The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 482

"that two pel'eons well known must testify ~ith distress at the reaolute and judloiol t-0 the supreme court that they hftd seen the blindness they were fastening upon them• new moon I If theee were unknown pe1'8ons, selves: Ye neither knowme 1 nor my Fa.ther: they must bring proofthl\t they were credible if ye knew me, ye would know my Father witnesses." Upon these <lOmmon principles also, Another stupendous utterance, im- of jnrispruilence the Lord was willing, in plying the most iutimate relation between purely Jewish fMhion, to rest his claim. his own personality o.nd tl.Je Father's. Any Ver. 18.-I am the (one) that bears wit- fair or adequate knowledge of himself must ness oonoerning myeelf-1 have said it, anil reveal to them that he is in the Father and nbide by it, anrt I know what I say anil how the FRther in him; must bring forth to their fully I am fulfilling these words-and the conscienoes the overshadowing presence, the Father that sont me beareth witness oon- Dh>ine glory. "You are wrapping yourself cerning me. His ,oor& reflected his own in impenetrable mists; you 111·0 refusing the Di,·ine self-consciousness. They bore one light of life, and all the evidence given to witness to his uniqne position. They brought you that I am the Light of the world. You out the inner thoughts of Christ, and re- do not see less recondite truths, nor perceive v~aled the life that we.s light. The word, ideas far more element,uy still; you can- the speeoh, of Christ was a fire kindled not, in your spirituo.l blindness, e.pp1·ehend which would never be extinguished-it was the outline of my human character. If you the formal utterance of the eternal reality; had done this, you would have known my but it did not stand a.lone. The Father Father at least enough to prevent the utter- that sent him, by a long chain of events ance of so crude and disheartening e. query. and revelations, by miracles and mighty You know me not: why should I talk to energies, by the conference of the spirit of you? All this ministry of mine has left conviction upon the minds that gave oandid me, so fe.r as yon Pharisees are concerned, attention to bis verbal testimony, by the perfectly unknown." 'rhere is awful severity prondential concurrence of facts with pro- and ·unutterable pathos in these closing phetic anticipation, we.s bee.ring witness words of the discourse. concerning him. The argament is sufficient, Vers. 20-30.-(3) Further controversy with so soon as we admit the t.erms used by different groups, ending in partial admission Jesus, so soon as we recognize the ideas of of his claims by some. the Son of God and of the Father, both Ver, 20.-These words-an expression alike revealed in the Persou of Christ. whioh emphasized the foregoing interview, We can understand, and to some extent and shut it off from the following context- sympathize with, the perplexity of the spa.ke he (Jesus') in the treasury, as he Pllarisees. Later experiences have me.de taught in the temple-oourts. The -ya.(oq,v- it easier for us to understand the testimony Aa.,dov (Mark xii. 41; Luke xx. 1) may be of the Father, the presence and witness of the chamber in which the thirteen chests, God over and above the testimony of men with trumpet-like orifices for the reception and coincident with it ( cf. eh. xv. 27; Heb. of e.lms, were erected. If so, it was in the ii. 4). All great spiritual revivals have "court of the women," or the place of given ample proof of the twofold testimony public assembly most abundantly frequented (eee I Thess. ii. 13; Rom. viiL 17, where by the multitude, and beyond which the Paul, the writer of the Epistle, shows himself women could not penetrate into the " court familiar with this "Johann.ine" thought; of the priests." Edersheim disputes West- ef. Heb. ii. 4). cott's suggestion, that the gazith, or session- Ver. 19.-They said to him, in angry, house of the Sanhedrin, was close by, and wilfnl irony, Where is thy Father 'I-that he that the language of Jesus was within may bear to thee the witness whioh tl.Jon earshot of !hem. This ehamber, gazith, we.a art appropriating. " Thou hast freed thyself in the sonth0 east comer of the " court of from the charge of bearing unBUpported the priests," and therefore fe.r away from testimony to thyself, by assuming the co. the tree.sure-chamber. Supposing that the ordinate testimony of thy Father? Let thy word -,a.(oq,u>..a.H:lov was the treasury itself, Father manifest himself!" There is no the ,,, "'P ma.y point to the neighbourhood need to explain this of the e.bsenee or insig- of the sacred enclosure. The referenoe nificance of the earthly father of Jesus, or shows tha.t the locality even of the discourse to suppose that they looked for some human he.d me.de profound impression on one of attestation of BUCh a kind( Augustine, Lange). the disciples, and implies great pnblio~ty They rather scoffed at his -claim of unique 1 There is very strong authority for the relation to the Father, and asked with mockery," Where is he?" not "W1io or what omission of 6 'l1)0'oiis, with tc, B, D, K, L, :is he?" Whe.t proof has he given of e.ny other ten uncials, e.nd numerous versions, l:lp!ICie.l :relation to thee? :re111.1 IUIIIWered Tischendorf (8th edit.), Westcott e.nd Ho~f; tll1ll taunt with BUblime patience a.nd pity, a.nd B.T. omit U. 1.Jlf, ,111. 1-69.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. ,JOHN.