George Hutcheson
19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Yee neither know me nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
As before they carped at his testimony concerning himselfe, so now little regarding what he said, they carp at his other witnesse, desiring to know who his Father was. For they alleaging he had none but Joseph, would look upon him to be as unfit a witnesse as they conceived himselfe to be; or if he should call God his Father, that would waken the old quarrel, Chap. 5. 18 But Christ doth not stand to answer their question, but declares they were both ignorant of the Father and him, and ignorant of the Father, because they knew not him. Whence learn, 1. Let truth be never so clearly held forth, yet (without the power of grace) enemies will not be gained thereby, but they will still jangle, and set their wit and parts on work to finde out new cavils; for so do they here, all the fruit of Christs doctrine on them, is a new taunting question, where is thy Father? 2. Where there is greatest conceit of parts and abilities, there is ordinarily greatest real ignorance, especially of saving truths in a saving manner; for, these great Rabbi’s, who think themselves able enough, to hold up the debate with Christ, yet this sentence from him, ye neither know me, nor my Father. 3. Albeit the Father and the Sonne be two distinct persons; Yet they are undivided in essence, so that the one cannot be known without the other; And particularly, albeit devils may beleeve there is a deitie and tremble, Jam. 2.19. and albeit Jewes and others may have some notions of him as Creatour of the world; Yet there is no saving knowledge of God but in Christ, Joh. 17.3. Therefore, saith he, ye neither know me, nor my Father, and particularly, he asserts their ignorance of the Father, because they knew not him. 4. The divine nature did so evidently shine in the Sonne, that whosoever knew what a deitie was, might have seen it in him; and whosoever took up his deitie, were thereby forthwith led to know the deitie of the Father; for, saith he, if ye had known me, ye should have known the Father also. And herein Gods gracious condescendence is to be seen, who since his divine nature could not be comprehended nor taken up by us, was pleased to reveal and manifest himselfe in his own Sonne (the expresse image of his person) cloathed with our; flesh, and to hold out this mirrour unto us in that word which is neare unto us, and which doth prevent our anxious thoughts about ascending up to heaven, or descending down unto the deep, Romans 10.6, 7, 8.
