (14: 12), greater in degree, not in quahty, expand- 
 
 * Ael^ov is more than argument ; it is something visible. 
 *Ap/fe~i means ** it is enough," the end of all doubt. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 119 
 
 ing and extending over the world. They will have 
 direct access to Him in prayer, prayer to the Fa- 
 ther and to the Son/ His " name " opens the door 
 to the Father's heart. " That will I do" (14: 14) 
 Jesus says, thus claiming power after His death on 
 a par with the Father. He means, of course, that 
 the requests are to be in accord with the Father's 
 will. The supreme test of love is obedience to the 
 commands of Jesus (14: 15). 
 
 He promises the presence of another Helper^ to 
 take His place and to do for them what He has 
 been doing as Teacher and Guide (14:16-26). 
 Jesus has been Advocate and Comforter while on 
 earth. He will continue to be our Advocate with 
 the Father (Rom. 8:34; i John 2: i), but the 
 Holy Spirit is God's Advocate with men (Rom. 
 8 : 26 f.). His mission is to teach the disciples what 
 they need to know (14: 26). He is a Person^ as is 
 the Father and the Son. The world cannot receive 
 the Holy Spirit (14: 17), this " spirit of truth," but 
 He will make His home in the believer's heart and 
 so bring Father and Son to us all as permanent 
 dwellers in our hearts (14:17, 23; Matt. 28:20). 
 This spiritual manifestation of Christ puzzles Judas 
 
 * This is true whether " me " is part of the text in verse 
 14 or not. 
 
 ^aXXov, Another of same sort, not irspov. 7:apd/i Xtjtov 
 (our Paraclete) is the word for advocate or pleader. The 
 word is used for consoler or comforter. 
 
 ^ Note i/ielvn? in 14: 26, skipping the grammatical neuter 
 in Tzveufxa. We should say, " He," not " it " in speaking of 
 the Holy Spirit. 
 
120 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 (not Iscariot), but it is gloriously true (14 : 21 ff.). 
 Jesus lives on forever and His eternal life beyond 
 the grave is the guarantee of our life hereafter with 
 Him (14: 19). At every turn we see Jesus saying 
 things about Himself that only one conscious of 
 equality with God could say unless, forsooth, Jesus 
 is considered unbalanced in His intellect. He was 
 so regarded by some of His enemies and, for a time, 
 by His brothers, as we have seen, but the verdict 
 of the world since has been that, if Jesus was crazy, 
 it would be a good thing if the rest of the world 
 could go crazy with Him. Paul was willing to be 
 considered beside himself in his zeal for God (2 Cor. 
 5:13). There are, indeed, a few wiseacre scholars, 
 who to-day actually treat Jesus as a paranoiac,* 
 though most men would call them the unbalanced 
 faddists of over refinement of specialism. But the 
 claim of Jesus has stood the test of time. The love 
 for Jesus is what has lifted the world up towards 
 God (14:23) and it is doing it in spite of all the 
 downward pull of the devil. As men are trans- 
 formed by the love of Jesus, so do they approxi- 
 mate the ideal of God. Godlikeness is the goal of 
 man. 
 
 Jesus leaves His peace with His disciples 
 (14: 27-31), a legacy that the world cannot give 
 and cannot take away. Jesus had won this peace 
 of soul in the midst of conflict and it is possible for 
 
 ^ Cf. O. Holtzmann, " War Jesus Ekstatiker .? " (1903) ; 
 Schaefer, ** Jesus in psychiatrischer Beleuchtung " (1910); 
 Werner, " Die psychische Gesundheit Jcsu " (1908), 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 121 
 
 all to have the peace that passeth all understanding 
 (Phil. 4:7). A Christian may have it in the midst 
 of battle and in the presence of death. It is the 
 panacea for the troubled heart (John 14 : 27) and 
 should stop all nervous fluttering from fear.^ Per- 
 fect love not only casts out fear (1 John 4: 18), but 
 causes joy in its place (John 14: 28). The day will 
 come when they will rejoice that Jesus has gone back 
 to the Father, gloomy as they are now. That day 
 did come when they had ** great joy " after Jesus 
 ascended to the Father (Luke 24:52). Meanwhile 
 He faces the prince of this world who has no 
 sovereignty over Him (14 : 30). He arises with the 
 Eleven (14:31) who apparently go out and down 
 to the street and on towards Gethsemane in the 
 shadows caused by the passover moon. 
 
 Jesus continues His intimate talk and His plea 
 for their loyalty to Him. He gives them the 
 allegory of the vine and the branches (15: i-ii). 
 Christ has cosmic relations with all men and with 
 the whole universe which trembles at His touch 
 (John I : 3 ; Rom. 8:22; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 
 I : 2). That idea is apparently presented here also 
 (John 15:2), but those who have spiritual life 
 through Him bear fruit (15 : 4) because the union is 
 vital and abiding (15 :4-io). Jesus presses by rep- 
 etition the " abiding " in Him. This will bring 
 fullness of joy to Christ and to the disciples (15:1 1). 
 Thus alone can the branch obtain life from the vine 
 and bear fruit which is the proof of life. This 
 ^ fiTjde detXtdro), 
 
122 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 figure of the union of the believer with Christ is 
 the same as that so common in Paul's Epistles when 
 he constantly speaks of his being " in Christ." 
 Jesus brings divine energy into our lives. If we let 
 Him in, He brings hfe, peace, and power. 
 
 ID. The Need for Mutual Love Between the 
 Disciples (15 : 12-25). 
 
 Jesus has already spoken on this topic (13: 34 f.), 
 but it will bear repetition. Jesus is offering the 
 supreme proof of His love in laying down His life 
 (15 : 13) for His friends (and for His enemies also). 
 He asks for the same kind of devotion to Himself on 
 the basis of friendship, for He has promoted them 
 to this rank (15 : 15), but on the understanding that 
 they prove worthy of the title by obedience to His 
 commands (15 : 14). He chose them first (15 : 16) 
 and has thus the right to make this mutual love a 
 command (i5:i6f.). They must cling to each 
 other against the world's hate which they are sure to 
 get if they are at all hke Jesus (15 : 18-21). Hatred 
 of Jesus means hatred of the Father (15 : 23) for 
 " now have they both seen and hated both me and 
 my Father " (15 : 24). They have •' seen" the Fa- 
 ther in Christ, but did not recognize Him. But 
 none the less they are without excuse (15 : 22, 24). 
 It is as the Psalmist (Ps. 35 : 19 ; 69 : 4) said : " They 
 hated me without a cause." It has literally been 
 true that the world's hate has made Christians love 
 each other better. Many a schism has been healed 
 by the hand of a common persecution. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 123 
 
 II. The Help of the Paraclete (15 : 26-16 : 15). 
 
 Jesus recurs to the coming of the Comforter 
 whom He will send from the Father (15 : 26) from 
 which statement is derived the doctrine of the Pro- 
 cession of the Holy Spirit and the Subordination 
 of the Spirit to the Father and the Son. There is 
 here a clear statement of the Persons in the Trinity, 
 not a mere modal Trinity. The Holy Spirit is to 
 bear witness about Jesus. He is the representative 
 of Christ upon earth, He and not the Pope or any 
 mere man. But the disciples must also bear wit- 
 ness of Jesus since they have been with Him since 
 the beginning of His ministry (15 : 27). They are 
 to witness even if they become martyrs * and are 
 put oat of the synagogues and killed. Jesus now 
 speaks plainly and even chides them for no longer 
 asking " Whither goest thou? " (16 : 5) as they did 
 in the beginning of this discourse (13 : 36). Even 
 Peter is quiet as they are all hushed into silence by 
 the wonder of Christ's words and the wealth of new 
 truths which He is now giving them. Jesus goes on 
 to explain that " it is expedient " ^ for them that 
 He go away, though they do not see it so. It is 
 very difficult to see things as they really are. We 
 have the short view and do not know the final out- 
 come. The coming of the Comforter turns on the 
 going of Jesus (16 : 7). The point is that the Holy 
 Spirit is better qualified for the task of reaching the 
 hearts of men than is Jesus while in the flesh with 
 
 * Our ** martyr " is simply the Greek /idprup ** witness.' 
 ^ (To/x^ipei. Bears together for their good. 
 
124 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 its necessary limitations of place. The Holy Spirit 
 has direct access to every man's heart. It is His 
 function to convict * the world. The world needs 
 its sin revealed to it. The sense of sin becomes 
 deadened so that people in decent society wink at 
 horrible vices till the conscience is aroused. Then 
 men crave again the ways of righteousness when 
 they face the terror of judgment. This lethargy 
 makes periodical revivals necessary. It took John 
 the Baptist to shake Judea and John Wesley to 
 quicken England and D. L. Moody to stir America 
 by the Spirit of God. The rejection of Jesus is sin 
 and leads to all possible sins (i6: 8-1 1). Jesus has 
 not told the disciples all that they need to know, 
 but all that they can bear now (i6 : 12). The Spirit 
 of truth will guide ^ them into all the truth. Jesus 
 had claimed to be the embodiment of truth. Hence 
 He says of the Holy Spirit : •' He shall glorify me : 
 for he shall take of mine,^ and shall declare it unto 
 you" (16: 14). That is the same as the Father's 
 store (16: 15). Through the ages the Holy Spirit 
 guides men into " the mystery of God, even Christ, 
 in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowl- 
 edge hidden" (Col. 2: 3 f.). He has taught John 
 and Paul and He is ready to teach any of us who 
 will accept Him as Interpreter of Christ. 
 
 12. The Promise of Christ's Return (16 : 16-24). 
 
 The words of Jesus again puzzle the disciples as 
 
 * iXiy^ei, Reprove at any rate and bring under con- 
 viction if possible. ^ 6drjyij(TE(. Lead the way as guide. 
 
 * i/: TOO ^fiou. Out of my store. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 125 
 
 He talks of their seeing Him again in " a little while," 
 but they fear to question Him about it, for their 
 other questions revealed the depth of their igno- 
 rance. Nothing is so illuminating as questions. 
 If listeners could only ask the preacher some ques- 
 tions as he preaches, he could see how far he may 
 be missing his goal. Jesus notes their silence and 
 explains His enigmatic saying and points to the 
 day when there will be no need to ask further ques- 
 tions, when all will be clear. Meanwhile they can 
 ask the Father in His name all that they wish to 
 know and that they ought to know. Jesus ap- 
 parently has in mind the Second Coming and the 
 Judgment, though He may also include by the 
 ** little while" His resurrection. But they must 
 learn to suffer and to wait, for sorrow shall be 
 turned into joy. 
 
 13. The Certainty of Victory (16 : 25-33). 
 
 Jesus admits that He has spoken to them " in 
 dark sayings"* (16:25), but it was a necessity. 
 Language after all is symbolic and pictographic. 
 Perfect understanding can get beyond the need of 
 speech. Jesus promises a day when He can speak 
 «' openly " ^ to them without " dark sayings." So 
 Jesus tries it now and says in so many words that 
 He is going back to the Father from whom He 
 came into the world.^ At last the disciples see a 
 
 * iv Tzapoi[xiat<s. 
 
