Ing Him. Our Lord Himself has set the seal of His Divine sanction on these principles."
[And lohen he had found, etc.'] We should note in this sen- tence our Lord's kindness and compassion. As soon as His people suffer for His name's sake He is ready to visit them and speak words of comfort and give special consolation. We see too an example of His zeal to turn temporal trials to spiritual gain. Like Him, we should be ready to say to sufferers, " Dost thou believe on the Son of God? The world fails thee. Turn to Christ, and seek rest."
Chrysostom remarks : " They who for the sake of the truth and confession of Christ suffer anything and are insulted, these are especially honoured. So it was here with the blind man. The Jews cast him out of the temple, and the Lord of the tem- ple found him. He was dishonoured by those who dishonoured Christ, and was honoured by the Lord of angels."
We should note that this is one of the very few occasions on which our Lord called Himself directly " the Son of God." (See John iii. 18; v. 25; x. 36; xi. 4.)
The word "thou "here is emphatic. "Others are unbeliev- ing. Dost thou believe? "
86. — [He answered and said, etc.] This is the language of a mind ignorant of many things, yet willing to be instructed. It is like Saul crying, " Who art Thou, Lord? " and the jailer saying, "What must I do?" When a man begins to inquire about Christ, and ask who He is, it is always a hopeful symptom of his stnte of soul.
It inay be doubted whether "Lord" here would not have been setter rendered " Sir."
Cb.'ysostom says: "The expression is that of a longing, in- quiring soul."
37. — [And Jesus said, etc.] We should carefully notice the extraor- dinary fulness of the revelation which our Lord here made of Himself. In no case but this, and that of the Samaritan woman, clo we find Him so unreservedly declaring His own Divinity and Messiahship. So true is it that "the meek He will guide in judgment,'1 and that things "hid to the wise and prudent are revealed to babes." The poor and despised and friendless among mankind are often those whom He favours with special revelations of His kindness and mercy. (John iv. 26] Matt. v. 10—12.)
38. — [And he said, Lord, I believe.] This immediate profession of faith seems to indicate that the man's mind had been prepared by the Holy Ghost during the interval of time since His cure. The more he thought over his miraculous healing, and the Per- son who had wrought it, the more ready he was to believe in Him as the Messiah.