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ch. vi, 30.

1 Matt. xii. 38. 18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, 'What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these m Matt. xxvi. things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, m Destroy Mark xiv. 58: this temple, and in three days I will raise it 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in render, The Jews therefore answered.

61: xxvii. 40.

IV. 29.

that passion-Psalm, was the marring and wasting of the Saviour's frame by His zeal for God and God's Church, which resulted in the buffeting, the scourging, the Cross.

18.] On the demand of the Jews, see Deut. xiii. 1-3. It was not only to justify His having driven out the abomination; this any one might have done ;but to justify the mission and the whole course of action which the words my Father's house implied. They used the same expression at the end of His ministry, Matt. xxi. 23. 19.] This answer of our Lord has been involved in needless difficulty. That in uttering the words, this temple, He pointed to His own Body, is inconceivable-for thus both the Jews and His own disciples must have understood Him, which (see vv. 20, 22) neither of them did. That He implied in saying, Destroy this temple, that their lawless proceedings in the temple would at last bring it to an end, is equally inconceivable; both on account of the latter part of His declaration, which would thus have no meaning,and because of the use in this case of the peculiar word,-which signifies the holy and the holiest place, the temple itself,-as distinguished from the whole enceinte of the sacred buildings. Stier has well remarked that our Lord in this saying comprehended in the reality,-His own Body, its type and symbol, the temple then before them. That temple, with all its ordinances and holy places, was but the shadow of the Christian Church;that, the type of the Body of the Lord, represented the Church, which is veritably His Body. And so the saying was fulfilled by the slaying of His actual Body, in which rejection of Him the destruction of the Jewish temple and city was involved, and the raising of that Body after three days, in which resurrection we, all the members of His new glorified Body, are risen again. The difficulties attending the interpretation are,-besides the double meaning which I have treated above,-(1) the use of the imperative, as applied to the death of Christ. But this surely may be understood as used hypothetically, and not by way of command. Matt. xii. 33 (" make the tree good, &c.")

up.

is an instance in point. (2) The words I will raise it up-seeing that the resurrection of the Lord is ever spoken of as the work of the Father. Yes, but by power committed to Christ Himself;-see ch. x. 18, where this is distinctly asserted: and ch. vi. 39, 40, 44, where it is implied, for He is the first-fruits of them that sleep, and (though the whole course of His working was after the will of the Father, and in the Spirit, which wrought in Him) strictly and truly raised Himself from the dead in the sense here intended. (3) The utterance of such a prophecy at so early a period of His official life. But it was not a prophecy known and understood,-but a dark saying, from which no one could then draw an inference as to His death or resurrection. The disciples did not understand it; and I cannot agree with Stier that the Jews could have had any idea of such being His meaning. Chrysostom says, "He speaks many such things, which were not plain to men at the time, but to those who should come after. Why does He do this? that He might be shewn to have foreknown future events, when the accomplishment of the prophecy should have come: which has come to pass in the case of this very prophecy." Lücke remarks, that the circumstance of the words being spoken so long before his trial by the Sanhedrim, would make it more easy for the false witnesses to distort them. This they did, but not so as to agree with one another. They reported it, 'I can destroy,' &c. which makes a wide difference, and represents our Lord as an enemy of the temple (Matt. xxvi. 61), and some added to this temple the epithet" which is made with hands," and that He would raise another "made without hands" (Mark xiv. 58). 20.] The building of the temple by Herod the Great is stated by Josephus in one place to have been begun in the eighteenth year of his reign; in another, in the fifteenth: the difference being made by counting his reign from the death of Antigonus, or from his appointment by the Romans. Reckoning from this latter, we shall have twenty years till the birth of Christ, and thirty years since that event, from which fifty, however, four

building, and wilt thou

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Heb. viii. 2.

$1 Cor.

rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake "of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore a Col. ii. 9. he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this [P unto them]; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, I in the feast [day], many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not t commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 and needed not that any should testify of man: for Puhe knew what was in man.

III. 1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 a the same came to

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must be taken, since our era is four years too late. This gives forty-six. The temple was not completed till A.D. 64, under Herod Agrippa II., and the procurator Albinus; so that was in building must refer to the greater part of the work now completed. 22.] the Scripture, by all analogy, must mean the O. T. scriptures. That the resurrection of the Lord is the subject of O. T. prophecy, we find in several passages of the N. T., see ch. xx. 9; Luke xxiv. 26, 27; 1 Cor. xv. 4. At first sight it appears difficult to fix on any passage in which it is directly announced: but with the deeper understanding of the Scriptures which the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles and still gives the Christian Church, such prophecies as that in Ps. xvi. are recognized as belonging to Him in Whom alone they are properly fulfilled; see also Hos. vi. 2.

