C H A P T E R V.
John's version of the Commission--Holy Spirit not given until after
Christ's ascension--Election of Matthias not ratified--Advent of
the Comforter--Its great importance--Completion of the redemptive
work--The gift of the Holy Spirit literal and real. |
S some think the Spirit was given to the
disciples prior to Christ's ascension, it will be
proper here to consider the passage of Scripture on
which this opinion is founded. It will be found in
John xx: 21-23,
and reads as follows: "Then said
Jesus to them again, [the disciples, Thomas absent,]
Peace be unto you. As my Father hath sent me,
even so send I you. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye
the Holy Spirit. Whosoever sins ye remit, they are
remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain,
they are retained."
This is evidently John's version of the Commission
given to the apostles. Christ had besought the Father
when he prayed that the unity or oneness which
existed between him and the Father might be extended
to the disciples, (a
prayer to be fulfilled,
as
I have shown, in the gift of the Holy Spirit.) "As
thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I
also sent them into the world." Accordingly, he
here
[88]
says: "As my Father hath sent me, so send I you,"
and with this he connects the injunction, "Receive ye
the Holy Spirit." In
Matthew,
he is represented as
saying, "Go ye, therefore," etc., and in
Mark,
"Go
ye into all the world," etc., while in
Matthew
the
presence of the Spirit is implied in "I am with you
alway even unto the end of the world," and in the
declaration in
Luke,
"Behold I send the promise of
my Father upon you." So also the pardon of sin
conferred in the gospel, expressed by
John
in "Whosoever
sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them,"
is implied in the language of
Matthew,
"Disciple all
nations," since discipleship involved pardon; or in
Mark
by "He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved," or again differently in
Luke,
"That repentance
and remission of sins should be preached among
all nations." On the other hand, the rejection of the
impenitent announced by
John
in the words "Whosoever
sins ye retain, they are retained," is thus stated
by
Mark,
"He that believeth not shall be damned."
It being thus evident that the passage above quoted
from
John,
is simply his version of the apostolic Commission,
the phraseology of the other evangelists must
be taken in connection and in harmony. Probably
none of them give the precise words employed by
Christ when he gave and fully explained to them their
mission. Each gives what appeared to him its purport
or substance in brief, and the differences which
appear, serve to reveal that individuality which existed
in each case, and was allowed to mingle itself with
the terms of the revelation given. It is the earnest [89]
and comprehensive John alone who, in his version of
the commission, makes direct mention of the Holy
Spirit--a subject on which he had dwelt so much
more than all the rest in the previous part of his
"Gospel." Matthew, however, as seen above, refers to
it as the presence of Christ with the apostles in
their mission, and Luke includes it as the "promise"
of the Father which was to be sent upon them,
adding the command that they should "tarry at Jerusalem"
until [thus] "endued with power from on
high." In allowing the Evangelists thus to explain
each other, the saying in John "Receive ye the Holy
Spirit," can not be supposed to refer to the time at
which it was spoken, but to the time at which the
Spirit was appointed to be given, this period being
still governed by the condition already made known,
"If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you,"
John xvi: 7.
It should also be noted, that
the time at which the commission was given, is not
to be regarded as fixed by the order of the narrative
in Matthew, Mark and John, but as being really indicated
by Luke, and as occurring immediately before
the ascension. Unless this period be assigned, the
more unlikely view must be taken that the Commission
was given at different times, and, in the first
case, in the absence of Thomas, one of the eleven.1
[90]
Apart from these considerations, however, the
passage in
John xx: 21-23
does not assert that the [91]
Holy Spirit was then given or received. Doubtless,
the fact related that Christ, in uttering these words, [92]
"breathed upon them," tends to convey the impression
that the Spirit was then communicated, though
not necessarily so. For this may be justly regarded
as an emblematic or prophetic act, probably with
an analogical reference to the inbreathing of the
"breath" or spirit of life into Adam, whose body
God had just formed. Christ had now before him
his spiritual body, the church, in its outward manifestation
in the world, and might well signify by this
expressive act of breathing upon it, that it was to
receive, in the Holy Spirit shortly to be imparted,
that Divine life and power which would fit it for its
mission. It was as yet as one of the forms seen by
Ezekiel, "when the sinews and the flesh had come
up upon them, but there was no breath in them,"
and when he was commanded to prophesy unto the
wind, and say to the wind: "Come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe upon these . . .
that they may live." Christ seems here to have impressively
prefigured what was shortly to come to
pass, thus continuing still to direct the attention of
the apostles to that eventful moment when the kingdom
of heaven should be formally established, and
when they should be "endued with power from on
high." Should any one, however, be disposed to
regard the passage we have been considering as indicating
at least an actual impartation of supernatural
spiritual discernment, as a special gift adapted to
the existing circumstances of the disciples, this view
would not conflict with the fact that the Holy Spirit
himself was not given until Pentecost, inasmuch as[93]
supernatural powers of various kinds had, as shown
above, repeatedly been given already, and were matters
quite distinct from the promise in question.
