For this cause therefore have I called for you
To let them know the true state of his case; that though he was a
prisoner, it was not for any crime he had done, much less any of
a capital nature; and that as he was no scandal to his country,
so neither did he intend to raise any against it, or say or do
anything which might bring it into contempt and danger: as well
as
to see [you] and speak with [you];
and keep up and maintain a free and friendly conversation
together:
because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this
chain;
which was then upon him, and he pointed to; the true reason of
which was, because he had preached that the Messiah the tribes of
Israel were hoping and waiting for, and who is the only solid
foundation of the hope of eternal life and salvation, was already
come; and that he had suffered and died, and rose again from the
dead, and that Jesus of Nazareth was he; see ( Jeremiah
14:8 ) ( 17:13 ) .
And this title well agrees with Jesus Christ, who in the New
Testament is called "our hope", and "the hope of glory", (
1 Timothy
1:1 ) ( Colossians
1:27 ) , and he is the hope of every Israelite indeed, of
every sensible sinner, of every regenerated person, whether Jew
or Gentile; and such are encouraged to hope in him for grace
here, and glory hereafter: and whereas they see themselves lost
and undone, and that there is no salvation for them by their own
works, and that there is salvation in Christ, they are directed
and encouraged to hope in him for it; because it is a work
finished by him, and is complete in him; it is of free grace and
favour bestowed; it is wrought out for the chief of sinners; and
such as they themselves are, are invited by himself to look to
him for it; and the Gospel declaration is, that whoever believes
in him shall be saved: they see themselves to be sinners, and
that there is no hope of the forgiveness of their sins from an
absolute God, or the absolute mercy of God out of Christ, but
that the blood of Christ was shed for the remission of sins, and
that God, for Christ's sake, does forgive sins: wherefore they
hope in him for it; to which they are encouraged by the
proclamation of the grace of God, as a forgiving God in Christ;
by the promises of forgiveness in the covenant of grace; by the
Gospel declaration of it; by its being entirely of free grace,
through the blood of Christ; and by the many instances of the
worst of sinners who have been favoured with it: these
Israelites, indeed, also see themselves unrighteous creatures,
and that they cannot be justified before God by works of
righteousness done by them; but that there is a righteousness
wrought out by Christ, which is acceptable and well pleasing to
God; is freely bestowed on men, and is imputed to all sorts of
men, even to the ungodly; wherefore they hope in him for it, and
lay hold on this object of hope set before them: in a word, they
have hope of eternal life on his account, that being the gift of
God through him; and it being the will of God, that whoever
believes in him should have it; and it being in the power and
right of Christ to bestow it; and they having also his Spirit as
the earnest and pledge of it; as well as have his righteousness
as their title to it, his grace as their meetness for it, and
have a share both in his intercession and in his preparations of
it: moreover, the apostle taught that there would be a general
resurrection of the dead, upon which would succeed a state of
everlasting happiness for the righteous; and which was the hope
of the tribes of Israel in common, especially of every Israelite
indeed: now these things had irritated the carnal Jews against
him, who could not rest till they had been the means of bringing
him into the condition he now was; nor were they content with
this, without having his life.
