,libraries7 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,this e-text is intended for users whose text readers cannot display the ,unicode 7utf-#h7 version of the file4 ,greek words have been transliterated and enclosed in equals signs1 e4g4 ho logos4 ,italic words have been similarly enclosed in underscores4 ,a few minor typographical errors have been silently corrected4 ,the ,table of ,contents refers to page numbers in the original text4 ,all advertising material has been placed at the end of the text4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 ,editor of ,the ,expositor4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,st4 ,,john4 ,,by ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,,new ,,york3 ,a4 ,c4 ,,armstrong ,,and ,,son1 #ea ,,east ,,tenth ,,street 7,,near ,,broadway74 #ahia4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,st4 ,,john4 ,,by ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d41 ,,professor ,,of ,,exegetical ,,theology1 ,,new ,,college1 ,,edinburgh4 ,,in ,,two ,,volumes4 ,,vol4 ,i4 ,,new ,,york3 ,a4 ,c4 ,,armstrong ,,and ,,son1 #ea ,,east ,,tenth ,,street 7,,near ,,broadway74 #ahia4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,,introductory ,,note ix ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,incarnation #c ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,reception ,,christ ,,met ,,with #ba ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,baptist',s ,,testimony #ce ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,first ,,disciples #ee ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,first ,,sign--,,the ,,marriage ,,in ,,cana #fi ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,cleansing ,,of ,,the ,,temple #hg ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,nicodemus #aja ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,brazen ,,serpent #aai ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,woman ,,of ,,samaria #aca ,,chapter ,x4 ,,jesus ,,declares ,,himself #adg ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,second ,,sign ,,in ,,galilee #afa ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,sabbath ,,cure ,,at ,,bethesda #agg ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,jesus ,,life-,,giver ,,and ,,judge #aic ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,bread ,,of ,,life #bji ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,crisis ,,in ,,galilee #bbe ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,jesus ,,discussed ,,in ,,jerusalem #bdc ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,woman ,,taken ,,in ,,adultery #bei ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,christ ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,world #bgc ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,jesus ,,rejected ,,in ,,jerusalem #bhi ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,sight ,,given ,,to ,,the ,,blind #cje ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd #cba ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,jesus1 ,,son ,,of ,,god #ccg ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,resurrection ,,and ,,life #cee ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,scapegoat #cga 99 99 99 99 99 ,,note ,,on ,,chap4 ,,vi41 ,,vers4 #cg1 #dd1 #de #chg ,,introductory ,,note4 ,in order to read the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john with some intelligence1 it is necessary to understand its purpose and its plan4 ,for in the whole range of literature there is no composition which is a more perfect work of art1 or which more rigidly excludes whatever does not subserve its main end4 ,from the first word to the last there is no paragraph1 sentence1 or expression which is out of its place1 or with which we could dispense4 ,part hangs together with part in perfect balance4 ,the sequence may at times be obscure1 but sequence there always is4 ,the relevancy of this or that remark may not at first sight be apparent1 but irrelevancy is impossible to this writer4 ,the object which the ,evangelist had in view in writing this ,gospel we are not left to find out for ourselves4 ,he explicitly says that his purpose in writing was to promote the belief that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god 7chap4 xx4 #ca74 ,this purpose1 he judges1 he will best accomplish1 not by writing an essay1 nor by framing an abstract argument in advocacy of the claims of ,jesus1 but by reproducing in his ,gospel those manifestations of ,his glory which elicited faith in the first disciples and in others4 ,that which had produced faith in his own case and in that of his fellow-disciples1 will1 he thinks1 if fairly set before men1 produce faith in them also4 ,he relates1 therefore1 with the utmost simplicity of language1 the scenes in which ,jesus seemed to him most significantly to have revealed ,his power and ,his goodness1 and most forcibly to have demonstrated that the ,father was in ,him4 ,at the same time he keeps steadily in view the circumstance that these manifestations had not always produced faith1 but that alongside of a growing faith there ran an increasing unbelief which at length assumed the form of hostility and outrage4 ,this unbelief he feels called upon to account for4 ,he feels called upon to demonstrate that its true reason lay1 not in the inadequacy of ,christ's manifestations1 but in the unreasonable and unspiritual requirements of the unbelieving1 and in their alienation from ,god4 ,the ,gospel thus forms the primary apologetic1 which by its very simplicity and closeness to reality touches at every point the underlying causes and principles of faith and unbelief4 ,the object of the ,gospel being kept in view1 the plan is at once perceived4 ,apart from the ,prologue 7chap4 i4 #a-ah7 and the ,appendix 7chap4 xxi471 the body of the work falls into two nearly equal parts1 chaps4 i4 #ai-xii41 and xiii4-xx4 ,in the former part the ,evangelist relates1 with a singular felicity of selection1 the scenes in which ,jesus made those self-revelations which it was most important that men should understand1 and the discussions in which their full significance was brought out4 ,thus he shows how the glory of ,christ was manifested at the marriage in ,cana1 in the cleansing of the ,temple1 in the conversation with the ,samaritans1 in the healing of the impotent man1 in the feeding of the five thousand1 in the cure of the man born blind2 and how1 through these various signs or object-lessons1 ,jesus makes ,himself known as the ,life1 the ,light1 the ,judge of men1 or1 in one word1 as the ,son doing the ,father's works1 manifesting the ,father's presence1 disclosing in ,his various words and deeds the glory as of the only begotten of the ,father1 full of grace and truth4 ,these manifestations culminate in the raising of ,lazarus1 recorded in the eleventh chapter4 ,this final sign1 while in many of the ,jews 7xi4 #de7 it produced faith1 aggravated at the same time the unbelief of the authorities1 who from that day forth took counsel together for to put ,him to death 7xi4 #ec74 ,the twelfth chapter1 therefore1 holds a place by itself4 ,in it we have three incidents related1 and all related for the same purpose1 namely1 to demonstrate that there was now no further need of such manifestations of the glory of ,jesus as had already been given1 and that all things were now ripe for the catastrophe4 ,the incidents in which this became apparent were ,mary's anointing of ,jesus1 ,his triumphal entry into ,jerusalem1 and the enquiry of the ,greeks4 ,by introducing these three incidents together at this point1 ,john wishes to show 7#a7 that ,jesus was now embalmed in the love of ,his intimate friends1 7#b7 that ,he had found in the untutored instincts of the people a response to ,his claim1 and 7#c7 that even in the still wider circle of the outlying nations ,his name was known4 ,he may1 therefore1 now safely finish ,his self-revelation4 ,it has done its work4 ,and the completeness of its result is seen1 not only in this widely-extended impression and firmly-rooted attachment1 but also in the maturity of unbelief which now took active steps to take ,jesus and put ,him to death4 ,this part of the ,gospel therefore appropriately closes with the words3 ,these things spake ,jesus and departed1 and did hide ,himself from them 7xii4 #cf74 ,the public manifestation of ,jesus is closed4 ,between the first and the second part of the ,gospel there is interposed a paragraph 7xii4 #cg-ej71 in which ,john briefly points out that the rejection of ,jesus by the ,jews was no more than had been predicted by the prophet ,isaiah1 and that it reflects no suspicion on the manifestations of ,his relation to the ,father which ,jesus had made4 ,he then sums up in one or two sentences the significance and consequences of receiving and of rejecting ,jesus4 ,in the second part of the ,gospel the writer is still guided by the same purpose of showing how ,jesus manifested ,his glory4 ,this is obvious not merely from the contents of this second part1 but also from the fact that in the language of ,john the death of ,jesus is constantly referred to as ,his glorification1 being the lifting up which was an essential step to1 or part of1 ,his glorification4 ,before entering upon the last scenes1 which are described in chaps4 xiii4-xix41 ,jesus is assured that in ,his death the ,father is to glorify ,his ,name 7xii4 #bh72 and in the prayer recorded in the seventeenth chapter1 which closes the explanations which our ,lord ,himself made of ,his work1 it is still the manifestation of ,his glory that is in ,his thoughts4 ,the characteristic which distinguishes this second part of the ,gospel is1 that ,jesus no longer manifests ,his glory to the people in signs of manifest power1 but now1 in chapters xiii4-xvii41 further discloses ,his glory privately to the ,twelve2 and in chapters xviii4 and xix4 passes triumphantly through the ultimate trial which still lay between ,him and the final consummation of ,his glory4 ,that this final glory has been achieved is witnessed by the ,resurrection1 the record of which1 and of its results in faith1 occupies the twentieth chapter4 ,de ,wette has the credit of being the first to discern that the entire ,gospel is held together by this idea of the manifestation of ,christ's glory1 and that the glory of our ,lord appears in all its brightness in the second part of the narrative 7xiii4-xx471 and that 7a7 inwardly and morally in ,his sufferings and death 7xiii4-xix471 and 7b7 outwardly and sensibly1 in the triumphant event of the ,resurrection4 ,the best tabulated division of the ,gospel with which ,i am acquainted is that which the ,rev4 ,a4 ,halliday ,douglas1 ,m4,a41 of ,huntly1 has printed for private circulation4 ,by the kindness of the author ,i am allowed to publish it here4 ,,the ,,divisions ,,of ,,st4 ,,john',s ,,gospel4 ,,the ,,prologue ,,or ,,introduction4 ,chap4 i4 #a-ah4 ,,part ,i4 ,the ,manifestation of ,christ's ,glory in ,life and ,power4 ,chap4 i4 #ai-xii4 #cf4 #a4 ,christ's ,announcement of ,himself1 and the ,beginnings of ,faith and ,unbelief4 ,chap4 i4 #ai-;iv4 #b4 ,the ,period of ,conflict4 ,chap4 v4-xii4 #cf4 ,,the ,,evangelist',s ,,pause ,,for ,,reflection1 ,,and ,,review ,,of ,,christ',s ,,teaching4 ,chaps4 xii4 #cf-ej4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,the ,manifestation of ,christ's ,glory in ,suffering and ,death4 ,chaps4 xiii4-xx4 #a4 ,moral ,victory in ,suffering3-- a4 ,in ,anticipation4 ,chaps4 xiii4-xvii4 ,faith finally settled in the disciples1 and unbelief cast out from among them4 b4 ,in the ,actual ,struggle4 ,chaps4 xviii41 xix4 ,unbelief apparently victorious1 faith scarcely saved4 #b4 ,actual ,victory over ,death4 ,chap4 xx4 ,faith proved right1 and unbelief condemned4 ,,the ,,epilogue ,,or ,,appendix4 ,chap4 xxi4 ,i4 ,,the ,,incarnation4 ,in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god4 ,the same was in the beginning with ,god4 ,all things were made by ,him2 and without ,him was not any thing made that hath been made4 ,in ,him was life2 and the life was the light of men4 ,and the light shineth in the darkness2 and the darkness apprehended it not4 ,there came a man1 sent from ,god1 whose name was ,john4 ,the same came for witness1 that he might bear witness of the light1 that all might believe through him4 ,he was not the light1 but came that he might bear witness of the light4 ,there was the true light1 even the light which lighteth every man1 coming into the world4 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by ,him1 and the world knew ,him not4 ,he came unto ,his own1 and they that were ,his own received ,him not4 ,but as many as received ,him1 to them gave ,he the right to become children of ,god1 even to them that believe on ,his name3 which were born1 not of blood1 nor of the will of the flesh1 nor of the will of man1 but of ,god4 ,and the ,word became flesh1 and dwelt among us 7and we beheld ,his glory1 glory as of the only begotten from the ,father71 full of grace and truth4 ,john beareth witness of ,him1 and crieth1 saying1 ,this was ,he of whom ,i said1 ,he that cometh after me is preferred before me3 for ,he was before me4 ,for of ,his fulness we all received1 and grace for grace4 ,for the law was given by ,moses2 grace and truth came by ,jesus ,christ4 ,no man hath seen ,god at any time2 the only begotten ,son1 which is in the bosom of the ,father1 ,he hath declared ,him4--,,john i4 #a-ah4 ,in this brief introduction to his ,gospel ,john summarises its contents1 and presents an abstract of the history he is about to relate in detail4 ,that the ,eternal ,word1 in whom was the life of all things1 became flesh and was manifested among men2 that some ignored while others recognised ,him1 that some received while others rejected ,him1--this is what ,john desires to exhibit at large in his ,gospel1 and this is what he summarily states in this compact and pregnant introductory passage4 ,he briefly describes a ,being whom he names ,the ,word2 he explains the connection of this ,being with ,god and with created things2 he tells how ,he came to the world and dwelt among men1 and he remarks upon the reception ,he met with4 ,what is summed up in these propositions is unfolded in the ,gospel4 ,it narrates in detail the history of the manifestation of the ,incarnate ,word1 and of the faith and unbelief which this manifestation evoked4 ,john at once introduces us to a ,being whom he speaks of as ,the ,word4 ,he uses the term without apology1 as if already it were familiar to his readers2 and yet he adds a brief description of it1 as if possibly they might attach to it ideas incompatible with his own4 ,he uses it without apology1 because in point of fact it already had circulation both among ,greek and ,jewish thinkers4 ,in the ,old ,testament we meet with a ,being called ,the ,angel of the ,lord1 who is at once closely related1 if not equivalent1 to ,jehovah1 and at the same time manifested to men4 ,thus when the ,angel of the ,lord had appeared to ,jacob and wrestled with him1 ,jacob called the name of the place ,peniel1 for1 said he1 ,i have seen ,god face to face4#a ,in the apocryphal books of the ,old ,testament the ,wisdom and the ,word of ,god are poetically personified1 and occupy the same relation to ,god on the one hand1 and to man on the other1 which was filled by the ,angel of the ,lord4 ,and in the time of ,christ the ,word of the ,lord had become the current designation by which ,jewish teachers denoted the manifested ,jehovah4 ,in explaining the ,scriptures1 to make them more intelligible to the people1 it was customary to substitute for the name of the infinitely exalted ,jehovah the name of ,jehovah's manifestation1 the ,word of the ,lord4 ,beyond ,jewish circles of thought the expression would also be readily understood4 ,for not among the ,jews only1 but everywhere1 men have keenly felt the difficulty of arriving at any certain and definite knowledge of the ,eternal ,one4 ,the most rudimentary definition of ,god1 by declaring ,him to be a ,spirit1 at once and for ever dissipates the hope that we can ever see ,him1 as we see one another1 with the bodily eye4 ,this depresses and disturbs the soul4 ,other objects which invite our thought and feeling we easily apprehend1 and our intercourse with them is level to our faculties4 ,it is1 indeed1 the unseen and intangible spirit of our friends which we value1 not the outward appearance4 ,but we scarcely separate the two2 and as we reach and know and enjoy our friends through the bodily features with which we are familiar1 and the words that strike upon our ear1 we instinctively long for intercourse with ,god and knowledge of ,him as familiar and convincing4 ,we put out our hand1 but we cannot touch ,him4 ,nowhere in this world can we see ,him more than we see ,him here and now4 ,if we pass to other worlds1 there1 too1 ,he is concealed from our sight1 inhabiting no body1 occupying no place4 ,job is not alone in his painful and baffling search after ,god4 ,thousands continually cry with him1 ,behold1 ,i go forward1 but ,he is not there2 and backward1 but ,i cannot perceive ,him3 on the left hand1 where ,he doth work1 but ,i cannot behold ,him3 ,he hideth ,himself on the right hand1 that ,i cannot see ,him4 ,in various ways1 accordingly1 men have striven to alleviate the difficulty of mentally apprehending an invisible1 infinite1 incomprehensible ,god4 ,one theory1 struck out by the pressure of the difficulty1 and frequently advanced1 was not altogether incompatible with the ideas suggested by ,john in this prologue4 ,this theory was accustomed1 although with no great definiteness or security1 to bridge the chasm between the ,eternal ,god and ,his works in time by interposing some middle being or beings which might mediate between the known and the unknown4 ,this link between ,god and ,his creatures1 which deemed to make ,god and ,his relation to material things more intelligible1 was sometimes spoken of as ,the ,word of ,god4 ,this seemed an appropriate name by which to designate that through which ,god made ,himself known1 and by which ,he came into relations with things and persons not ,himself4 ,vague indeed was the conception formed even of this intermediary ,being4 ,but of this term the ,word1 and of the ideas that centred in it1 ,john took advantage to proclaim ,him who is the manifestation of the ,eternal1 the ,image of the ,invisible4#b ,the title itself is full of significance4 ,the word of a man is that by which he utters himself1 by which he puts himself in communication with other persons and deals with them4 ,by his word he makes his thought and feeling known1 and by his word he issues commands and gives effect to his will4 ,his word is distinct from his thought1 and yet cannot exist separate from it4 ,proceeding from the thought and will1 from that which is inmost in us and most ourselves1 it carries upon itself the imprint of the character and purpose of him who utters it4 ,it is the organ of intelligence and will4 ,it is not mere noise1 it is sound instinct with mind1 and articulated by intelligent purpose4 ,by a man's word you could perfectly know him1 even though you were blind and could never see him4 ,sight or touch could give you but little fuller information regarding his character if you had listened to his word4 ,his word is his character in expression4 ,similarly1 the ,word of ,god is ,god's power1 intelligence1 and will in expression2 not dormant and potential only1 but in active exercise4 ,god's ,word is ,his will going forth with creative energy1 and communicating life from ,god1 the ,source of life and being4 ,without ,him was not any thing made that was made4 ,he was prior to all created things and ,himself with ,god1 and ,god4 ,he is ,god coming into relation with other things1 revealing ,himself1 manifesting ,himself1 communicating ,himself4 ,the world is not itself ,god2 things created are not ,god1 but the intelligence and will that brought them into being1 and which now sustain and regulate them1 these are ,god4 ,and between the works we see and the ,god who is past finding out1 there is the ,word1 ,one who from eternity has been with ,god1 the medium of the first utterance of ,god's mind and the first forthputting of ,his power2 as close to the inmost nature of ,god1 and as truly uttering that nature1 as our word is close to and utters our thought1 capable of being used by no one besides1 but by ourselves only4 ,it is apparent1 then1 why ,john chooses this title to designate ,christ in ,his pre-existent life4 ,no other title brings out so clearly the identification of ,christ with ,god1 and the function of ,christ to reveal ,god4 ,it was a term which made the transition easy from ,jewish ,monotheism to ,christian ,trinitarianism4 ,being already used by the strictest ,monotheists to denote a spiritual intermediary between ,god and the world1 it is chosen by ,john as the appropriate title of ,him through whom all revelation of ,god in the past has been mediated1 and who has at length finished revelation in the person of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the term itself does not explicitly affirm personality2 but what it helps us to understand is1 that this same ,being1 the ,word1 who manifested and uttered ,god in creation1 reveals ,him now in humanity4 ,john wishes to bring the incarnation and the new spiritual world it produced into line with the creation and ,god's original purpose therein4 ,he wishes to show us that this greatest manifestation of ,god is not an abrupt departure from previous methods1 but is the culminating expression of methods and principles which have ever governed the activity of ,god4 ,jesus ,christ1 who reveals the ,father now in human nature1 is the same ,agent as has ever been expressing and giving effect to the ,father's will in the creation and government of all things4 ,the same ,word who now utters ,god in and through human nature1 has ever been uttering ,him in all ,his works4 ,all that ,god has done is to be found in the universe1 partly visible and partly known to us4 ,there ,god may be found1 because there ,he has uttered ,himself4 ,but science tells us that in this universe there has been a gradual development from lower to higher1 from imperfect towards perfect worlds2 and it tells us that man is the last result of this process4 ,in man the creature at last becomes intelligent1 self-conscious1 endowed with will1 capable to some extent of meeting and understanding its ,creator4 ,man is the last and fullest expression of ,god's thought1 for in man and man's history ,god finds room for the utterance not merely of ,his wisdom and power1 but of what is most profoundly spiritual and moral in ,his nature4 ,in man ,god finds a creature who can sympathise with ,his purposes1 who can respond to ,his love1 who can give exercise to the whole fulness of ,god4 ,but in saying that the ,word become flesh ,john says much more than that ,god through the ,word created man1 and found thus a more perfect means of revealing ,himself4 ,the ,word created the visible world1 but ,he did not become the visible world4 ,the ,word created all men1 but ,he did not become the human race1 but one ,man1 ,christ ,jesus4 ,no doubt it is true that all men in their measure reveal ,god1 and it is conceivable that some individual should fully illustrate all that ,god meant to reveal by human nature4 ,it is conceivable that ,god should so sway a man's will and purify his character that the human will should be from first to last in perfect harmony with the ,divine1 and that the human character should exhibit the character of ,god4 ,an ideal man might have been created1 ,god's ideal of man might have been realized1 and still we should have had no incarnation4 ,for a perfect man is not all we have in ,christ4 ,a perfect man is one thing1 the ,word ,incarnate is another4 ,in the one the personality1 the ,i that uses the human nature1 is human2 in the other1 the personality1 the ,i1 is ,divine4 ,by becoming flesh the ,word submitted to certain limitations1 perhaps impossible for us to define4 ,while in the flesh ,he could reveal only what human nature was competent to reveal4 ,but as the human nature had been created in the likeness of the ,divine1 and as1 therefore1 good and evil meant the same to man as to ,god1 the limitation would not be felt in the region of character4 ,the process of the ,incarnation ,john describes very simply3 ,the ,word became flesh1 and dwelt among us4 ,the ,word did not become flesh in the sense that ,he was turned into flesh1 ceasing to be what ,he had previously been1 as a boy who becomes a man ceases to be a boy4 ,in addition to what ,he already was ,he assumed human nature1 at once enlarging ,his experience and limiting ,his present manifestations of ,divinity to what was congruous to human nature and earthly circumstance4 ,the ,jews were familiar with the idea of ,god dwelling with ,his people4 ,at the birth of their nation1 while they were still dwelling in tents outside the land of promise1 ,god had ,his tent among the shifting tents of the people1 sharing all the vicissitudes of their wandering life1 abiding with them even in their thirty-eight years' exclusion from their land1 and thus sharing even their punishment4 ,by the word ,john here uses he links the body of ,christ to the ancient dwelling of ,god round which the tents of ,israel had clustered4 ,god now dwelt among men in the humanity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the tabernacle was human1 the indwelling ,person was ,divine4 ,in ,christ is realized the actual presence of ,god among ,his people1 the actual entrance into and personal participation in human history1 which was hinted at in the tabernacle and the temple4 ,in the ,incarnation1 then1 we have ,god's response to man's craving to find1 to see1 to know ,him4 ,men1 indeed1 commonly look past ,christ and away from ,him1 as if in ,him ,god could not be satisfactorily seen2 they discontentedly long for some other revelation of the unseen ,spirit4 ,but surely this is to mistake4 ,to suppose that ,god might make ,himself more obvious1 more distinctly apparent to us1 than ,he has done1 is to mistake what ,god is and how we can know ,him4 ,what are the highest attributes of ,divinity1 the most ,divine characteristics of ,god8 ,are they great power1 vast size1 dazzling physical glory that overpowers the sense2 or are they infinite goodness1 holiness that cannot be tempted1 love that accommodates itself to all the needs of all creatures8 ,surely the latter1 the spiritual and moral qualities1 are the more ,divine4 ,the resistless might of natural forces shows us little of ,god till we have elsewhere learned to know ,him2 the power that upholds the planets in their orbits speaks but of physical force1 and tells us nothing of any holy1 loving ,being4 ,there is no moral quality1 no character1 impressed upon these works of ,god1 mighty though they be4 ,nothing but an impersonal power meets us in them2 a power which may awe and crush us1 but which we cannot adore1 worship1 and love4 ,in a word1 ,god cannot reveal ,himself to us by any overwhelming display of ,his nearness or ,his power4 ,though the whole universe fell in ruins around us1 or though we saw a new world spring into being before our eyes1 we might still suppose that the power by which this was effected was impersonal1 and could hold no fellowship with us4 ,only1 then1 through what is personal1 only through what is like ourselves1 only through what is moral1 can ,god reveal ,himself to us4 ,not by marvellous displays of power that suddenly awe us1 but by goodness that the human conscience can apprehend and gradually admire1 does ,god reveal ,himself to us4 ,if we doubt ,god's existence1 if we doubt whether there is a ,spirit of goodness upholding all things1 wielding all things1 and triumphant in all things1 let us look to ,christ4 ,it is in ,him we distinctly see upon our own earth1 and in circumstances we can examine and understand1 goodness2 goodness tried by every test conceivable1 goodness carried to its highest pitch1 goodness triumphant4 ,this goodness1 though in human forms and circumstances1 is yet the goodness of ,one who comes among men from a higher sphere1 teaching1 forgiving1 commanding1 assuring1 saving1 as ,one sent to deal with men rather than springing from them4 ,if this is not ,god1 what is ,god8 ,what higher conception of ,god has any one ever had8 ,what worthy conception of ,god is there that is not satisfied here8 ,what do we need in ,god1 or suppose to be in ,god1 which we have not in ,christ8 ,if1 then1 we still feel as if we had not sufficient assurance of ,god1 it is because we look for the wrong thing1 or seek where we can never find4 ,let us understand that ,god can best be known as ,god through ,his moral qualities1 through ,his love1 ,his tenderness1 ,his regard for right2 and we shall perceive that the most suitable revelation is one in which these qualities are manifested4 ,but to apprehend these qualities as they appear in actual history we must have some sense for and love of them4 ,they that are pure in heart1 they shall see ,god2 they who love righteousness1 who seek with lowliness for purity and goodness1 they will find in ,christ a ,god they can see and trust4 ,the lessons of the ,incarnation are obvious4 ,first1 from it we are to take our idea of ,god4 ,sometimes we feel as if in attributing to ,god all good we were dealing merely with fancies of our own which could not be justified by fact4 ,in the ,incarnation we see what ,god has actually done4 ,here we have1 not a fancy1 not a hope1 not a vague expectation1 not a promise1 but accomplished fact1 as solid and unchangeable as our own past life4 ,this ,god whom we have often shunned1 and felt to be in our way and an obstacle1 whom we have suspected of tyranny and thought little of injuring and disobeying1 has through compassion and sympathy with us broken through all impossibilities1 and contrived to take the sinner's place4 ,he1 the ever blessed ,god1 accountable for no evil and sole cause of all good1 accepted the whole of our condition1 lived as a creature1 ,himself bare our sicknesses1 all that is hardest in life1 all that is bitterest and loneliest in death1 in ,his own experience combining all the agonies of sinning and suffering men1 and all the ineffable sorrows wherewith ,god looks upon sin and suffering4 ,all this ,he did1 not for the sake of showing us how much better a thing the ,divine nature is than the human1 but because ,his nature impelled ,him to do it2 because ,he could not bear to be solitary in ,his blessedness1 to know in ,himself the joy of holiness and love while ,his creatures were missing this joy and making themselves incapable of all good4 ,our first thought of ,god1 then1 must ever be that which the ,incarnation suggests3 that the ,god with whom alone and in all things we have to do is not ,one who is alienated from us1 or who has no sympathy with us1 or who is absorbed in interests very different from ours1 and to which we must be sacrificed2 but that ,he is ,one who sacrifices ,himself for us1 who makes all things but justice and right bend to serve us1 who forgives our misapprehensions1 our coldness1 our unspeakable folly1 and makes common cause with us in all that concerns our welfare4 ,as while on earth ,he endured the contradiction of sinners1 and waited till they came to a better mind1 so does ,he still1 with ,divine patience1 wait till we recognise ,him as our ,friend1 and humbly own ,him as our ,god4 ,he waits till we learn that to be ,god is not to be a mighty ,king enthroned above all the assaults of ,his creatures1 but that to be ,god is to have more love than all besides2 to be able to make greater sacrifices for the good of all2 to have an infinite capacity to humble ,himself1 to put ,himself out of sight1 and to consider our good4 ,this is the ,god we have in ,christ2 our ,judge becoming our atoning ,victim1 our ,god becoming our ,father1 the ,infinite ,one coming with all ,his helpfulness into the most intimate relations with us2 is this not a ,god to whom we can trust ourselves1 and whom we can love and serve8 ,if this is the real nature of ,god1 if we may always expect such faithfulness and help from ,god1 if to be ,god be to be all this1 as full of love in the future as ,he has shown ,himself in the past1 then may not existence yet be that perfect joy our instincts crave1 and towards which we are slowly and doubtfully finding our way through all the darkness1 and strains1 and shocks that are needed to sift what is spiritual in us from what is unworthy8 ,the second lesson the ,incarnation teaches regards our own duty4 ,everywhere among the first disciples was this lesson learned and inculcated4 ,let this mind1 says ,paul1 be in you which was also in ,christ ,jesus4 ,christ suffered for us1 says ,peter1 leaving us an example4 ,if ,god so loved us1 we ought also to love one another is the very spirit of ,john4 ,look steadily at the ,incarnation1 at the love which made ,christ take our place and identify ,himself with us2 consider the new breath of life that this one act has breathed into human life1 ennobling the world and showing us how deep and lovely are the possibilities that lie in human nature2 and new thoughts of your own conduct will lay hold of your mind4 ,come to this great central fire1 and your cold1 hard nature will be melted2 try in some sort to weigh this ,divine love and accept it as your own1 as that which embraces and cares for and carries you on to all good1 and you will insensibly be imbued with its spirit4 ,you will feel that no loss could be so great as to lose the possession and exercise of this love in your own heart4 ,great as are the gifts it bestows1 you begin to see that the greatest of them all is that it transforms you into its own likeness1 and teaches you yourself to love in the same sort4 ,understanding our security and our joyful prospect as saved by the care of ,god1 and as provided for by a love of perfect intelligence and absolute resource2 humbled and softened and melted by the free spending upon us of so ,divine and complete a grace1 our heart overflows with sympathy4 ,we cannot receive ,christ's love without communicating it4 ,it imparts a glow to the heart1 which must be felt by all that comes in contact with the heart4 ,and as ,christ's love became incarnate1 not spending itself in any one great display1 apart from the needs of men1 but manifesting itself in all the routine and incident of a human life2 never wearying through the monotonous toil of ,his artisan-life1 never provoked into forgetfulness in ,his boyhood2 so must our love derived from ,him be incarnated2 not spent in one display1 but animating our whole life in the flesh1 and finding expression for itself in all that our earthly condition brings us into contact with4 ,the thoughts we think and the actions we do are mainly concerned with other people4 ,we are living in families1 or we are related as employer and employed1 or we are thrown together by the hundred necessities of life2 in all these connections we are to be guided by the spirit which prompted ,christ to become incarnate4 ,our chance of doing good in the world depends upon this4 ,our review of life at the close will be satisfactory or the reverse in proportion as we have or have not been in fact animated by the spirit of the ,incarnation4 ,we must learn to bear one another's burdens1 and the ,incarnation shows us that we can do so only in so far as we identify ourselves with others and live for them4 ,christ helped us by coming down to our condition and living our life4 ,this is the guide to all help we can give4 ,if anything can reclaim the lowest class in our population1 it is by men of godly life living among them2 not living among them in comforts unattainable by them1 but living in all points as they live1 save that they live without sin4 ,christ had no money to give1 no knowledge of science to impart2 ,he lived a sympathetic and godly life1 regardless of ,himself4 ,few can follow ,him1 but let us never lose sight of ,his method4 ,the poor are not the only class that need help4 ,it is our dependence on money as the medium of charity that has begotten that feeling4 ,it is easy to give money2 and so we discharge our obligation1 and feel as if we had done all4 ,it is not money that even the poorest have most need of2 and it is not money at all1 but sympathy1 which all classes need--that true sympathy which gives us insight into their condition1 and prompts us to bear their burdens1 whatever these are4 ,there are many men on earth who are mere hindrances to better men2 who cannot manage their own affairs or play their own part1 but are continually entangled and in difficulties4 ,they are a drag on society1 requiring the help of more serviceable men1 and preventing such men from enjoying the fruit of their own labour4 ,there are1 again1 men who are not of our kind1 men whose tastes are not ours4 ,there are men who seem pursued by misfortune1 and men who by their own sin keep themselves continually in the mire4 ,there are1 in short1 various classes of persons with whom we are day by day tempted to have no more to do whatever2 we are exasperated by the discomfort they occasion us2 the anxiety and vexation and expenditure of time1 feeling1 and labour constantly renewed so long as we are in connection with them4 ,why should we be held down by unworthy people8 ,why should we have the ease and joy taken out of our life by the ceaseless demands made upon us by wicked1 careless1 incapable1 ungrateful people8 ,why must we still be patient1 still postponing our own interests to theirs8 ,simply because this is the method by which the salvation of the world is actually accomplished2 simply because we ourselves thus tax the patience of ,christ1 and because we feel that the love we depend upon and believe in as the salvation of the world we must ourselves endeavour to show4 ,recognising how ,christ has humbled ,himself to bear the burden of shame and misery we have laid upon ,him1 we cannot refuse to bear one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,see also ,gen4 xvi4 #ac1 xviii4 #bb2 ,exod4 iii4 #f1 xxiii4 #bj2 ,judges xiii4 #bb4 #b ,for the need of intermediaries1 see ,plato1 ,symposium1 pp4 #bjb-c3 ,god mingles not with men2 but there are spiritual powers which interpret and convey to ,god the prayers and sacrifices of men1 and to men the commands and rewards of ,god4 ,these powers span the chasm which divides them1 and these spirits or intermediate powers are many and divine4 ,see also ,philo 7,quod ,deus ,immut41 xiii473 ,god is not comprehensible by the intellect4 ,we know1 indeed1 that ,he is1 but beyond the fact of ,his existence we know nothing4 ,the ,word reveals ,god2 see ,philo 7,de post4 ,caini1 vi47 ,the wise man1 longing to apprehend ,god1 and travelling along the path of wisdom and knowledge1 first of all meets with the ,divine words1 and with them abides as a guest4 ,,ii4 ,,reception ,,christ ,,met ,,with4 ,,john i4 #a-ah4 ,in describing the ,word of ,god1 ,john mentions two attributes of ,his by which ,his relation to men becomes apparent3 ,all things were made by ,him1 and the life was the light of men4 ,by whom were all things made8 what is the originating force which has produced the world8 how are we to account for the existence1 the harmony1 and the progress of the universe8--these are questions which must always be put4 ,everywhere in nature force and intelligence appear2 the supply of life and power is unfailing1 and the unconscious planets are as regular and harmonious in their action as the creatures that are endowed with conscious intelligence and the power of self-guidance4 ,that the whole universe is one does not admit of a doubt4 ,far as the astronomer can search into infinite space1 he finds the same laws and one plan1 and no evidence of another hand or another mind4 ,to what is this unity to be referred8 ,john here affirms that the intelligence and power which underlie all things belong to the ,word of ,god3 without ,him was not anything made which was made4 ,in ,him was life4 ,in this ,divine ,being1 who was in the beginning before all things1 there was that which gives existence to all else4 ,and the life was the light of men4 ,that life which appears in the harmony and progress of inanimate nature1 and in the wonderfully manifold and yet related forms of animal existence1 appears in man as light--intellectual and moral light1 reason and conscience4 ,all the endowment possessed by man as a moral being1 capable of self-determination and of choosing what is morally good1 springs from the one fountain of life which exists in the ,word of ,god4 ,it is in the light of this close relationship of the ,word to the world and to men that ,john views the reception ,he met with when ,he became flesh and dwelt among us4 ,this reception forms the great tragedy of human history4 ,in ,agamemnon returning to his palace after ten years' absence1 and falling by the hand of his unfaithful spouse1 we have the event which is tragical par excellence in pagan history4 ,but what is that outrage when compared with the theocratic tragedy8 ,the ,god invoked by the nation appears in ,his temple1 and is crucified by ,his own worshippers4 ,to ,john it seemed as if the relationship borne by the ,word to those who rejected ,him was the tragical element in the rejection4 ,three different aspects of this relationship are mentioned1 that the blindness of the rejecters may more distinctly be seen4 ,first1 he says1 although the very light that was in man was derived from the ,word1 and it was by ,his endowment they had any power lo recognise what was illuminating and helpful to their spiritual nature1 they yet shut their eyes to the source of light when presented in the ,word ,himself4 ,the life was the light of men4444 ,and the light shineth in darkness1 and the darkness apprehended it not4 ,this is the general statement of the universal experience of the ,eternal ,word1 and it is illustrated in ,his incarnate experience summarily related in verses #aj and #aa4 ,again3 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by ,him1 and the world knew ,him not4 ,so little had men understood the source of their own being1 and so little had they learned to know the significance and purpose of their existence1 that when their ,creator came they did not recognise ,him4 ,and thirdly1 even the narrow and carefully-trained circle of the ,jews failed to recognise ,him2 ,he came unto ,his own--to everything which had pointedly and of set purpose spoken of ,him1 and could not have existed but to teach ,his character--and ,his own received ,him not4 #a4 ,the light shineth in the darkness2 and the darkness apprehended it not4 ,as yet ,john has said nothing of the ,incarnation1 and is speaking of the ,word in ,his eternal or pre-incarnate state4 ,and one thing he desires to proclaim regarding the ,word is1 that although it is from ,him every man has such light as he has1 yet this light is commonly rendered useless1 and is not cherished4 ,as it is from the ,word1 from ,god's uttered will1 that all men have life1 so it is from the same source that all the light which is in reason and in conscience is derived4 ,before the ,word appeared in the world1 and shone out as the true light 7ver4 #i71 ,he was in all rational creatures as their life and light1 imparting to men a sense of right and wrong1 and shining in their heart with some of the brightness of a ,divine presence4 ,this sense of a connection with ,god and eternity1 and this moral faculty1 although cherished by some1 were commonly not comprehended4 ,evil deeds have been suffered to darken conscience1 and it fails to admit the true light4 #b4 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by ,him1 and the world knew ,him not4 ,when our ,lord came to earth the heathen world was mainly represented by the ,roman ,empire1 and one of the earliest events of ,his life on earth was ,his enrolment as a subject of that empire4 ,if we had been invited before ,his coming to imagine what would be the result upon this empire of ,his appearance1 we should probably have expected something very different from that which actually happened4 ,the real ,sovereign is to appear2 the ,being who made all that is1 is to come and visit ,his possessions4 ,will not a thrill of glad expectancy run through the world8 ,will not men eagerly cover up whatever may offend ,him1 and eagerly attempt1 with such scant materials as existed1 to make preparations for ,his worthy reception8 ,the one ,being who can make no mistakes1 and who can rectify the mistakes of a worn-out1 entangled world1 is to come for the express purpose of delivering it from all ill3 will not men gladly yield the reins to ,him1 and gladly second ,him in all ,his enterprise8 ,will it not be a time of universal concord and brotherhood1 all men joining to pay homage to their common ,god8 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by ,him--that is the true1 bare1 unvarnished statement of the fact4 ,there ,he was1 the ,creator ,himself1 that mysterious ,being who had hitherto kept ,himself so hidden and remote while yet so influential and supreme2 the wonderful and unsearchable ,source and ,fountain out of which had proceeded all that men saw1 themselves included1--there at last ,he was in the world ,himself had made1 apparent to the eyes of men1 and intelligible to their understandings2 a real person whom they could know as an individual1 whom they could love1 who could receive and return their expressions of affection and trust4 ,he was in the world1 and the world knew ,him not4 ,indeed1 it would not have been easy for the world to show a more entire ignorance of ,god than while ,he was upon earth in human form4 ,there was at that time abundance of activity and intelligent apprehension of the external wants of men and nations4 ,there was a ceaseless running to and fro of the couriers of the empire1 a fine system of communications spread over the whole known world like a network1 so that what transpired in the most remote corner was at once known at the centre4 ,rome was intelligent to the utmost circumference through all its dominions2 as if a nervous system radiated through the whole of it1 touch but the extremity in one of the remotest colonies and the touch is felt at the brain and heart of the whole4#c ,the rising of a ,british tribe1 the discovery of some unheard-of bird or beast1 the birth of a calf with two heads--every scrap of gossip found its way to ,rome4#d ,but the entrance of the ,creator into the world was an event of such insignificance that not even this finely sympathetic system took any note of it4 ,the great ,roman world remained in absolute unconsciousness of the vicinity of ,god3 they registered ,his birth1 took account of ,him as one to be taxed1 but were as little aware as the oxen with whom ,he shared ,his first sleeping-place1 that this was ,god2 they saw ,him with the same stupid1 unconscious1 bovine stare4#e #c4 ,but in this great world of men there was an inner and specially trained circle1 which ,john here designates ,his own4 ,for although the world might be called ,his own1 as made and upheld by him1 yet it seems more likely that this verse is not a mere repetition of the preceding1 but is intended to mark a deeper degree of insensibility on the part of ,christ's rejecters4 ,not only had all men been made in ,god's image1 so that they might have been expected to recognise ,christ as the image of the ,father2 but one nation had been specially instructed in the knowledge of ,god1 and was proud of having ,his dwelling-place in its midst4 ,if other men were blind to ,god's glory1 the ,jews at least might have been expected to welcome ,christ when ,he came4 ,their temple and all that was done in it1 their law1 their prophets1 their institutions1 their history and their daily life1 all spoke to them of ,god1 and reminded them that ,god dwelt among them and would come to ,his own4 ,though all the world should shut its doors against ,christ1 surely the gates of the ,temple1 ,his own house1 would be thrown open to ,him4 ,for what else did it exist8 ,our ,lord ,himself1 in the parable of the ,wicked ,husbandmen1 makes even a heavier accusation against the ,jews1 intimating1 as ,he there does1 that they rejected ,him not because they did not recognise ,him1 but because they did4 ,this is the ,heir4 ,come1 let us kill ,him1 that the inheritance may be ours4 ,in any case their guilt is great4 ,they had been definitely and repeatedly admonished to expect some great manifestation of ,god2 they looked for the ,christ to come1 and immediately before ,his appearance they had been strikingly awakened to prepare for ,his coming4 ,but what was their actual state when ,christ came8 ,again and again it has been pointed out that their whole thoughts were given to the schemes which usually distract conquered nations4 ,they were tossing in unhelpful and inefficacious sedition1 resenting or paying hollow homage to the rule of the foreigner1 looking uneasily for deliverance1 and becoming the dupes of every fanatic or schemer that cried1 ,lo here6 or ,lo there6 ,their power of discerning a present ,god and a spiritual ,deliverer was almost as completely gone as that of the heathen1 and they tested the ,divine ,saviour by external methods which any clever charlatan could have satisfied4 ,the ,god they believed in and sought was not the ,god revealed by ,christ4 ,they existed for ,christ's sake1 that among them ,he might find a home on earth1 and through them be made known to all2 they believed in a ,christ that was to come1 but when ,he came the throne they raised ,him to was the cross4 ,and the suspicion that perhaps they were wrong has preyed on the ,jewish mind ever since1 and has often pricked them on to a fierce hatred of the ,christian name1 while sometimes it has taken almost the form of penitence1 as in the prayer of ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra1-- ,thou6 if ,thou wast ,he1 who at mid-watch came1 ,by the starlight1 naming a dubious name6 ,and if1 too heavy with sleep--too rash ,with fear--,o ,thou1 if that martyr-gash ,fell on ,thee coming to take ,thine own1 ,and we gave the ,cross1 when we owed the ,throne1-- ,thou art the ,judge4 ,it is the detailed history of this rejection which ,john presents in his ,gospel4 ,he tells the story of ,christ's miracles1 and the jealousy they excited2 of ,his authoritative teaching and the opposition it aroused2 of ,his unveiling ,his ,divine nature1 ,his mercy1 ,his power to give life1 ,his prerogative of judgment1 ,his humble self-sacrifice1 and of the misunderstanding which ran parallel to this manifestation4 ,he tells how the leaders strove to entangle ,him and find ,him at fault2 how they took up stones to stone ,him2 how they schemed and plotted1 and at length compassed ,his crucifixion4 ,the patience with which ,he met this contradiction of sinners was a sufficient revelation of ,his ,divine nature4 ,though rudely received1 though met on all hands with suspicion1 coldness1 and hostility1 ,he did not abandon the world in indignation4 ,he never forgot that ,he came1 not to judge the world1 not to deal with us on our merits1 but to save the world from its sin and its blindness4 ,for the sake of the few who received ,him ,he bore with the many who rejected ,him4 ,for some did receive ,him4 ,john could say for many1 along with himself1 ,we beheld ,his glory1 and recognised that it was ,divine glory1 such as none but an ,only-begotten in the image of ,his ,father could manifest4 ,this glory dawned upon believing men1 and gradually encompassed them in the brightness and beauty of a ,divine revelation1 by the appearance among them of the ,incarnate ,word1 full of grace and truth 7ver4 #ad74 ,not the works of wonder which ,he did1 not the authority with which ,he laid the angry waves and commanded the powers of evil1 but the grace and truth which underlay all ,his works1 shone into their hearts as ,divine glory4 ,they had previously known ,god through the law given by ,moses 7ver4 #ag72 but coming as it did through law1 this knowledge was coloured by its medium1 and through it ,god's countenance seemed stern4 ,in the face of ,jesus ,christ they saw the ,father1 they saw grace1 an eye of tender compassion and lips of love and helpfulness4 ,in the law they felt that they were seeing through a dimmed glass darkly2 they became weary of symbols and of forms in which often they saw but flitting shadows4 ,what must it have been for such men to live with the manifested ,god2 to have ,him dwelling among them1 and in ,him to handle and see 7#a ,john i4 #a7 the truth1 the reality to which all symbol had pointed8 ,the law was given by ,moses2 grace and truth came by ,jesus ,christ4#f ,and to those who acknowledge in their hearts that this is ,divine glory which is seen in ,christ1 the glory of the ,only-begotten of the ,father1 ,he gives ,himself with all ,his fulness4 ,as many as received ,him1 to them gave ,he the right to become children of ,god4 ,this is the immediate result of the acceptance of ,christ as the ,revealer of the ,father4 ,in ,him we see what true glory is and what true sonship is2 and as we behold the glory of the ,only-begotten1 sent to declare the ,father to us1 we acknowledge the unseen ,father1 and ,his ,spirit brings us into the relationship of children4 ,that which is in ,god passes into us1 and we share in the life of ,god2 and this through ,christ4 ,he is full of grace and truth4 ,in all ,he is and does1 grace and truth overflowingly manifest themselves4 ,and of ,his fulness have all we received1 and grace upon grace4#g ,john read this off his own experience and that of those for whom he could confidently speak4 ,what they had seen and valued in ,christ became their own character4 ,the inexhaustible fulness of grace in ,christ renewed in them grace according to their need4 ,they lived upon ,him4 ,it was ,his life which maintained life in them4 ,by communion with ,him they were formed in ,his likeness4 ,the presentation of ,christ to men now divides them into two classes1 as at the first4 ,there are always those who accept and those who reject ,him4 ,his contemporaries showed1 for the most part1 a complete ignorance of what might be expected of ,god1 a native inability to understand spiritual greatness1 and to relish it when presented to them4 ,and yet ,christ's claims were made with such an air of authority and truth1 and ,his whole character and bearing were so consistent1 that they were half persuaded ,he was all ,he said4 ,it is chiefly because we have not a perfect sympathy with goodness1 and do not know its value1 that we do not at once and universally acknowledge ,christ4 ,there is in men an instinct that tells them what blessings ,christ will secure to them1 and they decline connection with ,him because they are conscious that their ways are not ,his ways1 nor their hopes ,his hopes4 ,the very presentation to men of the possibility of becoming perfectly pure reveals what at heart they are4 ,by the judgment each man passes on ,christ he passes judgment on himself4 ,let us stir ourselves to a clearer decision by remembering that ,he is presented to us as to ,his contemporaries4 ,time was when any one going into the synagogue of ,nazareth would have seen ,him1 and might have spoken with ,him4 ,but the particular thirty years during which this manifestation of ,god on earth lasted makes no material difference to the thing itself4 ,the ,incarnation was to be some time1 and it is as real having occurred then as if it were occurring now4 ,it occurred in its fit time2 but its bearing on us is not dependent on the time of its occurrence4 ,if it had been accomplished in our day1 what should we have thought of it8 ,would it have been nothing to us to see ,god1 to hear ,him1 perhaps to have had ,his eye turned upon us with personal observation1 with pity1 with remonstrance8 ,would it have been nothing to us to see ,him taking the sinners place1 scourged1 mocked1 crucified8 ,is it conceivable that in presence of such a manifestation of ,god we should have been indifferent8 ,would not our whole nature have burned with shame that we and our fellow-men should have brought our ,god to this8 ,and are we to suffer the mere fact of ,christ's being incarnate in a past age and not in our own1 to alter our attitude towards ,him1 and blind us to the reality8 ,of more importance than anything that is now happening in our own life is this ,incarnation of the ,only-begotten of the ,father4 ,,footnotes3 #c ,see ,isaac ,taylor's ,restoration of ,belief4 #d ,see ,pliny's ,letters to ,trajan1 #bc1 #ih4 #e ,cp4 ,faber's ,bethlehem4 #f ,the first introduction in the ,gospel of the name of ,jesus ,christ4 #g ,this expression means a succession of graces1 higher grace ever taking the place of lower4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,baptist',s ,,testimony4 ,there came a man1 sent from ,god1 whose name was ,john4 ,the same came for witness1 that he might bear witness of the light1 that all might believe through him4 ,he was not the light1 but came that he might bear witness of the light4444 ,john beareth witness of ,him1 and crieth1 saying1 ,this was ,he of whom ,i said1 ,he that cometh after me is preferred before me3 for ,he was before me4 ,for of ,his fulness we all received1 and grace for grace4 ,for the law was given by ,moses2 grace and truth came by ,jesus ,christ4 ,no man hath seen ,god at any time2 the only begotten ,son1 which is in the bosom of the ,father1 ,he hath declared ,him4 ,and this is the witness of ,john1 when the ,jews sent unto him from ,jerusalem priests and ,levites to ask him1 ,who art thou8 ,and he confessed1 and denied not2 and he confessed1 ,i am not the ,christ4 ,and they asked him1 ,what then8 ,art thou ,elijah8 ,and he saith1 ,i am not4 ,art thou the prophet8 ,and he answered1 ,no4 ,they said therefore unto him1 ,who art thou8 that we may give an answer to them that sent us4 ,what sayest thou of thyself8 ,he said1 ,i am the voice of one crying in the wilderness1 ,make straight the way of the ,lord1 as said ,isaiah the prophet4 ,and they had been sent from the ,pharisees4 ,and they asked him1 and said unto him1 ,why then baptizest thou1 if thou art not the ,christ1 neither ,elijah1 neither the prophet8 ,john answered them1 saying1 ,i baptize with water3 in the midst of you standeth ,one whom ye know not1 even ,he that cometh after me1 the latchet of whose shoe ,i am not worthy to unloose4 ,these things were done in ,bethany beyond ,jordan1 where ,john was baptizing4 ,on the morrow he seeth ,jesus coming unto him1 and saith1 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world6 ,this is ,he of whom ,i said1 ,after me cometh a ,man which is preferred before me3 for ,he was before me4 ,and ,i knew ,him not2 but that ,he should be made manifest to ,israel1 for this cause came ,i baptizing with water4 ,and ,john bare witness1 saying1 ,i have beheld the ,spirit descending as a dove out of heaven2 and it abode upon ,him4 ,and ,i knew ,him not3 but ,he that sent me to baptize with water1 ,he said unto me1 ,upon whomsoever thou shalt see the ,spirit descending1 and abiding upon ,him1 the same is ,he that baptizeth with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and ,i have seen1 and have borne witness that this is the ,son of ,god4--,,john i4 #f-h1 #ae-cd4 ,in proceeding to show how the ,incarnate ,word manifested ,himself among men1 and how this manifestation was received1 ,john naturally speaks first of all of the ,baptist4 ,there came a man1 sent from ,god1 whose name was ,john4 ,the same came for witness 444 that all might believe through him4 ,the ,evangelist himself had been one of the ,baptist's disciples1 and had been led to ,christ by his testimony4 ,and to many besides1 the ,baptist was the true forerunner of the ,messiah4 ,he was the first to recognise and proclaim the present ,king4 ,john had come under the ,baptist's influence at the most impressible time of his life1 while his character was being formed and his ideas of religion taking shape2 and his teacher's testimony to the dignity of ,jesus had left an indelible print upon his spirit4 ,while his memory retained anything it could not let slip what his first teacher had said of ,him who became his ,teacher and his ,lord4 ,while1 therefore1 the other ,evangelists give us striking pictures of the ,baptist's appearance1 habits1 and style of preaching1 and show us the connection of his work with that of ,jesus1 ,john glances very slightly at these matters1 but dwells with emphasis and iteration on the testimony which the ,baptist bore to the ,messiahship of ,jesus4 ,to us1 at this time of day1 it may seem of little importance what the ,baptist thought or said of ,jesus4 ,we may sympathise rather with the words of the ,lord ,himself1 who1 in allusion to this witness1 said1 ,i receive not testimony from man4 ,but it is plain that1 at any rate from a ,jewish point of view1 the witness of ,john was most important4 ,the people universally accepted ,john as a prophet1 and they could scarcely think him mistaken in the chief article of his mission4 ,in point of fact1 many of the most faithful adherents of ,jesus became such through the influence of ,john2 and those who declined to accept ,jesus were always staggered by ,john's explicit indication of ,him as the ,christ4 ,the ,jews had not only the predictions of prophets long since dead1 and descriptions of the ,christ which they could perversely misconstrue2 they had not merely pictures of their ,messiah by which they might identify ,jesus as the ,christ1 but of which it was also quite possible for them to deny the likeness2 but they had a living contemporary1 whom they themselves acknowledged to be a prophet1 pointing out to them another living contemporary as the ,christ4 ,that even such a testimony was to a large extent disregarded shows how much more the inclination to believe has to do with our faith than any external proofs4 ,but even to us the testimony of a man like ,john is not without importance4 ,he was1 as our ,lord bore witness1 a burning and a shining light4 ,he was one of those men who give new thoughts to their generation1 and help men to see clearly what otherwise they might only dimly have seen4 ,he was in a position to know ,jesus well4 ,he was ,his cousin2 he had known ,him from ,his childhood4 ,he was also in a position to know what was involved in being the ,messiah4 ,by the very circumstance that he himself had been mistaken for the ,messiah1 he was driven to define to his own mind the distinctive and characteristic marks of the ,messiah4 ,nothing could so have led him to apprehend the difference between himself and ,jesus4 ,more and more clearly must he have seen that he was not that light1 but was sent to bear witness of that light4 ,thus he was prepared to receive with understanding the sign 7ver4 #cc7 which gave him something more than his own personal surmises to go upon in declaring ,jesus to the world as the ,messiah4 ,if there is any man's testimony we may accept about our ,lord it is that of the ,baptist1 who1 from his close contact with the most profligate and with the most spiritual of the people1 saw what they needed1 and saw in ,jesus power to give it2 the business of whose life it was to make ,him out1 and to arrive at certain information regarding ,him2 a man whose own elevation and force of character made many fancy he was the ,messiah1 but who hastened to disabuse their minds of such an idea1 because his very elevation gave him capacity to see how infinitely above him the true ,christ was4 ,seen from the low ground the star may seem close to the top of the mountain2 seen from the mountain-top it is recognised as infinitely above it4 ,john was on the mountain-top4 ,of ,john's person and work nothing need here be said save what serves to throw light on his witness to ,christ4 ,going from the comfortable home and well-provided life and fair prospects of a priest's family1 he went to the houseless wilderness1 and adopted the meagre1 comfortless life of an ascetic2 not from any necessity1 but because he felt that to entangle himself with the affairs of the world would be to blind him to its vices1 and to silence his remonstrance1 if not to implicate him in its guilt4 ,like thousands besides in all ages of the world's history1 he felt compelled to seek solitude1 to subdue the flesh1 to meditate undisturbed on things ,divine1 and discover for himself and for others some better way than religious routine and the good wine of ,mosaic morality turned to the vinegar of ,pharisaism4 ,like the ,nazarites of the earlier times of his country1 like the old prophets1 with whose indignation and deep regret at the national vices he was in perfect sympathy1 he left the world1 gave up all the usual prospects and ways of life1 and betook himself to a life of prayer1 and thought1 and self-discipline in the wilderness4 ,when first he went there1 he could only dimly know what lay before him2 but he gathered a few friends of like disposition around him1 and1 as we learn1 taught them to pray4 ,he formed in the wilderness a new ,israel1 a little company of praying souls1 who spent their time in considering the needs of their fellow-countrymen1 and in interceding with ,god for them1 and who were content to let the pleasures and excitements of the world pass by while they longed for and prepared themselves to meet the great ,deliverer4 ,this adoption of the role of the ancient prophets1 this resuscitation of their long-forgotten function of mourning before ,god for the people's sin1 and addressing the nation authoritatively as ,god's voice1 was outwardly shown by his assumption of the prophet's dress4 ,the rough skin for a cloak2 the long1 uncared-for hair2 the wiry1 weather-beaten frame2 the lofty1 calm1 penetrating eye1 were all eloquent as his lips4 ,his whole appearance and habits certified his claim to be the voice of one crying in the wilderness1 and gave him authority with the people4 ,slightly altering what has been said of a great modern1 we may much more truly say of the ,baptist1-- ,he took the suffering human race1 ,he read each wound1 each weakness clear3 ,he struck his finger on the place1 ,and said1 ',thou ailest here1 and here4' ,he looked on 7,isr'el's7 dying hour ,of fitful dreams and feverish power1 ,and said1 ',the end is everywhere1 7,christ7 still has truth1 take refuge there4' ,he was listened to4 ,it is so always1 in our own day as in others2 the men who are unworldly and have the good of their country or of any class of men at heart1 the men who are saintly and of few desires1 these are listened to as the commissioned messengers of heaven4 ,it is to these men we look as the salt of the earth1 who preserve us still from the corrupting1 disintegrating influence of doubt4 ,to these men1 no matter how different they be from us in creed1 we are forced to listen1 because the ,holy ,spirit1 wherever ,he is1 is the ,spirit of ,god2 and all men instinctively acknowledge that those who are themselves in the kingdom of ,god have authority to summon others into it1 and that those who are themselves unworldly have alone a right to dictate to worldly men4 ,there is no power on earth like the power of a holy1 consecrated life1 because he who is leading such a life is already above the world1 and belongs to a higher kingdom4 ,there is hope for our country1 or for any country1 when its young men have something of ,john's spirit2 when they school the body until it becomes the ready instrument of a high and spiritual intention1 fearless of hardship2 when by sympathy with ,god's purposes they apprehend what is most needed by men1 and are able to detect the weaknesses and vices of society1 and to bear the burden of their time4 ,but the ,baptist's equipment for the most responsible office of proclaiming the ,messiahship of ,jesus was not completed by his own saintliness of character and keen perception of the people's needs1 and knowledge of ,jesus1 and incorruptible truthfulness4 ,there was given to him a sign from heaven1 that he might be strengthened to bear this responsibility1 and that the ,messiah might never seem to be only of the ,baptist's appointing and not of ,god's4 ,some degree of disappointment may be felt that external signs should have intruded on so profoundly spiritual and real an occasion as the baptism of ,christ4 ,some may be ready to ask1 with ,keim1 ,is it1 or was it ever1 the way of ,god1 in the course of ,his spiritual world1 above all upon the threshold of spiritual decisions affecting the fate of the world1 and in contradiction to the wise economy of revelation pursued by ,his supreme ambassador ,himself1 to take away from seeking and finding souls the labour of deciding their own destiny8 ,but this is to suppose that the signs at the baptism of ,jesus were mainly for ,his encouragement1 whereas ,john describes them as being given for the certification of the ,baptist4 ,i knew ,him not--that is1 ,i did not know ,he was the ,messiah--but ,he that sent me to baptize with water1 ,he said unto me1 ,upon whomsoever thou shalt see the ,spirit descending1 and abiding upon ,him1 the same is ,he that baptizeth with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and ,i have seen1 and have borne witness that this is the ,son of ,god4 ,the baptism of ,jesus was1 in fact1 ,his anointing as the ,messiah2 and this anointing by which ,he became the ,christ was an anointing1 not with a symbolic oil1 but with the ,divine ,spirit 7,acts x4 #ch74 ,this ,spirit descended upon ,him in a bodily shape 7,luke iii4 #bb71 because it was not one member or faculty or power which was communicated to ,jesus1 but a whole body or complete equipment of all needful ,divine energies for ,his work4 ,god giveth not the ,spirit by measure unto ,him2 there is no gauge1 no metre checking the supply4 ,now for the first time can the whole ,spirit be given1 because now for the first time in ,jesus is there room to receive it4 ,and that the ,baptist may confidently proclaim ,him as ,king the sign is given1--not the outward sign alone1 but the outward sign accompanying and tallying with the inward sign2 for it was not said to the ,baptist1 ,upon whomsoever thou shalt see a dove descend1 but1 upon whomsoever thou shalt see the ,spirit descend4 ,this anointing of ,jesus to the ,messiahship occurred at the moment of ,his truest identification of ,himself with the people4 ,john shrank from baptizing ,one whom he knew to be already pure1 and to have no sins to confess4 ,but ,jesus insisted1 identifying ,himself with a polluted people1 numbered with transgressors4 ,it was thus ,he became true ,king and ,head of mankind1 by identifying ,himself with us1 and taking upon ,him1 through ,his universal sympathy1 all our burdens1 feeling more shame than the sinner's self for his sin1 pained with the suffering in all their pain4 ,it was the ,divine ,spirit of universal love1 attracting ,him to all sorrow and suffering1 which identified ,him in the mind of ,his first confessor as the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,this to the ,baptist was the glory of the ,only-begotten1 this sympathy which felt with all1 and shrank from no sorrow or burden4 ,thus equipped1 the ,baptist gives his testimony with confidence4 ,this testimony is manifold1 and uttered on several occasions1--to the ,sanhedrim's deputation1 to the people1 and to his own disciples4 ,it is negative as well as positive4 ,he repudiates the suggestions of the deputation from ,jerusalem that he himself is the ,christ1 or that he is in their sense ,elijah4 ,but the most remarkable repudiation of honours which could be rendered to ,christ alone is found recorded in chap4 iii4 #bb-cj1 when the growing popularity of ,jesus excited the jealousy of those who still adhered to the ,baptist4 ,their complaint was the occasion of calling up clearly in the ,baptist's own consciousness the relation in which he stood to ,jesus1 and of prompting the most emphatic enouncement of the unrivalled dignity of our ,lord4 ,he says to his jealous disciples1 ,if ,i do not gather a crowd of followers while ,jesus does1 this is because ,god has appointed to me one place1 to ,him another4 ,beyond ,god's design no man's destiny and success can extend4 ,what is designed for me ,i shall receive2 beyond that ,i desire to receive and ,i can receive nothing4 ,least of all would ,i covet to be called the ,christ4 ,you know not what you say in even remotely hinting that such a man as ,i could be the ,christ4 ,it is no mere unworldliness or purity which can raise a man to this dignity4 ,he is from above2 not to be named with prophets1 but the ,son of ,god1 who belongs to the heavenly world of which ,he speaks4 ,to make the difference between himself and ,christ clear1 the ,baptist hits upon the happy figure of the ,bridegroom and the ,bridegroom's friend4 ,he that has and keeps the ,bride is the ,bridegroom4 ,he to whom the world is drawn1 and on whom all needy souls lean1 is the ,bridegroom1 and to ,him alone belongs this special joy of satisfying all human needs4 ,i am not the ,bridegroom1 because men cannot find in me satisfaction and rest4 ,i cannot be to them the source of spiritual life4 ,moreover1 by instigating me to assume the ,bridegroom's place you would rob me of my peculiar joy1 the joy of the ,bridegroom's friend4 ,the function of the bridegroom's friend1 or paranymph1 was to ask the hand of the bride for the bridegroom1 and to arrange the marriage4 ,this function the ,baptist claims as his4 ,my joy1 he says1 is to have negotiated this matter1 to have encouraged the ,bride to trust her ,lord4 ,it is my joy to hear the glad and loving words that pass between ,bridegroom and ,bride4 ,do not suppose ,i look with sadness on the defection of my followers1 and on their preference for ,christ4 ,these crowds you complain of are evidence that ,i have not discharged the function of paranymph in vain4 ,to see my work successful1 to see ,bride and ,bridegroom at length resting in one another with undisturbed1 self-forgetting confidence1 this is my joy4 ,while the ,bridegroom cheers the ,bride with ,his voice1 and opens to her prospects which only ,his love can realize1 shall ,i obtrude myself and claim consideration8 ,is it not enough for one life to have had the joy of identifying the actually present ,christ1 and of introducing the ,bride to her ,lord8 ,has not that life its ample reward which has been instrumental in achieving the actual union of ,god and man8 ,probably1 then1 the ,baptist himself would think we waste too much emotion over his self-sacrifice and magnanimity4 ,after all1 it not being possible to him to be the ,messiah1 it was no small glory and joy to be the friend1 the next1 to the ,messiah4 ,the tragic character of the ,baptist's death1 the despondent doubt which for a time shook his spirit during his imprisonment1 the severe life he had previously led1 all tend to make us oblivious of the fact that his life was crowned with a deep and solid joy4 ,even the poet who has most worthily depicted him still speaks of ,john1 than which man a sadder or a greater ,not till this day has been of woman born4 ,but the ,baptist was a big enough man to enjoy an unselfish happiness4 ,he loved men so well that he rejoiced when he saw them forsake him to follow ,christ4 ,he loved ,christ so well that to see ,him honoured was the crown of his life4 ,besides this negative repudiation of honours that belonged to ,jesus1 the ,baptist emits a positive and fivefold testimony in ,his favour1 7#a7 to ,his dignity 7vv4 #ae1 #bg1 #cj71 ,he that cometh after me is preferred before me2 7#b7 to ,his pre-existence 7vv4 #ae1 #cj71 which is adduced as the reason of the foregoing1 for ,he was before me2 7#c7 to ,his spiritual fulness and power 7ver4 #cc71 ,he baptizeth with the ,holy ,ghost2 7#d7 to the efficacy of ,his mediation 7ver4 #bi71 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world2 7#e7 to ,his unique personality 7ver4 #cd71 this is the ,son of ,god4 #a4 ,three times over the ,baptist declared the superiority of ,jesus2 a superiority so immense that language failed him in trying to represent it4 ,the ,rabbis said1 ,every office which a servant will do for his master a scholar should perform for his teacher1 except loosing his sandal-thong4 ,but this exceptionally menial office the ,baptist declares he was not worthy to perform for ,jesus4 ,none so well as the ,baptist himself knew his limitations4 ,he had evoked in the people cravings he could not satisfy4 ,there had gathered to him a conscience-stricken people1 longing for renewal and righteousness1 and demanding what he had no power to give4 ,therefore1 not merely his explicit enouncements from time to time1 but his entire ministry1 pointing to a new order of things which he himself could not inaugurate1 declared the incomparable greatness of ,him that was to come after him4 #b4 ,this superiority of ,christ was based on ,his pre-existence4 ,he was before me4 ,it may appear unaccountable that the ,baptist1 standing on ,old ,testament ground1 should have reached the conclusion that ,jesus was ,divine4 ,but it is at any rate evident that the ,evangelist believed the ,baptist had done so1 for he adduces the ,baptist's testimony in support of his own affirmation of the ,divine glory of the ,incarnate ,word 7ver4 #ae74 ,after the wonderful scene at the ,baptism1 ,john must have talked closely with ,jesus regarding both ,his work and ,his consciousness2 and even if the passage at the close of the third chapter is coloured by the ,evangelist's style1 and even by his thought1 we must suppose that the ,baptist had somehow arrived at the belief that ,jesus was from above1 and made known upon earth the things which ,he1 in a pre-existent state1 had heard and seen4 #c4 ,the ,baptist pointed to ,jesus as the source of spiritual life4 ,he baptizeth with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,here the ,baptist steps on to ground on which his assertions can be tested4 ,he declares that ,jesus can communicate the ,holy ,ghost--the fundamental article of the ,christian ,creed1 which carries with it all else4 ,no one knew better than the ,baptist where human help failed2 no one knew better than he what could be effected by rites and rules1 by strength of will and asceticism and human endeavour2 and no one knew better at what point all these become useless4 ,more and more they seemed to him but a cleansing with water1 a washing of the outside4 ,more and more did he understand that1 not from without1 but from within1 true cleansing must proceed1 and that all else1 save a new creation by the ,spirit of ,god1 was inefficacious4 ,only ,spirit can act upon spirit2 and for true renewal we need the action upon us of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,without this no new and eternal kingdom of ,god can be founded4 #d4 ,the ,baptist pointed to ,jesus as the ,lamb of ,god1 that taketh away the sin of the world4 ,that by this title he meant only to designate ,jesus as a person full of gentleness and innocence is out of the question4 ,the second clause forbids this4 ,he is the ,lamb that takes away sin4 ,and there is only one way in which a lamb can take away sin1 and that is1 by sacrifice4 ,the expression no doubt suggests the picture in the fifty-third of ,isaiah of the servant of ,jehovah meekly enduring wrong4 ,but unless the ,baptist had been previously speaking of this chapter1 the thoughts of his disciples would not at once turn to it1 because in that passage it is not a lamb of sacrifice that is spoken of1 but a lamb meekly enduring4 ,in the ,baptist's words sacrifice is the primary idea1 and it is needless to discuss whether he was thinking of the paschal lamb or the lamb of morning and evening sacrifice1 because he merely used the lamb as the representative of sacrifice generally4 ,here1 he says1 is the reality to which all sacrifice has pointed1 the ,lamb of ,god4 #e4 ,the ,baptist proclaims ,jesus as the ,son of ,god4 ,that he should do so need not greatly surprise us1 as we read in the other ,gospels that ,jesus had been thus designated by a voice from heaven at ,his baptism4 ,very early in ,his ministry1 not only ,his disciples1 but also the demoniacs ascribe to ,him the same dignity4 ,in one sense or other ,he was designated ,son of ,god4 ,no doubt we must bear in mind that this was in a rigidly monotheistic community1 and in a community in which the same title had been freely applied to ,israel and to ,israel's king to designate a certain alliance and close relation subsisting between the human and the ,divine1 but of course not suggesting metaphysical unity4 ,but considering the high functions which clustered round the ,messianic dignity1 it is not unlikely that the ,messiah's forerunner may have supposed that a fuller meaning than had yet been recognised might be latent in this title4 ,certainly we are safe in affirming that by applying this title to our ,lord1 the ,baptist intended to indicate ,his unique personality1 and to declare that ,he was the ,messiah1 ,god's ,viceroy on earth4 ,whether we can add to this testimony the thoughts contained in the closing paragraph of the third chapter may be doubted4 ,the thought of the passage moves within the circle of ideas familiar to the ,baptist2 and that the style is the style of the ,evangelist does not prevent us from receiving the ideas as the ,baptist's4 ,but there are expressions which it is difficult to suppose that the ,baptist could have used4 ,the preceding conversation was occasioned by the growing popularity of ,jesus2 was this1 then1 an occasion on which it could be said1 ,no one receives ,his testimony8 ,is this not more appropriate to the ,evangelist than to the ,baptist8 ,it would seem1 then1 that in this paragraph the ,evangelist is expanding the ,baptist's testimony1 in order to indicate its application to the eternal relations subsisting between ,jesus and men generally4 ,the contents of the paragraph are a most emphatic testimony to the pre-existence and heavenly origin of ,christ4 ,in contrast to persons of earthly origin1 ,he is from heaven4 ,he cometh from above1 as if ,his entrance into this world were a conscious transition1 a voluntary coming from another world4 ,his origin determines also ,his moral relationships and ,his teaching4 ,he is above all1 in dignity1 in authority1 in spirit2 and ,he speaks what ,he has seen and heard4 ,but in the thirty-fourth verse a new idea is presented4 ,there it is said that ,he speaks the words of ,god1 not directly1 because ,he is from above1 and speaks what ,he has seen and heard1 but because ,god giveth not the ,spirit by measure unto ,him4 ,what are we to understand by this double ,divine inhabitation of the humanity of ,jesus8 ,and what are we to understand by the ,spirit being given without measure to the ,incarnate ,word8 ,in the ,old ,testament two ideas present themselves regarding the ,spirit which illustrate this statement4 ,the one is that which conveys the impression that only a limited amount of spiritual influence was communicated to prophetic men1 and that from them it could be conveyed to others4 ,in ,numb4 xi4 #ag the ,lord is represented as saying to ,moses1 ,i will take of the ,spirit which is upon thee1 and will put it upon them2 and in #b ,kings ii4 #i ,elisha is represented as praying that the eldest born's portion1 the two-thirds of ,elijah's spirit1 might be bequeathed to him4 ,the idea is a true and instructive one4 ,the ,spirit does1 in point of fact1 pass from man to man4 ,it is as if in one receptive person the ,divine ,spirit found entrance through which ,he might pass to others4 ,but another idea is also frequent in the ,old ,testament4 ,the ,spirit is spoken of rather as conferring a gift here and a power there than as dwelling wholly and permanently in men4 ,one prophet had a dream1 another a vision1 a third legislated1 a fourth wrote a psalm1 a fifth founded an institution1 a sixth in the power of the ,spirit smote the ,philistines1 or1 like ,samson1 tore a lion in pieces4 ,in ,christ all powers are combined--power over nature1 power to teach1 power to reveal1 power to legislate4 ,and as in the ,old ,testament the ,spirit passed from man to man1 so in the ,new ,testament ,christ first ,himself receives and then communicates to all the whole ,spirit4 ,hence the law noticed at a subsequent stage of this ,gospel that the ,spirit was not yet given2 because ,jesus was not yet glorified 7vii4 #ci74 ,we cannot see to the bottom of the law1 but the fact is apparent1 that until ,christ received into every part of ,his own humanity the fulness of the ,divine ,spirit1 that ,spirit could not fill with ,his fulness any man4 ,but why was the ,spirit needed in a personality of which the ,word1 who had been with ,god and known ,god1 was the basis8 ,because the humanity of ,christ was a true humanity4 ,being human1 ,he must be indebted to the ,spirit for all impartation to ,his human nature of what is ,divine4 ,the knowledge of ,god which the ,word possesses by experience must be humanly apprehended before it can be communicated to men2 and this human apprehension can only be arrived at in the case of ,christ by the enlightenment of the ,spirit4 ,it was useless for ,christ to declare what could not be apprehended by human faculty1 and ,his own human faculty was the measure and test of intelligibility4 ,by the ,spirit ,he was enlightened to speak of things ,divine2 and this ,spirit1 interposed1 as it were1 between the ,word and the human nature of ,jesus1 was as little cumbrous in its operation or perceptible in consciousness as our breath interposed between the thinking mind and the words we speak to declare our mind4 ,to return to the direct testimony of the ,baptist1 we must 7#a7 acknowledge its value4 ,it is the testimony of a contemporary1 of whom we know from other sources that he was generally reckoned a prophet--a man of unblemished and inviolable integrity1 of rugged independence1 of the keenest spiritual discernment4 ,there was no man of larger size or more heroic mould in his day4 ,in any generation he would have been conspicuous by his spiritual stature1 his fearless unworldliness1 his superiority to the common weaknesses of men2 and yet this man himself looks up to ,jesus as standing on quite a different platform from his own1 as a ,being of another order4 ,he can find no expressions strong enough to mark the difference3 ,i am not worthy to loose ,his shoe latchet2 ,he that is of the earth 7that is1 himself7 is earthly1 and speaketh of the earth3 ,he that cometh from heaven is above all4 ,he would not have used such expressions of ,isaiah1 of ,elijah1 of ,moses4 ,he knew his own dignity1 and would not have set so marked a difference between himself and any other prophet4 ,but his own very greatness was precisely what revealed to him the absolute superiority of ,christ4 ,these crowds that gathered round him--what could he do for them more than refer them to ,christ8 ,could he propose to himself to found among them a kingdom of ,god8 ,could he ask them to acknowledge him and trust in him for spiritual life8 ,could he promise them ,his ,spirit8 ,could he even link to himself all kinds of men1 of all nationalities8 ,could he be the light of men1 giving to all a satisfying knowledge of ,god and of their relation to ,him8 ,no2 he was not that light1 he could but bear witness of that light4 ,and this he did1 by pointing men to ,jesus1 not as a brother prophet1 not as another great man1 but as the ,son of ,god1 as ,one who had come down from heaven4 ,it is1 ,i say1 impossible that we can make nothing of such a testimony4 ,here was one who knew1 if any man ever did1 spotless holiness when he saw it2 who knew what human strength and courage could accomplish2 who was himself certainly among the six greatest men the world has seen2 and this man1 standing thus on the highest altitudes human nature can reach1 looks up to ,christ1 and does not only admit ,his superiority1 but shrinks1 as from something blasphemous1 from all comparison with ,him4 ,what is the flaw in his testimony1 or why are we not accepting ,christ as our light1 as able to take away our sins1 as willing to baptize us with the ,holy ,ghost8 ,but 7#b7 even such testimony as ,john's is not sufficient of itself to carry conviction to the reluctant4 ,none knew better than ,john's contemporaries that he was a true man1 not liable to make mistakes in a matter of this kind4 ,and his testimony to ,christ did stagger them1 and often held them in check1 and no doubt threw a kind of undefined awe over the person of ,christ2 but1 after all1 not many believed on account of ,john's testimony1 and those who did were not influenced solely by his testimony1 but by his work as well4 ,they had become concerned about sin1 sensitive to defilement and failure1 and were thus prepared to appreciate the offers of ,christ4 ,the two voices chimed1 ,john's voice saying1 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god6 the voice of their own conscience crying for the taking away of sin4 ,it is so still4 ,the sense of sin1 the feeling of spiritual weakness and need1 the craving for ,god1 direct the eye1 and enable us to see in ,christ what we do not otherwise see4 ,we are not likely to know ,christ until we know ourselves4 ,what is the man's judgment regarding ,christ worth who is not conscious of his own littleness and humbled by his own guilt8 ,let a man first go to school with the ,baptist1 let him catch something of his unworldliness and earnestness1 let him become alive to his own shortcomings by at last beginning to strive after the highest things in life1 and by seeking to live1 not for pleasure1 but for ,god1 and his views of ,christ and his relation to ,him will become satisfactory and true4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,first ,,disciples4 ,again on the morrow ,john was standing1 and two of his disciples2 and he looked upon ,jesus as ,he walked1 and saith1 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god6 ,and the two disciples heard him speak1 and they followed ,jesus4 ,and ,jesus turned1 and beheld them following1 and saith unto them1 ,what seek ye8 ,and they said unto ,him1 ,rabbi 7which is to say1 being interpreted1 ,master71 where abidest ,thou8 ,he saith unto them1 ,come1 and ye shall see4 ,they came therefore and saw where ,he abode2 and they abode with ,him that day3 it was about the tenth hour4 ,one of the two that heard ,john speak1 and followed ,him1 was ,andrew1 ,simon ,peter's brother4 ,he findeth first his own brother ,simon1 and saith unto him1 ,we have found the ,messiah 7which is1 being interpreted1 ,christ74 ,he brought him unto ,jesus4 ,jesus looked upon him1 and said1 ,thou art ,simon the son of ,john3 thou shalt be called ,cephas 7which is by interpretation1 ,peter74 ,on the morrow he was minded to go forth into ,galilee1 and he findeth ,philip3 and ,jesus saith unto him1 ,follow ,me4 ,now ,philip was from ,bethsaida1 of the city of ,andrew and ,peter4 ,philip findeth ,nathanael1 and saith unto him1 ,we have found ,him1 of whom ,moses in the law1 and the prophets1 did write1 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the son of ,joseph4 ,and ,nathanael said unto him1 ,can any good thing come out of ,nazareth8 ,philip saith unto him1 ,come and see4 ,jesus saw ,nathanael coming to ,him1 and saith of him1 ,behold1 an ,israelite indeed1 in whom is no guile6 ,nathanael saith unto ,him1 ,whence knowest thou me8 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,before ,philip called thee1 when thou wast under the fig tree1 ,i saw thee4 ,nathanael answered him1 ,rabbi1 ,thou art the ,son of ,god2 ,thou art ,king of ,israel4 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,because ,i said unto thee1 ,i saw thee underneath the fig tree1 believest thou8 thou shalt see greater things than these4 ,and ,he saith unto him1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,ye shall see the heaven opened1 and the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the ,son of man4--,,john i4 #ce-ea4 ,in the prosecution of his purpose to tell how the ,incarnate ,word manifested ,his glory to men1 ,john proceeds to give one or two instances of the eagerness with which prepared souls welcomed ,him1 and of the instinctive perception with which true and open minds confessed ,him ,son of ,god and ,king of ,israel4 ,this paragraph is the continuation of that which begins at ver4 #ai with the general title1 ,this is the witness of ,john4 ,we are now introduced to some of the results of ,john's witness1 and are shown that ,christ is ,king1 not only by official proclamation1 but by the free choice of men4 ,these instances here cited are but the first among countless numbers who in every generation have felt and owned the majesty of ,christ1 and who have felt irresistibly drawn to ,him by a unique affinity4 ,in the spell which ,his personality laid upon these first disciples1 in the uninvited yet cordial and assured acknowledgments of ,his dignity which they felt drawn to make1 we see much that is significant and illustrative of the allegiance ,he evokes from age to age in humble and open-minded men4 ,in proceeding to gather to ,himself subjects who might enter into ,his purposes and loyally serve ,him1 ,jesus shows a singularly many-sided adaptability and inexhaustible originality in dealing with men4 ,each of the five disciples here introduced is individually dealt with4 ,the finding of the one was not the finding of the other4 ,for ,john and ,andrew there was the talk with ,jesus through the hours of that never-to-be-forgotten evening2 for ,simon1 the heart-searching word1 convincing him he was known and his future read off2 for ,philip1 a peremptory command2 and for ,nathanael1 a gracious courtesy disarming him of prejudice1 assuring him of a perfect sympathy in the breast of the ,lord4 ,thus there are those who seek ,christ1 those who are brought by others to ,christ1 those whom ,christ seeks for ,himself1 those who come without doubts1 and those who come with doubts4#h ,the two men who enjoyed the signal distinction of leading the way in owning the majesty and attaching themselves to the person of ,christ were ,andrew and probably ,john who wrote this ,gospel4 ,the writer1 indeed1 does not name himself1 but this is in accordance with his habit4 ,the suppression of the name is an indication that he himself was the disciple spoken of1 since had it been another he could have had no scruple in mentioning his name4 ,we know also that the families of ,zebedee and ,jonah were partners in trade1 and it was likely that the young men of the families would go in company to visit the ,baptist when the fishing was slack4 ,these two young men had already attached themselves to the ,baptist2 had not merely passed through the fashionable ceremony of baptism1 and returned home to talk about it1 but were laid hold of by ,john's teaching and character1 and had resolved to wait with him till the predicted ,deliverer should appear4 ,and at length the day came when the master whom they trusted as ,god's prophet suddenly checked them in their walk1 laid his hand breathlessly upon them1 and gazing at a passing figure1 said1 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god6 ,there in actual bodily presence was ,he for whom all ages of their people had longed2 there within sound of their voice was ,he who could take away their sin1 lift off the burden and the trouble of life1 and let them know the blessedness of living4 ,we are ever ready to think it was easy for those who saw ,christ to follow ,him4 ,could we read ,his sympathy and truthfulness in ,his face1 could we hear ,his words addressed directly to ourselves1 could we ask our own questions and have from ,him personal guidance1 we fancy faith would be easy4 ,and no doubt there is a greater benediction pronounced on those who have not seen1 and yet have believed4 ,still1 the advantage is not wholly theirs who saw the ,lord growing up among other boys1 learning ,his trade with ordinary lads1 clothed in the dress of a working man4 ,the brothers of ,jesus found it hard to believe4 ,besides1 in giving the allegiance of the ,spirit1 and forming eternal alliance1 it is well that the true affinities of our spirit be not disturbed by material and sensible appearances4 ,these two men1 however1 felt the spell1 and followed ,jesus--representatives of all those who1 scarcely knowing what they do or what they intend1 are yet drawn by a mysterious attraction to keep within sight of ,him of whom they have ever been hearing1 and whom all ages have sought1 but who now for the first time stands clear before their sight4 ,without a word to their teacher or to one another1 silent with wonder and excitement1 they eagerly follow the passing figure4 ,so does enquiry begin with many a soul4 ,he who is much spoken of by all1 but of whom few have personal knowledge1 suddenly assumes a reality they scarcely were looking for4 ,it is no longer the hearing of the ear1 but now1 whispers the soul1 mine eye seeth ,him4 ,the soul for the first time feels as if some action were demanded of it2 it can no longer just sit and listen to descriptions of ,christ1 it must arise on its own account1 and for itself seek further knowledge of this unique ,person4 ,then ,jesus turned and saw them following1--turned probably because ,he heard them following1 for ,he suffers none to follow in vain4 ,sometimes it may seem as if ,he did2 sometimes it may seem as if the best years of life were spent in following1 and all to no purpose4 ,it is not so4 ,if some have spent years in following1 and cannot yet say that ,christ has turned and made them conscious that ,he is responding to their search1 this is because in their path lie many obstacles1 all of which must be thoroughly cleared away4 ,and no man should grudge the time and the toil that is spent on honestly clearing away whatever prevents a perfect cohesion to this eternal ,friend4 ,the question put by ,jesus to the following disciples1 ,what seek ye8 was the first breath of the winnowing fan which the ,baptist had warned them the ,messiah would use4 ,it was not the gruff interrogation of one who would not have his retirement invaded1 nor his own thoughts interrupted1 but a kindly invitation to open their minds to ,him4 ,it was meant to help them to understand their own purposes1 and to ascertain what they expected in following ,jesus4 ,what seek ye8 ,have you any object deeper than mere curiosity8 ,for ,christ desires to be followed intelligently1 or not at all4 ,at all times ,he used the winnowing fan to blow away the chaff of the great crowds that followed ,him1 and leave the few immovably resolute souls4 ,so many follow because a crowd streams after ,him and carries them with it2 so many follow because it is a fashion1 and they have no opinion of their own2 so many follow experimentally1 and drop off at the first difficulty2 so many follow under misapprehension1 and with mistaken expectations4 ,some who came to ,him with great expectations left in shame and sorrow2 some who thought to make use of ,him for party ends left ,him in anger when they found themselves unmasked2 and one who thought skilfully to use ,him for the gratification of ,his own selfish worldliness1 discovered that there was no surer path to eternal ruin4 ,christ turns away none for mere slowness in apprehending what ,he is and what ,he does for sinful men4 ,but by this question ,he reminds us that the vague and mysterious attraction which1 like a hidden magnet1 draws men to ,him1 must be exchanged for a clear understanding at least of what we ourselves need and expect to receive from ,him4 ,he will turn from none who1 in response to ,his question1 can truly say1 ,we seek ,god1 we seek holiness1 we seek service with ,thee1 we seek ,thyself4 ,the answer which these men returned to the question of ,jesus was the answer of men who scarce knew their own minds1 and were suddenly confused by being thus addressed4 ,they therefore reply1 as men thus confused commonly reply1 by asking another question1 ,rabbi1 where dwellest ,thou8 ,their concern was about ,him1 and so far the answer was good2 but it implied that they were willing to leave ,him with only such information as might enable them to visit ,him at some future time1 and so far the answer was not the best4 ,still their shyness was natural1 and not without reason4 ,they had felt how the ,baptist searched their soul1 and of this new ,teacher the ,baptist himself had said he was not worthy to loose his sandal-thong4 ,to find themselves face to face with this greatest person1 the ,messiah1 was a trying experience indeed4 ,the danger at this point is hesitation4 ,many persons fail at this point from a native reluctance to commit themselves1 to feel pledged1 to accept permanent responsibilities and bind themselves with indissoluble ties4 ,they are past the stage of merely keeping ,christ in view1 but very little past it4 ,the closer dealings they have had with ,him have as yet led to nothing4 ,their fate hangs in the balance4 ,out of this condition our ,lord delivers these two men by ,his irresistible invitation1 ,come and see4 ,and well for them it was that ,he did so1 for next day ,he left that part of the country1 and the mere knowledge of ,his lodging by the ,jordan would have availed them nothing2 a warning to all who put themselves off with learning more about salvation before they accept it4 ,an eagerness in acquiring knowledge about ,christ may as effectually as any other pursuit retard us in making acquaintance with ,him4 ,it is mere trifling to be always enquiring about ,one who is ,himself with us2 the way to secure that we shall have ,him when we need ,him is to go with ,him now4 ,how can we expect our difficulties to be removed while we do not adopt the one method ,god recognises as effectual for this purpose1 fellowship with ,christ8 ,why enquire longer about the way of salvation1 and where we may find it at a future time8 ,christ offers ,his friendship now1 ,come with ,me1 now1 ,he says1 and for yourself enter ,my dwelling as a welcome friend4 ,can the friendship of ,christ do us harm1 or retard us in any good thing8 ,may we not most reasonably fear that hesitation now may put ,christ beyond our reach8 ,we cannot tell what new influences may enter our life and set an impassable gulf between us and religion4 ,sixty years after1 when one of these men wrote this ,gospel1 he remembered as if it had been yesterday the very hour of the day when he followed ,jesus into ,his house4 ,his whole life seemed to date from that hour2 as well it might1 for what could mark a human life more deeply and lift it more surely to permanent altitude than an evening with ,jesus8 ,they felt that at last they had found a ,friend with human sympathies and ,divine intelligence4 ,how eagerly must these men who had of late been thinking much of new problems1 have laid all their difficulties before this master-mind1 that seemed at once to comprehend all truth1 and to appreciate the little obstacles that staggered them4 ,what boundless regions of thought would ,his questions open up1 and how entirely new an aspect would life assume under the light ,he shed upon it4 ,the astonished satisfaction they found in their first intercourse with ,christ is shown in the bursting enthusiasm with which ,andrew sought out his brother ,simon1 and summarily announced1 ,we have found the ,christ4 ,that is how the ,gospel is propagated4 ,the closer the tie1 the more emphatic the testimony4 ,it is what brother says to brother1 husband to wife1 parent to child1 friend to friend1 far more than what preacher says to hearer1 that carries in it irresistible persuasive power4 ,when the truth of the utterance is vouched for by the obvious gladness and purity of the life2 when the finding of the ,christ is obviously as real as the finding of a better situation and as satisfying as promotion in life1 then conviction will be carried with the announcement4 ,and he who1 like ,andrew1 can do little himself1 may1 by his simple testimony and honest life1 bring to ,christ a ,simon who may become a conspicuous power for good4 ,the mother whose influence is confined to the four walls of her own house may lodge ,christian principle in the heart of a son1 who may give it currency in one form or other to the remotest corner of the earth4 ,the language in which ,andrew announced to ,simon his great fortune was simple1 but1 in ,jewish lips1 most pregnant4 ,we have found the ,christ6 ,what his people had lived and longed for through all past ages1 ,i have found and known4 ,the perfect deliverance and joy which ,god was to bring by dwelling with ,his people1 this at last had come4 ,taught to believe that all evil and disappointment and thwarting were but temporary1 the ,jew had waited for the true life of man--a life in the presence and favour and fellowship of the ,highest4 ,this was to come in the ,messiah1 and ,andrew had found this4 ,he had entered into life--all darkness and shadow were gone2 the light shone round him1 making all things bright1 and piercing into eternity with clear radiance4 ,the words with which ,jesus welcomes ,simon are remarkable3 ,thou art ,simon1 son of ,john3 thou shalt be called ,cephas4 ,this greeting yields its meaning when we recall the character of the person addressed4 ,simon was hot-headed1 impulsive1 rash1 unstable4 ,when his name was mentioned on the ,lake of ,galilee there rose before the mind a man of generous nature1 frank and good-hearted1 but a man whose uncertainty and hastiness had brought him and his into many troubles1 and with whom1 perhaps1 it was well to have no very binding connection in trade or in the family4 ,what must the thoughts of such a man have been when he was told that the ,messiah was present1 and that the ,messianic kingdom was standing with open gates8 ,must he not have felt that this might concern others1--decent steady men like ,andrew1--but not himself8 ,must he not have felt that instead of being a strength to the new kingdom he would prove a weakness8 ,would not that happen now which so often before had happened--that any society he joined he was sure to injure with his hasty tongue or rash hand8 ,other men might enter the kingdom and serve it well1 but he must remain without4 ,coming in this mood1 he is greeted with words which seem to say to him1 ,i know the character identified with the name ,simon1 son of ,john2 ,i know all you fear1 all the remorseful thoughts that possess you2 ,i know how you wish now you were a man like ,andrew1 and could offer yourself as a serviceable subject of this new kingdom4 ,but no6 thou art ,simon2 nothing can change that1 and such as you are you are welcome2 but thou shalt be called ,rock1 ,peter4 ,the men standing round1 and knowing ,simon well1 might turn away to hide a smile2 but ,simon knew the ,lord had found him1 and uttered the very word which could bind him for ever to ,him4 ,and the event showed how true this appellation was4 ,simon became ,peter1--bold to stand for the rest1 and beard the ,sanhedrim4 ,by believing that this new ,king had a place for him in ,his kingdom1 and could give him a new character which should fit him for service1 he became a new man1 strong where he had been weak1 helpful and no longer dangerous to the cause he loved4 ,such are the encouragements with which the ,king of men welcomes the diffident4 ,he gives men the consciousness that they are known2 ,he begets the consciousness that it is not with sin in the abstract ,he takes to do1 but with sinners ,he can name1 and whose weaknesses are known to ,him4 ,but ,he begets this consciousness that we may trust ,him when ,he gives us assurance that a new character awaits us and a serviceable place in ,his kingdom4 ,he assures the most despondent that for them also a useful life is possible4 ,as ,andrew1 in the exuberant joy of his discovery of the ,messiah1 had first imparted the news to his own brother ,simon1 so ,philip1 when invited by ,jesus to accompany him to ,galilee1 sought to bring with him his friend ,nathanael ,bartholomew 7son of ,tolmai74 ,this was one of the devout ,jews who had long been wondering who that mysterious ,personage should be of whom all the prophets had spoken1 and for whom the world waited that ,he might complete it4 ,the news that ,he was found seemed only too good to be true4 ,he had come too easily and unostentatiously1 and from so unlooked-for a quarter1 ,can any good come out of ,nazareth8 ,good men1 as well as others1 have their narrow views and illiberal prejudices1 and mark off in their own minds as hopeless and barren whole religions1 sects1 or countries out of which ,god determines to bring that which is for the healing of the nations4 ,to rise above such prejudices we must refuse to accept current rumours1 traditional opinions1 proverbial or neat dicta which seem to settle a matter2 we must conscientiously examine for ourselves1--as ,philip says1 ,come and see4 ,he instinctively knew how useless it was to reason with men about ,christ's claims so long as they were not in ,his presence4 ,one look1 one word from ,himself will go further to persuade a man of ,his majesty and love than all that any one else can say4 ,to make ,christ known is the best way to prove the truth of ,christianity4 ,the shade of the fig-tree is the natural summer-house or arbour under which ,eastern families delight to take their meals or their mid-day rest4 ,nathanael had used the dense foliage of its large and thick leaves as a screen behind which he found retirement for devotional purposes4 ,it is in such absolute seclusion1 retirement1 and solitude that a man shows his true self4 ,it was here ,nathanael had uttered himself to his ,father who seeth in secret2 here he had found liberty to pour out his true and deepest cravings4 ,his guilelessness had been proved by his carrying into his retirement the same simple and unreserved godliness he professed abroad4 ,and he is astonished to find that the eye of ,jesus had penetrated this leafy veil1 and had been a witness to his prayers and vows4 ,he feels that he is known best at the very point in which he had most carefully contrived concealment1 and he recognises that no one is more likely to be the fulfiller of his prayers than that same ,person who has manifestly been somehow present at them and heard them4 ,to the man of prayer a suitable promise is given1 as to the man of uncertain character a promise fitting his need had come4 ,under his fig-tree ,nathanael had often been in sympathy with his forefather ,jacob in his great experience of ,god's attentiveness to prayer4 ,when ,jacob fled from home and country1 a criminal and outcast1 he no doubt felt how completely he had himself fallen into the pit he had digged4 ,instead of the comforts of a well-provided household1 he had to lie down like a wild beast with nothing between him and the earth1 with nothing between him and the sky1 with nothing but an evil conscience to speak to him1 and no face near save the haunting faces of those he had wronged4 ,a more miserable1 remorseful1 abandoned-looking creature rarely lay down to sleep2 but before he rose he had learned that ,god knew where he was1 and was with him2 that on that spot which he had chosen as a hiding1 because no one could find him1 and scarcely his own dog track him to it1 he was waited for and met with a loving welcome by ,him whom he had chiefly wronged4 ,he saw heaven opened1 and that from the lowest1 most forlorn spot of earth to the highest and brightest point of heaven there is a close connection and an easy1 friendly communication4 ,if ,jesus1 thought ,nathanael1 could reopen heaven in that style1 ,he would be worthy of the name of ,king of ,israel4 ,but he is now to learn that ,he will do far more2 that henceforth it was to be no visionary ladder1 swept away by the dawn1 which was to lead up to heaven1 but that in ,jesus ,god ,himself is permanently made over to us2 that ,he1 in ,his one1 visible person1 unites heaven and earth1 ,god and man2 that there is an ever-living union between the highest height of heaven and the lowest depth of earth4 ,profound and wide as the humanity of ,christ1 to the most forgotten and remote outcast1 to the most sunken and despairing of men1 do ,god's love and care and helpfulness now come2 high and glorious as the divinity of ,christ may the hopes of all men now rise4 ,he who understands the ,incarnation of the ,son of ,god has a surer ground of faith1 and a richer hope and a straighter access to heaven1 than if the ladder of ,jacob stood at his bed-head and ,god's angels were ministering to him4 ,,footnotes3 #h ,see ,mr4 ,reith's rich ,handbook on ,the ,gospel of ,john 7,clark74 ,v4 ,,the ,,first ,,sign--,,the ,,marriage ,,in ,,cana4 ,and the third day there was a marriage in ,cana of ,galilee2 and the mother of ,jesus was there3 and ,jesus also was bidden1 and ,his disciples1 to the marriage4 ,and when the wine failed1 the mother of ,jesus saith unto ,him1 ,they have no wine4 ,and ,jesus saith unto her1 ,woman1 what have ,i to do with thee8 ,mine hour is not yet come4 ,his mother saith unto the servants1 ,whatsoever ,he saith unto you1 do it4 ,now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the ,jews' manner of purifying1 containing two or three firkins apiece4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,fill the waterpots with water4 ,and they filled them up to the brim4 ,and ,he saith unto them1 ,draw out now1 and bear unto the ruler of the feast4 ,and they bare it4 ,and when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine1 and knew not whence it was 7but the servants which had drawn the water knew71 the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom1 and saith unto him1 ,every man setteth on first the good wine2 and when men have drunk freely1 then that which is worse3 thou hast kept the good wine until now4 ,this beginning of ,his signs did ,jesus in ,cana of ,galilee1 and manifested ,his glory2 and ,his disciples believed on ,him4--,,john ii4 #a-aa4 ,having recorded the testimony borne to ,jesus by the ,baptist1 and having cited instances in which the overmastering personality of ,jesus elicited from simple-hearted and godly men the acknowledgment of ,his majesty1 ,john now proceeds to relate the homely incident which gave occasion to the first public act in which ,his greatness was exhibited4 ,testimony comes first2 inward and intuitive recognition of the greatness declared by that testimony second2 perception that ,his works are beyond the reach of human power comes last4 ,but in the case of these first disciples1 while this order was indeed maintained1 there was no great interval between each step in it4 ,it was but the third day after they had in their hearts felt ,his impressiveness that ,he manifested forth ,his glory to them in this first sign4 ,from the place where they first met ,him to ,cana of ,galilee was a distance of twenty-one or twenty-two miles4#i ,thither ,jesus repaired to be present at a marriage4 ,his mother was already there1 and when ,jesus arrived1 accompanied by ,his new-found friends1 all were invited to remain and share in the festivities4 ,owing probably to this unexpected increase to the number of the guests1 the wine begins to fail4 ,among the minor trials of life there are few which produce more awkwardness than the failure to provide suitable entertainment for a specially festive occasion4 ,mary1 with the practised eye of a woman whose business it was to observe such matters1 and perhaps with a near relative's charge and liberty in the house1 perceives the predicament and whispers to her ,son1 ,they have no wine4 ,this she said1 not to hint that ,jesus would do well to retire with ,his too many friends1 nor that ,he would cover the lack of wine by brilliant conversation1 but because she had ever been accustomed to turn to this ,son in all her difficulties1 and now that she sees ,him acknowledged by others her own faith in ,him is stimulated4 ,considering the simple manner in which ,he had walked in1 and taken ,his place among the other guests1 and partaken of the refreshment1 and joined in the conversation and mirth of the day1 it would seem more likely that she should have had no definite expectation as to the way in which ,he would extricate the host from his difficulty1 but only turned to ,him on whom she was accustomed to lean4 ,but ,his answer shows that he felt ,himself urged to action of some kind by her appeal2 and her instructions to the servants to do whatever ,he ordered indicates that she definitely expected ,him to relieve the embarrassment4 ,how ,he would do so she could not know1 and had she definitely expected a miracle she would probably have thought the help of the servants unnecessary4 ,but though ,mary did not anticipate a miracle1 it had already occurred to our ,lord that this was a fit occasion for manifesting ,his kingly power4 ,his words grate somewhat on the ear1 but this is partly due to the difficulty of translating fine shades of meaning1 and to the impossibility of conveying in any words that modification of meaning which is given in the tone of voice and expression of face1 and which arises also from the familiarity and affection of speaker and hearer4 ,in ,his use of the word ,woman there is really no harshness1 this being the ordinary ,greek term of address to females of all classes and relationships1 and being commonly used with the utmost reverence and affection4 ,the phrase ,what have ,i to do with thee8 is a needlessly strong translation1 although it might be difficult to find a better4 ,it implies a certain resistance to a demand in itself1 or to something in the way of urging it2 but might be quite sufficiently rendered by such an expression as ,i have other thoughts than thine4 ,there is nothing approaching angry resentment at ,mary's inviting ,his aid1 nothing like repudiation of any claim she might have upon ,him1 but only a calm and gentle intimation that in the present instance she must allow ,him to act in ,his own way4 ,the whole phrase might be rendered1 ,mother1 you must let ,me act here in ,my own way3 and ,my time for action is not yet come4 ,she herself was perfectly satisfied with the answer4 ,knowing her ,son well1 every gleam of ,his expression1 every tone of ,his voice1 she recognised that ,he meant to do something1 and accordingly left the matter in ,his hands1 giving orders to the servants to do whatever ,he required4 ,but there was more in the words of ,jesus than even ,mary understood4 ,there were thoughts in ,his mind which not even she could fathom1 and which had ,he explained them to her then she could not have sympathized with4 ,for these words1 ,mine hour is not yet come1 which she took to be the mere intimation of a few minutes' delay before granting her request1 became the most solemn watchword of ,his life1 marking the stages by which ,he drew near to ,his death4 ,they sought to take ,him1 but no man laid hands on ,him1 because ,his hour was not yet come4 ,so again and again4 ,from the first ,he knew what would come of ,his manifesting ,his glory among men4 ,from the first ,he knew that ,his glory could not be fully manifested till ,he hung upon the cross4 ,can we wonder1 then1 that when ,he recognised in ,his mother's request the invitation from ,god1 though not from her1 that ,he should work ,his first miracle and so begin to manifest ,his glory1 ,he should have said1 ,my thoughts are not yours2 ,mine hour is not yet come8 ,with compassion ,he looked upon her through whose soul a sword was to pass2 with filial tenderness ,he could only look with deep pity on her who was now the unconscious instrument of summoning ,him to that career which ,he knew must end in death4 ,he saw in this simple act of furnishing the wedding guests with wine a very different significance from that which she saw4 ,it was here at this wedding feast table that ,he felt ,himself impelled to take the step which altered the whole character of ,his life4 ,for from a private person ,he became by ,his first miracle a public and marked character with a definite career4 ,to live henceforth in the vortex of a whirlwind2 to have no leisure so much as to eat1 no time to pray save when others slept1 to be the gazing-stock of every eye1 the common talk of every tongue2 to be followed about1 to be thronged and jostled1 to be gaped upon1 to be hunted up and down by curious vulgar crowds2 to be hated1 and detested1 and defamed1 and blasphemed2 to be regarded as a public enemy2 to be watched and spied upon and trapped and taken as a notorious criminal--is it possible to suppose that ,christ was indifferent to all this1 and that without shrinking ,he stepped across the line which marked the threshold of ,his public career8 ,and this was the least of it1 that in this act ,he became a public and marked character4 ,the glory that here shed a single ray into the rustic home of ,cana must grow to that dazzling and perfect noon which shone from the cross to the remotest corner of earth4 ,the same capacity and willingness to bless mankind which here in a small and domestic affair brought relief to ,his embarrassed friends1 must be adapted to all the needs of men1 and must undauntedly go forward to the utmost of sacrifice4 ,he who is true ,king of men must flinch from no responsibility1 from no pain1 from no utter self-abandonment to which the needs of men may call ,him4 ,and ,jesus knew this3 in those quiet hours and long1 untroubled days at ,nazareth ,he had taken the measure of this world's actual state1 and of what would be required to lift men out of selfishness and give them reliance upon ,god4 ,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto ,me--this was even now present to ,his mind4 ,his glory was the glory of absolute self-sacrifice1 and ,he knew what that involved4 ,his kingship was the rendering of service no other could render4 ,the manner in which the miracle was performed deserves attention4 ,christ does all while the servants seem to do all4 ,the servants fill in the water and the servants draw off the wine1 and there is no apparent exercise of ,divine power1 no mysterious words of incantation uttered over the waterpots1 not so much as a command given that the water should become wine4 ,what is seen by the spectators is men at work1 not ,god creating out of nothing4 ,the means seem to be human1 the result is found to be ,divine4 ,jesus says1 ,fill the water pots with water1 and they filled them2 and filled them not as if their doing so were a mere form1 and as if they would leave room for ,christ to add to their work2 no1 they filled them up to the brim4 ,again ,he says1 ,draw out now1 and bear to the governor of the feast1 and they bore4 ,they knew very well they had only put in water1 and they knew that to offer water to the governor of a marriage feast would be to insure their own punishment2 but they did not hesitate4 ,there seemed every reason why they should refuse to do this1 or why they should at least ask some explanation or security that ,jesus would bear the evil consequences2 but there was one reason on the other side which outweighed all these--they had the command of ,him whom they had been ordered to obey4 ,and so1 where reasoning would have led them to folly1 obedient faith makes them fellow-workers in a miracle4 ,they took their place and served1 and they who serve ,christ and do ,his will must do great things2 for ,christ wills nothing that is useless1 futile1 not worth doing4 ,but this is how we are tried3 we are commanded to do things which seem unreasonable1 and which we have no natural ability to do4 ,we are commanded to repent1 and are yet told that repentance is the gift of ,christ2 we are commanded to come to ,christ1 and are at the same time assured that we cannot come except the ,father draw us2 we are commanded to be perfectly holy1 and yet we know that as the leopard cannot change his spots1 nor one of us add a cubit to his stature1 so neither can we put away the sins that stain our souls and walk uprightly before ,god4 ,and yet these commands are plainly given us1 not only to make us feel our helplessness1 but to be performed4 ,we feel our inability1 we may say it is unreasonable to demand from us what we cannot perform1 to require that out of the thin and watery substance of our human souls we should produce wine that may be poured out as an offering on the holy altar of ,god2 but this is not unreasonable4 ,it is our part in simplicity to obey ,god2 what is commanded we are to do1 and while we work ,he ,himself will also work4 ,he may do so in no visible way1 as ,christ here did nothing visibly1 but ,he will be with us1 effectually working4 ,as the will of ,christ pervaded the water so that it was endowed with new qualities1 so can ,his will pervade our souls1 with every other part of ,his creation1 and make them conformable to ,his purpose4 ,whatsoever ,he saith unto you1 do it2 this is the secret of miracle-working4 ,do it1 though you seem to be but wasting your strength and laying yourself open to the scorn of onlookers2 do it1 though in yourself there is no ability to effect what you are aiming at2 do it wholly1 up to the brim1 as if you were the only worker1 as if there were no ,god to come after you and supply your deficiencies1 but as if any shortcoming on your part would be fatal2 do not stand waiting for ,god to work1 for it is only in you and by you that ,he performs ,his work among men4 ,the significance of this incident is manifold4 ,first1 it gives us the key to the miracles of our ,lord4 ,it has become the fashion to depreciate miracles1 and it is often thought that they hamper the gospel and obscure the true claim of ,christ4 ,it is often felt that so far from the miracles verifying ,christ's claim to be the ,son of ,god1 they are the greatest obstacle to ,his acceptance4 ,this is1 however1 to misunderstand their significance4 ,the miracles unquestionably formed a most important element in ,christ's life2 and1 if so1 they must have served an important purpose2 and to wish them away just because they are so important and make so large a demand upon faith seems to me preposterous4 ,to wish them away precisely because they alter the very essence of the religion of ,christ1 and give it that very power which through all past ages it has exerted1 seems unreasonable4 ,when the ,jews discussed ,his claims among themselves or with ,him1 the power to work miracles was always taken into account as weighing heavily in ,his favour4 ,he ,himself distinctly stated that the crowning condemnation of those who rejected ,his claims arose from the circumstance that ,he had done among them the works which none other man had done4 ,he challenges them to deny that it was by the finger of ,god that ,he wrought these works4 ,after ,his withdrawal from earth the miracle of the ,resurrection was still appealed to as the convincing proof that ,he was all ,he had given ,himself out for4 ,there can be no doubt1 therefore1 that the power of working miracles was one great evidence of the ,divine mission of ,christ4 ,but though this is so1 we are not on that account warranted in saying that the only purpose for which ,he wrought miracles was to win men's belief in ,his mission4 ,on the contrary1 we are told that it was one of ,his temptations1 a temptation constantly resisted by ,him1 to use ,his power for this object without any other motive4 ,it was the reproach ,he cast upon the people that except they saw signs and wonders they would not believe4 ,he would never work a miracle merely for the sake of manifesting ,his glory4 ,whenever the unsympathetic1 ignorant crowd clamoured for a sign2 whenever with ill-concealed dislike they cried1 ,how long dost ,thou make us to doubt8 ,show us a sign from heaven1 that we may believe1 ,he was silent4 ,to create a mere compulsory consent in minds which had no sympathy with ,him was never a sufficient motive4 ,was there a sick child tossing in fever1 was there a blind beggar by the roadside1 was there a hungry crowd1 was there even the joy of a feast interrupted3 in these ,he could find a worthy occasion for a miracle2 but never did ,he work a miracle merely for the sake of removing the doubts of reluctant men4 ,where there was not even the beginning of faith miracles were useless4 ,he could not work miracles in some places because of their unbelief4 ,what then was the motive of ,christ's miracles8 ,he was1 as these first disciples owned ,him1 the ,king of ,god's kingdom among men3 ,he was the ideal ,man1 the new ,adam1 the true ,source of human goodness1 health1 and power4 ,he came to do us good1 and the ,spirit of ,god filled ,his human nature to its utmost capacity1 that it might do all that man can do4 ,having these powers1 ,he could not but use them for men4 ,having power to heal1 ,he could not but heal1 irrespective of the result which the miracle might have on the faith of those who saw it2 nay1 ,he could not but heal1 though ,he straitly charged the healed person to let no man know what had been done4 ,his miracles were ,his kingly acts1 by which ,he suggested what man's true life in ,god's kingdom should be and will be4 ,they were the utterance of what was in ,him1 the manifestation of ,his glory1 the glory of ,one who came to utter the ,father's heart to ,his strayed children4 ,they expressed good-will to men2 and to the spiritual eye of a ,john they became signs of spiritual wonders1 symbols and pledges of those greater works and eternal blessings which ,jesus came to bestow4 ,the miracles revealed the ,divine compassion1 the grace and helpfulness that were in ,christ1 and led men to trust ,him for all their needs4 ,we must1 therefore1 beware of falling into the error that lies at either extreme4 ,we must neither1 on the one hand1 suppose that ,christ's miracles were wrought solely for the purpose of establishing ,his claim to be ,god's ,viceroy on earth2 nor1 on the other hand1 are we to suppose that the marvels of beneficence by which ,he was known did nothing to prove ,his claim or promote ,his kingdom4 ,the poet writes because he is a poet1 and not to convince the world that he is a poet2 yet by writing he does convince the world4 ,the benevolent man acts just as ,christ did when ,he seemed to lay ,his finger on ,his lips and warned the healed person to make no mention of this kind act to anyone2 and therefore all who do discover his actions know that he is really charitable4 ,the act that a man does in order that he may be recognised as a good and benevolent person exhibits his love of recognition much more strikingly than his benevolence2 and it is because the miracles of ,christ were wrought from the purest and most self-denying compassion that ever explored and bound up the wounds of men1 that we acknowledge ,him as incontestably our ,king4 #b4 ,in what respects1 then1 did this first miracle manifest the glory of ,christ8 ,what was there in it to stir the thought and attract the adoration and trust of the disciples8 ,was it worthy to be the medium of conveying to their minds the first ideas of ,his glory they were to cherish8 ,and what ideas must these have been8 ,the first impression they must have received from the miracle was1 no doubt1 simple amazement at the power which so easily and unostentatiously turned the water into wine4 ,this ,person1 they must have felt1 stood in a peculiar relation to ,nature4 ,in fact1 what ,john laid as the foundation of his ,gospel1--that the ,christ who came to redeem was ,he by whom all things were at first made1--,jesus also advanced as the first step in ,his revelation of ,himself4 ,he appears as the ,source of life1 whose will pervades all things4 ,he comes1 not as a stranger or interloper who has no sympathy with existing things1 but as the faithful ,creator1 who loves all that ,he has made1 and can use all things for the good of men4 ,he is at home in the world1 and enters physical nature as its ,king1 who can use it for ,his high ends4 ,never before has ,he wrought a miracle1 but in this first command to ,nature there is no hesitation1 no experimenting1 no anxiety1 but the easy confidence of a ,master4 ,he is either ,himself the ,creator of the world ,he comes to restore to worth and peace1 or ,he is the ,delegate of the ,creator4 ,we see in this first miracle that ,christ is not an alien or an usurper1 but one who has already the closest connection with us and with all things4 ,we receive assurance that in ,him ,god is present4 #c4 ,but it was not only the ,creator's power which was shown in this miracle1 but some hint was given of the ends for which that power would be used by ,christ4 ,perhaps the disciples who had known and admired the austere life of the ,baptist would expect that ,he whom the ,baptist proclaimed as greater than himself would be greater in the same line1 and would reveal ,his glory by a sublime abstemiousness4 ,they had confessed ,him to be the ,son of ,god1 and might naturally expect to find in ,him an independence of earthly joys4 ,they had followed ,him as the king of ,israel2 was ,his kingly glory to find a suitable sphere in the little family difficulties that poverty begets8 ,it is almost a shock to our own ideas of our ,lord to think of ,him as one of a marriage party2 to hear ,him uttering the ordinary salutations1 civilities1 and enquiries of a friendly and festive gathering2 to see ,him standing by while others are the principal figures in the room4 ,and we know that many who had opportunity to observe ,his habits could never understand or reconcile themselves to ,his easy familiarity with all kinds of people1 and to ,his freedom in partaking in mirthful scenes and hilarious entertainments4 ,and just because of this difficulty we find in reconciling religion with joy1 ,god with nature1 does ,christ reveal ,his glory first at a marriage-feast1 not in the temple1 not in the synagogue1 not by taking ,his disciples apart to teach them to pray1 but at a festive gathering1 that thus they may recognise in ,him the ,lord of all human life1 and see that ,his work of redemption is co-extensive with human experience4 ,he comes among us1 not to crush or pour contempt on human feelings1 but to exalt them by sharing in them2 not to show that it is possible to live separate from all human sympathies1 but to deepen and intensify them2 not to do away with the ordinary business and social relations of life1 but to sanctify them4 ,he comes sharing in all pure feelings and joys1 sanctioning all natural relationships2 ,himself human1 with interest in all human interests2 not a mere spectator or censor of human affairs1 but ,himself a man implicated in things human4 ,he shows us the folly of fancying that ,god looks with an austere and morose eye upon outbursts of human affection and joy1 and teaches us that to be holy as ,he is holy we are not required to abandon the ordinary affairs of life1 and that however we make them the apology for worldliness1 it is not the necessary duties or relations of life that prevent our being ,christlike1 but these are the very material in which ,his glory may be most clearly seen1 the soil in which must grow and ripen all ,christian graces and fruits of righteousness4 ,this1 then1 was the glory ,christ wished ,his disciples first of all to see4 ,he was to be their ,king1 not by drilling men to fight for ,him1 nor by interrupting the natural order and upsetting the established ways of men1 but by entering into these with a gladdening1 purifying1 elevating spirit4 ,his glory was not to be confined to a palace or to a small circle of courtiers1 or to one particular department of activity1 but was to be found irradiating all human life in its most ordinary forms4 ,he came1 indeed1 to make all things new1 but the new creation was the fulfilment of the original idea3 it was not to be achieved by thwarting nature1 nor by a one-sided development of some elements of nature1 but by guiding the whole to its original destination1 by lifting the whole into harmony with ,god4 ,we see the glory of ,christ1 and accept ,him as our ,ruler and ,redeemer1 because we see in ,him perfect sympathy with all that is human4 #d4 ,while enjoying the bounty of ,christ at the marriage feast1 ,john cannot have yet understood all that was involved in ,his ,master's purpose to bring new life and happiness to this world of men4 ,afterwards1 no doubt1 he saw how appropriately this miracle took the first place1 and through it read his ,lord's own thoughts about ,his whole work on earth4 ,for it is impossible that ,christ ,himself should not have had ,his own thoughts about the significance of this miracle4 ,he had1 during the previous six weeks1 passed through a time of violent mental disturbance and of supreme spiritual exaltation4 ,the measureless task laid upon ,him had become visible to ,him4 ,already ,he was aware that only through ,his death could the utmost of blessing be imparted to men4 ,is it possible that while ,he first put forth ,his power to restore the joy of these wedding guests1 ,he should not have seen in the wine a symbol of the blood ,he was to shed for the refreshment and revival of men8 ,the ,baptist1 whose mind was nourished with ,old ,testament ideas1 called ,christ the ,bridegroom1 and ,his people the ,bride4 ,must not ,jesus also have thought of those who believed in ,him as ,his bride1 and must not the very sight of a marriage have set ,his thoughts working regarding ,his whole relation to men8 ,so that in ,his first miracle ,he no doubt saw a summary of ,his whole work4 ,in this first manifestation of ,his glory there is1 to ,himself at least1 a reminder that only by ,his death will that glory be perfected4 ,without ,him1 as ,he saw1 the joy of this wedding feast had been brought to an untimely close2 and without ,his free outpouring of ,his life for men there could be no presenting of men to ,god unblemished and blameless1 no fulfilment of those high hopes of mankind that nourish pure characters and noble deeds1 but a swift and dreary extinction of even natural joys4 ,it is to the marriage supper of the ,lamb1 of ,him who was slain1 and has redeemed us by ,his blood1 that we are invited4 ,it is the ,lamb's wife that ,john saw adorned as a bride for her ,husband4 ,and whosoever would sit down at that feast which consummates the experience of this life1 terminating all its vacillation of trust and love1 and which opens eternal and unlimited joy to the people of ,christ1 must wash and make white his garments in this blood4 ,he must not shrink from the closest fellowship with the purifying love of ,christ4 #e4 ,his disciples1 when they saw ,his power and ,his goodness in this miracle1 felt more than ever that ,he was the rightful ,king4 ,they believed on ,him4 ,to us this first of signs is merged in the last1 in ,his death4 ,the joy1 the self-sacrifice1 the holiness1 the strength and beauty of human character which that death has produced in the world1 is the great evidence which enables many now to believe in ,him4 ,the fact is indubitable4 ,the intelligent secular historian1 who surveys the rise and growth of ,european nations1 counts the death of ,christ among the most vital and influential of powers for good4 ,it has touched all things with change1 and been the source of endless benefit to men4 ,are we then to repudiate ,him or to acknowledge ,him8 ,are we to act like the master of the feast1 who enjoyed the good wine without asking where it came from2 or are we to own ourselves debtors to the actual ,creator of our happiness8 ,if the disciples believed on ,him when they saw ,him furnish these wedding guests with wine1 shall we not believe1 who know that through all these ages ,he has furnished the pained and the poor with hope and consolation1 the desolate and broken-hearted with restoring sympathy1 the outcast with the knowledge of ,god's love1 the sinner with pardon1 with heaven1 and with ,god8 ,is not the glory ,he showed at this marriage in ,cana precisely what still attracts us to ,him with confidence and affection8 ,can we not wholly trust this ,lord who has a perfect sympathy guiding ,his ,divine power1 who brings the presence of ,god into all the details of human life1 who enters into all our joys and all our sorrows1 and is ever watchful to anticipate our every need1 and supply it out of ,his inexhaustible and all-sufficient fulness8 ,happy they who know ,his heart as ,his mother knew it1 and are satisfied to name their want and leave it with ,him4 ,,footnotes3 #i ,modern topography inclines to identify this ,cana1 not1 as formerly1 with ,kafr-,kenna1 but with ,kanet-el-,jelil1 some six miles ,n4,e4 of ,nazareth4 ,it is called ,cana of ,galilee to distinguish it from ,cana in ,asher1 ,s4,e4 from ,tyre 7,joshua xix4 #bh74 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,cleansing ,,of ,,the ,,temple4 ,after this ,he went down to ,capernaum1 ,he1 and ,his mother1 and ,his brethren1 and ,his disciples3 and there they abode not many days4 ,and the ,passover of the ,jews was at hand1 and ,jesus went up to ,jerusalem4 ,and ,he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves1 and the changers of money sitting3 and ,he made a scourge of cords1 and cast all out of the temple1 both the sheep and the oxen2 and ,he poured out the changers' money1 and overthrew their tables2 and to them that sold the doves ,he said1 ,take these things hence2 make not ,my ,father's house a house of merchandise4 ,his disciples remembered that it was written1 ,the zeal of ,thine house shall eat me up4 ,the ,jews therefore answered and said unto ,him1 ,what sign showest ,thou unto us1 seeing that ,thou doest these things8 ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,destroy this temple1 and in three days ,i will raise it up4 ,the ,jews therefore said1 ,forty and six years was this temple in building1 and wilt ,thou raise it up in three days8 ,but ,he spake of the temple of ,his body4 ,when therefore ,he was raised from the dead1 ,his disciples remembered that ,he spake this2 and they believed the ,scripture1 and the word which ,jesus had said4--,,john ii4 #ab-bb4 ,whether the ,nazareth family returned from ,cana to their own town before going down to ,capernaum1 ,john does not inform us4 ,neither are we told why they went to ,capernaum at all at this time4 ,it may have been in order to join one of the larger caravans going up to ,jerusalem for the approaching ,feast4 ,not only the disciples1 some of whom had their homes on the lake-side1 accompanied ,jesus1 but also ,his mother and ,his brothers4 ,the manner in which the brothers are spoken of in connection with ,his mother suggests that ,he and they bore to her the same relation4 ,they remained in ,capernaum not many days1 because the ,passover was at hand4 ,having come to ,jerusalem1 and appearing there for the first time since ,his baptism1 ,he performed several miracles4 ,these ,john omits1 and selects as more significant and worthy of record one authoritative act4 ,the circumstances which occasioned this act were familiar to the ,jerusalem ,jew4 ,the exigencies of ,temple worship had bred a flagrant abuse4 ,worshippers coming from remote parts of the ,holy ,land1 and from countries beyond1 found it a convenience to be able to purchase on the spot the animals used in sacrifice1 and the material for various offerings--salt1 meal1 oil1 frankincense4 ,traders were not slow to supply this demand1 and vying with one another they crept nearer and nearer to the sacred precincts1 until some1 under pretence perhaps of driving in an animal for sacrifice1 made a sale within the outer court4 ,this court had an area of about fourteen acres1 and was separated from the inner court by a wall breast high1 and bearing intimations which forbade the encroachment of ,gentiles on pain of death4 ,round this outer court ran marble colonnades1 richly ornamented and supported by four rows of pillars1 and roofed with cedar1 affording ample shade to the traders4 ,there were not only cattle-dealers and sellers of pigeons1 but also money-changers2 for every ,jew had to pay to the ,temple treasury an annual tax of half a shekel1 and this tax could be paid only in the sacred currency4 ,no foreign coin1 with its emblem of submission to an alien king1 was allowed to pollute the ,temple4 ,thus there came to be need of money-changers1 not only for the ,jew who had come up to the feast from a remote part of the empire1 but even for the inhabitant of ,palestine1 as the ,roman coinage had displaced the shekel in ordinary use4 ,there might seem1 therefore1 to be room to say much in favour of this convenient custom4 ,at any rate1 it was one of those abuses which1 while they may shock a fresh and unsophisticated mind1 are allowed both because they contribute to public convenience and because they have a large pecuniary interest at their back4 ,in point of fact1 however1 the practice gave rise to lamentable consequences4 ,cattle-dealers and money-changers have always been notorious for making more than their own out of their bargains1 and facts enough are on record to justify our ,lord calling this particular market a den of thieves4 ,the poor were shamefully cheated1 and the worship of ,god was hindered and impoverished instead of being facilitated and enriched4 ,and even although this traffic had been carried on under careful supervision1 and on unimpeachable principles1 still it was unseemly that the worshipper who came to the ,temple seeking quiet and fellowship with ,god should have to push his way through the touts of the dealers1 and have his devotional temper dissipated by the wrangling and shouting of a cattle market4 ,yet although many must have lamented this1 no one had been bold enough to rebuke and abolish the glaring profanation4 ,jesus on entering the ,temple finds ,himself in the midst of this incongruous scene--the sounds and movements of a market1 the loud and eager exclamations of competing traders1 the bustle of selecting one animal out of a flock1 the loud talk and laughter of the idle groups of onlookers4 ,jesus cannot stand it4 ,zeal for the honour of ,his ,father's house possesses ,him4 ,the ,temple claims ,him as its vindicator from abuse4 ,nowhere can ,he more appropriately assert ,his authority as ,messiah4 ,out of the cords lying about ,he quickly knots together a formidable scourge1 and silently1 leaving the public conscience to justify ,his action1 ,he proceeds single-handed to drive out cattle and traders together4 ,a scene of violence ensued1--the cattle rushing hither and thither1 the owners trying to preserve their property1 the money-changers holding their tables as ,jesus went from one to another upsetting them1 the scattered coin scrambled for2 and over all the threatening scourge and the commanding eye of the ,stranger4 ,never on any other occasion did our ,lord use violence4 ,the audacity of the act has few parallels4 ,to interfere in the very ,temple with any of its recognized customs was in itself a claim to be ,king in ,israel4 ,were a stranger suddenly to appear in the lobby of the ,house of ,commons1 and by sheer dignity of demeanour1 and the force of integrity1 to rectify an abuse of old standing involving the interests of a wealthy and privileged class1 it could not create a greater sensation4 ,the ,baptist might be with ,him1 cowing the truculent with his commanding eye2 but there was no need of the ,baptist3 the action of ,christ awakening conscience in the men themselves was enough to quell resistance4 ,no doubt ,jesus began ,his work at the house of ,god because ,he knew that the ,temple was the real heart of the nation2 that it was belief in ,god which was their strength and hope1 and that the loss of that belief1 and the consequent irreverence and worldliness1 were the most dangerous features of ,jewish society4 ,the state of matters ,he found in the ,temple could not have been tolerated had the people really believed ,god was present in the ,temple4 ,such an act could not pass without being criticised4 ,it would be keenly discussed that evening in ,jerusalem4 ,at every table it would be the topic of conversation1 and a most serious one wherever men in authority were meeting4 ,many would condemn it as a piece of pharisaic ostentation4 ,if ,he is a reformer1 why does ,he not turn ,his attention to the licentiousness of the people8 ,why show such extravagant and unseemly zeal about so innocent a custom when flagrant immoralities abound8 ,why not spend ,his zeal in clearing out from the land the polluting foreigner8 ,such charges are easy4 ,no man can do everything1 least of all can he do everything at once4 ,and yet the advocate of temperance is twitted with his negligence of other causes which are perhaps as necessary2 and he who pleads for foreign missions is reminded that we have heathen at home4 ,these are the carping criticisms of habitual fault-finders1 and of men who have no hearty desire for the advancement of what is good4 ,others1 again1 who approved the act could not reconcile themselves to the manner of it4 ,might it not have been enough to have pointed out the abuse1 and to have made a strong representation to the authorities8 ,was it fair to step in and usurp the authority of the ,sanhedrim or ,temple officials8 ,was it consistent with prophetic dignity to drive out the offenders with ,his own hand8 ,even those most friendly to ,him may have felt a little jarred as they saw ,him with uplifted scourge and flaming eyes violently driving before ,him men and beasts4 ,but they remembered that it was written1 ,the zeal of ,thine house will consume ,me4 ,they remembered perhaps how the most popular king of ,israel had danced before the ark1 to the scandal indeed of dull-souled conventionalists1 but with the approval of all clear-seeing and spiritually-judging men4 ,they might also have remembered how the last of their prophecies had said1 ,behold1 the ,lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to ,his temple4 ,but who may abide the day of ,his coming1 and who shall stand when ,he appeareth8 ,this zeal at once explained and justified ,his action4 ,some abuses may be reformed by appeal to the constituted authorities2 others can be abolished only by the blazing indignation of a righteous soul who cannot longer endure the sight4 ,this zeal1 conquering all consideration of consequences and regard to appearances1 acts as a cleansing fire1 sweeping before it what is offensive4 ,it has always its own risks to run3 the authorities at ,jerusalem never forgave ,jesus this first interference4 ,by reforming an abuse they should never have allowed1 ,he damaged them in the eyes of the people1 and they could never forget it4 ,zeal also runs the risk of acting indiscreetly and taking too much upon it4 ,in itself zeal is a good thing1 but it does not exist in itself4 ,it exists in a certain character1 and where the character is imperfect or dangerous the zeal is imperfect or dangerous4 ,the zeal of the proud or selfish man is mischievous1 the zeal of the ignorant fraught with disaster4 ,still1 with all risks1 give us by all means rather the man who is eaten up1 possessed and carried away1 by a passionate sympathy with the oppressed and neglected1 or with unquenchable zeal for rectitude and honourable dealing or for the glory of ,god1 than the man who can stand and be a spectator of wrong because it is no business of his to see that injustice be withstood1 who can connive at unrighteous practices because their correction is troublesome1 invidious1 hazardous4 ,he who lays a sudden hand on wrong-doing may have no legal authority to plead in his defence when challenged1 but to all good men such an act justifies itself4 ,it was a similar zeal which at all times governed ,christ4 ,he could not stand by and wash ,his hands of other men's sins4 ,it was this which brought ,him to the cross1 this which in the first place brought ,him to this world at all4 ,he had to interfere4 ,zeal for ,his father's glory1 zeal for ,god and man1 possessed ,him4 ,it was therefore no concern of ,jesus to make ,himself very intelligible to those who could not understand the action itself and demanded a sign4 ,they did not understand ,his answer2 and it was not intended they should4 ,frequently our ,lord's answers are enigmatical4 ,men have opportunity to stumble over them1 if they will4 ,for frequently they asked foolish questions1 which admitted only of such answers4 ,the present question1 ,what sign showest ,thou unto us1 seeing that ,thou doest these things8 was absurd4 ,it was to ask for a light to see light with1 a sign of a sign4 ,his zeal for ,god that carried the crowd before it1 and swept ,god's house clean of the profane1 was the best proof of ,his authority and ,messiahship4 ,but there was one sign which ,he could promise them without violating ,his principle to do no miracle merely for the sake of convincing reluctant minds4 ,there was one sign which formed an integral part of ,his work2 a sign which ,he must work1 irrespective of its effect on their opinion of ,him--the sign of ,his own ,resurrection4 ,and therefore1 when they ask ,him for a sign of ,his authority to reform the abuses of the ,temple1 ,he promises them this sign1 that ,he will raise the ,temple again when they destroy it4 ,if ,he can give them a ,temple ,he has authority in it4 ,destroy this ,temple1 and in three days ,i will raise it up4 ,what did ,he mean by this enigmatical saying1 which not even ,his disciples understood till long afterwards8 ,we cannot doubt that in their resistance to ,his first public act1 righteous and necessary1 and welcome to all right-hearted men1 as it was1 ,he plainly saw the symptom of a deep-seated hatred of all reform1 which would lead them on to reject ,his whole work4 ,he had meditated much on the tone of the authorities1 on the religious state of ,his country--what young man of thirty with anything in him has not done so8 ,he had made up ,his mind that ,he would meet with opposition at every point1 and that while a faithful few would stand by ,him1 the leaders of the people would certainly resist and destroy ,him4 ,here in ,his very first act ,he is met by the spirit of hatred1 and jealousy1 and godlessness which was at last to compass ,his death4 ,but ,his rejection ,he also knew was to be the signal for the downfall of the nation4 ,in destroying ,him ,he knew they were destroying themselves1 their city1 their ,temple4 ,as ,daniel had long ago said1 ,the ,messiah shall be cut off 444 and the people of a prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary4 ,to ,himself therefore ,his words had a very definite meaning3 ,destroy this ,temple1 as you certainly will by disowning ,my authority and resisting ,my acts of reform1 and at length crucifying ,me1 and in three days ,i will raise it4 ,as by denying ,my authority and crucifying ,my ,person you destroy this house of ,my ,father1 so by ,my resurrection will ,i put men in possession of ,god's true dwelling-place1 and introduce a new and spiritual worship4 ,it is in ,christ's person this great drama is enacted4 ,the ,messiah perishes3 the ,temple falls4 ,the ,messiah lives again3 the true ,temple rises on the ruins of the symbolical temple4 ,for in the kingdom of ,god there is no simple restoration4 ,every revival is at the same time an advance 7,godet74 ,a living ,temple is better than a ,temple of stone4 ,human nature itself1 possessed and inspired by the ,divine1 that is the true ,temple of ,god4 ,this sign was in two years given to them4 ,as ,jesus drew ,his last breath on the cross the veil of the ,temple was rent4 ,there was no longer anything to veil2 the unapproachable glory was for ever gone4 ,the ,temple in which ,god had so long dwelt was now but a shell1 mocking and pathetic in the extreme1 as the clothes of a departed friend1 or as the familiar dwelling that remains itself the same but changed to us for ever4 ,the ,jews in crucifying the ,messiah had effectually destroyed their ,temple4 ,a few years more and it was in ruins1 and has been so ever since4 ,that building which had once the singular1 wonderful dignity of being the spot where ,god was specially to be found and to be worshipped1 and where ,he dwelt upon earth in a way apprehensible by men1 was from the hour of ,christ's death doomed to vacuity and destruction4 ,but in three days a new and better ,temple was raised in ,christ's body1 glorified by the presence of the indwelling ,god4 ,forty and six years had the ,jews spent in rearing the magnificent pile that astonished and awed their conquerors4 ,they had thus themselves rebuilt more splendidly the ,temple of ,solomon4 ,but to rebuild the ,temple they destroyed in crucifying the ,lord was beyond them4 ,the sign of rebuilding their ,temple of marble1 which they scouted as a ridiculous extravagance1 was really a far less stupendous and infinitely less significant sign than that which ,he actually gave them in rising from the dead4 ,if it was impossible to rear that magnificent fabric in three days1 yet something might be done towards it3 but towards the raising of the dead body of ,christ nothing could be done by human skill1 diligence1 or power4 ,but it is not the stupendous difficulty of this sign which should chiefly engage our attention4 ,it is rather its significance4 ,christ rose from the dead1 not to startle godless and truth-hating men into faith1 but to furnish all mankind with a new and better ,temple1 with the means of spiritual worship and constant fellowship with ,god4 ,there was a necessity for the resurrection4 ,those who became intimately acquainted with ,christ slowly but surely became aware that they found more of ,god in ,him than ever they had found in the ,temple4 ,gradually they acquired new thoughts about ,god2 and instead of thinking of ,him as a ,sovereign veiled from the popular gaze in the hidden ,holy of holies1 and receiving through consecrated hands the gifts and offering of the people1 they learned to think of ,him as a ,father1 to whom no condescension was too deep1 no familiarity with men too close4 ,unconsciously to themselves1 apparently1 they began to think of ,christ as the true ,revealer of ,god1 as the living ,temple who at all hours gave them access to the living ,god4 ,but not till the ,resurrection was this transference complete--nay1 so fixed had their hearts been1 in common with all ,jewish hearts1 upon the ,temple1 that not until the ,temple was destroyed did they wholly grasp what was given them in the ,resurrection of ,jesus4 ,it was the ,resurrection which confirmed their wavering belief in ,him as the ,son of ,god4 ,as ,paul says1 it was the resurrection which declared ,him to be the ,son of ,god with power4 ,being the ,son of ,god1 it was impossible ,he should be held by death4 ,he had come to the ,temple calling it by an unheard-of name1 ,my ,father's house4 ,not ,moses1 not ,solomon1 not ,ezra1 not the holiest of high priests1 would have dreamt of so identifying himself with ,god as to speak of the ,temple1 not even as our ,father's house or your ,father's house1 but my ,father's house4 ,and it was the ,resurrection which finally justified ,his doing so1 declaring ,him to be1 in a sense no other was1 the ,son of ,god4 ,but it was not in the body of ,christ that ,god found ,his permanent dwelling among men4 ,this sacred presence was withdrawn in order to facilitate the end ,god has from the first had in view1 the full indwelling and possession of each and all men by ,his ,spirit4 ,this intimate fellowship with all men1 this free communication of ,himself to all1 this inhabitation of all souls by the ever-living ,god1 was the end aimed at by all that ,god has done among men4 ,his dwelling among men in the ,temple at ,jerusalem1 ,his dwelling among men in the living ,person of ,christ1 were preliminary and preparatory to ,his dwelling in men individually4 ,ye1 says ,paul1 are built up a spiritual house4 ,ye are builded together for a habitation of ,god4 ,ye are the temple of the living ,god4 ,this is the great reality towards which men have been led by symbol--the complete pervasion of all intelligence and of all moral beings by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,for us this cleansing of the ,temple is a sign4 ,it is a sign that ,christ really means to do thoroughly the great work ,he has taken in hand4 ,long ago had it been said1 ,behold the ,lord1 whom ye seek1 shall suddenly come to ,his ,temple2 and ,he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver4 ,he was to come where holiness was professed1 and to sift the true from the false1 the worldly and greedy religious from the devoted and spiritual4 ,he was not to make pretence of doing so1 but actually to accomplish the separation4 ,to reform abuses such as this marketing in the ,temple was no pleasant task4 ,he had to meet the gaze and defy the vindictiveness of an exasperated mob2 ,he had to make enemies of a powerful class in the community4 ,but ,he does what is called for by the circumstances3 and this is but a part and a sample of the work ,he does always4 ,always ,he makes thorough1 real work4 ,he does not blink the requirements of the case4 ,we shrug our shoulders and pass by where matters are difficult to mend2 we let the flood take its course rather than risk being carried away in attempting to stem it4 ,not so ,christ4 ,the ,temple was shortly to be destroyed1 and it might seem to matter little what practices were allowed in it2 but the sounds of bargaining and the greedy eye of trade could not be suffered by ,him in ,his ,father's house3 how much more shall ,he burn as a consuming fire when ,he cleanses that ,church for which ,he gave ,himself that it might be without spot or blemish4 ,he will cleanse it4 ,we may yield ourselves with gladness to ,his sanctifying power1 or we may rebelliously question ,his authority2 but cleansed the house of ,god must be4 ,,vii4 ,,nicodemus4 ,now when ,he was in ,jerusalem at the passover1 during the feast1 many believed on ,his name1 beholding ,his signs which ,he did4 ,but ,jesus did not trust ,himself unto them1 for that ,he knew all men1 and because ,he needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man2 for ,he ,himself knew what was in man4 ,now there was a man of the ,pharisees1 named ,nicodemus1 a ruler of the ,jews3 the same came unto ,him by night1 and said to ,him1 ,rabbi1 we know that ,thou art a teacher come from ,god3 for no man can do these signs that ,thou doest1 except ,god be with ,him4 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born anew1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,nicodemus saith unto ,him1 ,how can a man be born when he is old8 can he enter a second time into his mother's womb1 and be born8 ,jesus answered1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born of water and the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,that which is born of the flesh is flesh2 and that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit4 ,marvel not that ,i said unto thee1 ,ye must be born anew4 ,the wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou hearest the voice thereof1 but knowest not whence it cometh1 and whither it goeth3 so is every one that is born of the ,spirit4--,,john ii4 #bc-;iii4 #h4 ,the first visit of ,jesus to ,jerusalem was not without considerable effect on the popular mind4 ,many who saw the miracles ,he did believed that ,he was a messenger from ,god4 ,they saw that ,his miracles were not the clever tricks of an impostor1 and they were prepared to listen to ,his teaching and enrol themselves as members of the kingdom ,he came to found4 ,yet our ,lord did not encourage them4 ,he saw that they misunderstood ,him4 ,he recognised their worldliness of heart and of aim1 and did not admit them to the intimacy ,he had established with the five simple-minded ,galileans4 ,the ,jerusalem ,jews were glad to fall in with one who seemed likely to do honour to their nation1 and their belief in ,him was the belief men give to a statesman whose policy they approve4 ,the difference between them and those who rejected ,christ was not a difference of disposition such as exists between godly and ungodly men1 but consisted merely in the circumstance that they were convinced that ,his miracles were genuine4 ,had our ,lord encouraged these men they would ultimately have been disappointed in ,him4 ,it was better that from the first they should be stimulated to reflect on the whole matter by being coldly received by the ,lord4 ,it is always a point that calls for reflection3 we have to consider not only whether we have faith in ,christ1 but whether ,he has faith in us--not only whether we have committed ourselves to ,him1 but whether that committal is so genuine that ,he can build upon and trust it4 ,can ,he count upon us for all service1 for fidelity in times when much is needed8 ,thoroughgoing confidence must always be reciprocal4 ,the person you believe in so utterly that you are entirely his1 believes in you and trusts himself to you--his reputation1 his interests are safe in your keeping4 ,so is it with ,christ4 ,faith cannot be one-sided here any more than elsewhere4 ,he gives ,himself to those who give themselves to ,him4 ,they who so trust ,him that ,he is sure they will follow ,him even when they cannot see where ,he is going2 they who trust ,him1 not in one or two matters which they see ,he can manage1 but absolutely and in all things1--to these ,he will give ,himself freely1 sharing with them ,his work1 ,his ,spirit1 ,his reward4 ,to illustrate the state of mind of the ,jerusalem ,jews and ,christ's mode of treating them1 ,john selects the case of ,nicodemus4 ,he was one of those who were much impressed by the miracles of ,jesus1 and were prepared to attach themselves to any movement in ,his favour4 ,he belonged to the ,pharisees2 to that party which1 with all its narrowness1 pedantry1 dogmatism1 and bigotry1 still preserved a salt of genuine patriotism and genuine godliness1 and reared high-toned and cultivated men like ,gamaliel and ,saul4 ,nicodemus1 whether a member of the ,sanhedrim's deputation to the ,baptist or not1 certainly knew the result of that deputation1 and was aware that a crisis in the national history had arrived4 ,he could not wait for the community to move1 but felt that whatever conclusion regarding ,christ the ,pharisees as a body might arrive at1 he must on his own responsibility be at the bottom of those extraordinary events and signs that clustered round the person of ,jesus4 ,he was a modest1 reserved1 cautious man1 and did not wish openly to commit himself till he was sure of his ground4 ,he has been blamed for timidity4 ,i would only say that1 if he felt it dangerous to be seen in the company of ,jesus1 it was a bold thing to visit ,him at all4 ,he went by night2 but he went4 ,and would that there were more like him1 who1 whether cautious to excess or not1 do still feel constrained to judge for themselves about ,christ2 who feel that1 no matter what other men think of ,him1 there is an interest in ,him which they cannot wait for others to settle1 but must for themselves settle before they sleep4 ,probably ,nicodemus made his visit by night because he did not wish to precipitate matters by calling undue attention to the position and intentions of ,jesus4 ,he probably went with the purpose of urging some special plan of action4 ,this inexperienced ,galilean could not be supposed to understand the populace of ,jerusalem as well as the old member of the ,sanhedrim1 who was familiar with all the outs and ins of party politics in the metropolis4 ,nicodemus would therefore go and advise ,him how to proceed in proclaiming the kingdom of ,god2 or at least sound ,him1 and1 if he found ,him amenable to reason1 encourage ,him to proceed1 and warn ,him against the pitfalls that lay in ,his path4 ,modestly1 and as if speaking for others as much as for himself1 he says3 ,rabbi1 we know that ,thou art a ,teacher come from ,god1 for no man can do these miracles that ,thou doest except ,god be with ,him6 ,there is here neither patronizing acknowledgment nor flattery1 but merely the natural first utterance of a man who must say something to show the state of his mind4 ,it served to reveal the point at which ,nicodemus had arrived1 and the ground on which the conversation might proceed4 ,but ,jesus knew what was in man4 ,in this acknowledgment of ,his miracles on the part of ,nicodemus1 ,jesus saw the whole mental attitude of the man4 ,he saw that if ,nicodemus had uttered all that was in his mind he would have said3 ,i believe you are sent to restore the kingdom to ,israel1 and ,i am come to advise with you on your plan of operation1 and to urge upon you certain lines of action4 ,and therefore ,jesus promptly cuts him short by saying3 ,the kingdom of ,god is quite another thing than you are thinking of2 and the way to establish it1 to enlist citizens in it1 is very different from the way you have been meditating4 ,in fact1 ,jesus was becoming embarrassed by ,his own miracles4 ,they were attracting the wrong kind of people--the superficial worldly people2 the people who thought a daring and strong hand with a dash of magic would serve all their turn4 ,his mind was full of this1 and as soon as ,he has an opportunity of uttering ,himself on this point ,he does so1 and assures ,nicodemus1 as a representative of a large number of ,jews who needed this teaching1 that all their thoughts about the kingdom must be ruled by this principle1 and must start from this great truth1 that it was a kingdom into which the ,spirit of ,god alone could give entrance1 and could give entrance only by making men spiritual4 ,that is to say1 that it was a spiritual kingdom1 an inward rule over the hearts of men1 not an outward empire--a kingdom to be established1 not by political craft and midnight meetings1 but by internal change and submission in heart to ,god--a kingdom1 therefore1 into which admission could be given only on some more spiritual ground than the mere circumstance of a man's natural birth as a ,jew4 ,in our ,lord's language there was nothing that need have puzzled ,nicodemus4 ,in religious circles in ,jerusalem there was nothing being talked of but the kingdom of ,god which ,john the ,baptist had declared to be at hand4 ,and when ,jesus told ,nicodemus that in order to enter this kingdom he must be born again1 ,he told him just what ,john had been telling the whole people4 ,john had assured them that1 though the ,king was in their midst1 they must not suppose they were already within ,his kingdom by being the children of ,abraham4 ,he excommunicated the whole nation1 and taught them that it was something different from natural birth that gave admission to ,god's kingdom4 ,and just as they had compelled ,gentiles to be baptized1 and to submit to other arrangements when they wished to partake of ,jewish privileges1 so ,john compelled them to be baptized4 ,the ,gentile who wished to become a ,jew had to be symbolically born again4 ,he had to be baptized1 going down under the cleansing waters1 washing away his old and defiled life1 being buried by baptism1 disappearing1 from men's sight as a ,gentile1 and rising from the water as a new man4 ,he was thus born of water1 and this time born1 not a ,gentile1 but a ,jew4 ,the language of our ,lord then could scarcely puzzle ,nicodemus1 but the idea did stagger him that not only ,gentiles but ,jews must be born again4 ,john had indeed required the same preparation for entrance to the kingdom2 but the ,pharisees had not listened to ,john1 and were offended precisely on the ground of his baptism4 ,but now ,jesus presses upon ,nicodemus the very same truth1 that as the ,gentile had to be naturalized and born again that he might rank as a child of ,abraham1 and enjoy the external privileges of the ,jew1 so must the ,jew himself be born again if he is to rank as a child of ,god and to belong to the kingdom of ,god4 ,he must submit to the double baptism of water and of the ,spirit--of water for the pardon and cleansing of past sin and defilement1 of the ,spirit for the inspiration of a new and holy life4 ,our ,lord here speaks of the second birth as completed by two agencies1 water and the ,spirit4 ,to make the one of these merely the symbol of the other is to miss ,his meaning4 ,the ,baptist baptized with water for the remission of sins1 but he was always careful to disclaim power to baptize with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,his baptism with water was of course symbolical2 that is to say1 the water itself exercised no spiritual influence1 but merely represented to the eye what was invisibly done in the heart4 ,but that which it symbolised was not the life-giving influence of the ,holy ,spirit1 but the washing away of sin from the soul4 ,assurance of pardon ,john was empowered to give4 ,those who humbly submitted to his baptism with confession of their sins went from it forgiven and cleansed4 ,but more than that was needed to make them new men--and yet more he could not give4 ,for that which would fill them with new life they must go to a ,greater than he1 who alone could bestow the ,holy ,ghost4 ,these then are the two great incidents of the second birth--the pardon of sin1 which is preparatory1 and which cuts our connection with the past2 the communication of life by the ,spirit of ,god1 which fits us for the future4 ,both of these are represented by ,christian baptism because in ,christ we have both2 but those who were baptized by ,john's baptism were only prepared for receiving ,christ's ,spirit by receiving the forgiveness of their sins4 ,having thus declared to ,nicodemus the necessity of the second birth1 ,he goes on to give the reason of this necessity4 ,birth by the ,spirit is necessary1 because that which is born of the flesh is flesh1 and the kingdom of ,god is spiritual4 ,of course our ,lord does not mean by flesh the mere tangible substance of the body2 ,he does not mean that our first and natural birth puts us in possession of nothing but a material frame4 ,by the word flesh ,he signifies the appetites1 desires1 faculties1 which animate and govern the body1 as well as the body itself--the whole equipment with which nature furnishes a man for life in this world4 ,this natural birth gives a man entrance into much1 and for ever determines much1 that has important bearings on his person1 character1 and destiny4 ,it determines all differences of nationality1 of temperament1 of sex2 apart altogether from any choice of his it is determined whether he shall be a ,south ,sea ,islander or a ,european2 an antediluvian living in a cave or an ,englishman of the nineteenth century4 ,but the kingdom of ,god is a spiritual kingdom1 into which entrance can be had only by a man's own will and spiritual condition1 only by an attachment to ,god which is no part of a man's natural equipment4 ,as soon as we clearly see what the kingdom of ,god is1 we see also that by nature we do not belong to it4 ,the kingdom of ,god so far as man is concerned is a state of willing subjection to ,him--a state in which we are in our right relation to ,him4 ,all irrational creatures obey ,god and do ,his will3 the sun runs his course with an exactness and punctuality we cannot rival2 the grace and strength of many of the lower animals1 their marvellous instincts and aptitudes1 are so superior to anything in ourselves that we cannot even comprehend them4 ,but what we have as our speciality is to render to ,god a willing service2 to understand ,his purposes and enter sympathetically into them4 ,the lower creatures obey a law impressed upon their nature2 they cannot sin2 their performance of ,god's will is a tribute to the power which made them so skilfully1 but it lacks all conscious recognition of ,his worthiness to be served and all knowledge of ,his object in creation4 ,it is ,god serving ,himself3 ,he made them so1 and therefore they do ,his will4 ,so it is with men who merely obey their nature3 they may do kindly1 noble1 heroic actions1 but they lack all reference to ,god2 and however excellent these actions are1 they give no guarantee that the men who do them would sympathize with ,god in all things1 and do ,his will gladly4 ,indeed1 to establish the proposition that flesh or nature does not give us entrance into ,god's kingdom1 we need go no further than our own consciousness4 ,remove the restraints which grace puts upon our nature1 and we are aware that we are not in sympathy with ,god1 fond of ,his will1 disposed for ,his service4 ,let nature have its swing1 and every man knows it is not the kingdom of ,god it takes him to4 ,to all men it is natural to eat1 drink1 sleep1 think2 we are born to these things1 and need to put no constraint on our nature to do them2 but can any man say it has come naturally to him to be what he ought to be to ,god8 ,do we not to this hour feel drawn away from ,god as if we were not in our element in ,his presence8 ,flesh1 nature1 in ,god's presence is as much out of its element as a stone in the air or a fish out of water4 ,men who have had the deepest religious experience have seen it most clearly1 and have felt1 like ,paul1 that the flesh lusts against the spirit1 and draws us ever back from entire submission to ,god and delight in ,him4 ,perhaps the necessity of the second birth may be more clearly apprehended if we consider it from another point of view4 ,in this world we find a number of creatures which have what is known as animal life4 ,they can work1 and feel1 and1 in a fashion1 think4 ,they have wills1 and certain dispositions1 and distinctive characteristics4 ,every creature that has animal life has a certain nature according to its kind1 and determined by its parentage2 and this nature which the animal receives from its parents determines from the first the capabilities and sphere of the animal's life4 ,the mole cannot soar in the face of the sun like the eagle2 neither can the bird that comes out of the eagle's egg burrow like the mole4 ,no training can possibly make the tortoise as swift as the antelope1 or the antelope as strong as the lion4 ,if a mole began to fly and enjoy the sunlight it must be counted a new kind of creature1 and no longer a mole4 ,the very fact of its passing certain limitations shows that another nature has somehow been infused into it4 ,beyond its own nature no animal can act4 ,you might as well attempt to give the eagle the appearance of the serpent as try to teach it to crawl4 ,each kind of animal is by its birth endowed with its own nature1 fitting it to do certain things1 and making other things impossible4 ,so is it with us3 we are born with certain faculties and endowments1 with a certain nature2 and just as all animals1 without receiving any new1 individual1 supernatural help from ,god1 can act according to their nature1 so can we4 ,we1 being human1 have a high and richly-endowed animal nature1 a nature that leads us not only to eat1 drink1 sleep1 and fight like the lower animals1 but a nature which leads us to think and to love1 and which1 by culture and education1 can enjoy a much richer and wider life than the lower creatures4 ,men need not be in the kingdom of ,god in order to do much that is admirable1 noble1 lovely1 because their nature as animals fits them for that4 ,if we were to exist at all as a race of animals superior to all others1 then all this is just what must be found in us4 ,irrespective of any kingdom of ,god at all1 irrespective of any knowledge of ,god or reference to ,him1 we have a life in this world1 and a nature fitting us for it4 ,and it is this we have by our natural birth1 a place among our kind1 an animal life4 ,the first man1 from whom we all descend1 was1 as ,st4 ,paul profoundly says1 a living soul1 that is to say1 an animal1 a living human being2 but he had not a quickening spirit1 could not give to his children spiritual life and make them children of ,god4 ,now if we ask ourselves a little more closely1 ,what is human nature8 what are the characteristics by which men are distinguished from all other creatures8 what is it which marks off our kind from every other kind1 and which is always produced by human parents8 we may find it hard to give a definition1 but one or two things are obvious and indisputable4 ,in the first place1 we could not deny human nature to men who do not love ,god1 or who even know nothing of ,him4 ,there are many whom we should naturally speak of as remarkably fine specimens of human nature1 who yet never think of ,god1 nor in any way acknowledge ,him4 ,it is plain1 therefore1 that the acknowledgment and love of ,god1 which give us entrance into ,his kingdom1 are not a part of our nature1 are not the gifts of our birth4 ,and yet is there anything that so distinctly separates us from the lower animals as our capacity for ,god and for eternity8 ,is it not our capacity to respond to ,god's love1 to enter into ,his purposes1 to measure things by eternity1 that is our real dignity8 ,the capacity is there1 even when unused2 and it is this capacity which invests man and all his works with an interest and a value which attach to no other creature4 ,man's nature is capable of being born again1 and that is its peculiarity2 there is in man a dormant or dead capacity which nothing but contact with ,god1 the touch of the ,holy ,ghost1 can vivify and bring into actual exercise4 ,that there should be such a capacity1 born as if dead1 and needing to be quickened by a higher power before it can live and be of use1 need not surprise us4 ,nature is full of examples of such capacities4 ,all seeds are of this nature1 dead until favouring circumstances and soil quicken them into life4 ,in our own body there are similar capacities1 capacities which may or may not be quickened into life4 ,in the lower animal-creation many analogous capacities are found1 which depend for their vivification on some external agency over which they have no control4 ,the egg of a bird has in it the capacity to become a bird like the parent1 but it remains a dead thing and will corrupt if the parent forsakes it4 ,there are many of the summer insects which are twice-born1 first of their insect parents1 and then of the sun3 if the frost comes in place of the sun1 they die4 ,the caterpillar has already a life of its own1 with which1 no doubt1 it is well content1 but enclosed in its nature as a creeping thing it has a capacity for becoming something different and higher4 ,it may become a moth1 or a butterfly2 but in most the capacity is never developed1 they die before they reach this end--their circumstances do not favour their development4 ,these analogies show how common it is for capacities of life to lie dormant3 how common a thing it is for a creature in one stage of its existence to have a capacity for passing into a higher stage1 a capacity which can be developed only by some agency peculiarly adapted to it4 ,it is in this condition man is born of his human parents4 ,he is born with a capacity for a higher life than that which he lives as an animal in this world4 ,there is in him a capacity for becoming something different1 better and higher than that which he actually is by his natural birth4 ,he has a capacity which lies dormant or dead until the ,holy ,ghost comes and quickens it4 ,there are many things1 and great things1 man can do without any further ,divine assistance than that which is lodged for the whole race in the natural laws which make no distinction between godly and ungodly2 there are many and great things man may do by virtue of his natural birth2 but one thing he cannot do--he cannot quicken within himself the capacity to love ,god and to live for ,him4 ,for this there is needed an influence from without1 the efficient touch of the ,holy ,spirit1 the impartation of ,his life4 ,the capacity to be a child of ,god is man's1 but the development of this lies with ,god4 ,without the capacity a man is not a man1 has not that which is most distinctive of human nature4 ,every man is born with that in him which the ,spirit of ,god may quicken into ,divine life4 ,this is human nature2 but when this capacity is so quickened1 when the man has begun to live as a child of ,god1 he has not lost his human nature1 but has over and above become a partaker of the ,divine nature4 ,when the image of ,god1 as well as of his earthly parents1 becomes manifest in a man1 then his human nature has received its utmost development1--he is born again4 ,of the ,agent who accomplishes this great transformation there is need only to say that ,he is free in ,his operation and also inscrutable4 ,he is like the wind1 our ,lord tells us1 that blows where it lists4 ,we cannot bring the ,spirit at will2 we cannot use ,him as if ,he were some unintelligent passive instrument2 neither can we subject all ,his operations to our control4 ,the grub must wait for those natural influences which are to transform it2 it cannot command them4 ,we cannot command the ,spirit2 but we1 being free agents also1 can do more than wait1--we can pray1 and we can strive to put ourselves in line with the ,spirit's operation4 ,seamen cannot raise the wind nor direct its course1 but they can put themselves in the way of the great regular winds4 ,we can do the same3 we can slowly1 by mechanical helps1 creep into the way of the ,spirit2 we can set our sails1 doing all we think likely to catch and utilize ,his influences--believing always that the ,spirit is more desirous than we are to bring us all to good4 ,why ,he breathes in one place while all around lies in a dead calm we do not know2 but as for the wind's variations so for ,his1 there are doubtless sufficient reasons4 ,we need not expect to see the ,spirit's working separate from the working of our own minds2 we cannot see the ,spirit in ,himself--we cannot see the wind that moves the ships1 but we can see the ships moving1 and we know that without the wind they could not move4 ,if this1 then1 be the line on which our human nature can alone be developed1 if a profound harmony with ,god be that which can alone give permanence and completeness to our nature1 if in accordance with all that we see in the world around us some men fail of attaining the end of their creation1 and lie for ever blighted and useless1 while others are carried forward to fuller and more satisfying life1 we cannot but ask with some anxiety to which class we belong4 ,good and evil are in the world1 happiness and misery1 victory and defeat2 do not let us deceive ourselves by acting as if there were no difference between these opposites1 or as if it mattered little in our case whether we belong to the one side or the other4 ,it matters everything3 it is just the difference between eternal life and eternal death4 ,christ did not come to play with us1 and startle us with idle tales4 ,he is the centre and fountain of all truth1 and what ,he says fits in with all we see in the world around us4 ,but in endeavouring to ascertain whether the great change our ,lord speaks of has passed upon us1 our object must be not so much to ascertain the time and manner of our new birth as its reality4 ,a man may know that he has been born though he is not able to recall1 as no man can recall1 the circumstances of his birth4 ,life is the great evidence of birth1 natural or spiritual4 ,we may desire to know the time and place of birth for some other reason1 but certainly not for this1 to make sure we have been born4 ,of that there is sufficient evidence in the fact of our being alive4 ,and spiritual life quite as certainly implies spiritual birth4 ,again1 we must keep in view that a man may be born though not yet full grown4 ,the child of a day old has as truly and certainly a human nature as the man in his prime4 ,he has a human heart and mind1 every organ of body and soul1 though as yet he cannot use them4 ,so the second birth impresses the image of ,god on every regenerate soul4 ,it may not as yet be developed in every part1 but all its parts are there in germ4 ,it is not a partial but a complete result which regeneration effects4 ,it is not one member1 a hand or a foot that is born1 but a body1 a complete equipment of the soul in all graces4 ,the whole character is regenerated1 so that the man is fitted for all the duties of the ,divine life whensoever these duties shall come before him4 ,a human child does not need additions made to it to fit it for new functions3 it requires growth1 it requires nurture1 it requires education and the practice of human ways1 but it requires no new organ to be inserted into its frame2 once born it has but to grow in order