The Gospel of John (Continued.)
Chapters 2, save the last three verses, gives us the appendix that I spoke of, to this introductory portion. Following the picture of the Jewish gathering of the last days, which closed the last chapter, it gives us a further prophetic picture, first, of the Lord’s union with and blessing for His earthly people in millennial days (2:1-11) and, secondly, of the purging of the Father’s house in Israel (12-22). Both things are to be fulfilled by him as the Risen One. In the first ease the “third day” speaks of it (verse 1). In the second, He proclaims His resurrection as that which should manifest His, title to cleanse the Temple.
The place of each occurrence is however different. The blessing is in Galilee, according to what we have before noted. The judgment is at Jerusalem, where the temple was. We shall find this characteristic of the book.
Israel’s union with Jehovah is often figured in the prophets as a marriage (Hos. 2:16, 19,16And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. (Hosea 2:16)
19And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. (Hosea 2:19) &c.) Here He takes, as it were, the place of the bridegroom, providing the wine of the feast. But first their own wine is allowed to run out, that they may be brought into complete dependence upon Himself. Nor can He furnish it until His hour comes, spite of the importunity of his mother, the type of Israel as the nation of whom according to the flesh, He came. When that hour comes He first bids fill the water pots with water. Till now they were empty, though set there for, purifying: a striking image of the unreal, ceremonial purification, hollow and heartless, of the nation when He came among them. But at His word, they fill the water pots to the brim, and the water of purification is changed into the wine of joy — the best wine they over drank, kept to the last.
A significant hint of our own higher blessing is found amid all this: “Both Jesus was called, and His disciples to the marriage.” They were called because He was; and they come with Him. And so it shall be in the day of the fulfillment of what is here.
In the second part of this chapter, we find “the Jews’ passover at hand,” the feast in memorial of their great deliverance (13). But how could they keep it, with the Father’s house profaned by the sin of worldly traffic into a den of thieves? Therefore judgment must precede; and He who, as having passed through death and come up out of it, has title to bless has authority no less to judge, that the presence of evil may not interfere with the free flow of blessing.
The main body of the gospel begins with the 23rd verse, of the 2nd chapter. And here we have a successive presentation of the things pertaining to that “life eternal,” which he who believes in Jesus has. It may be well to run the eye over the headings of the separate sections of this part, from chapters 2:23 to 17 inclusive, that we may apprehend a little at the outset the reality of this, and the order and connection of the truths bore us.
First, then, we have the two things which characterize the believer now: —
(1.) The possession of eternal life, as born of God (chapter 2:23).
(2.) The gift of the Holy Ghost, the “living water” (chapter 4.)
This is the first subsection; itself introductory to all that follows. We have next, —
(3.) Eternal life, as a quickening out of a scene of judgment, and bringing from under law (chapter 5).
(4.) The character of it down here, as a life of faith (chapter 6).
(5.) The believer, having the Holy Ghost, as the channel of blessing in the world, which as a whole has rejected Jesus and is yet unblessed.
It will be seen how chapter 3 and 4 correspond to chapter 6 and 7 here: the first two giving the individual aspect of the truths which in the latter are given in relation to the whole scene. The next three chapters are in a parenthesis, in which “light,” rather than “life,” becomes the subject. They divide into two parts: ―
(6) The soul “in the light,” and uncondemned; at liberty by the truth (chapter 8)
(7.) The light in the soul, and the Person of Christ filling it: the Shepherd with the sheep (chapter 9, 10).
After this, in perfect order, we return to the subject of life, to find now —
(8.) Life in resurrection, triumphant over death (chapter 11); and as the fruit of that “corn of wheat,” which that it might not abide alone, fell into the ground and died (chapter 12).
Finally, in the chapters following, we have (to speak very generally) —
(9.) Cleansing for communion (chapter 13).
(10.) Access by the Spirit to the Father (14)
(11.) Fruitfulness (15) and
(12.) Testimony in the world (16.) Closing with the intercession of Him, in spirit already the Risen and Ascended One; the expression of that mind and heart for the glory of the Father and the blessing of His own, which secures the accomplishment of every detail, of the Eternal plan and counsel.
To return; we begin, in chapter 3, with the beginning of eternal life in the soul, — new birth. The last three verses of chapter 2, which belong rightly to the present one, give us as simple history man’s need of it. His faith in Christ even, as One who had proved His mission by His miracles, was (however correct) of no more value than anything else that naturally came of him. He could reason correctly, and be convinced and orthodox, without the least need of or care for the One he believed in. Nicodemus has this need; but taking the same ground as the rest, of being convinced by miracles, the Lord tells him such conviction was not enough, man must be born again, have a new nature from God not a change of the old, for that was not possible: that which was born of the flesh was only flesh. To, the question, how man is born again, the Lord answers, “of water and the Spirit,” not two separate births, but one; not of baptism, for neither is the action of the Spirit tied to that, nor are the fruits of new birth manifested in the baptized as such, nor is baptism an essential to entering the Kingdom of God; nor again could Nicodemus, as, a Jew, be expected to understand the meaning of a Christian rite, not yet instituted. The reference is to Ezekiel 36, and Nicodemus ought to have known that God was to “sprinkle clean water” upon Israel, and give them a new heart and spirit, and put His “Spirit” within them, in order to their final blessing in the Kingdom of God. Even so must Jews, and not Gentiles merely, be born again. And these were “earthly things” (verse 12), not in nature, but as taking place on earth, within, the sphere of man’s cognizance. He the Son of man, and yet One who dwelt in heaven (13), hid heavenly things to speak of, which no man among them had been up in heaven to bear witness of, except Himself. How could they, so slow to receive the “earthly things, believe the heavenly?