 ^ Tzapp-r^ffla. A full Story, nothing held back. 
 ' The use of k6<t{io<; is one of the characteristic words of 
 this Gospel. It occurs in various senses. 
 
126 THE DIVINITY OP CHEIST 
 
 gleam of light : " Lo, now speakest thou plainly, 
 and speakest no dark saying" (16:29). "Now 
 know we," they go on, as if they have made the 
 great discovery, " that thou knowest all things and 
 needest not that any man should ask thee: by 
 this we believe that thou camest forth from God " 
 (16:30). They had accepted Him as Messiah at 
 the start (l : 41), but they had not comprehended 
 that He was God manifest in the flesh even when 
 they used the term "the Son of God" (1:49). 
 Slowly these men have been led to see that the 
 Father and the Son are one in nature and ought to 
 be ready now for the departure of Jesus and the 
 tutelage of the Holy Spirit. But, alas, their con- 
 fidence is premature, for Jesus says : " Do ye now * 
 believe?" (16:31). He had urged faith in Him- 
 self as in God (14 : i). This they now claim, but 
 Jesus reminds them of their desertion this very 
 night : " Ye shall be scattered, every man to his 
 own ; and shall leave me alone : and yet I am not 
 alone, because the Father is with me " (16 : 32). 
 With God He has already won the victory for 
 Himself and for them : *• In the world ye have 
 tribulation : but be of good cheer * ; I have over- 
 come ' the world " (16 : 33). 
 
 14. The Prayer of Consecration * (17). 
 
 This is the real Lord's Prayer, His own plea at 
 
 * apTt, At this juncture. ^ Bapffslre. Good courage. 
 
 * vsvifcri/za. State of completion by anticipation. 
 
 * This is Westcott's phrase, but I had fallen upon it before 
 consulting his great work. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 127 
 
 this supreme crisis of His ministry. Further talk 
 to the disciples is useless, as they have already 
 heard more than they can digest. Jesus probably 
 pauses near the eastern gate of the city by the 
 Temple ' and prays " lifting up his eyes to heaven " 
 (17 : i) in audible voice so that the disciples hear. 
 Westcott calls this prayer " at once a prayer and a 
 profession and a revelation," ** the consummation 
 of the glory of God through Christ, the Word In- 
 carnate, from stage to stage, issuing in a perfect 
 unity." The prayer falls into three obvious parts : 
 (i) For Himself, 1-5. (2) For the Eleven Apostles, 
 6-19. (3) For All Believers of All Time, 20-26. 
 There is thought enough in this prayer for a vol- 
 ume of exposition. Jesus begins with " Father " 
 and " thy Son," but soon (verse 4) says " thee " 
 and " me." " The hour " ^ is used in various senses 
 by Jesus concerning His work. It was once the 
 public entrance upon His Messianic ministry (John 
 2 : 4), while it is here the hour of consummation which 
 *• has arrived." ^ The glorifying of the Son and the 
 Father (cf. I3:3if.) is more than victory over 
 death and includes the resurrection and ascension. 
 The mission of the Son is to bring salvation (eternal 
 life) to men who believe and Jesus possesses the 
 authority (or power) * over all flesh as the Head of 
 
 ^ Westcott feels certain that this prayer was uttered in the 
 Temple courts. That is quite possible. 
 Tj u)pa, 
 
 ' iXijXudsv. The entrance upon the hour has come, not 
 the completion of it. * k^ooaia. 
 
128 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 humanity (17:2). Eternal life is described as the 
 knowledge ' of God and Christ (17 : 3).^ Jesus is 
 conscious of having finished His work, a victorious 
 work, the task given Him by the Father (17 : 4). 
 Hence He longs for the restoration of the glory 
 which He had with the Father in the preincarnate 
 state (17:5. Cf. I : i). There is here consciousness 
 of equality and fellowship with God. 
 
 Jesus had come to earth to " manifest" God (cf. 
 I : 18) and He began with the Twelve Apostles as 
 the nucleus. He claims success with these men in 
 spite of the case of Judas, ** the son of perdition,"' 
 whose fate fulfills Scripture (Ps. 12:9) and whose 
 character was known to Jesus from the start 
 (6 : 70 f.). The devil had him all the while, and 
 Jesus " kept " and " guarded " ^ (7^12) them in the 
 garrison of jealous love (cf. Phil. 4 : 7). They needed 
 the anxious watch-care of Jesus and He is profoundly 
 concerned for their welfare now that He is going to 
 leave them. He is not here praying for the world, 
 but for these eleven men (17:9), though He does 
 elsewhere for the unsaved (Luke 23 : 34). Jesus 
 has faithfully given these men God's word and He 
 prays that they may be sanctified^ in its truth 
 
 ^ yivwffKwniv. Experimental knowledge and continuous 
 experience. Linear present. 
 
 '^ Westcott doubts if the words " Jesus Christ " were 
 spoken by Jesus in the prayer and considers them a paren- 
 thetical addition by the writer. 
 
 '6 o\d<s r^9 dTTwXeia^. Destined for perdition. 
 
 * h-rjpouv (continuous, imperfect) and kcpuXa^a (constative 
 aorist). * dyiaauv. Set apart to and in the truth. 
 
THE SECEET OF JESUS 129 
 
 (17:17). These men are not to be spiritual re- 
 cluses out of the world. They are to fight on in 
 the world, different from the world, in it and not of 
 it, to transform the world, to rescue it from the 
 prince of the world, and bring it to the feet of 
 Jesus (17 : 15-19). They are Christ's missionaries 
 into the world as Christ is God's Apostle ^ to earth 
 (I7:i8f.). 
 
 But all Christians are to be apostles (missionaries) 
 in this sense. They are to pass on the word of 
 truth and of life through the ages. For these mes- 
 sengers of truth Jesus prays. The item that is up- 
 permost in Christ's heart as He faces the future is 
 the need of unity on the part of His followers, 
 " that they may all be one." ^ Jesus had just prayed 
 for unity among the Eleven (17:11). They had 
 shown a lack of love on this very night in the strife 
 for primacy at the passover meal. There is abun- 
 dant room for anxiety about the future believers. 
 After conversion men still have the same psycho- 
 logical traits and characteristics. Jesus is not here 
 praying specifically for organic union. That was a 
 reality already and continued so for a long time. 
 The schism which Jesus fears is a deeper and more 
 serious one than that and the usual precursor to 
 division. It is the jealousy that makes cooperation 
 difficult or impossible. The most important ques- 
 tion before Christians to-day is not organic union. 
 That is folly without harmony of conviction and 
 feeling and cannot be forced by mechanical efforts, 
 
 ^ dniffTscXa^, ^ iva Travre? ev uxrtv (17 : 2l). 
 
130 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 however desirable in the abstract. Lack of unity is 
 a much more serious matter than lack of union. 
 This lack of unity appears in the members of the 
 same denomination, yea, of the same local church. 
 This is what disturbs the heart of Christ. He 
 pleads and prays for a unity, a oneness of spirit, 
 like that between Himself and the Father. In that 
 case schism is impossible. The world will then 
 come to know God in Christ. But Jesus knows the 
 Father even if the world does not. He has revealed 
 the Father to the world (17 : 25 f.). 
 
THE SCORN OF CHRIST'S ENEMIES 
 (Chapters i8 and 19) 
 
 " Behold, the Man:' 
 
 1. Into Gethsemane (18 : i). 
 
 JESUS " went forth over the brook Kidron, 
 where was a garden, into which he entered, 
 himself and his disciples" (18: i). He 
 went forth from the place where He had been pray- 
 ing, went on through the gate, and down into the 
 valley, the disciples full of troubled thoughts. 
 John's Gospel omits all reference to the institution 
 of the Lord's Supper at the close of the passover 
 meal (Matt. 26 : 26-29 ; Mark 14 : 22-25 ; Luke 
 22 : 17-20; I Cor. II : 23-26) and before the dis- 
 course and prayer given in John 14-17, Luke 
 (22 : 39) notes that it was the " custom " of Jesus 
 to go to the Mount of Olives and Matthew (26 : 36) 
 and Mark (14: 32) identify this place of prayer as 
 Gethsemane. John omits also the narrative of the 
 Agony in the garden, but adds (18 : 2) that Judas 
 knew the place whither Jesus was in the habit of 
 going in the night to pray. 
 
 2. The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus (18 : 2-10). 
 John emphasizes the fact that Judas took ad- 
 
 131 
 
132 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 vantage of his knowledge of Jesus' habits * in prayer 
 to betray Him. But even so he comes not only 
 with police officers ^ from the Sanhedrin (chief 
 priests and Pharisees), but also with " the band " ^ 
 of Roman soldiers (i8 : 3) from the garrison in the 
 tower of Antonia, a revelation of Jewish fear of 
 Jesus. They may (Dods, in loco) have dreaded a 
 popular uprising after the arrest (cf. 7 ; 32-49 ; 
 12:42). This band of soldiers had "weapons."^ 
 They also had " lanterns and torches." ^ It was 
 full moon, but it may have been cloudy and there 
 would be shadows from the olive trees in the garden. 
 So the conspirators would take no chances of 
 failure. John (18:4) comments on the fact that 
 Jesus is fully aware of the plans of His enemies : 
 '• knowing all things that were coming upon him." 
 This is fully shown in the Synoptic account of the 
 Agony as Jesus arises to meet the betrayer (Mark 
 14 : 42) and John also (13 : 27) tells of Christ's com- 
 mand to Judas. So Jesus steps forth out of the 
 enclosure to meet the party coming to arrest Him 
 and boldly challenges them (18 : 4). He avows His 
 identity and exerts His power over the company in 
 
 * TzoXXd/ziq ffovTJxdf}, Constative aorist. 
 ' OTZTjpira^. Cf. John 7:32. 
 
 * rijv ffTzeTpav, Probably not the full cohort, but a de- 
 tachment only. Polybius (XL 23) uses ffr.eTpa for the Latin 
 manipulusy two hundred men. 
 
 * oTzXuiv, Probably swords and slings. 
 
 * [itTOL (pavwv Kai kafxizddwv. In Dion. Hal. XL 5 we 
 read : " The soldiers rushed out of their tents with lanterns 
 and torches." 
 
