John 14:15-18
15. If you love me, keep my commandments. 16. And I will pray to
the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with
you for ever; 17. The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it seeth him not, and knoweth him not; but you know him; for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you. 18. I will not leave you orphans; I come
to you.
15. If you love me. The love with which the disciples loved Christ
was true and sincere, and yet there was some superstition mixed with it,
as is frequently the case with ourselves; for it was very foolish in them
to wish to keep him in the world. To correct this fault, he bids them direct
their love to another end; and that is, to employ themselves in keeping
the commandments which he had given them. This is undoubtedly a useful
doctrine, for of those who think that they love Christ, there are very
few who honor him as they ought to do; but, on the contrary, after having
performed small and trivial services, they give themselves no farther concern.
The true love of Christ, on the other hand, is regulated by the observation
of his doctrine as the only rule. But we are likewise reminded how sinful
our affections are, since even the love which we bear to Christ is not
without fault, if it be not directed to a pure obedience.
16. And I will pray to the Father. This was given as a remedy
for soothing the grief which they might feel on account of Christ’s absence;
but at the same time, Christ promises that he will give them strength to
keep his commandments; For otherwise the exhortation would have had little
effect. He therefore loses no time in informing them that, though he be
absent from them in body, yet he will never allow them to remain destitute
of assistance; for he will be present with them by his Spirit.
Here he calls the Spirit the gift of the Father, but a gift which he
will obtain by his prayers; in another passage he promises that he will
give the Spirit. If I depart, says he, I will send, Him to you, (John 16:7.)
Both statements are true and correct; for in so far as Christ is our Mediator
and Intercessor, he obtains from the Father the grace of the Spirit, but
in so far as he is God, he bestows that grace from himself. The meaning
of this passage therefore is: “I was given to you by the Father to be a
Comforter, but only for a time; now, having discharged my office, I will
pray to him to give another Comforter, who will not be for a short time,
but will remain always with you.”
And he will, give you another Comforter. The word Comforter is
here applied both to Christ and to the Spirit, and justly; for it is an
office which belongs equally to both of them, to comfort and exhort us,
and to guard us by their protection. Christ was the Protector of his disciples,
so long as he dwelt in the world: and afterwards he committed them to the
protection and guardianship of the Spirit. It may be asked, are we not
still under the protection of Christ? The answer is easy. Christ is a continual
Protector, but not in a visible way. So long as he dwelt in the world,
he openly manifested himself as their Protector; but now he guards us by
his Spirit.
He calls the Spirit another Comforter, on account of the difference
between the blessings which we obtain from both. The peculiar office of
Christ was, to appease the wrath of God by atoning for the sins of the
world, to redeem men from death, to procure righteousness and life; and
the peculiar office of the Spirit is, to make us partakers not only of
Christ himself, but of all his blessings. And yet there would be no impropriety
in inferring from this passage a distinction of Persons; for there must
be some peculiarity in which the Spirit differs from the Son so as to be
another than the Son.
17. The Spirit of truth. Christ bestows on the Spirit another
title, namely, that he is the Master or Teacher of truth. Hence it follows,
that until we have been inwardly instructed by him, the understandings
of all of us are seized with vanity and falsehood.
Whom the world cannot receive. This contrast shows the peculiar
excellence of that grace which God bestows on none but his elect; for he
means that it is no ordinary gift of which the world is deprived. In this
sense, too, Isaiah says, For, the darkness shall cover the earth, and thick
darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise on thee, O Jerusalem!” For
the mercy of God towards the Church deserves so much the higher praise,
when he exalts the Church, by a distinguished privilege, above the whole
world. And yet Christ exhorts the disciples, That they must not be puffed
up, as the world is wont to be, by carnal views, and thus drive away from
themselves the grace of the Spirit. All that Scripture tells us about the
Holy Spirit is regarded by earthly men as a dream; because, trusting to
their own reason, they despise heavenly illumination. Now, though this
pride abounds everywhere, which extinguishes, so far as lies in our power,
the light of the Holy Spirit; yet, conscious of our own poverty, we ought
to know, that whatever belongs to sound understanding proceeds from no
other source. Yet Christ’s words show that nothing which relates to the
Holy Spirit can be learned by human reason, but that He is known only by
the experience of faith.
The world, he says, cannot receive the Spirit, because it knoweth him
not; but you know him, because he dwelleth with you. It is the Spirit alone
therefore, who, by dwelling in us, makes himself to be known by us, for
otherwise, he is unknown and incomprehensible.
