But I have greater witness than that of John
The Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions read, "greater than
John", but wrongly; for the testimonies of Christ's works, and of
his Father, are not compared with John himself, but with his
testimony; and the sense is, that Christ had a greater witness
than the witness of John; and so it is expressed in the Persic
version: and his meaning is, that he had no need to insist upon
John's testimony; he had other, and greater witnesses to produce:
for the works which the Father hath given me to
finish;
such as the preaching of the Gospel, the fulfilling of the law,
and the redemption of his people; all which were appointed by his
Father, and given him to do, and which he completely finished.
The whole Gospel came, and was published by Jesus Christ, and the
law was entirely fulfilled by him; and the work of man's
salvation was finished by him, and these bear witness to the
truth of his deity, and divine sonship; for none but the Son of
God could have done these things. The Ethiopic version reads in
the singular number, "this work which my Father hath given me"
and if it was a single work that is referred to, the work of
redemption bids fair to be it. But, these works include not only
what Christ did on earth, in his state of humiliation, but what
he has done since, and will do; which his Father has given him to
finish, and he has finished, or will finish them; such as the
resurrection of himself from the dead, the effusion of the gifts
and graces of the Spirit, the spreading and succeeding his Gospel
in the world, the conversion of his redeemed ones, the gathering
in the fulness of the Gentiles, and the conversion of the Jews,
the destruction of antichrist, the resurrection of all the dead,
and the judgment of the whole world. Though more especially his
miracles are here intended, and which, and not his mediatorial
works, were demonstrations and proofs to men of his divine
sonship; see ( Matthew
14:33 ) ( 27:54 ) ;
the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the
Father hath
sent me;
and that he was in the Father, and the Father in him; or that
they were one in nature, and equal in power and glory, ( John
10:30-37 ) ( 14:11 ) .