The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 132

&nd the Imperfect tense ehould not be turned ourred towards tha close of this solemn and here into " mere preterite. crowded week, and it ma.de profound im- Ver. 18.-ll'or this oa.use Blao the (6 iJxA01) pression npon John. The Hellene• were multitude-which here eooms to be the aggre- gate of the (6xAoJ ,roAtr) crowds made np probahly "proselytes," like the Ethiopian of the Judrean and Go.Iilmo.n pilgrims o.nd chamborlain (Acts viii. 27). Edereheim says "the Jews" who had believed on him-met they were "proselytes or righteousness," for him (see cepeoio.lly vers. 12, 13)-went forth, no others would be allowed to worship at a.nd out down the branches of the pBlm the fee.at. Whether they came from some treoa, o.nd oame in highjubilnnce to meet him Greek city in Iturma, or from Cyrene or -beoause they heard that he had wrought this sign. The resurrection of Laz&rus is Edesso., Ephesus or Alexandria, we know tho motive of the triumpho.1 procession. 'fhe not. As wise men oome from the Enst to the eynoptists, who have omitted the wholo epi- cradle of the Lord, some can imagine theeo sode of Betho.ny, aro no.turo.lly silent con- Hellenes to have been Jndaized thoughtful cerning the impression produced by it on the Passover pilgrims and the Jerusalem men who were longing for the light and joy crowd. John, more intimo.tely acqu&iated found in the Holy Scriptures, and the reli- with the currents of thought in tho capital gioue teachings or ceremonial of the temple, tho.n the rest, drew hero from his experience into the outer courts of which they would and memory, and has preserved historical be admitted. When they BBW the kind of features which they had ignored. reception which this mighty Sage we.a re- Ver. 19.-The Pharisees therefore, at the sight of the populo.r enthusiasm, said to ceiving from his own people and from the themselves ; i.e. to their _own inner circle. constituted authorities, they were ready to Heugetenberg thinks hore is a hint of plead with him to go among tliem, and to some medium of communication between offer hie message to the Gentiles. For the John and the Pho.rieees, and imagines it to most part he had confined hie mieeion to be found through Mo.rthB and Simon (her husband). Their language was, Perceive " the lost sheep of the house of Israel," but in [ye]-or, ye peTceive (either imperative or hie care for the Rerod.ian nobleman, the Bo- indicative)-that ye prevail nothing! The man centurion, the Syr0-Phmnician woman, interrogative may also be a true trBUslation. BDd his references to the " other sheep he Do ye peTceive that ye prevail nothing? On had," to the " world " which hie Father either hypothesis, it cannot be, as Chrysostom saye, the language of the ftiends of J eeue loved, etc., he partially revealed his ulti- among the Ph&rieees, but rather the cry of mate mission to the whole world, though he despair and rage. llehold, the (,cocrµo1) world always implied that such a mission presup- has gone away after him. They are re- posed hie cruel cutting off and awful mys- penting that they had not followed out the tel"ioue hour. coercive plans and murderous designs of Caie.phas, and had been oonteut with ho.lf- Ver. 20.-Now there were certain Greeks measuree. among those that went up to worship at the Vera. 20- SO. - 4. TIie desire of tlie feast. Tivos implies II group, and a larger "Gree1'8 "-tlie represe11tativea of the Western company of these a.v<Z/311111&vr0111, who were world-to ae11 JellUB, and hi, reply. And now e.nd are in the habit of going up (perhaps a scene is related of transcendent interest wero still doing it even when John, before writing his Gospel, had first put the narro.- -the one solitary inoidont of the Passion tive into words). They went up with 11 week between tho ttiumph and the night view to worship in the feast, that is, there of the Last Supper. John assumes here 11 were burnt offerings e.nd thank otierin~ know ledge of all that, in current tradition which they were allowed to present. This and narrative, had taken place between these shows that they were not heathen nor nn- two events. The cleansing of the temple, oiroumcised Hellenists, whichever view of that word be accepted. the solemn paro.bles by which Jesus re- Ver. 21.-These therefore oame to Philip, pulsed the Sanhedrin, the oonfilot with who was of lleth.saida of Glllilee, and asked Sadducees BDd soribes, and with the com- him, saying, Sir, we would aee .Jesn& The bined forces of Herodians and Pharisees, the first expression of that great yearning which, denunoiation of the scribes and Pharisees, swollen by multitudes without number, is loud as the voice of many waters e.nd mighty and the prophetio paro.bles, possibly the thunderings. It is the wail of every peni- awful doom of Jerusalem, and the departure tent; it is the birth-ery of every renewed from the temple. This event may have oe- soul ; it is the l'Bptured burst of ioy as oo.ch  138 THE GOSPEL AOOORDlNG TO ST. JORN. [cu. xu. 1-60.