The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 344

nomo. Meyer heors a ring of defianoe in • Hipp.,' 470, and elsewhere; but Cna Grimm thoso words, The other hints we obtain says) ,Jesus did not withdraw to avoid a touching the man's chora.cter do not euetoin danger which had not yet proclaimed it.elf, such an idea. but to evade the acelamation of the multi- Ver. 12,-[Then]' they asked him, Who is tude (aee also Lange)-a orowd being in the the man (contemptuous use of l'iv6pr,nros, as plaoe where the miracle had been wrought. distinct from God's greot messengers, or the Ver. 14.-After these things (see ver. 1). legisla.tors o.ml prophets of the olden time, Westcott thinks that I\ looser connection be- who have li1id down the eternal Law of God) tween the foregoing and subsequent events that said unto thee, Take up [thy bed], 2 and is denoted by µe-ro. Tavra; than by the ex- walk 1 "The Jews" hero ignore the work pression µETo. TOvTo. Consequently, the per- of heo.ling o.nd meroy, and seek to fa.eten a secution referred to in the remainder of the ohC1rgo of overt crimino.lity a.gainst some chapter may have occurred several days after person unknown. A technico.1 offence has the foregoing conversation. Jesus found him 1 been done ngC1inst the honour of their sacred in the temple. Some have inferred from this, place. The work of healing is an insignifi- the recognition by the healed man of the co.nt compensntion for such a disgrace. They hand of God in his cure, and his desire to would be even with the hereticnl healer. express his gratitude in the house of Goel by Saving men by questionable methods is not some appropriate conduct or service ; and, to be endured. "Who is the ma.n?" "Men granting this explanation, much charm is a.nd wo1nen lying in moral helplessness, not observable in the fact that J esn~ found him, helped by God's priests and rulers, are now and found him there. The Lord's habit of standing nnd moving in the strength their visiting the temple, and the penetrating new Teachor has given. They cannot deny glance which he casts over all the frequenters it; but can they prevent it? The ra.bbinic of bis Father's house might then fairly be de- p1·ecept which he has crossed shall be applied duced from the passage; but the motive of the to stamp out his work and kill him" man is quite conjectural. From the words of (Wntkins). Jesus one might as reasonably suppose that Ver. 13,-Nowhethat was heeled-in this the man was treading at the time on dan- place .S /a;6els takes the place of .,.,eep=•u- gerons moral ground, making aome kind of µlvos of ver. 10.• The fundamental idea in gain from his notoriety. The healing was, the verb 6epa;1m'"" is to render kindly and at least, imperfect until the man had lenmed useful, oven noble, service to another-to do its spiritual significance. Every gift of God the work nnd act the part of 11 6ep,J,.,,,,,v. The is doubled in value when its source is recog- ministry rendered may be that of II lioii/1.os or nized. God's signature on his own mercies U1r1/pfr11s, 11 6a>.,r"'" or iaTpos. The "service" gives them their true meaning. Christ found successfully rendered by II physician is more the healed man in the precincts of the often expressed by lc!oµa,, which has no other temple, whether his motive was pure or meaning than restoration to health, and its mixed in goiug thither. And he Rid unto use here may imply this positive fact (see him, Behold, thou a.rt made whole (hast be- tho use of both words in Matt. viii. 7, 8)- come sound and healthy throughout thy knew not who it was (was at that time and physical system; cf. for the form of this for a while ignorant of the person of his description of his case, the query, ver. 6): Healer): for Jeans withdrew-after the heal- no longer continue to sin. The form of the ing. 'E1<veil"' is" to nod or bend the head and sentence points to something specie.I and avoid II blow," but comes to mean " with- persistent in this mo.n's habits, rather than dro.w" or "retire." Some have supposed to the general corruption of human nature. tha.t, like l1<v•"'• to " escape by swimming Christ's penetrating glance discovered all the from a danger," l{,v•uO"• means here "stenl- hidden misery and bleeding wound Rnd thily escaped "-a sense that it has in Eur., putrefying sore of the man's sonl. Apart from the obliteration of the consequences of 1 O~v is omitted in R.T., on the authority his bad life, and without o. clean o.nd free oi' i.-:, B, D, although L, which genera.Uy condition of things, the future would ho.Ye follows l.'o:, here sustCLins A, C, r, ~, etc., in proved hopeless, und delivemuce from the its retention. Tregelles brackets; Tischen- yoke of fear o.nd concupiscence impossible; dorf (8th edit.) omits. but now this new chance is given. He wa.s 2 Instend of apov 1<al wep1,rd.TE1 imper., ~ made whole, born again physically._ As N_ao.- reads here, and in vers. 11 and 12, IIpa, ,,,.1 man's flesh became like that of o. little child, ,rep,wc!TEII'. The ~. B, a, L, omit '1'011 1<p~- so this man-once bent, crippled, distortecl ffa'l'Oll O"ou, and Revised Version and Ti- by his self-indulgence, and now made whole Bohendorf (8th edit.), eto., follow ; Tregellea -is t.o "sin no longer." It would not ba brnokets. s Tis,1\endorf here reads, with D, b, I, cl 1 N, Syriao (Curetonian), read here, ..~u aa6e11C:V 1'f6Epa7rfUflfl'OJ' UlBtead Of au1'QV, JOU!\', f 210 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'l'O S'l'. JOHN. [cH, V, 1-47,