18. I will not have you orphans. This passage shows what men
are, and what they can do, when they have been deprived of the protection
of the Spirit. They are orphans, exposed to every kind of fraud and injustice,
incapable of governing themselves, and, in short, unable of themselves
to do any thing. The only remedy for so great a defect is, if Christ govern
us by his Spirit, which he promises that he will do. First then, the disciples
are reminded of their weakness, that, distrusting themselves, they may
rely on nothing else than the protection of Christ; and, secondly, having
promised a remedy, he gives them good encouragement; for he declares that
he will never leave them. When he says, I will come to you, he shows in
what manner he dwells in his people, and in what manner he fills all things.
It is, by the power of his Spirit; and hence it is evident, that the grace
of the Spirit is a striking proof of his Divinity.
John 14:19-20
19. Yet a little while, and the world shall see me no more; but
you see me: because I live, you also shall live. 20. At that day you shall
know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you.
19. Yet a little while. He continues the commendation of special
grace, which ought to have been sufficient for alleviating, and even for
removing the grief of the disciples. “When I shall have withdrawn,” says
he, “from the view of the world: still I shall be present with you.” That
we may enjoy this secret beholding of Christ, we must not judge of his
presence or his absence according to carnal perception, but we must earnestly
employ the eyes of faith for contemplating his power. Thus believers always
have Christ present by his Spirit, and behold him, though they be distant
from him in body.
Because I live. This statement may be explained in two ways.
Either it may be viewed as a confirmation of the former clause, because
I live, and you shall live; or, it may be read separately, because I live,
you also shall live; and then the meaning will be, that believers will
live, because Christ liveth. I willingly embrace the former opinion, and
yet we may draw from it the other doctrine, that the life of Christ is
the cause of our life. He begins by pointing out the cause of the difference,
why he shall be seen by his disciples, and not by the world. It isn’t because
Christ cannot be seen but according to the spiritual life, of which the
world is deprived. The world seeth not Christ; this is not wonderful, for
the death of blindness is the cause; but as soon as any man begins to live
by the Spirit, he is immediately endued with eyes to see Christ. Now, the
reason of this is, that our life is closely connected with the life of
Christ, and proceeds from it as from its source; for we are dead in ourselves,
and the life with which we flatter ourselves is a very bad death. Accordingly,
when the question is, how we are to obtain life, our eyes must be directed
to Christ, and his life must be conveyed to us by faith, that our consciences
may be fully convinced, that, so long as Christ lives, we are free from
all danger of destruction; for it is an undoubted truth, that his life
would be nothing, when his members were dead.
20. At that day. Some refer this to the day of Pentecost; but
it rather denotes the uninterrupted course, as it were, of a single day,
from the time when Christ exerted the power of his Spirit till the last
resurrection. From that time they began to know, but it was a sort of feeble
beginning, because the Spirit had not yet wrought so powerfully in them.
For the object of these words is, to show that we cannot, by indolent speculation,
know what is the sacred and mystical union between us and him, and again,
between him and the Father; but that the only way of knowing it is, when
he diffuses his life in us by the secret efficacy of the Spirit; and this
is the trial of faith, which I lately mentioned.
As to the manner in which this passage was formerly abused by the Aryans,
to prove that Christ is God only by participation and by grace, it is easy
to refute their sophistry. For Christ does not speak merely of his eternal
essence, but of that Divine power which was manifested in him. As the Father
has laid up in the Son all fullness of blessings, so, on the other hand,
the Son has conveyed himself entirely into us. He is said to be in us,
because he plainly shows, by the efficacy of his Spirit, that he is the
Author and the cause of our life.
John 14:21-24
21. He who hath my commandments, and keepeth them, is he that loveth
me; and he that loveth me will be loved by my Father; and I will love him,
and will manifest myself to him. 22. Judas (not Iscariot) saith to him,
Lord, why is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to
the world? 23. Jesus answered and said to him, “If any one love me, he
will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him,
and make our abode with him. 24. He who loveth me not keepeth not my words;
and the word which you have heard is not mine, but that of the Father who
sent me.”
