necessity to man's life and animal existence on the Sabbath day, were never intended to be forbidden. — The other thing to be observed is our Lord's assertion of His own Divinity and equality with God the Father. When He said, " My Father worketh, and I also work/' He evidently meant much more than bringing forward His Fatlier's example, though that of course is con- tained in His argument, and justifies all Christians in doing works of mercy on Sundays. What He meant was, '' I am the beloved Son of God : I and My Father are one in essence, dignity, honour, and authority ; whatever He does I also do, and have right to do. He works and I also work. He gave you the Sabbath, and it is His day. I too, as one with Him, am Lord of the Sabbath." That the Jews saw this to be the meaning of His words seems clear from the next verse.
Chrysostom remarks on this verse : — " If any one say, ' How doth the Father ivorh, who ceased on the seventh day from all His works ? ' let him learn the manner in which He worketh. What is it ? He careth for, He holdeth together all that hath been made. When thou beholdest the sun rising, and the moon running in her path, the lakes, the fountains, the rivers, the rains, the course of nature in seeds, and in our own bodies and those of irrational beings, and all the rest, by means of wliich this universe is made up, then learn the ceaseless working of the Father." (Matt. v. 45 ; vi. 30.)
Schottgen quotes a remarkable saying of Philo Judaeus, — " God never ceases to work. Just as it is the property of fire to burn and of snow to be cold, so is it the property of God to work."
Ferus remarks on the great variety of arguments used by our Lord on various occasions, in reply to the superstitious views of the Jews about the Sabbath. One time He adduces the example of David eating the shew-bread, another time the example of the priests working in the Temple on the Sabbath, another time the readiness of the Jews to help an ox out of a pit on the Sab- bath. All these arguments were used in defence of works of necessity and mercy. Here He takes higher ground still, — the example of His Father. 18. — [Therefore the Jews sought the more to Jcill him.] This short de- fence which our Lord made seems to have rankled in the minds of the Jews, and to have made them even more bitter against Him. What length of time is covered by this verse is not very plain. I am inclined to think that it implies some little pause between the 17th and 19th verses. Here again, as in the 16th verse, we have the imperfect tense all the way through. It must surely pomt at something of habit, both in the designs of the Jews itgainst our Lord, and in our Lord's conduct, and in. Hia language about His Father.