Johannes 2:12-25

12 Daarna ging Hij af naar Kapernaum, Hij, en Zijn moeder, en Zijn broeders, en Zijn discipelen; en zij bleven aldaar niet vele dagen.

13 En het pascha der Joden was nabij, en Jezus ging op naar Jeruzalem.

14 En Hij vond in den tempel, die ossen, en schapen, en duiven verkochten, en de wisselaars daar zittende.

15 En een gesel van touwtjes gemaakt hebbende, dreef Hij ze allen uit den tempel, ook de schapen en de ossen; en het geld der wisselaren stortte Hij uit, en keerde de tafelen om.

16 En Hij zeide tot degenen, die de duiven verkochten: Neemt deze dingen van hier weg; maakt niet het huis Mijns Vaders tot een huis van koophandel.

17 En Zijn discipelen werden indachtig, dat er geschreven is: De ijver van Uw huis heeft mij verslonden.

18 De Joden antwoordden dan, en zeiden tot Hem: Wat teken toont Gij ons, dat Gij deze dingen doet?

19 Jezus antwoordde en zeide tot hen: Breekt dezen tempel, en in drie dagen zal Ik denzelven oprichten.

20 De Joden zeiden dan: Zes en veertig jaren is over dezen tempel gebouwd, en Gij, zult Gij dien in drie dagen oprichten?

21 Maar Hij zeide dit van den tempel Zijns lichaams.

22 Daarom, als Hij opgestaan was van de doden, werden Zijn discipelen gedachtig, dat Hij dit tot hen gezegd had, en zij geloofden de Schrift, en het woord, dat Jezus gesproken had.

23 En als Hij te Jeruzalem was, op het pascha, in het feest, geloofden velen in Zijn Naam, ziende Zijn tekenen, die Hij deed.

24 Maar Jezus Zelf betrouwde hun Zichzelven niet, omdat Hij hen allen kende,

25 En omdat Hij niet van node had, dat iemand getuigen zou van den mens; want Hij Zelf wist, wat in den mens was.

Johannes 2:12-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 JOHN 2

In this chapter the apostle comforts the saints under a sense of sin; urges them to an observance of the commandments of God, in imitation of Christ, particularly to the new commandment of brotherly love, and gives his reasons for it; dehorts them from the love of the world, and the things of it; cautions them against false teachers and antichrists, and exhorts them to abide in Christ, and persevere in the faith of him. He first declares that the end of his writing was to prevent their sinning; but supposing any should fall into sin through infirmity, he comforts them with the consideration of the advocacy of Christ, and of his being the propitiation for the sins both of Jews and Gentiles, 1Jo 2:1,2, and whereas some persons might boast of their knowledge of Christ, and neglect his commands, he observes, that the keeping of them is the best evidence of true knowledge, and of the sincerity of their love to God, and of their being in Christ; and that such who show no regard to them are liars, and the truth is not in them; and such that profess to be in Christ and abide in him, ought to walk as they have him for an example, 1Jo 2:3-6, and instances in a particular commandment, to love one another, which on different accounts is called an old and a new commandment, and which has been verified both in Christ and his people; for which a reason is given in the latter, the darkness being past, and the true light shining, 1Jo 2:7,8, upon which some propositions are founded, as that he that professes to be in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness to this very moment; and that he that loves his brother is evidently in the light, nor will he easily give or take offence; and that he that hates his brother is not only in darkness, but walks in it, being blinded by it, and so knows not whither he is going, 1Jo 2:9-11, and this commandment of love the apostle writes to the saints, as distinguished into the several classes of fathers, young men, and children; and urges it on them from the consideration of the blessings of grace peculiar to them; as ancient knowledge to fathers, strength and victory to young men, knowledge of the Father, and remission of sins, to children, 1Jo 2:12-14, and then he dissuades from the love of worldly things, seeing the love of them is not consistent with the love of God; and seeing the things that are in it are vain and sinful, and are not of God, but of the world; and since the world and its lust pass away, when he that does the will of God abides for ever, 1Jo 2:15-17, he next observes unto them, that there were many antichrists in the world; which was an evidence of its being the last time; and these he describes as schismatics and apostates from the Christian churches, 1Jo 2:18,19, but as for the saints he writes to, they were of another character, they were truly Christians, having an anointing from the Holy One, by which they knew all things; nor did the apostle write to them as ignorant, but as knowing persons, and able to distinguish between truth and error, 1Jo 2:20,21, and then he goes on with his description of antichristian liars, showing that they were such who denied Jesus to be the Messiah, and the relation that is between the Father and the Son, 1Jo 2:22,23, and closes the chapter with an exhortation to perseverance in the doctrine of Christ; since it was what they had heard from the beginning, and since by so doing they would continue in the Father and in the Son, and besides had the promise of eternal life, 1Jo 2:24,25, and indeed this was the main thing in view in writing to them concerning seducers, to preserve them from them, though indeed this was in a great measure needless, since the anointing they had received abode in them; and taught them all things, and according as they regarded its teaching they would abide in Christ, 1Jo 2:26,27, to which he exhorts them from the consideration of that boldness and confidence it would give them at his appearance, who they must know is righteous, and so that everyone that doth righteousness is born of him, 1Jo 2:28,29.