The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 50

reminds the rco.der tho.t this was o. second nical judges of the old covonnnt. 1esna nncl more desperate atto.ck upon the life of answered them, Is it not written in your Jeans. Lo.wl The Psalms are here spoken of as Ver. 82.-Jesna answered them, Many good "the Law," ehowiug that they did form pllrt (,caAo. )works have I shown yon from the (my 1) of the revelation nnd Jaw of the Divine Father, The works of Christ wore lovely kingclom (eh. vii. 19 ; xii. 34; xv. 25). o.nd ro.cliunt with Divine beneficence; they Jesus does not imply that the La.w was theirs were revelations of the Fo.thor. "I showed and not his. There is not n. shndow of dis- you many of them," says he; "I gave you respect cast on the Ln.w by the prononn, but signs thus of tho intimo.te relation between snch an identification of it with hie hearers the wholo of the self-revelation I am making that they ought, by its aid, to have been and the Fo.ther" ( cf. eh, vi. 65 ; vii. 17; viii. saved from utterly misconceiving his words 42). For whioh work of these (works) I se.id, Ye are gods (elohim, Bea(). To are ye stoning me 1 i.e. preparing by your stand in close relation with the theocracy gesture to oarry this into effect. By these was to be covered with its glory. He seems words, uttered with smiting irony o.nd terrific to forco upon them thus a host of similar though quiet indignation, JeaU8 answered blendinge of the Divine and human in the theit· threat. agelong prepa.ra.tion for himself, and to Ver. 33.-The Jews answered him (say- free all theso from the suspicion of ble.s- ing 2), For a good (excellent, obviously, ra- phemy. The Hebrew thought was really diantly so) work we do not stone thee; but calculated to prepnre the world for this high for blasphemy; and beoanse thou, being man, intercommnnion, not to abolish it. Judaism, makest thyself God. (Ilepl ,c~oiJ lp-you and rabbinism, had widened the chasm between ,repl {JAo.ucfJ11µ.las oontrast with the causal God and man. Christ came to fill up the 11,o. ..-oiov of the previous verse. This pre- chasm; nay more, to show the Divine and position wo.e used for formal indictments of human in living, indissolnble union. offence before the tribunals.) The Jews felt Ver. 35.-If he (the Holy Spirit, or the the fo1·ce of this indignant reproaoh, and Holy Lawgiver, the subject is left indefi- would not admit that hie Divine and goodly nite) called them gods (elohim), to whom work was without meaning to them. It the Word of God came-the personal "Word" was, however, a melancholy reality that his need not be excluded here; the "Word beneficent work bad roused their malice into of God" was the Divine agency by which fiercer activity, but they credit themselves prophets spoke and psalmists sa.ng-and with a higher and a doctrinal motive and the Scripture (")lpa<t>f, is singula.r, and has with EL jealousy for the honour of God. They reference, not to all the ")lpa.4}a.l, but to oharge him with blasphemy, and the charge this one word) oannot be broken ; loosed, is reiternted before Pilate (eh. xix. 7). The destroyed. A fine testimony to the confi- Jews were in one sense right. He had de- dence which our Lord exercised in the Holy olared his essential unity with the Father; Scripture. He was accustomed to educe prin- he h&d " made himself, represented himself ciples of life from its inward Htructure, from (of. oh. viii. 53; xi.x. 7), as equal with God." its concealed framework, from its under- In the opinion of his hearers, he oonveyed lying verities. The very method adopted the iden tllat he possessed and was wielding by Jesus on this occasion revealed tho fact Divine powers. He WBS making himself to that both he and his biographer were born be God. " Good works " by the score were Jews. These tyrannical judges wcro "to no vindication of one who dishonoured the die like men," yot, siuce "the Word of God Na.me of God by cl&iming equality with him. came to them," there was a sense in which Ver. 34.-Thejustifico.tion of Jesus which even they, without blasphemous assump- follows is often supposed to be a retructe.tion tions, might receive the title of elohim. of the olaim-a repudiation of the inference Ver. 36.-If it be so, Say ye of him whom which the Jews drew from the words re- the Father sanctified (or, consecrated), and corded in ver. 30. On the oontrary, our Lo1·d sent into the world. The order of these took up one illustration from a.mong many wonls requires us to conceive of this conse- in Holy Scripture, thnt the union between cmtion ns occurring previously to the incar- mo.u o.ud God lay at the heo.rt of their (vdµ.or) nation of the eternnl Son. Before his birth Law. 'frue, he quotecl from Ps. Ixxxii. 6 into the world he entered into relations with with reference to tho high official title given tho Father to underta.k6 a work of inrle- by the Holy Spirit to the false and tyran• ecribnblo importance. Ho was destined, or designated, or appointed, and then sent to : • 1 t(, B, D, followed by Alford, Tischendorf, do this sublime deed of redowption. Unlike Westoott o.nd Hort, and R.1'., omit µ.ou. those to whom the eternal Logos came, con- • 'fhe most o.noient n111nusoripts omit >..1.- ferring thereby honorifio tilles, cmd oulliu~ ")lonu of 'l'.R., with N, A, U, K, L, M, X. thorn to oocasional and a.las I. ill-clischnrged R.T. omits. unties. he WllB the etcnrnl Word b.i.~clf,  52 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [oR. L 1-4,2,