Lord saw His own approaching death and withdrawal from the world.
Ecolampadius thinks that there is a latent connection between this verse and the question of the Jews. "You ask who is this Son of man? I reply that He is the Light of the world, as I have often told you. Like the sun, He is about to be eclipsed, or withdrawn from your eyes very shortly. Make haste, and delay not to believe on Him."
Gerhard justly remarks on this sentence, how far from infal- libility the best of the Fathers were. Even Augustine, from his slight acquaintance with Greek, renders the sense, " There is yet a little light in your hearts ! "
A German commentator remarks, that Christ seems here to rebuke this quibbling and questioning about phrases. " There was no time now for sophistry and circumlocution. It was a solemn matter. How differently ought they to demean them- selves in their little residue of time", and not to fritter it away with affected contradictions ! How earnestly they ought to seek at once for refuge to the light, and shield themselves against coming darkness ! "
[Walk while ye have the light."} This solemn exhortation was meant to urge the Jews to do for their souls' safety, what a wise traveller would do to get safely to his journey's end. " Enter in at the strait gate : walk in the narrow way : flee from the city of destruction : set out on your journey towards eternal life : rise, and be moving, while I and my Gospel are close to you, shining on you, and within your reach."
Hengstenberg remarks, that " walking here denotes activity, and stands opposed to an idle and indifferent rest."
[Lest darkness come upon you.~] Our Lord here warns the Jews of the things to be feared, if they neglected His advice. Darkness would overtake, catch, and come upon them. He would leave the world, and return to His Father. They would be left in a state of judicial darkness and blindness as a nation, and, with the exception of an election, would be given over to untold calamities, scattering, and misery. How true these words were, we know from the history of the Jews, written by Josephus, after our Lord left the world. His account of the extraordinary state of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, during the siege of the city by Titus, is the best commentary on the text before us. The state of the Jews, as a nation, during the last days of Jerusalem, can only be described as " darkness that might be felt."
[For he... darkness. ..knoweth not...goeth.~\ This is an argu- ment drawn from the acknowledged helplessness of one who attempts a difficult journey in a dark night. He cannot see his way. He only gets into trouble, and perhaps loses his life. This was exactly the case of the Jewish nation, after our Lord left