Christ continues A. D. 29. CCII. 1. CHAP. XII. A. M. 4033. confess him, lest they should An. Olymp. be put out of the synagogue : 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. V 44 ¶ Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. 45 And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me. 46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for Ch. 5. 44.- Mark 9. 37. 1 Peter 1. 21.-w Ch. 14. 9. Verse 35, 36. Ch. 3. 19. & 8. 12. & 9. 5, 39.—y Ch. 5. 45. Besides, the principal rulers had determined to excommunicate every person who acknowledged Christ for the Messiah: see chap. ix. 22. Verse 43. They loved the praise of men] Acar, the glory, or honour that cometh from men. How common are these four obstacles of faith, says Quesnel. 1. Too great a regard to men. 2. Riches and temporal advantages. 3. The fear of disgrace. 4. The love of the praise of men. Abundance of persons persuade themselves that they love God more than the world, till some trying occasion fully convinces them of their mistake. It is a very great misfortune for a person not to know himself but by his falls; but it is the greatest of all, not to rise again after he has fallen. This is generally occasioned by the love of the praise of men, because in their account it is more shameful to rise again, than it was to fall at first. Verse 44. Jesus cried and said] This is our Lord concluding discourse to this wicked people probably this and the following verses should be understood as a part of the discourse which was left off at the 36th verse. Jesus cried-he spoke these words aloud, and showed his earnest desire for their salvation. Believeth not on me (only,) but on him that sent me.] Here he asserts again his indivisible unity with the Father:-he who believes on the Son, believes on the Father: he who hath seen the Son, hath seen the Father: he who honours the Son, honours the Father. Though it was for asserting this, (his oneness with God,) that they were going to crucify him; yet he retracts nothing of what he had spoken, but strongly reasserts it, in the very jaws of death! Verse 46. I am come a light into the world] Probably referring to what his forerunner had said, chap. i. 5. Before the coming of this Saviour, this Sun of righteousness, into the world, all was darkness: at his rising the darkness is dispersed; but it only profits those whose eyes are open to receive the rays of this Sun of righteousness. See on ch. i. 5. iii. 19. viii. 12. and ix. 5. Verse 47. And believe not] Karun quran, And keep them not, is the reading of ABL. seven others, Syriac, Wheelock's Persian, two of the Arabic, Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Ar || a to teach them. A. D. 29. CCHI. 1. I came not to judge the A. M. 4033. world, but to save the world. An. Olymp. 48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. & 8. 15, 26.-2 Ch. 3. 17.- Luke 10. 16.- Deut. 18. 19 Mark 16. 16. Ch. 8. 38. & 14. 10.- Deut. 18. 18. menian, lalter Syriac, Vulgate, six of the Itala, and some of the fathers. A man must hear the words of Christ, in order to believe them; and he must believe, in order to keep them: and he must keep them, in order to his salvation. I judge him not] I need not do it: the word of Moses and the prophets, judges and condemns him. See the notes on chap. iii. 17. and v. 45. Verse 48. The word that I have spoken-shall judge him] Ye shall be judged according to my doctrine:-the maxims which ye have beard from my mouth, shall be those on which ye shall be tried in the great day: and ye shall be condemned or acquitted, according as ye have believed or obeyed them; or according as ye have despised and violated them. See this proved, Matt. xxv. 35, &c. Verse 49. For I have not spoken of myself] I have not spoken for my secular interest: I have not aimed at making any gain of you: I have not set up myself, as your teachers in general do, to be supported by my disciples, and to be credited on my own testimony. I have taught you, not the things of men, but the deep everlasting truths of God. As his envoy, I came to you; and his truth only, I proclaim. Gave me a commandment] Or, commission. So I understand the original word Christ, as the Messiah, received his commission from God: what he should command, every thing that related to the formation and establishment of the Christian institution: and what he should speak, all his private conversations with his disciples or others, he, as man, commanded and spoke through the constant inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Verse 50. I know that his commandment is life everlasting.] These words of our Lord are similar to that saying in St. John's first epistle, chap. v. 11, 12. This is the record, that God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son, hath life. God's commandment or commission is, Preach salvation to a lost world, and give thyself a ransom for all: and whosoever believeth on thee shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Every word of Christ, properly credited, and carefully applied, leads to peace and happiness here, and to glory hereafter. What an amiable view of the Gospel of the grace