The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 423

boiled in their thoughts, flashed in their countenance&, e.nd blazed in their words. They :we": e~tirely ~wayed by it, and ready at any moment to break_ out in an apparenUy 1rreinst1ble action. 2. The proposal was popular. The vast multitude were united and even the disciples were not exempt. They were naturally drawn to the vortex of the terrible whirlpool of the popular sentiment. Aud although these people were not rep"'.sentative men, still they were fired with the national idea, and attempterl to carry out the national wish with regard to the Messiah. 3. It was thoroughly seculai•, 'l'hey wished to make him King in opposition to all the kings of the e;;rth, and especially to CaJSl\r, and to deliver them as a nation from the hateful yoke of Rome. Thus the proposal was directly seditious, endangering their own safety as well as the aafety of Christ in direct opposition to the great purpose of his lifo. 4. It was utterly selfish. (1) They wanted to use him for their own ptirposes. Instead of surrendering them- selves to him and to his teaching as the Messiah, they wished him to surrender himself to them, e.nd to serve their low and personal purposes, They were not anxious to be drawn up to him, but to draw him down to them. 'l'hey thought and acted under the inspiraLion of the loaves and fishes. They are not the first nor last to attempt to use Christ for personal and worldly purposes. (2) They wished to compel him to this. They would make him King by force. If they succeeded they would really be kings, and he the subject of their selfish desires. When they would take him by force, they little thonght of the counter-force they had to contend with. 'l'his is not an exceptional conduct with regard to Christ, to make him King by force. How many honours are forced upon him which he declines I (3) It was entirel,y mistaken. There is no regard paid to the Divinity and dignity of his Person, the nature of his office, or the great purpose of his life. They were doubtless sincere and enthusiastic, but their thoughts moved in a groove unspeakably lower than his. Little they thought that the honour they proposed would ill fit him; that the sceptre of the mightiest empire would ill become him who wielded the sceptre of creation; that the thrones of the Cmsars would be infinitely too small and mean to contain him who occupied and filled the throne of the uoiverse; that the most brilliant earthly crown would be a worthless toy to him who already wore a crown bedecked with stars and suns. To offer an earthly kingship to him was a mistake and an insult. II. Tm: 001!.'DUCT OF JESUS. It shows: 1. The wnselfishness of his nature. Consider: (1) The proposal was real. The multitude were unanimous. They represented the national idea with regard to the Messiah. They were terribly earnest, and determined to make him King at any cost, even by force. (2) It was quite possible. It was not the wild idea of a few enthusiasts, bnt that of a vast crowd representing the sentiments of the nation. .A.nd if Jesus were to consent they would rally round him with enthu- siasm untold, and with such a General would be soon victorious. (3) From a human point of view it was very t,empting. They wanted to make him King-the highest honour, power, and glory that people can confer on their fellow-man. Think of his low position. A poor Carpenter, and the Son of a poor carpenter from Nazareth. Under the circumstances, who but Christ would not gladly accept such an offer? What was offered him in a mental vision, or perhaps by the personal presence of the prince of this world in the wildernellll, was now offered him in a more practical manner by the multi- tude in another wilderness. But such was the unselfishness of his nature, that the worldly honour and royal dignity and glory involved in the proposal appealed in vain to him. They had no response from his nature but the old one, " Get ye behind me." 2. The spiri- tuality of his mission. (1) Spiritual in its nature. It would not blend with worldly objecui, i::.or fall in with worldly schemes. (2) Spiritual in its sphere. The mind, the spirit, the soul, and heart. (3) Spiritual in its means and operatWIUI, (4) Spiritual in its end. The spiritual life of man; the salvation of the human race; the liberty of the captives of sin. He said," My kingdom is not of this world." Here is an illustra- tion and a proof of it. He is offered an earthly kingdom. ~is ideas of power, ~o?our, and glory were diametrically opposed to those of the world. They were purely spmtual. 3. T/-,,e pwrity and strength of h,i, character. (1) His character was in perfect harmony with his mwwn. His mission was spiritual and his character was true. Strictly true to his mission and to itself; there was not a jarring note, (2) His character was delicately sensitive to the presena of evil. Sensitive to its invillible. l?romptings and motives. "He perceived that they would come," etc. He was sens1t1ve to the very OB. vt. 1-71.J 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'I'O ST. JOHN. 291