Matthew Henry Commentary
John's Testimony to Christ.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I
spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was
before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for
grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
In these verses,
I. The evangelist begins again to give us John Baptist's testimony
concerning Christ, v. 15. He had said (v. 8) that he came for a
witness; now here he tells us that he did accordingly bear witness.
Here, Observe,
1. How he expressed his testimony: He cried, according to the
prediction that he should be the voice of one crying. The Old-Testament
prophets cried aloud, to show people their sins; this New-Testament
prophet cried aloud, to show people their Saviour. This intimates, (1.)
That it was an open public testimony, proclaimed, that all manner of
persons might take notice of it, for all are concerned in it. False
teachers entice secretly, but wisdom publishes her dictates in the
chief places of concourse. (2.) That he was free and hearty in bearing
this testimony. He cried as one that was both well assured of the truth
to which he witnessed and well affected to it. He that had leaped in
his mother's womb for joy of Christ's approach, when newly conceived,
does now with a like exultation of spirit welcome his public
appearance.
2. What his testimony was. He appeals to what he had said at the
beginning of his ministry, when he had directed them to expect one that
should come after him, whose forerunner he was, and never intended any
other than to lead them to him, and to prepare his way. This he had
given them notice of from the first. Note, It is very comfortable to a
minister to have the testimony of his conscience for him that he set
out in his ministry with honest principles and sincere intentions, with
a single eye to the glory and honour of Christ. Now what he had then
said he applies to this Jesus whom he had lately baptized, and who was
so remarkably owned from heaven: This was he of whom I spoke. John did
not tell them that there would shortly appear such a one among them,
and then leave them to find him out; but in this he went beyond all the
Old-Testament prophets that he particularly specified the person: "This
was he, the very man I told you of, and to him all I said is to be
accommodated." Now what was it he said?
(1.) He had given the preference to this Jesus: He that comes after me,
in the time of his birth and public appearance, is preferred before me;
he that succeeds me in preaching and making disciples is a more
excellent person, upon all accounts; as the prince or peer that comes
after is preferred before the harbinger or gentleman-usher that makes
way for him. Note, Jesus Christ, who was to be called the Son of the
Highest (Luke i. 32), was preferred before John Baptist, who was to be
called only the prophet of the Highest, Luke i. 76. John was a minister
of the New Testament, but Christ was the Mediator of the New Testament.
And observe, though John was a great man, and had a great name and
interest, yet he was forward to give the preference to him to whom it
belonged. Note, All the ministers of Christ must prefer him and his
interest before themselves and their own interests; they will make an
ill account that seek their own things, not the things of Christ, Phil.
ii. 21. He comes after me, and yet is preferred before me. Note, God
dispenses his gifts according to his good pleasure, and many times
crosses hands, as Jacob did, preferring the younger before the elder.
Paul far outstripped those that were in Christ before him.
(2.) He here gives a good reason for it: For he was before me, protos
mou en--He was my first, or first to me; he was my first Cause, my
original. The First is one of God's names, Isa. xliv. 6. He is before
me, is my first, [1.] In respect of seniority: he was before me, for he
was before Abraham, ch. viii. 58. Nay, he was before all things, Col.
i. 17. I am but of yesterday, he from eternity. It was but in those
days that John Baptist came (Matt. iii. 1), but the goings forth of our
Lord Jesus were of old, from everlasting, Mic. v. 2. This proves two
natures in Christ. Christ, as man, came after John as to his public
appearance; Christ, as God, was before him; and how could he otherwise
be before him but by an eternal existence? [2.] In respect of
supremacy; for he was my prince; so some princes are called the first;
proton, "It is he for whose sake and service I am sent: he is my
Master, I am his minister and messenger."
II. He presently returns again to speak of Jesus Christ, and cannot go
on with John Baptist's testimony till v. 19. The 16th verse has a
manifest connection with v. 14, where the incarnate Word was said to be
full of grace and truth. Now here he makes this the matter, not only of
our adoration, but of our thankfulness, because from that fulness of
his we all have received. He received gifts for men (Ps. lxviii. 18),
that he might give gifts to men, Eph. iv. 8. He was filled, that he
might fill all in all (Eph. i. 23), might fill our treasures, Prov.
viii. 21. He has a fountain of fulness overflowing: We all have
received. All we apostles; so some. We have received the favour of this
apostleship, that is grace; and a fitness for it, that is truth. Or,
rather, All we believers; as many as received him (v. 16), received
from him. Note, All true believers receive from Christ's fulness; the
best and greatest saints cannot live without him, the meanest and
weakest may live by him. This excludes proud boasting, that we have
nothing but we have received it; and silences perplexing fears, that we
want nothing but we may receive it. Let us see what it is that we have
received.
