rendered, " This man is truly and really the Prophet. " These speakers meant that He must be " the Prophet " like unto Moses, foretold in Deuteronomy. (Dent, xviii. 15, 18.) 41. — [Others said, TJiis is the Christ.'] These speakers saw in our Lord the Messiah, or Anointed Saviour, whom all pious Jews were eagerly expecting at this period, and whose appearing the whole nation were looking for in one way or another, though the most part expected nothing more than a temporal Redeemer. (Psalm xlv. 7 ; Isaiah lxi. 1 ; Dan. ix. 25, 26.) Even the Samari- tan woman could say, " I know that Messiah cometh." (John iv. 25.)
[But some said, Shall Christ... Galilee?'] This ought to have been rendered, " But others said." It was not a few exception- al speakers only, but a party probably as large as any. They raised the objection, which was not unnatural, that this new teacher and preacher, however wonderful He might be, was notoriously a Galilean, of Nazareth, and therefore could not be the promised Messiah. How utterly ignorant most persons were of our Lord's birthplace, we see here, as elsewhere.
42. — [Hath not the Scripture said, etc. ] We should note in this verse the clear knowledge which most Jews in our Lord's time had of Scripture prophecies and promises. Even the common people knew that Messiah was to be of the family of David, and to be born at Bethlehem, the well known birthplace of David. It may indeed be feared that myriads of Christians know far less of the Bible than the Jews did eighteen hundred years ago.
43. — [So... division among... people because of Him.] Here we see our Lord's words literally fulfilled. — He did not bring " peace, but division." (Luke xii. 51.) It will always be so as long as the world stands. So long as human nature is corrupt, Christ will be a cause of division and difference among men. To some He is a savour of life, and to others of death. Grace and nature never will agree any more than oil and water, acid and alkali. A state of entire quiet, and the absence of any religious divis- ion, is often no good sign of the condition of a Church or a parish. It may even be a symptom of spiritual disease and death. The question may possibly be needful in such cases, "Is Christ there?"
44.— [And some... would... taken Him.] This would be more satis- factorily rendered, "Some out of those " who made up the crowd " were desirous and wished to take our Lord prison- er."— These were no doubt the friends and adherents of the Pharisees, and very likely were the common people who dwelt • at Jerusalem, and knew well what their leaders wanted to do. [No man laid hands on Him.] This must be accounted for primarily by divine restraint which was at present laid on our Lord's enemies, because His hour was not yet come;— and sec- ondarily by the fear in which the Pharisees' party evidently stood of a rising in our Lord's defence on the part of the Gali- leans, and others who had come up to the feast. Thus we read that at the last Passover "the priests and Scribes sought how