《Nisbet’s Church Pulpit Commentary - John》(James Nisbet)
Commentator
With nearly 5,000 pages and 20 megabytes of text, this 12 volume set contains concise comments and sermon outlines, perfect for preaching, teaching, or just another perspective on a passage for any lay person.
James Nisbet compiled and edited the Church Pulpit Commentary. Over 100 authors wrote short essays, sermon outlines, and sermon illustrations for selected verses of the Bible. The authors include Handley Carr Glyn (H.C.G) Moule, F.D. Maurice, and many other bishops and pastors.
As with many commentaries of this nature, the New Testament contains substantially more comments than the Old Testament. This is not the famouse Pulpit Commentary. This is a different commentary. Not every verse includes a comment.
00 Introduction
John 1:6 Characteristics of the Baptist
John 1:6 Witnessing to the Light
John 1:10 Blindness of Heart
John 1:14 Emmanuel!
John 1:14 The Immensity of Divine Love
John 1:14 The Most Stupendous Fact in History
John 1:14 The Attractiveness of Religion
John 1:18 The Only-Begotten Son
John 1:18 The Revelation of God to Man
John 1:23 A Message for To-day
John 1:26; John 1:33 The Unknown Christ
John 1:29 The Lamb of God
John 1:35-37 A Repeated Effort
John 1:45-46 Experience the Test of Truth
John 1:45-46 Prejudice Overcome
John 2:2 The Social Life of the Christian
John 2:5 Knowledge from Obedience
John 2:8 The Transforming Power of Christ
John 2:8 Achievement
John 2:11 Manifestation of Glory
John 2:11 The Unexpected Miracle
John 2:15-17 ‘My Father’s House’
John 2:23-24 Imperfect Faith
John 2:25 Christ’s Knowledge of Man
John 3:1 Nicodemus
John 3:2-3 A Momentous Interview
John 3:7 New Birth
John 3:9 The Puzzled Inquirer
John 3:14 The Gift of the Cross
John 3:16 The Magna Charta of Christianity
John 3:16 Three Mysteries
John 3:19 Out of Darkness into Light
John 3:29 The Joy of the Bridegroom’s Friend
John 4:7 Christ’s Longing for Human Sympathy
John 4:24 Worship
John 4:24 Spiritual Religion
John 4:35 Look on the Fields
John 4:37 Sowing and Reaping
John 4:42 Reasons for Faith
John 4:48-50 The Nobleman’s Son
John 5:4 The Troubling of the Waters
John 5:14 The Pardon of Sin
John 5:19 Submission and Service
John 5:28-29 The Two Resurrections
John 5:39 The Testimony of the Scriptures
John 5:39 Bible Reading
John 5:39 The Devotional Study of Scripture
John 5:39 The Doctrinal Study of Scripture
John 5:39 Christ’s Fulfilment of the Scriptures
John 5:46 The Testimony of Moses
John 5:46 Christ in the Old Testament
John 6:4-5 Christ and the Great Company
John 6:4-5 Love, Power, Order
John 6:4-5 Superficial, yet Profound
John 6:11 Co-operation with God
John 6:12 All Need Supplied
John 6:12 Let Nothing be Lost
John 6:14 Prophecy Fulfilled
John 6:15 The King and the Kingdom
John 6:21 Christ’s Presence in Trouble
John 6:27 The Labour Question
John 6:28-29 The Work of Faith
John 6:35 Spiritual Food
John 6:35 The Bread of Life
John 6:37 The Golden Promise
John 6:39 Impersonal Resurrection
John 6:48 Mystery and Religion
John 6:51 The Eucharist
John 6:57 The Food of the Saints
John 6:57 Christ’s Gift
John 6:61 A Spiritual Plummet
John 6:63 Words of Life
John 6:67 Falling Away
John 6:67 A Touching Appeal
John 6:68 Abiding with Christ
John 6:70-71 The Downfall of Judas
John 7:13 Ashamed of Jesus
John 7:17 Knowledge and Love
John 7:17 Knowledge and Understanding
John 7:18 The Negation of Self
John 7:37 Thirst Assuaged
John 7:39 The Progressive Work of the Spirit
John 7:46 The Words of Jesus
John 7:46 Christ’s Teaching
John 8:9 Alone with Jesus
John 8:11 Moral Offences
John 8:12 The Light of the World
John 8:12 Christ and Social Progress
John 8:12 The Light Giver
John 8:12 Walking in the Light
John 8:12 The Followers’ Reward
John 8:12 ‘The Light of Life’
John 8:21 Seeking in Vain
John 8:31 Discipleship
John 8:32 Freedom through the Truth
John 8:36 Christ the Liberator
John 8:36 ‘Free Indeed’
John 8:46 The Sinlessness of Christ
John 8:46 The Mystery of Evil
John 8:48 A Blasphemous Charge
John 8:51 How to Escape Death
John 9:1-3 The Mystery of Suffering
John 9:4 The Brevity of Life
John 9:4 The Purpose of Life
John 9:25 ‘One Thing I Know’
John 9:35 ‘Do We Believe?’