21. He who hath my commandments. He again repeats the former
statement, that the undoubted proof of our love to him lies in our keeping
his commandments; and the reason why he so frequently reminds the disciples
of this is, that they may not turn aside from this object; for there is
nothing to which we are more prone than to slide into a carnal affection,
so as to love something else than Christ under the name of Christ. Such
is also the import of that saying of Paul,
Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth we know
him no longer in this manner. Let us therefore be a new creature, (2 Corinthians
5:16, 17.)
To have his commandments means to be properly instructed in them; and
to keep his commandments is to conform ourselves and our life to their
rule.
And he that loveth me will be loved by my Father. Christ speaks as if
men loved God before he loved them; which is absurd, for,
when we were enemies, he reconciled us to him,
(Romans 5:10;)
and the words of John are well known,
Not that we first loved him, but he first loved us,
(1 John 4:10.)
But there is no debate here about cause or effect; and therefore there
is no ground for the inference, that the love with which we love Christ
comes in order before the love which God has toward us; for Christ meant
only, that all who love him will be happy, because they will also be loved
by him and by the Father; not that God then begins to love them, but because
they have a testimony of his love to them, as a Father, engraven on their
hearts. To the same purpose is the clause which immediately follows: —
And I will manifest myself to him. Knowledge undoubtedly goes
before love; but Christ’s meaning was, I will grant to those who purely
observe my doctrine, that they shall make progress from day to day in faith;
“that is, “I will cause them to approach more nearly and more familiarly
to me.” Hence infer, that the fruit of piety is progress in the knowledge
of Christ; for he who promises that he will give himself to him who has
it rejects hypocrites, and causes all to make progress in faith who, cordially
embracing the doctrine of the Gospel, bring themselves entirely into obedience
to it. And this is the reason why many fall back, and why we scarcely see
one in ten proceed in the right course; for the greater part do not deserve
that he should manifest himself to them. It ought also to be observed,
that a more abundant knowledge of Christ is here represented as an extraordinary
reward of our love to Christ; and hence it follows that it is an invaluable
treasure.
22. Judas (not Iscariot) saith to him. It is not without reason
that he asks why Christ does not cause his light to be imparted to more
than a few persons; since he is the Sun of Righteousness, (Malachi 4:2)
by whom the whole world ought to be enlightened; and, therefore, it is
unreasonable that he should enlighten but a few, and not shed his light
everywhere without distinction. Christ’s reply does not solve the whole
question; for it makes no mention of the first cause, why Christ ‘manifested
himself to a few,’ conceals himself from the greater part of men; for certainly
he finds all men at first alike, that is, entirely alienated from him;
and, therefore, he cannot choose any person who loves him, but he chooses
from among his enemies those whose hearts he bends to the love of him.
But he did not intend, at present, to take any notice of that distinction,
which was far from the object he had in view. His design was, to exhort
his disciples to the earnest study of godliness, that they might make greater
progress in faith; and, therefore, he is satisfied with distinguishing
them from the world by this mark, that they keep the doctrine of the Gospel.
Now, this mark comes after the commencement of faith, for it is the
effect of their calling. In other passages, Christ had reminded the disciples
of their being called by free grace, and he will afterwards bring it to
their recollection. At present, he only enjoins them to observe his doctrine,
and to maintain godliness. By these words, Christ shows in what manner
the Gospel is properly obeyed. It is, when our services and outward actions
proceed from the love of Christ; for in vain do the arms, and the feet,
and the whole body toil, if the love of God does not reign in the heart,
to govern the outward members. Now, since it is certain that we keep the
commandments of Christ only in so far as we love him, it follows that a
perfect love of him can nowhere be found in the world, because there is
no man who keeps his commandments perfectly; yet God is pleased with the
obedience of those who sincerely aim at this end.
23. And my Father will love him. We have already explained that
the love of God to us is not placed in the second rank, as if it came after
our piety as the cause of that love, but that believers may be fully convinced
that the obedience which they render to the Gospel is pleasing to God,
and that they may continually expect from him fresh additions of gifts.
And we will come to him who loveth me; that is, he will feel that the
grace of God dwelleth in him, and will every day receive additions to the
gifts of God. He therefore speaks, not of that eternal love with which
he loved us, before we were born, and even before the world was created,
but since the time when he seals it on our hearts by making us partakers
of his adoption. Nor does he even mean the first illumination, but those
degrees of faith by which believers must continually advance, according
to that saying,
Whosoever hath it shall be given to him, (Matthew 13:12.)
