And what he has seen and heard, that he testifies; and no man receives his testimony.
All Commentaries on John 3:32 Go To John 3
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
He that is of the earth, &c. John prefers Christ to himself, as what is heavenly to what is earthly. As much therefore as heaven is higher than the earth, so greatly is Christ superior to John , according to the words, "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is of the heaven, heavenly" ( 1 Corinthians 15:47, Vulg.)
The meaning Isaiah , "He that is born of the earth, as I John am formed from it, as Adam was, he is earthy, and of the earth he speaketh, i.e, of earthly things. Now this was true of John (1.) if you have regard to his bare nature, as apart from the grace and calling of God. For apart from that, John was only earthy, and savoured of the earth. "For if thou hast heard anything Divine from John , it is of Him who gave him the light, not of him who only received the light," as S. Augustine says.
2. It is true if John be compared with Christ, whose origin, nature, and spirit are far loftier than those of John , for they are plainly heavenly and Divine, and consequently altogether efficacious for influencing the minds of men as He willed. And this Christ did by His grace, which He breathed inwardly into the souls of those who heard Him.
And what He (i.e, Christ) hath seen, &c. This is by catachresis, for in things Divine, to see and hear mean the same as to know. But to see signifies the evidence of the things that are known: to hear, their source, because indeed He had received all these things, as knowledge, and the fulness of Wisdom of Solomon , together with the Divine Essence, from the Father.
No one receiveth: i.e, hyperbolically, for few receive. For although many flocked to Jesus, yet in comparison with those who stayed at home, and neglected the preaching of Jesus, they were but few. And even amongst those few, some believed, and some believed not, such as the scribes and Pharisees. John refers to his own disciples, say S. Chrysostom and Euthymius because few of the Jews came to him, and fewer still believed.