Those who take this view, can find in Luke's declaration,
"Then opened he their understanding that
they might understand the Scriptures," and in Peter's
application of the prophecies to Judas just before
Pentecost
(Acts i: 16-22),
a plausible ground for
their opinion, though it seems scarce proper to suppose
immediate inspiration necessary to account for
results which might have been but natural consequences
of those teachings and explanations and
applications of Scripture, which the disciples had received
from Christ himself after his resurrection,
during the forty days in which he was "speaking to
them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of
God."
Acts i: 3.2
[94]
With far more probability, however, is it supposed
by many that Peter's course on that occasion was
dictated by that forward zeal characteristic of him,
and that it was not sanctioned by Divine authority.
The determination of the choice of an apostle by the
Jewish custom of casting the lot, indicates clearly
that the disciples did not then possess the Holy
Spirit, for this method appears not to have been
afterward employed, but, under the guidance of the
Spirit after Pentecost, those who were to be Divinely
called to special ministries were expressly designated
by name through a supernatural medium, as in the
case of Paul
(Acts ix: 4),
Ananias
(Acts ix: 10),
[95]
Timothy
(1 Tim. i: 18; iv: 14),
Paul and Barnabas
(Acts xiii: 2),
Peter
(Acts x: 5, 19),
etc. Certain it
is, that the name of Matthias never afterward appears
in the Divine record, and that Paul was subsequently
chosen, as had been the other apostles, by our Lord
himself in person, thus completing their entire number,
as determined in the symbols of the Apocalypse,
where the foundations of the new Jerusalem are represented
as having in them "the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb."
Rev. xxi: 14.
The appointment
of Matthias was hence not Divinely recognized
as authoritative and permanent. It had not been
commanded by the Holy Spirit, nor had the Holy
Spirit yet been given to illuminate the minds of the
disciples in regard to their proper functions.
Having thus considered the only passage in the
New Testament which seems to imply the giving of
the Holy Spirit prior to the day of Pentecost, and
found it to be incorrectly applied, we now come to
the actual fulfillment of the great promise of the
gospel. It may be truly said, that the gift of the
Holy Spirit to the Church, was an event as marked
and as definite as the advent of Christ himself. Like
the latter, it was specially foretold by the ancient
prophets, and announced by John the Baptist. More
emphatically still, was it repeatedly dwelt upon by
the great Prophet, Christ himself. It forms, in fact,
one of the great epochs in human affairs. It was
the introduction of a Divine presence upon earth
which had never here thus dwelt before, and which
was now to secure and complete in man that [96]
salvation which a suffering Christ had effected for man.
Until the special work of Christ was finished, therefore,
the Comforter could not come. The Redeemer
must first enter into the true Holy Place to appear
in the presence of God for men. He must first
"ascend on high and lead captivity captive, before
he received gifts for men, even for the rebellious,
that the Lord God might dwell among them" by the
Spirit. Thus alone could this Divine presence enter
into the sanctuary of the human heart, to shed abroad
there the sweet incense of the love of God, in its
revelation of Christ, in renewing, sanctifying, justifying,
and redeeming man; the whole great work of
salvation being briefly comprehended in two things,
the gift of Christ for man and the gift of the Holy
Spirit to man. Both were necessary to the full accomplishment
of the purposes of God, in revealing
himself to humanity through a series of progressive
illuminations and developments. For while the great
promise of the Old Testament and the hope of the
ancient saints, was the coming of Christ, the Messiah;
this was no sooner fulfilled, than the great remaining
promise was the advent of the Holy Spirit, to complete
the work of renovation.
It was in direct reference to this completion of the
plan of salvation, that the apostles, in the Commission,
were commanded to baptize believers "into the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
The entire Godhead was thus expressed, as fully and
finally manifested in the redemption of the world--a
tri-unity, already made known in anticipation at the [97]
baptism of Jesus, when the Father announced the
Son and when the Holy Spirit, in a bodily form,
descended and abode upon him. Not only in these
incontrovertible evidences, but in all Christ's communications
to the disciples upon this subject, the
personality and Divinity of the Holy Spirit are clearly
implied, while at the same time the unity of God is
constantly maintained. The Father had been manifested
to them in Christ, and they were now taught
to look for another Paraclete, a new and permanent
manifestation of God, which was to abide with them
forever. For the accomplishment of this Divine
promise, accordingly, the disciples now waited at
Jerusalem. And it was at the culmination of the
Pentecostal season, on the day of first fruits--a day
supposed to have been observed also in commemoration
of the giving of the Law on Sinai, that this
momentous promise was fulfilled.
