The reasoning of Christ, without for a moment quitting the higher ground of His teaching, was quite unanswerable from the Jewish standpoint. The Pharisees felt it, and, though well knowing to Whom He referred, tried to evade it by the sneer - where (not Who) His Father was? This gave occasion for Christ to return to the main subject of His Address, that the reason of their ignorance of Him was, that they knew not the Father, and, in turn, that only acknowledgment of Him would bring true knowledge of the Father. [4064]
Such words would only ripen in the hearts of such men the murderous resolve against Jesus. Yet, not till His, not their, hour had come! Presently, we find Him again, now in one of the Porches - probably that of Solomon - teaching, this time, the Jews.' We imagine they were chiefly, if not all, Judæans - perhaps Jerusalemites, aware of the murderous intent of their leaders - not His own Galileans, whom He addressed. It was in continuation of what had gone before - alike of what He had said to them and of what they felt towards Him. The words are intensely sad - Christ's farewell to His rebellious people, His tear-words over lost Israel; abrupt also, as if they were torn sentences, or, else, headings for special discourses: I go My way' - Ye shall seek Me, and in your sin [4065] shall ye die' - Whither I go, ye cannot come!' And is it not all most true? These many centuries has Israel sought its Christ, and perished in its great sin of rejecting Him; and whither Christ and His kingdom tended, the Synagogue and Judaism never came. They thought that He spoke of His dying, and not, as He did, of that which came after it. But, how could His dying establish such separation between them? This was the next question which rose in their minds. [4066] Would there be anything so peculiar about His dying, or, did His expression about going indicate a purpose of taking away His Own life? [4067]
It was this misunderstanding which Jesus briefly but emphatically corrected by telling them, that the ground of their separation was the difference of their nature: they were from beneath, He from above; they of this world, He not of this world. Hence they could not come where He would be, since they must die in their sin, as He had told them - if ye believe not that I am.' [4068]
The words were intentionally mysteriously spoken, as to a Jewish audience. Believe not that Thou art! But Who art Thou?' Whether or not the words were spoken in scorn, their question condemned themselves. In His broken sentence, Jesus had tried them - to see how they would complete it. Then it was so! All this time they had not yet learned Who He was; had not even a conviction on that point, either for or against Him, but were ready to be swayed by their leaders! Who I am?' - am I not telling you it even from the beginning; has My testimony by word or deed ever swerved on this point? I am what all along, from the beginning, I tell you. [4069] Then, putting aside this interruption, He resumed His argument. [4070] Many other things had He to say and to judge concerning them, besides the bitter truth of their perishing if they believed not that it was He - but He that had sent Him was true, and He must ever speak into the world the message which He had received. When Christ referred to it as that which He heard from Him,' [4071] He evidently wished thereby to emphasise the fact of His Mission from God, as constituting His claim on their obedience of faith. But it was this very point which, even at that moment, they were not understanding. [4072] And they would only learn it, not by His Words, but by the event, when they had lifted Him up,' as they thought, to the Cross, but really on the way to His Glory. [4073] [4074] Then would they perceive the meaning of the designation He had given of Himself, and the claim founded on it: [4075] Then shall ye perceive that I am.' Meantime: And of Myself do I nothing, but as the [4076] Father taught Me, these things do I speak. And He that sent Me is with Me. He [4077] hath not left Me alone, because what pleases Him I do always.'