23.

23-25.] MANY BELIEVE ON JESUS AT THE PASSOVER HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR CHARACTER, AND WITHHOLDING OF HIMSELF FROM THEM. when they beheld the miracles which he did] "They believed on Him, but not firmly. Those converts believed in a stricter sense, who believed not owing to the miracles only, but owing to His teaching." Euthymius. What miracles these were, is not related:-certainly some notable ones, see ch. iii. 2. The mention of them precludes us from understanding ch. iv. 54, as indicating that the healing of the ruler's son was absolutely His second miracle. 24, 25.] The meaning is, He did not trust Himself (in the original, the

iii. 16:
vi. 19.

Cor. vi. 16.

o Luke xxiv. 8.

p

1

Sam. xvi. 7. xviii. 9.

1 Chron.

Matt. ix. 4. Mark ii. 8. ch. vi. 04: xvi. 30.

Acts 1. 24. ach, vii. 50:

Rev. ii. 28.

xix. 39.

Pomit, with the most ancient authorities.
I omit.

render, trust.

I render, But there.

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same verb is used for believed,' in ver. 23, and for 'trust' in this verse) to them,-i.e. treat them as true and earnest disciples: they entered into no spiritual relation with Him, and He in consequence into none with them. The fact of this being narrated shews that it made an impression on the Evangelist, and led him perhaps first to the conclusion which he here expresses, and which higher knowledge enabled him afterwards to place, as he here does, on its right ground;-His knowing what was in man. Nothing less than divine knowledge is here set forth; the words are even stronger than if the reference had been to the persons here mentioned ("needed not that any should testify of them: for He knew what was in them"): as the text now stands, it asserts an entire knowledge of all that is in all men.

CHAP. III. 1-21.] The Lord's discourse with Nicodemus,-one of these believers on account of His miracles,-of the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God and the necessity of the new birth. 1.] There is mentioned in the Talmud a Nicodemus ben Gorion, who was properly called Bonai, and said to have been a disciple of Jesus: but he is found living at the destruction of Jerusalem. This might certainly have been; still it must be quite uncertain whether he be the same with this Nicodemus. He is mentioned again ch. vii. 50; xix. 39. He was a member of the Sanhedrim, and, besides, a teacher of the law (ver. 10). fear of the Jews:

2.] by night, for see ch. xii. 42. The

Acts ii. 22.

y Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that b ch. ix. 16, 38. thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see z render, anew: or, from above: see note.

c Acts x. 38. d ch. i. 13.

Gal. vi. 15.

Titus iii. 5.
James i. 18.

1 Pet. i. 23.

1 John iii. 9.

y read, him.

d

discourse seems to have taken place between Jesus and Nicodemus alone,- and may have been related by our Lord to the Evangelist afterwards. If this be deemed improbable (though I do not see why it should), of the two other alternatives I would rather believe that St. John was present, than that Nicodemus should have so minutely related a conversation which in his then position he could not understand.

we know] This plural may be merely an allusion to others who had come to the same conclusion, e.g. Joseph of Arimathæa; or it may express that Nicodemus was sent in the name of several who wished to know the real character of this Person who wrought such miracles. It is harsh, in this private conversation, to take the plural as merely of singular import, as Lightfoot seems to do. His other rendering, "it is commonly acknowledged," is better,-but not satisfactory; for the common people did not generally confess it, and Nicodemus, as a "ruler," would not be likely to speak in their name (see ch. vii. 49). I would rather take it to express the true conviction respecting Jesus, of that class to which Nicodemus belonged-the "rulers:" and see in it an important fact, that their persecutions and murder of the Prince of Life hence found their greatest aggravation, that they were carried on against the conclusions of their own minds, out of bitter malice, and worldly disappointment at His humble and unobtrusive character, and the spiritual purity and self-sacrifice which He inculcated. Still this must not, though undoubtedly it has truth in it, be carried too far: compare Acts iii. 17, and Acts xiii. 27; 1 Cor. ii. 8. Some degree of ignorance there must necessarily have been in all of them, even Caiaphas included, of our Lord's office and Person. Stier seems to think that Nicodemus, by using the plural, is sheltering himself from expressing his own conviction, so as to be able to draw back again if necessary.