THE SCOEK OF CHEIST'S ENEMIES 133 
 
 a marvellous manner. They not simply went back- 
 ward, but " fell to the ground " (i8 : 6). Thus He 
 proved His mastery over His enemies and showed 
 to Judas and the rest that He gave Himself up vol- 
 untarily, not because they came against Him with 
 armed soldiers. This episode must have staggered 
 Judas a bit, but he was too deep in the mire to 
 draw back now. John does not mention the des- 
 picable kiss of Judas, the sign to his companions. 
 It was not really needed, though carried out, since 
 Jesus confessed His identity and made a plea for 
 the freedom of the Eleven (i8 : 8). They had no 
 trouble in seizing and binding Jesus as was cus- 
 tomary with dangerous criminals (i8:i2). The 
 chief captain * or military tribune had actually come 
 along. The Sadducees had represented Jesus as an 
 enemy of public order (Westcott, in loco). Simon 
 Peter could stand this procedure no longer and 
 made use of one of the two swords (Luke 22 : 38) 
 that they happened to have with them, in an effort 
 to cut off the head of Malchus, servant of the high 
 priest. But he only got his right ear (John 18:10), 
 probably because Malchus dodged. Jesus healed 
 the ear (Luke 22 : 51) and bade Peter put up his 
 sword (John 18 : 1 1), adding with the calmness won 
 through His Agony, " The cup that my Father 
 hath given me, shall I not drink it ? '* So it was 
 all over. Jesus not only would not resist arrest. He 
 would not even allow His disciples to fight for 
 Him. " They that take the sword shall perish with 
 ^ ■^iXiapxo^s. Leader of a cohort. 
 
134 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 the sword" (Matt. 26:52), as all the world is 
 now seeing. Jesus had twelve legions of angels at 
 His command if He wished to use them (Matt. 
 26: 53). The death of Jesus is thus shown to be 
 voluntary as it had to be to possess moral value for 
 our sins. But the effect on the disciples was dis- 
 astrous, for they all fled in terror to save themselves 
 from a like fate. It was indeed the hour and the 
 power of darkness (Luke 22 : 53). 
 
 3. Jesus Before Annas (18 : 13-14, 19-23). 
 
 John alone records this preliminary examination 
 of Jesus by Annas preceding the appearance before 
 the Sanhedrin. He says •• first " with an allusion to 
 the examination before Caiaphas. Probably the rea- 
 son was simply to keep Jesus in a secure place 
 while the Sanhedrin were assembling for the trial. 
 It was, besides, a mark of respect to this powerful 
 ex-high priest, the head of the Sadducees. Annas 
 had been high priest himself* A. d. 7-14 and he kept 
 the office in the family till five successive sons held 
 it besides his son-in-law Joseph Caiaphas who now 
 has it (a. d. 18-36). 
 
 The Talmud 2 pronounces a curse on " the family 
 of Hanan and their serpent-hissings," and yet at this 
 time Annas (Hanan) had a powerful following. The 
 Talmud, besides, gives the Pharisaic standpoint 
 against the Sadducees. John alone explains that 
 Annas is the father-in-law of Caiaphas. This fact 
 makes it clear how Annas has so much power, 
 
 » Joscphus, " Ant.;' XVIIl. ii. i f. ' Pemch., 57 a. 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S ENEMIES 135 
 
 though not in office. Annas is probably the mov- 
 ing spirit in the whole business (Westcott), certainly 
 from the standpoint of the Sadducees. 
 
 It is not clear why Caiaphas (18:19) questions 
 Jesus in this informal examination before Annas. 
 It is possible that John may here refer to Annas by 
 " high priest " out of courtesy, as popular usage 
 uses the title " governor " after a man is no longer 
 occupying that position. Verse 24 seems to make it 
 plain that Jesus is still before Annas in verses 19-23.* 
 The question to Jesus about His disciples and His 
 teaching was keenly resented by the Master who 
 ignores the implied slur upon His disciples as the 
 ignorant multitude (cf. 7 : 49). As to the teach- 
 ing of Jesus, that is pubhc property (i8:20f.), as 
 Annas knows only too well by personal experience 
 (cf. Matt. 21:23-23:39). The question implied 
 that there was something secret and sinister in His 
 teaching which He was not willing to tell in pubhc. 
 Socrates ^ says when on trial : " If any one says 
 that he has ever learned or heard anything from me 
 in private which the world has not heard, be as- 
 sured he says what is not true." Jesus did teach 
 the Eleven many things that He did not proclaim 
 to the world, but nothing contradictory to His 
 public teaching and only to make them effective 
 teachers of the public. His teaching was not eso- 
 
 ^ However, axiffrsiXev in verse 24 can have the force in 
 English of a past-perfect. That is, it may merely refer to 
 what had already taken place. The Greeks did not usually 
 draw distinctions in past time. ^ Plato, ** Apology 33." 
 
136 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 teric in the usual sense of the word. His protest 
 was met with a " slap " * of the hand by one of the 
 officers, which Jesus did not return (could not, in 
 fact, if still bound, as was unlikely, but would not 
 in any case), though He made further protest 
 against this abuse of His person and of His rights 
 to a fair triaF (i8:22f.). He did not turn the 
 other cheek, showing that His language on that 
 subject (Matt. 5 : 39) is not to be taken too hterally. 
 
 4. Peter's Downfall (18 : 15-18, 25-27). 
 
 All the Gospels tell this sad story, giving three 
 denials, but in varying order. It is not possible 
 to relate them clearly to the examination before 
 Annas and Caiaphas. They covered some time, 
 since Luke (22 : 59) notes an hour between the 
 second and the third denial. Peter and John rallied 
 from their flight and fright first of the Eleven and 
 followed Jesus on to the house of the high priest 
 Caiaphas (John 18:15), but Peter " afar off" (Mark 
 14:54). John, that "other disciple" "known to 
 the high priest," ^ " entered with Jesus into the 
 court ^ of the high priest." It is quite possible that 
 Annas also had rooms in the house of Caiaphas. 
 
 ' pdiziaiia. 
 
 ^ The conditions {t\ and the indicative) in verse 23 are of 
 the first class and assume, for the sake of argument, the truth 
 of the condition. 
 
 ^ ^vttioTo? tS) apxiepeX. How he won this acquaintance we 
 do not know. 
 
 * The abXyj was originally the quadrangle around which 
 the house was built, but it came to be used for the house 
 itself. 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S E:N^EMIES 137 
 
 If so, the denials of Peter were in this building 
 where both Annas and Caiaphas Hved and John 
 and the Synoptists do not disagree as to the place. 
 The case of Peter is almost tragic. He had tried 
 to kill a man in defence of Jesus and then fled in 
 spite of his boast. He came back, but followed 
 afar off. He lingers at the door outside/ unable to 
 get in till John, " the other disciple the acquaintance 
 of the high priest " (note the circumlocution to avoid 
 his name), went out and spoke to " the portress " ^ 
 (i8:i6). This maid, knowing John and letting 
 Peter in at his request, had good reason to sus- 
 pect Peter's connection with Jesus. Her question 
 politely expects the answer " No,"^ though she 
 thought " Yes," and had a decided " fling " at Jesus 
 in "this man"^ (i8: 17). Caught off his guard and 
 helped on by the very form of the maid's ques- 
 tion and his desire for secrecy, he said the fatal 
 words of denial. Inside the quadrangle the serv- 
 ants and the officers, who had helped arrest Jesus, 
 were warming themselves by the fire which they 
 had made, for it was cold. Twice John notes (18: 
 i>8, 25) that Peter was also warming himself.^ Again 
 on a general accusation he denied being a disciple 
 of Jesus. The Synoptics reverse the order of these 
 
 * 7:pd<s r^ Oopa k'^ut. 
 
 ^ rjj dopwpcp. See interesting article on " Peter's Denials," 
 in particular re " the portress," by Sir W. M. Ramsay, in 
 2'he Expository Times for 19 16. ^ [J-^* 
 
 ^roo dvdpw-jToo TouToo. This fellow in contempt. 
 
 ^ 6£pp.atv6p.s\)o<s, Direct middle. 
 
138 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 two denials, but all agree in the order of the third 
 and climacteric one. Mark speaks of the cock 
 crowing at this juncture (Mark 14:68). Probably 
 Peter hid himself for an hour, but could not stay 
 away, for yonder was Jesus on trial in the room 
 above the quadrangle where the Sanhedrin sat. 
 John had gone on into the room. So Peter came 
 back and one after another, men and maids, charged 
 him with being a Galilean as shown by his speech 
 (Matt. 26 : 73). But it was the sharp, close query of a 
 kinsman of Malchus : " Did not I see thee in the garden 
 with him?" (John 1 8 : 26) that threw Peter completely 
 off his balance. He " lost his temper," as we say, 
 and cursed and swore to prove his lack of acquaint- 
 ance with Jesus. The cock crew the second time 
 (Mark 14:72). Jesus turned and looked at Peter 
 (Luke 22 : 61) and Peter remembered the word of 
 Jesus and went out with a broken heart, weeping 
 bitterly. But it was done. It is not hard to see 
 the steps in his downfall. They are plain enough, as 
 are the steps down-hill which any disciple may take. 
 Judas has betrayed Jesus. Peter has denied Him. 
 The devil is sifting them all. John alone is now 
 with Jesus. But Jesus stands before His accusers 
 undaunted in spite of this added blow from Simon 
 Peter, His trusted heutenant. 
 
 5. Jesus Before Caiaphas (18 : 24). 
 
 The supplementary character of the Fourth Gos- 
 pel is again illustrated at this point. He gives no 
 details at all of the trial before Caiaphas and the 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S ENEMIES 139 
 
 Sanhedrin and merely alludes to the fact as if to 
 refer his readers to the Synoptic Gospels for the 
 story of this phase of the subject. All that is here 
 taken for granted. Indeed, but for Matthew (27 : i f.) 
 and Mark (15: i) we should not know that there 
 were two hearings before the Sanhedrin, one at 
 night when the real examination took place (Matt. 
 26: 57, 59, 60-68; Mark 14: 53, 55-65), the other 
 after dawn to ratify the illegal decision already 
 reached. Luke gives only this phase of the trial 
 (22: 66-23: i). The only item in John's one sen- 
 tence to note is that Jesus is said to have been 
 *' bound " again before being sent to Caiaphas. This 
 implies that He was set free during the hearing be- 
 fore Annas. 
 
 6. Jesus Before Pilate (18 : 28-19 : 16). 
 
 Here John has more to tell and most of it is new. 
 Pilate is in his official residence, the Praetorium.* 
 It was probably in the tower of Antonia and not the 
 palace of Herod. John draws the picture with 
 characteristic vividness. It is " early," between 
 " dawn " (Luke 22 : 66) and sunrise (John 19 : 14). 
 The accusers are in a great hurry to get the business 
 through before the populace begin to stir. When 
 they find Jesus a condemned criminal in the eyes 
 of Roman law, besides the condemnation of the 
 Sanhedrin, the halo will drop from the brow of the 
 
 ^To npatTwptov. The technical sense in the provinces 
 (cf. Acts 23 : 35), but not that at Rome (ct. Phil. 1:13). 
 It was originally ** the general's tent." 
 
140 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Nazarene in the eyes of these Galileans who so re- 
 cently hailed Him as Messiah in the very faces of 
 the Sanhedrin in the Temple. It is all well planned 
 and is moving on with expedition. And yet the 
 conspirators will not enter the Praetorium, for that 
 is a Gentile's house. They wish to keep on cele- 
 brating the passover which has already begun.* So 
 the accusers stood outside till Pilate " went forth " 
 (John 1 8 : 29) to ask for their charge against Jesus. 
 John does not give the charges, but only the haughty 
 assumption ^ of infallibility on the part of the San- 
 hedrin, though they say nothing of their own trial 
 when Pilate offers to turn Jesus over to them 
 (18 : 30 f.). The reason is that they wish the death 
 of Jesus and their previous condemnation is futile 
 because they do not at this time possess the power 
 of life and death. They probably here brought for- 
 ward the accusations against Jesus mentioned in Luke 
 23:2, but with no allusion to what they had done, 
 least of all did they tell how they had finally gotten 
 the charge of blasphemy. John's narrative evidently 
 has in mind Luke's account, for the question of 
 Pilate to Jesus whom he now takes back into the 
 Praetorium shows that He has been charged with 
 claiming to be King (John 18 : 33). It was a charge 
 
 ^ So I interpret this disputed phrase to " eat the passover." 
 See my discussion of it on page 256 of Broadus' ** Harmony 
 of the Gospels." John uses ** passover " elsewhere, always 
 for the whole feast. In 2 Chron. 30 : 22 we note that 
 " they did eat the festival seven days." 
 
 ^ The term /zaR.oTzoio'^ (here Kakbv jiUtaJv) evil-doer occurs 
 in Polybius and I Peter. 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S ENEMIES 141 
 
 that Pilate could not ignore, without peril of arraign- 
 ment before Caesar, who would brook no rival. This 
 conversation between Pilate and Jesus is one of the 
 striking things in John's Gospel. The question of 
 Jesus to Pilate (John i8 : 34) is pertinent, for Jesus 
 does claim to be the King Messiah in the Kingdom 
 of God, but not a political king as the Pharisees 
 wished Him to be and now mean to charge Him 
 with claiming to be when He said He was '* Christ 
 a King" (Luke 23 : 2). But Pilate is indignant at 
 the suggestion that he cares for the Jewish theolog- 
 ical refinements.* " Am I a Jew ? " he fairly blurts 
 out as he demands the nature of the crime of Jesus 
 (John 18: 35). The reply of Jesus puzzled Pilate 
 more than ever. The two men lived in different 
 mental worlds. Pilate could not comprehend the 
 language of Canaan. This kingdom " not of this 
 world " was beyond his ken. Alas, one must add, 
 many of the followers of Jesus have forgotten these 
 words (18 : 36), for religious wars between Christians 
 have not been uncommon. Pilate presses the point 
 a bit further and Jesus confesses to being a King 
 who bears witness concerning the truth (18:37). 
 At this Pilate sees a gleam of light, for after all 
 " what is truth ? " ^ Truth stood before Pilate 
 and he did not know what sort of a thing truth 
 was. " I am the truth." There is a famous ana- 
 gram on this question : " Quid est Veritas ? " Trans- 
 posing the letters makes " Est vir qui adest." But 
 
 ^ Cf. Gallio's scorn in Acts 18 : i^{. 
 
142 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Pilate was no philosopher and no theologian. He 
 was merely a practical politician and he was sure 
 that the realm of truth in which Christ is King in 
 no way conflicts with the territory over which 
 Caesar rules. So he makes up his mind that he is 
 dealing with a mystic dreamer, perhaps a bit un- 
 balanced, but certainly harmless. He openly avows 
 his belief in the innocence of Jesus to the utter cha- 
 grin of the Sanhedrin (i8 : 38). When he proposes 
 that he release unto them " the King of the Jews," 
 according to his custom to set one prisoner free at 
 the feast, with a playful turn to the title and their 
 charge, he is surprised at their choice of Barabbas, a 
 real criminal at the head of an insurrection, perhaps 
 a zealot and a sort of national hero, though an out- 
 law (18 : 40). John does not follow all the ins and 
 outs of the trial before Pilate nor the fiasco before 
 Herod (Luke 23 : 6-12). But he adds details about 
 the end of the matter. Pilate had Jesus scourged * 
 to see if that would pacify the Jewish leaders, but it 
 was useless. The appearance of Jesus in a purple 
 robe and a crown of thorns upon His brow and the 
 half humorous sally of Pilate : " Behold, the man ! "^ 
 (18:5) even after his explicit statement of the inno- 
 cence of Jesus (18:4) availed nothing with the 
 people. They were in no mood for humour. They 
 wanted the blood of Jesus and would be satisfied 
 with nothing less. The effect was simply to make 
 the leaders raise the cry " Crucify him, crucify 
 
 * llxaffriywfTev. Caasative action. 
 
 ' Idou 6 dv0f)W7:ui, Behold, the fellow ! 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHRIST'S ENEMIES 143 
 
 him." * Crucifixion was not a Jewish mode of pun- 
 ishment, though Alexander Jannaeus used it upon 
 eight hundred Pharisees, copying the habits of the 
 Hellenes. But the Romans used it constantly for 
 criminals on Golgotha and the Jews will be only too 
 glad to see Jesus crucified. In a pet Pilate yields to 
 the Jews and bids them to take Him and crucify 
 Him, "for I find no crime in him" (i8:6), the 
 most astonishing decision ever rendered by a judge, 
 a frank yielding to popular clamour in the face of 
 the acknowledged evidence and all justice, a sentence 
 that brands Pilate forever as a coward and makes 
 his name a byword through the centuries. But the 
 Jewish leaders in their glee over their triumph tell 
 too much : " We have a law, and by that law he 
 ought to die, because he made himself the Son of 
 God" (18:7). When He was put on oath by 
 Caiaphas contrary to law, Jesus had confessed to 
 this claim before the Sanhedrin (Matt. 26 : 63-66) 
 and on His confession they had passed sentence of 
 death which Pilate now unwittingly confirms. But 
 the words " the Son of God " in connection with 
 Pilate's strange interview with Jesus and his wife's 
 dream (Matt. 27 : 19) made him more superstitious 
 and afraid than ever (John 19 : 8). So, in spite 
 of his surrender, Pilate takes Jesus back into the 
 Prsetorium for a further interview. He affects in- 
 dignation at Jesus, but is really overawed by the 
 tone of authority in Him (19 : 10 f.). The result is 
 that Pilate makes one more feeble effort to release 
 * ZTaOpuxToVf araupcuffov. 
 
144 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 the prisoner, whereupon the Jews threaten to report 
 Pilate to Csesar as harbouring a rival and so being 
 guilty of treason (19: 12). He knew all the time 
 that they would do this and his vacillation is thus 
 explained. He made another presentation of Jesus 
 with the salutation : " Behold, your King." " Shall 
 I crucify your King ? " he urges as he sat on the 
 judgment seat* on the elevated stone pavement^ 
 (Gabbatha in Hebrew) in front of the Prsetorium. 
 The Sadducees (chief priests) retort : " We have no 
 king but Caesar," and swallow all their pride and all 
 their hate of Rome to compass the death of Jesus 
 (19: 13-16). It is clear that the claim of Jesus to 
 be the Messiah, the Son of God, the King, not of 
 the Jews, but of Israel, is the crux of the charges 
 against Him. He will not. He cannot deny His 
 divine Sonship and His Messianic mission. Pilate? 
 cowardly as he undoubtedly was, yet had a Roman's 
 sense of justice and felt that a stupendous wrong was 
 done to an innocent man which he did not have the 
 courage to prevent. His spectacular washing of his 
 hands simply emphasized the situation and his un- 
 easy conscience made him protest that all the guilt 
 was upon the Jews. But unfortunately there is 
 guilt enough for all and he bears his share along 
 with Judas, Annas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, and all 
 who clamoured for the blood of Jesus to come upon 
 their heads and upon their children (Matt. 27 : 24 f.). 
 The impossible thing has happened. The one Per- 
 fect Man of all the ages is under condemnation to 
 * ^TJjiaTo^, ' XtOoarpioTov, Tessellated pavement. 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S EI^EMIES 145 
 
 die at the hands of the Chosen People of God and 
 against the forms of their own and Roman law. 
 The Jews are guilty of treason to their true King 
 and Pilate of treason to his office (Westcott). The 
 Hope of the Messiah had cheered the Jews through 
 the ages and now they have compassed His death in 
 a resentful mood that reveals their own spiritual de- 
 ficiency in the supreme crisis of history.* 
 
 7. Jesus on the Cross (19 : 17-37)- 
 
 John omits the mockery of Jesus by the soldiers 
 (Matt. 27 : 27-30) after the sentence. Three 
 hours elapsed between the sentence by Pilate at 
 6 A. M., Roman time (John 19: 14) and the begin- 
 ning of the Crucifixion at 9 A. m. (third hour Jewish 
 time) (Mark 15:25). John notes that the Jewish 
 authorities " received " ^ Jesus from Pilate though 
 they had the Roman soldiers as their instruments 
 (19 : 23). Westcott pertinently remarks that they 
 received Him for execution when they would not 
 have Him as Redeemer (i : 11).^ John gives no 
 details of the Via Dolorosa to the Cross save 
 the one item: "bearing the cross for himself" 
 (19: 17). So He began the mournful way like 
 any common criminal, carrying His own cross 
 literally as He had taught the disciples to do daily 
 (Luke 9:23 f.). This in no way contradicts the 
 Synoptic account of the enforced (Mark 15 : 21) 
 
 ^ See Innes, " The Trial of Jesus " (i 899) ; Stalker, " The 
 Trial and Death of Jesus Christ " (1894). 
 
 * napiial3ov. ^ 00 napiXa^ov, 
 
146 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 service of Simon of Cyrene which may have been 
 due to the exhaustion of Jesus, a theory supported 
 also (Westcott) by the words used in Mark 15 : 22 : 
 " They bring him." The place of a skull (Golgotha) 
 was probably the knoll to the north of the city with 
 two hollow caves in its face, thus roughly resem- 
 bling a huge skull. Crucifixions took place out- 
 side of the city, though near (John 19:19) and 
 this place, Calvaria, and not the Church of the 
 Holy Sepulchre inside the walls, is the true site of 
 the Crucifixion of Jesus. John simply mentions 
 " two others " * between whom Jesus is crucified^ 
 probably on the very cross designed for Barabbas, 
 the leader with these two " robbers " ^ (Matt. 27 : 38 ; 
 Mark 15:27) of a large band of insurrectionists 
 (possibly zealots). John gives more in detail the 
 placing of the title on the cross which Pilate wrote. 
 Probably the full title was : " This is Jesus of Naz- 
 areth the King of the Jews." Thus Pilate correctly 
 presents the name, residence, and crime of the 
 victim. It was written in Latin as the legal form, 
 in Hebrew (Aramaic) for the ordinary Palestinian 
 Jews, in Greek for Hellenistic Jews and the public 
 generally, since Greek was the current language of 
 the world (19:20). On the Cross of Jesus thus 
 meet the three chief civilizations of the world 
 (Roman law, Greek culture, Hebrew religion). The 
 Jewish leaders greatly disliked the form of Pilate's 
 
 * aXXoo? duo. 
 
 ' A7)ffTa{. Highway robbers, bandits, not petty thieves. 
 Luke (23 : 33) only calls them " malefactors ** RaKoupyoi, 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S ENEMIES 147 
 
 superscription, for they at bottom had national 
 hopes of a Messiah, but Pilate was stubborn at last 
 on this technicality after his abject surrender on the 
 main issue (19 : 21 f.) like many another weak man. 
 
 John likewise gives a full account of the casting 
 of lots by the four soldiers for the seamless coat or 
 tunic ^ of Jesus after dividing equally His other gar- 
 ments ^ (19 : 23 f.). The soldiers, of course, have no 
 thought of fulfiUing Scripture (Ps. 22: 18) in so 
 doing. 
 
 The scene between Jesus and His mother is given 
 only by John (19: 25-27). He contrasts ^ the soldiers 
 with the group of women standing by ^ the Cross of 
 Christ. There seem to be four women in the group 
 — Mary the mother of Jesus, Salome the mother 
 of the sons of Zebedee (cf. John 19 : 25 ; Mark 
 15:40; Matt. 27:56), Mary the wife of Clopas 
 (mother of James the less and Joses, Matt. 27 : 56 ; 
 Mark 15 : 40), and Mary Magdalene. The women 
 are true, as one would expect, in an hour like this, 
 whatever is the conduct of the men. The sword 
 has pierced the soul of Mary, the mother of Jesus, 
 as Simeon had said it would (Luke 2 : 35), but she 
 did not flinch nor was she ashamed to own Jesus 
 when the rulers have rejected Him. Once a cloud 
 of doubt did gather over her faith, but she was true, 
 though she could not reconcile this outcome with 
 the word of the Angel Gabriel. The Beloved 
 
 ^ j^nmv. The inner garment. 
 
 ' fiipf) (head-dress, sandals, girdle, outer garment or 
 *llidriov), ' {xkv — dk, * Tzapd, By the side of. 
 
148 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Disciple, who we have taken to be the Apostle 
 John, the author of the Gospel, is also there, the 
 only one of the Apostles who came. It is a tender 
 human touch in this Gospel when Jesus speaks from 
 the Cross to His mother and to John and commends 
 them as mother and son, titles of loving respect. 
 John accepted the precious charge " from that 
 hour " and probably took Mary to his lodging ' at 
 once, though it does not follow (Westcott) that he 
 had a permanent home in Jerusalem at this time. 
 Legend has it that they hved together in Jerusalem 
 eleven years, when Mary died, and then again that 
 she lived with John in Ephesus years afterwards, but 
 we know nothing. It was clearly impossible for 
 Jesus to commend His mother to His own brothers, 
 for they as yet disbelieved in Him. 
 
 John passes by the three hours of darkness 
 (twelve to three), but gives two sayings at the end 
 (19: 28-30). He emphasizes the fact of the con- 
 sciousness 2 of Jesus to the end. He had refused 
 the stupefying drinks twice offered Him according 
 to the custom of the times, but He does take a sip 
 of the stimulating vinegar at the last which is offered 
 upon His cry : " I thirst." This cry of physical 
 anguish is wrung from Jesus by the intolerable 
 thirst, the severest pang connected with the slow 
 crucifixion. The outcry fulfilled a Messianic Psalm 
 (69 : 21), and shows that the Messiah suffered to the 
 uttermost. The other cry is one of victory : " It is 
 
 ^ ei<: TO. tdta. So used in the papyri. 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S ENEMIES 149 
 
 finished." ^ This He knew was to be the outcome 
 of His atoning death. The work of redemption is 
 now uppermost in the mind of the Saviour as He 
 dies on the Cross, the victim of human hate and for 
 human sin. No theory of the atonement can pre- 
 sent all the truth in this stupendous tragedy. But 
 it is certainly the voluntary giving of His blood for 
 our sin by the one perfect and sinless man who 
 is also the Son of God. It is a substitutionary 
 death, but it has moral value because of the char- 
 acter of Jesus and His spirit in offering Himself 
 for us. Here is the core of the Gospel as Jesus 
 conceived it and His biographers have interpreted 
 it. He gave up His spirit to death in order 
 thus to triumph over death and sin. The simple 
 grandeur of John's words passes all comment 
 as the death of Jesus on the Cross is the cul- 
 mination of human history, the ground of hope for 
 the race. 
 
 John alone (19:31-37) gives the story of the 
 breaking of the legs (crurifragium) of the two rob- 
 bers by the soldiers at the request of the Jews 
 (19: 31) so that the bodies could be taken down 
 before the Sabbath began at sunset (six o'clock). 
 The bodies were to come down by night anyhow, 
 but the approach of the Sabbath made the Jewish 
 leaders very sensitive on the subject. The Gospels 
 all (Matt. 27 : 62 ; Mark 15 : 42 ; Luke 23 : 54 ; 
 John 19:31) explain that the day of the crucifixion 
 
 * rer^Aeo-Tat. Finished to stay finished. Done once for 
 
150 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 is the " Preparation," * that is the day before the 
 Sabbath. This Sabbath was a ** high " ^ day be- 
 cause it was also in the passover week. But the 
 legs of Jesus were not broken because it was not 
 necessary. He was already dead when the soldiers 
 came. To make sure, however, one of the soldiers 
 pierced the side of Jesus, from which ** there came 
 out blood and water." This astonishing circum- 
 stance is certified to by the writer of the Gospel 
 who claims to speak as an eye-witness to the occur- 
 rence. He reiterates that he knows ^ that he is 
 speaking the truth and wishes to induce belief in 
 his statement. He sees the fulfillment of Scripture 
 (Ps. 34:20; Zech. 12:10), but he has another 
 purpose. The Docetic Gnostics denied the real 
 humanity of Jesus. So John takes pains to bear 
 witness to the fact of seeing blood come out of the 
 side of Jesus to show the reality of the human 
 nature of Christ. The credibility of such an oc- 
 currence is vouched for by modern medical sci- 
 ence * on the theory of a rupture of the blood ves- 
 sels of the heart as the cause of death. Literally, 
 therefore, Jesus died of a broken heart, broken by 
 the sin of the world (John I : 29 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 21) as 
 He suffered alone in the darkness (Matt. 27 : 46).'^ 
 
 ^ napaff/^eoTJ, The name to-day for Friday in modern 
 Greek. ^ ixsydlrj. 
 
 ^ i/ztlvoii o18e\). Not God knows, but 6 kiopaRux; knows. 
 
 *Dr. Stroud, " Physical Causes of the Death of Christ." 
 
 ^ See Clow, ** In the Day of the Cross " (1909) ; Den- 
 ney, "The Death of Christ" (2d ed., 191 1); Forsyth, 
 "The Cruciality of the Cross" (1909); Ross, "The 
 
THE SCOEN OF CHEIST'S ENEMIES 151 
 
 8. Jesus in the Tomb (19 : 38-42). 
 
 The Gospels all tell of the kindly love of Joseph 
 of Arimathea who boldly (Mark 15:43) avowed 
 his secret faith in Jesus (John 19 : 38), no longer 
 afraid of the Jews though a member of the San- 
 hedrin (Luke 23 : 50 f.) who had not consented to 
 their purposes about Jesus. Perhaps he was not 
 invited or refused to go to that meeting. He was 
 rich (Matt. 27 : 57) and was looking for the King- 
 dom of God (Luke 23:51). Timid people are 
 often emboldened by catastrophes. Pilate ex- 
 presses surprise that Jesus is already dead when 
 Joseph asks for His body (Mark 15:44). An 
 avaricious governor could sell the privilege of 
 burial in such cases, but Pilate chose to be gracious 
 to Joseph. Friends took the body of the Baptist 
 (Matt. 15:12) and of Stephen (Acts 8 : 2) for decent 
 burial. John alone records the courage of Nico- 
 demus, another secret disciple and member of the 
 Sanhedrin who had also opposed their schemes 
 against Jesus (7 : 50). He was emboldened by the 
 example of Joseph and furnished a hundred pounds 
 of myrrh and aloes, a costly gift to cover the body 
 of Jesus with these aromatics as we do with flowers. 
 So these two members of the Sanhedrin, the body 
 that had compassed the death of Jesus, give His 
 body proper burial according to the custom of the 
 Jews, with the linen clothes and the spices. The 
 forms were duly observed by these two men who in 
 
 Cross " (191 2) ; Stalker, " The Trial and Death of Jesus 
 Christ" (1894). 
 
152 THE DIYIOTTY OF CHEIST 
 
 the late afternoon of Friday lay the body of Jesus 
 in Joseph's new* tomb, freshly cut in the rock in 
 the garden near the scene of the crucifixion on 
 Golgotha Hill. There " they laid Jesus " ^ rever- 
 ently, if a bit hastily, for the day was swiftly dying 
 and the Sabbath drew on at sunset, the dawn of the 
 Jewish twenty-four hour day (Luke 23 : 54). There 
 John leaves the dead Christ. He does not tell of 
 the watching, wistful women, nor of the feverish 
 Pharisees who have a Roman guard placed by the 
 tomb with a seal of state upon it to keep Jesus in 
 the grave (Matt. 27 : 62-66). The Apostles were 
 not at the burial, so it seems, nor the women. The 
 hearts of all were broken and bleeding. They had 
 followed Jesus through the years with mounting 
 hopes and now their Hope lay buried in Joseph's 
 tomb. Our own hearts are torn as we read the 
 story now. What must it have been for those in 
 the valley of the shadow of this death ? 
 
 * /eafvov, not viov, ^ edtj/zav rov Wrjffouv, 
 
VI 
 
 THE VINDICATION 
 
 (Chapters 20 and 21) 
 " My Lord and my God.'* 
 
 THE resurrection of Jesus from the grave is 
 the basal fact in the revival of hope in the 
 disciples and on this fact rests the claim 
 of Jesus to be the Messiah and Saviour. He had 
 repeatedly foretold His resurrection on the third 
 day. This promise vanished with all the rest in the 
 wreck caused by His death. The disciples them- 
 selves forget all the consolations held out by Jesus 
 so often and in particular on the night before His 
 death (John 14-17). The gloom of despair settled 
 upon their hearts. The task of the Risen Christ is 
 to convince His own disciples that He is again 
 alive and that the Kingdom of God has a future. 
 He had been unable to get them to see that His 
 Kingdom was spiritual and they took His death as 
 the end of their hope of the political kingdom 
 which they still looked for. The difficulty was 
 very great, as we can see. But the first problem is 
 the restoration of faith and hope. 
 
 The disciples were now all sceptics and pessi- 
 mists and the Gospels all show this to be true. 
 The accounts vary in many details concerning the 
 
 153 
 
154 THE DIVIls^ITY OF CHEIST 
 
 appearances of Jesus, but they give only frag. 
 mentary records of these days. They all insist on 
 the great fact that Jesus has risen from the now 
 empty grave and is alive and has appeared to His 
 disciples. Their independence strengthens their 
 witness. Modern doubt scouts the possibility of 
 resurrection of the body on scientific grounds and 
 all sorts of theories exist to explain away the actual 
 resurrection of the body of Jesus, like the swooning 
 of His body, the nervous fantasy of the women, the 
 psychic appearance of the soul (or the aura) of 
 Jesus, the invention of the story because the dis- 
 ciples wanted it. But no one of them explains the 
 revival of faith in the minds of these discouraged 
 men and women. Christianity is a fact, the great- 
 est fact of history. Paul and the Gospel writers 
 explain the origin of Christianity as a religion on 
 the ground of the resurrection of Jesus in confirma- 
 tion of His great claims to be the Son of God, the 
 Saviour of men. This interpretation has stood the 
 test of time and holds to-day, as the only adequate 
 explanation of the power of Christianity in the hves 
 of men.^ John " recounts from his own experience 
 
 ^ Some of the most important discussions of the resurrec- 
 tion of Jesus are here given : Boardman, " Our Risen 
 King's Forty Days" (J 902); Kennedy, "The Resurrec- 
 tion of Jesus Christ '* (1895) ; Latham, " The Risen Mas- 
 ter " (1901) ; Milligan, " The Resurrection of Our Lord " 
 (1886); Orr, ** The Resurrection of Jesus" (1908); 
 Simpson, ** Our Lord's Resurrection" (1906); Swete, 
 " The Appearances of Our Lord After the Passion " (1907) ; 
 Thorburn, " Resurrection Narratives and Modern Criti- 
 
THE YINDICATIOK 155 
 
 just those incidents which called out in the disciples 
 the fullness of belief triumphant over personal 
 sorrow, and common fear, and individual doubt " 
 (Westcott). 
 
 I. The First Visit of Mary Magdalene to the 
 Tomb (20: I, 2). 
 
 John does not speak of the visit of the women to 
 see the sepulchre " late on the Sabbath " just before 
 sundown, the " dawn " of the first day (Matt. 28 : i), 
 nor of the purchase of the spices after sundown (Mark 
 16 : I). He makes no allusion to the other women 
 (Mark 16 : i) who come with Mary Magdalene to 
 the tomb, ♦' early, while it is yet dark " when they 
 start, though the sun is risen when they reach the 
 sepulchre (Mark 16 : 2). He is simply interested in 
 her part in the great event and passes by the rest. 
 It is probable at any rate that she ran on ahead of 
 the other women (because younger ?) when they see 
 " the stone taken away from * the tomb." This 
 of itself is cause enough for wonder. Without 
 waiting to look inside she runs " therefore " and 
 comes to Simon Peter (back again with the Beloved 
 Disciple) and John with her hasty interpretation of 
 the grave robbery, unspeakable shame, and calling 
 for the courage and skill of men to find the body of 
 
 cism " (1910) ; Westcott, "The Revelation of the Risen 
 Lord" (5th ed., 1891). A violent opponent of the resur- 
 rection is Lake, " Historical Evidence of the Resurrection of 
 Jesus Christ" (1907), 
 
 ^ e/z. Clean out to one side. 
 
156 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 Jesus before it is further dishonoured. All this 
 runs through the mind of Mary in a flash and she 
 acts upon the impulse of the moment. The ene- 
 mies of Christ have even tried to show despite to His 
 corpse. In saying " we know not " Mary impUes 
 the presence of the other women with her. 
 
 2. Peter and John at the Tomb (20 : 3-10). 
 
 There is a delicacy in this story that is very fine. 
 These two disciples act in perfect keeping with their 
 known characteristics. Peter" rushed out " * at once 
 and then they ran side by side^ to the tomb in their 
 eagerness to set things straight. But John was 
 fleeter of foot' and also finer in insight. He did 
 come first ^ to the tomb, but he did not go on in, 
 though he stoops down and looks at the clothes 
 lying there. Peter now comes up and beholds ^ the 
 clothes lying in orderly fashion just as John did. 
 Peter went on in, impulsive as usual, to see the 
 actual situation. John now overcame his shrinking 
 by the example of Peter and went in also. But 
 John, though first to come and last to go in, was 
 the first to see into the meaning of the phenomena 
 of the empty tomb and the orderly arrangement 
 
 * e^rjXdev. Effective aorist. 
 
 ^ ijpxovTo and srpexov (imperfects) picture them running 
 6[xoo (side by side). 
 
 ' 7rp(fidpa;j.ev rd^stov. Both Trpo- and the comparative 
 and the aorist now. 
 
 * 7cpd>T0(^ though only two. Common thus in the /?oivij. 
 
 ^ dewptt. Intent looking. But ^Unst about John, merely 
 glancing. 
 
THE VINDICATION 157 
 
 of the grave clothes. " He saw and beheved." ^ 
 This is the great distinction ^ of the writer of the 
 Fourth Gospel, his marvellous spiritual vision, clear 
 and sure and piercing the empyrean of the eternal. 
 Hence he has given us " the spiritual gospel " as the 
 ancients said. Not yet did any of the disciples 
 understand the necessity ^ of the resurrection 
 though Jesus had told them repeatedly the fact, but 
 even that they could not take in (Luke 18:34). 
 Least of all had they associated any Scripture with 
 the subject. See Psalm 16 : 10 for the possible 
 reference. Jesus Himself will have to throw light 
 on the necessity of His death (Luke 24 : 26, 46). 
 But John, even in the midst of all the confusion of 
 the hour, saw that Mary Magdalene was wrong and 
 he, with a sensitive instinct, drew the logical con- 
 clusion that Jesus Himself had laid the clothes in 
 this orderly manner and hence had risen from the 
 dead. But it was not " proof," not even for Peter. 
 So they went away " by themselves," ^ for it was 
 useless as yet to talk to others. 
 
 3. Second Visit of Mary Magdalene (20 : 1 1-18). 
 
 Luke (24:8-11) tells of the message of the 
 women (including Mary Magdalene) to the Apos- 
 tles, but does not separate her experience from the 
 rest. Their story was " as idle talk ; ^ and they dis- 
 
 * eldsv nai eTztfTTsuffev, Both aorists and instantaneous 
 action. Here still another verb for " seeing." 
 
 ^ Some manuscripts for Luke 24 : 1 2 give the visit of Peter 
 to the tomb. 
 
 ' del, * ;r^09 aorou^, * axrel Xrjpo^, 
 
158 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 believed them." Mark (16:9) in the disputed 
 close of his Gospel tells of the appearance of Jesus 
 to Mary first of all. But John alone gives in detail 
 this wondrous scene between Jesus and Mary. 
 There are many points on which one wishes for 
 more light. Mary clearly did not see the angels 
 when she was first at the tomb. Peter and John 
 did not see the two angels (men) which the other 
 women saw (Luke 24 : 4-8). But now, when she 
 returns, Mary beholds two angels, one at the head 
 and one at the foot of the place where the body 
 of Jesus had lain (John 20 : 1 1 f.). The fact of 
 angelic appearances here is no more difficult than 
 elsewhere and is part of the problem of the relation 
 of the spiritual world to the world of sense. The 
 shepherds heard the angels sing at the birth of Jesus 
 as these women saw the angels who testify of His 
 resurrection from the grave. Mary is still troubled 
 over her idea of the grave robbery (20 : 1 3). Clearly 
 John's Gospel lends no support to the theory that 
 the women, Mary Magdalene in particular, had 
 hallucinations and led the apostles to believe that 
 Jesus was alive. The women are presented as not 
 expecting to see Jesus alive and the apostles dis- 
 believed their story when they told it. The angels 
 threw no light on the situation for Mary. First of all 
 mortals (save the guard) she saw the Risen Christ and 
 did not recognize Him. There are various reasons for 
 her ignorance. She had been weeping. She was 
 in utter anguish over the thought of the grave rob- 
 bery. She was in the garden and the natural man 
 
THE VINDICATION 159 
 
 to appear was the gardener. Besides, Jesus was not 
 quite as He was before His death. He appeared 
 " in another form " (Mark l6 : 12) to the two dis- 
 ciples going to Emmaus " whose eyes were holden " 
 (Luke 24 : 16). Jesus was able to throw a veil over 
 the eyes of those whom He did not wish to recog- 
 nize Him. But Mary's address to the supposed 
 gardener shows that she now hopes that he has re- 
 moved the body of Jesus which she craves the duty 
 of caring for. But one word from Jesus is all that 
 is needed to dispel the mist from the eyes of Mary. 
 It is her name on His lips as of old. In the rush 
 of emotion she can only say : •' Rabboni " (•• My 
 Master ") in recognition. She evidently tries to 
 take hold of Him, to cling ' to Him and Jesus for- 
 bids her, for. He explains, He is only here for a 
 short time before He ascends to " my Father and 
 your Father, and my God and your God." He did 
 allow the other women later to take hold of His 
 feet in worship (Matt. 28 : 9), but merely human fel- 
 lowship was not to be resumed. But Jesus shows 
 in His very language the highest sense of spiritual 
 fellowship with Mary and the rest. Jesus bade her 
 go to His brethren and tell them. She had a 
 marvellous message, one that they needed and really 
 longed to hear. Mary was able to say first of all 
 men : " I have seen the Lord," ^ the Risen Lord. 
 But they evidently disbelieved her. She was only 
 Mary who once had seven demons. Was she to be 
 
 ^ fxTJ fxov a-KTou. Present tense. He bids her to cease 
 clinging to Him. ^'^Ecupa/sa tov Ropiov, 
 
160 THE DIVmiTY OF CHEIST 
 
 believed in a matter like this ? Where was John's 
 instinct ? 
 
 4. The Meeting the First Sunday Night 
 
 (20 : 19-25). 
 
 John's narrative corroborates in a most important 
 manner that of the Synoptics and in particular the 
 wonderful story in Luke 24 : 13-35, the walk of the 
 unrecognized Christ with two disciples to their 
 home in Emmaus. Renan calls this the most 
 beautiful story in all the world. It is quite too 
 beautiful to be invented by a truth-loving historian 
 like Luke, though it is told with matchless skill. 
 But our interest here is in the sequel, for Luke 
 represents these two disciples, once their eyes are 
 opened, as hurrying back to Jerusalem to tell the 
 disciples the glorious news, only to find them as- 
 sembled, probably in that same Upper Room of pre- 
 cious associations, and already convinced of the fact 
 of the resurrection of Jesus because " he hath ap- 
 peared * to Simon " (Luke 24 : 34). They tell their 
 story to the joy of all. It is at this juncture (Luke 
 24 : 36) that John takes up the story. He adds a 
 few details to the account in Mark and Luke. He 
 uses Roman time, " evening, on that day, the first 
 day of the week." He explains that the door was 
 shut for fear of the Jews. The disciples still feel 
 like hunted birds. John speaks of the circum- 
 stance to show that the appearance is a miracle and 
 also to explain something of the nature of the resur- 
 * io(pd-q. The usual word and means actual sight. 
 
