The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 417

Imperfectly, John ndde wb&t oome nnder enough to meet o.11 tho ca.,e? lfos ho nnt hie own eye, explnine their inadequu.te re- been offered up as certainly as fae.ao WM preeentation of the "lot," and dieoeme the when Abraham bound his BOD upon tho Yerita.blo fulfllmont of the propheoy. The altar? Could he not, might he not, now reforcnoe in Mattliew to thie fulfilment of oomo down from tho cross, ho.ving perfectly propheoy ie expunged from the text by oonsecre.ted himself? Would he not by Tieohendorf (8th edit,), Westcott and Hort, this o.ot make converts of the So.nhedrin? and R.T., on the authority of N, A, B, D, and would not tens of thoueo.nds nt once nine unoiale a.nd two hundred manuecripte, turn their curses into jubilant hosannas? numerous versione nnd Fu.there. 'l'hus the The chief priests join in the same to.unt, fourth ovnnp;elist is the eolite.ry authority and, according to Matthew nod Mark, even for this fulfilment of the prophetic word, o.nd the dying robbers cast the "ame reproaches he reveals a feature which is eometimee in his teeth. The special taunt was, " Ho denied him by thoso wllo try to establish saved others; himself he cannot snvc.'' tlle Gentile origin of the Goepel. These Sublimely true, the very hurricane of o.buse, things therefore the soldiers did, A grnphio e.s it reo.ches him, is transformed in to the and historio touch, corresponding witll the sweetness and fragrance of the eternal love. method in which Herodotus closed his He had power in the desert to make the account of the slaughter o.t Thennopylm. kingdoms of the world hie own, if he would ln John's co.ea more wo.e suggested. While ho.ve bowed down to the prince of this Pila.ta had aunonnoed to the world that world. He ho.d o.nthority to vanish into the Jesus of Nnzo.reth was" King of the Jews," ethereal home with Moses and Elijah. lie e.nd Ce.io.phe.s had declared tha.t " it was might have saved himself, but he could not. expedient thot one ma.u should die for the lie must drink the cup to the fiual dregs. people," the Roman eoldiere, without any He must bear the dee.th-peno.lty itself. If knowledge of Hebrew oracles, ho.d a.ll un- he had not done this, the sympathy with consciously filled up the features of the man he.d fa.lien infinitely below the demands suffering Messiah in literal harmony with of his own heart. Sin a.nd death would still the ancient prediotion. In e. commentary on he.ve been inseparably linked ; tile curse John's Gospel we oa.nnot here diecUSB some would not have been broken, nor the sacri- of the other impressive features of the Cruci- fice been completed. As before Pilate, fixion, upon which the fourth evangelist Herod, and the rest, he was silent. No ie silent. Matthew, Mark, a.nd Luke a.ll murmur, no rebuke, broke from him. The describe a. revolting ecene of brutal mockery breath of his mouth is as yet no two- which ridiculed the dying Lord with his edged sword. But the penitent brigand, helplessness, e.nd charged him with hypo- overcome by his majestic patience, plea.de crisy, scoffed at his having boo.sted of his for mercy, and, after the long hours have Divine Sonship, and of power to build the passed, the cry of the helpless sufferer e.t demolished temple in three days- an his side meets with immediate response, ominous charge, which he we.a so soon to while all the ornel howling bigots a1·ound meet. They did not see the.t they were de- him could not prevail to draw from him one stroying the temple of his body, o.nd the.t he syllable of remonstrance I The " To-day would verily po.ralyze all their power to sho.lt thou be with me in Paradise" is the crush his kingdom by building it up at the roye.llest of all the words from the cross. predestined hour. The greo.t cry was, According to the hypothesis of the Tiibingen " Come down from the cross, and we will school, they ought unquestionably to ha.ve accept thy claims, and believe that thou art been selected for citation by the author of 'Son of God.'" This we.a even 11, greater the Fourth Gospel The assumption of the provocative of his human soul than that existence and reality of his kingdom, and which the devil had suggested in the the admission in the other world of his wildemess, or whioh he he.d endured on oonsoious Lordship over the souls of men, the Mountain of Tra.nsfigure.tion (Godet's is the most explicit o.nd uno.pproe.cho.ble • Biblico.l Studies of the New Testament'). ola.im that he ever made to Divine prerogo.- He knew the.t he could at onoe have stepped ti ves. John takes notice of another most upwards from the high mountain ou the impressive scene, in which himself had shining we.y, and left behind him a perfect personal concern, and which affected the and most gracious memorial and idea.I of the remainder of his own wonderful life. An blessed life. But ho had a "decease to incident this which the other evangelists did acoomplish," and he co.me down to " give not presume to touch. It wa.s the Divine his life a ransom for many," to take all our expression of the trne humanity of the Son burden and e.11 our oe.re e.nd all our sin of God. upon him, to la.y down his life that he Ve:rs. 25-30.-(5) The tDOTda on the CTOD. might take it age.in (of. oh. x. 17). But Vers. 21'~ 26.-(a) 1''ilial /.ov6-" Behold the question does arise-Has he not done thy Btm I" 430 THI<] GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. JOHN, [mt, xnr:.1-42.