The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 250

and said unto bhn. To BUpposo, with many Ver. S.-1\lany explanations haw been commentRtors (after Augustine), that the offered of the link of oonnection between the night is here symbolic of the mental con- suggestion of Nicodemus and the reply of dition of the man, is far-fetched. Thoma., Jesus. Many expansions or additions have here intent on his principle of the fabrioo ted been conjectured, such as the followinj?, BUg- character of the Gospel, 001:n!lares this to gested by Christ's own lnngunge elsewhere: King Saul (Paul's ancestor I) going by nigM "You, by the finger of God, are casting out to Samuel-a type of Christ I There is more devils ; then the kingdom of God has come probability that the night of the Last Supper nigh unto us. How may we enter upon its wn.s in the miud of John, and that these further proofs? "-a view which would de- two nights, the one at the beginning, the mand a deeper knowledge of the mind of other nt the close of the ministry of Jesus- Christ than we hnvo any rc11son to suppose nights of exlraordinnry 8ignificanoe-were diffused at this period. Others (Baumlein) impressed incffncenbly on his memory, and, have supposed Nicodemus to have s11id, to some extent, contrnskd with each other. "Does the baptism of John suffice for ad- Nicodemus did not fear the Lord or his mission into the kingdom? "-a suggestion disciples, but his own colleagues, whoso which would be most strange for a Pharisaic cxcitomeut hnd already betrayed their sen- Sanbedrist to have extemporized. At the timents. 'Without" belie\'ing on his Name," same time, it may be proved that the rabbis they had come to some conclusions, nnd regarded proselytism as n " new birth," and Nicodemus with them. Rabbi, said he, we one produced or brought about by circumci- know. He does not conceal a common sen- sion and baptism (Wiinsche, l.o., 506; Geikie, timent at that moment agitniing his own i. 505). Others, again, have put further class in societv, and he bestows the honorific words into tl.ie reply of Jesus, such ns, title of Rabbi, "my Master," which, as "The kingdom of God is not in the mire.oles coming from a learned doctor to a humble which I am working; it is in astnteofthiags peasant, was a remarkable testimony to the whieh can only be appreciated by a radical effect Jesus had indirectly exerted beyond spiritual change" (Liicke). Similarly Lu- the circle of his immediate hearers : that thardt. Nicodemus was thinking of the thou art a Teacher come from God. The kingdom of God evinced by mirnoulous pl.imse, a:,ro 0•oii, precedes " the Teacher signs; and Jesus points him to the inner come." Certainly it yields to J e611.S great dig- reality rather than to the outer mauifestl\- nity. He i.s God-sent, like the prophets of old. tion. Godet seos the Pharisaio position in He has a right to teach. His doctorate is a the question of Nicodemus, "Art thou the heavenly diploma; and Nicodemus draws Messinh? is the kingdom of God uear, ns a wiser conclusion tl.ian the many did who, thy miracles seem to indicate?" He was as- in some sense, believed on his Name. They suming that, as a Pharisee, he had nothing were rushing heedlessly forward to further to do but walk in the light, the dl\wn of conclusions. Nicodemus saw a grand au- which was revealed to him in tl.ie signs of n thority as a Teacher of men, a He1Lven-sent divinely sent Teacher. All these views Messenger, in the Lord Jesus, and he came embrace a large a.mount of possible conjec- to this conclusion from the settled persua.sion tural truth; but they ignore the play upon. that no m.&n can do the Bigna which thou art the words of Nicodemus, which the answer performing, if God be not with him. This of Jesus involves, showing that a sharp, confession was true, indicating candid and clean retort followed the speech of the honest inquiry and a teachable mind. It former. " We /mow that NO JIJ'AN IS ABLE to do was the very truth which Peter in subse- these signs which thou ai·t worldng EXCEPT GOD qnent times gave to Cornelius as explana- BE WITH HIJIJ'. Verily, verily, I say unf,o thee, tion of the healing and beneficent powers of EXCEPT ONE be born anew, HE IS NOT ABLE J011os. Christ knew the whole man, under- to see the kingdom of God." 'l'he form of stood at once the honesty of the inquiry, and both prate.sis and apodosis in each sentence did entrust himself to Nicodemus. There closely corresponds, and this correspondence was more faith in this modes-t inquiry, in this suggests the fact of an immediate repartee, honest scepticism of his own position, than in adopting even the form of tho question or the clamours and hosannas of the fickle crowd. assertion of the ruler of the Jews. To the Vers. 3-21.-5. The revelation of earthly " we know" of Nicodemus, comes the "I a,nd hea;oenly things to one who knew that sa.y unto thee" of Jesus. To the general God wa8 unth him. seutimcnt of Nicodemus Christ gives e. per- Vere. 3-12.-(1) The condition6 of adrnis- sonal application. In place of speculation 1ion into the kingdom of God. New birth of concerning his own relation to God aud to the Spirit. the kingdom, Christ searches in the heart of bis q uestiouer for epiritua.l susceptibility. ~eraes are closely connected with the present Over agaillllt tho geucrn.l proposition about chapter. God being with the Worker of the11e ai~~, 011. 111. 1-36.) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN.