John 6:39

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(39) And this is the Father’s will.—Read, with best MSS., And this is the will of Him that sent Me. Comp. Note on John 6:40. These two verses further set forth the divine will in the mission of Christ, first in relation to the Father’s gift, and then in relation to man’s acceptance. Both verses make emphatic the expression of that will in the mission, Him that sent Me; both refer its fulfilment to the final victory over sin and death, at the last day. Both state the will of God in a single clause, prefaced by the most signal proof of divine love in God revealed on earth, and followed by its end, in man raised to heaven.

The “all” is here neuter, referring to the whole extent of the Messianic work. (Comp. John 6:37.) Vast as this is, beyond our power of thought, including all times, and all places, and all nations, and it may be other worlds, it is the divine will that nothing should be lost. In the moral, as well as in the physical world, no force can perish.

Hath given me . . .—The past tense here, because the gift is thought of in its completion at the last day. (See John 6:37.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:36-46 The discovery of their guilt, danger, and remedy, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, makes men willing and glad to come, and to give up every thing which hinders applying to him for salvation. The Father's will is, that not one of those who were given to the Son, should be rejected or lost by him. No one will come, till Divine grace has subdued, and in part changed his heart; therefore no one who comes will ever be cast out. The gospel finds none willing to be saved in the humbling, holy manner, made known therein; but God draws with his word and the Holy Ghost; and man's duty is to hear and learn; that is to say, to receive the grace offered, and consent to the promise. None had seen the Father but his beloved Son; and the Jews must expect to be taught by his inward power upon their minds, and by his word, and the ministers whom he sent among them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Father's will - His purpose; desire; intention. As this is the Father's will, and Jesus came to execute his will, we have the highest security that it will be done. God's will is always right, and he has power to execute it. Jesus was always faithful, and all power was given to him in heaven and on earth, and he will therefore most certainly accomplish the will of God.

Of all which - That is, of every one who believes on him, or of all who become Christians. See John 6:37.

I should lose nothing - Literally, "I should not destroy." He affirms here that he will keep it to life eternal; that, thought the Christian will die, and his body return to corruption, yet he will not be destroyed. The Redeemer will watch over him, though in his grave, and keep him to the resurrection of the just. This is affirmed of all who are given to him by the Father; or, as in the next verse, "Everyone that believeth on him shall have everlasting life."

At the last day - At the day of judgment. The Jews supposed that the righteous would be raised up at the appearing of the Messiah. See Lightfoot. Jesus directs them to a future resurrection, and declares to them that they will be raised at the last day - the day of judgment. It is also supposed and affirmed by some Jewish writers that they did not believe that the wicked would be raised. Hence, to speak of being raised up in the last day was the same as to say that one was righteous, or it was spoken of as the special privilege of the righteous. In accordance with this, Paul says, "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead," Philippians 3:11.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

39. And this—in the first place.

is the will of Him that sent me, that of all—everything.

which He hath given Me—(taking up the identical words of Joh 6:37).

I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day—The meaning is not, of course, that He is charged to keep the objects entrusted to Him as He received them, so as they should merely suffer nothing in His hands. For as they were just "perishing" sinners of Adam's family, to let "nothing" of such "be lost," but "raise them up at the last day," must involve, first, giving His flesh for them (Joh 6:51), that they "might not perish, but have everlasting life"; and then, after "keeping them from falling," raising their sleeping dust in incorruption and glory, and presenting them, body and soul, perfect and entire, wanting nothing, to Him who gave them to Him, saying, "Behold I and the children which God hath given Me." So much for the first will of Him that sent Him, the divine side of man's salvation, whose every stage and movement is inscrutable to us, but infallibly certain.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

