36--47.
745
4 - Lol ~ - καὶ "' ἐκεῖναί εἶσιν at μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ: 40. καὶ οὗ θέλετε m1 Pet. i.
Io, 12.
3 a“ ο ἐλθεῖν πρός µε, ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχητε. 41. "Δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ nx Thess.
λαμβάνω: 42. GAN ἔγνωκα ὑμᾶς, ὅτι "τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ
” 3 ς Ἀ εχετε εν EQUTOLS.
43- ἐγὼ ἐλήλυθα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός µου,
ii. 6. Ch.
καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετέ pe ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθη ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἰδίῳ,
ἐκεῖνον λήψεσθε.!
44. πῶς δύνασθε ὑμεῖς πιστεῦσαι, δόξαν παρὰ
ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ 5 µόνου Θεοῦ ρχνή.2. 1
οὐ ζητεῖτε;
, ” ε ca lol 3 a € a 3 , πατερα ὶ εστιν ο κατηγορων υμων», Μωσῆς, εις ον υμεις ἠλπίκατε. 3 a > , ~ 2 , 3 , 4 Sy 2 aq 46 . ει γαρ επιστευετε Mwon, επιστευετε ἂν εμοι 3 περι γαρ εμου
> ον ” ἐκεινος εγραψεν. πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασι πιστεύσετε;
Tim. ii.
45. μὴ δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἐγὼ κατηγορήσω ὑμῶν I πρὸς τὸν 17. Jude
25. 1Cor. Viii. 6. πρὸς, 2 Mac. x. 13.
47- εἰ δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνου "ypdppacw οὗ πιστεύετε, τ 2 Tim. iii.
15. Esth. νι. 1.
1 ληµψεσθε in SABDL, adopted in modern editions.
hath sent, Him ye believe not”. Had the revelation or word of God in law and prophets possessed them, they would inevitably have recognised Jesus as from the same source, and as the consumma- tion of the message, the fulfilment of the promise. Not that the Jews held their Scriptures in no esteem, no, (ver. 39), ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς; the indicative is to be preferred, ‘‘ Ye search the Scrip- tures’’; the reason being ὅτι ἡὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν, “' because you suppose that in them you have life eternal”—already it is hinted, by the . emphatic ὑμεῖς implicitly opposed to a contrasted ἐγώ, and by the emphatic ἐν αὐταῖς suggesting another source, that eternal life was not to be had in the Scriptures, but in something else. But it is of me these Scriptures themselves into which you search testify. καὶ ἐκεῖναι ... pov. ‘They testify that in me is life eternal; and yet you will not come to me that you may have life.”—Ver. 4o. καὶ οὐ . . . ἔχητε. The true function of Scripture is expressed in the words, ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ: they do not give life, as the Jews thought ; they lead to the life-giver. God speaks in Scripture with a definite purpose in view, to testify to Christ; if Scripture does that, it does all. But to set itona level with Christ is to do both it, Him, and ourselves grave injustice.
This closes the description of the three- fold witness to Christ, and in vv. 41-47, He exposes the source of their unbelief. This exposure is introduced by a dis- claimer on His part of any chagrin at the want of homage and acceptance He received.—Ver. 41. Δόξαν παρὰ
ἀνθρώπων οὐ λαμβάνω, not “ glory trom men I am not receiving,” not quite “glory from men I do not seek,” but rather, that which is in my judgment glory, I do not receive from men: not what men yield me is my _ glory, Ambition is not my motive in making these claims.—Ver. 42. ἀλλ) ἔγνωκα . . . but I know you, etc.; that is, I know why you do not receive me; the reason is that you have not the love of God in yourselves, and therefore cannot ap- preciate or understand one who acts in concert with God ; if therefore they did offer Him homage, it could not be God in Him they worshipped (Holtzmann). [The motive of Jesus in making His claims is a subject inviting inquiry and full of significance.]—Ver. 43. ἐγὼ ἐλήλνθα . . . It is just because I have come in the Father’s name that you do not receive me. Not really loving God, they could not appreciate and accept Jesus who came in God’s name, that is, who truly represented God. But ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθῃ . . . λήψεσθε, “if another come in his own name,” and therefore seeking only such glory as the Jews could give, him ye will receive; cf. Matt. xxiv. 5, 23, 24. ‘‘He did not say, ‘If I had come in my own name,’ because the thing was so inconceivable.’”’ Mason, Conditions of our Lord’s Life, etc., p. go. Possibly Jesus had here in view Anti- christ (see Bousset’s Antichrist, 133); but neither Bar Cochba nor any other definite Pseudo-Christ. Schudt mentions sixty- four.—Ver. 44. The Jewish inability to believe arose from their earthly ambition: πῶς δύνασθε . . . οὐ ζητεῖτε. The root of their unbelief was their earthly idea of