to adapt itself with ease and success to all human ways and conditions4 ,and if regenerate we have that in us which with care and culture will grow till it brings us to perfect likeness to ,christ4 ,if we are not growing1 if we remain small1 puny1 childish while we should be adult and full grown1 then there is something seriously wrong1 which calls for anxious enquiry4 ,but above all let us bear in mind that it is a new birth that is required2 that no care spent on our conduct1 no improvement and refinement of the natural man1 suffices4 ,for flying it is not an improved caterpillar that is needed1 it is a butterfly2 it is not a caterpillar of finer colour or more rapid movement or larger proportions1 it is a new creature4 ,we recognise that in this and that man we meet there is something more than men naturally have2 we perceive in them a taming1 chastening1 inspiring principle4 ,we rejoice all the more when we see it1 because we know that no man can give it1 but only ,god4 ,and we mourn its absence because even when a man is dutiful1 affectionate1 temperate1 honourable1 yet if he have not grace1 if he have not that peculiar tone and colour which overspread the whole character1 and show that the man is living in the light of ,christ1 and is moved by love to ,god1 we instinctively feel that the defect is radical1 that as yet he has not come into connection with the ,eternal1 that there is that awanting for which no natural qualities1 however excellent1 can compensate--nay1 the more lovely and complete the natural character is1 the more painful and lamentable is the absence of grace1 of ,spirit4 ,,viii4 ,,the ,,brazen ,,serpent4 ,nicodemus answered and said unto ,him1 ,how can these things be8 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,art thou the teacher of ,israel1 and understandest not these things8 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,we speak that we do know1 and bear witness of that we have seen2 and ye receive not our witness4 ,if ,i told you earthly things1 and ye believe not1 how shall ye believe1 if ,i tell you heavenly things8 ,and no man hath ascended into heaven1 but ,he that descended out of heaven1 even the ,son of man1 which is in heaven4 ,and as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of man be lifted up3 that whosoever believeth may in ,him have eternal life4 ,for ,god so loved the world that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth on ,him should not perish1 but have eternal life4 ,for ,god sent not the ,son into the world to judge the world2 but that the world should be saved through ,him4 ,he that believeth on ,him is not judged3 he that believeth not hath been judged already1 because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten ,son of ,god4 ,and this is the judgment1 that the light is come into the world1 and men loved the darkness rather than the light2 for their works were evil4 ,for every one that doeth ill hateth the light1 and cometh not to the light1 lest his works should be reproved4 ,but he that doeth the truth cometh to the light1 that his works may be made manifest1 that they have been wrought in ,god4--,,john iii4 #i-ba4 ,there are two great obstacles to human progress1 two errors which retard the individual and the race1 two inborn prejudices which prevent men from choosing and entering into true and lasting prosperity4 ,the first is that men will always persist in seeking their happiness in something outside themselves2 the second is that even when they come to see where true happiness lies they cannot find the way to it4 ,in our ,lord's time even wise and godly people thought the permanent glory and happiness of men were to be found in a free state1 in self-government1 lightened taxes1 impregnable fortresses1 and a purified social order4 ,and they were not altogether wrong2 but the way to this condition1 they thought1 lay through the enthronement of a strong-handed monarch1 who could gather round his throne wise counsellors and devoted followers4 ,this was the form of worldliness which our ,lord had to contend with4 ,this was the tendency of the unspiritual mind in ,his day4 ,but in every generation and in all men the same radical misconceptions exist1 although they may not appear in the same forms4 ,in dealing with ,nicodemus1 a sincere and thoroughly decent but unspiritual man1 our ,lord had difficulty in lifting his thoughts off what was external and worldly and fixing them on what was inward and heavenly4#aj ,and in order to effect this1 ,he told him1 among other things1 that the ,son of man was indeed to be lifted up--yes1 but not on a throne set up in ,herod's palace4 ,he was to be conspicuous1 but it was as the ,brazen ,serpent was conspicuous1 hanging on a pole for the healing of the people4 ,his lifting up1 ,his exaltation1 was secure2 ,he was to be raised above every name that is named2 ,he was destined to have the pre-eminence in all things1 to be exalted above all principalities and powers2 ,he was to have all power in heaven and in earth2 ,he was to be the true and supreme ,lord of all1--yes2 but this dignity and power were to be attained by no mere official appointment1 by no accidental choice of the people1 by no mere hereditary title1 but by the sheer force of merit1 by ,his performing services for men which made the race ,his own1 by ,his leaving no depth of human degradation unexplored1 by a sympathy with the race and with individuals which produced in ,him a total self-abandonment1 and suffered ,him to leave no grievance unconsidered1 no wrong unthought of1 no sorrow untouched4 ,there is no royal road to human excellence2 and ,jesus could reach the height ,he reached by no swift ascension of a throne amidst the blare of trumpets1 the flaunting of banners1 and the acclamations of the crowd1 but only by being exposed to the keenest tests with which this world can confront and search human character1 by being put through the ordeal of human life1 and being found the best man among us2 the humblest1 the truest2 the most faithful1 loving1 and enduring2 the most willing servant of ,god and man4 ,it was this which ,christ sought to suggest to ,nicodemus1 and which we all find it hard to learn1 that true glory is excellence of character1 and that this excellence can be reached only through the difficulties1 trials1 and sorrows of a human life4 ,christ showed men a new glory and a new path to it--not by arms1 not by statesmanship1 not by inventions1 not by literature1 not by working miracles1 but by living with the poor and becoming the friend of forsaken and wicked men1 and by dying1 the ,just for the unjust4 ,he has been lifted up as the ,brazen ,serpent was1 ,he has become conspicuous by ,his very lowliness2 by a self-sacrifice so complete that ,he gave ,his all1 ,his life1 ,he has won to ,himself all men and made ,his will supreme1 so that it and no other shall one day everywhere rule4 ,he gave ,himself for the healing of the nations1 and the very death which seemed to extinguish ,his usefulness has made ,him the object of worship and trust to all4 ,this is certainly the point of analogy between ,himself and the ,brazen ,serpent which our ,lord chiefly intended to suggest--that as the serpent was lifted up so as to be seen from every part of the camp1 even so the death of the ,son of man was to make ,him conspicuous and easily discernible4 ,it is by their death that many men have become immortalized in the memory of the race4 ,deaths of gallantry1 of heroism1 of self-devotion have often wiped out and seemed to atone for preceding lives of dissipation and uselessness4 ,the life of ,christ would have been inefficient without ,his death4 ,had ,he only lived and taught1 we should have known more than was otherwise possible1 but it is doubtful whether ,his teaching would have been much listened to4 ,it is ,his death in which all men are interested4 ,it appeals to all4 ,a love that gave its life for them1 all men can understand4 ,a love that atoned for sin appeals to all1 for all are sinners4 ,but though this is the chief point of analogy there are others4 ,we do not know precisely what the ,israelites would think of the ,brazen ,serpent4 ,we need not repeat from the sacred narrative the circumstances in which it was formed and lifted up in the wilderness4 ,the singularity of the remedy provided for the plague of serpents under which the ,israelites were suffering1 consisted in this1 that it resembled the disease4 ,serpents were destroying them1 and from this destruction they were saved by a serpent4 ,this special mode of cure was obviously not chosen without a reason4 ,to those among them who were instructed in the symbolic learning of ,egypt there might be in this image a significance which is lost to us4 ,from the earliest times the serpent had been regarded as man's most dangerous enemy--more subtle than any beast of the field1 more sudden and stealthy in its attack1 and more certainly fatal4 ,the natural revulsion which men feel in its presence1 and their inability to cope with it1 seemed to fit it to be the natural representative of the powers of spiritual evil4 ,and yet1 strangely enough1 in the very countries in which it was recognised as the symbol of all that is deadly1 it was also recognised as the symbol of life4 ,having none of the ordinary members or weapons of the wilder lower creatures1 it was yet more agile and formidable than any of them2 and1 casting its skin annually1 it seemed to renew itself with eternal youth4 ,and as it was early discovered that the most valuable medicines are poisons1 the serpent1 as the very personification of poison1 was looked upon as not only the symbol of all that is deadly1 but also of all that is health-giving4 ,and so it has continued to be1 even to our own days1 the recognised symbol of the healing art1 and1 wreathed round a staff1 as ,moses had it1 it may still be seen sculptured on our own hospitals and schools of medicine4 ,but whatever else the agonised people saw in the brazen image1 they must at any rate have seen in its limp and harmless form a symbol of the power of their ,god to make all the serpents round about them as harmless as this one4 ,the sight of it hanging with drooping head and motionless fangs was hailed with exultation as the trophy of deliverance from all the venomous creatures it represented4 ,they saw in it their danger at an end1 their enemy triumphed over1 their death slain4 ,they knew that the manufactured serpent was only a sign1 and had in itself no healing virtue1 but in looking at it they saw1 as in a picture1 ,god's power to overcome the most noxious of evils4 ,that which ,moses lifted up for the healing of the ,israelites was a likeness1 not of those who were suffering1 but of that from which they were suffering4 ,it was an image1 not of the swollen limbs and discoloured face of the serpent-bitten1 but of the serpents that poisoned them4 ,it was this image1 representing as slain and harmless the creature which was destroying them1 which became the remedy for the pains it inflicted4 ,similarly1 our ,lord instructs us to see in the cross not so much our own nature suffering the extreme agony and then hanging lifeless1 as sin suspended harmless and dead there4 ,all the virus seemed to be extracted from the fiery1 burning fangs of the snakes1 and hung up innocuous in that brazen serpent2 so all the virulence and venom of sin1 all that is dangerous and deadly in it1 our ,lord bids us believe is absorbed in ,his person and rendered harmless on the cross4 ,with this representation the language of ,paul perfectly agrees4 ,god1 he tells us1 made ,christ to be sin for us4 ,it is strong language2 yet no language that fell short of this would satisfy the symbol4 ,christ was not merely made man1 ,he was made sin for us4 ,had ,he merely become man1 and thus become involved in our sufferings1 the symbol of the serpent would scarcely have been a fair one4 ,a better image of ,him would in that case have been a poisoned ,israelite4 ,his choice of the symbol of the brazen serpent to represent ,himself upon the cross justifies ,paul's language1 and shows us that ,he habitually thought of ,his own death as the death of sin4 ,christ being lifted up1 then1 meant this1 whatever else1 that in ,his death sin was slain1 its power to hurt ended4 ,he being made sin for us1 we are to argue that what we see done to ,him is done to sin4 ,is ,he smitten1 does ,he become accursed1 does ,god deliver ,him to death1 is ,he at last slain and proved to be dead1 so certainly dead that not a bone of ,him need be broken8 ,then in this we are to read that sin is thus doomed by ,god1 has been judged by ,him1 and was in the cross of ,christ slain and put an end to--so utterly slain that there is left in it not any so faint a flicker or pulsation of life that a second blow need be given to prove it really dead4 ,when we strive to get a little closer to the reality and understand in what sense1 and how1 ,christ represented sin on the cross1 we recognise first of all that it was not by ,his being in any way personally tainted by sin4 ,indeed1 had ,he ,himself been in the faintest degree tainted by sin this would have prevented ,him from representing sin on the cross4 ,it was not an actual serpent ,moses suspended1 but a serpent of brass4 ,it would have been easy to kill one of the snakes that were biting the people1 and hang up its body4 ,but it would have been useless4 ,to exhibit one slain snake would only have suggested to the people how many were yet alive4 ,being itself a real snake1 it could have no virtue as a symbol4 ,whereas the brazen serpent represented all snakes4 ,in it each snake seemed to be represented4 ,similarly1 it was not one out of a number of real sinners that was suspended on the cross1 but it was one made in the likeness of sinful flesh4 ,so that it was not the sins of one person which were condemned and put an end to there1 but sin generally4 ,this was easily intelligible to those who saw the crucifixion4 ,john the ,baptist had pointed to ,jesus as the ,lamb of ,god that taketh away the sin of the world4 ,how does a ,lamb take away sin8 ,not by instruction1 not by example1 but by being sacrificed2 by standing in the room of the sinner and suffering instead of him4 ,and when ,jesus1 ,himself without sin1 hung upon the cross1 those who knew ,his innocence perceived that it was as the ,lamb of ,god ,he suffered1 and that by ,his death they were delivered4 ,another point of analogy between the lifting-up of the serpent and the lifting-up of the ,son of ,man on the cross is to be found in the circumstance that in each case the healing result is effected through a moral act on the part of the healed person4 ,a look at the brazen serpent was all that was required4 ,less could not have been asked3 more1 in some cases1 could not have been given4 ,if deliverance from the pain and danger of the snake-bite had been all that ,god desired1 ,he might have accomplished this without any concurrence on the part of the ,israelites4 ,but their present agony was the consequence of their unbelief1 and distrust1 and rebellion2 and in order that the cure may be complete they must pass from distrust to faith1 from alienation to confidence and attachment4 ,this cannot be accomplished without their own concurrence4 ,but this concurrence may be exercised and may be exhibited in connection with a small matter quite as decisively as in connection with what is difficult4 ,to get a disobedient and stubborn child to say1 ,i am sorry1 or to do the smallest and easiest action1 is quite as difficult1 if it be a test of submission1 as to get him to run a mile1 or perform an hour's task4 ,so the mere uplifting of the eye to the brazen serpent was enough to show that the ,israelite believed ,god's word1 and expected healing4 ,it was in this look that the will of man met and accepted the will of ,god in the matter4 ,it was by this look the pride which had led them to resist ,god and rely upon themselves was broken down2 and in the momentary gaze at the remedy appointed by ,god the tormented ,israelite showed his reliance upon ,god1 his willingness to accept ,his help1 his return to ,god4 ,it is by a similar act we receive healing from the cross of ,christ4 ,it is by an act which springs from a similar state of mind4 ,every one that believeth1--that is all that is required of any who would be healed of sin and its attendant miseries4 ,it is a little and an easy thing in itself1 but it indicates a great and difficult change of mind4 ,it is so slight and easy an action that the dying can do it4 ,the feeblest and most ignorant can turn in thought to ,him who died upon the cross1 and can1 with the dying thief1 say1 ,lord1 remember me4 ,all that is required is a sincere prayer to ,christ for deliverance4 ,but before anyone can so pray1 he must hate the sin he has loved1 and must be willing to submit to the ,god he has abandoned4 ,and this is a great change2 too difficult for many4 ,not all these ,israelites were healed1 though the cure was so accessible4 ,there were those who were already insensible1 torpid with the heavy poison that ran through their blood4 ,there were those whose pride could not be broken1 who would rather die than yield to ,god4 ,there were those who could not endure the thought of a life in ,god's service4 ,and there are those now who1 though they feel the sting of sin1 and are convulsed and tormented by it1 cannot bring themselves to seek help from ,christ4 ,there are those who do not believe ,christ can deliver them2 and there are those to whom deliverance weighted with obligation to ,god1 and giving health to serve ,him1 seems equally repugnant with death itself4 ,but where1 there is a sincere desire for reconcilement with ,god1 and for the holiness which maintains us in harmony with ,god1 all that is needed is trust in ,christ1 the belief that ,god has appointed ,him to be our ,saviour1 and the daily use of ,him as our ,saviour4 ,in proceeding to make a practical use of what our ,lord here teaches1 our first duty1 plainly1 is to look to ,him for life4 ,he is exhibited crucified--it is our part to trust in ,him1 to appropriate for our own use ,his saving power4 ,we need it4 ,we know something of the deadly nature of sin1 and that with the first touch of its fang death enters our frame4 ,we have found our lives poisoned by it4 ,nothing can well be a fitter picture of the havoc sin makes than this plague of serpents--the slender weapon sin uses1 the slight external mark it leaves1 but1 within1 the fevered blood1 the fast dimming sight1 the throbbing heart1 the convulsed frame1 the rigid muscles no longer answering to our will4 ,do we not find ourselves exposed to sin wherever we go8 ,in the morning our eyes open on its vibrating fangs ready to dart upon us2 as we go about our ordinary employments we have trodden on it and been bitten ere we are aware2 in the evening1 as we rest1 our eye is attracted1 and fascinated1 and held by its charm4 ,sin is that from which we cannot escape1 from which we are at no time1 nor in any place1 secure2 from which1 in point of fact1 no one of us has escaped1 and which in every case in which it has touched a man has brought death along with it4 ,death may not at once appear2 it may appear at first only in the form of a gayer and intenser life2 as1 they tell us1 there is one poison which causes men to leap and dance1 and another which distorts the face of the dying with a hideous imitation of laughter4 ,is that not a diseased soul which has no vigour for righteous and self-sacrificing work2 whose vision is so dim it sees no beauty in holiness8 ,of this condition1 faith in ,god through ,christ is the true remedy4 ,return to ,god is the beginning of all healthy spiritual life4 ,faith means that all distrust1 all resentment at what has happened in our life1 all proud and all despondent thoughts1 are laid aside4 ,to believe that ,god is loving us tenderly and wisely1 and to put ourselves unreservedly into ,his hand1 is eternal life begun in the soul4 ,,footnotes3 #aj ,in saying1 ,art thou the teacher of ,israel1 and knowest not these things8 our ,lord hints that it is bad enough for an ordinary ,israelite to be so ignorant1 but for a teacher how much worse4 ,if the teacher is thus obtuse1 what are the taught likely to be8 ,is this the state of matters ,i must confront8 ,and in saying that the subjects of conversation were earthly 7ver4 #ab7 ,he meant that the necessity of regeneration or entrance into the kingdom of ,god was a matter open to observation and its occurrence a fact which might be tested here upon earth4 ,,ix4 ,,the ,,woman ,,of ,,samaria4 ,when therefore the ,lord knew how that the ,pharisees had heard that ,jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than ,john 7although ,jesus ,himself baptized not1 but ,his disciples71 ,he left ,judaea1 and departed again into ,galilee4 ,and ,he must needs pass through ,samaria4 ,so ,he cometh to a city of ,samaria1 called ,sychar1 near to the parcel of ground that ,jacob gave to his son ,joseph3 and ,jacob's well was there4 ,jesus therefore1 being wearied with ,his journey1 sat thus by the well4 ,it was about the sixth hour4 ,there cometh a woman of ,samaria to draw water3 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,give ,me to drink4 ,for ,his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food4 ,the ,samaritan woman therefore saith unto ,him1 ,how is it that ,thou1 being a ,jew1 askest drink of me1 which am a ,samaritan woman8 7,for ,jews have no dealings with ,samaritans47 ,jesus answered and said unto her1 ,if thou knewest the gift of ,god1 and who it is that saith to thee1 ,give ,me to drink2 thou wouldest have asked of ,him1 and ,he would have given thee living water4 ,the woman saith unto ,him1 ,sir1 ,thou hast nothing to draw with1 and the well is deep3 from whence then hast ,thou that living water8 ,art thou greater than our father ,jacob1 which gave us the well1 and drank thereof himself1 and his sons1 and his cattle8 ,jesus answered and said unto her1 ,every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again3 but whosoever drinketh of the water that ,i shall give him shall never thirst2 but the water that ,i shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life4 ,the woman saith unto ,him1 ,sir1 give me this water1 that ,i thirst not1 neither come all the way hither to draw4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,go1 call thy husband1 and come hither4--,,john iv4 #a-af4 ,jesus left ,jerusalem because ,his miracles were attracting the wrong kind of people1 and creating a misconception of the nature of ,his kingdom4 ,he went into the rural districts1 where ,he had simpler1 less sophisticated persons to deal with4 ,here ,he gained many disciples1 who accepted baptism in ,his name4 ,but here again ,his very success endangered ,his attainment of ,his great end4 ,the ,pharisees1 hearing of the numbers who flocked to ,his baptism1 fomented a quarrel between ,his disciples and those of ,john2 and would1 moreover1 have probably called ,him to account for presuming to baptize at all4 ,but why should ,he have feared a collision with the ,pharisees8 ,why should ,he not have proclaimed ,himself the ,messiah8 ,the reason is obvious4 ,the people had not had sufficient opportunity to ascertain the character of ,his work2 and only by going about among them could ,he impress upon susceptible spirits a true sense of the nature of the blessings ,he was willing to bestow4 ,to the woman of ,samaria ,he did not hesitate to proclaim ,himself1 because she was a simple-minded woman1 who was in need of sympathy and spiritual strength4 ,but from controversial ,pharisees1 who were prepared to settle ,his claims by one or two trifling theological tests1 ,he withdrew4 ,the time would come when1 after conferring on many humble souls the blessings of the kingdom1 ,he must publicly proclaim ,himself ,king2 but as yet that time had not arrived1 and therefore ,he left ,judaea for ,galilee4 ,a line drawn from ,jerusalem to ,nazareth would pass through the entire breadth of ,samaria1 and quite close to the town of ,sychar4 ,between ,judaea1 where ,jesus was1 and ,galilee1 where ,he wished to be1 the province of ,samaria intervened4 ,it stretched right across from the sea to the ,jordan1 so that the ,jews1 who were too scrupulous to pass through ,samaritan territory1 were compelled to cross the ,jordan twice1 and make a considerable detour if they wished to go to ,galilee4 ,our ,lord had no such scruples2 besides1 the springs near ,salim1 where ,john was baptizing1 were not far from ,sychar1 and ,he might wish to see ,john on ,his way north4 ,he took1 therefore1 the great north road1 and one day at noon#aa found ,himself at ,jacob's well1 where the road divides1 and where1 at any rate1 it was natural that a tired traveller should rest during the mid-day hours4 ,jacob's well is still extant1 and is one of the few undisputed localities associated with our ,lord's life4 ,travellers of all shades of theological opinion and of no theological opinion are agreed that the deep well1 now much choked with debris1 lying twenty minutes east of ,nablus1 is the veritable well on the stone rim of which our ,lord sat4 ,ten minutes' walk north of this well lies a village now called ,el-,askar1 which represents in name and partly in locality the ,sychar of the text4 ,partly in locality ,i say1 for ,palestine was ten times as populous in the days of our ,lord as it is at present2 and there is therefore good ground for the supposition that although now but a little village or hamlet1 ,sychar was then considerably larger1 and extended nearer to the well4 ,coming1 then1 to this well1 and being tired with the forenoon's walk1 our ,lord sat down1 while the disciples went forward to the town to buy bread4 ,and thus arose that conversation with the woman of ,sychar1 which has brought hope and comfort to many a thirsting and weary soul besides4 ,that which struck the woman herself and the disciples is not that which is likely to impress us most distinctly4 ,we all feel the unsurpassed delicacy and grace of the whole scene4 ,no poet ever imagined a situation in which the free movements of human nature1 the picturesqueness of outward circumstance1 and the profoundest spiritual interests were so happily1 easily1 and effectively combined4 ,yet the chief thing which struck the woman herself and the disciples was the ease with which ,jesus broke down the wall of partition which the hatred of centuries had erected between ,jew and ,samaritan4 ,to estimate aright the magnanimity and originality of our ,lord's action in making ,himself and ,his salvation accessible to this woman1 the marked separation that had hitherto existed must be borne in mind4 ,the ,samaritans were of heathen origin4 ,in the ,second ,book of ,kings1 chap1 xvii41 we read that ,shalmaneser1 ,king of ,assyria1 pursuing the usual policy of his empire1 carried the ,israelites to ,babylonia1 and sent colonists from ,babylonia to occupy their cities and land4 ,these colonists found the country overrun by wild beasts1 which had multiplied during the years of depopulation2 and accepting this as proof that the ,god of the land was not pleased1 they begged their monarch to send them an ,israelitish priest1 who would teach them the manner of the ,god of the land4 ,their application was granted1 and an adulterated ,judaism was grafted on their native religion4 ,they accepted the five ,books of ,moses1 and looked for a ,messiah--as indeed they still do4 ,the origin of their hatred of the ,jews is told in ,ezra4 ,when the ,jews returned from exile and began to rebuild the temple1 the ,samaritans begged to be allowed to share in the work4 ,let us build with you1 they said1 for we seek your ,god as ye do2 and we sacrifice unto ,him since the days of ,esarbaddon4 ,but their request was bluntly refused2 they were treated as heathens1 who had no part in the religion of ,israel4 ,hence the implacable religious enmity which for centuries manifested itself in all sorts of petty annoyances1 and1 when occasion offered1 more serious injuries4 ,this ,samaritan woman1 then1 was taken quite aback when the quiet figure on the well1 which by dress and accent she had recognised as that of a ,jew1 uttered the simple request1 ,give me to drink4 ,as any ,samaritan would have done1 she twitted the ,jew with showing a frankness and friendliness which she supposed were wholly due to ,his own keen thirst and helplessness to quench it4 ,but1 to her still greater surprise1 ,he does not wince before her thrust1 nor awkwardly apologise1 or seek to explain1 but gravely and earnestly1 and with dignity1 utters the perplexing but thought-provoking words3 ,if thou knewest the gift of ,god1 and who it is that saith to thee1 ,give me to drink1 thou wouldest have asked of ,him1 and ,he would have given thee living water4 ,he perceived the interest of the situation1 saw with compassion her entire ignorance of the presence in which she stood1 and of the possibilities within her reach4 ,so do the most important issues often hinge on slight1 trivial1 every-day incidents4 ,the turning-points in our career have often nothing to show that they are turning-points4 ,we unconsciously determine our future1 and bind ourselves with chains we can never break1 by the way in which we deal with apparent trifles4 ,we do not know the forces that lie hidden all around us2 and for want of knowledge we miss a thousand opportunities4 ,the sick man drags out a miserable existence1 incapacitated and useless1 while within his reach1 but unrecognised1 is a remedy which would give him health4 ,it is often by a very little that the scientific or philosophical student fails to make the discovery he seeks2 one more fact known1 one idea fitted into its proper place1 and the thing is done4 ,the gold-digger throws aside his pick in despair at the very point where another stroke would have turned up the ore4 ,so with some among ourselves2 they pass through life alongside of that which would make all eternity different to them1 and yet for lack of knowledge1 for lack of consideration1 the thin veil continues to hide from them their true blessedness4 ,like the crew that were perishing from thirst1 though surrounded by the fresh waters of the ,river ,amazon that penetrated far into the salt ocean1 so we1 surrounded on all hands by ,god and upheld by ,him1 and living in ,him1 yet do not know it1 and refrain from dipping our buckets and drawing out of ,his life-giving fulness4 ,how often1 looking on those who1 like this ,samaritan woman1 have gone wrong and know no recovery1 who go through their daily duties sad and heavy at heart and weary of sin--how often do these words rise to our lips1 ,if only thou knewest4 ,how often does one long to be able to shed a sudden and universal light into the minds of men that would reveal to them the goodness1 the power1 the all-conquering love of ,god4 ,yes1 and even in those who can speak intelligently of things ,divine and eternal1 how much blindness remains4 ,for the knowledge of words is one thing1 the knowledge of things1 of realities1 is another4 ,and many who can speak of ,god's love have never yet seen what that means for themselves4 ,certainly it is true of us all1 that if we are not deriving from ,christ what we recognise as living water1 it is because there is a defect in our knowledge1 because we do not know the gift of ,god4 ,in two particulars this woman's knowledge was defective3 she did not know the gift of ,god1 nor who it was that spoke to her4 ,she did not know the gift of ,god4 ,she was not expecting anything from that quarter4 ,her expectations were limited by her earthly condition and her physical wants4 ,with affections worn out1 with character gone1 with no purifying joy1 she came out listlessly day by day1 filled her pitcher1 and went her weary way4 ,she had no thought of ,god's gift1 no belief that the ,eternal was with her1 and desired to communicate to her a spring of deep and ever-flowing joy4 ,doubtless she would have acknowledged ,god as the ,giver of all good2 but she had no idea of the completeness of ,his giving1 of the freeness of ,his love1 of ,his perception and understanding of our actual wants1 of the joy with which ,he provides for them all4 ,through all ages and for all men there remains this gift of ,god1 sought and found by those who know it2 different from and superior to the best human gifts1 inheritances1 and acquisitions2 not to be drawn out of the deepest1 most cherished well of human sinking2 steadily arrogating to itself an infinite superiority to all that men have regarded and busily sunk their pitchers in2 a gift which each man must ask for himself1 and having for himself knows to be the gift of ,god to him1 the recognition by ,god of his personal wants1 and the assurance to him of ,god's everlasting regard4 ,this gift of ,god1 that carries to each soul the sense of ,his love1 is ,his deliverance from evil4 ,it is ,his answer to the misery and vanity of the world which ,he has resolved to redeem to worth and blessedness4 ,it is all that is given in ,christ1 the hope1 the holy impulses1 the new views of life--but above all it is the means of conveyance that brings ,god to us1 ,his love to our hearts4 ,what1 then1 can teach a man to know this gift8 ,what can make a man for a while forget the lesser gifts that perish in the using8 ,what can reasonably induce him to turn from the accredited sources round which men in all ages have crowded1 what can induce him to forego fame1 wealth1 bodily comfort1 domestic happiness1 and seek first of all ,god's righteousness8 ,may we not all well pray with ,paul1 that we may have not the spirit of the world but the ,spirit of ,god1 that we may know the things that are freely given us of ,god2 that we may see the small value of wealth or power or any of those things which can be won by mere worldly prudence or greed2 and may learn fixedly to believe that the things of true value are the internal1 spiritual possessions1 which the unsuccessful may have as well as the successful1 and which are not so much won by us as given by ,god8 ,jesus further describes this gift as living water1 a description suggested by the circumstances1 and only figurative4 ,yet it is a figure of the same kind as pervades all human language4 ,water is an essential of animal and vegetable life4 ,with a constantly recurring appetite we seek it4 ,to have no thirst is a symptom of disease or death4 ,but the soul also1 not having life in itself1 needs to be sustained from without2 and when in a healthy state it seeks by a natural appetite that which will sustain it4 ,and as most of our mental acts are spoken of in terms of the body1 as we speak of seeing truth and grasping it1 as if the mind had hands and eyes1 so ,david naturally exclaims1 ,my soul thirsts for the living ,god4 ,in the living soul there is a craving for that which maintains and revives its life1 which is analogous to the thirst of the body for water4 ,the dead alone feel no thirst for ,god4 ,the soul that is alive sees for a moment the glory and liberty and joy of the life to which ,god calls us2 it feels the attraction of a life of love1 purity1 and righteousness1 but it seems continually to sink from this and to tend to become dull and feeble1 and to have no joy in goodness4 ,just as the healthy body delights in work1 but wearies and cannot go on exerting itself for many hours together1 but must repair its strength1 so the soul soon wearies and sinks back from what is difficult1 and needs to be revived by its appropriate refreshment4 ,and this woman1 if for a moment she felt as if ,christ were playing with her or making her enigmatical offers that could never bring her any substantial good1 was immediately made aware that ,he who made these offers had fully in view the harshest facts of her domestic life4 ,mystified1 she is also attracted and expectant4 ,she cannot mistake the sincerity of ,jesus2 and1 scarcely knowing what she asks1 and with her mind still running on relief from her daily drudgery1 she says1 ,sir1 give me this water1 that ,i thirst not1 neither come hither to draw4 ,in prompt response to her faith ,jesus says1 ,go1 call thy husband1 and come hither4 ,the water which ,he means to give cannot be given before thirst for it is awakened4 ,and in order to awaken her thirst ,he turns her back upon the shameful wretchedness of her life1 that she may forget the water of ,jacob's well in thirst for relief from shame and misery4 ,in requiring her thus to face the facts of her guilty life1 in encouraging her to bring clear before ,him all her sinful entanglement1 ,he responds to her request1 and gives her the first draught of living water4 ,for there is no abiding spiritual satisfaction which does not begin with a fair and frank consideration of our past1 and which does not proceed upon the actual facts of our own life4 ,if this woman is to enter into a hopeful and cleansed life1 she must enter through confession of her need of cleansing4 ,no one can slink out of his past life1 forgetting or huddling up what is shameful4 ,it is only through truth and straightforwardness we can enter into that life which is all truth and integrity4 ,before we drink the living water we must truly thirst for it4 ,if the inquiry be more closely pressed1 and if it be asked what this ,samaritan woman would find to be living water to her1 what it was which1 after ,christ had gone1 would daily renew in her the purpose to live a better life and to bear her burden cheerfully and hopefully1 it will be seen that it must have been simply the remembrance of ,christ2 the knowledge that in ,christ ,god had sought her1 had claimed her in the midst of her evil life for some better and holier thing1 had1 in a word1 loved her through all her sin1 and sent deliverance to her4 ,it is still1 and always1 this knowledge which comes with fresh exhilarating power to every disconsolate1 despairing1 fainting soul4 ,the knowledge that there is ,one1 the ,holiest of all1 who loves us1 and who will be satisfied with nothing short of the purest blessedness for us2 the knowledge that our ,god follows us1 forgives us1 elevates and purifies us by ,his love1 this is living water to our souls2 this revives us to the love of goodness1 and braces us for all effort4 ,it is not a little cistern that soon runs dry4 ,to the end of a ,christian's life this fact of ,god's love in ,christ comes as fresh and as reviving to the soul as at first2 to us this day it has the same power of supplying motive to our life as it had when ,christ spoke to the woman4 ,he further defines the gift as a well of water in the soul itself springing up to everlasting life4 ,this peculiarity of the water ,he would give was remarked upon here for the sake of contrasting it with the well outside the city to which the woman in all weathers had to repair2 often wishing1 no doubt1 as she went out in the heat or in the rain1 that she had a well at her door4 ,the source of spiritual life is within2 it cannot be inaccessible2 it does not depend on anything from which we may be separated4 ,and this is man's victory and end when within himself he has the source of life and joy1 so that he is independent of circumstances1 of position1 of things present and things to come4 ,it was a commonplace even of heathen philosophy1 that no man is happy until he is superior to fortune2 that his happiness must have an inward source1 must depend on his own spiritual state1 and not on outward circumstances4 ,similarly ,solomon thought it a saying worthy of preservation that the good man is satisfied from himself2 that is1 he shall not look to success in life1 or to comfortable circumstances1 or even to domestic happiness or the society of old friends1 as a sure and unfailing source of joy2 but shall be at bottom independent of everything save what he carries always and everywhere in himself4 ,nothing is more pitiable than the restlessness one sees in some people2 how they can find nothing in themselves1 but are ever going from place to place1 from entertainment to entertainment1 from friend to friend1 seeking something to give them rest1 and finding nothing1 because they seek it without and not within4 ,it is ,christ dwelling in the heart by faith that is alone the fountain of living water4 ,it is ,his inward presence1 apprehended by faith1 by imagination1 by knowledge1 that revives the soul continually4 ,it is thus that ,god makes us partakers of the life that is only in ,him1 linking us to ,himself by our will1 by all that is deepest in us1 and so producing true and lasting spiritual life4 ,the woman was blinded by her ignorance on a second point2 she did not know who it was that said to her1 ,give ,me to drink4 ,until we know ,christ we cannot know ,god3 it is to ,christ we owe all our best thoughts about ,god4 ,this woman1 when she had met the absolute goodness and kindness of ,christ1 had for ever different thoughts of ,god4 ,so as we look at ,christ our thought of ,god expands1 and we learn to expect substantial good from ,him4 ,yet often1 like this woman1 we are in ,christ's presence without knowing it1 and listen1 like her1 to ,his appeals without understanding the majesty of ,his person and the greatness of our opportunity4 ,he does offer largely2 ,he speaks as if ,he were perfect master of the human heart1 knew its every experience1 and could satisfy it4 ,he speaks of the gift ,he has to bestow in terms which convict ,him of silly and heartless extravagance if that gift be not perfect2 ,he has1 in plain words1 misled and deceived a large part of mankind1 and especially those who were well inclined and thirsting for righteousness1 if ,he cannot perfectly satisfy the soul4 ,he challenges men in the most grievous and undone conditions to come to ,him2 ,he calls them off from every other source and stay1 and bids them trust to ,him for everything4 ,if a man expects to find in ,him all that the human heart can contain of joy1 and all that the human nature is susceptible of1 he does not expect more than the explicit offers of ,christ ,himself warrant4 ,manifestly such offers are at least worth considering4 ,may it not be true that if we were to awake to the knowledge of ,christ1 we might now find ,his pretensions to be well founded8 ,he professes to bestow what is worth our immediate acceptance1 ,his friendship1 ,his ,spirit4 ,what if it should be now that ,he seeks to come to our heart with these words1 ,if thou knewest who it is that speaketh4 ,yes1 if but for one hour we saw ,god's gift1 and ,him through whom ,he offers it1 we should become the suppliants4 ,christ would no longer need to knock at our door2 we should wait and knock at ,his4 ,for in truth it is always the same request ,he urges to all4 ,in ,his words to the woman1 ,give ,me to drink1 there was more than the mere request that ,he would lift her pitcher to ,his lips4 ,driven from ,judaea1 wearied as much with the blindness of men as with ,his journey1 ,he sat on the well4 ,everything ,he saw had that day some spiritual meaning for ,him4 ,the bread ,his disciples brought reminded ,him of ,his true support1 the consciousness that ,he was doing ,his ,father's will2 the fields whitening for harvest suggested to ,him the nations unconsciously ripening for the great ,christian ingathering4 ,and when ,he said to the woman1 ,give ,me to drink1 ,he thought of the intenser satisfaction she could give ,him by confiding in ,him and accepting ,his help4 ,in her person there stands before ,him a new1 untried race4 ,oh that she may prove more accessible than the ,jews1 and may allay ,his thirst for the salvation of men6 ,his parched tongue seems forgotten in the interest of ,his talk with her4 ,and to which of us has ,he not in this sense said1 ,give ,me to drink8 ,is it cruelty to refuse a cup of cold water to a thirsting child1 and none to refuse to quench the thirst of ,him who hung upon the cross for us8 ,ought we to feel no shame that the ,lord is still in want of what we can give8 ,this woman knew it was a real thirst which could induce a ,jew to ask drink from her4 ,has ,he not sufficiently shown the reality of ,his thirst for our friendship and trust8 ,could it be a feigned desire that led ,him to do all ,he has done8 ,are we never to have the joy of appropriating ,his love as spent upon us2 are we never with humble ecstasy to exclaim3-- ,weary satst ,thou seeking me1 ,diedst redeeming on the tree4 ,can in vain such labour be8 ,,footnotes3 #aa ,some good authorities hold that ,john reckoned the hours of the day from midnight1 not from sunrise4 ,it is1 however1 probable that ,john adopted the ,roman reckoning1 and counted noon the sixth hour4 ,x4 ,,jesus ,,declares ,,himself4 ,the woman answered and said unto ,him1 ,i have no husband4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,thou saidst well1 ,i have no husband3 for thou hast had five husbands2 and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband3 this hast thou said truly4 ,the woman saith unto ,him1 ,sir1 ,i perceive that ,thou art a prophet4 ,our fathers worshipped in this mountain2 and ye say1 that in ,jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,woman1 believe ,me1 the hour cometh1 when neither in this mountain1 nor in ,jerusalem1 shall ye worship the ,father4 ,ye worship that which ye know not3 we worship that which we know3 for salvation is from the ,jews4 ,but the hour cometh1 and now is1 when the true worshippers shall worship the ,father in spirit and in truth3 for such doth the ,father seek to be ,his worshippers4 ,god is a ,spirit3 and they that worship ,him must worship in spirit and truth4 ,the woman saith unto ,him1 ,i know that ,messiah cometh 7which is called ,christ73 when ,he is come1 ,he will declare unto us all things4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,i that speak unto thee am ,he4--,,john iv1 #ag-bf4 ,in this conversation at ,jacob's well the woman for some time1 quite naturally1 misses the point of what ,jesus says4 ,it does not occur to her that by water ,he means anything else than what she could carry in her pitcher4 ,even when ,he speaks of causing a well to spring up within herself1 she still thinks merely of the domestic convenience of some such arrangement1 and begs ,him to give what would save ,her the endless trouble of coming to draw water out of ,jacob's well4 ,this simplicity has its good side1 as also has her obvious confidence in ,his words4 ,jesus sees in this child-like simplicity and directness a much more hopeful soil for ,his message than ,he had found even in a thoughtful man of education like ,nicodemus4 ,he seeks1 therefore1 to prepare the soil further by quickening within her a sense of spiritual want4 ,this may best be effected by backing her into her actual life4 ,therefore ,he says1 ,go1 call thy husband1 and come hither4 ,and in this simple way ,he leads the woman at once to recognise ,his prophetic insight into her condition1 and to bring ,his offers into connection with her character and her life4 ,and there was that in her manner of owning ,him as a prophet1 a frankness and a simplicity in uttering her mind and listening to ,his explanations1 that prompted ,him explicitly to say1 ,i that speak unto thee am the ,messiah4 ,to this unfortunate and ill-living alien woman1 then1 ,jesus declared ,himself as ,he had not declared ,himself to the well-to-do1 respectable ,jewish rabbis4 ,the reason of this difference in our ,lord's treatment of individuals arises from the different dispositions they manifest4 ,acknowledgment of ,his power to work miracles may seem at first sight as good a certificate for ,christian discipleship as acknowledgment of ,his prophetic power4 ,but it is not so2 because such an acknowledgment of ,his prophetic insight as this woman made is an acknowledgment of ,his power over the human heart and life4 ,he who is thus felt to penetrate to the hidden acts1 and to lay ,his hand upon the deepest secrets of the heart1 is recognised as in a personal connection with the individual2 and this is the foundation on which ,christ can build1 this is the beginning of that vital connection with ,him which gives newness of life4 ,those who are merely solving a problem when they are considering the claims of ,christ1 are not likely to have any personal revelation made to them4 ,but to every one1 who1 like this woman1 shows some desire to receive ,his gifts1 and who is not above owning that life is a very poor affair without some such thing as ,he offers2 to every one who is conscious of sin1 and who looks to ,him as able to deliver from all its foul entanglement1 ,he does make ,himself known4 ,to such persons ,he will disclose ,himself when ,he sees that they are ripe for the disclosure4 ,to such the moment of moments will come1 when to them ,he will say3 ,i that speak unto thee am ,he4 ,this distinction between the chemist who analyses the living water1 and the thirsting soul that uses it1 runs very deep1 and may be commended to the consideration of any who are apt to be carried away by the current of unbelief that characterizes much of our literature4 ,i think it may be said that in writers distinguished by a lack of ,christian belief there will commonly be found an absence of what is popularly and fitly called an awakened conscience4 ,it will be found that they do not know what it is to look at ,christ from the point of view of this woman1 from the point of view of a shattered and wretched life1 and a conscience that day by day is saying1 ,it is ,i myself who have broken my life1 and doing so ,i have become a transgressor1 and need pardon1 guidance1 strength4 ,acute thought1 an admirable faculty of explaining and enforcing what is thought1 we find in abundance2 but we certainly do not find a spirit humbled by a sense of sin and a conscience alive to the deepest obligations4 ,so far as can be gathered from the writings of the most conspicuous unbelievers1 they do not possess the first requisite for discerning a ,saviour--namely1 a sense of need4 ,they lack the prime preparation for speaking on such a subject2 they have never dealt fairly with their own sin4 ,we do not consult a deaf man if we wish to ascertain whether the noise we have heard is thunder or the rumbling of a cart2 neither can we expect that those will be the best teachers regarding ,god in whom the faculty by which we chiefly discern ,god--viz41 the conscience--has been less exercised than any other4 ,it is through the conscience ,god makes ,himself most distinctly felt2 it is in connection with the moral law we come most clearly in contact with ,him2 and convictions of ,god's ,being and connection with us root themselves in the soul that a sense of sin has ploughed4 ,i am far from saying that in deciding upon the claims of ,christ the understanding is to have no voice4 ,the understanding must have a voice here as elsewhere4 ,but it is a strong presumption in ,christ's favour that ,he offers precisely what sinners need2 and it is decisive in ,his favour when we find that ,he actually gives what sinners need4 ,if it is practically found that ,he is the force that lifts thousands and thousands of human beings out of sin2 if ,he has1 in point of fact1 brought light to those in deep darkness1 comfort and courage to the desolate and heavily burdened1 consecration and purity to the outcast and the corrupt1 then1 plainly1 ,he is what ,he claims to be1 and we owe ,him our faith4 ,if ,god is to reveal ,himself at all1 the revelation must be made not solely or chiefly to the understanding1 but to that part of us which determines character1 and is capable of appreciating character4 ,the revelation must be moral not intellectual4 ,as our ,lord's ministry proceeded ,he recognised that it was always the simple who most readily accepted and trusted ,him2 and ,he recognised that this was a thing to be thankful for3 ,i thank ,thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 that ,thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent1 and hast revealed them unto babes4 ,and every one who thinks of it sees that it must be so--that a man's destiny must be decided not by his understanding1 but by his character and leanings2 not by his ability or disability to believe this or that1 or to prove that his belief is well grounded1 but by his aspirations1 by the real bent of his heart4 ,we should feel that there was something very far wrong if our faith depended upon proofs that not every one could master1 and if thus the clever man had an advantage over the humble and contrite4 ,the evidence must be such that spiritual character shall be an element in the acceptance of it4 ,and such we find it to be4 ,the reality and the significance of the revelation of ,god in ,christ are more readily apprehended by the spiritually than by the intellectually gifted4 ,persons who are either by nature humble and docile1 or whom life has taught to be so1 persons who feel their need of ,god1 and deeply long for an eternal state of peace and purity1 these are the persons to whom ,god finds it possible to make ,himself known4 ,and if it be thought that this circumstance1 that simple and docile spirits are convinced while hard-headed men are unconvinced1 throws some suspicion on the reality of the revelation1 if it be thought that the ,god and the eternity they believe in are but fancies of their own1 it may fairly be replied1 that there is no more reason for such a thought than for supposing that the rapture of a trained musician is fanciful and self-created1 and not excited by any corresponding reality1 because it is not shared by those whose taste for music is unawakened4 ,convinced that ,jesus was a prophet1 the woman proposes to ,him the standing subject of debate between ,jews and ,samaritans4 ,her statement of it is abrupt1 and offers some appearance of being intended to turn the conversation away from herself2 but this does not harmonise with her simple and direct character1 and it is quite possible that in the midst of her confused and disappointed life she had sometimes wondered whether all her misery did not arise from her being a ,samaritan4 ,she knew what the ,jews said of the ,samaritan worship4 ,she knew that they mocked at the ,temple which stood on the hill over against ,jacob's well2 and when she found how very little her worship had helped her1 she may have begun to suspect that there was truth in the ,jewish allegations4 ,evidently the aspect of the ,messiah1 which had chiefly struck her1 was ,his power to lead men into all truth1 to teach them all things4 ,persons in her station1 and quite as much overborne by sin as she1 often retain their hold upon religious teaching2 and in the midst of much that is superstitious they have a spark of true hope and longing for redemption4 ,jesus shows by the gravity and importance of ,his answer that ,he considered the woman sincere in the statement of her difficulty1 and anxious to know where ,god might really be found4 ,perplexed and bewildered by her earthly experience1 as so many of us are1 she suddenly awakes to the consciousness that here1 before her1 and conversing with her1 is a prophet2 and at once she utters to ,him what had been burning in her heart1 ,where1 where is ,god to be found8 ,and so in reply to the inquiry of one sincere woman ,jesus makes that great announcement which has ever since stood as the manifesto of spiritual worship4 ,not in any particular and isolated place1 ,he tells the woman1 is ,god to be found1 not in the temple at ,jerusalem1 nor in the rival structure on ,gerizim1 but in spirit4 ,god is a ,spirit1 and they that worship ,him must worship in spirit and in truth4 ,as our ,lord intimates1 this was a new kind of worship1 essentially different from that to which ,jews and ,samaritans1 and indeed all men1 had hitherto been accustomed4 ,the magnitude of the contents of such sayings can as little be comprehended as their significance can be exhausted4 ,we have first of all the central affirmation3 ,god is a ,spirit4 ,to fill out this definition with intelligible ideas is difficult4 ,it implies that ,he is a ,personal ,being1 that ,he is self-conscious1 possessed of intelligence and will2 but although ,personal ,his ,personality transcends our conception4 ,so far as regards the immediate application of the definition by our ,lord at this time1 it suffices to note its primary meaning that ,god has not a body1 and consequently is subject to none of the limitations and conditions to which the possession of a body subjects human persons4 ,he needs no local dwelling-place1 no temple1 no material offerings4 ,in local worship there was an advantage while the world was young1 and men could best be taught by symbols4 ,a house in their midst1 of which they might say1 ,god is there1 was undoubtedly an aid to faith4 ,but it had its disadvantages4 ,for the more a worshipper fixed his mind on the one local habitation1 the less could he carry with him the consciousness of ,god's presence in all places4 ,very slowly do we learn that ,god is a ,spirit4 ,we think nothing is more surely believed among us4 ,alas6 make almost any application of this radical truth1 and we find how little it is believed4 ,take1 for example1 the appearances and voices by which intimations were made to godly men in ,old ,testament times4 ,why are many people reluctant to allow that these manifestations were inward and to conscience1 that they came as convictions wrought by an unseen power1 rather than as outward appearances or audible voices8 ,is it not because the truth that ,god is a ,spirit is not adequately apprehended8 ,or why again do we so crave for signs1 for clearer demonstrations of ,god's being and of ,his presence8 ,ought we not to be satisfied if ,he responds to spiritual aspirations1 and if we find that our craving for holiness is met and gratified8 ,the inference drawn by our ,lord from the truth that ,god is a ,spirit is one which needs still to be pressed4 ,god seeks to be worshipped not by outward forms or elaborate ritual but in spirit4 ,ordinary teachers would have put in a saving clause to preserve some forms of worship2 ,christ puts in none4 ,let men worship ,god in spirit1 and let forms take their chance4 ,to worship ,god in spirit is to yield the unseen but motive powers within us to the unseen but ,almighty influences which we recognise as ,divine4 ,it is to prostrate our spirit before the ,divine ,spirit4 ,it is in our deepest being1 in will and intention1 to offer ourselves up to ,him in whom goodness is personified4 ,when a man is doing that1 what does it matter what he says to ,god1 or with what forms of worship he comes before ,him8 ,that alone is acceptable worship which consists in the devout approach of the human spirit to the ,divine2 and that is accomplished often as effectually in our business intercourse with men when tempted to injustice1 or in our homes when tempted to anger or to laxity1 as when we are in the house of ,god4 ,worship in the spirit needs no words1 no appointed place1 but only a human soul that bows inwardly before the goodness of ,god1 and submits itself cordially to ,his sovereign and loving will4 ,this certainly is a strong argument for simplicity of worship4 ,why1 it may indeed be said1 why have any outward worship at all8 ,why have churches and why have ,divine service8 ,well1 it would have been better for the ,church if there had been far less outward worship than there commonly has been4 ,for by its elaborate services the ,church has far too much identified religion with that worship which can only be rendered in church4 ,no one can be surprised that in utter disgust at the disproportion between outward and spiritual worship1 between the gorgeous and fussy services that profess so much1 and the slender and rare devotion of the soul to ,god1 discerning men should have turned their back on the whole business1 and declined to be partakers in so huge and profane a farce4 ,milton in his later years attended no ,church and belonged to no communion4 ,this certainly is to run to the opposite extreme4 ,no doubt that worship may be real and acceptable which is offered in the silence and solitude of a man's spirit2 but we naturally utter what we feel1 and by the utterance strengthen the feelings that are good1 and rid ourselves of the bitterness and strain of those that are painful and full of sorrow4 ,besides1 the ,church is1 before all else1 a society4 ,our religion is meant to bring us together2 and though it does so more effectually by inspiring us with kindliness and helpfulness in life than by a formal meeting together for no purposes of active charity1 yet the one fellowship aids the other1 as many of us well know4 ,while1 then1 we accept ,christ's statement in its fullest significance1 and maintain that our reasonable service is the offering of ourselves as living sacrifices1 that spiritual worship is offered not in church only or mainly1 but in doing ,god's will with a hearty good-will1 we all the rather see how needful it is to utter ourselves to ,god as we do in our social worship2 for as the wife would need some patience who was cared for indeed by her husband in the supply of her common wants1 but had never a word of affection spoken to her1 so our relations to ,god are not satisfactory unless we utter to ,him our devotion as well as show it in our life4 ,he was one of the wisest of ,english writers who said1 ,i always thought fit to keep up some mechanical forms of good breeding 7in my family71 without which freedom ever destroys friendship4 ,precisely so1 he who omits the outward and verbal expression of regard to ,god1 will soon lose that regard itself4 ,but if the words of ,christ were not intended to put an end to outward worship altogether1 they do1 as ,i have said1 form a strong argument for simplicity of worship4 ,no forms whatever are needed that our spirit may come into communion with ,god4 ,let us begin with this4 ,as true and perfect worship may be rendered by the dying man1 who cannot lift an eyelid or open his lips1 as by the most ornate service that combines perfect liturgical forms with the richest music man has ever written4 ,rich music1 striking combinations of colour and of architectural forms1 are nothing to ,god so far as worship goes1 except in so far as they bring the human spirit into fellowship with ,him4 ,persons are differently constituted1 and what is natural to one will be formal and artificial to another4 ,some worshippers will always feel that they get closer to ,god in private1 in their own silent room1 and with nothing but their own circumstances and wants to stimulate them2 they feel that a service carefully arranged and abounding in musical effects does indeed move them1 but does not make it easier for them to address themselves to ,god4 ,others1 again1 feel differently2 they feel that they can best worship ,god in spirit when the forms of worship are