The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 383

eigm he Willi working on thoae that were late spring such a phrt1se would most In• eiok. 'l'h<' irnprrfoot tenses here revee.l " Bdequately represent the scene tho.t wn1 period of time that had ele.psed; " group indelibly impressed on the fourfold tradition. and ~cries of healing& which had touched Whatever lhe uunnmcd fcnst wns (oh. v. I), t.he heart of the people. Their "following" whether Trumpets, Purim, or Passover, we hod not been by ship, but round the head he.ve roaohed the month Abib, when the of the lnke, nnd across the ford of the Jordan, crowds of pilgrims were gathering for their whiC'-h is still situated about two miles from southern journey. If the Purim wero the the point whore the river flows into the Sea unn:\med fe,1st, thou the suggestion o.rises of Gnlilre. The multitudes would easily that Christ's reception nt Jerusnlcm ho.d learn the direction of the well-known boat pre..-eutcd his rom!l.ining until the Po.ssover with its solitary Bllil, and would be, some of of that yeAr. If the Po.ssover be meant them, ready at tlie lnnding-place, to greet (<·h. v. 1), then a yenr hns passed between the Lord on his arrival. Many hours might eh. v. e.ud vi. Nor is this o. doy too long elapse before the crowd had reached such for the crowd of events and teachings re- ..-ast proportions e.s we subsequently find. corded by the syuoptists as ho.ving taken It may easily have been swollen by curious place before the deo.th of John. The note ~nd inquisitive pil~rims, or by the inhabit- of time may be recorded as implying the ants of the neighbouring villaga,, intent domino.ut sentiment in the minds of the on a sight of the Prophet who had preached people. The great delivemuoo from Egyptian the sermon, who had spoken in wondrous bondage was burned into the nntional parables, 'll'ho had given such striking proof conscience, and the fnna.tic desire for a that "God was with him." second Moses to leo.d them out of Rome.n Yer. 3.-And J'e&Ull went up into the servitude was at such seasons fanned into molll1tai.n; i.e. the high gi-ouud which every• a flame. The Lord had his own thought where surrounded the lake. The same ex• about the Pnscho.l lamb, and knew that God pression, ,ls .,-o /,pas, occurs very frequently was preparing a Lamb for sacrifice. In in the synoptist Gospels (Mark iii,. l3 ; mystic, pe.rabolic sense he foreknew that Matt. v. I; xiv. 23). This last pe.sse.ge is men would o.nd must consume the flesh of an interesting oanfume.tion of our text. this sacrifice. He was ready, moreover, to The u68ge implies on the pa.rt of the four show them that he could supply all their evangelists familiar acquaintance with the need. The great Prophet who had se.id of scenery. And there he sat down I with his himself," Behold the Lamb of God, which. disciples. From this elevation they would taketh away the sin of the world I " had see the ge.thering multitudes streaming from just fallen beneath the executioner's axe. different points and meeting on the pebbly The people were bereft of a great prophet bench, asl..'ing each other where was the and leader, 1<nd to Christ's eye they were Moster? and whither had the Prophet, the "as sheep without a shepherd." Verily he Healer, fled? Women and little children was preparing to lay down his life as e. good are in the crowd (Mett. :xiv. 21). Weiss, Shepherd for these sheep-to provide for who argues that the main features of the them in the future e. feast of living bree.d. narrative are deeply imbedded in all the All this may rationally be admitted, without traditions, summarily disposes of the later for a moment conceding that second-century accounts of the similar event recited by idelJJl like these were the forme.tive cause11 M.e.rk('dii 1-ll)e.n<l Me.tthew(xv. 32-38). of the narrative. The miracle tht1t follows Ver. 4.-Now the :Passover, the feut of atanda on au entirely distinct ho.sis, nnd is the J'e'WII, was atha.nd. The ordinnry mean- more powerfully attested than o.ny other ing of ,ry{,s need not be departed from (cf. miracle, except the reaurrectiou of Christ. eh. ii. 13; vii 2; xi 55). This valllllble If it stood in J oh.u'a record alone, there note of time is con.fh-med by another hint might be some colour for the supposition incidentally dropped. A mouth later than that we have merely a parable of great the PW!sover it could not be said that beauty. But the threefold tradition long an- "much grass" was in the place. In the terior to John's Gospel deprives even the pseudo-John of the possibility of inventing it. reed i6d,povv; A., l8e,l,pwY. The ,.b.-oii is On the other hand, the appear1mce of the omitted by modern editors, Meyer, Westcott narrative in John's Goapel deprive& it of the e.nd Hort, Godet, on very strong auth.ority- mythical character which some have attri- t(, A, B, D, K, L, etc., Italic, Syrie.o, Vul- buted to the authors of the synoptic Goapels. ge.te, and Coptic. Thome., in the 11pirit of Strausa, hero ima- 1 Ti.llchendorf (8th edit.), Westcott and gine& that the synoptistll were busy in Hort, with~. D, 13, 69, 124, read l,cct8l(ero, fashioning a miracle of sustenance and e. " WBB sitting;" /,cd.B,,.,-o of T.B. is _preferred portent upon the waters-a sign on laud and by R.T., Alford, and Tregellf's, on the autho- eea--to correspond with the manna and Bed rity of A, B, L, r, A, etA Sea marvel, of the Book of ExodUB, " The !.ii, VJ. 1-71.] THE GOSPBL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN.