I am come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me not.
Whence learn
I. Albeit Christ be God over all, equal with the Father, and Lord over His own house, and so acts in His own name, yet IT PLEASED HIM TO CONDESCEND as Mediator, not only to purchase life to them that come to Him, but to COME into the world CLOTHED WITH A COMMISSION FROM THE FATHER to make offer of this purchased life, that by His condescendence He might commend His love to His people, and teach them humility, and not to run on a calling unsent, and that we might look on Him as approved of the Father, and that such as come to Him the Father will accept them, for saith He, “I am come in My Father’s name” (see Philippians 2:3, Philippians 2:6-7, etc.; Matthew 3:17; Hebrews 5:4-5).
II. CHRIST thus coming IS TO BE RECEIVED, His doctrine to be heard, Himself to be acknowledged for such in His person, offices, commission, and benefits, as He declareth Himself to be; to be rested on and embraced, to be employed and submitted to as such, for so is imported in that they should receive Him.
III. Albeit Christ be the great Ambassador of the Father, not a servant, but the Son (Matthew 21:37). And albeit He was singular in His admiration of His office, mad all tending to the good of sinners, YET SUCH IS THE PERVERSENESS OF THE WORLD AS NOT TO MAKE HIM WELCOME; for it is the peculiar privilege of the elect to be drawn to Him, and others, they neither see His excellency, nor feel their need of Him; therefore saith He, “I am come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me not.”
IV. SUCH AS REJECT CHRIST ARE DESTITUTE OF THE LOVE OF GOD, nor have they any evidence of respect to Him, since Christ is the clearest image of the Father, and cometh in His name, and the Father will not be acknowledged but in add through Him. Therefore by this doth He prove that challenge (John 5:42).
V. WHEN CHRIST MANIFESTS HIMSELF to the world, IT IS USUAL WITH SATAN TO HOUND OUT SEDUCERS AND FALSE TEACHERS, to study to bear him down, to seduce souls, and by their courses to make the way of truth odious; for so is imported that another shall come, pretending either to be the Christ, or to hold Him out to others (see Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:24; Acts 5:36-37).
VI. ALBEIT FALSE TEACHERS PRETEND TO COME IN GOD AND CHRIST’S NAME (Matthew 24:5), YET THEY DO BUT COME IN THEIR OWN, as having no commission when they run, as malting themselves, their reputation and advantage, their chief aim in their undertaking, and as speaking the imaginations of their own heart and brain, without any warrant from God; for “another shall come in His own name.”
VII. SUCH AS EMBRACE NOT CHRIST MAY TAKE WORSE IN HIS ROOM, and will easily receive and embrace false teachers and seducers. Men’s nature is propense to evil courses, and is readiest to be affected with what is wrong. And seducers are more ready to serve men’s humours than faithful ministers may be, and withal it is God’s just judgment on the world to give them up to such, since they will not receive the love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Therefore saith He, “If another come in his own name, him ye will receive.” This is the heinous sin of men, to affront Christ, to respect Satan in his messengers, before God in His Son, as to prefer lies to truth. And it is their dreadful punishment to be given up to such delusions, because they will not see the light, or do receive it only as it may serve their turn, or weary of the light, and walk not answerable to it. And men should be ashamed of their errors, as being their plague, and a proclamation that they have not received the love of the truth. (G. Hutcheson.)
He who despises the Dove (John 1:42) falls a prey to the frogs Revelation 16:13). (R. Berser, D. D.)
There is light for those loving light, and darkness for those loving darkness. (Pascal.)
Robert Owen rejected Christianity, and died a believer in spirit-rapping. (W. H. Van Doren, D. D.)