art

. come] Stier and others think that there is involved in this word a recognition by Nicodemus of the Messianic mission of Jesus:-that it expresses His being "He that was to come" (Matt. xi. 3 al.). It is never used of any but the Messiah, except

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by the Lord Himself, when speaking of John the Baptist as the subject of prophecy (see Matt. xi. 14 al.). a teacher] In this and the following words, Nicodemus seems to be cautiously withdrawing from his admission being taken as expressing too much. For who of the Jews ever expected a teacher to come from God? They looked for a King, to sit on David's throne,-a Prophet, to declare the divine will;-but the Messiah was never designated as a mere teacher, till the days of modern Socinianism. So that he seems trying to qualify or recall his "art . . . come" by this addition. The following words exhibit the same cautious inconsistency. No man can do, &c. unless-we expect some strong expression of the truth, such as we had from Nathanael in ch. i. 50, but the sentence drops to merely-' God be with him,' which is a very poor and insufficient exponent of "art come from God." Against this inconsistency,--the inner knowledge that the Kingdom of God was come, and He who was to found it, on the one hand,—and the rationalizing endeavour to reduce this heavenly kingdom to mere learning, and its Founder to a mere teacher, on the other,—is the following discourse directed. 3.] We are

not to imagine that any thing is wanting to complete the sense or connexion. Our Lord replies, It is not learning, but life, that is wanted for the Messiah's Kingdom; and life must begin by birth. Luther says: "My teaching is not of doing and leaving undone, but of a change in the man;-so that it is, not new works done, but a new man to do them; not another life only, but another birth." And only by this means can Nicodemus gain the teaching for which he is come,-"see the Kingdom of God," become a disciple of Christ:"-" "see, that is, understand,” says Theophylact,' understand, by sharing’— 'have any conception of.' anew]

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'some say, from heaven, some, from the beginning." Chrysostom-who, as also Euthymius, explains it by regeneration :'

Origen, Cyril, and Theophylact taking the other meaning. The true meaning is to be found by taking into account the answer of Nicodemus, who obviously un

the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except e Mark xvi. 16. a man be born of water and [a of] the Spirit, he cannot

a omit.

derstood it of a new birth in mature life. Born anew or afresh is a better rendering than born again,' being closer to the meaning of the Greek word, 'from the very beginning;'-'unless a man begin his life anew altogether (see Gal. iv. 9), he cannot' &c. It is not impossible that the other meaning may lie beneath this,--as the king dom is of God, and so must the birth be;but Grotius has made the important remark, that in the language in which our Lord probably spoke, there is no word of double meaning corresponding to the Greek word here:-so that He must have expressed it, as Nicodemus understood it, of an entirely new birth. 4.] It is impossible that Nicodemus can have so entirely and stupidly misunderstood our Lord's words, as his question here would seem to imply. The idea of new birth was by no means alien from the Rabbinical views. They described a proselyte when baptized as "like an infant just born." Lightfoot. I agree with Stier in thinking that there was something of the spirit that would not understand, and the disposition to turn to ridicule what he heard. But together with this there was also considerable real ignorance. The proselyte might be regarded as born again, when he became one of the seed of Abraham: this figure would be easily explained on the Judaical view: but that every man should need this, was beyond Nicodemus's comprehension. He therefore rebuts the assertion with a reduction to an absurdity, which in spirit expresses, as in ch. vi. 60,-"This saying is hard; who can hear it ?'

when he is old: probably he himself was old, and he instances his own case. 5.] Our Lord passes by the question of Nicodemus without notice, further than that this His second assertion takes as it were the ground from under it, by explaining the token and means of the new birth.

There can be no doubt, on any honest interpretation of the words, that to be born of water refers to the token or outward sign of baptism,-to be born of the Spirit to the thing signified, or inward grace of the Holy Spirit. All attempts to get rid of these two plain facts have sprung from doctrinal prejudices, by which

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Acts li. 38.

the views of expositors have been warped. Such we have in Calvin: who explains the words to mean, "the Spirit, who cleanses us, and by diffusing His influence in us inspires the vigour of heavenly life:"Grotius, 'the Spirit, who cleanses like water;"-Cocceius, "the grace of God, washing away our uncleanness and sins;" -Tholuck, who holds that not Baptism itself, but only its idea, that of cleansing, is referred to;- and others, who endeavour to resolve water and the Spirit into a figure, so as to make it mean the cleansing or purifying Spirit.' All the better and deeper expositors have recognized the coexistence of the two, water and the Spirit.

