Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chapters I to XIVMaclaren, Alexander
Religion
Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chapters I to XIV
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible. John -- Commentaries
How precious it is to us that this Gospel, which has the loftiest
things to say about the manifest divinity of our Lord, and the glory
that dwelt in Him, is always careful to emphasise also the manifest
limitations and weaknesses of the Manhood. John never forgets either
term of his great sentence in which all the gospel is condensed, 'the
Word became flesh.' Ever he shows us 'the Word'; ever 'the flesh.' Thus
it is he only who records the saying on the Cross, 'I thirst.' It is he
who tells us how Jesus Christ, not merely for the sake of getting a
convenient opening of a conversation, or to conciliate prejudices, but
because He needed what He asked, said to the woman of Samaria, 'Give Me
to drink.' So the weariness of the Master stands forth for us as
pathetic proof that it was no shadowy investiture with an apparent
Manhood to which He stooped, but a real participation in our
limitations and weaknesses, so that work to Him was fatigue, even
though in Him dwelt the manifest glory of that divine nature which
'fainteth not, neither is weary.'
Not only does this pathetic incident teach us for our firmer faith, and
more sympathetic and closer apprehension, the reality of the Manhood of
Jesus Christ, but it supplies likewise some imperfect measure of His
love, and reveals to us one condition of His power. Ah! if He had not
Himself known weariness He never could have said, 'Come unto Me, all ye
that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' It was
because Himself 'took our infirmities,' and amongst these the weakness
of tired muscles and exhausted frame, that 'He giveth power to the
faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.' The
Creator must have no share in the infirmities of the creature. It must
be His unwearied power that calls them all by their names; and because
He is great in might 'not one' of the creatures of His hand can 'fail.'
But the Redeemer must participate in that from which He redeems; and
the condition of His strength being 'made perfect in our weakness' is
that our weakness shall have cast a shadow upon the glory of His
strength. The measure of His love is seen in that, long before Calvary,
He entered into the humiliation and sufferings and sorrows of humanity;
a condition of His power is seen in that, forasmuch as the 'children
were partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part
of the same,' not only that 'through death He might deliver' from
death, but that in life He might redeem from the ills and sorrows of
life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account