John 9:38 Belief and Worship
John 9:39 For Judgment
John 9:39-41 Responsibility and Sin
John 10:3 ‘The Porter of the Door’
John 10:3 The First Days of Spiritual Life
John 10:3 The Calling of the Sheep
John 10:4 The Sheep and the Shepherd
John 10:4 The Guiding Shepherd
John 10:4 The Voice of the Shepherd
John 10:9 Christ the Door
John 10:10 Motives of Work for God
John 10:10 The Gift of Life
John 10:11 The Good Shepherd
John 10:11 The Divine Shepherd
John 10:11 The Ideal Shepherd
John 10:14 Individual Knowledge
John 10:14 The Gentleness of Christ
John 10:14 ‘That I may Know Him’
John 10:14-15 Fourfold Knowledge
John 10:16 ‘All Souls are Mine’
John 10:16 The Unfolded Flock
John 10:16 The Church’s Mission
John 10:19 Not Peace, but a Sword
John 10:28 A Cluster of Grapes
John 10:37-38 The Evidence of the Miracles
John 11:1 The Discipline of Sickness
John 11:5 A Loved Family
John 11:6 Divine Delay
John 11:9 Life and Work
John 11:11 He Giveth His Beloved Sleep
John 11:16 ‘That we may Die with Him’
John 11:16 Thomas, the Devoted Disciple
John 11:25 The Mourner’s Hope
John 11:28 Characteristics of the Master
John 11:35 The Tears of Christ
John 11:35 Tears of Sympathy
John 11:43-44 The Raising of Lazarus
John 11:52 The Gathered Ones
John 12:3 An Offering of Love
John 12:7 A Good Work
John 12:12-14 The Triumphal Entry
John 12:21 A Great Aspiration
John 12:24 Death the Fulfilment of Life
John 12:24 Life Through Death
John 12:26 A Life of Service
John 12:27-28 The Sanctification of Sorrow
John 12:29 Voices of God
John 12:29 A Divided Crowd
John 12:32 The Attractive Power of Christ
John 12:32 The Christian Ideal
John 12:32 The Majesty of the Divine Humiliation
John 12:32 ‘The Power of God’
John 13:1 Perfect Love
John 13:1 Unto the End
John 13:7 The Mystery of Faith
John 13:13 The Call to Service
John 13:17 Missionary Service
John 13:17 Knowledge and Practice
John 13:23 The Beloved Disciple
John 13:23 On Jesus’ Bosom
John 13:25 A Pattern of Intercession
John 13:34 The New Commandment
John 13:34-35 Christian Philanthropy
John 14:1 Trouble and its Remedy
John 14:1 His only Son, Our Lord
John 14:2 The Father’s House
John 14:2 Communion with the Departed
John 14:2 Many Mansions
John 14:2 Sufficiency of Revelation
John 14:2 Heaven
John 14:2 The Lord’s Departure
John 14:6 The Living Way
John 14:6 Characteristics of Truth
John 14:6 The Christ Life
John 14:6 Living in Christ
John 14:6 Characteristics of Life
John 14:8 On Knowing God
John 14:9 Power through Christ
John 14:12 Greater Works
John 14:15-17 The Mission of the Spirit of Truth
John 14:15-17 Another Comforter
John 14:15-17 Grounds of Comfort
John 14:15-17 Comforter, Advocate, Guide
John 14:17 The Indwelling Christ
John 14:19 Life through Christ
John 14:21-23 Coming and Abiding
John 14:26 The Divine Teacher
John 14:27 The Peace of Christ
John 15:4 Abiding in Christ
John 15:5 The Union of Christ and the Believer
John 15:5 Apart from the Vine
John 15:11 Christian Joy
John 15:15 Friends of Jesus
John 15:26-27 Witness-Bearing
John 15:26-27 Witnessing for Christ
John 15:27 Qualifications for Witness
John 16:5 Christ’s Sorrowful Surprise
John 16:7 Christ and His People
John 16:7 The Guidance of the Spirit
John 16:7 Before Pentecost
John 16:8 Conviction of Sin
John 16:8 The Holy Spirit and the World
John 16:8 Convictions of the Spirit
John 16:8-9 The Reproof of the Comforter
John 16:12 Many Things to be Revealed
John 16:13 Guidance and Truth
John 16:13 The Spirit and the Church
John 16:14 Spiritual Revelation
John 16:14 The Function of the Paraclete
John 16:16 Absent and Present
John 16:16 The Little While
John 16:20 The Problem of Suffering
John 16:22 Joy which Abides
John 16:23 ‘In My Name’
John 16:33 Two Contrasted Conceptions
John 17:2 The Authority of Christ
John 17:3 The Only True God
John 17:4 The Work of Life
John 17:11 Christian Unity
John 17:15 Holy Keeping
John 17:17 Christian Sanctity
John 17:19 The Consecration of Personality
John 17:19 Secrets of Sanctity
John 17:21 Our Unhappy Divisions
John 17:21 Visible Unity
John 17:22 ‘One with Him’
John 17:24 Christ’s Wish for His People
John 18:1 Gethsemane
John 18:1 The Shadowed Garden
John 18:36 Not of this World
John 18:36 The Church and the State
John 18:37 The King Jesus
John 19:5 Lessons from Calvary
John 19:9 Pilate’s Question
John 19:15 The Crucifixion of the King
John 19:26-27 The Most Pathetic Phrase in God’s Word
John 19:26-27 The Word of Tender Care
John 19:26-27 The Identity of Human and Divine Love
John 19:26-27 Bereavement
John 19:28 The Thirst of Christ
John 19:28 The Words of Simple Human Nature
John 19:28 The Crisis Reached
John 19:28 The Appeal from the Cross
John 19:28 The Thirst for Fellowship
