The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 511

apoaUea. Poter designated him "the Holy One and the Just,"" who did no ain; '' John," Jesus Christ the righteous," of whom he says," In him was no sin." Paul, writing to the Corinthians, speaks of Christ as of him "who knew no sin;" and t.ho author of the Epistle to the Hebrews refers to him in these words, "Though without sin.'' 2. That of others. Thus Judas, his betrayer, spoke of the" innocent blood" ho had been the means of shedding ; Pilate found " no fault in him; " the centurion testified, "This was a righteous Man." II. Oun LonD's OWN ASSERTIONS OLAIMJNG THE 'PREROGATIVE 01" SINLESSNESS. Jesus said, "I have kept my Father's commandments;" "The prince of this world cometh, and findetb nothing in me;" "Which of you convinceth me of sin?"· If he were not sinless, either his hypocrisy must have been frightful, or he must have been the subject of the most monstrous delusion that ever possessed an egotistical fanatic. III. As A MATTER 01" FACT AND HISTORY, OUR LoBD's LIFE WAS SINLESS. 1. Regard the matter negatively. Was there one of the ten commandments which Jesus broke? From his temptation in the wilderness down to his death upon the cross, he eschewed every evil, and proved himself victorious over every instigation to sin to which others-even good men-would probably in some cases have yielded. 2. Regard the matter positively. There is often presented to men an alternative between vice and virtue, disobedience and obedience to God. Wherever an opportunity occurred for our Lord to do that which was best, he did it. There was unfailing consistency between his teaching and his life; he mixed with sinners, unharmed by the contact; he exhibited all moral excellences in his own character ; in holiness he stands supreme and alone among the sons of men. PBAOTIOAL LESSONS. 1. This fact points to, and agrees with, a belief in the Divinity of Jesus. 2. Here is a faultless, perfect Example for all men to study and copy. 3. Here is evidence of our Lord's perfect qualification to be the Saviour and the Lord of man.-T. Ver. 51.-0bedience and immortality. The phase of our Lord's ministry brought before us in this part of St. John's Gospel is a combative, a controversial, phase. The Jews were perpetually opposing Christ, carping and cavilling at every work he performed, and almost at every word he uttered. Jesus took up the challenge, and met the objec- tions and the allegations of his enemies. He defied them; he turned upon them with an unanswerable question or a startling paradox. There is not always apparent even an attempt_ to conciliate his adversaries-to win them over. He did not even stop to explain, when he knew perfectly well that explanation would be unavailing; he left his words to be instructive to the enlightened, and an enigma to the unspiritual. I. THE CONDITION HEBE PROPOUNDED. " If a man keep my word." 1. This implies upon Christ's part a special revelation and authority. By his "word" doubtless Jesus meant the whole manifestation of his character and will ; his doctrine relatiug to the Father and to himself; his precepts relating to his disciples. 2. It implies upon the part of his followers a reverent, loyal, and affectionate obedience. They keep, i.e. they retain in memory and observe in practice, the word of their Master. A.s a faithful servant keeps the word of his lord, as a diligent scholar keeps the word of his teacher, as a loyal soldier keeps the word of bis officer, his general, as a reverent son keeps the word of his father, so the Christian keeps the word of his Saviour. II. THE PROMISE HERE RECORDED. "He shall never see death.'' 1. The death from whioh Christ promises exemption is not the death of the body, as was understood by the Jews; it is the spiritual death which is the effect of sin, and which consists in insensibility to everything Divine. This should be more dreaded than physical death. 2. The way in which Christ fulfils this promise. He died in the body that those who believe on him may not experience spiritual death. The redemption of our Saviour is e. redemption from death and sin. And Christ communicates the Spirit of life, who quickens dead souls, imparting to them the newness of life which is their highest privilege, and which is the earnest and the beginning of an immortality of blessed- ness.-T. Ver. 63.-0hrist's sup,rriority to .Abraham. The honour in wll.ich Abraham was hold among the Jews who lived in the time of our Lord, is unquestionable. 