John 8:56

John 8:56. Tour father Abraham exulted that he should see my day; and he saw it and rejoiced. This translation, though more exact than that of the Authorised Version, does not fully bring out the meaning of the original. All English renderings of the words (unless they are paraphrases) must be more or less ambiguous. ‘Rejoiced to see' conveys the meaning of ‘rejoiced because (or when) he saw;' ‘exulted that he should see' means strictly, ‘exulted in the knowledge that he should see.' Nor is the difficulty removed if we take the ordinary rendering of the Greek construction, ‘that he might;' for exulted that he might see is ambiguous still, though not in the same way. Perhaps the Greek words (which are very peculiar) are best represented by the paraphrase, ‘Your father Abraham exulted in desire that he might see my day; and he saw (it) and rejoiced.' The interpretation, which is as difficult as the translation, turns mainly on the meaning of the words ‘my day.' The nearest approach to this expression in the New Testament.is found in Luke 17:22, ‘one of the days of the Son of man,' where the meaning must be ‘one of the days connected with the manifestation of the Son of man upon the earth.' Here the form is more definite, ‘my day,' and it seems exceedingly difficult to give any other meaning than either the whole period of the life of Jesus on earth, or, more precisely, the epoch of the Incarnation. In this case the past tense ‘he saw it' is conclusive for the latter, if actual sight is intended. The patriarch received the promise in which was contained the coming of the day of Christ. By faith he saw this day in the far distance, but more than this exulting in the prospect he longed to see the day itself: in joyful hope he waited for this. In the fulness of time the day dawned; the heavenly host sang praises to God for its advent; and (none who remember the appearance of Moses and Elias on the Mount of Transfiguration can feel any difficulty in the words of this verse) Abraham too saw it and rejoiced. By those who do not accept this explanation it is urged

(1) That Jesus would probably not thus refer the Jews to that which no Scripture records. But the truth spoken of is so general and so simple Abraham's knowledge of the fulfilment of God's promises to him that no Jew who believed in Jesus could refuse it credence.

(2) That ‘sees' and ‘rejoices' would be more natural than ‘saw' and ‘rejoiced.' Not so, if the Incarnation is the event before the mind.

(3) That this view is not in harmony with the reply of the Jews in the next verse. That point will be considered in the note on the verse.

The only other possible interpretation is that which refers the words to two distinct periods in the earthly life of Abraham; one at which, after receiving the promises, he exulted in eager desire for a clearer sight, and another at which this clearer sight was gained. But it is very hard to think of two epochs in the patriarch's life at which these conditions were satisfied; and it is still more difficult to believe that ‘my day' is the expression that Jesus would have used had this been the sense designed. Verily, if Abraham thus exulted in the thought of the coming of his son and his Lord, the Jews who are despising and rejecting Him do not Abraham's works, are no true seed of Abraham.