The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 266

In this respeot would not have been a and which tr1meoonrl all other simil!lr rleP,rls. violation of the most solemn e.nd gmoious They are works of tho Son of God, workR -,f demnncle of the Father. Tho greatest sin creation a.ntl of hettling, triumpha.nt conllkt la the refusal of the most complete revela- with the forcoe of na.ture e.nd the malice of tion, and by the eiclo of this nil other sin the devil, of a. kind which may be comprired becomes compnmtively trivia.I. Our Lord with, but which exceed 1111 human l\nd could not ha.vo spoken of the hatred of him- angelic ministry, They had not had rin, but self or his disciples (so Lilcke e.ud Moyer) now they he.ve both eeen and hated both me os this siu, becl\uec it would have bcon and my Father. The works as well as the obviously impossible to he.to e. non-existent words of Christ might have softened their rovcle.tion or revea.lor. It is the deeper fall hea.rts, but the Divine cla.ims, which were which ie consequent upon r.. deliLemto rejec- thus pl'eesed home upon the conscience, pro- tion of tho highest love. }'ormorly,they would voked their malice. " They took counsel to ho.vo beou in the condition ofthosowhose sins kill him ; " "They took up stones to af,:me of ignorance God ovei·looks (Acts xvii. 30), him." They hated God as God, and goorln03S and to whoao a.µ.a.pTfiµ.a.Ta in the past God and truth just because they were goodness hos exorcised ...&p,o-,s, in anticipation of the e.nd truth. The a.wfnl condemnation is coming gro.ce. But now (Luke in numerous hero pronounced, "tha.t men loved darkness places uses this expression to form e. strong rather than light." They positively sl\w contrast) they ha.vo no excuse or pretext their Father, and hated him. This is the for their sm, or concerning their sin. They moat terrible condemnation that can bo pro- ca.u pleo.d no justification. The word 7rpo- nounced on moral beings. </Jruns is e.n li1ra~ J\ry&µ.,vov, o.nd is not "cloak Ver. 25.-Strango is it that even here the or covering," but " po.llio.tion or excuse" for ancient psalmist, in portraying the ideal manifest sin. So long as men ha.ve seen no Sufferer (Pa. lxix. 4; xxxv. 19), he.d seized deeper into the ne.turo of God than they this feature, and thus anticipated the treat- can go with the a.id of mere phenomena or. ment of the Son of God. But this cometh ratiocination on the details of creation, their to pass (some clause of this kine\ must ho fo1us and oven their hatreds formulated into in trod need to give true force to aJ\J\a and grim legend, or uncouth idols, or repellent 1va) that the word might be fulfilled that hypothesis, are e. ne.tuml outcome of a. na.ture he.s been written in their Law. Not only so corrupt; but they ought to have found in hero but elsewhere Jesus speaks of the Christ a deeper revelation, 11, summons to Psalms e.s a part of the Le.w (see note, eh. servioe e.nd adoring love. In rejecting the x. 34). Other passages may, from their idea of God which I have set before them similarity, have been in Christ's mind, as they have no excuse. St. Pe.ul (Rom. i. 20) receiving fulfilment or abundant illustra- declares tho.t those who he.ve defamed the tion in their conduct. The use of the ex- great cho.ro.oteristic of God which me.y bo pression, " their Law," has been pressed by learned from nature o.ro without excuse. Cor- ma.ny a.a proof the.t the writer of this Gospel te.inly our Lord does not say this here. did not regard himself as e. Jew at c,11. Ver. 23.-B:e the.t hateth me, and by im- Such numerous indications occur of the plication will ha.to you, hateth my Father opposite conclusion, that this expression also. The hatred of goodness in mo, the must receive the more rational interprote.- refusal to accept my representation of their tion-the Law in which they pride them- Father and mine, becomes a distinot hatred selves, the Le.w which is ever in their of God himself oa I have revealed him. A mouths, the Law which itself contains the God of wnr, e. God of partisan jealousy for portraiture of their spirit: They hatad me the honour of Ierael, e. God who would gratuitously; causelessly. The true Christ pallio.to fratricidal feud, and overlook blllB- was, when he came, the object of reason- phomous indifference to his true ohamotor, less, causeless hate o.nd opposition. Jesus they might have tolerated; but the Fo.ther- kuew, when he claimed to be the Christ, God, whom they migl1t ha1·e heard and aeon tho.t ho would have to complete 11nd fulfil in Christ, is hated by them. the solemn portraiture of the sufferiug, Vor. 2-l.-lf I had not done among them burJon-beariug, a.nd rejected Christ., as well works which none other did. 1 Hero ho as that of the triumphant Christ a.nd King. comes down ti-om "Word" to "work," and Vers. 26, 27.-A now source of consolation indicates the lower agency, the.t of wcirks, now appears. Already twice over he has which are neither inopcro.tivo nor valuel«.:ss, spoken of the Paraclete (eh. xiv. 16 and 26), (I) as being sent by the Father in answer to 1 'E,ro('IJO'<V is the roocling of ~. A, II, D, I, his prayer, to be the compensation to his K, L, X, n, I, 13, 33, etc.; e.nd is rmd by disciples for his persoml departure, e.nd 'l'rcgelles, 'l'ischondorf (8th edit.), R.T., a.ml also (2) e.s the Instructor e.nd Lellder in to Westcott and Hort; while E, G, H, M, e.nd 1111 truth. Once more ho promises great 11ome others rend, with T.R., 1re1roh11(<J', things 11nd mighty a.iJ iu their conflict with  276 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. JOHN. [en. xv. 1-27.