THE VIN^DICATION 161 
 
 rection body of Jesus which passes through closed 
 doors, although His hands and His side (20 : 20) 
 bear the marks of the nails and the spear. Luke 
 (24 : 42) tells of His eating a piece of broiled fish to 
 remove the disbelief of the disciples at the sudden 
 apparition. John shows how they did come to re- 
 joice at the sight of the Lord. Twice (20: 19, 21) 
 Jesus bestows " peace " on the disciples, the first 
 time to restore confidence, the second time to pre- 
 pare for work (Westcott). The commission here 
 given is on a par with that in Matthew 28 : 16-20 
 and like that is addressed to all the disciples present 
 (Luke 24 : 33), not to the Apostles alone. The 
 breathing of the Holy Spirit was symbolic of the 
 very word " spirit " (breath, wind) and probably 
 suggests quickening into new apprehension (cf. 
 Gen. 2 : 7) preparatory to the endowment at Pente- 
 cost (Westcott). The assumption of divine prerog- 
 atives and authority here is precisely as in Mat- 
 thew 28 : 16-20. Jesus is hke a general planning 
 a campaign, only this one is for the conquest of the 
 world. He commands them to receive* the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 The forgiveness (remission) of sin here put in the 
 hands of Christ's people is not the power of abso- 
 lution, but the declaration of the fact and the terms 
 by which it is obtained (20 : 23). Luke in the last 
 commission (24 : 47) reports Jesus as saying " that 
 repentance and remission of sins should be preached 
 
 ^ Xd^eTt. Take. Each man has to exercise his own 
 choice in this great matter. 
 
162 THE DIVINITY OP CHEIST 
 
 in his name into all nations." This is clearly what 
 Jesus means in John. He uses a rabbinical mode 
 of speech, but He no more means to impart to men 
 the power of bestowing forgiveness than He meant 
 to confer on Peter the power to regulate the King- 
 dom of God (Matt. i6 : i8 f.). The disciples are to 
 bring forgiveness to men by the message of life 
 through Christ. The dread power of sin is seen 
 precisely in the fearful cost of forgiveness. The 
 price of redemption is the blood of Jesus and for- 
 giveness is only possible by the grace of God, for 
 nature knows no forgiveness of the violation of her 
 laws without penalty. John closes this incident 
 with the statement that Thomas was absent from 
 this first gathering of the disciples after the resur- 
 rection of Jesus. We do not know why he was not 
 there, but he was obdurate and even cynical in his 
 doubt of the story of the disciples, as they had been 
 towards the report of the women. When they gave 
 details, he retorted that he required the same items 
 to convince him. Thus the first effort of the dis- 
 ciples to convince one of their own number failed. 
 They evidently needed more skill and power from 
 the Holy Spirit if they were to carry out the com- 
 mission just given them by Jesus. 
 
 5. The Meeting the Second Sunday Night 
 (20 : 26-29). 
 
 Things could never again be as they had been. 
 Jesus had appeared to various individuals and once 
 to the group on that first Sunday night. The 
 
THE VINDICATION 163 
 
 clouds were forever lifted from their hearts. Some 
 still doubted, hke Thomas, and others later when 
 they first saw Jesus as was natural (Matt. 28: 17). 
 But this little band of men and women were knit 
 together in a hallowed experience that changed the 
 horizon of the world for them. Jesus is alive. The 
 Kingdom is not over. All is not lost. All is true 
 that they had hoped and more, though new and 
 strange. They are not yet ready to go forward, for 
 He Himself has an appointed meeting with them 
 on the mountain in Galilee. So they wait with 
 fluttering hearts. On this second night they gather 
 as a matter of course and they persuade Thomas to 
 come this time. They had no assurance that Jesus 
 was to appear to them on this night, but it will do 
 them good to meet together and talk over the tre- 
 mendous import of the new turn in their hfe as 
 followers of Jesus. They are still afraid of the Jews 
 and the doors are shut as before. Jesus suddenly 
 stepped ^ into the midst and gave the greeting of 
 peace {shaloni). But the presence of Thomas leads 
 Jesus to accept his challenge. Thomas was an 
 honest man, if cautious, and a noble one. His con- 
 fession reaches the highest plane of the Gospels. 
 He said simply : " My Lord and my God."^ With 
 these words vanished all doubt and came full sur- 
 render and faith. Jesus accepted his homage, but 
 
 1 " 
 
 ^b /zupid? fxoo Rai 6 di6<; fiou. The nominative form is 
 common in the vocative. The way Jesus received his words 
 proves that it is address, not exclamation. 
 
164 THE BIVHsTITY OF CHEIST 
 
 took pains to point out that he had missed the op- 
 portunity for the highest faith in not beheving 
 without sight. These words hngered in the mem- 
 ory of Peter also (i Peter I : 8) and this highest 
 type of faith is open to us all to-day. 
 
 6. The Author's Ideal (20: 30, 31). 
 
 The book seems finished for it is hardly possible 
 to rise above the confession of Thomas. I am 
 inclined to think that John did stop at this point 
 and at a later time added chapter 21 as an Epi- 
 logue. He looks back upon his task with an au- 
 thor's feeling of incompleteness, almost of dissatis- 
 faction. He has produced the noblest book ever 
 written by man, but does not seem to know it. He 
 is conscious of the many other signs that Jesus did 
 which he knows and cannot record for lack of space. 
 He has not tried to tell all that he knows. He has 
 frankly written with purpose and has made a selec- 
 tion out of the vast material at his disposal. His 
 purpose is the noblest that is possible for any au- 
 thor. He wants his readers to believe that Jesus is 
 in reality the Christ, the Son of God, not as a mere 
 theological dictum or shibboleth of orthodoxy, but 
 that by believing they may have life. This can 
 only come to them in the name and power of this 
 same Son of God whose coming to earth he has 
 proven in this book. The wish is a prayer and a 
 hope. 
 
 7. By the Beloved Lake (21 : 1-23). 
 
 If this is an epilogue or appendix, as I think it is, 
 
THE VINDICATION 165 
 
 it in no way interferes with the aim and spirit of 
 the book to which it is added. In a beautiful way 
 it illustrates the life of the disciples during the great 
 forty days /when Jesus appeared to them at intervals.* 
 It is probable that this appendix was added by John 
 because of a current misapprehension of a saying 
 of Jesus about the longevity of the beloved disciple 
 (21 : 20-23) which he corrects. The style is pre- 
 cisely that of the rest of the Gospel. The chapter 
 reveals still further the glory of the Risen Christ. 
 This further manifestation, besides those at Jerusa- 
 lem, took place at the Sea of Tiberias whither seven 
 of the Apostles had gone — while waiting for the 
 appointment on the mountain in Galilee. This 
 appearance was a surprise, as all of them were, save 
 the one arranged by Jesus just mentioned. The 
 names of five are given, but two are not. Hence it 
 is possible that the beloved disciple (21 : 7) is one 
 of these two instead of John, one of the sons of 
 Zebedee. But the other arguments (see Chapter I) 
 make it highly probable that the author of the book 
 is John, who is also the beloved disciple. Fishing 
 was once the vocation of some of these men and 
 now it is their avocation. Peter's impulse rallies 
 the rest to the enterprise which they probably 
 enjoy in spite of catching nothing. Fellowship is a 
 large part of the pleasure of fishing. But the pic- 
 ture of Jesus standing on the shore in the haze of 
 the early dawn is one that John never forgot 
 through the long years. He had taught them how 
 'Acts 1:3. di yjiitpu>v TS(T<T£pdffovTa oTtTavofxevo^, 
 
166 THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST 
 
 to catch fish before, as John is the first to recall 
 with the quick conclusion : " It is the Lord " (21 : 7). 
 But Peter acts first again and soon they are all on 
 shore counting the one hundred and fifty-three big 
 fishes as they leaped about in the net. There is no 
 need now to ask : " Who art thou ? " They all 
 know by common instinct that it is the Lord 
 (21 : 12). So they have a breakfast with Jesus with 
 beating hearts, this third time that Jesus has mani- 
 fested Himself to a group of the disciples. 
 
 But John is not done with the incident. Jesus turns 
 to Peter and asks him three times if he loves Him, one 
 time for each denial. This time also it is early dawn 
 and by a fire of coals. Peter had boasted of his great 
 love above all others, but now he drops that. So Jesus 
 repeats the question without the " more than these." 
 The third time Jesus changes His verb * to that of 
 Peter as if to challenge even this humble claim. 
 
 The heart of Peter is very humble now and all 
 boasting is gone. He trusts Jesus with His un- 
 bounded knowledge (21 : 17) to understand the sin- 
 cerity of his love, however poorly he has shown it. 
 Jesus had said that when Peter had turned he must 
 stablish his brethren (Luke 22 : 32). Now Jesus 
 three times charges him to feed ' and to shepherd ^ 
 
 ^ From dLyandu) to <ptXi(o, No iron-clad distinction can 
 be drawn between these two verbs. 0dc(o is to love as a 
 friend (affection of the heart like amo) while dya-nda) (like 
 diligo) is the higher love of choice. But the words are often 
 used interchangeably, only here the distinction is drawn. 
 
THE VINDICATION 167 
 
 His lambs. It is a great task and Peter cherishes it 
 (cf. I Peter 5 : 2 f.). Peter had once boasted of his 
 readiness to die for Jesus and had then denied Him. 
 But now he is to have a martyr's crown after all 
 (21 : 18 f.) if he will only follow Jesus. 
 
 The query of Peter about the fate of John who 
 came up at this moment is quite of a piece with 
 Peter's quick and impetuous nature. But the sharp 
 rebuke of Jesus by no means indicates that John 
 was to live till Jesus returned to earth at the end 
 (21 : 20-23). John himself is now old and his eyes 
 are longing for the Coming of Jesus, but he denies 
 this false interpretation of the saying. 
 
 8. Addendum (21 : 24f.). 
 
 Dods argues that John himself could very well 
 have written verse 24 since he identifies himself as 
 the witness of the piercing of the side of Jesus 
 (I9-35)' That is true as a possibility, but the 
 probability is quite the other way. The use of the 
 plural " we know " is not decisive in itself, but in 
 contrast with " I think " in verse 25 the probability 
 is greatly increased. The hyperbole in verse 25 is 
 simply an expansion of 20 : 30. As John closes the 
 epilogue he is overwhelmed afresh with the magni- 
 tude of the work of Jesus Christ. There is wonder 
 in each deed and glory in every logion that he spoke. 
 No one has ever written a full hfe of Christ. No 
 one can ever do it. But let us thank God for what 
 has been written and for the expanding power of 
 Christ through the ages (Acts i : i) and His abid- 
 
168 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 
 
 ing presence in our own hearts (John 14 : 23), 
 Some day we shall see Him as He is and be, won- 
 der of wonders, somewhat hke Him (i John 3 : 2). 
 Jesus not only reveals God to men, but in the end 
 makes us like God. 
 
Some Books on John's Gospel 
 
 (Besides Introductmts to the New Testament 
 and Gefieral Commentaries) 
 
 Abbott, Ezra, On the Authorship of the Fourth Gospel. 
 1880. 
 
 Abbott, E. A., Johannme Grammar. 1906. 
 Abbott, E. A., Johannine Vocabulary. 1905. 
 Ackwith, The Historical Value of the Fourth Gospel. 
 1910. 
 
