At the end of chapter xx. it is written, " These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and believing, ye might have life through his name." This distinctly informs us that it is one piece of truth that is opened out so far in this book, and therefore it is important that we should be able to grasp it as one unbroken chain.
My desire and intention is, if the Lord enable me, to point out the links and mark their connection, and thus make the chain more easy of apprehension to the general reader. I shall adhere to the chapters for the most part, only marking the moral sequence when necessary if broken or interrupted by the chapter-division.
Chapter 1-The first chapter is properly an epitome of Christ. Here is presented to us the whole range of Christ, from His being with God and being God, unto the point where the angels of God ascend and descend on Him as the Son of man on earth. The whole distance is spanned; while in the interval are unfolded all the great virtues and ways of working of this blessed one. He is the Word with God, and who was God. Word signifies the expression, declarative of mind; while an act signifies rather an expression declarative of a purpose.
" All things were made by him." The acts followed and were effected by Him who was the Word. He is the creator of all things. He had life. " In him was life, and the life was the light of men." There was no light anywhere else. The light shines in darkness. Wonderful fact t The light is manifested where it is needed, but the darkness did not comprehend it; did not apprehend how appropriate and suited it was to its need. So much is stated as showing the greatness and nature of the Word, and His manifestation to men. And then we are told of a mart who was sent from God to bear witness of the light; and his name is given to mark the definiteness of his mission. A man of men is sent to announce that this light is come in order that all might believe through Him. The light does not shine to exhibit itself; but this man (John) is sent to bear witness to it that all might believe. How gracious and blessed 1 He was not the Light himself; he must not be mistaken for it. The power of the true light is that it lighted every man which cometh into the world. No other could. He not only made man, but man is dependent on Him for light.
Verse 10.-We have Him now as come into the world; but He is unknown. " He came unto his own things and his own people received him not." His rejection is noted; but as many as received Him, to them is given power to become children of God. It was simply owning Him as the only light of men. As many as received Him, received new and distinct blessing from Him; they believed on His name. He is come to bless. Received in faith, He blesses entirely anew. They are born of God; not of blood, nor of the will of flesh nor of the will of man -in no known or existing way, but entirely of God. Seeing Him in faith was attended with the effectual results of new-birth; and not to see Him thus, was darkness. Then, verse 14, we have Him in flesh not only as the light shining; but come as a man among men in the world. But though in flesh, it was not the glory of the flesh that He bore; but the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. Now being presented in His true form on earth, John's testimony is again alluded to. (Ver. 19.) He not only proclaims Christ's superiority, but also the effects that have accrued to them who believe. It is no mere man; but of His fullness (whose glory was superior to the glory of the flesh) have we all received, and grace for grace-grace qualifying for still more.
But there is another thing; the law was given by Moses, but by this blessed Man came grace and truth, unmerited favor; and yet everything openly and distinctly declared just as it was on every side-man's ruin and God's love, which had been denied. This is truth; and this with the favor, the abundant grace, came by Him. He who is the only-beg Son who is in the bosom of the ''Father, He has declared the Father, shown Him out, made Him manifest; so that this only-begotten Son was not only the Word, the verbal expression, but He was the perfect manifestation of God. May we worship as we behold.
Next, we have a summary of John's testimony (verse 19, &c.); the character of the opposition to it; and John's announcement that there was One standing in their midst whom they knew not. Their non-reception of Him is noted.
The place where these things were done, " beyond Jordan" (called Bethany), is striking and significant.
The next day (ver. 29) (we now get into a new day} he, the witness, sees Jesus coming unto him. And now for the public announcement of Him personally. He is, so to speak, presented, thus: Behold the Lamb of God, the taker away, or taking away the sin of the world. Then he reverts to his previous testimony, and adds, although I knew Him not, but that He should be made manifest unto Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water; intimating that baptism would declare that they were prepared to meet Him. Again, the instruction given to John about Him was peculiar and distinct, and not gathered from any previous prophecy. " He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God." We have now an important addition respecting this blessed One. The Holy Ghost, in bodily shape like a dove, abides upon Him. He is owned of God as in His mighty mission, as revealer of the Father, starting with this announcement, that He would take away the sin of the world. Verse 36. Now we have another day; this was John's last day, or, at least, when his disciples passed from him to Christ. Seeing Jesus walking, he says, Behold the Lamb of God-a term which implied sacrifice on this earth. For this purpose he had previously added what is left out here-" who taketh away the sin of the world." John's two disciples hear him, and they follow Jesus. They hear the testimony and follow this lonely One, God's Lamb on the earth I What a sight I He had no one with Him, but when He heard them following, He turned, and on seeing them said, " What seek ye?" This solitary Stranger might well put such a question to them; and how comprehensive and expressive is their reply I " Where dwellest thou?" I can in no way better express my desire to become acquainted with anyone, than in seeking to be with him in his own abode; and it was no small matter to see and know this wondrous Stranger in His own home. " Come and see," is His ready reply; and so grateful and pleasant is it to them that they remained there that day-it was the tenth hour, within two hours of evening, our six o'clock. There is something very touching and significant in this incident. It tells the nature and manner of the Lord's reception to every one who seeks company with Him and His acquaintance; and, therefore, it represents to us the character of the relationship and intimacy which He accords at this moment to His people. The millennial scene is different, when He will be publicly seen as the center of all blessing. Here He is peculiarly known at home; and it describes to us our place and nearness to Him at this present time. It was Andrew who brought Simon, son of Jonas, to Jesus, and he is named Cephas (a stone), which is significant as relating to testimony.