of God does this give us! It is a system of eternal life, divinely calculated to answer every important purpose to dying, miserable man. This sacred truth Jesus witnessed with his last breath. He began his public ministry, proclaiming the kingdom of God; and he now finishes it, by asserting, that the whole commission is eternal life; and having attested this, he went out of the temple, and retired to Bethany. THE public work of our Lord was now done; and the remnant of his time previously to his crucifixion, he spent in teaching his disciplesinstructing them in the nature of his kingdom, his intercession, and the mission of the Holy Spirit; and in that heavenly life which all true believers live with the Father, through faith in the Son, by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Many persons are liberal in their condemnation with his disciples. of the Jews, because they did not believe on the Son of God: and doubtless their unbelief has merited and received the most signal punishment. But those who condemn them, do not reflect that they are probably committing the same sort of transgression in circumstances which heighten the iniquity of their sin. Will it avail any man that he has believed that Christ has come in the flesh to destroy the works of the devil, who does not come unto him that he may have life, but continues to live under the power and guilt of sin? Paradoxical as it may seem, it is nevertheless possible, for a man to credit the four evangelists, and yet live and die an infidel, as far as his own salvation is con cerned. Reader, it is possible to hold the truth in unrighteousness:-Pray to God that this may not be thy condemnation. For a farther improvement of the principal subjects of this chapter, see the notes on verses 24, 32, and 39. CHAPTER XIII. Christ washes the feet of his disciples, and gives them instructions concerning humility and charity, 1-17. He tells them, that one of themselves would betray him, 18-20. The disciples doubting of whom he spoke, Peter desires John to ask him, 21-25. Jesus shows that it is Judas Iscariot, 26. Satan enters into Judas, and he rises up and leaves the company, 27-30. Christ shows his approaching death, and commands his disciples to love one another, 31-35. Peter professing strong attachment to Christ, is informed of his denial, 36-38. a A. M. 4033. TOW before the feast of he loved them unto the end. A. D. 29. An. Olymp. CCII. 1. NOW the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, a Matthew 26. 2. Luke 22. 1.-b Ch. 12. 23. & 17. 1, 11. c Luke 22. 3. Verse 27. NOTES ON CHAPTER XIII. Verse 1. Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew, &c.] Or, as some translate, Now Jesus having known before the feast of the passover, that his hour was come, &c. The supper mentioned in ver. 2. is supposed to have been that on the Thursday evening, when the feast of the passover began: and though in our common translation, this passage seems to place the supper before that feast; yet according to the amended translation, what is here said, is consistent with what we read in the other evangelists. See Matt. xxvi. 2. John xii. 1. Having loved his own] His disciples. Which were in the world] Who were to continue longer in its troubles and difficulties. He loved them unto the end.] Continued his fervent affection toward them, to his latest breath; and gave them that convincing proof of it, which is mentioned ver. 5. That the disciples alone, are meant here, every man must see. Verse 2. And supper being ended] Rather, Surrou gevouerov, while supper was preparing, To support this new translation of the words, it may be remarked, that from ver. 26. and 30. it appears that the supper was not then ended; nay it is probable that it was not then begun; because the washing of feet (ver. 5.) was usually practised by the Jews before they entered upon their meals, as may be gathered from Luke vii. 44. and from the reason of the custom. I think that John wrote not gevoerov, but youvou, as in BL. Cant. and Origen, which latter reading is approved by several 584 c A. D. 29. CCII 1. A. M. 4033. 2 And supper being ended, An. Olymp, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; d 3 Jesus knowing that the Father d Matthew 11. 27. & 28. 18. Ch. 3. 35. & 17. 2. Acts 2. 36. 1 Cor. 15. 27. eminent critics, and should be translated as above. By the supper, I suppose to be meant not only the eating of it, but the preparing and dressing of it, and doing all things necessary, previously to the eating of it. The deyil had, before this time of the supper, put it into Judas' heart to betray his Master. Se Matt. xxvi. 14, &c. Mark xiv. 10, 11. and Luke xxii. 3, &c. See also Bishop Pearce, from whose judicious commentary the preceding notes are principally taken. Calmet observes, that John, designing only to supply what was omitted by the other evangelists, passes over all the transactions of the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, before the passion, and at once goes from Monday evening to Thursday evening. It is remarkable that St. John says nothing about the institution of the holy sacrament, which Matt. xxvi. 