We see more and more as we go on, that this Gospel makes no attempt to be a complete or connected whole. There are large gaps in the chronology. The Evangelist gives us not a biography, but a series of typical scenes, very carefully selected, and painted with great accuracy and minuteness, but not c... [ Continue Reading ]
The Sign on the Land; Feeding the Five Thousand 1. _After these things_ See on John 5:1. How long after we cannot tell; but if the feast in John 5:1 is rightly conjectured to be Purim, this would be about a month later in the same year, which is probably a.d. 29. But S. John is not careful to mark t... [ Continue Reading ]
John 2:13 TO JOHN 11:57. The Work We here enter on the second portion of the first main division of the Gospel, thus subdivided: The Work (1) among _Jews_, (2) among _Samaritans_, (3) among _Galileans_, (4) among _mixed multitudes_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_a great multitude_ All the greater seeing that the Baptist was no longer a counter-attraction, and that the Twelve had returned from their mission, in which they had no doubt excited attention. This multitude went round by land while Christ crossed the water. All the verbs which follow are imperfec... [ Continue Reading ]
_into a mountain_ Rather, _into_ THE _mountain_, or, perhaps _the mountainous part_of the district. The definite article indicates familiarity with the locality. Comp. John 6:15. We have no means of determining the precise eminence.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Passover_ Better, NOW _the Passover_. _a feast of the Jews_ Rather, THE _feast of the Jews_. Possibly this near approach of the Passover is given merely as a date to mark the time. As already noticed (see on John 2:13), S. John groups his narrative round the Jewish festivals. But the statem... [ Continue Reading ]
_When Jesus then_, &c. Better, JESUS THEREFORE HAVING LIFTED UP HIS EYES AND SEEN THAT A GREAT MULTITUDE COMETH. _he saith unto Philip_ Why Philip? Because he was nearest to Him; or because his forward spirit (John 14:8) needed to be convinced of its own helplessness; or because, as living on the la... [ Continue Reading ]
_to prove him_ This _need_not mean more than to try whether he could suggest any way out of the difficulty; but the more probable meaning is to test his faith, to try what impression Christ's words and works have made upon him. _he himself_ without suggestions from others. _would do_ Or, WAS ABOUT... [ Continue Reading ]
_Two hundred pennyworth Two hundred shillingsworth_would more accurately represent the original. The _denarius_was the ordinary wage for a day's work (Matthew 20:2; comp. Luke 10:35); in weight of silver it was less than a shilling; in purchasing power it was more. Two hundred _denarii_from the one... [ Continue Reading ]
_One of his disciples_ Of course this does not imply that Philip was _not_a disciple; the meaning rather is, that a disciple had been appealed to without results, and now a disciple makes a communication out of which good results flow. There seems to have been some connexion between S. Andrew and S.... [ Continue Reading ]
_a lad_ And therefore able to carry very little. The word is a diminutive in the Greek, _a little lad_; it might also mean -servant," but this is less likely. _barley loaves_ The ordinary coarse food of the lower orders; Judges 7:13. S. John alone mentions their being of barley, and that they belon... [ Continue Reading ]
_much grass_ As we might expect early in April (John 6:4). S. Mark (Mark 6:39-40) mentions how they reclined in parterres, by hundreds and by fifties, _on the green grass_. This arrangement would make it easy to count them. _the men sat down_ The women and children were probably apart by themselves... [ Continue Reading ]
_when he had given thanks_ The usual grace before meat said by the head of the house or the host. -He that enjoys aught without thanksgiving, is as though he robbed God." Talmud. But it seems clear that this giving of thanks or blessing of the food (Luke 9:16) was the _means_of the miracle, because... [ Continue Reading ]
_Gather up the fragments_ S. John alone tells of this command, though the others tell us that the fragments were gathered up. It has been noticed as a strong mark of truth, most unlikely to have been invented by the writer of a fiction. We do not find the owner of Fortunatus" purse careful against e... [ Continue Reading ]
_baskets_ All four accounts have the same word for basket, _cophinus_, i.e. the wallet which every Jew carried when on a journey, to keep himself independent of Gentile food, which would be unclean. Comp. Juvenal iii. 14. Each of the Twelve gathered into his own wallet, and filled it full. Moreover... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then those men_ Rather, The _men_therefore. _the miracle that Jesus did_ Better, _the_ SIGN _that_ HE _did_. The name Jesus has been inserted here, as elsewhere, because this once was the beginning of a lesson read in church. The same thing has been done in our own Prayer Book in the Gospels for Q... [ Continue Reading ]