1. We have received grace for grace. Our receivings by Christ are all
summed up in this one word, grace; we have received kai charin--even
grace, so great a gift, so rich, so invaluable; we have received no
less than grace; this is a gift to be spoken of with an emphasis. It is
repeated, grace for grace; for to every stone in this building, as well
as to the top-stone, we must cry, Grace, grace. Observe,
(1.) The blessing received. It is grace; the good will of God towards
us, and the good work of God in us. God's good will works the good
work, and then the good work qualifies us for further tokens of his
good will. As the cistern receives water from the fulness of the
fountain, the branches sap from the fulness of the root, and the air
light from the fulness of the sun, so we receive grace from the fulness
of Christ.
(2.) The manner of its reception: Grace for grace--charin anti
charitos. The phrase is singular, and interpreters put different senses
upon it, each of which will be of use to illustrate the unsearchable
riches of the grace of Christ. Grace for grace bespeaks, [1.] The
freeness of this grace. It is grace for grace' sake; so Grotius. We
receive grace, not for our sakes (be it known to us), but even so,
Father, because it seemed good in thy sight. It is a gift according to
grace, Rom. xii. 6. It is grace to us for the sake of grace to Jesus
Christ. God was well pleased in him, and is therefore well pleased with
us in him, Eph. i. 6. [2.] The fulness of this grace. Grace for grace
is abundance of grace, grace upon grace (so Camero), one grace heaped
upon another; as skin for skin is skin after skin, even all that a man
has, Job ii. 4. It is a blessing poured out, that there shall not be
room to receive it, plenteous redemption: one grace a pledge of more
grace. Joseph-He will add. It is such a fulness as is called the
fulness of God which we are filled with. We are not straitened in the
grace of Christ, if we be not straitened in our own bosoms. [3.] The
serviceableness of this grace. Grace for grace is grace for the
promoting and advancing of grace. Grace to be exercised by ourselves;
gracious habits for gracious acts. Grace to be ministered to others;
gracious vouchsafements for gracious performances: grace is a talent to
be traded with. The apostles received grace (Rom. i. 5; Eph. iii. 8),
that they might communicate it, 1 Pet. iv. 10. [4.] The substitution of
New-Testament grace in the room and stead of Old-Testament grace: so
Beza. And this sense is confirmed by what follows (v. 17); for the Old
Testament had grace in type, the New Testament has grace in truth.
There was a grace under the Old Testament, the gospel was preached then
(Gal. iii. 8); but that grace is superseded, and we have gospel grace
instead of it, a glory which excelleth, 2 Cor. iii. 10. Discoveries of
grace are now more clear, distributions of grace far more plentiful;
this is grace instead of grace. [5.] It bespeaks the augmentation and
continuance of grace. Grace for grace is one grace to improve, confirm,
and perfect another grace. We are changed into the divine image, from
glory to glory, from one degree of glorious grace to another, 2 Cor.
iii. 18. Those that have true grace have that for more grace, Jam. iv.
6. When God gives grace he saith, Take this in part; for he who hath
promised will perform. [6.] It bespeaks the agreeableness and
conformity of grace in the saints to the grace that is in Jesus Christ;
so Mr. Clark. Grace for grace is grace in us answering to grace in him,
as the impression upon the wax answers the seal line for line. The
grace we receive from Christ changes us into the same image (2 Cor.
iii. 18), the image of the Son (Rom. viii. 29), the image of the
heavenly, 1 Cor. xv. 49.
2. We have received grace and truth, v. 17. He had said (v. 14) that
Christ was full of grace and truth; now here he says that by him grace
and truth came to us. From Christ we receive grace; this is a string he
delights to harp upon, he cannot go off from it. Two things he further
observes in this verse concerning this grace:--(1.) Its preference
above the law of Moses: The law was given by Moses, and it was a
glorious discovery, both of God's will concerning man and his good will
to man; but the gospel of Christ is a much clearer discovery both of
duty and happiness. That which was given by Moses was purely terrifying
and threatening, and bound with penalties, a law which could not give
life, which was given with abundance of terror (Heb. xii. 18); but that
which is given by Jesus Christ is of another nature; it has all the
beneficial uses of the law, but not the terror, for it is grace: grace
teaching (Tit. ii. 11), grace reigning, Rom. v. 21. It is a law, but a
remedial law. The endearments of love are the genius of the gospel, not
the affrightments of law and the curse. (2.) Its connection with truth:
grace and truth. In the gospel we have the discovery of the greatest
truths to be embraced by the understanding, as well as of the richest
grace to be embraced by the will and affections. It is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation; that is, it is grace and truth.
