demus' lips, therefore, the words "a
teacher come from God" meant a teacher with a Divine mission and
credentials. In this sense all the prophets were teachers "come from
God." And accordingly many careful readers of the Gospels believe that
nothing more than this is meant by any of those expressions our Lord
uses of Himself, as "sent from God," "come forth from God," and so on.
The only distinction, it is supposed, between Christ and other prophets
is that He is more highly endowed, is commissioned and equipped as God's
representative in a more perfect degree than Moses or Samuel or Elijah.
He had their power to work miracles, their authority in teaching; but
having a more important mission to accomplish, He had this power and
authority more fully. Now, it is quite certain that some of the
expressions which a careless reader might think conclusive in proof of
Christ's divinity were not intended to express anything more than that
He was God's commissioner. Indeed, it is remarkable how He Himself seems
to wish men to believe this above all else--that He was sent by God. In
reading the Gospel of John one is tempted to say that Jesus almost
intentionally avoids affirming His divinity explicitly and directly when
there seemed opportunity to do so. Certainly His main purpose was to
reveal the Father, to bring men to understand that His teaching about
God was true, and that He was sent by God.

There are, however, some expressions which unquestionably affirm
Christ's pre-existence, and convince us that before He appeared in this
world He lived with God. And among these expressions the words He uses
in this passage hold a place: "I came forth from the Father, and am come
into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." These
words, the disciples felt, lifted a veil from their eyes; they told Him
at once that they found an explicitness in this utterance which had been
a-wanting in others. And, indeed, nothing could be more explicit: the
two parts of the sentence balance and interpret one another. "I leave
the world, and go to the Father," interprets "I came forth from the
Father, and am come into the world." To say "I leave the world" is not
the same as to say "I go to the Father": this second clause describes a
state of existence which is entered upon when existence in this world is
done. And to say "I came forth from the Father" is not the same as to
say "I came into the world"; it describes a state of existenc