The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 11

Thon art the diaoiple of that Man ( l1t,lvov)- Ver. 30,---'fhe man :i.nawered e.nd ea.id to bGtwccn whom 1tnd ue there ie o.n impass- them, Why I herein I is the I marvellous thing. ablo oho.am. Here is one of the strongest Le.nge translateR," With respect to this man, lnclico.tions of the Irreversible breach be- thie is me.rvelloue, to wit." The R.T. has tween the Jews o.nd Jesue-bnt we, instead accurately given the force of the •tll,p, the of being hie disciples, are disciples of Moses. combination of -y, and ilpa., by the rendering Thie epeech ehows that, whatever the blind "why?" The "herein " is the ignorance mnn meo.nt to convey by the reproachful which the Jcwe now profess of the Divine entreaty of ver. 27, the Jews took it as ea.II e.nd mieeion of the Healer. Their con- proof of hie virtual confeeeion of dieci pie- fusion, their obscurity, their vacillation, on ship to Jreue, and this they e.eeumed we.a such e. pa.tent fact is the marvel of marvels, tanto.mount to breo.king with Moses. They e.lmost more wonderful than the cnre of his aeemne tho.t their tre.ditionary interpretation blindness. The.t ye know not whence he is, of the Moeaic Le.w has e.11 the e.nthority of e.nd (yet) he opened my eyes (1tai not unfre- the great Lawgiver himeelf. 9-nently he.s the force of" and yet" -simple Ver. 29.-They pursue the antithesie be- Jrutta.posi:~?D conv?ying a. __strong contra.st; tween J eeus e.nd Mosee, o.nd thus make e.n see eh. viu. 55; Vl. 70; vu. 4). The man involuntlny o.dmissiou of his e.bnorme.l e.nd rises into holy and eloquent wrath. Their astounding claims. We know-it is the fnn- entire history, their principles of judging of damen tal fact of our religious history, and of e. prophetic call, the whole modue of Divine the Divine revelation entrusted to us. We revele.tion, onght to have shown that one know, by supreme conviction, as something whose eimple will etood in such vivid e.lmost equivalent to. a fundamental law of jnxte.position with work which none but thought, tho.t God bath spoken to Moses. Almighty God conld do, onght to have en- (Observe tho perfect J\,11.&.J\711tev, "bath lightened them. " The blind man, finding spoken" in euch fashion that hie words a.bide he we.a e.rgued with, grew bolder, and began for ever and o.re still sounding in their ee.rs.) to argne in tnrn ; if he he.d not studied theo- Mosee was made o. little lower the.n the logy (say re.bbinice.l casuistry e.nd Mishnaic e.ngels. God spo.ke to him on Sinai, and from accretions to the Divine Law), he at least the mercy-seat, e.nd face to fe.ce as e. man knew hie ce.techism" (Godet). speaketh with his friend (Exod. xxxi.ii. 11; Ver. 81.-We know-the new-bom dis- Deut. xxxiv. 10; Numb. xii. 8). The most putant te.kes np the language of these prond e.ugust ideas and e.ssociations clustered round casuists, e.nd e.dopts the technical phrase hie venerable no.me. Jesus we.a supposed to which they had nsed (vers. 2-1, 29)---we have challenged the supreme authority of know, yon and I, that God heareth not sin- Moses, e.nd no sort of comparison could be ners in R.IlY special sense of miraculons ap- dre.wn, in their opinion, between the two. prove.I (Job xxvii. 9; xxxv. 18; Ps. cix. 7; But as for this Me.n, we know not whence e.nd especially Ps. Ixvi 18, 19; Prov. xv. 29; he is. It is remarkable the.t, in eh. vii. 27, Isa.. i. 15). One e.spect of Old Testament they he.d been eque.lly explicit in declaring, teaching ehows that e. me.n mnst delight "We know whence he is." Then they himeelf in the Lord in order to receiVG the thought to discredit his Messianic cle.im by desires of hie heart. If we ask anything dre.wing e. distinction between the well- according to his will, he heareth ns ; bnt known parentage and home of Jeeue, and the pre.yer of the sinner, the deeire of the the coming of Messiah from some nnd.is- wicked, is contrary to the will of God. When covere.ble source, some hidden ple.ce, where the einner turns from hie sins to the Lord, God retained him before his revelation to the cry for mercy is in harmony with the Iere.el (see notee, oh. vii. 27, 28). While, will of God. In one eense every prayer is however, Christ (eh. viii. 14) e.llowed the the prayer of sinful men ; bnt it is the Di vine validity of their superficial knowledge on life working within them that offers accept- the.t occasion, he declared that he alone knew able prayer. The prayer of the sinner llil whence he came o.nd whither he was going snch is not hee.rd. We know God does not (see notee, oh. viii. 14). It is, perhe.ps, in listen to the cry of sinners, when, as sinners, reference to this last expression the.t they echo hie own words. Tho supema.ture.l 1 The original position of the -yilp (Meyer) source of hie being e.nd teo.ching seemed is determined in pa.rt by the curious reading to their minds, throughout that discouree of X, A, e.nd cursives, tv ")'ill' 1'Dv7o, "for and controverey, to vacille.te between the this one thing; " the T .R. e.nd R. T. here Divine and the dmmonio. 'l'he contrast ree.d iv ")'ilp .,-06-r91, with A, r, 11, with many between Moeee e.nd Jeans in thie bitter later uncie.le e.nd cursives. ~. B, D, with speech rune 1,1.long the ea.me low level. "We Tregelles, Tischendorf (8th edit.), read ;, know not whence " he derives his prophetic '1'06'1'1fl .,,ap, the more ordinary position of -ydp. ohe.re.oter, or hie right to legielnte for the Tb is ree.d before 8a.vµa.,,..,.&v in B, 1, 33; but people of God. is omitted by T.R., with A., D. 12 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [CIR, IX. 1-41,