indicated. It was not merely His claims to be received as the Messiah. It was not merely the high and spiritual doctrine He preached. It was rather His constant testimony against the sinful lives and wicked practices of the many in His day. That adultery, covetousness, and hypocrisy were rife and common among the leading Pharisees, is evident from many expressions in the Gospels. It was our Lord's witness against these darling sins that enraged His enemies.
The wickedness of human nature is painfully shown in this sentence. Christ was " hated." It is an utter delusion to sup- pose that there is any innate response to perfect moral purity, or any innate admiration of "the true, the pure, the just, the kind, the good, and the beautiful," in the heart of man. God gave man, 1800 years ago, a perfect pattern of purity, truth, and love, in the person of our Lord while He was upon earth. And yet we are told He was " hated."
True Christians must never be surprised if they are " hated" like their Lord. "The disciple is not above his Master." — " Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." (Matt. x. 24; 1 John iii. 13.) In fact the more like Christ they are, the more likely to be " hated." Moreover, they must not be cast down and make themselves miserable, under the idea that it is their inconsistencies the world hates, and that if they were more consistent and lovely in life the world would like them better. This is a complete mistake, and a common delusion of the devil. What the world hates about Christians is neither their doctrines, nor their faults, but their holy lives. Their lives are a constant testimony against the world, which makes the men of the world feel uncomfortable, and therefore the world hates them.
Let us note, that unpopularity among men is no proof that a Christian is wrong, either in faith or practice. The common notion of many, that it is a good sign of a person's character to be well-spoken of by everybody, is a great error. When we see how our Lord was regarded by the wicked and worldly of His day, we may well conclude that it is a very poor compliment to be told that we are liked by everybody. There can surely be very little " witness " about our lives if even the wicked like us. " Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you." (Luke vi. 2G.) That sentence is too much forgotten.
Erasmus used to say, that Luther might have had an easy life, if he had not touched the Pope's crown, and the monks' bel- lies.
Bengel observes, " Those who please all men, at all times, ought deservedly to look on themselves with suspicion."
8. — [Go ye up. ..this feast."] These words can hardly be called a command. They rather mean, " If you wish to go at once, go, and do not tarry for Me."
II go not up yet... my time is not yet full come.] Here the rea-
JOHN, CIIAr. VII. 11
son already given and commented on is repeated. Our Lord did not say He would not go to the feast, but not yet. There was " a time " for all His actions, and every step of His ministry, and that time had not yet fully arrived ; or, as the Greek literally means, was not "fulfilled." True Christians should remember that, like their Master on this occasion, they and worldly men cannot well work and act and move together. They will often find it so. Their principles are different. Their reasons and motives of action are different. They will often find that " two canuot walk together except they are agreed."
It seems strange that any reasonable person should see dif- ficulty in this passage, as if it threw a colour of doubt on our Lord's veracity. Yet Augustine has a Homily on the subject in defence of our Lord. Surely the simplest and most natural view is, that our Lord meant, " I am not going up yet; " and " am not going, at any rate, in the public caravan with your- selves." This is Chrysostom's view and Theophylact s. At an early period Porphyry tried to fasten on our Lord the charge of inconstancy of purpose, out of this passage. An enemy of Christianity must be sadly at a loss for objections, if he can find no better than one founded on this place.
9. — [When... said these words... abode... Galilee.] This means, that He staid at the place where this conversation took place, while His brethren started on their journey to Jerusalem. What the place in Galilee was we are not told.
10. — [But when... brethren... gone up, then went he.~\ We are not told what interval there was between our Lord's setting off for Jerusalem, and His brethren's departure. The words before us would seem to indicate that He set off very soon after them. One reason perhaps for our Lord not going with them was His desire to avoid being made a public show by His relatives. They had very likely a carnal desire to call attention to Him and to rally a party of adherents round Him, for their owu worldly ends. To avoid affording any opportunity for this, our Lord would not go in their company. He had not forgotten, no doubt, that in Galilee there was a party who once would fain have " taken Him by force to make Him a king." (John vi. 15.) He wished to keep clear of that party.
[Not openly, but. ..in secret.] This probably only means that our Lord did not go in the caravan, or large company of His kinsmen, who according to custom went up together from Gali- lee, but in a more private manner. — How large the caravans or gatherings of fellow-travellers going up to the three great feasts must have been, we may easily see from the account of our Lord being not missed by Mary and Joseph at first, when He went up to Jerusalem with them at the age of twelve. " Sup- posing Him to have been in their company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaint- ance." (Luke ii. 44.)— Our Lord never sought publicity but