expressive and significant4 ,but in two points all will agree3 first1 that in external worship1 while we strive to keep it simple we should also strive to make it good--the best possible of its kind4 ,if we are to sing ,god's praise at all1 then let the singing be the best possible1 the best music a congregation can join in1 and executed with the utmost skill that care can develop4 ,music which cannot be sung save by persons of exceptional musical talent is unsuitable for congregational worship2 but music which requires no consideration1 and admits of no excellence1 is hardly suitable for the worship of ,god4 ,i do not know what idea of ,god's worship is held by persons who never put themselves to the least trouble to improve it so far as they are concerned4 ,the other point in which all will agree1 is that where the spirit is not engaged there is no worship at all4 ,this goes without saying4 ,and yet1 subtract from our worship all that is merely formal1 and how much do you leave8 ,worse still1 there are those who do not even strive after the fit and decorous form1 who do not bow their heads in prayer1 who are not ashamed to be seen looking about them during the most solemn acts of worship1 who show that they are indevout1 thoughtless1 profane4 ,the true worshippers shall worship the ,father not only in spirit1 but also in truth4 ,the word truth here probably covers two ideas--the ideas of reality and of accuracy4 ,it is opposed to symbolic worship and to ignorant worship4 ,it does not mean that worship was now to be sincere1 for that it had already been both among ,samaritans and ,jews4 ,but among the ,jews the worship of ,god had been symbolical1 and among the ,samaritans it had been ignorant4 ,the ,jewish worship had been symbolical1 every person and thing1 every colour1 gesture1 movement1 having a meaning for the initiated4 ,the time for this1 says our ,lord1 is past4 ,we are to worship really4 ,they need no longer take an animal to the temple to symbolise that they gave themselves to ,god2 they were to spend their whole care on the real thing1 on giving themselves to ,god2 they were not to set candles about their altars to show that light was come into the world1 they were themselves to shine as lights lit by ,christ2 they were not to swing censers to symbolise the sweet-smelling prayers of the saints1 they were to offer prayers from humble hearts4 ,in effect ,christ said1 ,you are grown up now1 and can understand the realities2 put away then these childish things4 ,and those who continue to worship with various robes1 and prescribed gesticulations and movements1 and pictures1 and altars1 and everything to impress the senses1 write themselves down children among grown-up people4 ,truth is opposed also to error or misconception about the object of worship4 ,christ1 by ,his presence1 enables men to worship the ,father in truth4 ,he gives them the true idea of ,god4 ,he makes ,god real1 giving an actuality to our thought of ,god which we could not otherwise arrive at2 and ,he shows us ,god as ,he truly is1 connected with ourselves by love2 holy1 merciful1 just4 ,,xi4 ,,the ,,second ,,sign ,,in ,,galilee4 ,in the mean while the disciples prayed ,him1 saying1 ,rabbi1 eat4 ,but ,he said unto them1 ,i have meat to eat that ye know not4 ,the disciples therefore said one to another1 ,hath any man brought ,him aught to eat8 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,my meat is to do the will of ,him that sent ,me1 and to accomplish ,his work4 ,say not ye1 ,there are yet four months1 and then cometh the harvest8 behold1 ,i say unto you1 ,lift up your eyes1 and look on the fields1 that they are white already unto harvest4 ,he that reapeth receiveth wages1 and gathereth fruit unto life eternal2 that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together4 ,for herein is the saying true1 ,one soweth and another reapeth4 ,i sent you to reap that whereon ye have not laboured3 others have laboured1 and ye are entered into their labour4 ,and from that city many of the ,samaritans believed on ,him because of the word of the woman1 who testified1 ,he told me all things that ever ,i did4 ,so when the ,samaritans came unto ,him1 they besought ,him to abide with them3 and ,he abode there two days4 ,and many more believed because of ,his word2 and they said to the woman1 ,now we believe1 not because of thy speaking3 for we have heard for ourselves1 and know that this is indeed the ,saviour of the world4 ,and after the two days ,he went forth from thence into ,galilee4 ,for ,jesus ,himself testified1 that a prophet hath no honour in his own country4 ,so when ,he came into ,galilee1 the ,galilaeans received ,him1 having seen all the things that ,he did in ,jerusalem at the feast3 for they also went unto the feast4 ,he came therefore again unto ,cana of ,galilee1 where ,he made the water wine4 ,and there was a certain nobleman1 whose son was sick at ,capernaum4 ,when he heard that ,jesus was come out of ,judaea into ,galilee1 he went unto ,him1 and besought ,him that ,he would come down1 and heal his son2 for he was at the point of death4 ,jesus therefore said unto him1 ,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will in no wise believe4 ,the nobleman saith unto ,him1 ,sir1 come down ere my child die4 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,go thy way2 thy son liveth4 ,the man believed the word that ,jesus spake unto him1 and he went his way4 ,and as he was now going down1 his servants met him1 saying1 that his son lived4 ,so he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend4 ,they said therefore unto him1 ,yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him4 ,so the father knew that it was at that hour in which ,jesus said unto him1 ,thy son liveth3 and himself believed1 and his whole house4 ,this is again the second sign that ,jesus did1 having come out of ,judaea into ,galilee--,,john iv4 #ca-ed4 ,the disciples1 when they went forward to buy provisions in ,sychar1 left ,jesus sitting on the well wearied and faint4 ,on their return they find ,him1 to their surprise1 elate and full of renewed energy4 ,such transformations one has often had the pleasure of seeing4 ,success is a better stimulant than wine4 ,our ,lord had found one who believed ,him and valued ,his message2 and this brought fresh life to ,his frame4 ,the disciples go on eating1 and are too busy with their meal to lift their eyes2 but as they eat they talk over the prospects of the harvest in the rich fields through which they have just walked4 ,meanwhile our ,lord sees the men of ,sychar coming out of the town in obedience to the woman's request1 and calls ,his disciples' attention to a harvest more worthy of their attention than the one they were discussing3 ,were you not saying that we must wait four months till harvest comes again#ab and cheapens the bread for which you have paid so dear in ,sychar8 ,but lift up your eyes and mark the eager crowd of ,samaritans1 and say if you may not expect to reap much this very day4 ,are not the fields white already to harvest8 ,here in ,samaria1 which you only wished quickly to pass through1 where you were looking for no additions to the ,kingdom1 and where you might suppose sowing and long waiting were needed1 you see the ripened grain4 ,others have laboured1 the ,baptist and this woman and ,i1 and ye have entered into their labours4 ,all labourers in the ,kingdom of ,god need a similar reminder4 ,we can never certainly say in what state of preparedness the human heart is2 we do not know what providences of ,god have ploughed it1 nor what thoughts are sown in it1 nor what strivings are being even now made by the springing life that seeks the light4 ,we generally give men credit1 not perhaps for less thought than they have1 for that is scarcely possible1 but for less capacity of thought4 ,the disciples were good men1 but they went into ,sychar judging the ,samaritans good enough to trade with1 but never dreaming of telling them the ,messiah was outside their town4 ,they must have been ashamed to find how much more capable an apostle the woman was than they4 ,i think they would not wonder another time that their ,lord should condescend to talk with a woman4 ,the simple1 unthinking1 untroubled directness of a woman will often have a matter finished while a man is meditating some ponderous and ingenious contrivance for bringing it to pass4 ,let us not fall into the mistake of the disciples1 and judge men good enough to buy and sell with1 but quite alien to the matters of the ,kingdom4 ,there is a day in spring ,when under all the earth the secret germs ,begin to stir and glow before they bud4 ,the wealth and festal pomps of midsummer ,lie in the heart of that inglorious hour ,which no man names with blessing1 though its work ,is bless'd by all the world4 ,such days there are ,in the slow story of the growth of souls4 ,such days may be passing in those around us1 though all unknown to us4 ,we can never tell how many months there are till harvest4 ,we never know who or what has been labouring before we appear on the scene4 ,the woman's testimony was enough to excite curiosity4 ,the men on her word came out to judge for themselves4 ,what they saw and heard completed their conviction2 ,and they said to the woman1 ,now we believe1 not because of thy speaking3 for we have heard for ourselves1 and know that this is indeed the ,saviour of the world4 ,this growth of faith is one of the subjects ,john delights to exhibit4 ,he is fond of showing how a weak and ill-founded faith may grow into a faith that is well rooted and strong4 ,this ,samaritan episode is significant as an integral part of the ,gospel1 not only because it shows how readily unsophisticated minds perceive the inalienable majesty of ,christ1 but also because it forms so striking a foil to the reception our ,lord had met with in ,jerusalem1 and was shortly to meet with in ,galilee4 ,in ,jerusalem ,he did many miracles2 but the people were too political and too prejudiced to own ,him as a spiritual ,lord4 ,in ,galilee ,he was known1 and might have expected to be understood2 but there the people longed only for physical blessings and the excitement of miracles4 ,here in ,samaria1 on the contrary1 ,he did no miracles1 and had no forerunner to herald ,his approach4 ,he was found a weary wayfarer1 sitting by the roadside1 begging for refreshment4 ,yet1 through this appearance of weakness1 and dependence1 and lowliness1 there shone ,his native kindness1 and truth1 and kingliness1 to such a degree1 that the ,samaritans1 although naturally suspicious of ,him as a ,jew1 believed in ,him1 delighted in ,him1 and proclaimed ,him ,saviour of the world4 ,after two days of happy intercourse with the ,samaritans ,jesus continues ,his journey to ,galilee4 ,the proverbial expression which our ,lord used regarding ,his relation to ,galilee--that a prophet has no honour in his own country--is one we have frequent opportunity of verifying4 ,the man that has grown up among us1 whom we have seen struggling up through the ignorance1 and weakness1 and folly of boyhood1 whom we have had to help and to protect1 can scarcely receive the same respect as one who presents himself a mature man1 with already developed faculties1 no longer a learner1 but prepared to teach4 ,montaigne complained that in his own country he had to purchase publishers1 whereas elsewhere publishers were anxious to purchase him4 ,the farther off ,i am read from my own home1 he says1 the better ,i am esteemed4 ,the men of ,anathoth sought ,jeremiah's life when he began to prophesy among them4 ,it is not the truth of the proverb that presents any difficulty1 but its application to the present case4 ,for the fact that a prophet has no honour in his own country would seem to be a reason for ,his declining to go to ,galilee1 whereas it is here introduced as ,his reason for going there4 ,the explanation is found in the beginning of the chapter1 where we are told that it was in search of retirement ,he was now leaving the popularity and publicity of ,judaea1 and repairing to ,his own country4 ,but1 as frequently on other occasions1 ,he now found that ,he could not be hid4 ,his countrymen1 who had thought so little of ,him previously1 had heard of ,his ,judaean fame1 and echoed the recognition and applause of the south4 ,they had not discovered the greatness of this ,galilean1 although ,he had lived among them for thirty years2 but no sooner do they hear that ,he has created a sensation in ,jerusalem than they begin to be proud of ,him4 ,every one has seen the same thing a hundred times4 ,a lad who has been despised as almost half-witted in his native place goes up to ,london and makes a name for himself as poet1 artist1 or inventor1 and when he returns to his village everybody claims him as cousin4 ,such a change of sentiment was not likely to escape the observation of ,jesus nor to deceive ,him4 ,it is with an accent of disappointment1 not unmingled with reproach1 that ,he utters ,his first recorded words in ,galilee3 ,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will in no wise believe4 ,this sets us in the point of view from which we can clearly see the significance of the one incident which ,john selects from all that happened during our ,lord's stay in ,galilee at this time4 ,john wishes to illustrate the difference between the ,galilean and the ,samaritan faith1 and the possibility of the one growing into the other2 and he does so by introducing the brief narrative of the courtier from ,capernaum4 ,accounts1 more or less accurate1 of the miracles of ,jesus in ,jerusalem had found their way even into the household of ,herod ,antipas4 ,for no sooner was ,he known to have arrived in ,galilee than one of the royal household sought ,him out to obtain a boon which no royal favour could grant4 ,the supposition is not without plausibility that this nobleman was ,chuza1 ,herod's chamberlain1 and that this miracle1 which had so powerful an effect on the family in which it was wrought1 was the origin of that devotion to our ,lord which was afterwards shown by ,chuza's wife4 ,the nobleman1 whoever he was1 came to ,jesus with an urgent request4 ,he had come twenty miles to appeal to ,jesus1 and he had been unable to trust his petition to a messenger4 ,but instead of meeting this distracted father with words of sympathy and encouragement1 ,jesus merely utters a general and chilling observation4 ,why is this8 ,why does ,he seem to lament that this father should so urgently plead for his son8 ,why does ,he seem only to submit to the inevitable1 if ,he grants the request at all8 ,might it not even seem as if ,he wrought the miracle of healing rather for ,his own sake than for the boy's or for the father's sake1 since ,he says1 ,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will in no wise believe--that is1 will not believe in ,me8 ,but these words did not express any reluctance on the part of ,jesus to heal the nobleman's son4 ,possibly they were intended1 in the first instance1 to rebuke the desire of the father that ,jesus should go with him to ,capernaum and pronounce over the boy words of healing4 ,the father thought the presence of ,christ was necessary4 ,he had not attained to the faith of the centurion1 who believed that an expression of will was enough4 ,jesus1 therefore1 demands a stronger faith2 and in ,his presence that stronger faith which can trust ,his word is developed4 ,the words1 however1 were especially a warning that ,his physical gifts were not the greatest ,he had to bestow1 and that a faith which required to be buttressed by the sight of miracles was not the best kind of faith4 ,our ,lord was always in danger of being looked upon as a mere thaumaturge1 who could dispense cures merely as a physician could within his own limits order a certain treatment4 ,he was in danger of being considered a dispenser of blessings to persons who had no faith in ,him as the ,saviour of the world4 ,it is therefore with the accent of one who submits to the inevitable that ,he says1 ,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will in no wise believe4 ,but especially did our ,lord wish to point out that the faith ,he approves and delights in is a faith which does not require miracles as its foundation4 ,this higher faith ,he had found among the ,samaritans4 ,many of them believed1 as ,john is careful to note1 because of ,his conversation4 ,there was that in ,himself and in ,his talk which was its own best evidence4 ,some men who introduce themselves to us1 to win our countenance to some enterprise1 carry integrity in their whole bearing2 and we should feel it to be an impertinence to ask them for credentials4 ,if they offer to prove their identity and trustworthiness we waive such proof aside1 and assure them that they need no certificate4 ,this had been our ,lord's experience in ,samaria4 ,there no news of ,his miracles had come from ,jerusalem4 ,he came among the ,samaritans from nobody knew where4 ,he came without introduction and without certificate1 yet they had discernment to see that they had never met ,his like before4 ,every word ,he spoke seemed to identify ,him as the ,saviour of the world4 ,they forgot to ask for miracles4 ,they felt in themselves ,his supernatural power1 lifting them into ,god's presence1 and filling them with light4 ,the ,galilaean faith was of another kind4 ,it was based on ,his miracles2 a kind of faith ,he deplored1 although ,he did not quite repudiate it4 ,to be accepted not on ,his own account1 not because of the truth ,he spoke1 not because ,his greatness was perceived and ,his friendship valued1 but because of the wonders ,he performed--this could not be a pleasant experience4 ,we do not greatly value the visits of a person who cannot get on without our advice or assistance2 we value the friendship of him who seeks our company for the pleasure he finds in it4 ,and although we must all be ceaselessly and infinitely dependent on the good offices of ,christ1 our faith should be something more than a counting upon ,his ability and willingness to discharge these good offices4 ,a faith which is merely selfish1 which recognises that ,christ can save from disaster in this life or in the life to come1 and which cleaves to ,him solely on that account1 is scarcely the faith that ,christ approves4 ,there is a faith which responds to the glory of ,christ's personality1 which rests on what ,he is1 which builds itself on the truth ,he utters1 and recognises that all spiritual life centres in ,him2 it is this faith ,he approves4 ,they who find in ,him the link they have sought with the spiritual world1 the pledge they have needed to certify them of an eternal righteousness1 they to whom the supernatural is revealed more patently in ,himself than in ,his miracles1 are those whom the ,lord delights in4 ,but the lower kind of faith may be a step to the higher4 ,the agony of the father can make nothing of general principles1 but can only reiterate the one petition1 ,come down ere my child die4 ,and ,jesus1 with ,his perfect knowledge of human nature1 sees that it is vain trying to teach a man in this absorbed condition of mind1 and that probably the very best way to clarify his faith and lead him to higher and worthier thoughts is to grant his request--a hint not to be overlooked or despised by those who seek to do good1 and who are1 possibly1 sometimes a little prone to obtrude their teaching at most inopportune seasons--at seasons when it is impossible for the mind to admit anything but the one absorbing topic4 ,circumstances are1 in general1 much better educators of men than any verbal teaching2 and that verbal teaching can only do harm which interposes between the moving events that are occurring and the person who is passing through them4 ,the success of our ,lord's method was proved by the result2 which was1 that the slender faith of this nobleman became a genuine faith in ,christ as the ,lord1 a faith which his whole household shared4 ,from the very greatness of ,christ1 and our consequent inability to bring ,him into comparison with other men1 we are apt to miss some of the significant features of ,his conduct4 ,in the circumstances before us1 for example1 most teachers at an early stage in their career would have been in some excitement1 and would probably have shown no reluctance to accede to the nobleman's request1 and go down to his house1 and so make a favourable impression on ,herod's court4 ,it was an opportunity of getting a footing in high places which a man of the world could not have overlooked4 ,but ,jesus was well aware that if the foundations of ,his kingdom were to be solidly laid1 there must be excluded all influence of a worldly kind1 all the overpowering constraint which fashion and great names exercise over the mind4 ,his work1 ,he saw1 would be most enduringly1 if most slowly1 done in a more private manner4 ,his own personal influence on individuals must first of all be the chief agency4 ,he speaks1 therefore1 to this nobleman without any regard to his rank and influence2 indeed1 rather curtly dismisses him with the words1 ,go1 thy son lives4 ,the total absence of display is remarkable4 ,he did not go to ,capernaum1 to stand by the sickbed1 and be acknowledged as the healer4 ,he made no bargain with the nobleman that if his son recovered he would let the cause be known4 ,he simply did the thing1 and said nothing at all about it4 ,though it was only one in the afternoon when the nobleman was dismissed he did not go back to ,capernaum that night--why1 we do not know4 ,a thousand things may have detained him4 ,he may have had business for ,herod in ,cana or on the road as well as for himself2 the beast he rode may have gone lame where he could not procure another2 at any rate1 it is quite uncalled for to ascribe his delay to the confidence he had in ,christ's word1 an instance of the truth1 ,he that believeth shall not make haste4 ,the more certainly he believed ,christ's word the more anxious would he be to see his son4 ,his servants knew how anxious he would be to hear1 for they went to meet him2 and were no doubt astonished to find that the sudden recovery of the boy was due to ,him whom their master had visited4 ,the cure had travelled much faster than he who had received the assurance of it4 ,the process by which they verified the miracle and connected the cure with the word of ,jesus was simple1 but perfectly satisfactory4 ,they compared notes regarding the time1 and found that the utterance of ,jesus was simultaneous with the recovery of the boy4 ,the servants who saw the boy recover did not ascribe his recovery to any miraculous agency2 they would no doubt suppose that it was one of those unaccountable cases which occasionally occur1 and which most of us have witnessed4 ,nature has secrets which the most skilful of her interpreters cannot disclose2 and even so marvellous a thing as an instantaneous cure of a hopeless case may be due to some hidden law of nature4 ,but no sooner did their master assure them that the hour in which the boy began to amend was the very hour in which ,jesus said he would get better1 than they all saw to what agency the cure was due4 ,here lies the special significance of this miracle2 it brings into prominence this distinctive peculiarity of a miracle1 that it consists of a marvel which is coincident with an express announcement of it1 and is therefore referrible to a personal agent4#ac ,it is the two things taken together that prove that there is a superhuman agency4 ,the marvel alone1 a sudden return of sight to the blind1 or of vigour to the paralysed1 does not prove that there is anything supernatural in the case2 but if this marvel follows upon the word of one who commands it1 and does so in all cases in which such a command is given1 it becomes obvious that this is not the working of a hidden law of nature1 nor a mere coincidence1 but the intervention of a supernatural agency4 ,that which convinced the nobleman's household that a miracle had been wrought was not the recovery of the boy1 but his recovery in connection with the word of ,jesus4 ,what they felt they had to account for was not merely the marvellous recovery1 but his recovery at that particular time4 ,even though it could be shown1 then1--as it can never be1--that every cure reported in the ,gospels might possibly be the result of some natural law1 even though it could be shown that men born blind might receive their sight without a miracle1 and that persons who had consulted the best physician suddenly recovered strength--this1 we are to remember1 is by no means the whole of what we have to account for4 ,we have to account not only for sudden1 and certainly most extraordinary cures1 but also for these cures following uniformly1 and in every case the word of ,one who said the cure would follow4 ,it is this coincidence which puts it beyond a doubt that the cures can be referred only to the will of ,christ4 ,another striking feature of this miracle is that the ,agent was at a distance from the subject of it4 ,this is1 of course1 quite beyond our comprehension4 ,we cannot understand how the will of ,jesus1 without employing any known physical means of communication between ,himself and the boy1 without even appearing before him so as to seem to inspire him by look or word1 should instantaneously effect his cure4 ,the only possible link of such a kind between the boy and ,jesus was that he may have been aware that his father had gone to seek help for him1 from a renowned physician1 and may have had his hopes greatly excited4 ,this supposition is1 however1 gratuitous4 ,the boy may quite as likely have been delirious1 or too young to know anything2 and even though this slender link did exist1 no sensible person will build much on that4 ,and certainly it is encouraging to find that even while on earth our ,lord did not require to be in contact with the person healed4 ,his word was as effective as ,his presence4 ,and if it is credible that while on earth ,he could heal at the distance of twenty miles1 it is difficult to disbelieve that ,he can from heaven exercise the same omnipotent will4 ,,note4--,it is not apparent why ,john appends the remark1 ,this is again the second sign that ,jesus did1 having come out of ,judaea into ,galilee4 ,he may1 perhaps1 have only intended to call attention more distinctly to the place where the miracle was wrought4 ,this idea is supported by the fact that ,john shows1 on parallel lines1 the manifestation of ,christ in ,judaea and in ,galilee4 ,it is just possible that he may have wished to warn readers of the ,synoptical ,gospels1 that ,jesus had not yet begun the ,galilaean ministry with which these ,gospels open4 ,,footnotes3 #ab ,the words 7ver4 #ce7 have quite the ring of a proverb--a proverb peculiar to seed-time and for the encouragement of the sower4 ,if uttered on this occasion in seed-time1 this gives ,december as the date4 #ac ,this is lucidly taught in ,mozley's ,bampton ,lectures4 ,,xii4 ,,sabbath ,,cure ,,at ,,bethesda4 ,after these things there was a feast of the ,jews2 and ,jesus went up to ,jerusalem4 ,now there is in ,jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool1 which is called in ,hebrew ,bethesda1 having five porches4 ,in these lay a multitude of them that were sick1 blind1 halt1 withered4 ,and a certain man was there1 which had been thirty and eight years in his infirmity4 ,when ,jesus saw him lying1 and knew that he had been now a long time in that case1 ,he saith unto him1 ,wouldest thou be made whole8 ,the sick man answered ,him1 ,sir1 ,i have no man1 when the water is troubled1 to put me into the pool3 but while ,i am coming1 another steppeth down before me4 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,arise1 take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,and straightway the man was made whole1 and took up his bed and walked4 ,now it was the ,sabbath on that day4 ,so the ,jews said unto him that was cured1 ,it is the ,sabbath1 and it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed4 ,but he answered them1 ,he that made me whole1 the same said unto me1 ,take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,they asked him1 ,who is the man that said unto thee1 ,take up thy bed1 and walk8 ,but he that was healed wist not who it was3 for ,jesus had conveyed ,himself away1 a multitude being in the place4 ,afterward ,jesus findeth him in the temple1 and said unto him1 ,behold1 thou art made whole3 sin no more1 lest a worse thing befall thee4--,,john v4 #a-ad4 ,the miracle here recorded is selected by ,john because in it ,jesus plainly signified that ,he had power to quicken whom ,he would 7v4 #ba71 and because it became the occasion for the unbelief of the ,jews to begin the hardening process and appear as opposition4 ,the miracle was wrought when ,jerusalem was full2 although whether at the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 or ,purim1 may be doubted4 ,the pool at the sheep-gate or sheep-market is commonly identified with the ,fountain of the ,virgin1 which still supplies a bath known as ,hammam esh ,shefa1 the ,bath of ,healing4 ,it seems to have been an intermittent spring1 which possessed some healing virtue for a certain class of ailments4 ,its repute was well established1 for a great multitude of hopeful patients waited for the moving of the waters4#ad ,to this natural hospital ,jesus wended ,his way on the ,sabbath of the feast4 ,and as the trained eye of the surgeon quickly selects the worst case in the waiting-room1 so is the eye of ,jesus speedily fixed on a man which had an infirmity thirty and eight years1 a man paralysed apparently in mind as well as in body4 ,few employments could be more utterly paralysing than lying there1 gazing dreamily into the water1 and listening to the monotonous drone of the cripples detailing symptoms every one was sick of hearing about4 ,the little periodic excitement caused by the strife to be first down the steps to the bubbling up of the spring was enough for him4 ,hopeless imbecility was written on his face4 ,jesus sees that for him there will never be healing by waiting here4 ,going up to this man1 our ,lord confronts him with the arousing question1 ,are you desiring to be made whole8 ,the question was needful4 ,not always are the miserable willing to be relieved4 ,medical men have sometimes offered to heal the mendicant's sores1 and their aid has been rejected4 ,even the invalid who does not trade pecuniarily on his disease is very apt to trade upon the sympathy and indulgence of friends1 and sometimes becomes so debilitated in character as to shrink from a life of activity and toil4 ,those who have sunk out of all honest ways of living into poverty and wretchedness are not always eager to put themselves into the harness of honest labour and respectability4 ,and this reluctance is exhibited in its extreme form in those who are content to be spiritual imbeciles1 because they shrink from all arduous work and responsible position4 ,life1 true life such as ,christ calls us to1 with all its obligations to others1 its honest and spontaneous devotion to spiritual ends1 its risks1 its reality1 and purity1 does not seem attractive to the spiritual valetudinarian4 ,in fact1 nothing so thoroughly reveals a man to himself1 nothing so clearly discloses to him his real aims and likings1 as the answer he finds he can give to the simple question1 ,are you willing to be made whole8 ,are you willing to be fitted for the highest and purest life8 ,the man is sufficiently alive to feel the implied rebuke1 and apologetically answers1 ,sir1 ,i have no one to put me into the pool4 ,it is not that ,i am resigned to this life of uselessness1 but ,i have no option4 ,the very answer1 however1 showed that he was hopeless4 ,it had become the established order of things with him that some one anticipated him4 ,he speaks of it as regularly happening--another steps down before me4 ,he had no friend--not one that would spare time to wait beside him and watch for the welling up of the water4 ,and he had no thought of help coming from any other quarter4 ,but there is that in the appearance and manner of ,jesus that quickens the man's attention1 and makes him wonder whether ,he will not perhaps stand by him and help him at the next moving of the waters4 ,while these thoughts are passing through his mind the words of ,jesus ring with power in his ears1 ,rise1 take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,and he who had so long waited in vain to be healed at the spring1 is instantaneously made whole by the word of ,jesus4 ,john habitually considered the miracles of ,jesus as signs or object lessons1 in which the spiritual mind might read unseen truth4 ,they were intended to present to the eye a picture of the similar but greater works which ,jesus wrought in the region of the spirit4 ,he heals the blind1 and therein sets ,himself before men as the ,light of the world4 ,he gives the hungry bread1 but is disappointed that they do not from this conclude that ,he is ,himself the ,bread sent by the ,father to nourish to life everlasting4 ,he heals this impotent man1 and marvels that in this healing the people do not see a sign that ,he is the ,son who does the ,father's works1 and who can give life to whom ,he will4 ,it is legitimate1 therefore1 to see in this cure the embodiment of spiritual truth4 ,this man represents those who for many years have known their infirmity1 and who have continued1 if not very definitely to hope for spiritual vigour1 at least to put themselves in the way of being healed--to give themselves1 as invalids do1 all the chances4 ,this crowding of the pool of ,bethesda--the house of mercy or grace--strongly resembles our frequenting of ordinances1 a practice which many continue in very much the state of mind of this paralytic4 ,they are still as infirm as when they first began to look for cure2 it seems as if their turn were never to come1 though they have seen many remarkable cures4 ,theoretically they have no doubt of the efficacy of ,christian grace2 practically they have no expectation that they shall ever be strong1 vigorous useful men in ,his ,kingdom4 ,if you asked them why they are so punctual in attendance on all religious services1 they would say1 ,why1 is it not a right thing to do8 ,press them further with our ,lord's question1 ,are you expecting to be made whole8 ,is this your purpose in coming here8 ,they will refer you to their past1 and tell you how it has always seemed to be some other person's case that was thought of1 how the ,spirit of ,god seemed always to have other work than that which concerned them4 ,but here they are still--and commendably and wisely so2 for if this man had begun to disbelieve in the virtue of the water because he himself had never experienced its power1 and had shut himself up in some wretched solitude of his own1 then the eye of the ,lord had never rested upon him--here they are still2 for the best part of a lifetime they have been on the brink of health1 and yet have never got it2 for eight-and-thirty years this man had seen that water1 knew that it healed people1 put his hand in it1 gazed on it1--yes1 there it was1 and could heal him1 and yet his turn never came4 ,so do these persons frequent the ordinances1 hear the word that can save them1 touch the bread of communion1 and know that by the blessing of ,god the bread of life is thereby conveyed1 and yet year by year goes past1 and for them all remains unblessed4 ,they begin despairingly to say-- ,thy saints are comforted1 ,i know1 ,and love ,thy house of prayer2 ,i therefore go where others go1 ,but find no comfort there4 ,this miracle shows such persons that there is a shorter way to health than a languid attendance on ordinances--an attendance that is satisfied if there seems to be still in operation what may be useful to others4 ,it is the voice of ,christ they need to hear4 ,it is that voice summoning to thought and hope that we all need to hear1 ,wilt thou be made whole8 ,are you weary and ashamed of your infirmity2 would you fain be a whole man in ,christ1 able at last to walk through life as a living man1 seeing the beauty of ,god and of ,his work1 and meeting with gladness the whole requirements of a life in ,god8 ,does the very beauty of ,christ's manhood1 as ,he stands before you1 make you at once ashamed of your weakness and covetous of ,his strength8 ,do you see in ,him what it is to be strong1 to enter into life1 to begin to live as a man ought always to live1 and are you earnestly looking to receive power from on high8 ,to such come the life-giving voice of the ,word who utters ,god1 and the life that is in ,god4 ,it is important to notice that in ,christ's word to the sick1 ,rise1 take up thy bed1 and walk1 three things are implied-- #a4 ,there must be a prompt response to ,christ's word4 ,he does not heal any one who lies sluggishly waiting to see what that word will effect4 ,there must be a hearty and immediate recognition of the speaker's truth and power4 ,we cannot say to what extent the impotent man would feel a current of nervous energy invigorating him4 ,probably this consciousness of new strength would only succeed his cordial reliance on the word of ,christ4 ,obey ,christ1 and you will find strength enough4 ,believe in ,his power to give you new life1 and you will have it4 ,but do not hesitate1 do not question1 do not delay4 #b4 ,there must be no thought of failure1 no making provision for a relapse2 the bed must be rolled up as no longer needed4 ,how do those diseased men of the ,gospels rebuke us6 ,we seem always half in doubt whether we should make bold to live as whole men4 ,we take a few feeble steps1 and return to the bed we have left4 ,from life by faith in ,christ we sink back to life as we knew it without ,christ--a life attempting little1 and counting it a thing too high for us to put ourselves and our all at ,god's disposal4 ,if we set out to swim the ,channel we take care to have a boat within hail to pick us up if we become exhausted4 ,to make provision for failure is in the ,christian life to secure failure4 ,it betrays a half-heartedness in our faith1 a lurking unbelief which must bring disaster4 ,have we rolled up our bed and tossed it aside8 ,if ,christ fails us1 have we nothing to fall back upon8 ,is it faith in ,him that really keeps us going8 ,is it ,his view of the world and of all that is in it that we have accepted2 or do we merely take a few steps on ,his principles1 but in the main make our bed in the ordinary unenlightened worldly life8 #c4 ,there must be a continuous use made of the strength ,christ gives4 ,the man who had lain for thirty-eight years was told to walk4 ,we must confront many duties without any past experience to assure us of success4 ,we must proceed to do them in faith--in the faith that ,he who bids us do them will give us strength for them4 ,take your place at once among healthy men2 recognise the responsibilities of life4 ,find an outlet for the new strength in you4 ,be no longer a burden1 a charge to others1 but begin yourself to bear the burdens of others1 and be a source of strength to others4 ,before the man could get home with his bed he was challenged for carrying it on the ,sabbath4 ,they must surely have known that he himself1 and many more1 had that very morning been carried to ,bethesda4 ,but we can scarcely conclude from the ,jews thus challenging the healed man that they sought occasion against ,jesus4 ,they would have stopped any one going through the streets of ,jerusalem with a bundle on the ,sabbath4 ,they had ,scripture on their side1 and founded on the words of ,jeremiah 7xvii4 #ba71 ,take heed to yourselves1 and bear no burden on the ,sabbath day4 ,even in our own streets a man carrying a large package on ,sunday would attract the suspicion of the religious1 if not of the police4 ,we must not1 then1 find a malicious intention towards ,jesus1 but merely the accustomed thoughtless bigotry and literalism1 in the challenge of the ,jews4 ,but to their ,it is not lawful1 the man promptly answers1 perhaps only meaning to screen himself by throwing the blame on another1 ,he that made me whole1 the same said unto me1 ,take up thy bed4 ,the man quite naturally1 and without till now reflecting on his own conduct1 had listened to ,christ's word as authoritative4 ,he that gave me strength told me how to use it4 ,intuitively the man lays down the great principle of ,christian obedience4 ,if ,christ is the source of life to me1 ,he must also be the source of law4 ,if without ,him ,i am helpless and useless1 it stands to reason that ,i must consider ,his will in the use of the life ,he communicates4 ,this must always be the ,christian's defence when the world is scandalised by anything he does in obedience to ,christ2 when he goes in the face of its traditions and customs2 when he is challenged for singularity1 overpreciseness1 or innovation4 ,this is the law which the ,christian must still bear in mind when he fears to thwart any prejudice of the world1 when he is tempted to bide his time among the impotent folk1 and not fly in the face of established usage2 when1 though he has distinctly understood what he ought to do1 so many difficulties threaten1 that he is tempted to withdraw into obscurity and indolence4 ,it is the same ,voice which gives life and directs it4 ,shall ,i then refuse it in both cases1 or choose it in both8 ,shall ,i shrink from its directions1 and lie down again in sin2 or shall ,i accept life1 and with it the still greater boon of spending it as ,christ wills8 ,but though the man had thus instinctively obeyed ,jesus1 he actually had not had the curiosity to ask who ,he was4 ,it is almost incredible that he should have so immediately lost sight of the person to whom he was so indebted4 ,but so taken up is he with his new sensations1 so occupied with gathering up his mats1 so beset by the congratulations and inquiries of his comrades at the porch1 that before he bethinks himself ,jesus is gone4 ,among those who do undoubtedly profit by ,christ's work there is a lamentable and culpable lack of interest in ,his person4 ,it does not seem to matter from whom they have received these benefits so long as they have them2 they do not seem drawn to ,his person1 ever following to know more of ,him and to enjoy ,his society1 as the poor demoniac would have done1 who would gladly have left home and country1 and who cared not what line of life he might be thrown into or what thrown out of1 if only he might be with ,christ4 ,if one were to put the case1 that my prospects were eternally and in each particular changed by the intervention of one whose love is itself infinite blessing1 and if it were asked what would be my feeling towards such a person1 doubtless ,i would say1 ,he would have an unrivalled interest for me1 and ,i should be irresistibly drawn into the most intimate personal knowledge and relations2 but no--the melancholy truth is otherwise2 the gift is delighted in1 the giver is suffered to be lost in the crowd4 ,the spectacle is presented of a vast number of persons made blessed through the intervention of ,christ1 who are yet more concerned to exhibit their own new life and acquirements1 than to identify and keep hold of ,him to whom they owe all4 ,although the healed man seems to have had little interest in ,christ1 ,christ kept ,his eye upon him4 ,finding him in the ,temple1 where he had gone to give thanks for his recovery1 or to see a place he had so long been excluded from1 or merely because it was a place of public resort1 our ,lord addressed him in the emphatic words1 ,sin no more1 lest a worse thing come upon thee4 ,the natural inference from these words is that his disease had been brought on by sin in early life--another instance of the lifelong misery a man may incur by almost his earliest responsible acts1 of the difficulties and shame with which a lad or a boy may unwittingly fill his life1 but an instance also of the willingness with which ,christ delivers us even from miseries we have rashly brought upon ourselves4 ,further still1 it is an instance of the vitality of sin4 ,this man's lifelong punishment had not broken the power of sin within him4 ,he knew why he was diseased and shattered4 ,every pain he felt1 every desire which through weakness he could not gratify1 every vexing thought of what he might have made of life1 made him hate his sin as the cause of all his wretchedness2 and yet at the end of these thirty-eight years of punishment ,christ recognised in him1 even in the first days of restored health1 a liability to return to his sin4 ,but every day we see the same2 every day we see men keeping themselves down1 and gathering all kinds of misery round them by persisting in sin4 ,we say of this man and that1 ,how is it possible he can still cleave to his sin1 no better1 no wiser for all he has come through8 ,one would have thought former lessons sufficient4 ,but no amount of mere suffering purifies from sin4 ,one has sometimes a kind of satisfaction in reaping the consequences of sin1 as if that would deter from future sin2 but if this will not hold us back1 what will8 ,partly the perception that already ,god forgives us1 and partly the belief that when ,christ commands us to sin no more ,he can give us strength to sin no more4 ,who believes with a deep and abiding conviction that ,christ's will can raise him from all spiritual impotence and uselessness8 ,he1 and he only1 can hope to conquer sin4 ,to rely upon ,christ's word1 ,sin no more1 with the same confident faith with which this man acted on ,his word1 ,rise1 take up thy bed--this alone gives victory over sin4 ,if our own will is too weak1 ,christ's will is always mighty4 ,identify your will with ,christ's1 and you have ,his strength4 ,but the fear of punishment has also its place4 ,the man is warned that a worse thing will fall upon him if he sins4 ,sinning after the beginning of deliverance1 we not only fall back into such remorse1 darkness1 and misery as have already in this life followed our sin1 but a worse thing will come upon us4 ,but worse4 ,what can be worse than the loss of an entire life2 like this man1 passing in disappointment1 in uselessness1 in shame1 the time which all naturally expect shall be filled with activity1 success1 and happiness2 losing1 and losing early1 and losing by one's own fault1 and losing hopelessly1 everything that makes life desirable8 ,few men so entirely miss life as this man did1 though perhaps our activities are often more hurtful than his absolute inactivity1 and under an appearance of prosperity the heart may have been torn with remorse as painful as his4 ,yet let no man think that he knows the worst that sin can do4 ,after the longest experience we may sink deeper still1 and indeed must do so unless we listen to ,christ's voice saying1 ,behold1 thou art made whole3 sin no more1 lest a worse thing come upon thee4 ,,footnotes3 #ad ,verse #d is omitted by recent editors on the authority of the best ancient ,,mss4 ,,xiii4 ,,jesus ,,life-,,giver ,,and ,,judge4 ,the man went away1 and told the ,jews that it was ,jesus which had made him whole4 ,and for this cause did the ,jews persecute ,jesus1 because ,he did these things on the sabbath4 ,but ,jesus answered them1 ,my ,father worketh even until now1 and ,i work4 ,for this cause therefore the ,jews sought the more to kill ,him1 because ,he not only brake the sabbath1 but also called ,god ,his own ,father1 making ,himself equal with ,god4 ,jesus therefore answered and said unto them1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,the ,son can do nothing of ,himself1 but what ,he seeth the ,father doing3 for what things soever ,he doeth1 these the ,son also doeth in like manner4 ,for the ,father loveth the ,son1 and sheweth ,him all things that ,himself doeth3 and greater works than these will ,he shew ,him1 that ye may marvel4 ,for as the ,father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them1 even so the ,son also quickeneth whom ,he will4 ,for neither doth the ,father judge any man1 but ,he hath given all judgement unto the ,son2 that all may honour the ,son1 even as they honour the ,father4 ,he that honoureth not the ,son honoureth not the ,father which sent ,him4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that heareth ,my word1 and believeth ,him that sent ,me1 hath eternal life1 and cometh not into judgement1 but hath passed out of death into life4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,the hour cometh1 and now is1 when the dead shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god2 and they that hear shall live4 ,for as the ,father hath life in ,himself1 even so gave ,he to the ,son also to have life in ,himself3 and ,he gave ,him authority to execute judgement1 because ,he is the ,son of man4 ,marvel not at this3 for the hour cometh1 in which all that are in the tombs shall hear ,his voice1 and shall come forth2 they that have done good1 unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done ill1 unto the resurrection of judgement4 ,i can of ,myself do nothing2 as ,i hear1 ,i judge3 and ,my judgement is righteous2 because ,i seek not ,mine own will1 but the will of ,him that sent ,me4 ,if ,i bear witness of ,myself1 ,my witness is not true4 ,it is another that beareth witness of ,me2 and ,i know that the witness which ,he witnesseth of ,me is true4 ,ye have sent unto ,john1 and he hath borne witness unto the truth4 ,but the witness which ,i receive is not from man3 howbeit ,i say these things1 that ye may be saved4 ,he was the lamp that burneth and shineth3 and ye were willing to rejoice for a season in his light4 ,but the witness which ,i have is greater than that of ,john3 for the works which the ,father hath given ,me to accomplish1 the very works that ,i do1 bear witness of ,me1 that the ,father hath sent ,me4 ,and the ,father which sent ,me1 ,he hath borne witness of ,me4 ,ye have neither heard ,his voice at any time1 nor seen ,his form4 ,and ye have not ,his word abiding in you3 for whom ,he sent1 ,him ye believe not4 ,ye search the scriptures1 because ye think that in them ye have eternal life2 and these are they which bear witness of ,me2 and ye will not come to ,me1 that ye may have life4 ,i receive not glory from men4 ,but ,i know you1 that ye have not the love of ,god in yourselves4 ,i am come in ,my ,father's name1 and ye receive ,me not3 if another shall come in his own name1 him ye will receive4 ,how can ye believe1 which receive glory one of another1 and the glory that cometh from the only ,god ye seek not8 ,think not that ,i will accuse you to the ,father3 there is one that accuseth you1 even ,moses1 on whom ye have set your hope4 ,for if ye believed ,moses1 ye would believe ,me2 for he wrote of ,me4 ,but if ye believe not his writings1 how shall ye believe ,my words8--,,john v4 #ae-dg4 ,as soon as the impotent man discovered who it was that had given him strength1 he informed the authorities1 either from sheer thoughtlessness1 or because he considered that they had a right to know1 or because he judged that1 like himself1 they would rather admire the miracle than take exception to the ,sabbath-breaking4 ,if this last was his idea1 he had not gauged the obtuseness and self-righteous spite of honest and pious literalism4 ,for this cause did the ,jews persecute ,jesus1 because ,he did these things on the ,sabbath4#ae ,in what particular form the charge of ,sabbath-breaking was brought against our ,lord1 whether formal or conversational and tentative1 ,john does not say4 ,he is more concerned to give us in full the substance of ,his apology4 ,for the first time our ,lord now gave in public an explanation of ,his claims2 and this five minutes' talk with the ,jews contains probably the most important truth ever uttered upon earth4 ,the passage embodies the four following assertions3 that the healing of the incurable on the ,sabbath resulted from and exhibited ,his perfect unison with the ,father2 that this giving of life to an impotent man was an illustration or sign of ,his power to quicken whom ,he would1 to communicate life ,divine and eternal to all in whatsoever stage of spiritual or physical deadness they were2 that ,his claim to possess this supreme power was not mere idle assertion1 but was both guaranteed by this miracle1 and otherwise was amply attested2 and that the real root of their rejection of ,him and ,his claims was to be found1 not in their superior knowledge of ,god and regard for ,his will1 but in their worldly craving for the applause of men4#af #a4 ,our ,lord's reply to the charge of ,sabbath-breaking is1 ,my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work4 ,he did not make any comment on the ,sabbath law4 ,he did not defend ,himself by showing that works of mercy such as ,he had done ,were admissible4 ,on other occasions ,he adopted this line of defence1 but now ,he took higher ground4 ,the rest of ,god is not inactivity4 ,god does not on the ,sabbath cease to communicate life to all things4 ,he does not refrain from blessing men till the sun of the ,sabbath is set4 ,the tides rise and fall2 the plants grow2 the sun completes his circuit on the ,sabbath as on other days4 ,why does not ,god keep the ,sabbath8 a caviller asked of a ,jew4 ,is it not lawful1 was the answer1 for a man to move about in his own house on the ,sabbath8 ,the house of ,god is the whole realm above and the whole realm below4 ,for ,god the ,sabbath has no existence2 it is a boon ,he has given to ,his creatures because they need it4 ,his untiring beneficence is needful for the upholding and for the happiness of all4 ,and it is the same superiority to the ,sabbath which ,jesus claims for ,himself4 ,he claims that ,his unceasing work is as necessary to the world as the ,father's--or rather1 that ,he and the ,father are together carrying out one work1 and that in this miracle the ,jews find fault with ,he has merely acted as the ,father's agent4 ,from this statement the ,jews concluded that ,he made ,himself equal with ,god4 ,and they were justified in so concluding4 ,it is only on this understanding of ,his words that the defence of ,jesus was relevant4 ,if ,he meant only to say that ,he imitated ,god1 and that because ,god did not rest on the ,sabbath1 therefore ,he1 a holy ,jew1 might work on the ,sabbath1 ,his defence was absurd4 ,our ,lord did not mean that ,he was imitating the ,father1 but that ,his work was as indispensable as the ,father's1 was the ,father's4 ,my ,father from the beginning up till now worketh1 giving life to all2 and ,i work in the same sphere1 giving life as ,his agent and almoner to men4 ,the work of quickening the impotent man was the ,father's work4 ,in charging ,him with breaking the ,sabbath they were charging the ,father with breaking it4 ,but this gives ,jesus an opportunity of more clearly describing ,his relation to ,god4 ,he declares ,he is in such perfect harmony with ,god that it is impossible for ,him to do either that miracle or any other work at ,his own instigation4 ,the ,son can do nothing of ,himself1 but what ,he seeth the ,father doing4 ,i can of myself do nothing4 ,he had power to do it1 but no will4 ,he had life in ,himself1 and could give it to whom ,he pleased2 but so perfect was ,his sympathy with ,god1 that it was impossible for ,him to act where ,god would not have ,him act4 ,so trained was ,he to perceive the ,divine purpose1 so habituated to submit ,himself to it1 that ,he could neither mistake ,his ,father's will nor oppose it4 ,as a conscientious man when pressed to do a wrong thing says1 ,no1 really ,i cannot do it2 as a son who might happen to be challenged for injuring ,his father's business would indignantly repudiate the possibility of such a thing4 ,what do ,i live for1 he would say1 but to further my father's views8 ,my father's interests and mine are identical1 our views and purposes are identical4 ,i cannot do anything antagonistic to him4 ,so ,jesus had from the first recognised ,god as ,his ,father1 and had so true and deep a filial feeling that really it was the joy of ,his life to do ,his will4 ,this1 then1 was the idea the ,lord sought to impress on the people on the first occasion on which ,he had a good opportunity of speaking in public4 ,he cannot do anything save what is suggested to ,him by consideration of ,god's will4 ,even as a boy ,he had begun to have this filial feeling4 ,wist ye not that ,i must be about ,my ,father's business8 ,that in ,him which is most conspicuous and which ,he wishes to be most conspicuous is perfect sonship2 filial trust and duty carried to its perfect height4 ,it is this perfect filial unanimity with the ,father which makes ,his life valuable1 significant1 different from all other lives4 ,it is this which makes ,him the perfect representative of the ,father2 which enables ,him to be ,god's perfect messenger to men1 doing always and only the will of ,god in men's sight4 ,he is in the world not for the sake of fulfilling any private schemes of ,his own1 but having it as ,his sole motive and aim to do the ,father's will4 ,this perfect filial feeling had no doubt its root in the eternal relation of the ,son to the ,father4 ,it was the continuance1 upon earth and under new conditions1 of the life ,he already had enjoyed with the ,father4 ,having assumed human nature1 ,he could reveal ,himself only so far as that nature allowed ,him4 ,his revelation1 for example1 was not universal1 but local1 confined to one place2 ,his human nature being necessarily confined to one place4 ,he did not assert superiority to all human law2 ,he paid taxes2 ,he recognised lawful authority2 ,he did not convince men of ,his ,divinity by superiority to all human infirmities2 ,he ate1 slept1 died as ordinary men4 ,but through all this ,he maintained a perfect harmony with the ,divine will4 ,it was this which differentiated ,him from ordinary men1 that ,he maintained throughout ,his life an attitude of undoubting trust in the ,father and devotion to ,him4 ,it was through the human will of the ,lord that the ,divine will of the ,eternal ,son uniformly worked and used the whole of ,his human nature4 ,it is in this perfect ,sonship of ,christ we first learn what a son should be4 ,it is by ,his perfect loyalty to the ,father's will1 by ,his uniform adoption of it as the best1 the only1 thing ,he can do1 that we begin to understand our connection with ,god1 and to recognise that in ,his will alone is our blessedness4 ,naturally we resent the rule of any will but our own2 we have not by nature such love for ,god as would put ,his will first4 ,to our reason it becomes manifest that there is nothing higher or happier for us than to sink ourselves in ,god2 we see that there is nothing more elevating1 nothing more essential to a hopeful life than that we make ,god's purposes in the world our own1 and do that very thing which ,he sees to be worth doing and which ,he desires to do4 ,yet we find that the actual adoption of this filial attitude1 natural1 rational1 and inviting as it seems1 is just the most difficult of all difficulties1 is indeed the battle of life4 ,who among us can say that we do nothing of ourselves1 nothing at our own instance1 that our life is entirely at ,god's disposal8 ,to this filial disposition on the part of the ,son the ,father responds3 ,the ,father loveth the ,son1 and showeth ,him all things that ,himself doeth 7ver4 #bj74 ,if we ask how ,jesus saw the ,father's works1 or how1 for example1 ,he saw that the ,father wished ,him to heal the impotent man1 the answer must be that it is by inward sympathy the ,son apprehends what the ,father wills4 ,we in our measure can see what ,god is doing in the world1 and can forward ,god's work4 ,but not by mere observation of what ,god had done and was doing through others did ,jesus see what the ,father did1 but rather by ,his own inward perception of the ,father's will4 ,by ,his own purity1 love1 and goodness ,he knew what the ,father's goodness willed4 ,but the ,father was not passive in the matter1 merely allowing the ,son to discover what ,he could of ,his will4 ,godet illustrates this active revelation on the ,father's part by the simile of the father in the carpenter's shop at ,nazareth showing the son the things he made and the method of making them4 ,this simile1 however1 being external1 is apt to misdirect the mind4 ,it was by a wholly inward and spiritual process the ,father made known to the ,son ,his purposes and mind4 #b4 ,this quickening of the impotent man was meant to be an object lesson1 a sign of the power of ,jesus to communicate life1 ,divine and eternal1 to whom ,he would4 ,greater works than this of curing the paralytic will the ,father show to the ,son1 that ye may marvel 7ver4 #bj74 ,as through ,his word vigour had been imparted to the impotent man1 so all who listen to ,his word will receive everlasting life 7ver4 #bd74 ,as the impotent man1 after thirty-eight years of deadness1 found life on the moment by believing ,christ's word1 so every one who listens to that same voice as the word of ,god receives life eternal4 ,through that word he connects himself with the source of life4 ,he becomes obedient to the life-giving will of ,god4 ,the question1 ,how can the spiritually dead hear and believe8 is the question4 ,how could the impotent man rise in response to ,christ's word8 ,psychologically inexplicable it may be1 but happily it is practically possible4 ,and here1 as elsewhere1 theory must wait upon fact4 ,one thing is plain3 that faith is the link between the ,divine life and human weakness4 ,had the impotent man not believed1 he would not have risen4 ,christ quickens whom ,he will2 that is to say1 there is no limit to ,his life-giving power2 but ,he cannot quicken those who will not have life or who do not believe ,he can give it4 ,hence necessarily the ,father hath committed all judgement unto the ,son4 ,to the impotent man ,jesus put the question1 ,wilt thou be made whole8 and by that question the man was judged4 ,by the answer he gave to it he determined whether he would remain dead or receive life4 ,had he not on the moment believed1 he would have doomed himself to permanent and hopeless imbecility4 ,christ's question judged him4 ,precisely so1 says ,jesus1 are all men judged by ,my presence among them1 and ,my offer of life to them4 ,for the ,father has not only given to the ,son to have life in ,himself1 that ,he may thus communicate it 7ver4 #bf71 but ,he hath given ,him authority to execute judgement also1 because ,he is a ,son of man4 ,for these words do not mean that ,jesus will be ,judge because men should be judged by one who shares their nature1#ag or because they must be judged by the holiest and most loving of men#ah--;as if ,god ,himself were not sufficiently loving--but1 as the object-lesson shows us1 ,jesus is necessarily ,judge by appearing as ,god's messenger1 and by