John 19:28 Divine Thirst
John 19:30 The Finished Word
John 19:30 The Victory of the Passion
John 19:30 ‘’Tis Finished, All is Finished’
John 19:38-39 From Cowardice to Confession
John 20:1 The Visit of Mary Magdalene
John 20:1 The Empty Tomb
John 20:6-7 The Testimony of the Grave-clothes
John 20:8 Easter Thoughts
John 20:9 The Power of His Resurrection
John 20:11 What Mary saw through her Tears
John 20:17 ‘Touch Me Not’
John 20:17 Reverence for the Supernatural
John 20:19 The Lord’s Day
John 20:19 The Message of Peace
John 20:23 The Remission of Sins
John 20:24 The Absence of Thomas
John 20:27 The Appearance to Thomas
John 20:29 The Beatitude of Faith
John 21:1 Christ’s Resurrection Life
John 21:4 (r.v.) A Manifestation of the Risen Lord
John 21:6 The Right Side of the Ship
John 21:12 The Unchanging Christ
John 21:15 The Asking Christ
John 21:18 The Renewal of St. Peter
John 21:18 The Two Girdings
John 21:20 John the Evangelist
01 Chapter 1
Verse 6
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BAPTIST
‘There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.’
John 1:6
There are two things about John which we have to remember:—
I. He was a fearless man.—In those days, as now, people were very fond of having their own way; and John went into the midst of these people, and he told them of their sins, and did not spare one of them, whether it was a soldier, or statesman, or king.
II. He was a very humble man.—Men brave in the battlefield are generally the humblest in other things. John did not want anything himself; he wanted to be lost in Christ.
III. He was a burning and a shining light, but only so to prepare for the Sun of Righteousness. He was a burning light, full of the warmth of love; a shining light to light them on the path they ought to go. We all ought to be that. That ought be the object and calling of every one of us.
Rev. Canon Teignmouth Shore.
Illustration
‘A ship was wrecked at sea and a boat was launched with the passengers. But the night grew so terribly dark and the storm beat so fiercely that they gave themselves up as lost. At last, a sailor who knew the coast said he was acquainted with a creek into which they could run if they only had a light. But there was no light. Suddenly, however, they saw a little flicker, and it grew larger, and by its guidance, with a shout of joy, the brave sailors rammed the boat into the creek, and they were saved. That night a little girl, very young, had heard a wild cry above the storm out at sea, and with her little hands she rolled down an old tar-barrel by the shore. She had stuffed it with straw and set a match to it, saying, “Perhaps even my little light may save some one.” And it did. You never know what power you may be to save some shipwrecked life.’
(SECOND OUTLINE)
WITNESSING TO THE LIGHT
Seven hundred years before, Isaiah foretold the office of John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3), and the Old Testament itself ends with a prophecy of the great messenger of Christ (Malachi 3:1). He was the harbinger, the forerunner, the pioneer of the Lord: to prepare for Christ, to glorify Christ, was the object of his birth and the sum of his existence.
The secret of Christ-like living in public is Christ-like praying in secret; and most certainly John himself was a man of prayer. John was Christ’s witness—
I. By his words.
II. By his life.
III. In his death.
Christ expects all who love Him to be His witnesses. Let us never forget that our religion ought not only to be a possession to be enjoyed, but also a talent for which we are responsible, and a light which by all means we must spread.
—Rev. F. Harper.
Verse 10
BLINDNESS OF HEART
‘He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.’
John 1:10
These are the words in which the last of the Apostles summed up the direct and visible results of the Incarnation. He is above all impressed with the awful paradox that, when God became man, men were so blind as not to perceive it.
A sad text, and yet it has its consolations.
I. It teaches us that the Presence of our Lord does not depend on our faith, or our love, or our keenness of spiritual vision. He is in the world, although the world knows Him not; and therein have we our best hope for its daily progress from strength to strength.
II. So it is in the discipline of common life; so it is, above all, in that most sacred and blessed ordinance in which He has pledged His Presence to every weary and penitent soul. For in the tenderness of His unfaltering compassion He is there for grace and blessing, although we do not see His Face, although faith is too weak to realise how great a Guest is in our midst.