The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 315

reth (see Luke iv.), e.nd now the return of needed the same ldnd of proof that hnd beon Jesus from Jndma was soon known in the gi,-ou at Jerusalem of tho Lord's prophetio cities along the shore of the lake. And he clo.irus, would account for all tho cmphn~is besought him (obs. -1,p~Ta, indicating to some lo.id upon the inpcrfcot faith oft.ho Gnlilronns. ext<'n! a kind of conscious right to seek the Ho who "know whe.t wns in mnn" know in foniur) th&t (Yva, in John, often ,:th-os the what wny to rouse in this supplinnt nn purport of e. prayer or e. command) he adequate recognition of the Divine in him- would come down (from the highlnnds of self. Galilee to the borders of the lake, sunk as Ver. 49.-The nobleman so.ith unto him, it is in a deep depression) to Capcmaum, Lord, oome down before my little boy (my only and heal his son : for he was on the point of son) die(comp. Mo.rk ix. 24, "Lord, Ibeliovo; dee.th (Vulgate, incipicbat mori; compare help thou my unbelief;" and, e.go.iu, the and contrast oh. xii. 33). words of the womo.n of Syro-Phamioia., who Ver. 48.-Then said J'eSUB to him-as re- will not be put off, "Even the clogs eat of presenting the whole cl&.58 whose fo.ith rested tho crumbs," Mo.tt. xv. 27, eto.). This upon, e.nd was nourished by, the outward touching stroke shows how love triumphs sign, with a certa.iu e.monnt of reproof if over the desire for signs and wonders, and not of irony in the strength of his phrase- nlroady helps to create the faith in the Except ye see (there is no speciul ·emphasis grace and power of the Di vine Helper. laid on the ~'IIT<, as distinct from 'the mere Ver. 50.-J'esUB saith to him, Go on thy report or testimony of such things) signs way; thy son liveth. The use of tho dimi- &nd wonders, ye will by no means believe. nutive 1ra,lilov in the previous verse is not This is the only occasion in John's Gospel sustnined by Codex A, which reads vl&v, while where these two terms are conjoined. They tot reads 1rallia.. Jesus adopts in his gro.cfous are frequently brought together in Act.a (ii. response the more dignified word which had 22, 43; iv. 30; v. 12, etc.), and used in con- been o.lree.dy on the lips of the father. junction in Matt. xxiv. 24; Mo.rk xiii. 22; He did not " need the passionate appeal " Rom. :i.:v. 19; 2 Cor. xii 12. John ordi- (Moulton). The rational,e of tho miracle is narily uses (lp-ya) "works" to denote those impossible. The will of Jesus was in abso- objective to.ngible focts which were "signs" lute coincidence with the Divine will, and (crru~iia) of the Lord's higher nature and he knew, by the inward conformity of his claims. Here Trfpa.Ta, a word meaning "por- own will with the Father's will, that what tents," remarkable, inexplicable events out he willed the Father willed, and that o.t the of the common order, accompanies "signs," very moment the orisis of the fover had to complete the notion. The craving for passed and the change was wrought. On " signs and wonuers " did absorb the higher this occasion he did not se.y, "I will come life of Judaism. "The Jews reqnireasign n o.nd heal him," bnt, "Go; thy son liveth;" (1 Cor. i. 22), and minds that are yet in the he is no longer, e.s thou thoughtest, on the Jewish stag<, of partial discipline, for spiri- point of death. The man was fain to believe tual revelation, still do the same. There is the word of Jesus, and for a while at least, to still in many of us the wee.k faith which believe by that alone. The man believed needs the slimnla.ting diet of the " sign " the word which J"esus epake to him, and before there is e.ny full recognition of the went on his way to Caperno.um. Divine fnlness of blessing. Chru-t does not Ver. 51.-Now e.s he was going down to condemn, though he mourns over, this spiri- Capemaum (if we take any of the more tual babyhood; and while he says (eh. L 38; recent determinations of the site of Ca.no. (see xiv. 11; xv. 24) that belief for the works' sake cb. ii. 1, 2), this means that he had traver;;ed may lead up to true faith, yet the language a distance of between twenty and twenty-five addressed to Thomas, "Blessed are they miles, so that there is no reason to treat that have not seen, a.nd yet have believed," with ridicule or xegard as inexplicable the reveals his deepest thought of their com- time taken for the return journey, or tho.t a parative worth. The demand for "signs night should have been spent in the transit and wonders " in Galilee contrasts with from Cane.), his eenanta mot I him, seying,• the ready reception which the Samaritans 1 'T1tfJIIT1/<Tav is read by Tregelles, Alford, had given to his 'I.DOTd. Many of the dilli- cnlties of these narratives arise from the Westcott e.nd Hort, Tiechendorf (8th edit.), obvious fact that they are so closely com• Revised Version, with tot, B, 0, D, K, L, pressed. Weiss has a hard task to make while the reading of T.R., a.1rt)VT'l/<Ta.v, is what he callB this "harsh e.nswer" tally sustained by A, r, L1, A, n, other uncials, e.nd with Matthew'& account of the reception of several quotations by 01'.igen, Chrysostom, the centurion, e.nd of the "great faith" and Cyril. which in his ease preceded the miracle. A • This alteration of the text is consider- &ingle sentence in the urgent request of the able. First, Westcott and Hort, Revised Ver- 110ble1n&n, implying that M Oa~ma.um they sion, omit tc;I u.1ff/r,Ei>.a.v, which is sust~ined un. 1v. 1-64.] '!'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S'l'. JOHN. 179