The Papists; therefore are wrong in inferring from this passage that
there are two kinds of love with which we love God. They falsely maintain
that we naturally love God, before he regenerates us by his Spirit, and
even that by this preparation we merit the grace of regeneration; as if
Scripture did not everywhere teach, and as if experience also did not loudly
proclaim, that we are altogether alienated from God, and that we are infected
and filled with hatred of him, until he change our hearts. We must therefore
keep in view the design of Christ, that he and the Father will come, to
confirm believers, in uninterrupted confidence in his grace.
24. He who loveth, me but keepeth not my words. As believers
are mixed with unbelievers in the world, and as they must be agitated by
various storms, as in a troubled sea, Christ again confirms them by this
admonition, that they may not be drawn away by bad examples. As if he had
said, “Do not look upon the world so as to depend on it; for there will
always be some who despise me and my doctrine; but as for you, preserve
constantly to the end the grace which you have once received.” Yet he likewise
intimates that the world is justly punished for its ingratitude, when it
perishes in its blindness, since, by despising true righteousness, it manifests
a wicked hatred towards Christ.
And the word which you hear. That the disciples may not be discouraged
or waver on account of the obstinacy of the world, he again procures credit
to his doctrine, by testifying that it is from God, and that it was not
contrived by men on the earth. And, indeed, the strength of our faith consists
in our knowing that God is our leader, and that we are founded on nothing
else than his eternal truth. Whatever then may be the rage and madness
of the world, let us follow the doctrine of Christ, which rises far above
heaven and earth. When he says that the word is not his, he accommodates
himself to the disciples; as if he had said that it is not human, because
he teaches faithfully what has been enjoined on him by the Father. Yet
we know that, in so far as he is the eternal Wisdom of God, he is the only
fountain of all doctrine, and that all the prophets who have been from
the beginning spoke by his Spirit.
John 14:25-28
25. These things I have spoken to you, while I remain with you.
26. But the Comforter, (who is) the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, he will teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance
all things that I have said to you. 27. Peace I leave with you, my peace
I give to you: not as the world giveth, give I it to you. Let not your
heart be troubled, and let it not be afraid. 28. You heard that I said
to you, I go away, and come to you. If you loved me, you would certainly
rejoice that I said, I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than
I.
25. These things I have spoken to you. He adds this, that they
may not despair, though they may have profited less than they ought to
have done; for at that time he scattered a seed of doctrine, which lay
hidden, and, as it were, suffocated in the disciples. He therefore exhorts
them to entertain good hopes, until fruit be yielded by the doctrine which
might now appear to be useless. In short, he testifies that in the doctrine
which they had heard they have abundant ground of consolation, and that
they ought not to seek it anywhere else. And if they do not immediately
see it, he bids them be of good courage, until the Holy Spirit, who is
the inward Teacher, speak the same thing in their hearts. This admonition
is highly useful to all; for, if we do not immediately understand what
Christ teaches, we begin to grow weary, and grudge to bestow unprofitable
labor on what is obscure. But we must bring an eager desire to receive
instruction; we must lend our ears and give attention, if we desire to
make due proficiency in the school of God; and especially we need patience,
until the Holy Spirit enable us to understand what we thought that we had
often read or heard to no purpose. That the desire of learning may not
be weakened in us, or that we may not fall into despair, when we do not
immediately perceive the meaning of Christ speaking to us, let us know
that this is spoken to us all.
The Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance all things that I have
said to you. It is indeed a punishment threatened by Isaiah against unbelievers,
that the Word of God shall be to them as a book that is sealed, (Isaiah
29:11) but in this manner, also, the Lord frequently humbles his people.
We ought, therefore, to wait patiently and mildly for the time of revelation,
and must not, on that account, reject the word. When Christ testifies that
it is the peculiar office of the Holy Spirit to teach the apostles what
they had already learned from his mouth, it follows that the outward preaching
will be vain and useless, if it be not accompanied by the teaching of the
Spirit. God has therefore two ways of teaching; for, first, he sounds in
our ears by the mouth of men; and, secondly, he addresses us inwardly by
his Spirit; and he does this either at the same moment, or at different
times, as he thinks fit.
