John 5:43

43 I came in the name of my Father, and ye took not me. If another [shall] come in his own name, ye shall receive him.

John 5:43 Meaning and Commentary

John 5:43

I am come in my Father's name
Power and authority; by his consent, with his will, and according to a covenant with him: Christ came not of himself, of his own accord, by a separate power and will of his own, but was called, and sent, and came by mutual agree meat; and brought his credentials with him, doing the works and miracles which his Father gave him to finish:

and ye receive me not;
notwithstanding this they rejected him as the Messiah, and would not receive him as such; yea, traduced him as an impostor, and a deceiver:

if another shall come in his own name;
which some understand of Simon Magus, others of antichrist; rather the false Christs are intended, of whom our Lord speaks, in ( Matthew 24:24 ) , who would rise up of themselves, and not be able to give any proof of their mission; or do anything which might entitle them to the character of the Messiah, or Christ, a name they would take to themselves: and so the Ethiopic version reads, "if another shall come in my name"; saying he is Christ, or the Messiah:

him ye will receive;
as thousands of them did receive Barchocab, the false Christ, who rose up some years after in Adrian's time; and even some of their greatest Rabbins, as particularly the famous R. Akiba, who was his armour bearer: and it is easy to observe, that though they were so backward to receive, and so much prejudiced against the true Messiah, they were always forward enough to embrace a false one: and indeed to follow any, that set up himself for a temporal deliverer of them; as the instances of Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, with others, show; see ( Acts 5:36 Acts 5:37 ) . And the true reason why they rejected Christ was, because he did not appear in outward pomp and glory, nor set up a temporal kingdom, or give out that he would deliver them from the Roman yoke.

John 5:43 In-Context

41 I take not clearness of men;

42 but I have known you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

43 I came in the name of my Father, and ye took not me. If another [shall] come in his own name, ye shall receive him.

44 How be ye able to believe [How may ye believe], that receive glory each of (the) other, and ye seek not the glory that is of God alone?

45 Do not ye guess, that I am to accuse you with the Father; it is Moses that accuseth you, in whom ye hope.