The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 442

you the Law t-the whole revm,led L1w of authorities was too well known to our Lord, Ood ooncorning moral conduct and daily and, not deigning to notice the interruption rilua11 a viulntion of the renl epi.rit of which and the insult, he continuecl- would be 6.611</a, and of which yon a.ccuse Ver. 21.-J e1aa answered and aaid to them; me-and (yot) none of you doeth the Law l i.e. to the multitude who had so coarBely Doee ho horo cnll aUontion to the universal trentcrl Lim, and to the "Jewa" who were disobedience of mo.nkind? Is ho forestall- present, wbo were all marvelling together ing tho deolo.ro.tion that "all have ainned, at the line be was taking. The very inter- o.ncl come short; " thnt " in many things o.11 ruption was a proof hotb of the extent and offend " ? Certainly uot. He is about to consequence of theil' wonderment. One work show at greater leuglh that the charge of I did, and ye are all marvelling. This one d511da st~~cls cq, ually o.gainst the juetitiable work was a very small fraction of bis mighty tro.nspos1t10n of tho letter of the lower law signs, but iL was one which, from its manner by the incidence of a higher law. They of operation, and from the fact that it was must all know the innumerable occasions in immediately brought before tbo religious which tho Jotter of the lo.w of the sabbath authorities as an unlawful act (eh. v.), and gave way to the law of mercy, to the law of which, moreover, became the occasion for hunger, to the exigencies of the temple ser- one of the greatest of his discourses, and for vices. "None of you doeth the Law," i.e. his solemn claim t<, be the Son of God and the in the sense in which you are (from other ArlJiter of life and death, of res11rrection and motives) expeoting me to clo it. He said judgment, made the profoundest impression enough to strike their consciences and on the Sanhedrin, compelled them t.o think charge home their oherished if secret pur- that he was a Man who must be sooner or pose. Why do ye seek to kill mel With later arrested, an:! who deserved condign what right, since this is the case, do ye vent punishment. He must be either submitted your malice against me 'i Meyer and Godet to, confinecl as a madman, or killed as a hero differ ILS to the emphasis lo.id upon the blasphemer. "me." The position of the enclitic µ.• before Ver. 22.-Moses on tlrls account (for this (71-r,he gives it a prominence not to be over- cause)' hath given (aBBigncd) you the circum- looked. The interpretation of many-that cision (not that it is of Moses, but of the the intention or desire to kill Jesus is the fathers). If we accept the te.xt as 1Lbove, inward proof that the conscience of the Jews the question arises-Does it refer to the would admit th1Lt they were not keeping the parenthetical clause or to the principal verb? Law which said," Thou she.It not kill "-is Meyer renders as follows : " Therefore Moses very far-fetched, and woak in its force, gave you circumcision, not because it origi- 1Llthough, according to the entire old· cove- nated with Moses, but (because it originated) nant, there was much killing which was not with the fathers, and so ye circumcise," etc., murder. Suoh a reference would not cor- making the precedence of the law of circum- respond with the profoundly Hebrew re• cision to the sabb1Ltic law part of the very eponse made by our Lord. Calvin here purport of his appointment. But many makes this reply of Obrist a text on whioh others," For this causc"-to teach this lesson to denolmce, in his own day, the corruption -Moses, who gave the ten commanclmente, of the papal court. one of which invohed the sabbatic rest, Vere. 20-24.--(3) Treatment of the ignor- ance and insolence of the multitude. 1 Tischendorf (8th edit.) has omitted Bus Ver. 20.-The multitude, who broke out -rov-ro altogether, on the authority of ~ alone. in angry and ignorant rcmonstmnco, There are certain editors who associate it answered (and said),' Thou hast a dmmon. with the previous verse, which, though Who is seeking to kill thee 1 Thou must contrary to John's usage, would be a have some evil spirit tormenting lhee with simpler construction; followed by Liicke, such cruel and melancholy forebodino- (cf. Hengstenberg, LILllge, Godet, and many eh. viii. 4.8; x. 20). This w,1s an outburst others. Since, however, some fifteen uncials of insolent and ignorant amnzemeut on their and numerous versions associate it with pa,t, that One who t1Lught so wonderfully ver. 22, it has been IL<lopted by R.T., al- "~houlcl imagine what they deem 1L morn! though they have placed the alternative impossibility and dark delusion'' (Meyer). reading or pointing iu the margin, as The design rankling in the hearts of the follows : ~1<1 'TOV-ro' Mw«rijr. This is the rend- ing of Trogelles. Not only do the co<lices Trogellos, LnohmlLnn, R.T ... ILUd even Go<let. accredit the more difficult reading of R.T., Westcott u.u<l Hort place ii in the margin. but Chrysostom, Luther, Erasmu~, Calvin 1 The authority for 1<al, r,,, is very smnll, (iu hie trausl1Ltion, though not in his com- and the form is wuoh vnried. N, B, L, T, X, mentary), Bengel, LnthlU·dt, Meyer, West- 83, Sahic\io, Coftio, Tiachendorf (8th edit.), cott and Hort, auu l\loulton have 1:1.cct1ptcd Hd ll.T. ou1it 1t. it ou ,lifforent grol!lld:i,  THE GOSl)Et ACCOllDING 'l'O S'l'. Jomt [on. ttL 1-58,