Commentary on the Gospel of John; With an Historical and Critical Introduction Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 edition. Excerpt: ...believers in general, but it has in view, nevertheless, first of all, the disciples personally, whom Jesus wishes to strengthen in their present disheartenment; and He consoles them, it is said, by means of an event which no one of them has seen and which is still future at this hour In thus explaining the word I come, it is forgotten that Jesus never affirmed the nearness of His Parousia, and that, indeed, He rather gave an indication of the opposite: "As the "bridegroom delays hit coming" (Matt. xxv. 5); "If the matter comes in the second viatch, or if Tie comes in the third"1'1 (Luke xii. 38); "At evening or at midnight or at the cock-crowing or in the morning" (Mark xiii. 35); comp. also the parables of the leaven and the grain of mustard seed. Moreover, we have the authentic explanation of this word come in ver. 18, where, as Weiss acknowledges, it cannot be applied to the Parousia. Ebrard thinks that the point in question is the resurrection of Jesus. But the true reunion, after the separation caused by the death of Jesus, did not yet take place at the resurrection. The appearances of the Lord were transient; their design was simply, through faith in the resurrection, to prepare for the coming of the Spirit. Orotius, Jteuss, Lange, Jlengstenberg, and Keil refer the word come to the return of Jesus at the death of each believer; comp. the vision of Stephen. But in ver. 18 this sense is altogether impossible, and no example can be cited, not even xxi. 23, where it would lead to an intolerable tautology. This coming refers, therefore, as has been recognized by Lucke, OUhausen, Neander, to the return of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, to the close and indissoluble union formed thereby between the disciple and the glorified person of Jesus;...