The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 42

healing, advanced etep by etop from a bll,fe tho shephercla, but the sheep, enter into tho Jmowlcdgo of "a man Jceua" to a confes- fold, e.ncl go forth thence to pe.sture. sion of him ns one ompowered by God ; to e. Ver. 8.-All the.t ea.me before me 1 e.ra belief tho.t he wo.a n "Prophet," able to relax thieves e.nd robbers. Great difficulty hns Moel\io Ll\w; l\nd finally to a ready e.cknow- ~ecn felt by ,?ommentators in understanding ledgment the.t he woe the Son of God. The ' before me. The words clearly gave the Pharisees were conscious of neither need, early Gnostic heretics a text on IV hich they nor blindneee, nor deeire of ealvntion, nor of established their dualistic rejection of the the Shepherd'e care or grace. They will not old dispensation. Their nbsence from certain go to him for life. They can mo.ke nothing texts led Augustine and others to empha- of hie enigma.tic worde. They take counsel size the word "ea.me." "A II IV ho came," i.e. age.inst him. Their misconception contrasle in their own strength or wisdom, when not strongly with the eneceptibility of the "eent" or e.uthorized by God. Other en- broken-hearted penitents. So fe.r the pe.rable dee.vonrs he.ve been made (see Meyer and or proverb correeponde with the pare.hies of Le.nge) to give it e. non-temporal meaning, the kingdom in the synoptic Gospels, and is Bllch as xc.,p(s, "independently of me." Wolf open to many interpretatione. and Olshausen make ,rpl, equive.lent to ""'~P, Vers. 7-10.-(2) AllegOTy of the door and "in the ple.ce" or "in the stead of me" (so the fold, in which Christ claima to be " the Lange, Le.mpe, Schleusner). De Wette and DOOT of the sheep." others e.ccept the temporal meaning, " be- Ver. 7.-Jeeua therefore (o3v, with its re- fore," i.e. in point of time, o.nd include nuder BUmptive force, introduces the effect upon it the entire cOTpll.8 of Old Testament saint;i Christ of the unsusceptible che.racter of the and teachers, e.nd therefore regard the se.y- Pharisees). Some pause may have occurred, in~ as inconsistent with the gentleness of du1fug which these men dieplayed their Christ. But with eh. v. 39, 45-47, e.nd many bitter feeling e.nd utter le.ck of appreciation, other po.sse.ges in this Gospel, it is certain e.nd he proceeds first to give them an expla- the worde could not mean to denounce all nation of the words, which should leave who came o.s teo.chers or shepherds before them in no doubt o.s to one emphatic mee.•- him in mere paint of time as "thieves and ing which they contained. Said 1 a.go.in robbers," whom the sheep clicl not hear. unto them, I am the Door of the sheep. This Therefore the ,rpl, must be to some e:i:tent exposition of the allegory is introduced by modified in meaning. We agree with West- the solemn A.men, a.men. Christ first calls cott aud Godetin limiting 1rpl, l,u.06, l.,y throw- e.ttention to the "door" into the se.cred ing the emphasis on the "eame,'' and by fellowship of men with God. On e. subse- o.dding, moreover, to it the essential point., quent occe.sion (eh. xiv. 6), he so.id, "I e.m " co.me me.king thernsel ves doors of the the Way " to the Fa.ther ; " no me.n cometh sheep" --da.iming to have the "key of know- unto the Father, but by me." The pare.ble ledge," professing vainly to open or shut the e.s it ste.nds refers to true e.nd false tee.chers door of heaven. That is, no other has ever of the people, nnd to just e.nd unjust claims had the right or claim to be such " a door." to confer upon the sheep of God's po.store The Be.ptist, the prophets, one by one, so.fe e.nd sure access to God, e.nd e.11 privi- Abrahe.m and Moses, in their day made no leges of Divine life. In interpreting it, he such profession. The diguity belongs to declares first that he is the one Door, not of Christ a.lone. The language may receive " the fold " so muoh e.s of the sheep, in their accentue.~ion from the pressing urgency of individue.l oe.pe.city. This corresponds with false Chr1Sts, as well e.s the hopeless system of every cle.im made by him e.nd made in his Pharisaic pride. Thoma seea here the mere Nnme, that he, in nil the fulness of his Per- dressing out of St. Paul's le.n~unge, con- sono.lity, had e.lwe.ys been the one Medium demnatory of fe.lse prophets e.nd ravening by whioh, in the theocre.cy or beyond it, men wolves who would not spare the flock of hnve ,h'e.wn nee.r to the Fo.ther. The Logos Christ (Acts xx. 29), and Christ's own words is the Angel of the covenant, the Rook in in the synoptists (Matt. vii. 15 : niii. 13, the wildemesa, the greo.t High Priest, the etc.). Specie.I reference is made to the cere- Veil over tho holy place, the propitio.tory mouiel superstitions, to "the hedge a.bout Sacrifice, the Prophet, the King. He it is the Le.w," to the cruel slavery of modern who ever e.nd 11lw11ys has given oonsolo.tion Phe.risaism, which he.d done who.t neither o.nd pee.ce to his people. He is the one prophets nor priests of old had e.ttempted. method, e.genoy, ree.lity, by which not only 1 Dpb lµoii follow ijMov in N°, A, B, D, K, 1 Tischendorf (8th edit.) omits ,,.&>,.,., air L, X, but precede in e. few authorities e.nd .-o,r, on the nuthority of~•, 1, 63; in formElr T.R. The words a.re omitted by E, F, G, M, editions he iJioluded it, with Laohmann, S, U, ~. Vulgate, and many versions, nume- R.T., e.nd Tregellos. B hns ,r&ll.,v without rous critical quotations. So Tischendorf (8th .UTois. edit.), but not R.T., or Westcott aml Hort.  'l'fIE GOSPEt ACCORDING TO ST. JOUN. [err. x. 1-12.