But observe what are all these things which he promises that the Spirit
will teach. He will suggest, he says, or bring to your remembrance, all
that I have said. Hence it follows, that he will not be a builder of new
revelations. By this single word we may refute all the inventions which
Satan has brought into the Church from the beginning, under the pretense
of the Spirit. Mahomet and the Pope agree in holding this as a principle
of their religion, that Scripture does not contain a perfection of doctrine,
but that something loftier has been revealed by the Spirit. From the same
point the Anabaptists and Libertines, in our own time, have drawn their
absurd notions. But the spirit that introduces any doctrine or invention
apart from the Gospel is a deceiving spirit, and not the Spirit of Christ.
What is meant by the Spirit being sent by the Father in the name of Christ,
I have already explained.
27. Peace I leave with you. By the word peace he means prosperity,
which men are wont to wish for each other when they meet or part; for such
is the import of the word peace in the Hebrew language. He therefore alludes
to the ordinary custom of his nation; as if he had said, I give you my
Farewell. But he immediately adds, that this peace is of far greater value
than that which is usually to be found among men, who generally have the
word peace but coldly in their mouth, by way of ceremony, or, if they sincerely
wish peace for any one, yet cannot actually bestow it. But Christ reminds
them that his peace does not consist in an empty and unavailing wish, but
is accompanied by the effect. In short, he says that he goes away from
them in body, but that his peace remains with the disciples; that is, that
they will be always happy through his blessing.
Let not your heart be troubled. He again corrects the alarm which
the disciples had felt on account of his departure. It is no ground for
alarm, he tells them; for they want only his bodily presence, but will
enjoy his actual presence through the Spirit. Let us learn to be always
satisfied with this kind of presence, and let us not give a loose reign
to the flesh, which always binds God by its outward inventions.
28. If you loved me you would rejoice. The disciples unquestionably
loved Christ, but not as they ought to have done; for some carnal affection
was mixed with their love, so that they could not endure to be separated
from him; but if they had loved him spiritually, there was nothing which
they would have had more deeply at heart, than his return to the Father.
For the Father is greater than I. This passage has been tortured
in various ways. The Aryans, in order to prove that Christ is some sort
of inferior God, argued that he is less than the Father. The orthodox Fathers,
to remove all ground for such a calumny, said that this must have referred
to his human nature; but as the Aryans wickedly abused this testimony,
so the reply given by the Fathers to their objection was neither correct
nor appropriate; for Christ does not now speak either of his human nature,
or of his eternal Divinity, but, accommodating himself to our weakness,
places himself between God and us; and, indeed, as it has not been granted
to us to reach the height of God, Christ descended to us, that he might
raise us to it. You ought to have rejoiced, he says, because I return to
the Father; for this is the ultimate object at which you ought to aim.
By these words he does not show in what respect he differs in himself from
the Father, but why he descended to us; and that was that he might unite
us to God; for until we have reached that point, we are, as it were, in
the middle of the course. We too imagine to ourselves but a half-Christ,
and a mutilated Christ, if he do not lead us to God.
There is a similar passage in the writings of Paul, where he says that
Christ
will deliver up the Kingdom to God his Father, that God may be all in
all, (1 Corinthians 15:24.)
Christ certainly reigns, not only in human nature, but as he is God
manifested in the flesh. In what manner, therefore, will he lay aside the
kingdom? It is, because the Divinity which is now beheld in Christ’s face
alone, will then be openly visible in him. The only point of difference
is, that Paul there describes the highest perfection of the Divine brightness,
the rays of which began to shine from the time when Christ ascended to
heaven. To make the matter more clear, we must use still greater plainness
of speech. Christ does not here make a comparison between the Divinity
of the Father and his own, nor between his own human nature and the Divine
essence of the Father, but rather between his present state and the heavenly
glory, to which he would soon afterwards be received; as if he had said,
“You wish to detain me in the world, but it is better that I should ascend
to heaven.” Let us therefore learn to behold Christ humbled in the flesh,
so that he may conduct us to the fountain of a blessed immortality; for
he was not appointed to be our guide, merely to raise us to the sphere
of the moon or of the sun, but to make us one with God the Father.
John 14:29-31
29. And I have told you now, before it take place, that, when it
shall take place, you may believe. 30. Henceforth I will not talk much
with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
31. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and that I do as
the Father hath commanded me. Arise, let us go hence.
