The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 444

Lomple (ver. 28). We soo, however, B new M11I. iii. I, that he wonfrl mnke l\ sndrlen wovo of feeling, Tho muUitndo, or part of descent on the temple-a dazzling app,sr- H, tbot gothere<l round him wiis miiddened e.nce at his Messianic euthronizrition, coming with his intimntion of the murderous ani- in the clou,!s or heaven, and that none mosity of the authorities; but the dwellers would "declnre hie generation." !'lo, accord- in ,Joruenlem wore better informed of the ing to 'San h.,' 97, a," three things are wholly maligmmt spirit he hod exoitrd. unexpecte<l-Messiah, l\ gorl.-scnd, a.ud a Ver. 25.-Therefore-by rcrteon of his bold scorpion" (er. 'Mid. on Cnntic. ii. 9 '). solf-vin<licntion-eome of the JernS11.lemites Justin Martyr puta into the lipe of Trypbo, (this word occurs nowhere else in the New 'Dial.,' 8, "But Christ-if he has indeed 'l'cstamont, except in Mark i. 5) were EBY• been born,e.nd exists anywhere-is unknown, ing, Is 'lOt thia he, whom they seek to kill 1 o.nd does not even know himself, and has no If the multitudes of the provincials were power until Elil\8 come to anoint him and ignorant of the design of the hierarohy, the make him mauifest to all." So these Je- plot was not e. oomplete secret. • rusalemitce said, When the Christ cometh Ver, 26.-And behold be apeaketh openly ((px11.,.a, makes hie Cbristwise mo.nifcslation (see vers. 4 and 13), and they say nothing to -is in act of coming),no one k:noweth whence him. They neither to.okle him in argument he is. This Messianfo manifestation bas nor refute his self-vindioation, neither do been ta.rely and gradual, if it be one at o.11. they arrest him or CBrry out their known We know the home, the daily upbringing of projeot. Have they altered their minds? Jesna-we know whence he is, or think we Are they convinced of his claims? Has he do; and so the whole affair clashes with a sucoessfully rebutted the charge of sabbath- current expectation. We know enough, too breaking? Does it 1111 vanish on olose much, of this Jesus for it to be possible for approach? Then they go a step further, him to fill up this portion of the Messianic which, if it were the true explanation, would pmgramme. This may have been the entirely acoount for their obvious indecision. outcome of the general criticism. Other They even say to one e.nother, with sufficient defects, according to their idea., may have frequenoy for the reporter to have heard it, been urged. The ma~y-sidednese of the Can it be that the rulers I indeed know (µ.fi· hope, the vagueness of the dream, as it won t.,,11.,a-a.11, did they at any time come to shaped itself in current Jewish thought, perceive? The particle expeots a dubious suffered almost any e.monnt of doubt as to though negative response," we don't think the exact form of the approaching manifes- so; but ie it probable? surely not I ") that tation. That to which our Lord especially this (person) is I the Christ 1 The rulers must replied revealed the practical and ethical decide this. weighty matter, for us at least claim he advo.nced to their acceptance from who ;dwell in Jerusalem. The question himself of the word of the Lord. shows how •widespread, how detailed, we.a Ver. 28.--Jea118 therefore cried-lifted up the idea of the coming Christ. This sup- hie voice in such e. way as to cause wide position with referenoe to their rulers we.e astonishment. (The word is found in eh. momentary, and conflicted with another i. 15 of John the Baptist, and ver. 37 and standing objection to the claims of Jesus. eh. xii. 44:; bot frequently in the SYnoptists Ver. 27.-Howbeit we know this Man and Acts, ancl very frequently in the LXX.) whence he is; that is, they knew hie parent- The trumpot-peal eonnded through the age, the place of his early life, the father, courts of the iempl,1, e.nd the crowds rushed mother, brothers, and sisters (Matt. xiii. in the direction from which it proceeded. 55, 58). There was none of the mystery He cried in the temple. This clause is about him whioh they anticipated for their added, notwithstanding the statement of Messiah. It is even intimated that it was ver. 14, and it intimates e. break in the dis- known where he was born (vera. 41, 42), course, a eud,len and trenchant response to and that the Christ would be born in certain londlv uttered murmurs of the Bethlehem, so that the mere faot of birth- Jeruse.lem multitude. Ye both know me, place is not the difficulty that occurred to and know whenoe I am. Surely (with De them. A tradition had gathered, whioh Wette, Meyer, Westcott, Moulton) the Lord was perhaps originated by Do.n. vii. 13 or distinctly concedes to the men of J ernBBlem e. certnin Amount of superficial knowledge. 1 N here reads lipx,.p•i., not followed by It is lamentably defective in respect of that any modern editors, though some of the for which they imagine it a.II-sufficient; versions have both designations ; the second and yet this knowledge was higll.ly siguifi- '""8ciis of T.R., Gricsbaob, and Scholz rests oa.nt and important CIS far as it went, on r, .o.,A,e.ndeightother Inter unoie.le, several Suoh knowledge of hie birthp!Clce and bia versions, but is omitted by N, B, D, K, L, V, family, bis provincial troining, his Galilrean X, H, and by more than twenty-five oursives, ministry, were all proofs to them of his by numeroua versions, and modern cdito1'11, llt1111C1nily-tbat he belong~d to their raoe, !IH THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO BT, JOHN. [oR. vn. 1---68,