Greater love hath no man than this
By these words our Lord shows, how far love to another should
extend, even to the laying down of our lives for the brethren;
which is the highest instance of love among men;
that a man lay down his life for his friends;
and in which believers, should not come short of them; and also
his great love to his people, and explains what he had just said,
"as I have loved you", ( John 13:34 ) ( 15:12 ) ; which in a
little time would be seen, by his laying down his life for them:
for he not only came down from heaven, and laid aside his glory
and royal majesty, but he laid down his life; not his gold and
silver, and the riches of this world, which were all his, but his
life; than which, nothing is dearer to a man, is himself, his
all: and besides, Christ's life was not a common one, it was not
the life of an innocent person only, or the life of a mere man,
but of a man in union with the Son of God; it was the Lord of
glory and Prince of life, who was crucified, and slain; a life
that was entirely at his own dispose; it had never been forfeited
by sin, nor could it have been forced away from him by men or
devils; it was laid down of and by himself, freely and
voluntarily; and that "for", in the room, and instead of his
people, as a ransom for them; he being their surety and
substitute, and standing in their legal place and stead, he took
their sins upon him, bore the curse of the law, sustained his
Father's wrath, and all the punishment due to sin; and so
suffered death, the death of the cross; the just, in the room and
stead of the unjust; the persons for whom be laid down his life,
are described as "his friends"; not that they were originally so;
being enemies and enmity itself to God, when he laid down his
life for them, and reconciled them; they were not such as had
carried themselves friendly, or had shown any love and affection
to him, but all the reverse: but they are so called, because he
had chosen them for his friends; he had pitched upon them, and
resolved to make them so; and by dying for them, reconciled them
who were enemies; and in consequence of this, by his Spirit and
grace, of enemies makes them friends; so that his love in dying
for his people, is greater than any instance of love among men:
he laid down his life for his enemies, without any sinister
selfish views, and that freely and voluntarily; whereas among
men, when one man has laid down his life for others, either they
have been very deserving, or he has been forced to it, or it has
been done with the view of popular applause and vain glory.