It was about ten days after the ascension of Christ.
The apostles had continued daily in prayer and supplication
with the women and Mary the mother of
Jesus and with his brethren. The number of the
names together, we are told, was about one hundred
and twenty, and, as the eventful hour approached,
they were all gathered together with one accord in
one place. "Suddenly," as Luke relates, "there came
a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like
as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to [98]
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance." These marvels being quickly noised
abroad, a multitude of the Jews, dwellers at Jerusalem
and strangers from foreign countries, immediately
assembled, and being astonished to hear, in
their own native languages, the wonderful works of
God related with all the fervor of inspiration, by these
humble Galileans, were led to ask the meaning of the
prodigy, while others scoffingly attributed the whole
to the excitement produced by wine. But Peter,
standing up with the eleven, at once repels this imputation,
and, in words of truth and soberness, refers
his auditors to the prophecy of Joel as herein now
fulfilled in the actual bestowment of the Holy Spirit.
Having secured their attention, he goes on to declare
to them, with authority and power, that in Jesus of
Nazareth they had slain the Prince of Life, but that
God, having raised him from the dead according to
the express predictions of David and the prophets,
had exalted him to his own right hand in the heavens,
constituting him both Lord and Christ, in evidence
of which, having received of the Father the promised
Holy Spirit, he had now shed forth that which they
then "saw and heard." Convinced of the truths
thus declared and demonstrated, and pierced to the
heart by the consciousness of their guilt before God,
the people earnestly inquire of the apostles what they
should do. Upon which, Peter commands them to
"repent and be baptized for the remission of sins,"
assuring them that they too should receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit, "for," said he, "the promise is to [99]
you and to your children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
This, then, was the first fulfillment of the promise
which Christ gave to his disciples, that he would send
them another Comforter to abide with them forever,
and, in the literal fact thus recorded, we have the proper
application and explanation of the many allusions and
references to the giving of the Holy Spirit found in
the Evangelists, whether these references be figurative
or literal. The Holy Spirit had now been imparted
to the body of Christ, the church, to pervade
all its members and establish and maintain among
them, to the end of time, that unity for which Jesus
had offered up his petitions to the Father. The
imagery in which this momentous fact is foretold is
glowing, striking, and forcible, as might naturally be
expected from the prophetic style, but more especially
from the important nature of the fact itself. The
vivid character of these annunciations, and the importation
of miraculous endowments which often, in
apostolic times, attended the gift of the Spirit, have
led many to erroneous conceptions as to what really
constitutes this gift, and it will be proper here to
consider the figures employed, as well as some of the
cases recorded, as illustrative of what is actually
meant by the "gift of the Holy Spirit." [100]
1
The neglect of strict chronological order in the simple narrations
of the Evangelists is so obvious as scarcely to require mention. The
mere order of narration is hence not to be unduly pressed in any case,
and when we desire to arrange the facts in the proper order of sequence [90]
we are compelled to make considerable transposition. A strict chronological
order was not specially sought by unpracticed writers who
desired rather to give, in brief, the substance of those many-sided facts
in the life of Christ, which, in the minds of each, connected themselves
with each other, from a particular point of view. We have hence
such an individuality in the testimony of each, that new light is thrown
around the facts recorded, and a more complete revelation is given of
the character and the work of Christ, while, at the same time, no absolute
contrariety of statement is found to exist. It may well be supposed
that John, for instance, desiring to record the Commission given
by Christ, took advantage of the opportunity to introduce it while
relating Christ's first interview with the disciples after the resurrection,
it being regarded as immaterial to what particular period it was assigned
between the resurrection and ascension. The same indifference as to
the exact point of time, is shown in Matthew, where, from the order
of narration, the Commission would seem to have been given on the
mountain in Galilee where the chief portion of the brethren were
assembled by the Lord's appointment. In Mark, on the other hand,
where no mention is made of the assembly in Galilee, the Commission
is represented as given to the eleven as they sat at meat very soon after
the resurrection at Jerusalem. It is Luke alone, who, although omitting
mention of the journey to Galilee, seems to indicate the time at
which the Commission was actually given, since he connects it with
the injunction to the disciples to "tarry at Jerusalem until they were
endued with power from on high." It would appear, hence, that it
was given after the return from Galilee, and toward the close of the
forty days in which, as he says in
Acts i,
Christ 'showed himself alive
to the apostles by many infallible proofs,' and "speaking of the things
concerning the kingdom of God, and being assembled together with
them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem,
but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard
of me." Immediately after this, he adds that he led them out as far
as to Bethany, from whence he ascended to heaven, thus making the
Commission the last important official act of his earthly ministry. [91]
These points may be elucidated by enumerating the different appearances
mentioned after the resurrection.