'l'hcir JOHll, 2C  386 nm GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [on. VIII. 1-59. ground,; for FO lwnourin:: him mA.y not be s11.tisfnctory. Thero is little rca.son for onp- posing tLnt. they e.ppreciated his moral gmnrleur, Probi\bly there wa.s more of national pride than of religious feeling in their reverence for their great prcgenitor. I. ABRAHAM'S <lREATNEBS. Tha.t the great sheikh who came from beyond the Euphrates, and who traversed the soil of Palestine with his retinue of dependents nncl of cattle, \\'llS one of the grMtest figures in human history, none will deny. But only those who look below the surface c:111 discern the real grounds for holding this patriarch in honour so high. 1. We know, from the Scripture record, that Abraham was the friend of God. Amidst idolaters ho was a worshipper of the supremo nnd only Deity, and wa.s upon terms of peculiar intimacy with Jehovah. 2. llo was also tho father of the faithful, and t.hat not so much in the sense that ho wo.s the ancestor of the nation who worshipped the Eternal alone, but in this sense, viz. that his character and life were in many respects a model of fait.h. He maint.ained, on the whole, his confidence in the 1ighteous and faithful Ruler of the universe. 3. He was also the progenitor of many nations, and especially of that one nation whom God sot apart to preserve the knowledge of his Na.me and his Law, and to 11reparc the way for tho advent of the Messiah. II. THE SUPERIORITY OF CHRIST. Our Lord did not question Abraham's greatness, but, upon the occa.sion on which the words of the text were spoken, he both implicitly and explicitly claimed to be greater even than the ancestor of the chosen people, This superiority consists in : 1. His nature and character. Abraham wa.s the friend of God; Christ was the Son of God. Abraham was great as a man; Christ was distinguished by superhuman greatness. 2. His work for humanity, Abraham set a glorious example of faith; but Christ ea.me to be the Divine Object of faith. Abraham was an intercessor, e.g. for Sodom ; Christ was the Advocate of man. Abraham was a great leader; Christ was the great Saviour. 3. In the commonwealth and kingdom which he founded. Abraham was the father of many nations, and is to this day thought of with reverence among Ea.stern peoples, whilst the Jews, in the time of Jesus, and even now, rejoice in tracing their descent from him. Ilut Christ's kingdom is a universal kingdom, and the Israel of God throughout earth and heaven are ea.lied after him. 4. In the perpetuity of his dominion. It annoyed and angered the Jews that Jesus claimed immortality for himself and for his disciples, whilst they were constrained to admit that Abraham was dead. They could not understand Christ's claim, and the time had not come for him to make that claim fully intelligible. But we can see that Abraham was a pilgrim and a stranger upon earth, whilst Christ is an abiding and eternal King 1-T. Vers. 3-11.-A miserable Binner and fl merciful Saviour. Notice on this occa.sion- L THE CONDUCT OF ms ENEMIES, 1. It was brutally gross. (1) It was so to the wO'TTUln. She was disgraced, and bad exposed herself to the odium of her detectives. But this was not enough ; they dragged her to the temple, to the presence of a popular Prophet, and exposed to the ridicule of the crowd. 'l'his, to any woman, although a sinner, would be painful, but to an Eastern woman it was a real torture, a.ud the conduct of those who treated her thus was gross and unworthy of common humanity. (2) It was so to O'l.l,T Lord. Whatever they might think of him, his public character was blameless. He was a Teacher held in high repute by the multitudes, and ta.king no higher view at present than this, to take this poor fallen sinner thus publicly before him was grossly indelicate. But think what he really was-the immaculate, purely innocent, and incarnate Son of God, come on a mission of love and mercy, and now in the very act of striving to benefit a multitude of the human fawily. Such a case, with all its unholy associations, must have grated harshly upon hie moral sensibilities, and must be loathsome to his moral taste. 2. It was utterly hypocritical. Hypocrisy is to speak or do one thing but mean another. If so, the conduct of these men was utterly hypocritical. (1) They ,p,rofessed great reverence/or the Law-for this law which was applicable to adultery. 1'his was only an empty profession. They had long a.go ceased to execute it; it was a dead letter as far as they were concerned. (2) They professed great regard for public and private 1TWrality. This also was a miserable sham. As the sequel amply proves, they were most immoral themselves. (3) On this occe.eion they professed great respect for Ohr~dressed him as "Master," while in their very hoarta on. vm. 1--59.] 'fHE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 387