For those, thus bitten of the serpent; sin, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, the Son of man must be lifted up; yea, in God’s love to the world He had given His Son, that this eternal life might he the portion of believers wherever found. All else were under condemnation; because that which witnessed to itself and man’s condition — “light” — had come into the world; and those who rejected it did so only because they loved the evil which it exposed.
Then the Lord solemnly sets to His seal, along with John His fore-runner, to man’s condition as dead and needing life. We bury the dead; and baptism burial (Rom. 6:44Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)). In the land of Judea, chief place of privilege in privileged. Israel, Jesus with His “tarried and baptized” (vet 2).
John too is baptizing in Ænon, and a question rises there, significantly enough, “about purifying.” Purifying dead man! You must give him life, for that. So John bears witness to the heavenly Life giver: coming from above, and above all; bearing witness below of heavenly things which He has seen; speaking in Divine words, so that he who hears (though man in general hears not) sets to his seal that God is true; finally, the Son of the Father, with all the things of the Father in His hand: “he that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him” (verse 36).
The voice crying in the wilderness has lingered’ on to tell us this. Here it ends, not mournfully but joyfully; an earthly voice that cannot speak of heavenly things, but commends us to Him who can. Henceforth we listen to Himself alone; and in the very next chapter, these heavenly things begin: to open on us.
But for this we again leave Judea for Samaria. The suited place for grace to show itself in is among Outcasts and here with one, an outcast among outcasts, the Lord can refresh Himself in His own weariness by telling out His tale of grace to her.
The manner of it is so instructive and so beautiful. She, a sinner and a gross one, and He, knowing it all, full well, His first business is not with her sins, but with herself. A weary, restless heart He wins by the exhibition of God as a giver, and of “living water,” — full and perfect satisfaction even for hers if only she would, and Himself there, upon God’s part, ready to make it good to her. When she lays hold of this, however dimly understanding what it means, then, and not till then, He in a few simple words tells her all about herself. Yet He gives no judgment of it, but puts it before her eyes in the light of that goodness of God which He has made known to her. She owns him as a prophet, and wants to learn how God is to be approached. She has found no good at Gerizim, though it was there her fathers worshipped; would she find it at Jerusalem? Then He tells her of salvation, and how God has revealed Himself in that, as a Father seeking worshippers, who could worship in reality, in the sweet and precious sense of what He was. “Ah,” She says, “Messias cometh; He will make all this plain;” and He tells her, He is that Messias, come to make it plain indeed to her.
In that moment it is all revealed. He who had been with her by the well, Who had shown His perfect knowledge of all that conscience upbraided her with, yet had not upbraided her, but assured her of Divine goodness there for her, did she only want it; relieving forever the thirst of the soul.by the knowledge of salvation and of Him the Saviour, — pledge and revealer of the Father and His love — yes, He was the Messiah. Away she runs with her new-found joy, to make it known. And soon there are fields in Samaria “white unto the harvest,” ready for the reaper’s hand.
But let us see what we have got here doctrinally. It is plainly a step beyond the last chapter. There we had “life,” — new birth. Here we have “salvation,” the gift of the Holy Ghost, “the living water,” (comp. chapter, 7:39), salvation for the soul in Christ, and worship as the fruit of the soul’s gladness; Judaism gone (verse 21), the Father manifested, and Christ the “Saviour of the world.” These are truths characteristic of Christianity, and they furnish forth a scene in which the heart of Him who toiled to produce it, finds recompense and refreshment (32).
Two days He spends in Samaria, typically pointing, I doubt not, to the present time of gospel-testimony, and then He is again in Galilee, in Cana, where we are reminded, He had made the water wine. That is He is again in Jewish connection. Even the blessed scenes in Samaria have not made Him forget His people of old. And in Galilee, the place of grace towards them, He heals the nobleman’s son.
It is a picture of what will happen in the latter days. The “nobleman” is the nation, which has played courtier to the world, but whose hope and strength being smitten for the rejection of Christ — “at Capernaum” (see Matti). 11:23), — they will turn at length to the Lord, that He who has smitten may bind them up. And the faith that has grown from their necessity (verse 50) will be henceforth confirmed by their prosperity (53).
This, as an appendix to the Gentile scene in Samaria, is the witness to us that those who are during the present time as concerning the gospel, enemies for the Gentiles’ sake, are still beloved, and yet to be shown mercy, for the fathers’ sake, because the gift and calling of God are without repentance.