For this he revealeth to be his Father’s will, that of all his Father had given him, he should lose none; where by the Father’s giving must be meant, either his eternal act (having chosen some to eternal life) in giving them to his Son, for the work of their redemption; or, which is but the effect and product of that, the working, preserving, and upholding in them those habits and exercises of grace, by which that eternal life is to be obtained. Our Lord declareth it to be the will of his Father, that he should not suffer any of these to miscarry; but though their bodies die and turn into dust, yet Christ at the last day should come to raise the dead, and, in particular, raise them up: not that they only shall rise, (for how then shall all appear before the judgment seat of God, to receive according to what they have done in the flesh?) but they are those alone who shall receive any benefit by the resurrection; and therefore they are called the children of the resurrection; and the resurrection is sometimes spoken of in Scripture as if it were to be peculiar to them, Philippians 3:2. By this the certainty of the resurrection is established; it being asserted as the effect of the will of God, which none hath resisted at any time.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me,.... This explains both who he was that sent him; the Father of him, and of his people; whose sending of him does not suppose any change of place, or inequality between them, or disrespect unto him, or compulsion of him, but agreement between them, and love to the persons on whose account he was sent; and also what is the will he came to do, and is what was declared by him to Christ, when he gave the elect to him: for this expresses his secret will in the council and covenant of grace,

that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing; that is, that of all the elect which were given to Christ by his Father, in eternal election, he should not lose anyone of them, not the meanest among them, nor anything of theirs, their grace, or glory, or anything belonging to them, either to their souls or bodies, and particularly the latter;

but should raise it up again at the last day; even every part of their bodies, and every dust belonging to them; their bodies being given to Christ, and redeemed by his blood, as well as their souls: so the Jews (o), speaking of the resurrection, and making mention of that passage in Numbers 23:10, "who shall count the dust of Jacob?" add,

"and he (i.e. God) shall order it all, , "and not anything shall be lost", but all shall rise again; for, lo, it is said, Daniel 12:2, "and many of them that sleep in the dust", &c.''

(o) Zohar in Exod. fol. 43. 4.

Geneva Study Bible

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

39. this is the Father’s will, &c.] The true reading is; this is the will of Him that sent Me.

that of all] Literally, in order that of all: see on John 6:29.

all which he hath given me] ‘All’ is neuter as in John 6:37, and is placed first for emphasis. In the Greek it is a nominativus pendens.

raise it up again at the last day] This gracious utterance is repeated as a kind of refrain, John 6:40; John 6:44; John 6:54. ‘Again’ may be omitted. This is ‘the resurrection of life’ (John 5:29), ‘the first resurrection,’ the resurrection of the just.

the last day] This phrase is peculiar to S. John, and occurs seven times in this Gospel. Elsewhere it is called ‘the Day of the Lord,’ ‘the Great Day,’ &c.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 6:39. Δὲ, moreover) The will of the Father, mentioned in John 6:38, is more fully declared in this ver.—τοῦ πέμψαντός με Πατρός—40, τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦ πέμψαντός με, of Him who hath sent Me, even the Father—of the Father, who hath sent Me) Such is the oldest reading. [[135][136] Vulg. and Rec. Text read τοῦ πέμψαντός με Πατρός, at John 6:39; but [137][138][139][140][141][142] Hilar. 238, omit Πατρός. At John 6:40, [143][144][145][146][147] read τοῦ Πατρός μου: [148] and Rec. Text read τοῦ πέμψαντός με. Vulg. as Beng. reads both: patris mei, qui misit me.] At John 6:39, mention is made of His being sent; and at John 6:40, the name of the Father is appropriately placed first: for in John 6:39, on comparing it and John 6:38 together, the sending properly corresponds to the will of the Father; but at John 6:40, the name of the Father, and the name of the Son, properly refer to one another. [The correlatives are, at John 6:39, the sending (of the Father), and the care of Christ (to lose nothing of all given to Him); and at John 6:40, the will of the Father, and salvation in the Son.—Not. Crit.] The chief varieties of readings noticed in the introduction do not affect the main argument of this note.—[149] ΠᾶΝ, all) See note on John 6:37.—δέδωκέ μοι, hath given Me) They are given to the Son, to whomsoever faith is given. Comp. the following ver., “Every one which seeth the Son and believeth on Him.”—μὴ ἀπολέσω, I should not lose) To this losing [loss of the soul] is opposed everlasting life, John 6:40 : ch. John 3:15, etc., “That, whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.”—ἐξ αὐτοῦ) of it, of all that, which the Father hath given to Me.—ἀναστήσω, raise it up again) to life, John 6:33, “He that—giveth life unto the world.” So John 6:40; John 6:44; John 6:54. This [the resurrection] is the ultimate limit, beyond which there is no danger. The Saviour engages to guarantee all things anterior to it. He gives a sign in this ver. and John 6:62, “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before?” but a sign that was to be hereafter, whereas the Jews were importuning Him for a present sign; John 6:30. The resurrection, which presupposes death, is often here mentioned, because the Lord Himself was still about to die and rise again: comp. note, ch. John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life,” etc. But afterwards the apostles set before believers rather His glorious coming again.

