Thursday of the Second Week of Easter (April 15, 2021) Joh 3:31-36

31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.

32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

John Gill

He bears witness—Fully, freely, and faithfully; withholds nothing, but declares the whole counsel of God; and is deservedly called the faithful witness (Rev 1:5).

To what he has seen and heard—Of the Father, of his mind and will, of his purposes and promises, of his love, grace, and mercy, in the council and covenant of peace, lying in his bosom, and being privy to all his secrets. The phrases express the clear and perfect knowledge Christ has of all truths and doctrines; he having all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in him.

Yet no one receives his testimony—Though it was the testimony of God, which is greater than that of man; yet few, and which were next to none at all, gave any heed or credit to it; few or none among the Jews, or among the disciples of John, or even among those that followed Christ. John, and his disciples, widely differed; they thought that all men came to Christ, and believed in him; and John thought few or none, in comparison of the numbers he could have wished, did: and indeed, no one person can receive the testimony of Christ, and believe in him, unless it be given him from above, by the grace of God: for the natural man receives not divine and spiritual things; see Joh 3:11.

Why, when I came, was there no man;

why, when I called, was there no one to answer?

Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?

Or have I no power to deliver?

Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea,

I make the rivers a desert;

their fish stink for lack of water

and die of thirst. ISA 50:2

Rashi

Why, when I came to draw near to you, and none of you turns to me?

33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.

John Gill

Whoever receives his testimony—For there was here and there one that did, who believed in him as the Messiah; and embraced his gospel, and submitted to his ordinances, and truly and sincerely followed him: and for the encouragement of such, it is said,

Sets his seal to this, that God is true—Faithful in fulfilling the promises he has made concerning the Messiah, and his coming: he firmly believes that God is true to every word of his, and will make good every promise; and this he seals, ratifies, and confirms by his embracing the testimony of Christ; whereas, on the contrary, he that believes not makes God a liar, than which, nothing can be more reproachful to him (1Jn 5:10). The Jews have a saying that “the seal of the blessed God is truth.” The Arabic version renders it, “he is already sealed, because God is true”; and the Ethiopic version, “God sealed him, because he is true”; namely, with his Holy Spirit; see 2Co 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30.

34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

John Gill

For he whom God has sent—Still meaning Christ, who was sent in human nature, in the likeness of sinful flesh, in the fulness of time; to be the Savior of the world, of that which was lost, of the chief of sinners; and to preach the glad tidings of the gospel, which is more especially here designed; and for which he was abundantly qualified by the Spirit of God, with which he was anointed.

Utters the words of God—The words which God gave unto him; the doctrines of grace; the word of truth; the word of faith; the word of righteousness; the word of reconciliation; the words of salvation and eternal life; the whole mind and will of God; and whatever he spoke were as true as the oracles of God.

For he he gives the Spirit without measure—As he did to the prophets of the Old Testament, and to the apostles of the New; and to the ordinary ministers of the word, who have gifts differing one from another; to one is given one gift of the Spirit; and to another, another gift, as the Spirit pleaseth; and to everyone is given grace, or gifts of grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ (Eph 4:7). To which agrees what the Jews say of the Holy Spirit, and his gifts.

“Says R. Joden bar R. Simeon, even the waters which descend from above are not given, but, ‘in measure’—Says R. Acha, even the Holy Spirit, which dwells upon the prophets, does not dwell, ‘in weight.’ ”

But the Lord Jesus has every gift of the Spirit, and the fulness of grace in him: he is anointed with the oil of gladness, with the Holy Spirit above his fellows; and has an immeasurable unction of the Holy One; which, like the precious oil poured on Aaron, descends from him to the members of his body.

35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

Rashi

I am Pharaoh—I have the power to enact a decree upon my kingdom, and I decree that no one should raise his hand, etc.

And without your consent—I.e., without your permission. Another explanation: I shall be king, and without your consent etc. It is exactly similar in meaning to (v. 40) “only as regards the throne.”

Hand or foot—As the Targum renders no man shall raise his hand to gird on a sword or raise his foot to mount a horse.