_take him by force_ Carry Him up to Jerusalem and proclaim Him king at the Passover. This again is peculiar to S. John. In his Epic he points out how the enmity of Christ's foes increases; and nothing increased it so much as popular enthusiasm for Him: comp. John 3:26; John 4:1-3; John 7:40-41; John... [ Continue Reading ]
The Sign on the Lake; Walking on the Water 16. _when even was now come_ S. Matthew (Matthew 14:15; Matthew 14:23) makes two evenings; this was in accordance with Jewish custom. It is the second evening that is here meant, from 6 p.m. to dark. _went down_ From Matthew 14:22 and Mark 6:45 we learn t... [ Continue Reading ]
_toward Capernaum_ S. Mark says -unto Bethsaida" which was close to Capernaum. See notes and map at Matthew 4:13 and Luke 5:1. For -went over the sea" we should read WERE COMING _over the sea_, i.e. were on their way home. _was not come_ More accurately, _was not_ YET _come_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the sea arose_ Literally, _was becoming thoroughly agitated_, so that their Master's following them in another boat seemed impossible. For the vivid description comp. Jonah 1:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
_five and twenty or thirty furlongs_ This pretty closely corresponds with -in the midst of the sea" (Matthew 14:24). The lake is nearly seven miles across in the widest part. _walking on the sea_ There is no doubt that this means on the surface of the water, although an attempt has been made to she... [ Continue Reading ]
_It is I_ Literally, _I am_(comp. John 18:5).... [ Continue Reading ]
_they willingly received him_ Rather, _they_ WERE WILLING TO RECEIVE _Him_. The mistranslation seems to have arisen from a wish to make this account agree with that of S. Matthew and S. Mark, who say that he entered the boat. It is probably due to BEZA, who for the Vulgate's _voluerunt recipere_subs... [ Continue Reading ]
_the people_ An instance of the caprice of our translators in creating differences. The same Greek word is translated -multitude" in John 6:2, -company" in John 6:5, and -people" here, John 6:24, &c.; MULTITUDE would be best throughout. _on the other side of the sea_ On the eastern side where the m... [ Continue Reading ]
The Sequel of the two Signs 22 24. We have here a complicated sentence very unusual in S. John (but comp. John 13:1-4); it betrays "a certain literary awkwardness, but great historical accuracy … The structure of the sentence is no argument against the truth of the statements which it contains. On... [ Continue Reading ]
_Howbeit there came_ This awkward parenthesis explains how there came to be boats to transport the people to the western shore after they had given over seeking for Christ on the eastern. _after that the Lord had given thanks_ Unless the giving thanks was the turning-point of the miracle it is diff... [ Continue Reading ]
_they also took shipping_ More literally, _they_ THEMSELVES ENTERED INTO THE BOATS, i.e. the boats that had come from Tiberias, driven in very possibly by the gale which had delayed the Apostles: -also" is not genuine. Of course there is no reason to suppose that _all_who had been miraculously fed c... [ Continue Reading ]
_on the other side of the sea_ This now means the western shore; in John 6:22 it meant the eastern. From John 6:59 we have the locality fixed very distinctly as the synagogue at Capernaum. _when camest thou_ Including _how?_they suspect something miraculous. Christ does not gratify their curiosity:... [ Continue Reading ]
_Distinction between the material bread and the Spiritual Bread_ 26. _not because ye saw the miracles_ Better, _not because ye_ SAW SIGNS. There is no article in the Greek; and the strict meaning of -signs" should be retained. They _had_seen the _miracle_, but it had _not_been a _sign_to them; it h... [ Continue Reading ]
The Discourse on the Son as the Support of Life God's revealed word and created world are unhappily alike in this; that the most beautiful places in each are often the scene and subject of strife. This marvellous discourse is a well-known field of controversy, as to whether it does or does not refe... [ Continue Reading ]
_Labour not for_, &c. Better, WORK _not for_, &c. The translation in the margin is preferable, to keep up the connexion with John 6:28-30. The people keep harping on the word -work." _the meat which perisheth_ Better (to avoid all ambiguity), _the_ FOOD _that perisheth:_-meat" in the sense of -flesh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said they They said_ THEREFORE. _What shall we do, that we might work_ Better, _what_ MUST _we do that we_ MAY _work_. They see that His words have a moral meaning; they are to do works pleasing to God. But how to set about this?... [ Continue Reading ]