offering to men life everlasting4 ,by becoming a son of man1 by living in human form as the embodied love and life of ,god1 and by making intelligible ,god's good-will and ,his invitation to life1 ,christ necessarily sifts men and separates them into two classes4 ,every one who hears the word of ,jesus is judged4 ,he either accepts quickening and passes into life1 or he rejects it and abides in death4 ,this human appearance1 ,jesus seems to say1 which stumbles you1 and makes you think that ,my pretensions of judging all men are absurd1 is the very qualification which makes judgment one of ,my necessary functions4 ,and this explains why we find ,christ uttering apparent contradictions3 at one time saying1 ,for judgment came ,i into this world1 and at another time saying1 ,i came not to judge the world4 ,the object of ,his coming into the world was to give life1 not to condemn men1 not to cut them off finally from life and from ,god1 but to open a way to the ,father1 and to be their life4 ,but this very coming of ,christ and the offers ,he makes to men constitute the critical test of every soul that is brought into contact with them4 ,judgment is the necessary accompaniment of salvation4 ,man's will being free1 it must be so4 ,and this judgment1 determined in this life1 will one day appear in final1 irreversible1 manifested result4 ,the hour is coming1 in the which all that are in the graves shall hear ,his voice1 and shall come forth2 they that have done good1 unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil1 unto the resurrection of damnation4 #c4 ,but naturally the ,jews would say3 ,these are extraordinary and apparently extravagant claims to make4 ,it is not easily credible that this voice which now so quietly speaks to us is one day to wake the dead4 ,it is not easily credible that one whom we can carry before our courts is to judge all men4 ,to which thoughts ,jesus replies3 ,i do not expect you to take ,my word for these things1 but there are three guarantees of ,my truth to which ,i point you4 ,there is first of all 7#a7 the testimony of ,john#ai--;a man in whose prophetic gift you for a while prided yourselves1 rejoicing that ,god had sent you so powerful and enlightening a messenger4 ,his whole function was to testify of ,me4 ,this lamp1 in the light of which you rejoiced1 was lit solely for the purpose of making quite visible to you that which you now say you cannot see4 ,but this is not the best witness ,i have1 although those of you who cannot see for themselves might be saved if only you would believe ,john's testimony4 ,but 7#b7 ,i have greater witness than that of ,john4 ,john said that ,i should come as the ,father's agent4 ,well1 if you cannot believe ,john's words1 can you not believe the things you see8 ,this impotent man raised to health1 is this not a little hint of the ,divine power that is in your midst8 ,and are not all the works ,i do the ,father's works1 done by ,his power and for ,his purposes8 ,is not ,my whole career its own best evidence8 ,but besides1 7#c7 the ,father ,himself has borne witness to ,me4 ,he has not appeared to you4 ,you have not heard ,his voice nor seen ,his shape1 but ,his word1 ,his own sufficient account of ,his nature and connection with you1 you have4 ,you search the ,scriptures1 and rightly1 for they are they which testify of ,me4 ,they are the ,father's word which1 had you listened to1 you would have known ,me as sent by ,him4 ,had you not mumbled only the husk of ,scripture1 counting its letters and wearing it on your foreheads1 but had you1 through ,god's law1 entered into sympathy with ,his purpose on earth1 had you1 through all that ,scripture tells you of ,him1 learned ,his nature1 and learned to love ,him1 you would at once have recognised ,me as ,his messenger4 ,ye have not ,his word abiding in you2 ye have not let it lie in your minds and colour them2 ye have not chewed1 and digested1 and assimilated the very quintessence of it1 for had you done so you would have learned to know ,god and seen ,him in ,me4#bj ,but whom ,he sent1 ,him ye believe not4 ,the very ,scriptures which had been given to guide them to ,christ they used as a veil to blind themselves to ,his presence4 ,jesus points out where their mistake lay4 ,you search the ,scriptures1 because you suppose that in them1 a mere book1 you have eternal life2 the truth being that life is in ,me4 ,the ,scriptures do not give life1 they lead to the ,life-giver4 ,the ,scriptures1 by your superstitiously reverent and shallow use of them1 actually prevent you from finding the life they were meant to point you to4 ,you think you have life in them1 and therefore will not come to ,me4 ,so may a book1 lifted out of its subordinate place1 be entirely perverted from its use1 and actually hinder the purpose it was given to promote4 ,to worship the ,bible as if it were ,christ is to mistake a finger-post for a house of shelter4 ,it is possible to have a great zeal for the ,bible and yet quite to misapprehend its object2 and to misapprehend its object is to make it both useless and dangerous4 ,to set it on a level with ,christ is to do both it1 ,him1 and ourselves the gravest injustice4 ,many who seem to exalt the ,scriptures degrade them2 and those who give them a subordinate place truly exalt them4 ,god speaks in ,scripture1 as this passage shows1 but ,he speaks for a definite purpose1 to reveal ,christ2 and this fact is the key to all difficulties about the ,bible and inspiration4 #d4 ,the unbelief of the ,jews is traced by ,jesus to a moral root4 ,they seemed very zealous for ,god's law1 but beneath this superficial and ostentatious championing of ,god there was detected a deep-seated alienation from ,god which unfitted them for knowing either ,him or ,his messenger4 ,glory from men ,i do not receive 7ver4 #da74 ,but the reason of this is that ye have not the love of ,god in you1 and cannot appreciate ,divine glory or recognise it when you see it4 ,how can you believe1 when your hearts crave the glory you can give to one another1 your ambition rising no higher than to be spoken of by ignorant people as the upholders of religion8 ,you have taught yourselves to measure men by a wholly spurious standard1 and cannot believe in one who is a transparency through which the glory of ,god shines upon you4 ,had some one come in his own name1 seeking a glory the ,jews could give him1 adapting himself to their poor conceptions1 him they would have received4 ,but ,jesus being sent by ,god had that glory which consisted in being a perfect medium of the ,father's will1 doing the ,father's work and never seeking ,his own glory4 ,this1 then1 was the reason why the ,jews could not believe in ,jesus4 ,their idea of glory was earthly1 and they were unfitted to see and appreciate such glory as ,he showed in deeds of kindness4 ,and those sayings of ,jesus penetrate deeply into the permanent roots of unbelief4 ,it was certainly a great demand on their faith which ,jesus made4 ,he asked them to believe that the most ,divine of prerogatives1 life-giving and judging1 belonged to ,him4 ,but ,he gave them evidence4 ,he only asks them to believe what they have seen exemplified4 ,he does not as yet even ask them to draw inferences4 ,he does not blame them for not seeing what is implied regarding ,his eternal relation to the ,father4 ,he adduces evidence that they may be saved2 that they may be induced to partake of the life ,he dispenses2 and ,he laments that they will not believe that ,he is commissioned by ,god to speak words of life to men1 although ,he has given them demonstration of ,his commission and power to give life4 ,to us also ,he speaks--for plainly such powers as ,he here claims are not such as can be capriciously given and withdrawn1 rendered accessible to one age but not to another1 exhibited on earth once but never more to be exercised4 ,they are not powers that could be given to more than one messenger of ,god4 ,to suppose more than one source of spiritual life or more than one seat of judgment is against reason4 ,,footnotes3 #ae ,similarly in the ,synoptical ,gospels the hostility of the ,jews is traced to ,his apparent breach of the ,sabbath law4 #af ,the following division of the former part of this ,apology may help the reader to follow the sequence of thought4 ,in vv4 #ai1 #bj1 ,jesus enounces the general features of ,his relation to the ,father4 ,in vv4 #ba-bc the works dictated by this relation and resulting from it are spoken of generally as quickening and judging4 ,these works are in vv4 #bd-bg exhibited in the spiritual sphere1 and in vv4 #bh1 #bi1 in the physical sphere4 ,the first part of the defence is closed in ver4 #cj with a re-affirmation of ,his absolute unison with the ,father4 #ag ,westcott4 #ah ,stier4 #ai ,it is very doubtful whether ver4 #cb refers to ,john4 ,i think it refers to the ,father4 ,still ,jesus1 in vv4 #cc-ce1 refers the ,jews to the testimony of ,john1 although for ,his own part ,he depends on higher testimony4 #bj ,the same idea is resumed in vv4 #de-dg4 ,if you have not understood the writings of ,moses which you have heard from ,sabbath to ,sabbath1 and have not received the knowledge of ,god they were meant to give you1 how shall ye believe the once heard words of ,him whose coming was meant to be prepared for1 and ,his identification made easy by all that ,moses wrote and by the institutions he established4 ,,xiv4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,bread ,,of ,,life4 ,,john vi4 #a-ei4 ,in this chapter ,john follows the same method as in the last4 ,he first relates the sign1 and then gives our ,lord's interpretation of it4 ,as to the ,samaritan woman1 and to the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 so now to the ,galileans1 ,jesus manifests ,himself as sent to communicate to man life eternal4 ,the sign by means of which ,he now manifests ,himself is1 however1 so new that many fresh aspects of ,his own person and work are disclosed4#ba ,the occasion for the miracle arose1 as usual1 quite simply4 ,jesus had retired to the east side of the sea of ,tiberias1 probably to a spot near ,bethsaida ,julias1 that ,he might have some rest4 ,but the people1 eager to see more miracles1 followed ,him round the head of the lake1 and1 as they went1 their number was augmented by members of a ,passover caravan which was forming in the neighbourhood or was already on the march4 ,this inconsiderate pursuit of ,jesus1 instead of offending ,him1 touched ,him2 and as ,he marked them toiling up the hill in groups1 or one by one1 some quite spent with a long and rapid walk1 mothers dragging hungry children after them1 ,his first thought was1 ,what can these poor tired people get to refresh them here8 ,he turns therefore to ,philip with the question1 ,whence are we to buy bread that these may eat8 ,this he said1 ,john tells us1 to prove or test ,philip4 ,apparently this disciple was a shrewd business man1 quick to calculate ways and means1 and rather apt to scorn the expectations of faith4 ,every man must rid himself of the defects of his qualities4 ,and ,jesus now gave ,philip an opportunity to overcome his weakness-in-strength by at last boldly confessing his inability and the ,lord's ability1--by saying1 ,we have neither meat nor money1 but we have ,thee4 ,but ,philip1 like many another1 missed his opportunity1 and1 wholly oblivious of the resources of ,jesus1 casts ,his eye rapidly over the crowd and estimates that two hundred pennyworth#bb of bread would scarcely suffice to give each enough to stay immediate cravings4 ,philip's friend ,andrew as little as himself divines the intention of ,jesus1 and naively suggests that the whole provision he can hear of in the crowd is a little boy's five loaves and two fishes4 ,these helpless1 meagrely furnished and meagrely conceiving disciples1 meagre in food and meagre in faith1 are set in contrast to the calm faith and infinite resource of ,jesus4 ,the moral ground being thus prepared for the miracle in the confessed inability of the disciples and of the crowd1 ,jesus takes the matter in hand4 ,with that air of authority and calm purpose which must have impressed the onlookers at all ,his miracles1 ,he says1 ,make the men sit down4 ,and there where they happened to be1 and without further preparation1 on a grassy spot near the left bank of the ,jordan1 and just where the river flows into the lake of ,galilee1 with the evening sun sinking behind the hills on the western shore and the shadows lying across the darkened lake1 the multitude break up into groups of hundreds and fifties1 and seat themselves in perfect confidence that somehow food is to be furnished4 ,they seat themselves as those who expect a full meal1 and not a mere snack they could eat standing1 though where the full meal was to come from who could tell8 ,this expectation must have deepened into faith as the thousands listened to their ,host giving thanks over the scanty provision4 ,one would fain have heard the words in which ,jesus addressed the ,father1 and by which ,he caused all to feel how near to each was infinite resource4 ,and then1 as ,he proceeded to distribute the ever-multiplying food1 the first awe-struck silence of the multitude gave way to exclamations of surprise and to excited and delighted comments4 ,the little lad1 as he watched with widening eyes his two fishes doing the work of two thousand1 would feel himself a person of consequence1 and that he had a story to tell when he went back to his home on the beach4 ,and ever and anon1 as our ,lord stood with a smile on ,his face enjoying the congenial scene1 the children from the nearest groups would steal to ,his side1 to get their supplies from ,his own hand4 #a4 ,before touching upon the points in this sign emphasised by our ,lord ,himself1 it is perhaps legitimate to indicate one or two others4 ,and among these it may first of all be remarked that our ,lord sometimes1 as here1 gives not medicine but food4 ,he not only heals1 but prevents disease4 ,and however valuable the one blessing is--the blessing of being healed--the other is even greater4 ,the weakness of starvation exposes men to every form of disease2 it is a lowered vitality which gives disease its opportunity4 ,in the spiritual life it is the same4 ,the preservative against any definite form of sin is a strong spiritual life1 a healthy condition not easily fatigued in duty1 and not easily overcome by temptation4 ,perhaps the gospel has come to be looked upon too exclusively as a remedial scheme1 and too little as the means of maintaining spiritual health4 ,so marked is its efficacy in reclaiming the vicious1 that its efficacy as the sole condition of healthy human life is apt to be overlooked4 ,christ is needful to us not only as sinners2 ,he is needful to us as men4 ,without ,him human life lacks the element which gives reality1 meaning1 and zest to the whole4 ,even to those who have little present sense of sin ,he has much to offer4 ,a sense of sin grows with the general growth of the ,christian life2 and that at first it should be small need not surprise us4 ,but the present absence of a profound sorrow for sin is not to bar our approach to ,christ4 ,to the impotent man1 conscious of his living death1 ,christ offered a life that healed and strengthened--healed by strengthening4 ,but equally to those who now conversed with ,him1 and who1 conscious of life1 asked ,him how they might work the work of ,god1 ,he gave the same direction1 that they must believe in ,him as their life4 #b4 ,our ,lord here supplied the same plain food to all4 ,in the crowd were men1 women1 and children1 old and young1 hard-working peasants1 shepherds from the hillside1 and fishermen from the lake2 as well as traders and scribes from the towns4 ,no doubt it elicited remark that fare so simple should be acceptable to all4 ,had the feast been given by a banqueting ,pharisee1 a variety of tastes would have been provided for4 ,here the guests were divided into groups merely for convenience of distribution1 not for distinction of tastes4 ,there are few things which are not more the necessity of one class of men than of another1 or that while devotedly pursued by one nation are not despised across the frontier1 or that do not become antiquated and obsolete in this century though considered essential in the last4 ,but among these few things is the provision ,christ makes for our spiritual well-being4 ,it is like the supply of our deep natural desires and common appetites1 in which men resemble one another from age to age1 and by which they recognise their common humanity4 ,all the world round1 you may find wells whose water you could not say was different from what you daily use1 at any rate they quench your thirst as well4 ,you could not tell what country you were in nor what age by the taste of the water from a living well4 ,and so what ,god has provided for our spiritual life bears in it no peculiarities of time or place2 it addresses itself with equal power to the ,european of to-day as it did to the ,asiatic during our ,lord's own lifetime4 ,men have settled down by hundreds and by fifties1 they are grouped according to various natures and tastes1 but to all alike is this one food presented4 ,and this1 because the want it supplies is not fictitious1 but as natural and veritable a want as is indicated by hunger or thirst4 ,we must beware then of looking with repugnance on what ,christ calls us to1 as if it were a superfluity that may reasonably be postponed to more urgent and essential demands2 or as if ,he were introducing our nature to some region for which it was not originally intended1 and exciting within us spurious and fanciful desires which are really alien to us as human beings4 ,this is a common thought4 ,it is a common thought that religion is not an essential but a luxury4 ,but in point of fact all that ,christ calls us to1 perfect reconcilement with ,god1 devoted service of ,his will1 purity of character1--these are the essentials for us1 so that until we attain them we have not begun to live1 but are merely nibbling at the very gate of life4 ,god1 in inviting us to these things1 is not putting a strain on our nature it can never bear4 ,he is proposing to impart new strength and joy to our nature4 ,he is not summoning us to a joy that is too high for us1 and that we can never rejoice in1 but is recalling us to that condition in which alone we can live with comfort and health1 and in which alone we can permanently delight4 ,if we cannot now desire what ,christ offers1 if we have no appetite for it1 if all that ,he speaks of seems uninviting and dreary1 then this is symptomatic of a fatal loss of appetite on our part4 ,but as ,jesus would have felt a deeper compassion for any in that crowd who were too faint to eat1 or as ,he would quickly have laid ,his healing hand on any diseased person who could not eat1 so does ,he still more deeply compassionate all of us who would fain eat and drink with ,his people1 and yet nauseate and turn from their delights as the sickly from the strong food of the healthy4 #c4 ,but what ,jesus especially emphasises in the conversation arising out of the miracle is that the food ,he gives is ,himself4 ,he is the ,bread of ,life1 the ,living ,bread4 ,what is there in ,christ which constitutes ,him the ,bread of ,life8 ,there is1 first of all1 that which ,he ,himself constantly presses1 that ,he is sent by the ,father1 that ,he comes out of heaven1 bringing from the ,father a new source of life into the world4 ,when our ,lord pointed out to the ,galileans that the work of ,god was to believe in ,him1 they demanded a further sign as evidence that ,he was ,god's ,messenger3 ,what sign doest ,thou that we may see and believe ,thee8 ,what dost ,thou work8 ,our fathers did eat manna in the desert2 they had bread from heaven1 not common barley loaves such as we got from ,you yesterday4 ,have ,you any such sign as this to give8 ,if ,you are sent from ,god1 we may surely expect you to rival ,moses4#bc ,to which ,jesus replies3 ,the bread which your fathers received did not prevent them dying2 it was meant to sustain physical life1 and yet even in that respect it was not perfect4 ,god has a better bread to give1 a bread which will sustain you in spiritual life1 not for a few years but for ever 7vv4 #di1 #ej74 ,i am the living bread which came down out of heaven3 if any man eat of this bread1 he shall live for ever4 ,this they could not understand4 ,they believed that the manna came from heaven4 ,not the richest field of ,egypt had produced it4 ,it seemed to come direct from ,god's hand4 ,the ,israelites could neither raise it nor improve upon it4 ,but how ,jesus1 whose father and mother we know1 whom they could trace to a definite human origin1 could say that ,he came from heaven they could not understand4 ,and yet1 even while they stumbled at ,his claim to a superhuman origin1 they felt there might be something in it4 ,everyone with whom ,he came in contact felt there was in ,him something unaccountable4 ,the ,pharisees feared while they hated ,him4 ,pilate could not classify ,him with any variety of offender he had met with4 ,why do men still continually attempt afresh to account for ,him1 and to give at last a perfectly satisfactory explanation1 on ordinary principles1 of all that ,he was and did8 ,why1 but because it is seen that as yet ,he has not been so accounted for8 ,men do not thus strive to prove that ,shakespeare was a mere man1 or that ,socrates or ,epictetus was a mere man4 ,alas6 that is only too obvious4 ,but to ,christ men turn and turn again with the feeling that here is something which human nature does not account for2 something different1 and something more than what results from human parentage and human environment1 something which ,he ,himself accounts for by the plain and unflinching statement that ,he is from heaven4 ,for my part1 ,i do not see that this can mean anything less than that ,christ is ,divine1 that in ,him we have ,god1 and in ,him touch the actual ,source of all life4 ,in ,him we have the one thing within our reach which is not earth-grown1 the one uncorrupted ,source of life to which we can turn from the inadequacy1 impurity1 and emptiness of a sin-sick world4 ,no pebble lies hid in this bread on which we can break our teeth2 no sweetness in the mouth turning afterwards to bitterness1 but a new1 uncontaminated food1 prepared independently of all defiling influences1 and accessible to all4 ,christ is the ,bread from heaven1 because in ,christ ,god gives ,himself to us1 that by ,his life we may live4 ,there is another sense in which ,christ probably used the word living4 ,in contrast to the dead bread ,he had given them ,he was alive4 ,the same law seems to hold good of our physical and of our spiritual life4 ,we cannot sustain physical life except by using as food that which has been alive4 ,the nutritive properties of the earth and the air must have been assimilated for us by living plants and animals before we can use them4 ,the plant sucks sustenance out of the earth--we can live upon the plant but not on the earth4 ,the ox finds ample nourishment in grass2 we can live on the ox but not on the grass4 ,and so with spiritual nutriment4 ,abstract truth we can make little of at first hand2 it needs to be embodied in a living form before we can live upon it4 ,even ,god is remote and abstract1 and non-,christian theism makes thin-blooded and spectral worshippers2 it is when the ,word becomes flesh2 when the hidden reason of all things takes human form and steps out on the earth before us1 that truth becomes nutritive1 and ,god our life4 #d4 ,still more explicitly ,christ says3 ,the bread which ,i will give is ,my flesh1 which ,i will give for the life of the world4 ,for it is in this great act of dying that ,he becomes the ,bread of ,life4 ,god sharing with us to the uttermost2 ,god proving that ,his will is our righteousness2 ,god bearing our sorrows and our sins2 ,god coming into our human race1 and becoming a part of its history--all this is seen in the cross of ,christ2 but it is also seen that absolute love for men1 and absolute submission to ,god1 were the moving forces of ,christ's life4 ,he was obedient even unto death4 ,this was ,his life1 and by the cross ,he made it ours4 ,the cross subdues our hearts to ,him1 and gives us to feel that self-sacrifice is the true life of man4 ,a man in a sickly state of body has sometimes to make it matter of consideration1 or even of consultation1 what he shall eat4 ,were anyone to take the same thought about his spiritual condition1 and seriously ponder what would bring health to his spirit1 what would rid it of distaste for what is right1 and give it strength and purity to delight in ,god and in all good1 he would probably conclude that a clear and influential exhibition of ,god's goodness1 and of the fatal effects of sin1 a convincing exhibition1 an exhibition in real life1 of the unutterable hatefulness of sin1 and inconceivable desirableness of ,god2 an exhibition also which should at the same time open for us a way from sin to ,god--this1 the inquirer would conclude1 would bring life to the spirit4 ,it is such an exhibition of ,god and of sin1 and such a way out of sin to ,god1 as we have in ,christ's death4 #e4 ,how are we to avail ourselves of the life that is in ,christ8 ,as the ,jews asked1 ,how can this man give us ,his flesh to eat8 ,our ,lord ,himself uses several terms to express the act by which we make use of ,him as the ,bread of ,life4 ,he that believeth on ,me1 ,he that cometh to ,me1 ,he that eateth ,my flesh and drinketh ,my blood1 hath eternal life4 ,each of these expressions has its own significance4 ,belief must come first--belief that ,christ is sent to give us life2 belief that it depends upon our connection with that one ,person whether we shall or shall not have life eternal4 ,we must also come to ,him4 ,the people ,he was addressing had followed ,him for miles1 and had found ,him and were speaking to ,him1 but they had not come to ,him4 ,to come to ,him is to approach ,him in spirit and with submissive trust2 it is to commit ourselves to ,him as our ,lord2 it is to rest in ,him as our all2 it is to come to ,him with open heart1 accepting ,him as all ,he claims to be2 it is to meet the eye of a present1 living ,christ1 who knows what is in man1 and to say to ,him ,i am ,thine1 ,thine most gladly1 ,thine for evermore4 ,but most emphatically of all does our ,lord say that we must eat ,his flesh and drink ,his blood if we are to partake of ,his life4 ,that is to say1 the connection between ,christ and us must be of the closest possible kind2 so close that the assimilation of the food we eat is not too strong a figure to express it4 ,the food we eat becomes our blood and flesh2 it becomes our life1 our self4 ,and it does so by our eating it1 not by our talking of it1 not by our looking at it1 and admiring its nutritive properties1 but only by eating it4 ,and whatever process can make ,christ entirely ours1 and help us to assimilate all that is in ,him1 this process we are to use4 ,the flesh of ,christ was given for us2 by the shedding of ,christ's blood1 by the pouring out of ,his life upon the cross1 spiritual life was prepared for us4 ,cleansing from sin and restoration to ,god were provided by the offering of ,his life in the flesh2 and we eat ,his flesh when we use in our own behalf the death of ,christ1 and take the blessings it has made possible to us2 when we accept the forgiveness of sins1 enter into the love of ,god1 and adopt as our own the spirit of the cross4 ,his flesh or human form was the manifestation of ,god's love for us1 the visible material of ,his sacrifice2 and we eat ,his flesh when we make this our own1 when we accept ,god's love and adopt ,christ's sacrifice as our guiding principle of life4 ,we eat ,his flesh when we take out of ,his life and death the spiritual nutriment that is actually there2 when we let our nature be penetrated by the spirit of the cross1 and actually make ,christ the ,source and the ,guide of our spiritual life4 ,this figure of eating has many lessons for us4 ,above all1 it reminds us of the poor appetite we have for spiritual nourishment4 ,how thoroughly by this process of eating does the healthy body extract from its food every particle of real nutriment4 ,by this process the food is made to yield all that it contains of nourishing substance4 ,but how far is this from representing our treatment of ,christ4 ,how much is there in ,him that is fitted to yield comfort and hope1 and yet to us it yields none4 ,how much that should fill us with assurance of ,god's love1 yet how fearfully we live4 ,how much to make us admire self-sacrifice and fill us with earnest purpose to live for others1 and yet how little of this becomes in very deed our life4 ,god sees in ,him all that can make us complete1 all that can fill and gladden and suffice the soul1 and yet how bare and troubled and defeated do we live4#bd #f4 ,the mode of distribution was also significant4 ,christ gives life to the world not directly1 but through ,his disciples4 ,the life ,he gives is ,himself1 but ,he gives it through the instrumentality of men4 ,the bread is ,his4 ,the disciples may manipulate it as they will1 but it remains five loaves only4 ,none but ,he can relieve the famishing multitude4 ,still not with ,his own hands does ,he feed them1 but through the believing service of the ,twelve4 ,and this ,he did not merely for the sake of teaching us that only through the ,church is the world supplied with the life ,he furnishes1 but primarily because it was the natural and fit order then1 as it is the natural and fit order now1 that they who themselves believe in the power of the ,lord to feed the world should be the means of distributing what ,he gives4 ,each of the disciples received from the ,lord no more than would satisfy himself1 yet held in his hand what would through the ,lord's blessing satisfy a hundred besides4 ,and it is a grave truth we here meet1 that every one of us who has received life from ,christ has thereby in possession what may give life to many other human souls4 ,we may give it or we may withhold it2 we may communicate it to the famishing souls around us or we may hear unconcerned the weary heart-faint sigh2 but the ,lord knows to whom ,he has given the bread of life1 and ,he gives it not solely for our own consumption but for distribution4 ,it is not the privilege of the more enlightened or more fervent disciple1 but of all4 ,he who receives from the ,lord what is enough for himself holds the lives of some of his fellows in his hand4 ,doubtless the faith of the disciples was severely tried when they were required to advance each man to his separate hundred with his morsel of bread4 ,there would be no struggling for the first place then4 ,but encouraged in their faith by the simple and confident words of prayer their ,master had addressed to the ,father1 they are emboldened to do ,his bidding1 and if they gave sparingly and cautiously at first1 their parsimony must soon have been rebuked and their hearts enlarged4 ,theirs is also our trial4 ,we know we should be more helpful to others2 but in presence of the sorrowful we seem to have no word of comfort2 seeing this man and that pursuing a way the end of which is death1 we have yet no wise word of remonstrance1 no loving entreaty2 lives are trifled away at our side1 and we are conscious of no ability to elevate and dignify2 lives are worn out in crushing toil and misery1 and we feel helpless to aid4 ,the habit grows upon us of expecting rather to get good than to do good4 ,we have long recognised that we are too little influenced by ,god's grace1 and only at long intervals now are we ashamed of this2 it has become our acknowledged state4 ,we have found that we are not the kind of people who are to influence others4 ,looking at our slim faith1 our stunted character1 our slender knowledge1 we say1 ,what is this among so many8 ,these feelings are inevitable4 ,no man seems to have enough even for his own soul4 ,but giving of what he has to others he will find his own store increased4 ,there is that scattereth abroad and yet increaseth1 is the law of spiritual growth4 ,but the thought which shines through all others as we read this narrative is the genial tenderness of ,christ4 ,he is here seen to be considerate of our wants1 mindful of our weaknesses1 quick to calculate our prospects and to provide for us1 simple1 practical1 earnest in ,his love4 ,we see here how ,he withholds no good thing from us1 but considers and gives what we actually need4 ,we see how reasonable it is that ,he should require us to trust ,him4 ,to every fainting soul1 to every one who has wandered far and whose strength is gone1 and round whom the shadows and chills of night are gathering1 ,he says through this miracle3 ,wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread1 and your labour for that which satisfieth not8 ,hearken diligently unto ,me1 and eat ye that which is good1 and let your soul delight itself in fatness4#be ,,footnotes3 #ba ,at the risk of omitting points of interest1 ,i have thought it advisable to treat this whole representation of ,christ1 as far as possible1 within the limits of one chapter4 #bb ,roughly speaking1 ,l#h4 #bc ,from ,psalm lxxii4 #af the ,rabbis gathered that the ,messiah when ,he came would renew the gift of manna4 #bd ,the figure of eating reminds us that the acceptance of ,christ is an act which each man must do for himself4 ,no other man can eat for me4 ,it also reminds us that as the food we eat is distributed1 without our own will or supervision1 to every part of the body1 giving light to the eye and strength to the arm1 making bone or skin in one place1 nerve or blood-vessel in another1 so1 if only we make ,christ our own1 the life that is in ,him suffices for all the requirements of human nature and human duty4 #be ,on verses #cg1 #dd1 and #de see note at the end of this volume4 ,,xv ,,the ,,crisis ,,in ,,galilee4 ,many therefore of ,his disciples1 when they heard this1 said1 ,this is a hard saying2 who can hear it8 ,but ,jesus knowing in ,himself that ,his disciples murmured at this1 said unto them1 ,doth this cause you to stumble8 ,what then if ye should behold the ,son of man ascending where ,he was before8 ,it is the spirit that quickeneth2 the flesh profiteth nothing3 the words that ,i have spoken unto you are spirit1 and are life4 ,but there are some of you that believe not4 ,for ,jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not1 and who it was that should betray ,him4 ,and ,he said1 ,for this cause have ,i said unto you1 that no man can come unto ,me1 except it be given unto him of the ,father4 ,upon this many of ,his disciples went back1 and walked no more with ,him4 ,jesus said therefore unto the twelve1 ,would ye also go away8 ,simon ,peter answered ,him1 ,lord1 to whom shall we go8 thou hast the words of eternal life4 ,and we have believed and know that ,thou art the ,holy ,one of ,god4 ,jesus answered them1 ,did not ,i choose you the twelve1 and one of you is a devil8 ,now ,he spake of ,judas the son of ,simon ,iscariot1 for he it was that should betray ,him1 being one of the twelve4--,,john vi4 #fj-ga4 ,the situation in which our ,lord found ,himself at this stage of ,his career is full of pathos4 ,he began ,his ministry in ,judaea1 and ,his success there seemed to be all that could be desired4 ,but it soon became apparent that the crowds who followed ,him misunderstood or wilfully ignored ,his purpose4 ,they resorted to ,him chiefly1 if not solely1 for material advantages and political ends4 ,he was in danger of being accounted the most skilful metropolitan physician2 or in the greater danger of being courted by politicians as a likely popular leader1 who might be used as a revolutionary flag or party cry4 ,he1 therefore1 left ,jerusalem at an early period in ,his ministry and betook ,himself to ,galilee2 and now1 after some months' preaching and mingling with the people1 things have worked round in ,galilee to precisely the same point as they had reached in ,judaea4 ,great crowds are following ,him to be healed and to be fed1 while the politically inclined have at last made a distinct effort to make ,him a king1 to force ,him into a collision with the authorities4 ,his proper work is in danger of being lost sight of4 ,he finds it necessary to sift the crowds who follow ,him4 ,and ,he does so by addressing them in terms which can be acceptable only to truly spiritual men--by plainly assuring them that ,he was among them1 not to give them political privileges and the bread that perisheth1 but the bread that endureth4 ,they found ,him to be what they would call an impracticable dreamer4 ,they profess to go away because they cannot understand ,him2 but they understand ,him well enough to see ,he is not the person for their purposes4 ,they seek earth1 and heaven is thrust upon them4 ,they turn away disappointed1 and many walk no more with ,him4 ,the great crowd melts away1 and ,he is left with ,his original following of twelve men4 ,his months of teaching and toil seem to have gone for nothing4 ,it might seem doubtful if even the twelve would be faithful--if any result of ,his work would remain1 if any would cordially and lovingly adhere to ,him4 ,one cannot1 ,i think1 view this situation without perceiving how analogous it is in many respects to the aspect of things in our own day4 ,in all ages of course this sifting of the followers of ,christ goes on4 ,there are experiences common to all times and places which test men's attachment to ,christ4 ,but in our own day exceptional causes are producing a considerable diminution of the numbers who follow ,christ1 or at least are altering considerably the grounds on which they profess to follow ,him4 ,when one views the defection of men of influence1 of thought1 of learning1 of earnest and devout spirit1 one cannot but wonder what is to be the end of this1 and how far it is to extend4 ,one cannot but look anxiously at those who seem to remain1 and to say1 ,will ye also go away8 ,no doubt such times of sifting are of eminent service in winnowing out the true from the mistaken followers1 and in summoning all men to revise the reason of their attachment to ,christ4 ,when we see men of serious mind and of great attainments deliberately abandoning the ,christian position1 we cannot but anxiously inquire whether we are right in maintaining that position4 ,when the question comes to us1 as in ,providence it does1 ,will ye also go away8 we must have our answer ready4 ,the answer of ,peter clearly shows what it was that bound the faithful few to ,jesus2 and in his answer three reasons for faith may be discerned4 #a4 ,jesus satisfied their deepest spiritual wants4 ,they had found in ,him provision for their whole nature1 and had learned the truth of ,his saying1 ,he that cometh to ,me shall never hunger1 and ,he that believeth on ,me shall never thirst4 ,they could now say1 ,thou hast the words of eternal life4 ,his words made water into wine1 and five loaves into five thousand1 but ,his words did what was far more to their purpose1--they fed their spirit4 ,his words brought them nearer to ,god1 promised them eternal life1 and began it within them4 ,from the lips of ,jesus had actually fallen words which quickened within them a new life--a life which they recognised as eternal1 as lifting them up into another world4 ,these words of ,his had given them new thoughts about ,god and about righteousness1 they had stirred hopes and feelings of an altogether new kind4 ,and this spiritual life was more to them than anything else4 ,no doubt these men1 like their neighbours1 had their faults1 their private ambitions1 their hopes4 ,peter could not forget that he had left all for his ,master1 and often thought of his home1 his plentiful table1 his family1 when wandering about with ,jesus4 ,they all1 probably1 had an expectation that their abandonment of their occupations would not be wholly without compensation in this life1 and that prominent position and worldly advantage awaited them4 ,still1 when they discovered that these were mistaken expectations1 they did not grumble nor go back1 for such were not their chief reasons for following ,jesus4 ,it was chiefly by ,his appeal to their spiritual leanings that ,he attracted them4 ,it was rather for eternal life than for present advantage they attached themselves to ,him4 ,they found more of ,god in ,him than elsewhere1 and listening to ,him they found themselves better men than before2 and having experienced that ,his words were spirit and life 7ver4 #fc71 they could not now abandon ,him though all the world did so4 ,so is it always4 ,when ,christ sifts ,his followers those remain who have spiritual tastes and wants4 ,the spiritual man1 the man who would rather be like ,god than be rich1 whose efforts after worldly advancement are not half as earnest and sustained as ,his efforts after spiritual health2 the man1 in short1 who seeks first the kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness1 and lets other things be added or not to this prime requisite1 cleaves to ,christ because there is that in ,christ which satisfies his tastes and gives him the life he chiefly desires4 ,there is in ,christ a suitableness to the wants of men who live in view of ,god and eternity1 and who seek to adjust themselves1 not only to the world around them so as to be comfortable and successful in it1 but also to the things unseen1 to the permanent laws which are to govern human beings and human affairs throughout eternity4 ,such men find in ,christ that which enables them to adjust themselves to things eternal4 ,they find in ,christ just that revelation of ,god1 and that reconcilement to ,him1 and that help to abiding in ,him1 which they need4 ,they cannot imagine a time1 they cannot picture to themselves a state of society1 in which the words and teaching of ,jesus would not be the safest guide and the highest law4 ,life eternal1 life for men as men1 is taught by ,him2 not professional life1 not the life of a religious rule that must pass away1 not life for this world only1 but life eternal1 life such as men everywhere and always ought to live--this is apprehended by ,him and explained by ,him2 and power and desire to live it is quickened within men by ,his words4 ,coming into ,his presence we recognise the assuredness of perfect knowledge1 the simplicity of perfect truth4 ,that which outrides all such critical times as the disciples were now passing through is true spirituality of mind4 ,the man who is bent on nourishing his spirit to life everlasting simply cannot dispense with what he finds in ,christ4 ,we need not then greatly fear for our own faith if we are sure that we covet the words of eternal life more than the path to worldly advantage4 ,still less need we tremble for the faith of others if we know that their tastes are spiritual1 their leanings ,godward4 ,parents are naturally anxious about their children's faith1 and fear it may be endangered by the advances of science or by the old props of faith being shaken4 ,such anxiety is in great measure misdirected4 ,let parents see to it that their children grow up with a preference for purity1 unselfishness1 truth1 unworldliness2 let parents set before their children an example of real preference for things spiritual1 and let them with ,god's aid cultivate in their children an appetite for what is heavenly1 a craving to live on terms with ,god and with conscience2 and this appetite will infallibly lead them to ,christ4 ,does ,christ supply the wants of our spirits8 ,can ,he show us the way to eternal life8 ,have men found in ,him all needed help to godly living8 ,have the most spiritual and ardent of men been precisely those who have most clearly seen their need of ,him1 and who have found in ,him everything to satisfy and feed their own spiritual ardour8 ,has ,he1 that is to say1 the words of eternal life8 ,is ,he the ,person to whom every man must listen if he would find his way to ,god and a happy eternity8 ,then1 depend upon it1 men will believe in ,christ in every generation1 and none the less firmly because their attention is called off from non-essential and external evidences to the simple sufficiency of ,christ4 #b4 ,peter was convinced not only that ,jesus had the words of eternal life1 but that no one else had4 ,to whom shall we go8 ,peter had not an exhaustive knowledge of all sources of human wisdom2 but speaking from his own experience he affirmed his conviction that it was useless to seek life eternal anywhere else than in ,jesus4 ,and it seems equally hopeless still to look to any other quarter for sufficient teaching1 for words that are spirit and life4 ,where but in ,christ do we find a ,god we can accept as ,god8 ,where but in ,him do we find that which can not only encourage men striving after virtue1 but also reclaim the vicious8 ,to put anyone alongside of ,christ as a revealer of ,god1 as a pattern of virtue1 as a ,saviour of men1 is absurd4 ,there is that in ,him which we recognise as not merely superior1 but of another kind4 ,so that those who reject ,him1 or set ,him on a level with other teachers1 have first of all to reject the chief part of what ,his contemporaries were struck with and reported1 and to fashion a ,christ of their own4 ,and it should be observed that ,christ claims this exceptional homage from ,his people4 ,the following ,he requires is not a mere acceptance of ,his teaching alongside of other teaching1 nor an acceptance of ,his teaching apart from ,himself1 as if a man should listen to ,him and go home and try to practise what he has heard2 but ,he requires men to form a connection with ,himself as their ,king and ,life1 as that ,one who can alone give them strength to obey ,him4 ,to call ,him the ,teacher1 as if this were ,his sole or chief title1 is to mislead4 ,the alternative1 then1 as ,peter saw1 was ,christ or nothing4 ,and every day it is becoming clearer that this is the alternative1 that between ,christianity and the blankest ,atheism there is no middle place4 ,indeed we may say that between ,christianity1 with its supernatural facts1 and materialism1 which admits of no supernatural at all1 and of nothing spiritual and immortal1 there is no logical standing-ground4 ,a man's choice lies between these two--either ,christ with ,his claims in all their fulness1 or a material universe working out its life under the impulse of some inscrutable force4 ,there are of course men who are neither ,christians nor materialists2 but that is because they have not yet found their intellectual resting-place4 ,as soon as they obey reason1 they will travel to one or other of these extremes1 for between the two is no logical standing-ground4 ,if there is a ,god1 then there seems nothing incredible1 nothing even very surprising1 in ,christianity4 ,christianity becomes merely the flower or fruit for which the world exists1 the element in the world's history which gives meaning and glory to the whole of it3 without ,christianity and all it involves the world lacks interest of the highest kind4 ,if a man finds he cannot admit the possibility of such an interference in the world's monotonous way as the ,incarnation implies1 it is because there is in his mind an ,atheistic tendency1 a tendency to make the laws of the world more than the ,creator2 to make the world itself ,god1 the highest thing4 ,the ,atheist's position is thoroughgoing and logical2 and against the ,atheist the man who professes to believe in a ,personal ,god and yet denies miracle is helpless4 ,and in point of fact ,atheistic writers are rapidly sweeping the field of all other antagonists1 and the intermediate positions between ,christianity and ,atheism are becoming daily more untenable4 ,any one then who is offended at the supernatural in ,christianity1 and is disposed to turn away and walk no more with ,christ1 should view the alternative1 and consider what it is with which he must throw in his lot4 ,to retain what is called the spirit of ,christ1 and reject all that is miraculous and above our present comprehension1 is to commit oneself to a path which naturally leads to disbelief in ,god4 ,we must choose between ,christ as ,he stands in the gospels1 claiming to be ,divine1 rising from the dead and now alive2 and a world in which there is no ,god manifest in the flesh or anywhere else1 a world that has come into being no one knows how or whence1 and that is running on no one knows whither1 unguided by any intelligence outside of itself1 wholly governed by laws which have grown out of some impersonal force of which nobody can give any good account4 ,difficult as it is to believe in ,christ1 it is surely still more difficult to believe in the only alternative1 a world wholly material1 in which matter rules and spirit is a mere accident of no account4 ,if there are inexplicable things in the gospel1 there are also in us and around us facts wholly inexplicable on the atheistic theory4 ,if the ,christian must be content to wait for the solution of many mysteries1 so certainly must the materialist be content to leave unsolved many of the most important problems of human life4#bf #c4 ,the third reason which ,peter assigns for the unalterable loyalty of the ,twelve is expressed in the words1 ,we have believed and know that ,thou art the ,holy ,one of ,god4 ,by this he probably meant that he and the rest had come to be convinced that ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,messiah1 the consecrated ,one1 whom ,god had set apart to this office4 ,the same expression was used by the demoniac in the synagogue at ,capernaum4#bg ,but although the idea of consecration to an office rather than the idea of personal holiness is prominent in the word1 it may very well have been the personal holiness of their ,master which bore in upon the minds of the disciples that ,he was indeed the ,messiah4 ,by ,his life with them from day to day ,he revealed ,god to them4 ,they had seen ,him in a great variety of circumstances4 ,they had seen ,his compassion for every form of sorrow and misery1 and ,his regardlessness of self2 they had marked ,his behaviour when offered a crown and when threatened with the cross2 they had seen ,him at table in gay company1 and they had seen ,him fasting and in houses of mourning1 in danger1 in vehement discussion1 in retirement2 and in all circumstances and scenes they had found ,him holy1 so holy that to turn from ,him they felt would be to turn from ,god4 ,the emphasis with which they affirm their conviction is remarkable3 ,we have believed and we know4 ,it is as if they felt1 ,we may be doubtful of much and ignorant of much1 but this at least we are sure of4 ,we see men leaving our company who are fit to instruct and guide us in most matters1 but they do not know our ,lord as we do4 ,what they have said has disturbed our minds and has caused us to revise our beliefs1 but we return to our old position1 ,we have believed and we know4 ,it may be true that devils have been cast out by the prince of the devils2 we do not know4 ,but a stainless life is more miraculous and ,divine than the casting out of devils2 it is more unknown in the world1 referrible to no freak of nature1 accomplished by no sleight of hand or jugglery1 but due only to the presence of ,god4 ,here we have not the sign or evidence of the thing but the thing itself1 ,god not using man as an external agent for operating upon the material world1 but ,god present in the man1 living in his life1 one with him4 ,upon our faith nothing is more influential than the holiness of ,christ4 ,nothing is more certainly ,divine4 ,nothing is more characteristic of ,god--not ,his power1 not ,his wisdom1 not even ,his eternal ,being4 ,he who in his own person and life represents to us the holiness of ,god is more certainly superhuman than he who represents ,god's power4 ,a power to work miracles has often been delegated to men1 but holiness cannot be so delegated4 ,it belongs to character1 to the man's self2 it is a thing of nature1 of will1 and of habit2 a king may give to his ambassador ample powers1 he may fill his hands with credentials1 and load him with gifts which shall be acceptable to the monarch to whom he is sent1 but he cannot give him a tact he does not naturally possess1 a courtesy he has not acquired by dealing with other princes1 nor the influence of wise and magnanimous words1 if these do not inherently belong to the ambassador's self4 ,so the holiness of ,christ was even more convincing than ,his power or ,his message4 ,it was such a holiness as caused the disciples to feel that ,he was not a mere messenger4 ,his holiness revealed ,himself as well as ,him that sent ,him2 and the self that was thus revealed they felt to be more than human4 ,when1 therefore1 their faith was tried by seeing the multitudes abandon their ,lord1 they were thrown back on their surest ground of confidence in ,him2 and that surest ground was not the miracles which all had seen1 but the consecrated and perfect life which was known to them4 ,to ourselves1 then1 ,i say1 by the circumstances of our time this question comes1 ,will ye also go away8 ,will you be like the rest1 or will exceptional fidelity be found in you8 ,is your attachment to ,christ so based on personal conviction1 is it so truly the growth of your own experience1 and so little a mere echo of popular opinion1 that you say in your heart1 ,though all men should forsake ,thee1 yet will not ,i8 ,it is difficult to resist the current of thought and opinion that prevails around us2 difficult to dispute or even question the opinion of men who have been our teachers1 and who have first awakened our mind to see the majesty of truth and the beauty of the universe2 it is difficult to choose our own way1 and thus tacitly condemn the choice and the way of men we know to be purer in life1 and in every essential respect better than ourselves4 ,and yet1 perhaps1 it is well that we are thus compelled to make up our own mind1 to examine the claims of ,christ for ourselves1 and so follow ,him with the resolution that comes of personal conviction4 ,it is this our ,lord desires4 ,he does not compel nor hasten our decision4 ,he does not upbraid ,his followers for their serious misunderstandings of ,his person4 ,he allows them to be familiar with ,him even while labouring under many misconceptions1 because ,he knows that these misconceptions will most surely pass away in ,his society and by further acquaintance with ,him4 ,one thing ,he insists upon1 one thing ,he asks from us--that we follow ,him4 ,we may only have a vague impression that ,he is quite different from all else we know2 we may be doubtful1 as yet1 in what sense some of the highest titles are ascribed to ,him2 we may be quite mistaken about the significance of certain important parts of ,his life2 we may disagree among ourselves regarding the nature of ,his kingdom and regarding the conditions of entrance into it2 but1 if we follow ,him1 if we join our fortunes to ,his1 and wish nothing better than to be within the sound of ,his voice and to do ,his bidding2 if we truly love ,him1 and find that ,he has taken a place in our life we cannot ever give to another2 if we are conscious that our future lies ,his way1 and that we must in heart abide with ,him1 then all our slowness to understand is patiently dealt with1 all our underrating of ,his real dignity is forgiven us1 and we are led on in ,his company to perfect conformity1 perfect union1 and perfect knowledge4 ,all that ,he desires1 then1 is1 in the first place1 not something we cannot give1 not a belief in certain truths about which doubt may reasonably be entertained1 not an acknowledgment of facts that are as yet beyond our vision2 but1 that we follow ,him1 that we be in this world as ,he was in it4 ,shall we1 then1 let ,him pursue ,his way alone1 shall we do nothing to forward ,his purposes1 shall we show no sympathy1 address no word to ,him1 and pretend not to hear when ,he speaks to us8 ,to drag ourselves along murmuring1 doubting1 making difficulties1 a mere dead weight on our ,leader1 this is not to follow as ,he desires to be followed4 ,to take our own way in the main1 and only appear here and there on the road ,he has taken2 to be always trying to combine the pursuit of our own private ends with the pursuance of ,his ends1 is not to follow4 ,had we seen these men asking leave of absence two or three times a month to go and look after the fishing1 even though they promised to overtake their ,master somewhere on the road1 we should scarcely have recognised them as ,his followers4 ,had we found them1 on reaching a village at night1 leaving ,him1 and preferring to spend their leisure with ,his enemies1 we should have been inclined to ask an explanation of conduct so inconsistent4 ,yet is not our own following very much of this kind8 ,is there not too little of the following that says1 ,what is enough for the ,lord is enough for me2 ,his aims are enough for me8 ,is there not too little of the following that springs from a frank and genuine dealing with the ,lord from day to day1 and from a conscientious desire to meet ,his will with us1 and satisfy ,his idea of how we should follow ,him8 ,may we each have the peace and joy of the man who1 when this question1 ,will ye also go away8 comes to him1 quickly and from the heart responds1 ,i will never forsake ,thee4 ,,footnotes3 #bf ,those who turn their backs on the ,eternal ,son must understand1 then1 that they are on their way to a creed which denies an ,eternal ,father1 and puts in ,his place an unconscious impersonal soul of nature1 a dead central force1 of which all the forces in the universe are manifestations2 or an unknown1 unknowable cause1 remaining to be postulated after the series of physical causes has been traced as far back as science can go2 and which robs mortal man of the hope that the seed sown in the churchyard shall one day be reaped in the harvest of the resurrection4444 ,your so-called ,christianity independent of dogmas is but the evening twilight of faith1 the light which lingers in the spiritual atmosphere after the sun of truth has gone down4--,dr4 ,bruce1 ,training of the ,twelve1 p4 #aed1 a book to which ,i am greatly indebted here and elsewhere4 #bg ,mark i4 #bd4 ,,xvi4 ,,jesus ,,discussed ,,in ,,jerusalem4 ,and after these things ,jesus walked in ,galilee3 for ,he would not walk in ,judaea1 because the ,jews sought to kill ,him4 ,now the feast of the ,jews1 the feast of tabernacles1 was at hand4 ,his brethren therefore said unto ,him1 ,depart hence1 and go into ,judaea1 that ,thy disciples also may behold ,thy works which ,thou doest4 ,for no man doeth anything in secret1 and himself seeketh to be known openly4 ,if ,thou doest these things1 manifest ,thyself to the world4 ,for even ,his brethren did not believe on ,him4 ,jesus therefore saith unto them1 ,my time is not yet come2 but your time is alway ready4 ,the world cannot hate you2 but ,me it hateth1 because ,i testify of it1 that its works are evil4 ,go ye up unto the feast3 ,i go not up yet unto this feast2 because ,my time is not yet fulfilled4 ,and having said these things unto them1 ,he abode still in ,galilee4 ,but when ,his brethren were gone up unto the feast1 then went ,he also up1 not publicly1 but as it were in secret4 ,the ,jews therefore sought ,him at the feast1 and said1 ,where is ,he8 ,and there was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning ,him3 some said1 ,he is a good man2 others said1 ,not so1 but ,he leadeth the multitude astray4 ,howbeit no man spoke openly of ,him for fear of the ,jews4 ,but when it was now the midst of the feast ,jesus went up into the temple1 and taught4 ,the ,jews therefore marvelled1 saying1 ,how knoweth this man letters1 having never learned8 ,jesus therefore answered them1 and said1 ,my teaching is not ,mine but ,his that sent ,me4 ,if any man willeth to do ,his will he shall know of the teaching1 whether it be of ,god1 or whether ,i speak from ,myself4 ,he that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory3 but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him1 the same is true1 and no unrighteousness is in him4 ,did not ,moses give you the law1 and yet none of you doeth the law8 ,why seek ye to kill ,me8 ,the multitude answered1 ,thou hast a devil3 who seeketh to kill ,thee8 ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,i did one work1 and ye all marvel4 ,for this cause hath ,moses given you circumcision 7not that it is of ,moses1 but of the fathers72 and on the ,sabbath ye circumcise a man4 ,if a man receiveth circumcision on the ,sabbath1 that the law of ,moses may not be broken2 are ye wroth with ,me1 because ,i made a man every whit whole on the ,sabbath8 ,judge not according to appearance1 but judge righteous judgement4 ,some therefore of them of ,jerusalem said1 ,is not this ,he whom they seek to kill8 ,and lo1 ,he speaketh openly1 and they say nothing unto ,him4 ,can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the ,christ8 ,howbeit we know this man whence ,he is2 but when the ,christ cometh1 no one knoweth whence ,he is4 ,jesus therefore cried in the temple1 teaching and saying1 ,ye both know ,me1 and know whence ,i am2 and ,i am not come of ,myself1 but ,he that sent ,me is true1 whom ye know not4 ,i know ,him2 because ,i am from ,him1 and ,he sent ,me4 ,they sought therefore to take ,him3 and no man laid his hand on ,him1 because ,his hour was not yet come4 ,but of the multitude many believed on ,him2 and they said1 ,when the ,christ shall come1 will ,he do more signs than those which this man hath done8 ,the ,pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning ,him2 and the chief priests and the ,pharisees sent officers to take ,him4 ,jesus therefore said1 ,yet a little while am ,i with you1 and ,i go unto ,him that sent ,me4 ,ye shall seek ,me1 and shall not find ,me3 and where ,i am1 ye cannot come4 ,the ,jews therefore said among themselves1 ,whither will this man go that we shall not find ,him8 will ,he go unto the ,dispersion among the ,greeks1 and teach the ,greeks8 ,what is this word that ,he said1 ,ye shall seek ,me1 and shall not find ,me3 and where ,i am1 ye cannot come8 ,now on the last day1 the great day of the feast1 ,jesus stood and cried1 saying1 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto ,me and drink4 ,he that believeth on ,me1 as the ,scripture hath said1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 ,but this spake ,he of the ,spirit1 which they that believed on ,him were to receive3 for the ,spirit was not yet given3 because ,jesus was not yet glorified4 ,some of the multitude therefore1 when they heard these words1 said1 ,this is of a truth the prophet4 ,others said1 ,this is the ,christ4 ,but some said1 ,what1 doth the ,christ come out of ,galilee8 ,hath not the ,scripture