29. And I have told you now. It was proper that the disciples should
be frequently admonished on this point; for it was a secret far exceeding
all human capacity. He testifies that he foretells what shall happen, that,
when it has happened, they may believe; for it was a useful confirmation
of their faith when they brought to recollection the predictions of Christ,
and saw accomplished before their eyes what they had formerly heard from
his mouth. Yet it appears to be a sort of concession, as if Christ had
said, “Because you are not yet capable of comprehending so deep a mystery,
I bear with you till the event has happened, which will serve as an interpreter
to explain this doctrine.” Although for a time he seemed to speak to the
deaf, yet it afterwards appeared that his words were not scattered in vain,
or, as we may say, in the air, but that it was a seed thrown into the earth.
Now, as Christ speaks here about his word and the accomplishment of events,
so his death, and resurrection, and ascension to heaven, are combined with
doctrine, that they may produce faith in us.
30. Henceforth I will not talk much with you. By this word he
intended to fix the attention of the disciples on himself, and to impress
his doctrine more deeply on their minds; for abundance generally takes
away the appetite, and we desire more eagerly what we have not in our possession,
and delight more in the enjoyment of that which is speedily to be taken
from us. In order, therefore, to make them more desirous of hearing his
doctrines, he threatens that he will very soon go away. Although Christ
does not cease to teach us during the whole course of our life, yet this
statement may be applied to our use; for, since the course of our life
is short, we ought to embrace the present opportunity.
For the prince of this world cometh. He might have said, in direct
language, that he would soon die, and that the hour of his death was at
hand; but he makes use of a circumlocution, to fortify their minds beforehand,
lest, terrified by a kind of death so hideous and detestable, they should
faint; for to believe in him crucified, what is it but to seek life in
hell? First, he says that his power will be given to Satan; and next he
adds, That he will go away, not because he is compelled to do so, but in
order to obey the Father.
The devil is called the prince of this world, not because he has a kingdom
separated from God, (as the Manicheans imagined,) but because, by God’s
permission, he exercises his tyranny over the world. Whenever, therefore,
we hear this designation applied to the devil, let us be ashamed of our
miserable condition; for, whatever may be the pride of men, they are the
slaves of the devil, till they are regenerated by the Spirit of Christ;
for under the term world is here included the whole human race. There is
but one Deliverer who frees and rescues us from this dreadful slavery.
Now, since this punishment was inflicted on account of the sin of the first
man, and since it daily grows worse on account of new sins, let us learn
to hate both ourselves and our sins. While we are held captives under the
dominion of Satan, still this slavery does not free us from blame, for
it is voluntary. It ought also to be observed, that what is done by wicked
men is here ascribed to the devil; for, since they are impelled by Satan,
all that they do is justly reckoned his work.
And hath nothing in me. It is in consequence of the sin of Adam
that Satan holds the dominion of death, and, therefore, he could not touch
Christ, who is pure from all the pollution of sin, if he had not voluntarily
subjected himself. And yet I think that these words have a wider meaning
than that in which they are usually explained; for the ordinary interpretation
is, “Satan hath found nothing in Christ, for there is nothing in him that
deserves death, because he is pure from every stain of sin.” But, in my
opinion, Christ asserts here not only his own purity, but likewise his
Divine power, which was not subject to death; for it was proper to assure
the disciples that he did not yield through weakness, lest they should
think less highly of his power. But in this general statement the former
is also included, that, in enduring death, he was not compelled by Satan.
Hence we infer, that he was substituted in our room, when he submitted
to death.
31. But that the world may know. Some think that these words
should be read as closely connected with the words, Arise, let us go hence,
so as to make the sense complete. Others read the former part of the verse
separately, and suppose that it breaks off abruptly. As it makes no great
difference in regard to the meaning, I leave it to the reader to give a
preference to either of these views. What chiefly deserves our attention
is, that the decree of God is here placed in the highest rank; that we
may not suppose that Christ was dragged to death by the violence of Satan,
in such a manner that anything happened contrary to the purpose of God.
It was God who appointed his Son to be the Propitiation, and who determined
that the sins of the world should be expiated by his death. In order to
accomplish this, he permitted Satan, for a short time, to treat him with
scorn; as if he had gained a victory over him. Christ, therefore, does
not resist Satan, in order that he may obey the decree of his Father, and
may thus offer his obedience as the ransom of our righteousness.
Arise, let us go hence. Some think that Christ, after he said
these things, changed his place, and that what follows was spoken by him
on the road; but as John afterwards adds, that Christ went away with his
disciples beyond the brook Kedron, it appears more probable that Christ
intended to exhort the disciples to render the same obedience to God, of
which they beheld in him so illustrious an example, and not that he led
them away at that moment.