The next day the Lord would go forth into Cana of Galilee, and He finds Philip. The different ways by which souls are led to him is interesting to notice. I suppose the manner of their introduction gives a character to their course. Philip was of the same city as Andrew and Peter. Philip finds Nathaniel and announces to him, " We have found him whom Moses wrote of and the prophets: Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph." Nathaniel is doubtful because of the place: " Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" We must take care how we judge of people by the mere circumstances in which they are found, for they may rise quite above them and thus prove their own moral greatness. Nathaniel comes to Jesus, and the Lord anticipates him by disclosing to him not only that His eye had been on him at a moment when be had little thought of it; but that the same eye had discerned all that was in his heart; for the Lord's words immediately impart to Nathaniel the sense that he is known of Him. Wonderful charm this and amazing power in binding the heart to Him I convincing it that the One with whom it has to do is Almighty; and not only so, but with the distinct intimation that He ever keeps His eye on His own. Nathaniel is here a sample of the true remnant of Israel. Seen and watched over by their Lord and Messiah but not yet seeing Him, they will mourn for Him as one mourning for his only son, until He reveals Himself to them in His greatness as both God and man, and they exclaim like Nathaniel, " Thou art the Son of God: Thou art the King of Israel." To him accordingly the Lord now unfolds His own place in the great millennial day which is henceforth ready to be revealed, the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man.
Thus in this chapter are epitomized, as I may say, all the wonderful characteristics of the Blessed One who has come from God to reveal the Father.
Chapter 2-In this chapter is related how the only-begotten Son, who having spanned the interval between God and man, so that though He was God, the angels of God may henceforth ascend and descend on Him, the Son of man begins or enters on His mission and work on earth. It is detailed to us in this book how He found man and how He dealt with him. The mere fact of there being a marriage in Cana of Galilee would have had no significance if He had not gone. The mother of Jesus was there. This seems to be His link, or the reason of His being invited with His disciples to the marriage. His mother occupies a prominent place. I apprehend that she represents the Jewish people cognizant of their state, telling Him they have no wine, or rather that the wine was out. Now this marriage scene represents man in his own condition. A wedding is a scene which presents man naturally in his brightest, happiest estate; and with Israel this ought to have been so after a special manner, for they were blessed in the basket and in the store with plenty of corn and wine. Yet here the wine was out and the mother of Jesus feels the need, and looks to Him to supply the deficiency. Man in his own condition is a failure, even when offered of God the richest and fullest natural blessings. He cannot appropriate them, much less retain them. Solomon is a witness, who was raised to the highest natural state both in riches.
and wisdom (not one apart from the other), which many would plead as an excuse for themselves; but lie had plenty of wisdom and plenty of means to effect any ends he might devise. And what then? Did he arrive at happiness? Was the wine never exhausted with him? Did he not own and write that all his efforts to reach anything securely happy were in vain? Nay, that it was not only vanity but vexation of spirit? Surely his wine was out. Man himself is oppressed with a sense of a coming cloud in his brightest moment. The more beautiful anything is, the more it suggests the sorrow connected with it; because it will, it must, fade away. The Lord is here present to see and understand man in his own condition, his sun going down at noon-day, the sense of need breaking in and checking, instead of the fullness of supply sustaining, the hour and season of human happiness. Whether we look at man without revelation consummated in philosophy as its reformation, and still seeking wisdom, or at the Jew with revelation seeking a sign-something to confirm them in it-we reach what man is in a double way; the two branches meet in the one point, a condition truly defective and unhappy -the wine is out
When the mother of Jesus called His attention to the fact, His reply intimated, " It does not now concern us: my time is not yet come." She, however, understanding that He would act in grace, directs the servants to be obedient. " Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." The Jews had there six water-. pots of stone for purifying; I suppose with reference to the Red Heifer. The Lord uses these vessels to communicate the good wine. The good wine will flow from purification. Man is a failure in his condition; but the Lord, while seeing the utter and hopeless failure of man to repair his own condition—for if the wine is out, if there be a cloud in the brightest moment, in the moment when he concentrates his utmost-what must there be at other times? But the Lord, while seeing it, shows here anticipatively, how He will repair all. He will bring the new and the better wine through water of purification, and thus give on the earth full and established happiness, in the great millennial day.
The next great subject in this chapter commences with verse 13. The Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. There he sees man, even the favored people of God, in relation to God. He had seen and been a witness to man's failure as to his own condition; and now the Jew, in his relation toward God, is a scandal. God's name, through the temple which exemplified Him on earth, instead of being honored, was used to subserve the selfish interests of man. His house was a den of thieves. As we know, whether with the Jew or in Christendom, the name of God is used to promote and secure the selfish and covetous desires of man. The history of religion, divinely introduced, comprises the worst displays of human evil! Could anything be more condemnatory to man than that in his relation to God, and the more light granted him, he exposed the evil workings of his nature more than elsewhere: the house of God a den of thieves! Jesus maintains not only the honor of God-" The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up"-but He will repair all, bring in all new. Destroy this temple, and I will rear it up in three days; but He spake of the temple of His body. Jesus now knows all. He commits not Himself to any. He knows what is in man. Man is found out to be a failure as to his own condition, and a scandal in his relation toward God. He will repair all, but He will in no wise commit Himself unto that which He knows is so wanting and worthless.
(To be continued, D. V.)