said that the ,christ cometh of the seed of ,david1 and from ,bethlehem1 the village where ,david was8 ,so there arose a division in the multitude because of ,him4 ,and some of them would have taken ,him2 but no man laid hands on ,him4 ,the officers therefore came to the chief priests and ,pharisees2 and they said unto them1 ,why did ye not bring ,him8 ,the officers answered1 ,never man so spake4 ,the ,pharisees therefore answered them1 ,are ye also led astray8 ,hath any of the rulers believed on ,him1 or of the ,pharisees8 ,but this multitude which knoweth not the law are accursed4 ,nicodemus saith unto them 7he that came to ,him before1 being one of them71 ,doth our law judge a man1 except it first hear from himself and know what he doeth8 ,they answered and said unto him1 ,art thou also of ,galilee8 ,search1 and see that out of ,galilee ariseth no prophet4--,,john vii4 ,after describing how matters were brought to a crisis in ,galilee1 and pointing out that1 as the result of our ,lord's work there1 only twelve men adhered to ,him1 and in even this final selection not all were to be trusted1--,john passes on to describe the state of feeling towards ,jesus in ,jerusalem1 and how the storm of unbelief gathered until it broke in violence and outrage4#bh ,this seventh chapter is intended to put us in the right point of view by exhibiting the various estimates that were formed of the work and person of ,jesus1 and the opinions which any one might hear uttered regarding ,him at every table in ,jerusalem4 ,but the motive of ,his going to ,jerusalem at all calls for remark4 ,his brothers1 who might have been expected to understand ,his character best1 were very slow to believe in ,him4 ,they only felt ,he was different from themselves1 and they were nettled by ,his peculiarity4 ,but they felt that the credit of the family was involved1 and also that if ,his claims should turn out to be true1 their position as brothers of the ,messiah would be flattering4 ,accordingly they betray considerable anxiety to have ,his claims pronounced upon2 and seeing that ,his work in ,galilee had come to so little1 they do their utmost to provoke ,him to appeal at once to the central authority at ,jerusalem4 ,they did not as yet believe in ,him1 they could not entertain the idea that the boy they had knocked about and made to run their messages could be the long-expected ,king2 and yet there was such trustworthy report of the extraordinary things ,he had done1 that they felt there was something puzzling about ,him1 and for the sake of putting an end to their suspense they do what they can to get ,him to go again to ,jerusalem4 ,the lever they use to move ,him is a taunt3 ,if these works of yours are genuine miracles1 don't hang about villages and little country towns1 but go and show yourself in the capital4 ,no one who is really confident that he has a claim on public attention wanders about in solitary places1 but repairs to the most crowded haunts of men4 ,go up now to the feast1 and your disciples will gather round you1 and your claims will be settled once for all4 ,to this ,jesus replies that the hour for such a proclamation of ,himself has not yet come4 ,that hour is to come4 ,at the following ,passover ,he entered ,jerusalem in the manner desired by ,his brethren1 and the result1 as ,he foresaw1 was ,his death4 ,as yet such a demonstration was premature4 ,the brothers of ,jesus did not apprehend the virulence of hatred which ,jesus aroused1 and did not perceive how surely ,his death would result from ,his going up to the feast as the acknowledged ,king of the ,galilaeans4 ,he ,himself sees all this plainly1 and therefore declines the plan of operation proposed by ,his brothers2 and instead of going up with them as the proclaimed ,messiah1 ,he goes up quietly by ,himself a few days after4 ,to go up as ,his brothers' nominee1 or to go up in the way they proposed1 was counter to the whole plan of ,his life4 ,their ideas and proposals were made from a point of view wholly different from ,his4 ,very often we can do at our own instance1 in our own way and at our own time1 what it would be a vast mistake to do at the instigation of people who look at the matter differently from ourselves1 and have quite another purpose to serve4 ,jesus could safely do without display what ,he could not do ostentatiously2 and ,he could do as ,his ,father's servant what ,he could not do at the whim of ,his brothers4 ,the feast to which ,he thus quietly went up was the ,feast of ,tabernacles4 ,this feast was a kind of national harvest home2 and consequently in appointing it ,god commanded that it should be held in the end of the year1 when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field2 that is to say1 in the end of the natural year1 or in early autumn1 when the farm operations finished one rotation and began a new series4 ,it was a feast1 therefore1 full of rejoicing4#bi ,every ,israelite appeared in holiday attire1 bearing in his hands a palm-branch1 or wearing some significant emblem of earth's fruitfulness4 ,at night the city was brilliantly illuminated1 especially round the ,temple1 in which great lamps1 used only on these occasions1 were lit1 and which possibly occasioned our ,lord's remark at this time1 as reported in the following chapter1 ,i am the ,light of the world4 ,there can be little doubt that when1 on the last day of the feast1 ,he stood and cried1 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto ,me and drink1 the form of his invitation was moulded by one of the customs of the feast4 ,for one of the most striking features of the feast was the drawing of water in a golden vessel from the pool of ,siloam1 and carrying it in procession to the ,temple1 where it was poured out with such a burst of triumph from the trumpets of the ,levites1 aided by the ,hallelujahs of the people1 that it became a common ,jewish saying1 ,he who has not seen the rejoicing at the pouring out of the water from the pool of ,siloam has never seen rejoicing in his life4 ,this pouring out of the water before ,god seemed to be an acknowledgment of ,his goodness in watering the corn-lands and pastures1 and also a commemoration of the miraculous supply of water in the desert2 while to some of the more enlightened it bore also a spiritual significance1 and recalled the words of ,isaiah1 ,with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation4 ,but this feast was not solely a celebration of the ingathering1 or a thanksgiving for the harvest4 ,the name of it reminds us that another feature was quite as prominent4 ,in its original institution ,god commanded1 ,ye shall dwell in booths or tabernacles seven days2 all that are ,israelites born shall dwell in booths1 the reason being added1 that your generations may know that ,i made the children of ,israel to dwell in booths when ,i brought them out of the land of ,egypt4 ,the particular significance of the ,israelites dwelling in booths seems to be that it marked their deliverance from a life of bondage to a life of freedom2 it reminded them how they had once no settled habitation1 but yet found a booth in the desert preferable to the well-provided residences of ,egypt4 ,and every ,feast of ,tabernacles seemed intended to recall these thoughts4 ,in the midst of their harvest1 at the end of the year1 when they were once more laying up store for winter1 and when every one was reckoning whether it would be an abundant and profitable year for him or no1 they were told to live for a week in booths1 that they might think of that period in their fathers' experience when ,god was their all1 when they had no provision for the morrow1 and which was yet the most triumphant period of their history4 ,all wealth1 all distinctions of rank1 all separation between rich and poor1 was for a while forgotten1 as each man dwelt in his little green hut as well sheltered as his neighbour4 ,and to every one was suggested the thought1 that let the coming winter be well provided or ill provided1 let it be bleak to some and bright to others1 at bottom the provision of this world is to all alike but as a green bough between them and destitution2 but that all alike1 reduce them if you will to a booth which has neither store nor couch in it1 have still the ,most ,high ,god for their deliverer1 and provider1 and habitation4#cj ,even before ,jesus appeared at this feast ,he was the subject of much talk and exchange of opinions4 #a4 ,the first characteristic of the popular mind1 as exhibited here by ,john1 is its subservience to authority4 ,those who had a favourable opinion of ,jesus uttered it with reserve and caution1 for fear of the ,jews--that is1 of the ,jerusalem ,jews1 who were known to be adverse to ,his claims4 ,and the authorities1 knowing the subservience of the people1 considered it a sufficient reply to the favourable reports brought them by their own officers1 to say1 ,have any of the rulers or of the ,pharisees believed on ,him8 ,this seems a very childish mode of settling a great question1 and we are ready to charge the ,jews with a singular lack of independence2 but we reflect that among ourselves great questions are settled very much by authority still4 ,in politics we take our cue from one or two newspapers1 conducted by men who show themselves quite fallible2 and in matters of even deeper moment1 how many of us can say we have thought out a creed for ourselves1 and have not accepted our ideas from recognised teachers8 ,and whether these teachers be the accredited representatives of traditional theology1 or have secured an audience by their departure from ordinary views1 we have in our own conscience a surer guide to the truth about ,christ4 ,for much that we may build upon the foundation we must be indebted to others2 but for that which is radical1 for the determination of the relation we ourselves are to hold to ,christ1 we must follow not authority but our own conscience4 ,our equanimity need not1 then1 be greatly disturbed by the fact that so many of the rulers of public opinion do not believe in ,christ4 ,we need not tremble for ,christianity when we see how widely extended is the opinion that miracles are the fancy of a credulous age4 ,we need not be over-anxious or altogether downcast when we hear philosophers sublimely talk as if they had seen all round ,christ1 and taken ,his measure1 and rendered satisfactory account of the pious delusions ,he ,himself was subject to1 and the groundless hallucinations which misled ,his followers into unheard-of virtue1 and made them good men by mistake4 ,consider the opinions of men of insight and of power1 but do not be overawed by them1 for you have in yourself a surer guide to truth4 ,look at ,christ with your own eyes1 frankly open your own soul before ,him1 and trust the impression ,he makes upon you4 #b4 ,again1 ,john notices the perplexity of the people4 ,they saw that1 much as the authorities desired to put ,him out of the way1 they shrank from decisive measures4 ,and from this they naturally gathered that the rulers had some idea that this was the ,christ4 ,then besides1 they saw the miracles ,jesus did1 and asked whether the ,christ would do more miracles4 ,they saw1 too1 that ,he was a good ,man1 and on the whole1 therefore1 they were disposed to look favourably on ,his claims2 but then there always recurred the thought1 ,we know this ,man whence ,he is2 but when ,christ cometh1 no man knoweth whence ,he is4 ,they thought they could account for ,christ and trace ,him to ,his origin2 and therefore they could not believe ,he was from ,god4 ,this is the common difficulty4 ,men find it difficult to believe that ,one who was really born on earth and did not suddenly appear1 nobody knew whence1 can in any peculiar sense be from ,god4 ,they dwell upon the truly human nature of ,christ1 and conceive that this precludes the possibility of ,his being from ,god in any sense in which we are not from ,god4 ,to this perplexity ,jesus addresses ,himself in the words 7ver4 #bh71 ,me you do in a sense know1 and also whence ,i come1 but that does not give you the full knowledge you need1 for it is not of ,myself ,i am come2 your knowledge of ,me cannot solve your perplexity1 because ,i am not sent by ,myself2 ,he that sent ,me is the real#ca one1 and ,him you do not know4 ,i know ,him because ,i am from ,him1 and ,he hath sent ,me4 ,that is to say3 ,your knowledge of ,me is insufficient1 because you do not1 through ,me1 recognise ,god4 ,your knowledge of ,me is insufficient so long as you construe ,me into a mere earthly product4 ,to know ,me1 as you know ,me1 is not enough2 for not in ,myself can you find the originating cause of what ,i am and what ,i do4 ,you must go behind my earthly origin1 and the human appearance which you know1 if you are to account for ,my presence among you1 and for ,my conduct and teaching4 ,it matters little what you know of ,me1 if through ,me you are not brought to the knowledge of ,god4 ,he is the real ,one1 ,he is the ,supreme ,truth2 and ,him1 alas6 you do not know while you profess to know ,me4 #c4 ,john notes the insufficient tests used both by the people and by the authorities for ascertaining whether ,jesus was or was not their promised ,king4 ,the tests they used were such as these1 ,will ,christ do more miracles8 ,will ,he come from the same part of the country8 and so forth4 ,among ourselves it has become customary to speak as if it were impossible to find or apply any sufficient test to the claims of ,christ2 impossible to ascertain whether ,he is1 in a peculiar sense1 ,divine1 and whether we can absolutely trust all ,he said1 and accept the views of ,god ,he cherished and proclaimed4 ,certainly ,christ ,himself does not countenance this mode of speaking4 ,in all ,his conversations with the unbelieving ,jews ,he condemned them for their unbelief1 ascribed it to moral defects1 and persistently maintained that it was within the reach of any man to ascertain whether ,he was true or a pretender4 ,there is a class of expressions which occur in this ,gospel which clearly show what ,jesus ,himself considered to be the root of unbelief4 ,to ,pilate ,he says1 ,every one that is of the truth heareth ,my voice4 ,to the ,jews ,he says1 ,he that is of ,god1 heareth ,god's words2 ye therefore hear them not1 because ye are not of ,god4 ,and again in this seventh chapter1 ,if any man is desirous to do the will of ,god1 he will know of ,my doctrine whether it be of ,god1 or whether ,i speak of ,myself4 ,all these statements convey the impression that ,christ's person and teaching will uniformly be acceptable to those who love the truth1 and who are anxious to do the will of ,god4 ,faith in ,christ is thus represented as an act rather of the spiritual nature than of the intellect1 and as the result of sympathy with the truth rather than of critical examination of evidence4 ,a painter or art-critic familiar with the productions of great artists feels himself insulted if you offer him evidence to convince him of the genuineness of a work of art over and above the evidence which it carries in itself1 and which to him is the most convincing of all4 ,if one of the lost books of ,tacitus were recovered1 scholars would not judge it by any account that might be given of its preservation and discovery1 but would say1 ,let us see it and read it1 and we will very soon tell you whether it is genuine or not4 ,when the man you have seen every day for years1 and whose character you have looked into under the strongest lights1 is accused of dishonesty1 and damaging evidence is brought against him1 does it seriously disturb your confidence in him8 ,not at all4 ,no evidence can countervail the knowledge gained by intercourse4 ,you know the man1 directly1 and you believe in him without regard to what other persons advance in his favour or against him4 ,christ expects acceptance on similar grounds4 ,look at ,him1 listen to ,him1 pass with ,him from day to day of ,his life1 and say whether it is possible that ,he can be a deceiver1 or that ,he can be deceived4 ,he ,himself is confident that those who seek the truth1 and are accustomed to acknowledge and follow the truth always1 will follow ,him4 ,he is confident that they will find that ,he so fits in with what they have already learnt1 that naturally and instinctively they will accept ,him4 ,it is at the point in which all men are interested that ,christ appeals to us--at the point of life or conduct2 and ,he says that whoever truly desires to do ,god's will1 will find that ,his teaching leads him right4 ,and if men would only acknowledge ,christ in this respect1 and begin1 as conscience bids them1 by accepting ,his life as exhibiting the highest rule of conduct1 they would sooner or later acknowledge ,him in all4 ,a man may not at once see all that is involved in the fact that ,christ exhibits1 as no one else exhibits1 the will of ,god2 but if ,he will but acknowledge ,him as the ,teacher of ,god's will1 not coming to ,him with a spirit of suspicion but of earnest desire to do ,god's will1 that man will become a convinced follower of ,christ4 ,there are1 of course1 persons of a sound moral disposition who get entangled intellectually in perplexing difficulties about the person of ,christ and ,his relation to ,god2 but if such persons are humble--and humility is a virtue of decisive consequence--they will1 by virtue of their experience in moral questions1 and by their practical knowledge of the value of harmony with ,god1 prize the teaching of ,christ1 and recognise its superiority1 and submit themselves to its influence4 ,it was on the last day of the feast that our ,lord made the most explicit revelation of ,himself to the people4 ,for seven days the people dwelt in their booths2 on the eighth day they celebrated their entrance into the promised land1 forsook their booths1 and1 as it is said in the end of the chapter1 went every man to his own house4 ,but on this great day of the feast no water was drawn from the pool of ,siloam4 ,on each of the preceding days the golden pitcher was in request1 and the procession that followed the priest who carried it praised ,god who had brought water out of the rock in the desert2 but on the eighth day1 commemorating their entrance into a land of springs of water1 this rite of drawing the water ceased4 ,but the true worshippers among these ,israelites had been seeing a spiritual meaning in the water1 and had been conscious of an uneasy feeling of thirst still in the midst of these ,temple services--an uneasy questioning whether even yet ,israel had passed the thirsty desert1 and had received the full gift ,god had meant to give4 ,there were thinking men and thirsty souls then as there are now2 and to these1 who stood perhaps a little aside1 and looked half in compassion1 half in envy1 at the merry-making of the rest1 it seemed a significant fact that1 in the ,temple itself1 with all its grandeur and skilful appliances1 there was yet no living fountain to quench the thirst of men--a significant fact that to find water the priest had to go outside the gorgeous ,temple to the modest waters of ,siloah that go softly4 ,all through the feast these men wondered morning by morning when the words of ,joel were to come true1 when it should come to pass that a fountain should come forth of the house of the ,lord1 or when that great and deep river should begin to flow which ,ezekiel saw in vision issuing from the threshold of the ,lord's house1 and waxing deeper and wider as it flowed4 ,and now once more the last day of the feast had come1 the water was no longer drawn1 and yet no fountain had burst up in the ,temple itself1 their souls were yet perplexed1 unsatisfied1 craving1 athirst1 when suddenly1 as if in answer to their half-formed thoughts and longings1 a clear1 assured1 authoritative voice passed through their ear to their inmost soul3 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto ,me and drink4 ,he that believeth on ,me1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 ,in these words ,christ proclaims that ,he is the great ,temple-fountain2 or rather1 that ,he is the true ,temple1 and that the ,holy ,ghost proceeding from ,him1 and dwelling in men1 is the life-giving fountain4#cb ,all the cravings after a settled and eternal state1 all the longings for purity and fellowship with the ,highest1 which the ,temple services rather quickened than satisfied1 ,christ says ,he will satisfy4 ,the ,temple service had been to them as a screen on which the shadows of things spiritual were thrown2 but they longed to see the realities face to face1 to have ,god revealed1 to know the very truth of things1 and set foot on eternal verity4 ,this thirst is felt by all men whose whole nature is alive1 whose experience has shaken them out of easy contentment with material prosperity2 they thirst for a life which does not so upbraid and mock them as their own life does2 they thirst to be able to live1 so that the one half of their life shall not be condemned by the other half2 they thirst to be once for all in the ampler ether of happy and energetic existence1 not looking through the bars and fumbling at the lock4 ,this thirst and all legitimate cravings we feel ,christ boldly and explicitly promises to satisfy2 nay more1 all illegitimate cravings1 all foolish discontent1 all vicious dissatisfaction with life1 all morbid thirst that is rapidly becoming chronic disease in us1 all weak and false views of life1 ,he will rid us of1 and give us entrance into the life that ,god lives and imparts--into pure1 healthy1 hopeful life4 ,christ stands and cries still in the midst of a thirsting world3 ,whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely4 ,has ,his voice become so familiar that it has lost all significance8 ,for all who can hear and believe1 ,his truth remains4 ,there is life--abundant life for us4 ,drink of any other fountain1 and you only intensify thirst1 and make life more difficult1 spending energy without renewing it4 ,live in ,christ and you live in ,god4 ,you have found the centre1 the heart1 the eternal life4 ,as ,christ stood and cried to the people ,he was conscious of power to impart to them a freshly welling spring of life--a life that would overflow for the strengthening and gladdening of others besides themselves4 ,he has the same consciousness to-day2 the deep1 living benefits ,he confers are as open to all ages as the sunshine and the air2 there is no necessity binding any one soul to feel that life is a failure1 an empty1 disappointing husk1 serving no good purpose1 bringing daily fresh misery and deeper hopelessness1 a thing perhaps manfully to fight our way through but certainly not to rejoice in4 ,if any one has such views of life it is because he has not honestly1 believingly1 and humbly responded to ,christ's word and come to ,him4 ,,footnotes3 #bh ,it will be observed that the remaining part of the ,gospel goes into very small compass as regards time4 ,chapters vii4-x4 #ba are occupied with what was said and done at the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 chapters xii4-xx4 with the last ,passover4 #bi ,a mixture of religious thanksgiving and unrestrained social hilarity1 analogous to the ,english celebration of ,christmas4 #cj ,psalm xc4 #a4 #ca alethinos4 #cb ,on ver4 #ci see p4 #dh of this volume4 ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,woman ,,taken ,,in ,,adultery4 ,and they went every man unto his own house3 but ,jesus went unto the mount of ,olives4 ,and early in the morning ,he came again into the temple1 and all the people came unto ,him2 and ,he sat down1 and taught them4 ,and the scribes and the ,pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery2 and having set her in the midst1 they say unto ,him1 ,master1 this woman hath been taken in adultery1 in the very act4 ,now in the law ,moses commanded us to stone such2 what then sayest ,thou of her8 ,and this they said1 tempting ,him1 that they might have whereof to accuse ,him4 ,but ,jesus stooped down1 and with ,his finger wrote on the ground4 ,but when they continued asking ,him1 ,he lifted up ,himself1 and said unto them1 ,he that is without sin among you1 let him first cast a stone at her4 ,and again ,he stooped down1 and with ,his finger wrote on the ground4 ,and they1 when they heard it1 went out one by one1 beginning from the eldest1 even unto the last3 and ,jesus was left alone1 and the woman1 where she was1 in the midst4 ,and ,jesus lifted up ,himself1 and said unto her1 ,woman1 where are they8 did no man condemn thee8 ,and she said1 ,no man1 ,lord4 ,and ,jesus said1 ,neither do ,i condemn thee2 go thy way2 from henceforth sin no more4--,,john vii4 #ec-viii1 #aa4 ,this paragraph1 from chap4 vii4 #ec-viii4 #aa inclusive1 is omitted from modern editions of the ,greek text on the authority of the best manuscripts4 ,internal evidence is also decidedly against its admission4 ,the incident may very well have happened1 and it bears every appearance of being accurately reported4 ,we are glad to have so characteristic an exposure of the malignity of the ,jews1 and a view of our ,lord which1 although from a novel standpoint1 is yet quite consistent with other representations of ,his manner and spirit4 ,but here it is out of place4 ,no piece of literary work is so compact and homogeneous as this ,gospel4 ,and an incident such as this1 which would be quite in keeping with the matter of the synoptical ,gospels1 is felt rather to interrupt than to forward the purpose of ,john to record the most characteristic and important self-manifestations of ,christ4 ,but as the paragraph is here1 and has been here from very early times1 and as it is good ,gospel material1 it may be well briefly to indicate its significance4 #a4 ,first1 it reveals the unscrupulous malignity of the leading citizens1 the educated and religious men1 the ,scribes and ,pharisees4 ,they brought to ,jesus the guilty woman1 tempting ,him 7ver4 #f72 not because they were deeply grieved or even shocked at her conduct2 nay1 so little were they impressed with that aspect of the case1 that1 with a cold-blooded indelicacy which is well-nigh incredible1 they actually used her guilt to further their own designs against ,jesus4 ,they conceived that by presenting her before ,him for judgment1 ,he would be transfixed on one or other horn of the following dilemma3 ,if ,he said1 ,let the woman die in accordance with the law of ,moses1 they would have a fair ground on which they could frame a dangerous accusation against ,him1 and would inform ,pilate that this new ,king was actually adjudging life and death4 ,if1 on the other hand1 ,he bid them let the woman go1 then ,he could be branded before the people as traversing the law of ,moses4 ,underhand scheming of this kind is of course always to be condemned4 ,setting traps and digging pitfalls are illegitimate methods even of slaughtering wild animals1 and the sportsman disdains them4 ,but he who introduces such methods into human affairs1 and makes his business one concatenated plot1 does not deserve to be a member of society at all1 but should be banished to the unreclaimed wilderness4 ,these men posed as sticklers for the ,law1 as the immovably orthodox1 and yet had not the common indignation at crime which would have saved them from making a handle of this woman's guilt4 ,no wonder that their unconscious and brazen depravity should have filled ,jesus with wonder and embarrassment1 so that for a space ,he could not utter a word1 but could only fix ,his eyes on the ground4 ,making all allowance for the freedom of ,oriental manners from some modern refinements1 one cannot but feel some surprise that such a scene should be possible on the streets of ,jerusalem4 ,it reveals a hardened and insensible condition of public opinion which one is scarcely prepared for4 ,and yet it may well be questioned whether it was a more ominous state of public sentiment than that in the midst of which we are living1 when scenes1 in character if not in appearance similar to this1 are constantly reproduced by our novelists and play-writers1 who harp upon this one vile string1 professing1 like these ,pharisees1 that they drag such things before the public gaze for the sake of exposing vice and making it hateful1 but really because they know that there is a large constituency to whom they can best appeal by what is sensational1 and prurient1 and immoral1 though to the masculine and healthy mind disgusting4 ,many of our modern writers might take a hint from our ,german forefathers1 who1 in their barbarian days1 held that some vices were to be punished in public1 but others buried quickly in oblivion1 and who1 therefore1 punished crime of this sort by binding it in a wicker crate1 and sinking it in a pit of mud out of sight for ever4 ,we certainly cannot congratulate ourselves on our advancement in moral perception so long as we pardon to persons of genius and rank what would be loathed in persons of no brilliant parts and in our own circles4 ,when such things are thrust upon us1 either in literature or elsewhere1 we have always the resource of our ,lord2 we can turn away1 as though we heard not2 we can refuse to inquire further into such matters1 and turn away our eyes from them4 ,few positions could be more painful to a pure-minded man than that in which our ,lord was placed4 ,what hope could there be for a world where the religious and righteous had become even more detestable than the coarse sin they proposed to punish8 ,no wonder our ,lord was silent1 silent in sheer disturbance of mind and sympathetic shame4 ,he stooped down and wrote on the ground1 as one who does not wish to answer a question will begin drawing lines on the ground with his foot or his stick4 ,his silence was a broad hint to the accusers2 but they take it for mere embarrassment1 and all the more eagerly press their question4 ,they think ,him at a loss when they see ,him with hanging head tracing figures on the ground2 they fancy their plot is successful1 and1 flushed with expected victory1 they close in and lay their hands on his shoulder as ,he stoops1 and demand an answer4 ,and so ,he lifts ,himself up1 and they have their answer3 ,he that is without sin among you1 let him first cast a stone at her4 ,they fall into the pit they have digged4 ,this answer was not a mere clever retort such as a self-possessed antagonist can always command4 ,it was not a mere dexterous evasion4 ,what these scribes would say of it to one another afterwards1 or with what nervous anxiety they would altogether avoid the subject1 we can scarcely conjecture2 but probably none of them would affect to say1 as has since been said1 that it was a confounding of things that differ1 that by demanding that every one who brought an accusation1 against another should himself be open to no accusation ,jesus subverted the whole administration of law4 ,for what criminal could fear condemnation1 if his doom were to be suspended until a judge whose heart is as pure as his ermine be found who may pronounce it8 ,might not these scribes have replied that they were quite aware that they themselves were guilty men1 but no law could lay hold of any outward actions of theirs1 and that they were there not to talk of their relation to ,god or of purity of heart1 but to vindicate the outward purity of the morals of their city by bringing to judgment this offender8 ,they did not thus bandy words with our ,lord1 and they could not2 because they knew that it was not ,he who was trying to confound private morality and the administration of law but themselves4 ,they had brought this woman to ,jesus as if ,he were a magistrate1 though often enough ,he had declined to interfere with civil affairs and with the ordinary administration of justice4 ,and in ,his answer ,he still shows the same spirit of non-interference4 ,he does not pronounce upon the woman's guilt at all4 ,had they taken her before their ordinary courts ,he would have raised no word in her favour2 did her husband after this prosecute her he can have feared no interference on the part of ,jesus4 ,his answer is the answer not of one pronouncing from a judgment-seat1 nor of a legal counsel1 but of a moral and spiritual teacher4 ,and in this capacity ,he had a perfect right to say what ,he did4 ,we have no right to say to an official who in condemning culprits or in prosecuting them is simply discharging a public duty1 ,see that your own hands be clean1 and your own heart pure1 before you condemn another1 but we have a perfect right to silence a private individual who is officiously and not officially exposing another's guilt1 by bidding him remember that he has a beam in his own eye which he must first be rid of1 a stain on his own hands he must first wash out4 ,the public prosecutor1 or judge is a mere mouthpiece and representative among us of absolute justice2 in him we see not his own private character at all1 but the purity and rectitude of law and order4 ,but these scribes were acting as private individuals1 and came to ,jesus professing that they were so shocked with this woman's sin that they wished the long-disused punishment of stoning to be revived4 ,and therefore ,jesus had not only a perfect right1 as any other man would have had1 to say to them1 ,thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery1 dost thou commit adultery8 but also1 as the searcher of hearts2 as ,he who knew what is in man1 ,he could risk the woman's life on the chance of there being a single man of them who was really as shocked as he pretended to be1 who was prepared to say he had in his own soul no taint of the sin he was loudly professing his abhorrence of1 who was prepared to say1 ,death is due to this sin1 and then to accept such proportionate punishment as would fall to his own share4 ,having given ,his answer ,his eye again falls1 ,his former stooping attitude is resumed4 ,he does not mean to awe them by a defiant look2 ,he lets their own conscience do the work4 ,but that their conscience should have produced such a result deserves our attention4 ,the woman1 when she heard ,his answer1 may for a moment have trembled and shrunk together1 expecting the crashing blow of the first stone4 ,could she expect that these ,pharisees1 some of them at least good men1 were all involved somehow in her sin1 tainted in heart with the pollution that had wrought such destruction in herself1 or supposing they were so tainted1 did they know it2 or supposing they knew it1 would they not be ashamed to own it in the face of the surrounding crowd2 would they not sacrifice her life rather than their own character8 ,but every man waited for some other to lift the first stone2 every man thought that some one of their number would be pure enough and bold enough1 if not to throw the first stone1 at least to assert that he fulfilled the condition of doing so that ,jesus had laid down4 ,none was willing to put himself forward to be searched by the eyes of the crowd1 and to be exposed to the still more trying judgment of ,jesus1 and to risk the possibility of ,his1 in some more definite way1 revealing his past life4 ,and so they edged their way out through the crowd from before ,him1 each desiring to have no more to do with the business2 the oldest not so old as to forget his sin1 the youngest not daring to say he was not already corrupt4 ,this reveals two things1 the amount of unascertained guilt every man carries with him1 guilt that he is not distinctly conscious of1 but that a little shake awakens1 and that weakens him all through his life in ways that he may be unable to trace4 ,further1 this encounter of ,jesus with the leading men gives significance to ,his subsequent challenge3 ,which of you convinceth ,me of sin8 ,he had shown them how easy it was to convict the guilty2 but the very ease and boldness with which ,he had touched their conscience convinced them ,his own was pure4 ,in a society honeycombed with vice ,he stood perfect1 untouched by evil4 ,this searching purity1 this stainless mirror1 the woman felt it more difficult to face than the accusing scribes4 ,alone with ,him who had so easily unmasked their wickedness1 she feels that now she has to do with something much more awful than the accusations of men--the actual irrevocable sin4 ,there was no voice now accusing her1 no hand laid in arrest upon her4 ,why does she not go8 ,because1 now that others are silent1 her own conscience speaks2 now that her accusers are silenced1 she must listen to ,him whose purity has saved her4 ,the presence among us of a true and perfect human holiness in the person of ,christ1 that is the true touchstone of character2 and he who does not feel that this is what actually judges all his own ways and actions1 has but a dim apprehension of what human life is--of its dignity1 its responsibilities1 its risks1 its reality4 ,our sin1 no doubt1 hems us round with a thousand disabilities1 and fears1 and anxieties in this world1 often dreadful to bear as the shame of this woman2 there gradually gathers round us a brood of mischiefs we have given birth to by overstepping ,god's law1 a brood that throngs our steps1 and makes a peaceful and happy life impossible4 ,other men come to recognise some of our infirmities1 and we feel the depressing influence of their unfavourable judgment1 and in the secresy of our own self-reflection we think meanly of ourselves2 but this1 overwhelming as it sometimes becomes1 is not the worst of sin4 ,were all these evil consequences abated or removed1 were we as free from accusing voices1 either from the reflected judgment of the world or from our own memory1 as that woman when she stood alone in the midst1 yet there would then only the more clearly emerge into view the essential and inseparable evil of sin1 the actual breach between us and holiness4 ,the accusation and misery which sin brings generally either make us feel that we are expiating sin by what we suffer1 or put us into a self-defensive attitude4 ,it is when ,jesus lifts ,his true eye to meet ours that the heart sinks humbled1 and recognises that apart from all punishment and in itself sin is sin1 an injury to ,god's love1 a grievous wrong to our own humanity4 ,in the attitude of ,christ towards sin and the sinner there is an exposure of the real nature of sin which makes an ineffaceable impression4 ,but what will ,jesus do with this woman thus left on ,his hands8 ,will ,he not visit her with punishment1 and so assert ,his superiority to the accusers who had slunk away8 ,he shows ,his superiority in a much more real fashion4 ,he sees that now the woman is self-condemned1 lies under that condemnation in which alone there is hope1 and which alone leads to good4 ,she could not misunderstand the significance of her acquittal4 ,her surprise must only have deepened her gratitude4 ,he who had stood her friend and brought her through so critical a passage in her history could scarcely be forgotten4 ,and yet1 considering the net she had thrown around herself1 could our ,lord say ,sin no more with any hope8 ,he knew what she was going back to--a blighted home-life1 a life full now of perplexity1 of regret1 of suspicion1 probably of ill-usage1 of contempt1 of everything that makes men and women bitter and drives them on to sin4 ,yet ,he implies that the legitimate result of forgiveness is renunciation of sin4 ,others might expect her to sin2 ,he expected her to abandon sin4 ,if the love shown us in forgiveness is no barrier to sin1 it is because we have not been in earnest as yet about our sin1 and forgiveness is but a name4 ,do we need an external scene such as that before us as the setting which may enable us to believe that we are sinners1 and that there is forgiveness for us8 ,the entrance to life is through forgiveness4 ,possibly we have sought forgiveness2 but if there follows us no serious estimate of sin1 no fruitful remembrance of the holiness of ,him who forgave us1 then our severance from sin will last only until we meet the first substantial temptation4 ,we do not know what became of this woman1 but she had an opportunity of regarding ,jesus with reverence and affection1 and thus of bringing a saving influence into her life4 ,this scene1 in which ,he was the chief figure1 must always have remained the most vivid picture in her memory2 and the more she thought of it the more clearly must she have seen how different ,he was from all besides4 ,and unless in our hearts ,christ finds a place1 there is no other sufficient purifying influence4 ,we may be convinced ,he is all ,he claims to be1 we may believe ,he is sent to save1 and that ,he can save2 but all this belief may be without any cleansing effect upon us4 ,what is wanted is an attachment1 a real love that will prompt us always to regard ,his will1 and to make our life a part of ,his4 ,it is our likings that have led us astray1 and it is by new likings implanted within us that we can be restored4 ,so long as our knowledge of ,christ is in our head only1 it may profit us a little1 but it will not make new creatures of us4 ,to accomplish that1 ,he must command our heart4 ,he must control and move what is most influential within us2 there must arise in us a real and ruling enthusiasm for ,him4 ,perhaps1 however1 the chief lesson taught by this incident is that the best way to reform society is to reform ourselves4 ,there is of course a great deal done in our own day to reclaim the vicious1 to succour the poor1 and so on2 and nothing is to be said against these efforts when they are the outcome of a humble and sympathising charity4 ,but they are very often adulterated with a spirit of condemnation and a sense of superiority1 which on closer inspection is found to be unjust4 ,these scribes and ,pharisees1 when they dragged this woman before ,jesus1 felt themselves on quite another platform than that which she occupied2 but a word from ,christ convinced them how hollow this self-righteous spirit was4 ,he made them feel that they too were sinners even as she1 and none of them was sufficiently hardened to lift a stone against her4 ,this is creditable to the ,pharisees4 ,there are many among us who would very quickly have lifted the stone4 ,even while striving to reclaim the drunkard1 for example1 they arraign him with an implacable ferocity that shows they are quite unconscious of being sharers in his sin4 ,if you challenged them1 they would clear themselves by vehemently protesting that they had not touched strong drink for years2 but do they not consider that the almost universal intemperance of the lowest class in society has a far deeper root than individual appetite2 that it is rooted in the whole miserable condition of that class1 and cannot be cured till the luxuries of the rich are by some means sacrificed for the bitter need of the poor1 and the rational enjoyments which save the well-to-do from coarse and open vice are put within reach of the whole population8 ,poverty1 and the necessity it entails of being content with a wage which barely keeps in life1 are not the sole roots of vice1 but they are roots2 and so long as we ourselves1 in common with the society in which we live1 are involved in the guilt of upholding a social condition which tempts to every kind of iniquity1 we dare not cast the first stone at the drunkard1 the thief1 or even their more sunken associates4 ,no one man1 and no one class1 is more guilty than another in this great blot on our ,christianity4 ,society is guilty2 but as members who happen by the accident of our birth to have enjoyed advantages saving us from much temptation which we know we could not have stood1 we must learn at least to consider those who in a very real sense are sacrificed for us4 ,among certain savage tribes1 when a chief's house is built1 slaughtered slaves are laid in pits as its foundation2 the structure of our vaunted civilisation has a very similar basement4 ,still it is one of the most hopeful features of present-day ,christianity that men are becoming sensible that they are not mere individuals1 but are members of a society2 and that they must bear the shame of the existing condition of things in society4 ,intelligent ,christian men now feel that the saving of their own souls is not enough1 and that they cannot with complacency rest satisfied with their own happy condition and prospects if the society to which they belong is in a state of degradation and misery4 ,it is by the growth of this sympathetic shame that reformation on a great scale will be brought about4 ,it is by men learning to see in all misery and vice their own share of guilt that society will gradually be leavened4 ,to those who cannot own their connection with their fellow-men in any such sense1 to those who are quite satisfied if they themselves are comfortable1 ,i do not know what can be said4 ,they break themselves off from the social body1 and accept the fate of the amputated limb4 ,,xviii4 ,,christ ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,world4 ,again therefore ,jesus spake unto them1 saying1 ,i am the light of the world3 he that followeth ,me shall not walk in the darkness1 but shall have the light of life4 ,the ,pharisees therefore said unto ,him1 ,thou bearest witness of ,thyself2 ,thy witness is not true4 ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,even if ,i bear witness of ,myself1 ,my witness is true2 for ,i know whence ,i came1 and whither ,i go2 but ye know not whence ,i come1 or whither ,i go4 ,ye judge after the flesh2 ,i judge no man4 ,yea and if ,i judge1 ,my judgement is true2 for ,i am not alone1 but ,i and the ,father that sent ,me4 ,yea and in your law it is written1 that the witness of two men is true4 ,i am ,he that beareth witness of ,myself1 and the ,father that sent ,me beareth witness of ,me4 ,they said therefore unto ,him ,where is ,thy ,father8 ,jesus answered1 ,ye know neither ,me1 nor ,my ,father3 if ye knew ,me1 ye would know ,my ,father also4--,,john viii4 #ab-ai4 ,at the ,feast of ,tabernacles ,jesus1 who knew that ,he was sent to confer upon men the realities which had been symbolised and promised in all religious rites1 proclaimed that ,he was the fountain of life 7vii4 #cg72 and thus responded to the unuttered prayer of those who looked with some weariness at the old routine of drawing water in remembrance of the provision ,god had made for their fathers in the desert4 ,another feature of the same ,feast leads ,him now to declare a further characteristic of ,his person4 ,in commemoration of the ,pillar of ,fire that led their fathers in the trackless desert1 the people lit large lamps round the ,temple1 and gave themselves up to dancing and revelry4 ,but this1 too1 was no doubt felt to be for the superficial souls that can live upon rites and symbols1 and do not seek to lay bare their inmost being to the very touch of eternal reality4 ,not merely the cynic would smile as venerable men joined in the lamp-light dance1 but possibly even the grave and pious onlooker1 looking back on his own mistakes in life1 and conscious of the blind way in which he was still blundering on1 stood wondering where the true ,guide of ,israel1 the real ,light of human life was to be found4 ,in sympathy with all such longing after truth and clear vision ,jesus cries1 ,i am the light of the world2 he that followeth ,me shall not walk in darkness1 but shall have the light of life4 ,his words must be interpreted by their reference to the light which was then being celebrated4 ,of that light we read that the ,lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud1 to lead them the way1 and by night in a pillar of fire1 to give them light4 ,this was a customary mode of directing the movements of large bodies of men1 whether caravans or armies4 ,in the case of an army a tall pole was erected in front of the chief's tent1 and from it a basket of fire was suspended1 so that the glare of it was visible by night1 and its smoke by day4 ,the head of a marching column could thus be descried from a great distance1 especially in wide level tracts with little or no vegetation and few inequalities of surface to interrupt the view4 ,the distinctive peculiarity of the ,israelitish march was that ,jehovah was in the fire1 and that ,he alone controlled its movements1 and thereby the movements of the camp4 ,when the pillar of cloud left its place and advanced the tents were struck1 lest they should be separated1 from ,jehovah and be found unfaithful to ,him4 ,during the whole course of their sojourn in the wilderness their movements were thus controlled and ordered4 ,the beacon-fire that led them was unaffected by atmospheric influences4 ,dispelled by no gales1 and evaporated by no fiercest heat of the ,eastern sun1 it hovered in the van of the host as the guiding angel of the ,lord4 ,the guidance it gave was uninterrupted and unerring2 it was never mistaken for an ordinary cloud1 never so altered its shape as to become unrecognisable4 ,and each night the flame shot up1 and assured the people they might rest in peace4 ,two obvious characteristics of this guiding ,light must be kept in view4 #a4 ,god's people were not led by a road already made and used1 and which they could have studied from beginning to end on a map before starting2 but they were led day by day1 and step by step1 by a living guide1 who chose a route never before trodden4 ,in the morning they did not know whether they were to go forward or back1 or to stay where they were4 ,they had to wait in ignorance till their guiding pillar moved1 and follow in ignorance till it halted4 ,our passage through life is similar4 ,it is not a chart we are promised but a guide4 ,we cannot tell where next year or next month may be spent4 ,we are not informed of any part of our future1 and have no means of ascertaining the emergencies which may try us1 the new ingredients which may suddenly be thrown into our life1 and reveal in us what till now has lain hidden and dormant4 ,we cannot tell by what kind of path we shall be led onwards to our end2 and our security from day to day consists not at all in this1 that we can penetrate the future1 and see no dangers in it1 but our security is that we shall always be guided by infallible and loving wisdom4 ,we have learned a chief article of human wisdom if we have learned to leave to-morrow to ,god and faithfully follow ,him to-day4 ,a road as it lies in the distance often looks impassably steep1 but as we approach and walk it step by step1 we find it almost level and fairly easy4 #b4 ,this light was to guide1 not their conduct1 but their movements4 ,all men need similar guidance4 ,all men have practical matters to determine which often greatly perplex them2 they must make a choice between one or other course of action that is possible4 ,steps which will determine their whole subsequent life must be taken or declined2 and for the determining of such alterations in the place or mode of their life there is often felt great need of a guidance which can be entirely relied upon4 ,sometimes1 indeed1 our course is determined for us1 and we are not consulted in the matter2 as the pillar of fire was silent1 assigning no reasons1 condescending to no persuasion or argument1 but simply moving forwards2 passing over rugged and steep mountain ridges1 past inviting and sheltered glens1 offering no present explanation of the route1 but justified always by the result4 ,so we often find that our course is determined apart from our own choice1 wishes1 judgment1 or prayers4 ,but this we commonly resent1 and crave a guidance which shall approve itself to our own judgment and yet be infallible2 which shall leave us our freedom of choice1 and yet carry us forwards to all possibilities of good4 ,in fact1 we would rather have our freedom of choice and the responsibility of guiding our own life1 with all its risks1 than be carried forward without choice of our own4 ,this is the great distinction between the light which ,christ is and the light by which the ,israelites were led from day to day4 ,they had an external means of ascertaining promptly which way they should go4 ,their whole life was circumscribed1 and its place and mode determined for them4 ,the guidance offered to us by ,christ is of an inward kind4 ,a ,god without might seem perfect as a guide1 but a ,god within is the real perfection4 ,god does not now lead us by a sign which we could follow1 though we had no real sympathy with ,divine ways and no wisdom of our own2 but ,he leads us by communicating to us ,his own perceptions of right and wrong1 by inwardly enlightening us1 and by making us ourselves of such a disposition that we naturally choose what is good4 ,when matters difficult to handle and to manage come into our life1 and when we are tempted to long for some external sign which would show us infallibly the right thing to do and the right way to follow1 let this be our consolation1 that this very exercise of judgment and bearing of responsibility in matters where right and wrong are not broadly distinguished are among the chief instruments for the formation of character2 and that even though we err in the choice we make1 yet by our error and by all honest effort to keep right with ,god in the matter1 we shall certainly have made growth in ability to understand and to do what is right4 ,no doubt it is easier to believe in a guide we can see and that moves before us like a pillar of fire2 but supposing for a moment that this dispensation under which we are living is not a great deception1 supposing for a moment that ,god is doing that one thing which ,he pledged ,himself to do1 namely1 giving a ,divine ,spirit to men1 ,himself dwelling with men and in them1 then we cannot fail to see that this guidance is of a much higher kind1 and has much more lasting results than any external guidance could have4 ,if1 by allowing us to determine our own course and find our own way through all the hazards and perplexities of life1 ,god is teaching us to estimate actions and their results more and more by their moral value1 and if thereby ,he is impregnating you with ,his own mind and character1 surely that is a much better thing than if ,he were keeping us in the right way merely by outward signs and irrespective of our own growth in wisdom4 ,persons whose opinion is not to be lightly esteemed say that if we honestly seek ,god's guidance in any matter we cannot err1 and have no business to reflect afterwards on our conduct as if we had made a wrong choice4 ,i cannot think that is so4 ,sincere people who ask ,god's guidance1 it seems to me1 frequently make mistakes4 ,in fact1 our past mistakes are a great part of our education4 ,unless we are habitually in sympathy with ,god we are not infallible even in matters where a moral judgment is all that is required2 and sometimes more is required of us than to say what is right and what is wrong4 ,other points have to be considered--points which call for a knowledge of life1 of places1 and professions1 of the trustworthiness of other men1 and a thousand matters in which we are liable to err4 ,it is of course a great satisfaction to know that we wished to do right1 even if we discover we have blundered2 and it is also a satisfaction to know that ,god can use us for good in any position1 even in that we have blundered into1 although meanwhile we have lost some present good4 ,the light which ,christ brought to the world was the light of life4 ,this additional description of life ,he commonly appended to distinguish the real and eternal good ,he bestowed from the figure by which it had been hinted at4 ,he calls ,himself the ,bread of life1 the ,water of life1 to point out that ,he is really and eternally what these material things are in the present physical world4 ,all this present constitution of things may pass away1 and the time may come when men shall no longer need to be sustained by bread1 but the time shall never come when they shall not need life2 and this fundamental gift ,christ pledges ,himself evermore to give4 ,and when ,he names ,himself the light of life ,he indicates that it is on the true1 eternal life of man ,he sheds light4 ,there may1 then1 be many things and important things on which ,christ sheds no direct light1 although there is nothing of importance on which ,he does not shed light indirectly4 ,he brought into the world no direct light upon scientific questions2 ,he did not hasten the development of art by any special light thrown on its objects and methods4 ,there was no great need for light on such matters4 ,these are not the distressing difficulties of human existence4 ,indeed1 men find stimulus and joy in overcoming these difficulties1 and resent being told nature's secrets1 and not being allowed to find them out4 ,but the darkness that settles on the life of the individual1 and upon the condition of large classes of people through what is human1 personal1 and practical is often overwhelming1 and compels men to cry for light4 ,the strange miscarriage of justice in the life of many individuals2 the compulsion put upon them to sin and to disbelieve through the pressure of unceasing failure and privation2 the triumph of cold-hearted villainy2 the bitterness of separation and death2 the impenetrable darkness of the future2 the incomprehensible dimness1 in which the most important truths are involved--all this men find no pleasure in1 but rather a torment that is sometimes maddening1 often destructive of all faith1 and always painful4 ,this is the kind of darkness that causes men to sink2 they run upon the rocks1 and go down in darkness1 no living soul hearing their cry4 ,this is the darkness which wrings from many a heart at this moment the question of despair1 ,what has become1 of ,god8 ,the darkness regarding conduct in which men are involved has largely a moral root4 ,men are blinded by their appetites and passions1 so that they cannot see the best ends and enjoyments of life4 ,it is the strong craving we have for gratifications of sense and of worldly desire that misleads us in life4 ,as some creatures have the faculty of emitting a dark and turbid matter that discolours the water1 and hides them from their pursuers1 so it is a self-evolved and home-made darkness that involves us4 ,false expectations are the atmosphere of our life2 we live in an unreal world created by our own tastes and desires1 which misinform us1 and bid us seek the good of life where it is not to be found4 ,it is then this light that ,christ is and brings1 light upon human life1 light upon all that most intimately concerns human character1 human conduct1 and human destiny4 ,what each of us chiefly needs to know is1 what is the best kind of human life--how can ,i best spend my energies1 and how can ,i best sustain them8 ,are there any results of life which are satisfying and which are certain2 and if so1 how can ,i attain them8 ,do not all things happen alike to all2 is it not with the wise man and the righteous as with the fool8 ,is life worth serious devotion2 will it repay what is spent upon it8 ,is not cynical indifference1 or selfish caring for present interests1 the most philosophical as well as the most pleasant and easy attitude towards life to assume8 ,these are the questions which we find answered in ,christ4 ,the expression1 the light of life1 may1 however1 have a somewhat different meaning4 ,it may mean that he who follows ,christ shall have that light which accompanies1 and is fed by1 the life which ,christ gives4 ,at the outset of the ,gospel ,john declared that the ,life was the light of men4 ,and this is true in the sense that they who accept ,christ as their life1 and truly live in ,him and by ,him1 walk in light and not in darkness4 ,the clouds and gloom which overhung their life are dissipated4 ,their horizon is widened1 their prospect cleared1 and all things with which they have presently to do are seen in their true dimensions and relations4 ,they who live with the life of ,christ have a clear light regarding duty4 ,the man who has entered into the life ,christ opens to us1 however slow and dull in intellect he may be1 may indeed make many mistakes1 but he will find his way through life1 and issue from it1 in his measure1 triumphant4 ,it is further to be remarked that ,jesus does not content ,himself with a place beside other teachers1 saying1 ,i will give you light1 but affirms that the light is inseparable from ,his own person4 ,i am the light4 ,by this ,he means1 as already observed1 that it is by receiving ,him as our life that we have light4 ,but ,his words also mean that ,he imparts this light not by oral teaching1 but by being what ,he is1 and living as ,he does4 ,teaching by word and precept is well1 when nothing better can be had2#cc but it is the ,word made flesh that commands the attention of all4 ,this is a language universally intelligible4 ,a life1 the highest conceivable1 on almost the lowest conceivable stage1 and recorded in the simplest form1 with indifference to all outward accompaniments attractive whether to the few or to the many1 is set before us as the final and unalterable ideal of human life1 amid all its continual and astonishing changes4 ,it is by this life led here on earth ,he becomes our ,light4 ,it is by ,his faith maintained in the utmost of trial2 ,his calmness and hopefulness amidst all that shrouds human life in darkness2 ,his constant persuasion that ,god is in this world1 present1 loving1 and working4 ,it is by ,his habitual attitude towards this life1 and towards the unseen1 that we receive light to guide us4 ,in ,his calmness we take refuge from our own dismay4 ,in ,his hopefulness we refresh ourselves in every time of weariness4 ,in ,his confidence our timorous anxieties are rebuked4 ,upon the darkest parts of our life there falls from ,him some clear ray that brightens and directs4 ,thousands of ,his followers1 in every age1 have verified ,his words3 ,i am the light of the world3 he that followeth ,me shall not walk in darkness1 but shall have the light of life4 ,and as the ,teacher taught by living so must the scholar learn by living4 ,christ brings light by passing through all human experiences and situations1 and he that followeth ,him1 not he that reads about ,him1 shall have the light of life4 ,there are very few men in the world who can think to much purpose on truths so abstruse and complicated as the ,divinity of ,christ and the ,atonement and ,miracles2 but there is no man so dull as not to see the difference between ,christ's life and ,his own4 ,few men may be able to explain satisfactorily the relation ,christ holds to ,god on the one hand and to us on the other2 but every man who knows ,christ at all even as he knows his friend or his father1 is conscious that a new light falls upon sin of all kinds1 upon sins of appetite and sins of temper and sins of disposition1 since ,christ lived4 ,it is in this light ,christ would have us walk1 and if we follow as ,he leads on1 we shall never lack the light of life4 ,we need not be seriously