Finally, let us never forget that unbelief is the special sin that ruins men's souls. Had the Jews believed on our Lord, all manner of sin and blasphemy might have been forgiven them. But unbelief bars the door in mercy's face, and cuts off hope. Let us watch and pray hard against it. Immortality slays its thousands, but unbelief its tens of thousands. One of the strongest sayings ever used by our Lord was this, — " He that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark xvi. 16.)
Notes. John VIII. 21—30.
21. — [Then said Jesus again unto them.'] There seems a break or pause between this verse and the preceding one. It is as if our Lord resumed discourse with a new leading thought or key-note. The other idea, viz., that " again *' refers to chap. vii. 34, and means that our Lord impressed on His hearers a second time that He would soon leave them, does not seem probable. — It seems not unlikely that in the first instance our Lord spoke of " going" to the officers of the priests and Pharisees, and that here He speaks to their masters, or at least to a different set of hearers.
[Igo my way.] This* must mean, " I am soon about to leave this world. 'My mission is drawing to a close. The time of My decease and sacrifice approaches, and I must depart, and go back to My Father in heaven* from whence I came. " — The leading object of the sentence appears to be to excite in the minds of the Jews thought and inquiry about His divine nature. " I am one who came from heaven, and am going back to heaven. Ought you not to inquire seriously who I am?"
Chrysostom thinks our Lord said this, partly to shame and terrify the Jews, and partly to show them that His death would not be affected by their violence, but by His own voluntary sub- mission.
[Fe shall seek me. ..die in. ..sins.] This means that His hearers would seek Him too late, having discovered too late that He was the Messiah whom they ought to have received. But the door of mercy would then be shut. They would seek in vain, because they had not known the day of their visitation. And the result would be that many of them would die miserably " in their sins," — with their sins upon them unpardoned and un- forgiven.
[Whither I go ye cannot come.] This must mean heaven, the everlasting abode of glory which the Son had with the Father before He came into the world, which He left for a season when He became incarnate, and to which He returned when He had