_the work of God_ They probably were thinking of works of the law, tithes, sacrifices, &c. Christ tells them of one work, one moral act, from which all the rest derive their value, belief in Him whom God has sent. _that ye believe_ Literally, _that ye may believe_. S. John's favourite form of expre... [ Continue Reading ]
_What sign shewest thou then_ -Thou" is emphatic: -what dost Thou on Thy part?" They quite understand that in the words -Him whom He hath sent" Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah; but they want a proof. Their enthusiasm had cooled, their curiosity had increased, during the night. After all, the fee... [ Continue Reading ]
_manna_ More exactly, the manna. _He gave them bread from heaven to eat_ A rough quotation of -had rained down manna upon them to eat" (Psalms 78:24). They artfully suppress the nominative (which in the Psalm is -God"), and leave -Moses" to be understood. Possibly Nehemiah 9:15 is in their thoughts... [ Continue Reading ]
_Moses gave you not_ Christ shews them that He quite understands their insinuation: they are comparing Him unfavourably with Moses. He denies both their points; (1) that Moses gave the manna; (2) that the manna was in the truest sense bread from heaven. _giveth you the true bread_, &c. Literally, _... [ Continue Reading ]
_the bread of God is he which_ Better, _the bread of God is_ THAT _which_. Christ has not yet identified Himself with the Bread; it is still impersonal, and hence the present participle in the Greek. Contrast John 6:41. There is a clear reference to this passage in the Ignatian Epistles, _Romans_VII... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said they They said_ THEREFORE. _Lord, evermore give us this bread_ -Lord" is too strong, and makes the request too much like the prayer of a humble believer. Our translators wisely vary the rendering of _Kyrie_, using sometimes -Lord," and sometimes -Sir." Here, as in the conversation with th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Identification of the Spiritual Bread with Christ_ 35. _I am the bread of life_. The pronoun is very emphatic: comp. John 4:26. As in John 5:30, He passes from the third to the first person. -Bread of life" means -bread that giveth life." Comp. -the tree of life" (Genesis 2:9; Genesis 3:22; Genesis... [ Continue Reading ]
_I said unto you_ When? no such saying is recorded. Ewald thus finds some slight evidence for his theory that a whole sheet of this Gospel has been lost between Chapter s 5 and 6. But the reference may easily be to one of the countless unrecorded sayings of Christ, or possibly to the general sense o... [ Continue Reading ]
Digression on the blessedness of those who come to Christ as believers 37. _All that the Father giveth … him that cometh_ There is a significant change of gender in the Greek which is obscured in the English version: -all that" is neuter, ALL THAT WHICH; what is given is treated as impersonal, mank... [ Continue Reading ]
_I came down_ Better, I AM COME _down_or _have descended_. Four times in this discourse Christ declares that He is come down from heaven; John 6:38; John 6:50-51; John 6:58. The drift of these three verses (38 40) is; How could I cast them out, seeing that I am come to do my Father's will, and He wi... [ Continue Reading ]
_this is the Father's will_, &c. The true reading is; _this is_ THE WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME. _that of all_ Literally, _in order that of all:_see on John 6:29. _all which he hath given me_ -All" is neuter as in John 6:37, and is placed first for emphasis. In the Greek it is a _nominativus pendens_... [ Continue Reading ]
_And this is the will of him that sent me_ The true reading is; FOR _this is the will_ OF MY FATHER. The opening words of John 6:39-40, being very similar, have become confused in inferior MSS. The best MSS. have -Father" in this verse, where -the Son" is mentioned, not in John 6:39, where He is not... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Jews then murmured at him_ Better, _The Jews_ THEREFORE MUTTERED RESPECTING _Him_, talked in an under tone among themselves about Him: it does not necessarily mean that they found fault, though the context shews that they did (comp. John 6:61; John 7:12). From the mention of the Jews we are to... [ Continue Reading ]
_Is not this_ Or, _Is not this_ FELLOW; the expression is contemptuous. _whose father and mother we know_ -We know all about His parentage; there is nothing supernatural or mysterious about His origin." Nothing can be inferred from this as to Joseph's being alive at this time: the probability is th... [ Continue Reading ]
Digression on the difficulty of coming to Christ as a believer 43. _Murmur not_ Christ does not answer their objection or explain. Even among the first Christians the fact of his miraculous conception seems to have been made known only gradually, so foul were the calumnies which the Jews had spread... [ Continue Reading ]
_draw him_ It is the same word as is used John 12:32; -will draw all men unto Me." The word does not necessarily imply force, still less irresistible force, but merely _attraction_of some kind, some inducement to come. Comp. -with loving-kindness have I _drawn_thee" (Jeremiah 31:3), and Virgil's _tr... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the prophets_ The direct reference is to Isaiah 54:13, but there are similar passages Jeremiah 31:33-34; Joel 3:16-17. The quotation explains what is meant by the Father's _drawing_men, viz., enlightening them. The -therefore" in the second half of the verse is not genuine: -therefore" is very c... [ Continue Reading ]
_Not that any man hath seen_ To be enlightened and taught by the Father it is not necessary to see Him. "That is a privilege reserved for a later stage in the spiritual life, and is only to be attained mediately through the Son (comp. John 1:18)." S. p. 129. _he which is of God_ Or, _He which is_ F... [ Continue Reading ]
Christ returns from answering the Jews to the main subject 47. _hath everlasting life Hath_ ETERNAL _life_(John 3:16). Note the tense. Christ solemnly assures them (the double -Verily") that the believer is already in possession of eternal life. See on John 3:36 and John 5:24.... [ Continue Reading ]
_that bread of life_ Better, the _Bread of life_. Comp. John 6:32; John 1:21; John 1:25; John 6:14, where the same exaggerated translation of the Greek article occurs.... [ Continue Reading ]
Christ answers them out of their own mouths. They had spoken of the manna as superior to the multiplied loaves and fishes; but the manna did not preserve men from death. The same word is used both in John 6:49 and John 6:50; therefore for -are dead" it will be better to substitute DIED. Moreover, th... [ Continue Reading ]
_that a man may eat_ S. John's favourite form of expression again, indicating the Divine intention: comp. John 6:29; John 6:34; John 8:56, &c. -Of this purpose is the Bread which cometh down from heaven; in order that a man may eat thereof and so not die." Comp. 1 John 5:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the living bread_ Not merely the Bread of life (John 6:48), the life-giving Bread, but the living Bread, having life in itself, which life is imparted to those who partake of the Bread. _which came down_ At the Incarnation. Now that the Bread is identified with Christ, we have the past tense of wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Further definition of the identification of the Spiritual Bread with Christ as consisting in the giving of His Body and the outpouring of His Blood_ In John 6:35 Christ in His _Person_is the Bread of Life: here He is the spiritual food of believers in the Redemptive _work_of His Death.... [ Continue Reading ]
_strove among themselves_ Their excitement increases; they have got beyond muttering among themselves (John 6:41). _give us his flesh to eat_ -To EAT " is their own addition; they wish to bring out in full the strangeness of His declaration.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said Jesus_ Better, THEREFORE _said Jesus:_see on John 6:45. _and drink his blood_ Christ not only accepts what they have added to His words, but still further startles them by telling them that they must drink His Blood; an amazing statement to a Jew, who was forbidden to taste even the blood... [ Continue Reading ]
The gracious positive of the previous minatory negative. From the warning as to the disastrous consequences of not partaking He passes to a declaration of the blessed consequences of partaking, viz. eternal life, and that at once, with resurrection among the just hereafter.... [ Continue Reading ]
_my flesh is meat indeed_, &c. According to the best reading; _My Flesh is_ TRUE FOOD _and My Blood is_ TRUE _drink_; i.e. this is no misleading metaphor, but an actual fact.... [ Continue Reading ]
_dwelleth in me, and I in him_ Or, ABIDETH _in Me and I in him_. This is one of S. John's very characteristic phrases to express the most intimate mutual fellowship and union. The word -abide" is also characteristic, as we have seen. Comp. John 14:10; John 14:20; John 15:4-5, Joh 17:21; 1 John 3:24;... [ Continue Reading ]
Not a mere repetition of the previous statement but an enlargement of it. The result of this close union is perfect life, proceeding as from the Father to the Son, so in like manner from the Son to all believers. _the living Father_ The absolutely Living One, the Fount of all life, in whom is no el... [ Continue Reading ]
_This is that bread_ Better, _this is_ THE _Bread:_see on John 6:48. The verse is a general summing up of the whole, returning from the imagery of Flesh and Blood to the main expression of the discourse the Bread that came down from heaven and its superiority to all earthly food. _not as your fathe... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the synagogue_ Or, _in synagogue_, as we say -in church:" there is no article in the Greek. Comp. John 18:20. The verse is a mere historical note, stating definitely what was stated vaguely in John 6:22 as -the other side of the sea." -These things" naturally refers to the whole discourse from J... [ Continue Reading ]
Opposite Results of the Discourse 60. _Many therefore of his disciples_ Including many more than the Apostles. _This is a hard saying_ Or, HARD IS THIS SPEECH. Not hard to understand, but hard to accept. The word for -hard" means originally -dry," and so -rough;" and then in a moral sense, -rough,... [ Continue Reading ]
_knew in himself_ Again He appears as the reader of the heart. Comp. John 1:42; John 1:47; John 2:24-25; John 4:18; John 5:14; John 5:42; John 6:26, &c. More literally the verse runs: _Now Jesus knowing in Himself that His disciples are muttering about it:_see on John 6:41;... [ Continue Reading ]
_What and if_, &c. Literally, IF THEREFORE YE SHOULD BEHOLD THE SON OF MAN ASCENDING _where He was before?_The sentence breaks off (_aposiopesis_) leaving something to be understood: but what is to be understood? The answer to this depends on the meaning assigned to -behold the Son of man ascending.... [ Continue Reading ]
_that quickeneth_ Literally, _that maketh alive_or GIVETH LIFE. The latter would perhaps be better to bring out the connexion with -they are life" at the end of the verse. _the flesh_ Not, - _My_Flesh," which would contradict John 6:51. The statement is a general one, but has reference to Himself. -... [ Continue Reading ]
_some of you that believe not_ There were some of those who followed Him and called themselves His disciples, who still did not believe on Him. The better order is, there are OF YOU SOME. _knew from the beginning_ It is impossible to fix the exact limits of this; the meaning of -the beginning" must... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore_ Better, FOR THIS CAUSE (John 12:18; John 12:27): see on John 5:16; John 5:18; John 7:22; John 8:47. _said I unto you_ John 6:44; comp. John 6:37, and see notes on both. _were given unto him of my Father_ HAVE BEEN _given unto him of_ THE _Father_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_From that time_ This may be the meaning, but more probably it means _in consequence of that_. HEREUPON has somewhat of the ambiguity of the Greek, combining the notions of time and result. The Greek phrase occurs here and John 19:12 only in N.T.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the twelve_ The first mention of them; S. John speaks of them familiarly as a well-known body, assuming that his readers are well acquainted with the expression (see on John 6:62). This is a mark of truth: all the more so because the expression does not occur in the earlier Chapter s; for it is pro... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then Simon Peter_ Omit -Then." S. Peter, as leader, _primus inter pares_, answers here as elsewhere in the name of the Twelve (see note on Mark 3:17), and answers with characteristic impetuosity. The firmness of His conviction shews the appropriateness of the name given to him John 1:42. His answer... [ Continue Reading ]
_we believe_ Rather, _we_ HAVE BELIEVED: the perfect tense implies that the faith and knowledge which they possess have been theirs for some time past. -Are sure" means literally - _have come to know_." _thou art that Christ_, &c. These words seem to have been imported hither from S. Peter's Confess... [ Continue Reading ]
_Have I not chosen you twelve_ Or, DID NOT I CHOOSE YOU THE TWELVE (comp. John 13:18)? Here probably the question ends: _and one of you is a devil_is best punctuated without an interrogation; it is a single statement in tragic contrast to the preceding question. It would be closer to the Greek to om... [ Continue Reading ]
_Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon_ The better reading is; JUDAS, THE SON OF SIMON ISCARIOT. If, as seems probable, the name Iscariot means -man of Kerioth," a place in Judah, it would be natural enough for both father and son to have the name. Assuming this to be correct, Judas was the only Apostle... [ Continue Reading ]