26, &c. Mark xiv. 22, &c. and Luke xxii. 19, &c. describe so particularly. No other reason can be assigned for this, thian, that he found it completely done by the others, and that he only designed to supply their defects. The devil having now put into the heart] Judas formed his plot six days before this, on occasion of what happened at the house of Simon the leper: See Matt. xxvi. 14. Calmet. Verse 3. Knowing that the Father had given, &c.] Our Lord seeing himself almost at the end of his race, and being about to leave his apostles, thought it necessary to leave them a lesson of humility exemplified by himself, to deliver them from the bad influence of those false ideas. which they formed concerning the nature of He washes the feet A. D. 29. CHAP. XIII. A. M. 4033. had given all things into his 4 'He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that, he poureth water 'into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Ch. 8. 42. & 16. 28.-f Luke 22. 27. Phil. 2. 7, 8.-g Gr. he. b See Matthew 3. 14. his kingdom. On all occasions previously to this, the disciples had shown too much attachment to worldly honours and dignities: if this ambition had not been removed, the consequences of it would have been dreadful in the establishment of the religion of Christ; as after his death, it would have divided and infallibly dispersed them. It was necessary therefore to restrain this dangerous passion; and to confirm by a remarkable example what he bad so often told them, that true greatness consisted in the depth of humility; and that those who were the willing servants of all should be the highest in the account of God. Verse 4. He riseth from supper] Not from ealing, as Bishop Pearce has well observed; but from his place at table; probably the dishes were not as yet laid down, though the guests were seated. According to the custom of the Jews and other Asiatics, this washing must have taken place before the supper. See on ver. 2. Laid aside his garments] That is, his gown or upper coat, with the girdle wherewith it was girded close to his tunic or under coat; and instead of this girdle, he tied a towel about him, 1. Th he might appear in the character of a servant; and 2. That he might have it in readiness to dry their feet, after he had washed them. Verse 5. Poureth water into a basin, &c.] This was the office of the meanest slaves. When David sent to Abigail, to inform her that he had chosen her for wife, she arose and said: Behold, let thy handmaid be a SERVANT, to WASH the FEET of the SERVANTS of my lord: 1 Sam. xxv. 41. Some of the ancients have supposed, that our Lord began with washing the feet of Judas, to inspire him with sentiments of compunction and remorse, to melt him down with kindness, and to show all his disciples how they should act toward their enemies. Dr. Lightfoot supposes he washed the feet of Peter, James, and John, only; but this is not likely the verb agxoda, in the Sacred Writings, signifies not only to commence, but to finish an act, Acts i. 1. and in the Septuagint, Gen. ii. 3. There is every reason to believe, that he washed the feet of all the twelve. See on ver. 9. Verse 6. Lord, dost THOU wash my feet?] Every word here is exceedingly emphatic. Peter had often seen the great humility of his Lord, but never saw his condescension so particularly marked as in this instance. of his disciples.. A. D. 29. 6 Then cometh he to Simon A. M. 4033. CCIL. 1. 7 Jesus answered and said unto k 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, i Verse 12.-k Ch. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 6. 11. Ephes. 5. 26. Titus Verse 7. What I do thou knowest not now, Thou shalt know hereafter.] MITA TUUTH, after this business is finished. And so we find he explained the whole to them, as soon as he had finished the washing: see ver. 12-17. I cannot think that this refers to any particular instruction received on this head, after the day of pentecost, as some have conjectured. Verse 8. If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.] Thou canst not be my disciple unless I wash thee. It is certain, Christ did not mean to exclude him from the apostolic office, if he should persist, through the deepest reverence for his Master, to refuse to let him wash his feet: this act of his was emblematical of something spiritual; of something that concerned the salvation of Peter; and without which washing, he could neither be an apostle, nor be finally There is a myssaved; therefore our Lord said, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. tical washing by the blood of Christ, 1 John i. 7. and by his spirit, 1 Cor. vi. II. Tit. iii. 5, 6. It was the common custom of our Lord, to pass from sensible and temporal things, to those which were spiritual and eternal; and to take occasion from every thing that presented itself, to instruct his disciples, and to raise their souls to God. If the discourse was of bread, water, leaven, father, mother, riches, &c. he immediately changed the literal sense, and under the figure of these things, spoke of matters have met with altogether spiritual and divine. many good persons, who have attempted to The