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Joh_15:15. The dignity, however, which lies in this designation “friends,” was to become known to them.
οὐκέτι ] No more, as before (Joh_12:26, Joh_13:13 ff.). No contradiction to Joh_15:20, where Jesus does not anew give them the name of δοῦλοι , but only reminds them of an earlier saying; nor with Luk_12:4, where He has already called them friends, which, however, is also not excluded by the present passage, since here rather the previous designation is only indicated a potiori, and the new is intended in a pregnant sense, which does not do away with the objective and abiding relationship of the disciples, to be δοῦλοι of Christ, and their profound consciousness of this their relationship (Act_4:29; Rom_1:1; Gal_1:10; Php_1:1, et al.); as generally Christians are at once δοῦλοι and ἀπελεύθεροι κυρίου (1Co_7:22), at once δοῦλοι and yet His brothers (Rom_8:29), at once δοῦλοι and yet His συγκληρονόμοι (Rom_8:16).
αὐτοῦ ὁ κύρ .] Although he is his lord.
τί ποιεῖ ] Not: what he intends to do (Grotius, Kuinoel, and several others), which is not appropriate in the application to Jesus, whose work was in full process of accomplishment, nay, was so near to its earthly consummation, but the action itself, whilst it is going on. The slave, although he sees it externally, is not acquainted with it, does not know the proper nature of the action of his master (comp. Xen. ep. i. 3), because the latter has not taken him into his confidence in respect of the quality, the object, the means, the motives, and thoughts, etc.; “servus tractatur ut ὄργανον ,” Bengel.
εἴρηκα ] Joh_15:14. πάντα ἃ ἤουσα , κ . τ . λ .] does not refer to all the doctrinal teaching, nor again is it elucidated from the quite general saying, Joh_8:26 (Tholuck); and just as little does it require the arbitrary and more exact definition of that which is necessary to salvation (Calvin), of the principles (De Wette), of that designed for communication (Lücke, Olshausen), by which it is sought to avoid the apparent contradiction with Joh_16:12; but[167] it alludes to that which the Father has laid upon Him to do, as appears from the context by the correlation with ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδε , κ . τ . λ . He has made known to the disciples the whole saving will of God, the accomplishment of which had been entrusted to Him on His being sent from the pre-existent state into the world; but that does not by any means also exclude instructions standing in the context, which they could not bear at the present time, Joh_16:12.
[167] This, at the same time, in answer to Beyschlag, p. 101, who considers a reference here to the pre-existent state as absurd. Comp. also against the same, Johansson, de Chr. praeexistentia, p. 14.