And I, if I be lifted up from the earth
The death of Christ is here signified by his being "lifted up
from the earth", in allusion to the lifting up of the brazen
serpent on the pole; and shows, that his death would not be
natural, but violent, and would be public, and not private; and
fitly expresses his mediation between God, and men, being lifted
up between the heavens and the earth; and points out the death of
the cross, as is intimated in the next verse: and the "if" here
does not suppose that his death, and the manner of it, were
uncertain, for it was determined by God, agreed to by himself,
predicted in the Scriptures, signified by types, and foretold by
himself, and was necessary for the salvation of his people; but
it designs the time of his drawing persons to himself, which is
afterwards expressed, and may be rendered, "when I am lifted up",
as it is by the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions: now when
this will be, Christ says,
I will draw all men to me;
which is not to be understood of the concourse of people about
him, when on the cross, some for him, and others against him,
some to bewail him, and others to reproach him; but rather of the
gathering of the elect to him, and in him, as their head and
representative, when he was crucified for them; or of the
collection of them, through the ministry of the apostles, and of
their being brought to believe on him for eternal life and
salvation: and this drawing of them to him, in consequence of his
death, supposes distance from him, want of power, and will, to
came to him, and the efficacious grace of God to bring them,
though without any force and compulsion; and this is to be
understood not of every individual of human nature; for all are
not drawn to Christ, or enabled to come to him, and believe in
him. There were many of the Jews who would not, and did not come
to him for life; and who instead of being drawn to him in this
sense, when lifted up on the cross, vilified and reproached him;
moreover, in the preceding verse, "a world" is spoken of, whose
judgment, or condemnation, was now come; and besides, there was
at this time a multitude of souls in hell, who could not, nor
never will be, drawn to Christ; and a greater number still there
will be at the last day, who, instead of drawing to him in this
gracious way and manner, will be bid to depart from him, as
having been workers of iniquity. Christ died indeed for all men
who are drawn unto him; but this is not true of all men, that
are, were, or shall be in the world. Add to this, that the word
"men" is not in the text, it is only (pantav) , "all": Beza's most ancient copy, and some
others, and the Vulgate Latin version read (panta) , "all things"; and by "all" are meant,
all the elect of God, all the children of God, "that were
scattered abroad"; the Persic version reads, "I will draw my
friends to me"; it designs some of all sorts of men, of every
state, condition, age, sex, and nation, Gentiles as well as Jews,
and especially the former; which agrees with the ancient
prophecy, ( Genesis
49:10 ) , and with the context, and the occasion of the
words, which was the desire of the Greeks, that were come to the
feast, to see Jesus; and which was a specimen of the large
numbers of them, that should be drawn to Christ, through the
preaching of the Gospel, after his death: the Jews say, that in
the time to come, or in the days of the Messiah, all the
proselytes shall be (Myrwrg) , "drawn", shall freely become proselytes
F5. The allusion here, is to the
setting up of a standard or ensign, to gather persons together.
Christ's cross is the standard, his love is the banner, and he
himself is the ensign, which draw souls to himself, and engage
them to enlist themselves under him, and become his volunteers in
the day his power; see ( Isaiah 11:10
) .