1st. To the Galilean women, Mary and others.
2d. To the two disciples on the way to Emmaus.
3d. To "the eleven" in the evening of the first day, Thomas
absent.
4th. To the eleven, eight days after, when Thomas was convinced.
5th. To seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
6th. To more than five hundred on the mountain in Galilee.
7th. To James.
8th. To those tarrying at Jerusalem after the visit to Galilee.
After the appearance to Mary and to the disciples going to Emmaus,
the next was to the assembled apostles formerly designated officially
as "the twelve," but now, since the defection of Judas, as "the eleven,"
an expression applied to them as a body and admitting of the temporary
absence of one or two members without invalidating its current
use. Paul, indeed, in
1 Cor. xv: 5
still adheres to the original designation,
and says "he was seen of the twelve." It seems, from John,
that Thomas was certainly absent from the society of the apostles on
this occasion, so that only ten were really present, and that it was on
the next appearance of Christ, eight days after, that Thomas was convinced.
This period of eight days is explained by the fact that the
days of unleavened bread, with their offerings, continuing until Friday
and this day being succeeded by the Sabbath, the disciples would, as a
matter of course, remain at Jerusalem until the first day of the week
succeeding that of the resurrection. Immediately after this, the visit
to Galilee seems to have taken place, where Christ appeared first to
those fishing at the Sea of Tiberias and then to the entire body of disciples
convened upon the mountain. Subsequently, he appears specially
to James,
(1 Cor. xv: 7)
perhaps to direct the return of the
apostles to Jerusalem, where he again "assembled with them" during
the remainder of the forty days, delivering the Commission at their
close, immediately before his final departure, and enjoining them to
remain at Jerusalem until the descent of the Spirit. [92]
2
I subjoin Dean Alford's note on
John xx: 22:
"To understand
this verse as the outpouring of the Spirit, the fulfillment of the promise
of the Comforter, is against all consistency, and most against John
himself. See
ch. xvi: 7, and ch. xx: 17.
To understand it rightly,
we have merely to recur to that great key to the meaning of so many
dark passages of Scripture, the manifold and gradual unfolding of
promise and prophecy in their fulfillment. The presence of the Lord
among them now was a slight and temporary fulfillment of his promise
of returning to them, and so the imparting of the Spirit now was
a symbol and foretaste of that which they should receive at Pentecost;
just as, to mount a step higher, that itself, in its present abiding with
us, is but the first-fruits and pledge
(Rom. viii: 23; 2 Cor. i: 22)
of
the fullness which we shall hereafter inherit. 'The relation of this
saying to the effusion of the Spirit is the same which
ch. iii
bears to Baptism;
ch. vi,
to the Lord's Supper;
ch. xvii: 1,
to the Ascension,' [94]
etc. (Luthardt.) Further this giving of the Spirit was not the Spirit
personally imparting of himself to them, but only a partial instilling of
his influence. He proceeds forth in his work (as in His essence) from
the Father and the Son: This breathing of his influence was an imparting
of him from the Son in his risen body, but that body had not
yet been received up, without which union of the God--manhood of
the Son--to the glory of the Father, the Holy Spirit would not come.
What was now conferred is plain from
v. 23,
by which authority to
discern spirits and pronounce on them is re-assured (See
Mat. xviii: 18);
and from
Luke vi. 45,
by which a discerning of the mind of the
Spirit is given to them. We find instances of both these gifts being
exercised by Peter in
Acts i,
in his assertion of the sense of Scripture
and his judgment of Judas. Both these, however, were only temporary
and imperfect. That no final gifts of apostleship were now formally
conferred is plain by the absence of Thomas, who, in that case, would be
no apostle in the same sense in which the rest were." It will be seen
that Alford's view agrees in the main points with that above given.
The notion of a partial return and a partial inspiration does not seem to
me at all warranted. The "going away" of which Christ spoke was
his ascension to the Father. His "coming again" to the disciples was
in the Holy Spirit. See
John xiv: 17-19, 23; xvi: 15, 23-28.
[95]
[OHS 88-100]
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