This being then recognized, to what does water refer? At that time, two kinds of baptism were known: that of the proselytes, by which they were received into Judaism,-and that of John, by which, as a preparatory rite, symbolizing repentance, the people were made ready for Him who was to baptize them with the Holy Ghost. But both these were significant of one and the same truth; that, namely, of the entire cleansing of the man for the new and spiritual life on which he was to enter, symbolized by water cleansing the outward person. Both were appointed means, the one by the Jewish Church,the other, stamping that first with approval, by God Himself,-towards their respective ends. John himself declared his baptism to be incomplete,-it was only with water; One was coming, who should baptize with the Holy Ghost. That declaration of his is the key to the understanding of this verse. Baptism, complete, with water and the Spirit, is the admission into the kingdom of God. Those who have received the outward sign and the spiritual grace, have entered into that Kingdom. And this entrance was fully ministered to the disciples when the Spirit descended on them on the day of Pentecost. So that, as spoken to Nicodemus, these words referred him to the baptism of John, which probably (see Luke vii. 30) he had slighted. But they were not only spoken to him. The words of our Lord have in them life and meaning for all ages of His Church: and more especially these

1 Cor. ii. 11.

enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be f Eccles. xi. 5. born b again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto brender, anew: or, from above: see on ver. 3. render, knowest not.

opening declarations of His ministry. He here unites together the two elements of a complete Baptism which were sundered in the words of the Baptist, ch. i. 33-in which united form He afterwards (Matt. xxviii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 16) ordained it as a Sacrament of His Church. Here he speaks of spiritual Baptism, as in ch. vi. of spiritual Communion, and in both places in connexion with the outward conditions and media of these sacraments. It is observ. able that here as ordinarily (with a special exception, Acts x. 44 ff.), the outward sign comes first, and then the spiritual grace, vouchsafed in and by means of it where duly received. enter into is more

than "see" above, though no stress is to be laid on the difference. The former word was perhaps used because of Nicodemus's expectation of teaching being all that was required; but now, the necessity of a real vital change having been set forth, the expression is changed to a practical onethe entering into the Kingdom of God. 6. The neuter gender (that which is born. . .) denotes not only the universal application of this truth, but (see Luke i. 35) the very first beginnings of life in the embryo, before sex can be predicated. So Bengel: "It denotes the very first elements of life."

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The Lord here answers Nicodemus's hypothetical question of ver. 4, by telling him that even could it be so, it would not accomplish the birth of which He speaks.

In this flesh is included every part of that which is born after the ordinary method of generation: even the spirit of man, which, receptive as it is of the Spirit of God, is yet in the natural birth dead, sunk in trespasses and sins, and in a state of wrath. Such flesh and blood' cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. xv. 50. But when the man is born again of the Spirit (the water does not appear any more, being merely the outward form of reception,-theless included in thegreater), then just as flesh generates flesh, so spirit generates spirit, after its own image, see 2 Cor. iii. 18 end; and since the Kingdom

of God is a spiritual kingdom, such only

who are so born can enter into it. 7.] The weightiest word here is Ye. The Lord did not, could not, say this of Himself. Why?-Because in the full sense in which the flesh is incapacitated from entering the kingdom of God, He was not born of the flesh. He inherited the weakness of the flesh, but His spirit was not, like that of sinful man, alien from holiness and God; and therefore on Him no second birth passed; when the Holy Spirit descended on Him at his baptism, the words spoken by the Father were indicative of past approval, not of renewal. His obedience was accepted as perfect, and the good pleasure of the Father rested on Him. Therefore He includes not Himself in this necessity for the new birth.

The Marvel not points on to the next verse, in which Nicodemus is told that he has things as wonderful around him every day in the natural world. 8.] Our Lord might have chosen any of the mysteries of nature to illustrate the point :-He takes that one, which is above others symbolic of the action of the Spirit, and which (in both languages, that in which He spoke, as well as that in which His speech is reported) is expressed by the same word as it;Pneuma being both wind and spirit. So that the words as they stand apply themselves at once to the Spirit and His working, without any figure. Bengel, after Origen and Augustine, takes the word pneuma with which this verse opens, and which we have rendered wind, of the Holy Spirit exclusively but this can hardly be. The form of the sentence, as well as its import, is against it. The words "bloweth," "hearest," "knowest," are all said of well-known facts. And the comparison would not hold on that supposition-'As the Spirit is in His working on those born of Him, so is every one that is born of the Spirit.' But on the other interpretation, we have The wind bloweth, &c. :-so is, i. e. so it is with' (see a similar construction Matt. xiii. 45) every one born of the Spirit. The word

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