The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 16

(2) The moments were precious, because the work of his human activity was rapidly coming to an end. Our working season is at best a :1hort season. "The night cometh " tu end all. (3) His function as being " the Light of the world" imposed this incessant activity upon hi:m. "As long as I am in the world, I am the Liuht of the \'l'orld." (a) Therefore the true Light cannot but shine upon the world's° darkness. (b) And he is the only Agent to remove the physical and spiritual darkness that app~aled to his compassi0n. Ill. THE METHOD OF THE lllIBACLE. "When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 11.nd said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." Why did our Lord act in this manner? 1. Partly to t(',St the faith of the blind beggar. 2. In all the cases oJ miracle involving the loss of connection with the wo1·ld of sense, Jt',Su,s takes ca1·e to l1ave personal communication established, so as to assure the sufferer of his presence and supply a foundation for faith. (1) The deaf man cannot hear Christ's voice, but the momentary touch of his ear established the necessary communication. (2) The blind could not see the look of Divine compassion which others could see, but the clay or the spittle would be felt as indicating the presence of One whose words held out the hope of cure. (3) The means are, after all, though under a physical aspect, designed to affect the mental condition of the sufferer. IV. THE SUCCESS OF THE MIRACLE. "He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing." 1. Eis rnady obedience was a sign of his faith. 2. His faith in Divine power at once opened up to him a new world. The eye establishes between us and the world a nearer and wider communication than any other organ of sense. 3. Christ puts honour upon the exercise vf true faith and obedience to his commands. V. THE CURIOSITY OF THE BEGGAR'S NEIGHBOURS RESPECTING TIIE CIR0UMSTANCES OF THE MIRACLE. "Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he : others said, He is like him : but he said, I am he." 1. Some aclcnowledged his identity, but others tried to evade the /act of the miracle by affecting to doubt his identity. 2. They all alike laid strl',S& upon the manner, not upon the fact, of the miracle. "How were thine eyes opened?" 3. The beggar's frank acknowledgment of all the facts. "The Man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, aud I received sight." (1) He must have been previously familiar with Jesus, else he could not have known his name. His presence every day at the temple, as he begged of th6 passers-by, put him in the way of knowing much concerning the acts of Christ. (2) It is a proof at once of his faith and of his gratitude that he publicly confessed his obligations to the Saviour. 4. Tlte effect of this declaration on his neighbours. "Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not." (1) Jesus had evidently disappeared at once from the scene, perhaps exhausted by the anxieties of bis long conflict with the Jews in the temple. (2) The curiosity of the Jews to know wher Jesus was was prompted more by hatred than by the desire to do him honour. Vers. 13-34.-The inv(',Stigatwn of the miracle. This was prompted by the unfriendly questioners first referred to. L THE INQUIRY OF THE PHARISEES. 1. T'ney first examined the beggar as to the facts of his cure. These it was as impossible to ignore as it was difllcult to explain. 2. The performance of the cwre on the sabbath day was the pivot ttpon which the qu(',Stion tu1·ned. "Now it was the sabbath day that Jesus made the clay, and opened the eyes of this man." Of the three and thirty miracles of our Lord recorded in the Gospels, no less than seven were performed on the ~abbath day, as if to show, in opposition to Pharisaic perversions, that works of mercy were essentially included in the sahbath law. II. THE DI1'1SION AMONG THE PHARISEES, " Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This Man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a bad man do such miracles? And there was a division among them." 1. The ill- conditioned party =de the truth of the miracle, but imply that it must_ have been done by the power of the evil one. They take their stand upon a false idea of the sabbath. 2. The friendly party, i11P,uding 'l1lffl like Nicodemua and Joseph of Arimat/i,tW,, Jed, the di.fficul,ty of a bad man doing works of mercy and love through Divine power. The difficulty is ethical as well as theological. cu. 1x. 1-41.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 17