Explanation of John 7
Од страна на Rev. John Clowes M.A.
Explaining the Inner Meaning of John 7
Verse 7:1. That the Lord has more delight in instructing the Gentiles, who are in the good of ignorance, than in instructing those of the perverted church, who are principled in self-love, because the love of the latter is opposed to his love.
Verse 7:2. For the Lord is always seeking the implantation of good in truth, and thus liberation of the church from evil.
Verses 7:3, 4. Nevertheless he is tempted by the affections of the natural man to make an external display of his omnipotence, by which both they who are of the church, and they who are not of the church, might be led to acknowledge him.
Verses 7:5, 6. But this suggestion is not influenced by divine truth, which teaches, that the state of the Lord, when he was in the world, differed from that of natural men, because he was always advancing, as to his humanity, towards union with the divine good in himself, whereas natural men are in the present possession of their good.
Verse 7:7. And therefore natural men are not sensible of opposition from the powers of evil, whereas the Lord, as to his humanity, felt the whole weight of that opposition, in consequence of making those powers manifest.
Verses 7:8, 9. On which account natural men are enjoined the use of representative worship, but not so the Lord, since the glorification of his humanity is the end of all representations, and therefore he remains with those who receive him according to that end.
Verse 7:10. At the same time he interiorly is in the good of that representative worship, which relates to the implantation of good in truth, and thus to the glorification of his humanity, but not exteriorly.
Verses 7:11, 12, 13. By which means he excites enquiry in the church concerning himself, which enquiry leads some to justify him, and some to condemn him, yet all are afraid to speak their sentiments, being over-awed by public opinion.
Verse 7:14. That from divine good, and consequent elevation into the light of divine truth, the Lord gives instruction.
Verse 7:15. The interior source of which instruction cannot be apprehended by the natural man.
Verse 7:16. Until he is taught, that the truth proceeding from the Lord's humanity is not of the humanity only, but of the divine good dwelling in it, and one with it.
Verse 7:17. And that therefore all, who live in conformity with that good, will be instructed as to the origin of truth.
Verse 7:18. Since self-love always gives birth to false principles, whilst divine and heavenly love gives birth to principles of truth and justice.
Verses 7:19, 20. Hence comes the Divine Word, which still is not obeyed, and therefore the Lord in his Divine Humanity is rejected, and his operation imputed to infernal agency, whilst they who reject him are not aware of the crime which they are committing.
Verses 7:21, 22, 23. Therefore they are taught, that since the Lord in his Divine Humanity had manifested, by their own confession, an operation more than human; and since on this account the Word, both in the Israelitish church, and in the ancient church, required purification from unclean loves, which requirement they fulfilled, as to its external representation, therefore out of regard to the Word, they ought not to oppose that humanity in its purpose of communicating spiritual life, which was represented by the Sabbath.
Verse 7:24. Neither ought they to form their judgement from truth alone, but from truth in conjunction with its good.
Verses 7:25, 26. That the opposition of the perverted church to the Lord in his Divine Humanity, was known to those who were principled in the doctrine of truth, and who thus, seeing the power of the divine truth over its adversaries, are led to enquire how far they, who are principled in knowledges, believe in that humanity.
Verse 7:27. Yet they are perplexed about the origin of that humanity, because they could not discern his divinity.
Verse 7:28. Therefore they are taught that the humanity was known, and also its origin, since it is not self-derived, but from the invisible and unknown divinity.
Verse 7:29. Yet the humanity knows the divinity, because it proceeds from the divinity.
Verse 7:30. That this doctrine excites violent opposition in will, but not in act, being restrained for the present by the Lord's divine providence.
Verse 7:31. Nevertheless, with those who are principled in truth, it excites faith in the Lord's humanity, the operation of which humanity is exalted by them above every other operation.
Verses 7:32, 33, 34. But this faith so excited tends only to increase the spirit of opposition amongst those of the perverted church, who are principled in self-love, and therefore they are taught, that the Lord's humanity will certainly be united with his divinity, on which occasion he cannot be approached by those who merely speculate about him, because they are destitute of the love and life in which he dwells.
Verses 7:35, 36. Still they who are principled in self-love are not able to comprehend what is meant by the union of the Lord's humanity with his divinity.
Verses 7:37, 38, 39. Therefore they are further instructed, that if they are desirous of attaining the knowledge of truth, they must receive from the Lord in his Divine Humanity the truths of doctrine and their faith, since hence comes spiritual intelligence of divine truth from the Lord, inasmuch as to impart such intelligence is the great purpose of the glorification of the Lord's humanity.
Verse 39, latter part. For spiritual intelligence of divine truth cannot be given but from divinity and humanity united in the one divine person of the Lord.
Verses 7:40, 41, 42, 43. That in consequence of this instruction, they, who are principled in truth, are led to acknowledge the Lord's humanity as the all of doctrine, and the all of truth, whilst others are perplexed about the divine origin of that humanity as taught in the Word.
Verse 7:44. Hence inclination is inwardly cherished to do violence to that humanity, but the power to do it is checked.
Verses 7:45, 46. And on enquiry how, it was checked, it is discovered, that the truth proceeding from that humanity was more than human, so that the simple could not resist it.
Verses 7:47, 48, 49. Therefore they, who are blinded by self-love, and who fancy themselves qualified by their superior learning to decide on what is true, or otherwise, condemn the simple as ignorant of the truth.
Verse 50, 51. Yet their own learning suggests the consideration that no one ought to be condemned, until it be first known whether he be guilty, and what his guilt is.
Verses 7:52, 53. But this consideration is over-ruled, as not applicable to the Lord's humanity and the doctrine which he taught, since no teacher of truth can be born out of the church, therefore all abide in their own ruling love and persuasions.
John 11
1
Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.
2
It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick.
3
The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, "Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick."
4
But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God's Son may be glorified by it."
5
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6
When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was.
7
Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let's go into Judea again."
8
The disciples told him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"
9
Jesus answered, "Aren't there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn't stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10
But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn't in him."
11
He said these things, and after that, he said to them, "Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep."
12
The disciples therefore said, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."
13
Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep.
14
So Jesus said to them plainly then, "Lazarus is dead.
15
I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let's go to him."
16
Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go also, that we may die with him."
17
So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already.
18
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.
19
Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20
Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house.
21
Therefore Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn't have died.
22
Even now I know that, whatever you ask of God, God will give you."
23
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24
Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
26
Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27
She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God's Son, he who comes into the world."
28
When she had said this, she went away, and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, "The Teacher is here, and is calling you."
29
When she heard this, she arose quickly, and went to him.
30
Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.
31
Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."
32
Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn't have died."
33
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
34
and said, "Where have you laid him?" They told him, "Lord, come and see."
35
Jesus wept.
36
The Jews therefore said, "See how much affection he had for him!"
37
Some of them said, "Couldn't this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?"
38
Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
39
Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
40
Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see God's glory?"
41
So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, "Father, I thank you that you listened to me.
42
I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude that stands around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me."
43
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
44
He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Free him, and let him go."
45
Therefore many of the Jews, who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.
46
But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.
47
The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, "What are we doing? For this man does many signs.
48
If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
49
But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all,
50
nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish."
51
Now he didn't say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
52
and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
53
So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death.
54
Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.
55
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
56
Then they sought for Jesus and spoke one with another, as they stood in the temple, "What do you think--that he isn't coming to the feast at all?"
57
Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.