[135] Bezæ, or Cantabrig.: Univ. libr., Cambridge: fifth cent.: publ. by Kipling, 1793: Gospels, Acts, and some Epp. def.

[136] Vercellensis of the old ‘Itala,’ or Latin Version before Jerome’s, probably made in Africa, in the second century: the Gospels.

[137] the Alexandrine MS.: in Brit. Museum: fifth century: publ. by Woide, 1786–1819: O. and N. Test. defective.

[138] the Vatican MS., 1209: in Vat. Iibr., Rome: fourth cent.: O. and N. Test. def.

[139] Bezæ, or Cantabrig.: Univ. libr., Cambridge: fifth cent.: publ. by Kipling, 1793: Gospels, Acts, and some Epp. def.

[140] Borgiana: Veletri: part of John: fourth or fifth cent.: publ. by Georgi, 1789.

[141] Cod. Reg., Paris, of the Gospels: the text akin to that of B: edited by Tisch.

[142] Colbertinus, do.

[143] the Vatican MS., 1209: in Vat. Iibr., Rome: fourth cent.: O. and N. Test. def.

[144] Ephræmi Rescriptus: Royal libr., Paris: fifth or sixth cent.: publ. by Tisch. 1843: O. and N. T. def.

[145] Bezæ, or Cantabrig.: Univ. libr., Cambridge: fifth cent.: publ. by Kipling, 1793: Gospels, Acts, and some Epp. def.

[146] Cod. Reg., Paris, of the Gospels: the text akin to that of B: edited by Tisch.

[147] Borgiana: Veletri: part of John: fourth or fifth cent.: publ. by Georgi, 1789.

[148] the Alexandrine MS.: in Brit. Museum: fifth century: publ. by Woide, 1786–1819: O. and N. Test. defective.

[149] For at the margin of Ed. 2 (to which the Germ. Vers. corresponds) it is recommended that, in ver. 30, the word πατρός should be omitted, and, at ver. 40, that the reading πατρός μου should be substituted for the reading τοῦ πἐμψαντός με.—E. B.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 39. - And this is the will of him (the Father) that sent me, that (with reference to) all that he hath given me I should not lose (sc. τὶ) anything, any fragment of it; i.e. from the entire mass of humanity thus given to me as the guerdon of my sacrificial work, given by the inward working of Divine grace which issues in their coming and reaching me, no solitary soul should be plucked out of my hand - should be let slip away into perdition or destruction. The claim of a Divine authority and absolute power could not be put more strongly. The care with which the Divine hand can protect every fragment of his universe, and hold it by its everlasting laws and keep it in the career assigned to it from the beginning, illumines this passage. Should the speaker not sustain this stupendous assumption, it is only too certain that he was giving utterance to the most reckless raving. These words cannot be honestly watered down to the language of the influence of an ethical reformer or prophetic messenger. Jesus proceeds to clinch his argument and reassert his claims as follows. But in proof of the very opposite of the supposition that I can drop one atom of this great charge, I will raise it up at the last day. Reuss applies this to the resurrection of each believer on the "last day" of each life, for he seems unwilling to find in the Fourth Gospel any such idea as that of the general resurrection. But cf. John 5:29, and observe the repetition as in a wondrous refrain, vers. 40, 44, 54, in which he again speaks of the "last day" - the final consummation of his redemptive work. The next verse shows that the Lord did discriminate between eternal life already bestowed here and now, and the great consequence of such possession in the complete restoration of body as well as life. It is in the continuity and perpetuity of the eternal life that we find the condition of the resurrection life. The "when" of this "last day" is not positively asserted here. John 6:39

Vincent's Word Studies

The Father's will

Omit the Father's. Render, the will of Him, etc.

That of all which He hath given me (ἵνα πᾶν ὃ δέδωκέ μοι)

The construction is a peculiar and broken one. All which He hath given, stands alone as an absolute nominative; a very emphatic and impressive mode of statement. Literally it reads, that all which He hath given me I should lose nothing out of it.

At the last day (ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ)

The phrase occurs only in John.