"We must not perhaps estimate too highly the extent of this man's faith. At any rate, it had the germ and nucleus of all justifying faith about it, a belief in oar Lord as the Messiah.
[And he worshipped Him.'] This seems to have been some- thing more than an action of respect and reverence to a man. It looks like the worship given to One who was felt to be very God. Our Lord accepts it, and says not one word to check it. We cannot suppose that Paul or Peter or John would have allowed a fellow-man to give them "worship." (See Acts x. 25, 26, and xiv. 14, 15; Rev. xix. 10, and xxii. 9.)
Chrysostom remarks how few of those whom our Lord mi- raculously healed, worshipped Him as this man did.
Cocceius remarks that when we consider that this act of worship follows immediately on a full profession of faith in Jesus as the " Son of God," it cannot be lightly passed over as a mere mark of respect.
Ferus observes that there is a thing said of this worshipper which is said of no one else who "worshipped" Christ. He said, " I believe," before he did it, and I believe in the " Son of God."
Poole observes that " although the word ' worshipped ' in the Greek be a word used sometimes to signify that civil respect which men show to their superiors, yet it cannot be so inter- preted in this place, considering what went before." 39.— {And Jesus said, For judgment, etc.] We must not suppose that there is any contradiction between these words and those in John iii. 17, and xii. 47.* It was quite true that our Lord had not come into the world to be a Judge, but a Saviour. Yet He had come to produce a judgment, or distinction, or division between class and class of characters, and to be the cause of light breaking in on some minds which before His coming could not see, and of blindness covering other minds which before His coming flattered themselves that they were full of light. In that the expression is very parallel to that of Simeon, (Luke ii. 35.) " The thoughts of many hearts were revealed by his com- ing." Humble-minded, ignorant people had light revealed to them. Proud, self-righteous people were given over to judicial blindness. (See Matt. xi. 25.)
And is not this judgment a common consequence of Christ's Gospel coming to a place or a people for the first time? Minds previously quite dead receive sight. Minds previously self-sat- isfied and proud of their own light are given over to utter dark- ness and left behind. Those who once saw not see. Those who fancied themselves clear-sighted are found blind. The same fire which melts wax hardens the clay.
Let it be noted that the Greek word rendered " might be made " would be more literally translated "might become." I do not mean to say that in no case does God ever give over
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people to blindness, by a kind of judgment, on account of tbeif hardness and impenitence. But we should carefully observe how rarely Scripture speaks of it as God's act. Thus here it is not literally true that He "makes" them blind, but that they "6ec«?»e" blind.
Augustine remarks : " Who are those that see? Those who think they see, who believe they see." He also says :" The judgment which Christ hath brought into the world is not that wherewith He shall judge the quick and the dead in the end of the world. It is a work of diserimkvition rather, by which He discerneth the cause of them whicn believe from that of the proud who think they see, and therefore are worse blinded."
Zwingle remarks : " Judgment is here taken for discrimina- tion, or separation into classes." Ferus says much the same.
Cheranitius thinks that our Lord spoke these words with spe- cial reference to the false and unjust judgment of excommunica- tion which the Pharisees had just passed. It is as though He would say, " True judgment, a right discrimination into classes, is My prerogative. The excommunication of a Pharisee is worthless."
Musculus and Gualter, think that "judgment" here means, the eternal decree of God. " I came into the world to carry out God's eternal purposes, which are that the wise and prudent should remain in darkness, truth should be revealed to babes;" but this seems far-fetched.
Poole says: "The best notion of 'judgment' here is theirs who interpret it of the spiritual government of the world, com- mitted to Christ, and managed by Him with perfect rectitude and equity. One eminent part of this was His publishing the Gospels, the law of faith. The result of which is, that many spiritually blind, and wholly unable to see the way to eternal life, might be enlightened with saving knowledge, and that many who think they see, should by their obstinate infidelity become more blind than they were from their birth. Not that I cast any such evil influence on them, but this happeneth through their own sore eyes."
Whitby remarks that the Greek conjunction here rendered " that " is not causal, but only consequential; as when Christ said, " I came not to send peace, but a sword," meaning, the consequence and result of My coming will be to send a sword, and not the object of My coming. He also thinks that the verse has a wide application to the Gentiles sitting in darkness, being enlightened by Christ's coming, while the Jews were blinded.
Hengstenberg says : " Those that see are the Jews, in contra- distinction to the Gentiles."
Burgon remarks : " Judgment is not used here in an active sense It is the condemnation implied bj severing men into