The offers of grace are sincere, and what we may venture our souls
upon; they are made in earnest, for it is grace and truth. It is grace
and truth with reference to the law that was given by Moses. For it is,
[1.] The performance of all the Old-Testament promises. In the Old
Testament we often find mercy and truth put together, that is, mercy
according to promise; so here grace and truth denote grace according to
promise. See Luke i. 72; 1 Kings viii. 56. [2.] It is the substance of
all the Old-Testament types and shadows. Something of grace there was
both in the ordinances that were instituted for Israel and the
providences that occurred concerning Israel; but they were only shadows
of good things to come, even of the grace that is to be brought to us
by the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is the true paschal lamb, the
true scape-goat, the true manna. They had grace in the picture; we have
grace in the person, that is, grace and truth. Grace and truth came,
egeneto--was made; the same word that was used (v. 3) concerning
Christ's making all things. The law was only made known by Moses, but
the being of this grace and truth, as well as the discovery of them, is
owing to Jesus Christ; this was made by him, as the world at first was;
and by him this grace and truth do consist.
3. Another thing we receive from Christ is a clear revelation of God to
us (v. 18): He hath declared God to us, whom no man hath seen at any
time. This was the grace and truth which came by Christ, the knowledge
of God and an acquaintance with him. Observe,
(1.) The insufficiency of all other discoveries: No man hath seen God
at any time. This intimates, [1.] That the nature of God being
spiritual, he is invisible to bodily eyes, he is a being whom no man
hath seen, nor can see, 1 Tim. vi. 16. We have therefore need to live
by faith, by which we see him that is invisible, Heb. xi. 27. [2.] That
the revelation which God made of himself in the Old Testament was very
short and imperfect, in comparison with that which he has made by
Christ: No man hath seen God at any time; that is, what was seen and
known of God before the incarnation of Christ was nothing to that which
is now seen and known; life and immortality are now brought to a much
clearer light than they were then. [3.] That none of the Old-Testament
prophets were so well qualified to make known the mind and will of God
to the children of men as our Lord Jesus was, for none of them had seen
God at any time. Moses beheld the similitude of the Lord (Num. xii. 8),
but was told that he could not see his face, Exod. xxxiii. 20. But this
recommends Christ's holy religion to us that it was founded by one that
had seen God, and knew more of his mind than any one else ever did.
(2.) The all-sufficiency of the gospel discovery proved from its
author: The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he
has declared him. Observe here,
[1.] How fit he was to make this discovery, and every way qualified for
it. He and he alone was worthy to take the book, and to open the seals,
Rev. v. 9. For, First, He is the only-begotten Son; and who so likely
to know the Father as the Son? or in whom is the Father better known
than in the Son? Matt. xi. 27. He is of the same nature with the
Father, so that he who hath seen him hath seen the Father, ch. xiv. 9.
The servant is not supposed to know so well what his Lord does as the
Son, ch. xv. 15. Moses was faithful as a servant, but Christ as a Son.
Secondly, He is in the bosom of the Father. He had lain in his bosom
from eternity. When he was here upon earth, yet still, as God, he was
in the bosom of the Father, and thither he returned when he ascended.
In the bosom of the Father; that is, 1. In the bosom of his special
love, dear to him, in whom he was well pleased, always his delight. All
God's saints are in his hand, but his Son was in his bosom, one in
nature and essence, and therefore in the highest degree one in love. 2.
In the bosom of his secret counsels. As there was a mutual complacency,
so there was a mutual consciousness, between the Father and Son (Matt.
xi. 27); none so fit as he to make known God, for none knew his mind as
he did. Our most secret counsels we are said to hide in our bosom (in
pectore); Christ was privy to the bosom-counsels of the Father. The
prophets sat down at his feet as scholars; Christ lay in his bosom as a
friend. See Eph. iii. 11.
[2.] How free he was in making this discovery: He hath declared. Him is
not in the original. He has declared that of God which no man had at
any time seen or known; not only that which was hid of God, but that
which was hid in God (Eph. iii. 9), exegesato--it signifies a plain,
clear, and full discovery, not by general and doubtful hints, but by
particular explications. He that runs may now read the will of God and
the way of salvation. This is the grace, this the truth, that came by
Jesus Christ.
(Exposition by Matthew Henry on John Chapter 1 verses 15 to 18 - John's testimony to Christ) |