55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” GEN 41:44, 55

John Gill

When all the land of Egypt was famished—Their old stock and store eaten up, and the inhabitants ready to starve with hunger:

The people cried to Pharaoh for bread—As their common father, and knowing that he had stores of provision laid up in all cities against this time:

Pharaoh said to the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph”—Whom he had appointed over this business of providing and laying up corn against this time, and of distributing it:

What he says to you, do—Give the price for the corn he fixes or requires; for this was the principal thing they had to do with him, to get corn for their money.

36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John Gill

Whoever believes in the Son—Who is a proper object of faith and trust; which, if he was not truly and properly God, he would not be: and this is to be understood not of any sort of faith, a temporary, or an historical one; but of that which is the faith of God’s elect, the gift of God, and the operation of his Spirit; by which a man sees the Son, goes to him, ventures and relies upon him, and commits himself to him, and expects life and salvation from him; and who shall not be ashamed and confounded; for such an one

Has eternal life—He has it in Christ his head, in whom he believes; he has a right to it through the justifying righteousness of Christ, and a meetness for it by his grace; he has it in faith and hope; he has the beginning of it in the knowledge of Christ, and communion with him; he has some foretastes of it in his present experience; and he has the earnest and pledge of it in his heart, even the blessed Spirit, who works him up for this selfsame thing:

Whoever does not obey the Son—That does not believe Christ to be the Son of God, or Jesus to be the Messiah; or rejects him as the Saviour; who lives and dies in a state of impenitence and unbelief:

Shall not see life—Eternal life; he shall not enter into it, and enjoy it; he shall die the second death. Very remarkable are the following words of the Jews concerning the Messiah, whom they call the latter Redeemer:

“whosoever believes in him ‘shall’ live; but he that believes not in him shall go to the nations of the world, and they shall kill him.”

But the wrath of God remains on him—As the sentence of wrath, of condemnation, and death, and the curse of the law were pronounced upon him in Adam, as on all mankind, it continues, and will continue, and will never be reversed, but will be executed on him, he not being redeemed from it, as his final unbelief shows; and as he was by nature a child of wrath, as others, he remains such; and as the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, it comes upon the children of disobedience, and remains there; it hangs over their heads, and lights upon them, and they will be filled with a dreadful sense of it to all eternity. The Syriac and Arabic versions render it, “shall abide upon him”; so some copies.

Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. PSA 2:12

Berakhot 10a:1

Every chapter that was dear to David, he began with “blessed is” and concluded with “blessed is.” He opened with “blessed is,” as it is written: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the dwelling place of scoffers” (Psa 1:1). And he concluded with “blessed,” as it is written at the end of the chapter: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are those who take refuge in him” (Psa 2:12). We see that these two chapters actually constitute a single chapter.

Rashi

Kiss the Son—Arm yourselves with purity of the heart. Some explain נשקו as garnimont in Old French, equipping. (This is from the verb, garnir. Garnimont means to provide, as in Gen 41:40). Menachem (p. 179) interprets it as an expression of desire, as (in Gen 3:16): “Your longing (תשוקתך) shall be for your husband.”

Lest he be angry—Heb. יאנף, lest be angry.

And you perish in the way—Like the matter that is stated (above 1:6): “but the way of the wicked will perish.”

For his wrath is quickly kindled—For in a short moment his wrath will suddenly be kindled against them, and at that time, the praises of all those who take refuge in him will be discerned, blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Sanhedrin 92a:1

The people [leom] curse him [yikkevuhu], but a blessing is on the head of him who provides” (Pro 11:26). And the term leom is referring to nothing other than fetuses, as it is stated: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one leom shall overcome the other leom” (Gen 25:23). And kabbo is referring to nothing other than curse, as it is stated in the statement of Balaam: “How can I curse one who is not cursed [kabbo] by God?” (Num 23:8). And bar is referring to nothing other than the law, as it is stated: “Pay homage to bar, lest he be angry” (Psa 2:12), i.e., observe the law to avoid God’s wrath.