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Does St. John end his Gospel with an exaggeration? What shaft we say?

I. THERE ARE SEVERAL SOLUTIONS.

1. That the passage has been interpolated. But this view has no foundation. The verse is only wanting in one MS.

2. That it is only St. John's way of expressing his sense of the immense diligence of Christ's life, and the unparalleled number of His good works; and that, to convey that idea, he uses language which is, indeed, after the Eastern language, hyperbolical; but which could not mislead.

3. That St. John is speaking of all which Christ had done, and is doing, and will do to all eternity — in which acceptation the words would be strictly true — for then we should be dealing with the Everlasting and the Infinite — which, of course, exceeds the compass of the universe. But the comment is strained and far-fetched.

4. That the word "contain" is ambiguous, and that it might be translated, "the world," i.e., the ungodly world, "would not receive the whole of what Jesus did."

5. That St. John is speaking not of the mere outward actions, but of what they represented and involved. And this is none other than a literal truth that "if all these" were "written," seriatim, "the world itself could not contain the account which should be written."

II. The last seems to be the only true understanding of St. John's words: THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE FULNESS THAT THERE IS IN THE MINUTEST PORTION OF CHRIST'S MINISTRY.

1. Remember —

(1) It is the life of the Son of God who came to this earth for about thirty-three years, of which we have the history of only three, and in those three only a few leading, salient features.

(2) That the object of this short visit was the salvation of the whole world.

(3) That infinite love, wisdom, and power met in His every word and act.

(4) That the record, which has been given us, has been left for His Church to read, and live upon for ever. There is enough to satisfy the whole intellect and affection of the race. And if the gospel be such as this — what a weight, what an infinity, there must be in every iota. If we waste a crumb, it must be at our peril, and with great damage! Here is our duty, and here is the great work of the Holy Ghost, to find the latent senses of each fraction of that portentous narrative. "The secret of the Lord," — covered thoughts, intentions sealed except to the initiated — "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him."

2. You must consider also —

(l) Every action of Christ was first a great beautiful fact, standing out to be admired.

(2) It was an illustration of His character, in which we are to read out His sympathy, wisdom, power, faithfulness, &c.

(3) We are to read, through Him, God — the only real delineation we have of the Invisible Father.

(4) It is the illustration and the pledge of what Christ is and does now He is in glory.

(5) It is our pattern and example that we may copy.

(6) It is an allegory — a parable of spiritual things which always lie underneath it.

3. Now, take any one event in our Lord's ministry, and divide it into all these parts: see it in all its lights; and what a volume will be there! Regard, in this way, His baptism, or His temptation, or His transfiguration, or His death, &c., or any one of His miracles; or a prayer, a touch, a look; and into what masses and mountains of thought it all swells! What piles upon piles might be said and written!

4. Think of all that, for nearly nineteen centuries, has been said and written by the Church on those four Gospels; and yet it is not exhausted. New thoughts, new beauties, new comforts are coming up every day. And were the world to last nineteen thousand centuries more, it would be just the same! And will not these things be the themes of faculties infinitely higher, than now, throughout eternity? Do not "the angels" still "desire to look" on them?

5. Then, we must add to the account that there were "many things which Jesus did" which St. John knew but did not record; many more, which none knew, or could know. But all would bear the same development.

6. Then, when, for a moment, we try to draw these together and conceive the total of such an aggregate, is the language one whir too strong?

III. LET ME GATHER SOME INFERENCES.

1. When we have to do with the life of Christ, we are dealing with the most solemn immensities. The more we study it, the more we shall feel with St. John — that we are standing on the shore of a boundless ocean; that what we see is nothing compared to what lies beyond the horizon. That all human intellect put together, and all the largest hearts of men of love, if that love could go on for ever, could not contain the half of what Christ did, and what Christ was. Is that too much to say? You will not think so if you love Him and know Him.

2. Therefore you must come to the contemplation of every part of Christ's life very modestly. There is much more than you have any idea of. If you think you know any verse of the Bible, you have yet a great deal to learn. You will never empty it. And, seeing it so exceeds all our proportions, you must pray for the enlargement of your own soul, that you may be able to contain it.

3. For a heart enlarged by the Holy Ghost has a greater capacity than the universe. The universe could not contain it; but, by the working of the Holy Ghost, it is promised you shall be "able to comprehend with all saints, what is the length, and breadth, and depth, and height, and know that love of Christ which passeth knowledge."

(J. Vaughan, M. A.)

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KJV: This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

WEB: This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true.