All these questions Jesus answered for Hiniselt absolutely in the negative. There did not enter into His mind even a p;ussing shadow of the am- bition which marked the best of earthly conquerors. He was determined not to minister in the least to the national pride of the Jews. Still less would He work out a new pride of His own. He did not desire in any sense valitiire per ora. ICveu the most natural ciavitigs of the natui'e which He had ,i.ssunied He refused to satisfy so long as their satisfaction ended with Himself.
These principles are involved in the narrative of the Temptation. They are laid down oiu'e for all ; anil the rest of the hi.story shows no swerving from them. At the same time it must be reineinlH'red that allliough the decision had been reached by Jesus Himself, il was not yet known, except .so far as He was pleased to reveal it. Partly, the revelation was made by acts and the self-imposed limits of action. The clearest revelation was the story of the 'I'emptation itself. But neither the one nor the other was wholly understood.
iii. Tilt' Firxt Dinriples nitil the Mirticle at Cana. — At this jioint we leave for some time the Synoptic narrative and follow rather that in the Fourth Go.spel, which it must be confessed comes to ns with very considerable verisimilitude. If we had only the Synoptic Gospels we should have to suppo.se that our Lord gathered about Him a band of disciples abruptly and suddenly, capturing them as it were by the lone of authority in His command. In St. John we have the steps given which led up to this, and which make it far more inlclli- gible.
From this Gospel it would appear that Jesus remained for some time in the neighbourhood of the Baptist; that the Baptist more than once in- dicated Him in a markecl and indeed mysterious way (.In l-'-' ' The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world' ; cf. v.*''») ; and that one by one several of John's disciples began to attach themselves, as yet more or less loosely, to His person. The Baptist's testimony, strengtiiened by first impressions, awoke in. them the belief that at la.st the ' mightier than he ' predicted by the Baptist had come (Jn 1*'). Such a belief at this time and under these circumstances would need no elal>orale demonstration. Il would lie accepted in a tentative way, awaiting verilication from events, and, of course, only with those contents which accorded with current .Jewish opinion.
The home of Jesus was still, as it had been for some thirty years of His life, at Nazareth ; and at the lime wiien He began to collect followers round Him, He was already on the point of returning thither
* The words are remarkable, especially as coining thus at the very tliresliold. It is t>ossihle that tiie evanpellst may have been led to define somewhat in view of later events and later doctrines (for the allusion seems to hi- to Is .Vi). lint the context, incliiditi!,' the deputation from .lerusalem. is so lifelike and so thoroughly in accordance with probabilities, that the .s.aying has a presumption in its favour.
JESUS CHRIST
JESUS CHRIST
G13
(Jn 1"). He had not as yet separated Himself from the domestic life of His family. It was a.s an inci- dent in this life that He went to a marriage feast at the villaf;e of Cana (prob. = Kami el-Jeltl rather than Jii'fr Kenna) in tlie company of His mother anil some at le;ist of His newly-found disciples. Here occurred the first of those 'signs' which were to be one con.spicuous outcome of His mi.ssion. No wonder tliat it impressed itself vividly on the memory of one who wiis present, and that it con- firmed his incipient faith (Jn 2"). We shall speak of these siu'ns in tlieir general bearing presently.
iv. 77(1? Fimt Pasisdvfr. — There would seem to have been .some connexion between the family at Nazareth and Capernaum,* as the whole party now spend some days there (Jn 2'-). But the Passover was neur, and .Jesus, with at least some of His disciples. Went up to it. In connexion with this Pa-ssover, .St. .lohn places, what has the appearance of a somewhat higli-hamled act, the exinilsion of buyers and .sellers from the outer court of the temple (Jn 2'^-"-). The Synoptics place a similar act in the last week of the Ministry (Mk ll'^-'^J). It is possible that such an act may have hajipened twice ; but if we are to choose, and if we believe the (jospel to be really by the son of Zebedee, we shall give his dating the preference — the more so as in these early chapters the dates are given with great precision, and apparently with the intention of correcting a current impression.
This act w.ts the fir.st delinite a.ssumption of a public mission to Israel, and its scene was fitly chosen at the centre of Israel's worship. It w\is the act, not as yet neces.sarily of one who claimed to be the .Me.ssi,Th, but of a religious reformer like one of the ancient prophets. It was naturally followed by a challenge as to the right of such an a.ssump- tion. To this the enigmatic reply w.is given, ' Destroy this temple, and in three days {i.e. in a short time, cf. Hos G-) I will rai.se it up"; which seems to be rightly glo.ssed in Mk 14^' — the .lewi.sh Church with its visible local centre should give place to the Christian Church with its invisible and spiritual centre (cf. Jn 4-"'). The saying made an impression at the time, and was brought up at the trial of tjesus to support a charge of blasphemy ; the disciples at a later date referred it to the Uesurrection (Jn 22"').