The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 441

or universnl Rppli<'ations. The eolemn utt{)r• oase. The broth ren of Jesus hRd taunted RDl'e hns a wide out.look, nnd iB ronst,mtly him with the lack of bold eelf-nssort.ion. osh1blishing ib! own verity. A profound Our Lord's own position just tnken WI\B nnd volunlnry desire to do the will of God tlu,t his t.cachin~ wns not eclf-originl\ted, is the best preparation for intaitivelv per- but wne the tencning or message "of him <"eiving the Divine euthoritv of Christ and th•t Fent him." :But whoso (ho nddcd) of his religion. The desire for ho! inoss of sceketh the glory of him that aent him, principle end life sees in Chriat not only whcthor the sender be e. morlnl IDl\ll nnd 1he Jnft.iC'st idea.I of perfection, bnt the e1trlhly tencher, or be the Lord God of Furest sntisfaction to its oonsoious woakne-ss, 1hP- whole world, i.e. "whoso loses his own Rnd cash! it.solf npnn hie promises of snving individual purpose in the will of God, nnd power. The fait.h which is satisfiro. with is con tent to bo nothing so that God mny be Christ is not mC'rely R conclusion drawn by glorified," this person ( o~Tos-) is true, trust- logical proc<>sses from satisfactory premisses, worthy ; his mcesngo is not perverted by it iB I.be consequence of a new nature or e. any of the contnminn.ting inHuonccs of the rnore.l regeneration. In other words, it is self-hood, or flesh, and there is no u.nright• I.he more practice.I e.nd expanded form of eonsness (i'.Sucla is a stronger antithesis to the trnth first of e.lJ e.ddressed to Nicodemus, /z>.716~s than 1/t•vBos is. It is the moral basis e.nd e.lw lying e.t the heart of the Beati- out of which falsehood springs)-no unright- tudes : " Except a man be born nnew [from eousness in him. The sentence is general, above), he ce.nnot see the kingdom of God." but has its prime application to Christ's own If he is born again he u,ill see it. " messed case. It is a reply to the charge that " he nre the pure in heart : for they shall see deccivcth the people." It is a further God." "No mo.n oan come unto me except challenge to those who are willing to do the tbe Father, which bath sent me, draw him." will of God. It is a summons to proceed a The sentence presents the troth in a bopefnl step further, and recognize the fact thnt the nnd positive form, and puts the criterion of glory of God, and not his own glory, wae the Divine informe.nt within the reach of the sole end of his teaching, and that the practical ethics. It is an appeal to the oon- direct command from him that sent him science a.s well as to the understanding. formed the substance of hie doctrine, how- A part from the subjective moral element, all ever much it might olash with their pre- other evidcnres of the presence of the Divine oonceived ideas or dominant prejudices. in nature, in history, in Christ, will be unim- Ver. 19.--Jesus was not one.ware that pressive 1md unimportant. A willingness to serious cho.rges were brought against his do the will of God is not a substitut.e for, interpretation of tbe sabbatio law; thnt the but a condition of, true knowledge. Jews sought to kill him for his identification Ver. 18.-The following sentence is per- of his own mind and working with the fectly geneml and applica.ble to all teachers Father's mind and working. On this account of Divine truth, though it only reaches its for a considerable time he had confined hia highest expression in Christ himself. But ministry to Galilee. The old story of the while it he.s numeroue applica.tions, ilB first sabbath healing was now rife once more. use is to ratify the previoue statements, and doubtless augmented with the rumours of preplU'e the way for what is to follow. He the healing of the man with the withered that 11peaketh from himself. This was an hand, and other actions profoundly in har- act which he, in his own case, disclaimed. mony with the deep meaning of the snbbath- The " himself" was here the personality rest. To the mind of the fourth evangelist which tlten was in question as a human the explanation given by Christ to the Teacher. He that epeaketh /1·om himBelf authorities in Jerusalem wns of prime signi• as the Souroe of all his instructions. He flcance in the whole sabbatie controversy; who would take the credit of being the and he hllS recorded the defence Jesus made primal Cause aud Origin of the message of his doctrine which p!o.cerl him e.t once on which he delivers is a man who seeketh his the platform of the men with whom he we.a owu glory, his own reputation, at the expense now beginning a life-and-death oonflict. He of those who inst.ructed him. The Jewish nsed their methods, and, so far as the ade- schoolmen were most anxious at all times to quate grounds of connection wore con'!erned, fowid their instructions on Rabbi "This," he was triumphant. Did I not Mose■ give or "That,'' who bad himself quo1;ed from 1 The authorities are equnlly divided ou some more ancient fatber of their erudition. A man who should presume to teach in his the text Bl6w1<,v, which is the reading oi' own name would be one who was manifestly N, L, 'I', r, .tl, and eight or ten other uncialt not seeking any higher end than his own and many eursivea, and is fouud in Chry- glory. Ambition of personal glory and sostom, Cyril, adopted by Tischendorf (8th umown ill the very thing the abeence of edit,), with T.R.; but tfiw1<ev, the reachng of which the wultitwle oondemned ill Chri11f1 B, D, H, and a few ourslves, ill profened b7 ea. vn. 1-63.) THE GOSPEL .ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 311