Observe here, 1. The person spoken of, Jesus Christ, under the name of the WORD. IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD. Because God spake to us by him, and makes known his will to us by Christ, as we make known our minds to one another by our words. Again; As our words are the conception and image of our m... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here, The argument which St. John uses to prove Christ to be God; it is taken from the work of creation. He that made all things, is truly and really God; but Christ made all things, and nothing was made without him; therefore is Christ truly and really God. Here observe, 1. An affirmation... [ Continue Reading ]
Here we have. farther proof of Christ's divinity, and an evidence that he had. being as God, before his incarnation: forasmuch as life is centered in him, communicated by him, and derived from him. In him was life, FORMALITER ET CAUSALITER. Life was formally in Christ, as the subject of it; and also... [ Continue Reading ]
Here the evangelist proceeds in declaring Christ to be really God, because he was that original, that essential light, which had no beginning, suffers no decay, but is so diffusive, and in some kind and in some measure or other, to enlighten every man that cometh into the world. Some of the Jews had... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WAS IN THE WORLD, that is, he that was God from eternity, made himself visible to the world in the fulness of time. The evangelist repeats it again, that THE WORLD WAS MADE BY HIM, to show his omnipotency and divinity; and then adds, that THE WORLD KNEW HIM NOT, as an evidence of the world's blin... [ Continue Reading ]
That is, although multitudes reject him, yet some received and owned him for the true Messias; and those that did so, he advanced to the high dignity of adoption and sonship, giving them power, that is, right or privilege, to become the sons of God. Here note, 1. The nature of justifying faith decl... [ Continue Reading ]
Because the bragging Jews did much boast of their natural birth and descent from Abraham, as being his blood and offspring, therefore it is here asserted, that men become not the children of God by natural propagation, but by spiritual regeneration: THEY ARE NOT BORN OF BLOOD. Grace runs not in the... [ Continue Reading ]
The evangelist having asserted the divinity of Christ in the foregoing verses, comes now to speak of his humanity and manifestation in our nature: THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH. Where note, 1. Our Saviour's incarnation for us. 2. His life and conversation here among us. HE DWELT or tabernacled for. seas... [ Continue Reading ]
Here we have John Baptist's first testimony concerning Christ the promised Messiah: and it consists of four parts. 1. John prefers Christ before himself, as being surpassingly above himself. HE THAT COMETH AFTER ME IS PREFERRED BEFORE ME, that is, in the dignity of his person, and in the eminency o... [ Continue Reading ]
In these verses we have. second testimony which John the Baptist gave of our Saviour Jesus Christ. THE JEWS SENT PRIESTS AND LEVITES FROM JERUSALEM, SAYING, WHO ART THOU? That is, the Sanhedrin, or great council at Jerusalem, to whom it belonged to judge who were true prophets, sent messengers to th... [ Continue Reading ]
This is John the Baptist's third testimony concerning Christ; in which he points out Christ as the true Sacrifice for the expiation of sin. BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD: the Lamb of God's appointing, to be an expiatory sacrifice; the Lamb of God's election; the Lamb of God's affection; the Lamb of God's a... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here, 1. That though John the Baptist was. near kinsman of Christ, according to the flesh, yet the providence of God so ordered it, that for thirty years together they did not know one another, nor converse with each other, nor probably ever saw the faces of each other; to be sure, he did no... [ Continue Reading ]
It is evident that John's disciples were never very willing to acknowledge Jesus for the Messias, because they thought he did shadow and cloud their Master. See therefore the sincerity of the holy Baptist; he takes every opportunity to draw off the eyes of his disciples from himself, and fix them up... [ Continue Reading ]
This latter part of the chapter acquaints us with the calling of five disciples; not to the apostleship, for that was afterwards; nor yet simply by conversion, for some of them were John's disciples already, and believed in the Messiah to come; but they are here called to own and acknowledge Jesus C... [ Continue Reading ]
The last person mentioned in this chapter, who was called to own and embrace Christ for the Messiah, is Nathanael: who this Nathanael was, doth not certainly appear; but it is evident, he was. sincere, good man, though prejudiced for the present against Christ, because of the place of his supposed b... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here, How Nathanael wondereth that Christ should know him, having (as he thought) never seen him. Christ gives him to understand, that by his all-seeing eye he had seen him, when he was not seen by him: WHEN THOU WAS UNDER THE FIG-TREE. SAW THEE. Christ's all-seeing eye is an infallible proo... [ Continue Reading ]
The heavens were open to Christ, and the angels attended upon him, first at his baptism, Matthew 3:13-17 then at his ascension, Acts 1:9 Whether Christ alludes to the one or the other, or to both,. shall not positively say; but gather this note, That the ministry and attendance of the holy angels up... [ Continue Reading ]