reason is, it imitate our blessed Lord in this, but I never knew one to succeed in it. requires not only very deep piety, but sound sense, together with an accurate knowledge of the nature and properties of the subjects, which in this way the person wishes to illustrate; and very few can be found who have such deep philosophical knowledge, as such cases require. The large folio, which a good-intentioned man printed on the metaphors, is, alas! a standing proof, how little mere piety can do in matters of this kind, where the sciences, and especially practical philosophy, are totally wanting. Jesus Christ was a consummate philosopher: every subject appears grand and noble in his hands. See an ample proof in the preceding chapter, ver. 24. Verse 9. Lord, not my feet only, &c.] It 585 A. D. 29. An. Olymp. CCII. 1. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed, needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; and ye are clean, but not all: 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. 12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. n 1 Ch. 15. 3.-m Ch. 6. 64.-n Matthew 23. 8, 10. Luke 6 46. 1 Cor. 8. 6. & 12. 3. Phil. 2. 11.- Luke 22. 27.-pRom. 12. 10. Gal. 6. 1, 2. 1 Peter 5. 5. appears that Peter entered into our Lord's meaning, and saw that this was emblematical of a spiritual cleansing; therefore he wishes to be completely washed. Verse 10. He that is washed] That is, he who has been in the bath, as probably all the apostles had lately been, in order to prepare themselves the better for the paschal solemnity: for on that occasion, it was the custom of the Jews to bathe twice. Needeth not, save to wash his feet] To cleanse them from any dirt or dust that might have adhered to them, in consequence of walking from the bath to the place of supper. The washing therefore of the feet of such persons, was all that was necessary, previously to their sitting down to table. If these last words of our Lord had any spiritual reference, it is not easy to say what it was. A common opinion is the following: He who is washed-who is justified through the blood of the Lamb; needeth only to wash his feet-to regulate all his affections and desires; and to get, by faith, his conscience cleansed from any fresh guilt, which he may have contracted since his justification. Ye are clean, but not all.] Eleven of you are upright and sincere; the twelfth is a traitor. So it appears he had washed the feet of all the twelve; but as no external ablutions can purify a hypocrite or a traitor, therefore Judas still remained unclean. Verse 12. Know ye what I have done] Our Lord had told Peter, in the presence of the rest, ver. 7. that he should afterward know what was the intent and meaning of this washing: and now he begins to fulfil his promise; therefore I think it more likely that he gives a command here, than asks a question, as he knew himself that they did not comprehend his design. On this account yvwoners, might be translated in the imperative mood, CONSIDER what I have done. Verse 13. Ye call me Master and Lord] O Sisuonanos nas o xugios, similar to rabbi, and mar, titles very common among the Jewish doctors, as may be seen in Schoetgen. This double title was not given except to the most accredited teachers, 12‐ rabbi vemore, iny master, my lord! the necessity of humility. A. D. 29. 14 If I then, your Lord and A. M. 4033. Master, have washed your An. Olymp. feet; Pye also ought to wash cc.1. one another's feet. r 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent, greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. 18 TI speak not of you all: 1 know whom I have chosen: but that the Verse 14. Ye also ought to wash one another's feet.] That is, ye should be ready, after my example, to condescend to all the weakness of your brethren; to be willing to do the meanest offices for them, and to prefer the least of them in honour to yourselves. Verse 16. The servant is not greater than his lord] Christ has ennobled the acts of humility by practising them himself. The true glory of a Christian consists in being, in his measure, as humble as his Lord. Neither is he that is sent] Ovde axosonos, nor an apostle. As I think these words were intended for the suppression of all worldly ambition and lordly conduct in the apostles and their successors in the ministry; therefore I think the original word awesones, should be translated apostle, rather than he that is sent, because the former rendering ascertains, and determines the meaning better. Verse 17. If ye know these things, happy, &c.] True, happiness consists in the knowledge of God, and in obedience to him. A man is not happy because he knows much: but because he receives much of the divine nature, and is, in all his conduct, conformed to the divine will. "They who have read many books (says Menu) are more exalted than such as have seldom studied; they who retain what they have read, than forgetful readers; they who fully understand, than such as only remember; and they who perform their known duly, than such as barely know it. Sacred knowledge and devo tedness to God, are the means by which a man can arrive at