 Appel, Die Echtheit des Johannesevangeliums. 191 5. 
 Bacon, The Fourth Gospel in Research and Debate. 
 1910. 
 
 Baldensperger, Der Prolog des vierten Evangeliums. 
 1898. 
 
 Barth, The Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels. 
 1907. 
 
 Bauer, Hand-Commentar von Holtzmann. 3d ed. 
 1908. 
 
 Benham, St. John and His Work. 
 
 Blass, Evangelium Secundum Johannes. 1902. 
 
 Candler, Practical Studies in the Gospel of John. 3 vols. 
 1912-1915. 
 
 Carr, Gospel of St. John. 1904. 
 
 Chapman, John the Presbyter and the Fourth Gospel. 
 
 1911. 
 Clemen, Die Entstehung des Johannesevangeliums. 191 2. 
 Culross, John Whom Jesus Loved. 1878. 
 Delif, Das vierte Evangelium wiedergestellt. 1890. 
 Delff, Neue Beitrage zur Kritik und Erklarung des vierten 
 
 Evangeliums. 1890. 
 
 169 
 
170 BOOKS ON JOHN'S GOSPEL 
 
 Dods, Gospel of John. 2 vols, in Expositor's Bible. 
 1891. 
 
 Dods, Gospel of John in Expositor's Greek Testament. 
 1902. 
 
 Drummond, An Inquiry into the Character and Author- 
 ship of the Fourth Gospel. 1904. 
 Evans, St. John the Author of the Fourth Gospel. 1888. 
 Fouard, S. Jean et la fin de I'age apostolique. 1904. 
 Gardner, The Ephesian Gospel. 19 15. 
 Gloag, Life of St. John. 1891. 
 
 Gobel, Die Reden des Herrn nach Johannes. 2 vols. 
 1906-1910. 
 
 Godet, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John. 2 vols. 
 1886-1890. 
 
 Gordon, Quiet Talks on the Gospel of John. 
 
 Gregory, Wellhausen und Johannes. 19 10. 
 
 Grill, Untersuchungen iiber die Entstehung des vierten 
 Evangeliums. 1902. 
 
 Harnack, Ueber das Verhaltniss des Prologs des vierten 
 Evangeliums zum ganzen Werke. 1892. 
 
 Hovey, Gospel of John in American Commentary. 1885. 
 
 Inge, The Historical Value of the Fourth Gospel (Cam- 
 bridge Biblical Essays). 1909. 
 
 Jackson, The Fourth Gospel and Some Recent German 
 
 Criticisms. 1906. 
 Johnstone, The Philosophy of the Fourth Gospel. 1909. 
 Krenkel, Aposlel Johannes. 1897. 
 Kreyenbuhl, Neue Losung des Johanneischen Frage. 
 
 1905. 
 
 Lepin, L'Origine du Quatri^me 'Evangile. 1907. 
 Lewis, Disarrangements in the Fourth Gospel. 19 10. 
 Lias, Doctrinal System of St. John. 1875. 
 Lightfoot, Essay on in Biblical Essays. 1893. 
 Lock, The Literary Method of the Fourth Gospel {Hib- 
 bert Journal f October, 191 6). 
 
BOOKS ON JOHN'S GOSPEL 171 
 
 Loisy, Le Quatrieme 'Evangile. 1903. 
 
 Lowrie, The Doctrine of John. 1895. 
 
 Lutgert, Johannes Christologie. 
 
 Luthardt, St. John the Author of the Fourth Gospel. 
 
 1875. 
 Matheson, St. John's Portrait of Christ. 1910. 
 
 McClymont, Gospel of John in the New Century Bible. 
 
 1901. 
 McDonald, Life and Writings of St. John. 1877. 
 
 Milligan and Moulton, Gospel of John in Schaff's Com- 
 mentary, 1895. 
 
 Niese, Das Leben des heiligen Johannes. 1878. 
 
 Overbeck, Das Johannesevangelium. 191 1. 
 
 Peyton, The Memorabilia of Jesus. 
 
 Plummer, Cambridge Greek Testament, Gospel of John. 
 
 1893. 
 Reynolds, Pulpit Commentary-Gospel of John. 3 vols. 
 
 1887-1888. 
 
 Richmond, The Gospel of the Rejection. 1906. 
 
 Robinson, Historical Character of St. John's Gospel. 
 
 Sanday, The Criticism of the Fourth Gospel. 1905. 
 
 Schmiedel, The Johannine Writings. 1908. 
 
 Schwartz, Ueber den Tod der Sohne Zebedai. 1904. 
 
 Scott, The Fourth Gospel : Its Purpose and Theology. 
 1906. 
 
 Scott, The Historical and Religious Value of the Fourth 
 
 Gospel. 1909. 
 Scott, The Hellenistic Mysticism of the Fourth Gospel 
 
 {American Journal of Theology^ July» 1916). 
 Scott- Moncrieff, St. John, Apostle, Evangelist, and 
 
 Prophet. 1909. 
 Sears, The Fourth Gospel the Heart of Christ. 1872. 
 Sense, A Free Inquiry into the Authorship of the Fourth 
 
 Gospel. 
 Smith, J. R., The Teaching of the Fourth Gospel. 1903. 
 
172 BOOKS ON JOHN'S GOSPEL 
 
 Speer, The Greatest Book in the World. 191 5. 
 
 Spitta, Das Johannesevangelium als Quelle der Ge- 
 schichte Jesu. 1909. 
 
 Stalker, The Two St. Johns. 1895. 
 
 Stanton, Part I of The Gospels as Historical Docu- 
 ments. 1903. 
 Stevens, Johannine Theology. 1894. 
 
 Watkins, Modern Criticism Considered in Its Relation to 
 the Fourth Gospel. 1890. 
 
 Watson, The Mysticism of St. John's Gospel. 1916. 
 
 Weiss, B., Der Johanneische Lehrbegriff. 1882. 
 
 Weiss, B., Meyer-Komm. 9th ed. 1902. 
 
 Wellhausen, Das Evangelium Johannis. 1908. 
 
 Wendt, The Gospel According to St. John ; An Inquiry 
 into its Genesis and Historical Value. 1902. 
 
 Wendt, Die Schichten im vierten Evangelium. 191 1. 
 
 Westcott, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John. 2 
 vols. 1908. 
 
 Whitelaw, The Gospel of John. 1888. 
 
 Worsley, The Fourth Gospel and the Synoptists. 1909. 
 
 Wrede, Charakter und Tendenz des Johannesevangel- 
 iums. 1903. 
 
 Zahn, Zahn Komm. 1909. 
 
 Printed in the United States of America 
 
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 Lord. He has done his work well, and the result is a com- 
 pilation specially designed and adapted for the use of the 
 average reader 
 
DEVOTIONAL 
 
 JOHN HENRY JOJVETT 
 
 My Daily Meditation for the circling Ycm 
 
 i2mo, cloth, net $1.25. 
 
 A series of choice, tabloid talks — a spiritual meditation 
 for every day in the year. Dr. Jowett points every word of 
 these brief expositions so that it tells, while the lessons he 
 seeks to convey are so propounded as to enter the under- 
 standing of his readers along a pathway of light. The whole 
 volume is of true mintage, bearing the impress of Dr. Jowett'f 
 ripest tbought and fruitful mind. 
 
 S. D. GORDON 
 
 Quiet Talks About the Crowned Chri^ 
 
 i2mo, cloth, net 75c. 
 
 After many years' study of the one book of the Bible 
 devoted to the subject of the crowned Christ — the Revelation 
 of John — Mr. Gordon has put these latest talks together. No 
 book of the sixty-six has seemed so much like a riddle, and 
 set so many guessing. Mr. Gordon, however, holds the deep 
 conviction that it is wholly a practical book, and concerned 
 wholly with our practical daily lives. 
 
 F. B. MEYER, B.J. 
 
 My Daily Prayer 
 
 A Short Supplication for Every Day in the Year. 
 32mo, leather, net 35c; cloth, net 25c. 
 
 "This is a tiny volume, in the 'Yet Another Day' series, 
 and contains a brief prayer for each day in the year. Some 
 of the petitions contain only one sentence, but each one is 
 simple, pertinent, and helpful." — Zion's Herald. 
 
 GEORGE MATHESON 
 
 Day Unto Day 
 
 A Brief Prayer for Every Day. New BditUn. 
 i6mo, cloth, net 50c. 
 
 These choice prayers will be valued by the Christian 
 world for the stimulus, inspiration, and wide spiritual out- 
 look which have made the memory of their author a cher 
 ished possession. 
 
 HENR Y WARD BEECHER 
 
 A Book of Public Prayer 
 
 i2mo, cloth, net 75c. 
 
 "A distinct addition to our devotional literature. It is good 
 for private reading; but would be especially valuable for 
 ministers as an aid to the difficult, but immensely important, 
 service of voicing the petitions of a congregation in public 
 >rayer." — Standard. 
 
CHRIST'S LIFE AND MESSAGE 
 
 ALBERT L. VAIL 
 
 Portraiture of Jesus in the Gospels 
 
 i2mo, cloth, net 75c. 
 
 A fourfold portrait of Jesus as He stands out on the can- 
 vas of each of the Four Gospels. The varying and dis- 
 tinctive shadings of the four pictures, are not, Mr. Vail con- 
 tends, a matter of accident but of Divine arrangement and 
 design. Our Lord is thus presented in a fourfold aspect in 
 order that His appeal to various classes of mankind might 
 be the more manifold. 
 
 FRANK E. WILSON, B.D. 
 
 Contrasts in the Character of Christ 
 
 i2mo, cloth, net $1.00. 
 
 Jesus Christ is still the key to the modern situation. No 
 matter what "up-to-date" methods of reform and reclamation 
 spring to life, the message of Christ is the one great solution 
 of the problems confronting humanity. From this position 
 Dr. Wilson leads his readers to a contemplation of an abid- 
 ing Jesus, and to a consideration of many modern points of 
 contact contained in His all-sufficient Gospel. 
 
 WILLIAM BRUCE DOYLE 
 
 The Holy Family 
 
 As Viewed and Viewing in His Unfolding Minis- 
 try. i2mo, cloth, net 75c. 
 
 This book covers new ground; for although separate 
 sketches of individual members of Joseph's family abound, a 
 study of the family group as a whole, — one marked with satis- 
 factory detail remained to be furnished. This has been ably 
 supplied. The author's work is everywhere suffused with 
 reverence, as becometh one writing of some of the most en- 
 deared traditions cherished by the human race. 
 
 BOOKLETS 
 
 DAVID DE FOREST BURRELL Author ./ « Th* Gift" 
 
 The Lo^ Star 
 
 An Idyll of the Desert. i6mo, net 25c. 
 
 An appealing story of a Shepherd's search for the Star. 
 It is so tender, so sweet, so Christ-like, it is sure to captivate 
 everyone. 
 

 Date Due 
 
 Mr 2 '42 
 
 M 
 
 trat^ 
 
 
 
 mrn^Tit