beatitude." See Institutes of MENU, c. xii. Inst. 103, 104. For a heathen, this saying is very remarkable. Verse 18. I speak not of you all] This is a continuation of that discourse which was left off at the tenth verse. The preceding verses may be read in a parenthesis." I know whom I have chosen] I am not deceived in my choice: I perfectly foresaw every thing that has happened or can happen. I have chosen Judas, not as a wicked man, nor that he should become such, but I plainly foresaw that he would abuse my bounty; give way to iniquity; deliver me into the hands of my enemies, and bring ruin upon himself. That the scripture may be fulfilled] Or, thus 19 Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. Z 21 When Jesús had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. a 22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' b Psa. 41. 9. Matthew 26, 23. Verse 21. Ch. 14. 29. & 16. 4.- Or, from henceforth.- Matthew 10. 40. & 25. 40. Luke 10. 16.-y Matt. 26. 21. Mark 14. 18. Luke 22. 21. Christ applies to the scripture is fulfilled. Judas what David had said of his rebellious son Absalom, Psal. xli. 9. who was one of the most express emblems of this traitor: see on chap. xii. 38, 39. He that eateth bread with me] That is, he who was in habits of the utmost intimacy with me. Hath lifted up his heel] An allusion to a restive ill-natured horse, who sometimes kicks even the person who feeds and takes care of him. Verse 19. That-ye may believe] These frequent predictions of his death, so circumstantial in themselves, had the most direct tendency to confirm the disciples not only in the belief of his being the Messiah; but also in that of his omniscience. Verse 20. He that receiveth whomsoever I send] See similar words, Matt. x. 40, &c. Our Lord spoke this to comfort his disciples: he showed them that although they should be rejected by many, they would be received by several; and that whoever received them, should reap the utmost benefit by it. Verse 21. Was troubled in spirit] See the note on chap. xi. 33. And testified] Spoke with great earnestness. Shall betray me.] Пagadoon μs, will deliver me up. Judas had already betrayed our blessed Lord, and he was now on the point of delivering him up into the hands of the chief priests. By all these warnings, did not our Lord intend that Judas should be benefited? That he should repent of his iniquity, and turn and find mercy? Verse 22. Looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake] See the notes on Matt. xxvi. 20 25. Every one but Judas, conscious of his own innocence, looked about upon all the rest, wondering who in that company could be such a traitor! Even Judas himself is not suspected. Is not this a proof that his general conduct had been such as to subject him to no suspicion? Verse 23. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom] The Jews of those days, at their suppers, reclined, supported by their left arm, on Couches placed round the table, as the Greeks and Romans did. On each couch there were Iscariot as the traitor. bosom one of his disciples, A. M. 4033 A. D. 29. 24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be, of whom he spake. 25 He then lying on Jesus' breast, saith unto him, Lord, who is it? c 26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. z Ch. 12. 27.-a Acts 1. 17. 1 John 2. 19.b Ch. 19, 26. & two or three persons; and the head of one of As the Verse 25. He then lying on Jesus' breast] EXITY, laying his head against the breast of Christ, in a loving, respectful manner. expressions in the text are different here from those in the preceding verse, it shows that John altered his position at table, in order to ask the question which Peter suggested; which he probably did by whispering to our Lord; for, from ver. 28. we may learn, that the other disciples had not heard what John said; and it is likely that the following words-It is he to whom I shall give the morsel when I have dipped it; were whispered back by Christ to John. Verse 26. And when he had dipped the sop] Dr. Lightfoot observes that it was no unusual thing to dip a sop and give it to any person; and it is probable that the rest of the disciples considered it as given to Judas that he might hurry to do some work on which he wished to employ him; and not wait to finish his supper in a regular manner. They did not hear the question that John asked, nor our Lord's answer; but they no doubt heard the words, That thou doest, do quickly-and might understand them as above. Verse 27. Satan entered into him.] He had entered into him before, and now he enters livering up his Master. But the morsel was again, to strengthen him in his purpose of denot the cause of this entering in; the giving of it only marks the time in which the devil confirmed Judas in his traitorous purpose. Some have thought that this morsel was the sacrament of the Lord's supper: but this is an utter mistake. That thou doest, do quickly.] As if he had said, "Thou art past all counsel; thou hast filled up the measure of thy iniquity, and hast wholly abandoned thyself to Satan: I will not force thee to turn from thy purpose, and without this 587 |