disturbed about the darkness that hangs round the horizon if light falls on our own path2 we need not be disturbed by our ignorance of many ,divine and human things1 nor by our inability to answer many questions which may be put to us1 and which indeed we naturally put to ourselves1 so long only as we are sure we are living so as to please and satisfy ,christ4 ,if our life runs on the lines ,his life marked out1 we shall certainly arrive where ,he now is1 in the happiest and highest human condition4 ,,footnotes3 #cc ,many had spoken wonderfully the truths concerning our state1 and even concerning our hopes2 they had sounded great depths in the sea of wisdom2 they had drawn the line between what is solid and what is vain in life2 they had caught1 firmly and clearly1 what was worth living for2 they had measured truly the relative value of the flesh and the ,spirit4--,dean ,church1 ,gifts of ,civilisation1 p4 #aje4 ,,xix4 ,,jesus ,,rejected ,,in ,,jerusalem4 ,he said therefore again unto them1 ,i go away1 and ye shall seek ,me1 and shall die in your sin3 whither ,i go1 ye cannot come4 ,the ,jews therefore said1 ,will ,he kill ,himself1 that ,he saith1 ,whither ,i go1 ye cannot come8 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,ye are from beneath2 ,i am from above3 ye are of this world2 ,i am not of this world4 ,i said therefore unto you1 that ye shall die in your sins3 for except ye believe that ,i am ,he1 ye shall die in your sins4 ,they said therefore unto ,him1 ,who art ,thou8 ,jesus said unto them1 ,even that which ,i have also spoken unto you from the beginning4 ,i have many things to speak and to judge concerning you3 howbeit ,he that sent ,me is true2 and the things which ,i heard from ,him1 these speak ,i unto the world4 ,they perceived not that ,he spake to them of the ,father4 ,jesus therefore said1 ,when ye have lifted up the ,son of man1 then shall ye know that ,i am ,he1 and that ,i do nothing of ,myself1 but as the ,father taught ,me1 ,i speak these things4 ,and ,he that sent ,me is with ,me2 ,he hath not left ,me alone2 for ,i do always the things that are pleasing to ,him4 ,as ,he spake these things1 many believed on ,him4 ,jesus therefore said to those ,jews which had believed ,him1 ,if ye abide in ,my word1 then are ye truly ,my disciples2 and ye shall know the truth1 and the truth shall make you free4 ,they answered unto ,him1 ,we be ,abraham's seed1 and have never yet been in bondage to any man3 how sayest ,thou1 ,ye shall be made free8 ,jesus answered them1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin4 ,and the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever3 the son abideth for ever4 ,if therefore the ,son shall make you free1 ye shall be free indeed4 ,i know that ye are ,abraham's seed2 yet ye seek to kill ,me1 because ,my word hath not free course in you4 ,i speak the things which ,i have seen with ,my ,father3 and ye also do the things which ye heard from your father4 ,they answered and said unto ,him1 ,our father is ,abraham4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,if ye were ,abraham's children1 ye would do the works of ,abraham4 ,but now ye seek to kill ,me1 a man that hath told you the truth1 which ,i heard from ,god3 this did not ,abraham4 ,ye do the works of your father4 ,they said unto ,him1 ,we were not born of fornication2 we have one ,father1 even ,god4 ,jesus said unto them1 ,if ,god were your ,father1 ye would love ,me3 for ,i came forth and am come from ,god2 for neither have ,i come of ,myself1 but ,he sent ,me4 ,why do ye not understand ,my speech8 ,even because ye cannot hear ,my word4 ,ye are of your father the devil1 and the lusts of your father it is your will to do4 ,he was a murderer from the beginning1 and stood not in the truth1 because there is no truth in him4 ,when he speaketh a lie1 he speaketh of his own3 for he is a liar1 and the father thereof4 ,but because ,i say the truth1 ye believe ,me not4 ,which of you convicteth ,me of sin8 ,if ,i say truth1 why do ye not believe ,me8 ,he that is of ,god heareth the words of ,god3 for this cause ye hear them not1 because ye are not of ,god4 ,the ,jews answered and said unto ,him1 ,say we not well that ,thou art a ,samaritan1 and hast a devil8 ,jesus answered1 ,i have not a devil2 but ,i honour ,my ,father1 and ye dishonour ,me4 ,but ,i seek not mine own glory3 there is ,one that seeketh and judgeth4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,if a man keep ,my word1 he shall never see death4 ,the ,jews said unto ,him1 ,now we know that ,thou hast a devil4 ,abraham is dead1 and the prophets2 and ,thou sayest1 ,if a man keep ,my word1 he shall never taste of death4 ,art ,thou greater than our father ,abraham1 which is dead8 and the prophets are dead3 whom makest ,thou ,thyself8 ,jesus answered1 ,if ,i glorify ,myself1 ,my glory is nothing3 it is ,my ,father that glorifieth ,me2 of whom ye say1 that ,he is your ,god2 and ye have not known ,him3 but ,i know ,him2 and if ,i should say1 ,i know ,him not1 ,i shall be like unto you1 a liar3 but ,i know ,him1 and keep ,his word4 ,your father ,abraham rejoiced to see ,my day2 and he saw it1 and was glad4 ,the ,jews therefore said unto ,him1 ,thou art not yet fifty years old1 and hast ,thou seen ,abraham8 ,jesus said unto them1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,before ,abraham was1 ,i am4 ,they took up stones therefore to cast at ,him3 but ,jesus hid ,himself1 and went out of the temple4--,,john viii4 #ba-ei4 ,john has now briefly detailed the self-manifestations of ,jesus which ,he considered sufficient to induce the ,jews to believe in ,him2 and he has shown us how1 both in ,galilee and in ,jerusalem1 the people1 with few exceptions1 remained unconvinced4 ,he has also very clearly shown the reason of ,his rejection in ,galilee4 ,the reason was that the blessings ,he proposed to bestow were spiritual1 while the blessings they craved were physical4 ,their ,messianic expectation was not satisfied in ,him4 ,so long as ,he healed their sick1 and by ,his mere will furnished famishing thousands with food1 they thought1 ,this is the ,king for us4 ,but when ,he told them that these things were mere signs of higher blessings1 and when ,he urged them to seek these spiritual gifts1 they left ,him in a body4 ,in ,jerusalem opinion has followed a similar course4 ,there also ,jesus has exemplified ,his power to impart life4 ,he has carefully explained the significance of that sign1 and has explicitly claimed ,divine prerogatives4 ,but although individuals believe1 the mass of the people are only perplexed1 and the authorities are exasperated4 ,the rulers1 however1 find it impossible to proceed against ,him1 owing to the influence ,he has with the people1 and even with their own servants4 ,this state of matters1 however1 was not destined to continue2 and in the eighth chapter ,john traces the course of popular opinion from a somewhat hopeful perplexity to a furious hostility that1 at length1 for the first time1 broke out in actual violence 7viii4 #ei74 ,jesus did not indeed immediately retire1 as if further efforts to induce faith were useless1 but when the storm broke out a second time 7x4 #ci1 #dj7 ,he finally withdrew1 and taught only such as sought ,him out4 ,at this point1 then1 in the history we are invited to inquire what grounds of faith ,jesus had presented1 and what were the true reasons of ,his rejection4 #a4 ,but first we must ask1 ,in what character or capacity did ,jesus present ,himself to men8 ,what did ,he declare ,himself to be8 ,what demand did ,he make on the faith of those to whom ,he presented ,himself8 ,when ,he required that they should believe in ,him1 what exactly did ,he mean8 ,certainly ,he did not mean less than that they should believe ,he was the ,messiah1 and should accept ,him as such4 ,the ,messiah was an elastic title1 perhaps not conveying to any two minds in ,israel precisely the same idea4 ,it had indeed for all ,israelites some contents in common4 ,it meant that here was ,one upon earth and accessible1 who was sent to be the ,bearer of ,god's good-will to men1 a ,mediator through whom ,god meant to make ,his presence felt and ,his will known4 ,but some who believed ,jesus was the ,christ had so poor a conception of the ,christ1 that ,he could not accept theirs as a sound faith4 ,the minimum of acceptable faith must believe in the actual ,jesus1 and allow the idea of the ,christ to be formed by what was seen in ,jesus4 ,those who believed must so trust ,jesus as to be willing that ,he should fashion the ,messiahship as ,he saw fit4 ,it was therefore primarily in ,himself the true believer trusted4 ,he did not1 in the first instance1 believe ,he was this or that1 but he felt1 ,here is the greatest and best ,i know2 ,i give myself to ,him4 ,of course this involved that whatever ,christ claimed to be1 ,he was believed to be4 ,but it is of importance to observe that the confession1 ,i believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 was not enough in ,christ's own day to guarantee the soundness of the faith of the confessor4 ,he had further to answer the question1 ,what do you mean by 'the ,christ'8 ,for if you mean a national ,messiah1 coming to give you political freedom and social blessings only1 this faith cannot be trusted4 ,but if any one could say1 ,i believe in ,jesus1 and if by this he meant1 ,i so believe in ,him that whatever ,he says ,he is1 ,i believe ,he is1 and whatever be the contents with which ,he fills the ,messianic name1 these contents ,i accept as belonging to the office1 this faith was sound and acceptable4 ,and1 according to this ,gospel1 ,jesus at once made it plain that ,his idea of the ,messianic office was not the popular idea1 ,it was eternal life ,he constantly proclaimed as the gift the ,father had commissioned ,him to bestow2 not physical life1 not revived political life4 ,so that it very shortly became impossible for any one to make the confession that ,jesus was the ,christ1 in ignorance of what ,he ,himself judged the ,christ to be4 ,it may be said1 therefore1 that when ,jesus required men to believe in ,him1 ,he meant that they should trust ,him as mediating efficiently between ,god and them1 and should accept ,his view of all that was needful for this mediation4 ,he meant that they should look to ,him for life eternal and for perfect fellowship with ,god4 ,what was doctrinally involved in this1 what was implied in ,his claim regarding ,his eternal nature1 might or might not at once be understood4 ,what must be understood and believed was1 that ,jesus was empowered by ,god to act for ,him1 to represent ,him1 to impart to men all that ,god would impart4 ,,ii4 ,this being so1 we may now inquire1 what sufficient reason ,jesus1 as already reported in this ,gospel1 has given why the people should accept ,him as the ,christ4 ,in these eight chapters what do we find related which should have furnished the ,jews with all the evidence which reasonable minds would require8 #a4 ,he was definitely identified as the ,christ by the ,baptist4 ,it was ,john's function to recognise the person sent by ,god to fulfil all ,his will1 and to found a kingdom of ,god among men4 ,for this ,john lived2 and if any man was in a position to say yes or no in response to the question1 ,is this the ,christ1 the ,anointed and commissioned of ,god8 ,john was that man4 ,no man was in himself better qualified to judge1 and no man had such material for judging1 and his judgment was explicit and assured4 ,to put aside this testimony as valueless is out of the question4 ,it is more reasonable to ask whether it is even possible that in this matter the ,baptist should be mistaken4 ,jesus ,himself indeed did not rest upon this testimony4 ,for ,his own certification of ,his dignity ,he did not require it4 ,he did not require the corroborative voice of one human being4 ,it was not by what ,he was told regarding ,himself that ,he became conscious of ,his ,sonship2 nor was it by an external testimony1 even from such a man as ,john1 that ,he was encouraged to make the claims ,he made4 ,john was but a mirror reflecting what was already in ,him1 possibly stimulating self-consciousness1 but adding nothing to ,his fitness for ,his work4 #b4 ,he expected that ,his claim to have come forth from ,god would be believed on ,his own word4 ,the ,samaritans believed ,him on ,his own word4 ,this does not mean that they believed a mere assertion2 they believed the assertion of ,one whom they felt to be speaking the truth4 ,there was that in ,his character and bearing which compelled their faith4 ,through all ,he said there shone the self-evidencing light of truth4 ,they might not have been able to stand a cross-examination as to the reason of the faith that was in them1 they might not have been able to satisfy any other person or induce him to believe1 but they were justified in following an instinct which said to them1 ,this man is neither deceiver nor deceived4 ,there was nothing in the claim of ,jesus absolutely incredible4 ,nay1 it rather fell in with their idea of ,god and with the knowledge of their own needs4 ,they wished a revelation1 and saw nothing impossible in it4 ,this may nowadays be judged a homely rather than a philosophical view to take of ,god and of ,his relation to men4 ,but primary and universal instincts have their place1 and1 if scientific knowledge does not contradict them1 should be trusted4 ,it was because the ,samaritans had not tampered with their natural cravings and hopes1 and had not allowed their idea of the ,messiah to harden into a definite conception1 that they were able to welcome ,jesus with a faith which ,he rarely met with elsewhere4 ,and the main authentication of ,christ's claim at all times is simply this1 that ,he makes the claim1 and that there is that in ,him which testifies to ,his truth1 while there is that in the claim itself which is congruous to our instincts and needs4 ,there was that in the bearing of ,christ which commanded belief in natures which were not numbed and blunted by prejudice4 ,the ,capernaum courtier who came to ,jesus expecting to bring ,him down with him to heal his boy1 when he saw ,him felt he could trust ,him1 and returned alone4 ,jesus was conscious that ,he spoke of what ,he knew1 and spoke of it truly4 ,i speak that which ,i have seen with ,my ,father 7ver4 #ch74 ,my record is true 7ver4 #ad74 ,if ,i say the truth1 why do ye not believe ,me8 7ver4 #df47 ,this consciousness1 both of an intention to speak the truth and of a knowledge of the truth1 in a mind so pellucid and sane1 justly impressed candid minds in ,his own day1 and is irresistibly impressive still4 ,again1 we judge of what is probable or improbable1 credible or incredible1 mainly by its congruity with our previous belief4 ,is our idea of ,god such that a personal revelation seems credible and even likely8 ,does this supposed revelation in ,christ consist with previous revelations and with the knowledge of ,god and ,his will which those revelations have fostered8 ,does this final revelation actually bring us the knowledge of ,god1 and does it satisfy the longings and pure aspirations1 the thirst for ,god and the hunger for righteousness1 which assert themselves in us like natural appetites8 ,if so1 then the untutored human heart accepts this revelation4 ,it is its own verification4 ,light is its own authentication4 ,christ brings within our ken a ,god whom we cannot but own as ,god1 and who is nowhere else so clearly revealed4 ,it is this immediacy of authentication1 this self-verification1 to which our ,lord constantly appeals4 #c4 ,but a great part of the self-revelation of ,christ could best be made in action4 ,such a work as the healing of the impotent man was visible to all and legible by the dullest4 ,if ,his words were sometimes enigmatic1 such an action as this was full of significance and easily understood4 ,by this compassionate restoration of the vital powers ,he proclaimed ,himself the ,father's ,delegate1 commissioned to express the ,divine compassion and to exercise the ,divine power to communicate life4 ,this was meant to be an easy lesson by which men might learn that ,god is full of compassion1 ceaselessly working for the good of men2 that ,he is present among us seeking to repair the mischief resulting from sin1 and to apply to our needs the fulness of ,his own life1 and that ,jesus ,christ is the medium through whom ,he makes ,himself accessible to us and available for us4 ,these works were done by our ,lord not only to convince the people that they should listen to ,him1 but also to convince them that ,god ,himself was present4 ,if ,i do not the works of ,my ,father1 believe ,me not4 ,but if ,i do1 though ye believe not ,me1 believe the works1 that ye may know1 and believe1 that the ,father is in ,me1 and ,i in ,him4 ,it was this ,he strove to impress on the people1 that ,god was with them4 ,it was not ,himself ,he wished them to recognise1 but the ,father in ,him4 ,i seek not ,mine own glory 7ver4 #ej74 ,and therefore it was the kindness of the works ,he pointed to3 ,many good works have ,i showed you from ,my ,father 7x4 #cb74 ,he sought through these works to lead men to see how in ,his ,person the ,father was applying ,himself to the actual needs of mankind4 ,to accept ,god for one purpose is to accept ,him for all4 ,to believe in ,him as present to heal naturally leads to belief in ,him as our ,friend and ,father4 ,hence these signs1 manifesting the presence and good-will of ,god1 were a call upon men to trust ,him and accept ,his messenger4 ,they spoke of gifts still more akin to the ,divine nature1 of gifts not merely physical1 but spiritual and eternal4 ,possibly in allusion to these intelligible and earthly signs our ,lord said to ,nicodemus1 ,if ,i have told you earthly things1 and ye believe not1 how shall ye believe1 if ,i tell you of heavenly things8 ,if ye are blind to these earthly signs1 what hope is there of your understanding things eternal in their own impalpable essence8 ,,iii4 ,what were the true reasons of our ,lord's rejection8 #a4 ,the first reason no doubt was that ,he so thoroughly disappointed the popular ,messianic expectation4 ,this comes out very conspicuously in ,his rejection in ,galilee1 where the people were on the point of crowning ,him1 but at once deserted ,him as soon as it became clear that ,his idea of the needs of men was quite different from their's4 ,the same reason lies at the root of ,his rejection by the authorities and people of ,jerusalem4 ,this is brought out in this eighth chapter4 ,many had believed on ,him 7ver4 #cj72 that is to say1 they believed on ,him as ,nicodemus had believed2 they believed ,he was the ,christ4 ,but as soon as ,he explained to them 7vers4 #cb1 #cd7 that the freedom ,he brought was a freedom attained through knowing the truth1 a freedom from sin1 they either were unable to understand ,him or were repelled1 and from believers became enemies and assailants4 ,it may have been with reluctance our ,lord disclosed to those who had some faith in ,him1 that in order to be ,his disciples 7ver4 #ca7 they must accept ,his word1 and find in it the freedom ,he proclaimed4 ,he knew that this was not the freedom they sought4 ,but it was compulsory that ,he should leave them in no dubiety regarding the blessings ,he promised4 ,it was impossible that they should accept the eternal life ,he brought to them1 unless there was quickened within them some genuine desire for it4 ,for what prevented them from receiving ,him was not a mere easily rectified blunder about the ,messianic office1 it was an alienation in heart from a spiritual conception of ,god4 ,and accordingly in depicting the climax of unbelief ,john is careful in this chapter to bring out that our ,lord traced ,his rejection by the ,jews to their inveterate repugnance to spiritual life1 and their consequent blinding of themselves to the knowledge of ,god4 ,he that is of ,god heareth ,god's words3 ye therefore hear them not1 because ye are not of ,god 7ver4 #dg74 ,ye seek to kill ,me1 because ,my word hath no place in you finds no room in you4 ,i speak that which ,i have seen with ,my ,father2 and ye do that which ye have seen with your father 7vers4 #cg1 #ch74 #b4 ,here1 as elsewhere1 therefore1 our ,lord traces the unbelief of the ,jews to the blindness induced by alienation from the ,divine4 ,they do not understand ,him1 because they have not that thirst for truth and righteousness which is the best interpreter of ,his words4 ,why do ye not understand ,my speech8 even because ye cannot bear ,my word4 ,it was this word of ,his1 the truth regarding sin and the way out of it1 which sifted men4 ,those who eagerly welcomed salvation from sin because they knew that bondage to sin was the worst of bondages 7ver4 #cd71 accepted ,christ's word1 and continued in it1 and so became ,his disciples 7ver4 #ca74 ,those who rejected ,him were prompted to do so by their indifference to the ,kingdom of ,god as exhibited in the person of ,christ4 ,he was not their ideal4 ,and ,he was not their ideal1 because however much they boasted of being ,god's people ,god was not their ideal4 ,if ,god were your ,father1 ye would love ,me2 for ,i proceeded forth and came from ,god 7ver4 #db74 ,jesus is conscious of adequately representing ,god1 so that to be repelled by ,him is to be repelled by ,god4 ,it is really ,god in ,him that they dislike4 ,this is not only ,his own judgment of the matter4 ,it is not a mere fancy of ,his own that ,he truly represents the ,father1 for neither came ,i of ,myself1 but ,he sent me4 ,he was sent into the world because ,he could represent the ,father4 ,the rejection of ,jesus by the ,jews was therefore due to their moral condition4 ,their condition is such that our ,lord does not scruple pungently to say1 ,ye are of your father the devil4 ,their blindness to the truth and virulent opposition to ,him proved their kinship with him who was from the beginning a liar and a murderer4 ,they are so completely under the influence of sin that they are unable to appreciate emancipation from it4 ,they look for satisfaction so determinedly in an anti-spiritual direction1 that they are positively enraged at ,one who certainly has power1 but who steadfastly uses it for spiritual purposes4 ,out of this condition they can be rescued by believing in ,christ4 ,into the mystery which surrounds the possibility that such a belief should be cherished by any one in this condition1 our ,lord does not here enter4 ,that it is possible1 ,he implies by blaming them for not believing4 ,it is1 then1 those who are unconscious of the bondage of sin who reject ,christ4 ,one of the sayings with which ,he sifted ,his profoundly attached followers from the mass is this3 ,if ye continue in ,my word1 then are ye ,my disciples indeed2 and ye shall know the truth1 and the truth shall make you free4 ,the word of which ,jesus here speaks is ,his whole revelation1 all ,he taught by word and action1 by ,his own habitual conduct and by ,his miracles4 ,this it is which gives knowledge of the truth4 ,that is to say1 all the truth which men require for living they have in ,christ4 ,all knowledge of duty1 and all that knowledge of our spiritual relations1 out of which we can draw perennial motive and unfailing hope1 we have in ,him4 ,the truth disclosed in ,christ1 and which emancipates from sin1 must not be too carefully defined4 ,but while leaving it in all its comprehensiveness1 it must be noted that the truth which especially emancipates from sin and gives us our place as children in ,god's house1 is the truth revealed in ,christ's ,sonship1 the truth that ,god1 in love and forgiveness1 claims us as ,his children4 ,in its own measure every truth we learn gives us a sense of liberty4 ,the truth emancipates from superstition1 from timorous waiting upon the opinion of authorities1 from all that cramps mental movement and stunts mental growth2 but the freedom here in view is freedom from sin1 and the truth which brings that freedom is the truth about ,god our ,father1 and ,jesus ,christ whom ,he has sent4 ,,xx4 ,,sight ,,given ,,to ,,the ,,blind4 ,and as ,he passed by1 ,he saw a man blind from his birth4 ,and ,his disciples asked ,him1 saying1 ,rabbi1 who did sin1 this man1 or his parents1 that he should be born blind8 ,jesus answered1 ,neither did this man sin1 nor his parents3 but that the works of ,god should be made manifest in him4 ,we must work the works of ,him that sent ,me1 while it is day2 the night cometh1 when no man can work4 ,when ,i am in the world1 ,i am the ,light of the world4 ,when ,he had thus spoken1 ,he spat on the ground1 and made clay of the spittle1 and anointed his eyes with the clay1 and said unto him1 ,go1 wash in the pool of ,siloam 7which is by interpretation1 ,sent74 ,he went away1 therefore1 and washed1 and came seeing4 ,the neighbours therefore1 and they which saw him aforetime1 that he was a beggar1 said1 ,is not this he that sat and begged8 ,others said1 ,it is he3 others said1 ,no1 but he is like him4 ,he said1 ,i am he4 ,they said therefore unto him1 ,how then were thine eyes opened8 ,he answered1 ,the man that is called ,jesus made clay1 and anointed mine eyes1 and said unto me1 ,go to ,siloam1 and wash3 so ,i went away and washed1 and ,i received sight4 ,and they said unto him1 ,where is ,he8 ,he saith1 ,i know not4 ,they bring to the ,pharisees him that aforetime was blind4 ,now it was the sabbath on the day when ,jesus made the clay1 and opened his eyes4 ,again therefore the ,pharisees also asked him how he received his sight4 ,and he said unto them1 ,he put clay upon mine eyes1 and ,i washed1 and do see4 ,some therefore of the ,pharisees said1 ,this man is not from ,god1 because ,he keepeth not the sabbath4 ,but others said1 ,how can a man that is a sinner do such signs8 ,and there was a division among them4 ,they say therefore unto the blind man again1 ,what sayest thou of ,him1 in that ,he opened thine eyes8 ,and he said1 ,he is a prophet4 ,the ,jews therefore did not believe concerning him1 that he had been blind1 and had received his sight1 until they called the parents of him that had received his sight1 and asked them1 saying1 ,is this your son1 who ye say was born blind8 how then doth he now see8 ,his parents answered and said1 ,we know that this is our son1 and that he was born blind3 but how he now seeth1 we know not2 or who opened his eyes1 we know not3 ask him2 he is of age2 he shall speak for himself4 ,these things said his parents1 because they feared the ,jews3 for the ,jews had agreed already1 that if any man should confess ,him to be ,christ1 he should be put out of the synagogue4 ,therefore said his parents1 ,he is of age2 ask him4 ,so they called a second time the man that was blind1 and said unto him1 ,give glory to ,god3 we know that this man is a sinner4 ,he therefore answered1 ,whether ,he be a sinner1 ,i know not3 one thing ,i know1 that1 whereas ,i was blind1 now ,i see4 ,they said therefore unto him1 ,what did ,he to thee8 how opened ,he thine eyes8 ,he answered them1 ,i told you even now1 and ye did not hear3 wherefore would ye hear it again8 would ye also become ,his disciples8 ,and they reviled him1 and said1 ,thou art ,his disciple2 but we are disciples of ,moses1 ,we know that ,god hath spoken unto ,moses3 but as for this man1 we know not whence ,he is4 ,the man answered and said unto them1 ,why1 herein is the marvel1 that ye know not whence ,he is1 and yet ,he opened mine eyes4 ,we know that ,god heareth not sinners3 but if any man be a worshipper of ,god1 and do ,his will1 him ,he heareth4 ,since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind4 ,if this man were not from ,god1 ,he could do nothing4 ,they answered and said unto him1 ,thou wast altogether born in sins1 and dost thou teach us8 ,and they cast him out4 ,jesus heard that they had cast him out2 and finding him1 ,he said1 ,dost thou believe on the ,son of ,god8 ,he answered and said1 ,and who is ,he1 ,lord1 that ,i may believe on ,him8 ,jesus said unto him1 ,thou hast both seen ,him1 and ,he it is that speaketh with thee4 ,and he said1 ,lord1 ,i believe4 ,and he worshipped ,him4 ,and ,jesus said1 ,for judgment came ,i into this world1 that they which see not may see2 and that they which see may become blind4 ,those of the ,pharisees which were with ,him heard these things1 and said unto ,him1 ,are we also blind8 ,jesus said unto them1 ,if ye were blind1 ye would have no sin3 but now ye say1 ,we see3 your sin remaineth4--,,john ix4 ,we have already considered the striking use our ,lord made of the ,temple illumination to proclaim ,himself the ,light of the world4 ,a still more striking physical symbol of this aspect of our ,lord's person and work is found in ,his healing of the blind man4 ,it is1 as we have already had occasion to see1 the manner of this evangelist to select for narration those miracles of ,christ's which are especially signs1 outward embodiments of spiritual truth4 ,accordingly he now proceeds to exhibit ,christ as the ,light of the world in ,his bestowal of sight on the blind4 ,the disciples of ,jesus had apparently been exercised by one of the outstanding problems of human life which perplex all thoughtful men3 ,what regulates the distribution of suffering2 why is it that while many of the most criminal and noxious men are prosperous and exempt from pain1 many of the gentlest and best are broken and tortured by constant suffering8 ,why is it that inexplicable suffering seems so often to fall on the wrong people1 on the innocent not on the guilty1 on those who already are of refined and chastened disposition1 not on those who seem urgently to need correction and the rod8 ,is suffering sent that character may be improved8 ,but in ,job's case it was sent because he was already irreproachable1 not to make him so4 ,is it sent because of a man's early transgressions8 ,but this man was born blind2 his punishment preceded any possible transgression of his own4 ,was he then the victim of his parent's wrong-doing8 ,but suffering is often the result of accident or of malice1 or of mistake1 which cannot be referred to hereditary sin4 ,are we then to accept the belief that this world is far from perfect as yet2 that ,god begins at the beginning in all ,his works1 and only slowly works towards perfection1 and that in the progress1 and while we are only moving towards an eternal state1 there must be pains manifold and bitter8 ,they are the shavings and sawdust and general disorder of the carpenter's workshop1 which are necessarily thrown off in the making of the needful article4#cd ,it is to it1 to the finished work1 we must look1 and not to the shavings1 if we would understand and be reconciled to the actual state of things around us4 ,when ,jesus said1 ,neither hath this man sinned1 nor his parents1 but that the works of ,god should be made manifest in him1 ,he of course did not mean to suggest that there is no such thing as suffering for individual or hereditary sin4 ,by breaking the great moral laws of human life men constantly involve both themselves and their children in lifelong suffering4 ,there is often so direct a connection between sin and suffering that the most hardened and insensible do not dream of denying that their pain and misery are self-inflicted4 ,sometimes the connection is obscure1 and though every one else sees the source of a man's misfortunes in his own careless habits1 or indolence1 or bad temper1 he himself may constantly blame his circumstances1 his ill-luck1 his partners1 or his friends4 ,it was our ,lord's intention to warn the disciples against a curious and uncharitable scrutiny of any man's life to find the cause of his misfortunes4 ,we have to do rather with the future than with the past1 rather with the question how we can help the man out of his difficulties1 than with the question how he got himself into them4 ,the one question may indeed be involved in the other1 but all suffering is1 in the first place1 a field in which the works of ,god may be exhibited4 ,wherever suffering has come from1 there can be no manner of doubt that it calls out all that is best in human nature--sympathy1 self-denial1 gentleness1 compassion1 forgiveness of spirit1 patient forbearance1 all that is most ,divine in man4 ,to seek for the cause of suffering in order to blame and exonerate ourselves from all responsibility and claim on our pity and charity is one thing1 quite another to inquire into the cause for the sake of more effectually dealing with the effect4 ,no matter what has caused the suffering1 here certainly it is always with us1 and what we have to do with it is to find in it material and opportunity for a work of ,god4 ,to rid the world of evil1 of wretchedness1 lonely sorrow1 destitution1 and disease is1 if anything1 the work of ,god2 if ,god is doing anything ,he is carrying the world on towards perfection1 and if the world is ever to be perfect it must be purged from agony and wretchedness1 irrespective of where these come from4 ,our duty then1 if we would be fellow-workers with ,god in what is real and abiding1 is plain4 ,to the work of healing the blind man ,jesus at once applies ,himself4 ,while the lifted stones were yet in ,his pursuers hands ,he paused to express ,his ,father's love4 ,he must1 ,he says1 work the works of ,him who sent ,him4 ,he represented the ,father not mechanically1 not by getting well off by rote the task ,his ,father had set ,him1 not by a studied imitation1 but by being ,himself of one mind with the ,father1 by loving that blind man just as the ,father loved him1 and by doing for him just what the ,father would have done for him4 ,we do the works of ,god when in our measure we do the same1 becoming eyes to the blind1 feet to the lame1 help any way to the helpless4 ,we cannot lay our hand on the diseased and heal them2 we cannot give sight to the blind and make a man thus feel1 this is ,god's power reaching to me2 this is ,god stooping to me and caring for my infirmity2 but we can cause men to feel that ,god is thinking of them1 and has sent help through us to them4 ,if we will only be humble enough to run the risk of failure1 and of being held cheap1 if we will only in sincerity take by the hand those who are ill-off and strive to better them1 then these persons will think of ,god gratefully2 or if they do not1 there is no better way of making them think of ,god1 for this was ,christ's way1 who had rarely need to add much explanation of ,his kind deeds1 but letting them speak for themselves1 heard the people giving ,god the glory4 ,if men can be induced to believe in the love of their fellow-men1 they are well on the road to belief in the love of ,god4 ,and even though it should not be so1 though all our endeavours to help men should fail to make them think of ,god as their helper1 who has sent us and all help to them1 yet we have helped them1 and some at least of ,god's love for these suffering people has got itself expressed through us4 ,god has got at least a little of ,his work done1 has in one direction stopped the spread of evil4 ,neither are we to wait until we can do things on a great scale1 and attack the evils of human life with elaborate machinery4 ,our ,lord was not a great organiser4 ,he did not busy ,himself with forming societies for this1 that1 and the other charitable work4 ,he did not harangue assemblies convened to consider the relief of the poor2 ,he did not press the abolition of slavery2 ,he did not found orphanages or hospitals2 but as ,he passed by1 ,he saw one blind man1 and judged this a call sufficiently urgent4 ,sometimes we feel that1 confronted as we are with a whole world full of deep-rooted and inveterate evils1 it is useless giving assistance to an individual here and there4 ,it is like trying to dry up the ocean with a sponge4 ,we feel impatient with individual acts1 and crave national action and radical measures4 ,and that is very well1 so long as we do not omit to use the opportunities we actually have of doing even little kindnesses1 of undergirding the shattered life of individuals1 and so enabling them to do what otherwise they could not do4 ,but we shall never do our part1 either to individuals or on a large scale1 until we apprehend that it is only through us and others that ,god works1 and that when we pass by a needy person we prevent ,god's love from reaching him1 and disappoint the purpose of ,god4 ,it was this feeling that imparted to ,christ so intense and wakeful an energy4 ,he felt it was ,god's work ,he was on earth to do4 ,i must work the works of ,him that sent ,me while it is day4 ,he recognised that ,god was in the world looking with compassion on all human sorrow1 but that this compassion could find expression only through ,his own instrumentality and that of all other men4 ,we are the channels or pipes through which the inexhaustible source of ,god's goodness flows to the world2 but it is in our power to turn off that flow1 and prevent it from reaching those for whom it is intended4 ,we do less than we ought for our fellow-men until we believe that we are the bearers of ,god's gifts to men2 that to however few a number and in however small a way we are the media through which ,god finds way for ,his love to men1 and that if we refuse to do what we can we disappoint and thwart ,his love and ,his purpose of good4 ,the blind man1 with the quickened hearing of the blind1 heard with interest the talk about himself2 and a new awe fell upon his spirit as he heard that his blindness was to be the object of a work of ,god4 ,he had learned to judge of men by the tones of their voice2 and the firm1 clear1 penetrating voice which had just uttered these all-important words1 ,i am the ,light of the world1 could not1 he knew1 belong to a deceiver4 ,in other ways also ,jesus compensated for his lack of sight1 and encouraged his faith by touching him and by laying on the closed eyes an extemporised ointment4 ,but the miracle was not completed on the spot4 ,the patient was required to go to the pool of ,siloam and wash4 ,john tells us that the name ,siloam means ,sent1 and evidently connects this name with the claim ,jesus constantly made to be the ,sent of ,god4 ,but as the peculiarity of the miracle consisted in this1 that the man was sent to the pool to be healed1 we may be sure this arrangement was made to meet some element in the case4 ,the man1 with his bespattered eyes1 had to grope his way to the pool1 or get some kindly soul to lead him through the scoffing1 doubtful crowd4 ,and whatever this taught the man himself1 it is to us a symbol of the truth that light does not come by the instantaneous touch of ,christ's hand so much as by our faithfully doing ,his bidding4 ,it is ,he who gives and is the light2 but it does not stream in suddenly upon the soul1 but comes upon the man who1 though blindly1 yet faithfully1 gropes his way to the place ,christ has bid him to1 and uses the means prescribed by ,him4 ,he that doeth the will of ,god1 shall know of the doctrine whether it be of ,god4 ,all the commands of ,christ are justified in their performance2 and clear light upon the meaning of much that we are commanded to do is only found in the doing of it4 ,but no doubt the special significance of the man's being sent to the pool of ,siloam lay in the circumstance that it was in ,john's eyes a symbol of ,christ ,himself4 ,he was sent by ,god4 ,the people found it difficult to believe this1 because ,he had slowly and unostentatiously grown up like any other man4 ,we know this ,man1 whence ,he is4 ,is not this the carpenter's ,son8 ,how sayest ,thou1 ,i came down from heaven8 ,they could trace ,him to ,his source4 ,he did not appear fullgrown in their midst1 without home1 without any who had watched over ,his boyhood and growth4 ,he was like the river whose sources were known1 not like the stream bursting in full volume from the rock4 ,the people felt ashamed to laud and celebrate as sent by ,god ,one who had grown up so quietly among themselves1 and whose whole demeanour was so unostentatious4 ,so had their fathers despised the waters of ,siloam1 because they went softly2 because there was no mighty stream and roar1 but a quiet pool and a little murmuring stream4 ,so might this blind man have reasoned when sent to ,siloam3 ,why1 herein is a marvellous thing that ,i am to be healed by what has been within my reach since ,i was born1 by the pool ,i used to dip my hand in when a boy1 and wonder what like was the coolness to the sight4 ,what hidden virtue can there be in that spring8 ,am ,i not exposing myself to the ridicule of all ,jerusalem8 ,but1 as this blind man's conduct afterwards showed1 he was heedless of scorn and independent of other people's opinion1 a fearless and trenchant reasoner who stands alone in the ,gospel history for the firmness and sarcasm with which he resisted the bullying tone of the ,pharisees1 and compelled them to face1 even though they would not acknowledge1 the consequences of incontrovertible facts4 ,this characteristic contempt of contempt1 and scorn of scorn served him well now1 for straight he went to the pool in the face of discouragements1 and had his reward4 ,and the ,pharisees might1 with their gift of interpreting trifles1 have deduced from this cure at the humble and noiseless ,siloam some suggestion that though ,jesus did seem a powerless and common ,man1 and though for thirty years ,his life had been flowing quietly on without violently changing the established order of things1 yet ,he might1 like this pool1 be the ,sent of ,god1 to whom if a man came feeling his need of light and expecting in ,him to find it1 there was a likelihood of his blindness being taken away4 ,this1 however1 as our ,lord had afterwards occasion to tell them1 was precisely what they could not submit to do4 ,they could not1 in the presence of a wondering and scorning crowd1 admit that they needed light1 nor could they condescend to seek for light from so commonplace a source4 ,and no doubt it was a very severe trial--it was well-nigh impossible1 that men in high esteem for religious knowledge1 and who had been accustomed to reckon themselves the protectors of the faith1 should own that they were in darkness1 and should seek to be instructed by a youth from the benighted district of ,galilee4 ,even now1 when the dignity of ,jesus is understood1 many are prevented from giving themselves cordially to the life ,he insists upon by mere pride4 ,there are men in such repute as leaders of opinion1 and so accustomed to teach rather than to learn1 and to receive homage rather than to give it1 that scarcely any greater humiliation could be required of them1 than to publicly profess themselves followers of ,christ4 ,for ourselves even1 who might not seem to have much on which to pride ourselves1 it is yet sometimes difficult to believe that a mere application to ,christ1 a mere sprinkling of this fountain1 can change our inborn disposition1 and make us so different from our former selves1 that close observers might well doubt our identity1 some saying1 ,this is he1 others more cautiously only venturing to assert1 ,he is like him4 ,though very pleasant to contemplate1 it is impossible adequately to imagine the sensations of a man who for the first time sees the world in which he has for years been living blind4 ,the sensation of light itself1 the new sense of room and distance1 the expansion of the nature1 as if ushered into a new and ampler world1 the glory of colour1 of the skies2 of the sun1 of the moon walking in brightness1 the first recognition of the human face ,divine1 and the joy of watching the unspoken speech of its ever-changing expression1 the thrill of first meeting parent1 child1 or friend eye to eye2 the sublimity of the towers of ,jerusalem1 the glittering ,temple1 the marble palaces1 by the base of which he had before dimly crept1 feeling with his hand or tapping with his stick4 ,to a man who1 by the opening of one sealed sense1 was thus ushered into so new a world1 nothing can have seemed too grand and good for him to expect4 ,he was prepared to believe in the glory and perfectness of ,god's world1 and in ,christ's power to bring him into contact with that glory4 ,if the opening of his bodily organs of vision had given him such exquisite pleasure1 and given him entrance to so new a life1 what might not the opening of his inward eye accomplish8 ,he had no patience with the difficulties raised by those who had not his experience3 ,how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles8 ,give ,god the praise2 we know that this man is a sinner4 ,to all these slow-brained1 bewildered pedants1 he had but the answer1 ,whether ,he be a sinner or no1 ,i know not2 one thing ,i know1 that1 whereas ,i was blind1 now ,i see4 ,no arguments1 happily1 can rob me of the immense boon this ,man has conferred upon me4 ,if it gives you any satisfaction to apply your paltry tests to ,him1 and prove that ,he cannot have done this miracle1 you are welcome to your conclusions2 but you cannot alter the facts that ,i was blind1 and that now ,i see4 ,he who has given me so ,divine a gift seems to me to carry with ,him in some true form the ,divine presence4 ,i believe ,him when ,he says1 ,i am the ,light of the world4 ,this miracle was so public as to challenge scrutiny4 ,it was not performed in the privacy of a sick-room1 with none present but one or two disciples1 who might be supposed ready to believe anything4 ,it was performed on a public character and in broad day4 ,and we nowadays may congratulate ourselves that there was a strong party in the community1 whose interest it was to minimise the miracles of our ,lord1 and who certainly did what they could to prove them fictitious4 ,in the case of this blind man1 the authorities took steps to sift the matter2 the parents were summoned1 and then the man himself4 ,they did precisely what sceptical writers in recent years have desiderated2 they instituted a jealous examination of the affair4 ,and so straightforward was the man's testimony1 and so well-known was he in ,jerusalem1 that instead of denying the miracle1 they adopted the easier course of excommunicating him for acknowledging ,jesus as the ,christ4 ,ready witted1 bold1 and independent as this man was1 he cannot but have felt keenly this punishment4 ,his hope of employment was gone1 and even his new joy in seeing would scarcely compensate for his being shunned by all as a tainted person4 ,had he been of a fainthearted and moody disposition he might have thought it had been as well had he been left in his blindness1 and not become an object of abhorrence to all4 ,but ,jesus heard of his punishment1 and sought him out1 and declared to him more fully who ,he ,himself was4 ,he thus gave to the man assurance of a friendship outweighing in value what he had lost4 ,he made him feel that though cut off from the fellowship of the visible ,church1 he was made a member of the true commonwealth of men--numbered among those who are united in friendship1 and in work1 and in destiny to ,him who heads the real work of ,god1 and promotes the abiding interests of men4 ,and such is ever the reward of those who make sacrifices for ,christ1 who lose employment or friends by too boldly confessing their indebtedness to ,him4 ,they will themselves tell you that ,christ makes up to them for their losses by imparting clearer knowledge of ,himself1 by making them conscious that they are remembered by ,him1 and by giving them a conscience void of offence1 and a spirit superior to worldly misfortunes4 ,as a final reflection on the miracle and its results our ,lord says3 ,for judgement am ,i come into the world1 that they which see not might see1 and that they which see might be made blind4 ,a kind of sad humour betrays itself in ,his language1 as ,he sees how easily felt-blindness is removed1 but how absolutely blind presumed knowledge is4 ,humility ever wins the day4 ,the blind man now saw because he knew he was blind1 and trusted that ,christ could give him sight2 the ,pharisees were stone-blind to the world ,christ opened to them and carried in ,his person1 because they thought that already they had all the knowledge they required4 ,and wherever ,christ comes men thus form themselves around ,him in two groups1 blind and seeing4 ,for judgment1 for testing and dividing men1 ,he is come4 ,nothing goes more searchingly into a man's character than ,christ's offer to be to him the ,light of life1 to be his leader to a perfect life4 ,this offer discloses what the man is content with1 and what he really sighs for4 ,this offer1 which confronts us with the possibility of living in close fellowship and love with ,god1 discloses whether our real bent is towards what is pure1 and high1 and holy1 or towards what is earthly4 ,this man who eagerly asked1 ,who is the ,son of ,god that ,i might believe on ,him8 acknowledged his blindness and his longing for light1 and he got it4 ,the ,pharisees1 who claimed to see1 condemned themselves by their rejection of ,christ4 ,if1 says our ,lord1 ye were blind1 if you were ignorant like this poor man1 your ignorance would excuse you4 ,but now ye say1 ,we see1 you boast that you can discern the ,christ1 you have tests of all kinds that you plume yourselves on1 therefore your darkness and your sin remain4 ,that is to say1 the one sufficient test of ,christ's claim is need4 ,he presents ,himself as the ,light of the world1 but if we are unconscious of darkness we cannot appreciate ,him4 ,but surely there are many of us who feel as if we were born blind1 unable to see things spiritual as we ought2 as if we had a sense too little1 and could not find our way satisfactorily through this life4 ,we hear of ,god with the hearing of the ear1 but do not see ,him2 we have not the close and unmistakable discernment that comes by sight4 ,,footnotes3 #cd ,see the ,meditations of ,marcus ,aurelius4 ,,xxi4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 he that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep1 but climbeth up some other way1 the same is a thief and a robber4 ,but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep4 ,to him the porter openeth2 and the sheep hear his voice3 and he calleth his own sheep by name1 and leadeth them out4 ,when he hath put forth all his own1 he goeth before them1 and the sheep follow him3 for they know his voice4 ,and a stranger will they not follow1 but will flee from him3 for they know not the voice of strangers4 ,this parable spake ,jesus unto them2 but they understood not what things they were which ,he spake unto them4 ,jesus therefore said unto them again1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,i am the door of the sheep4 ,all that came before me are thieves and robbers3 but the sheep did not hear them4 ,i am the door3 by ,me if any man enter in1 he shall be saved1 and shall go in and go out1 and shall find pasture4 ,the thief cometh not1 but that he may steal1 and kill1 and destroy3 ,i came that they may have life1 and may have it abundantly4 ,i am the good shepherd3 the good shepherd layeth down ,his life for the sheep4 ,he that is a hireling1 and not a shepherd1 whose own the sheep are not1 beholdeth the wolf coming1 and leaveth the sheep1 and fleeth1 and the wolf snatcheth them1 and scattereth them3 he fleeth because he is a hireling1 and careth not for the sheep4 ,i am the good shepherd2 and ,i know ,mine own1 and ,mine own know ,me1 even as the ,father knoweth ,me1 and ,i know the ,father2 and ,i lay down ,my life for the sheep4 ,and other sheep ,i have1 which are not of this fold3 them also ,i must bring1 and they shall hear ,my voice2 and they shall become one flock1 one shepherd4 ,therefore doth the ,father love ,me1 because ,i lay down ,my life1 that ,i may take it again4 ,no one taketh it away from ,me1 but ,i lay it down of ,myself4 ,i have power to lay it down1 and ,i have power to take it again4 ,this commandment received ,i from ,my ,father4--,,john x4 #a-ah4 ,this paragraph continues the conversation which arose out of the healing of the blind man4 ,jesus has pointed out to the ,pharisees that they are affected with a more deplorable blindness than the born-blind beggar2 ,he now proceeds to contrast their harsh treatment of the healed man with ,his own care of him1 and uses this contrast as evidence of the illegitimacy of their usurpation of authority and the legitimacy of ,his own claim4 ,it has been related 7ix4 #cd7 that the ,jews had excommunicated the blind man because he had presumed to think for himself1 and acknowledge as the ,christ ,one regarding whom they had quietly enacted 7ver4 #bb7 that if any one acknowledged ,him he should be banished from the synagogue4 ,very naturally the poor man would feel that this was a heavy price to pay for his eyesight4 ,brought up as he had been to consider the ecclesiastical authorities of ,jerusalem as representing the ,divine voice1 he would feel that this excommunication cut him off from fellowship with all good men1 and from the sources of a hopeful and godly life4 ,therefore1 in pity for this poor sheep1 and in indignation at those who thus assumed authority1 ,jesus explicitly declares1 ,i am the door4 ,not through the word of men who tyrannize over the flock to serve their own ends are you either admitted to or debarred from the real sources of spiritual life and fellowship with the true and good4 ,through ,me only can you find access to permanent security and the free enjoyment of all spiritual nutriment2 ,by ,me if any man enter in he shall be saved1 and shall go in and out1 and find pasture4 ,the primary object1 then1 of this allegorical passage is to impart to those who believe in ,jesus the truest independence of spirit4 ,this our ,lord accomplishes by explicitly claiming for ,himself the sole right of admission or rejection from the true fold of ,god's people4 ,he comes into direct collision with the ecclesiastical authorities1 denying that they are the true spiritual guides of the people1 and presenting ,himself as the supreme authority in matters spiritual4 ,this uncompromising assertion of ,his own authority ,he makes in parabolic language2 but that no one may misapprehend ,his meaning ,he ,himself appends the interpretation4 ,and in this interpretation it will be observed that1 while the great ideas are explained and applied1 there is no attempt to make these ideas square with the figure in every particular4 ,in the figure1 for example1 the ,door and the ,shepherd are necessarily distinct2 but our ,lord does not on that account scruple to apply both figures to ,himself4 ,the rigidly logical explanation is thrown to the winds to make way for the substantial teaching4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 ,jesus here claims to be the sole means of access to security and life eternal4 ,i am the door3 by ,me if any man enter in1 he shall be saved1 and shall go in and out1 and find pasture1 ,prompted by consideration for the feelings of the blind man1 this expression would by him be interpreted as meaning1 ,these arrogant ,pharisees1 then1 can after all do me no injury2 they can neither exclude nor admit2 but only this ,person1 who has shown ,himself so compassionate1 so courageous1 so ready to be my champion and my friend4 ,he is the door4 ,and this simple and memorable claim has remained through all the ,christian centuries the bulwark against ecclesiastical tyranny1 not indeed preventing injustice and outrage1 but entirely robbing excommunication of its sting in the conscience that is right with its ,lord4 ,outcast from the fellowship and privileges of so-called ,churches of ,christ many have been1 who had yet the assurance in their own heart that by their attachment to ,him they had entered into a more lasting fellowship and unspeakably higher privileges4 ,by this claim to be the ,door1 ,jesus claims to be the ,founder of the one permanent society of men4 ,through ,him alone have men access to a position of security to association with all that is worthiest among men1 to a never-failing life and a boundless freedom4 ,he did not use ,his words at random1 and this at least is contained in them4 ,he gathers men round ,his ,person1 and assures us that ,he holds the key to life2 that if ,he admits us1 words of exclusion pronounced by others are but idle breath2 that if ,he excludes us1 the approval and applause of a world will not waft us in4 ,no claim could possibly be greater4 ,,ii4 ,jesus also claims to be the ,good ,shepherd1 and sets ,himself in contrast to hirelings and robbers4 ,this claim ,he proves in five particulars3 ,he uses a legitimate mode of access to the sheep2 ,his object is the welfare of the sheep2 ,his ,spirit is self-devoted2 ,he knows and is known by ,his sheep2 and all ,he does the ,father has given ,him commandment to do4 #a4 ,first1 then1 ,jesus proves ,his claim to be the ,good ,shepherd by using the legitimate means of access to the sheep4 ,he enters by the door4 ,the general description of the relation between sheep and shepherd was drawn from what might be seen any morning in ,palestine4 ,at night the sheep are driven into a fold1 that is1 a walled enclosure1 such as may be seen on our own sheep farms1 only with higher walls for protection1 and with a strongly-barred door in place of a hurdle or light gate4 ,here the sheep rest all night1 guarded by a watchman or porter4 ,in the morning the shepherds come1 and at the recognised signal or knock are admitted by the porter1 and each man calls his own sheep4 ,the sheep1 knowing his voice1 follow him1 and if any are lazy1 or stubborn1 or stupid1 he goes in and drives them out1 with a gentle1 kindly compulsion1 ,a stranger's voice they do not recognise1 and do not heed4 ,besides1 not only do they disregard a stranger's voice1 but the porter also would do so1 so that no robber thinks of appealing to the porter1 but climbs the wall and lays hold of the sheep he wants4 ,here1 then1 we have a picture of the legitimate and illegitimate modes of finding access to men and of gaining power over them4 ,the legitimate leader of men comes by the door and invites3 the illegitimate gets in anyhow and compels4 ,the true shepherd is distinguished from the robber by both the action of the porter and the action of the sheep4 ,but who is the porter who gives ,christ access to the fold8 ,possibly1 as some have suggested1 the mind of ,christ's contemporaries would revert to ,john the ,baptist4 ,the claim of ,jesus to deal with men as their spiritual protector and leader had been legitimated by ,john1 and no other pretended ,messiah had been4 ,and certainly1 if any individual is indicated by the porter1 it must be ,john the ,baptist4 ,but probably the figure includes all that introduces ,jesus to men1 ,his own life1 ,his miracles1 ,his loving words1 providential circumstances4 ,at all events1 ,he makes ,his appeal openly1 and has the requisite pass-word4 ,there is nothing of the thief or the robber about ,his approach--nothing underhand and stealthy1 nothing audaciously violent4 ,on the other hand1 ,all that ever came before ,me are thieves and robbers4 ,the contemporary authorities in ,jerusalem had come before ,jesus1 in so far as they had prepossessed the minds of the people against ,him1 and forcibly kept the sheep from ,him4 ,their prior claims were the great obstacle to ,his being admitted4 ,they held the fold against ,him4 ,it must have been plain to the people who heard ,his words that their own ecclesiastical authorities were meant4 ,and this is not contradicted by the added clause1 but the sheep did not hear them4 ,for these usurping leaders did not find the ear of the people1 although they terrified them into obedience4 #b4 ,the ,good ,shepherd is identified and distinguished from the hireling by ,his object and ,his spirit of devotion--for these two characteristics may best be considered together 7vv4 #aj-ac74 ,the hireling takes up this business of shepherding for his own sake1 and just as he might take to keeping swine1 or watching vineyards1 or making bricks4 ,it is not the work nor the sheep he has any interest in1 but the pay4 ,it is for himself he does what he does4 ,his object is to make gain for himself1 and his spirit is therefore a spirit of self-regard4 ,necessarily he flees from danger1 having more regard for himself than for the sheep4 ,the object of the good shepherd1 on the contrary1 is to find for the sheep a more abundant life4 ,it is regard for them that draws him to the work4 ,consequently1 as all love is self-devoting1 so the regard of the shepherd for the sheep prompts him to devote himself1 and1 at the risk or expense of his own life1 to save them from danger4 ,this differentiation of the hireling and the good shepherd was1 in the first instance1 exemplified in the different conduct of the authorities and ,jesus towards the blind man4 ,the authorities having fallen into the idea which commonly ensnares ecclesiastical magnates1 that the people existed for them1 not they for the people1 persecuted him because he had followed his conscience3 ,jesus1 by interposing in his favour1 risked ,his own life4 ,this collision with the ,pharisees materially contributed to their determination to put ,him to death4 ,probably our ,lord intended that a larger meaning should be found in ,his words4 ,to all ,his sheep ,he acts the part of a good shepherd by interposing1 at the sacrifice of ,himself1 between them and all that threatens 7vv4 #ag1 #ah74 ,his death was voluntary1 not necessitated either by the machinations of men or by ,his being human4 ,his life was ,his own1 to use as ,he saw best2 and when ,he laid it down ,he did so freely4 ,it was not that ,he succumbed to the wolf1 to any power stronger than ,his own will and ,his own discernment of what was right4 ,we may resign ourselves to death or choose it2 but even though we did not1 we could not escape it4 ,christ could4 ,he laid down ,his life2 and ,he did so1 moreover1 that ,he might take it again4 ,his sheep were not to be left defenceless1 shepherdless3 on the contrary1 ,he died that ,he might free them from all danger and become to them an ever-living1 omnipresent ,shepherd4 ,in these words the figure is lost in the reality4 ,in the words themselves1 indeed1 there is no direct suggestion that the penalty of sin is that which chiefly threatens ,christ's sheep1 but ,christ could hardly use the words1 and ,his people can hardly read them1 without having this idea suggested4 ,it was by interposing between us and sin that our ,shepherd was slain4 ,at first sight1 indeed1 we seem to be exposed to the very danger that slew the ,shepherd3 the wolf seems to be alive even after slaying ,him4 ,in spite of ,his death1 we also die4 ,what then is the danger from which ,he by ,his death has saved us8 ,the danger which threatened us was not bodily death1 for from that we are not delivered4 ,but it was something with which the death of the body is intimately connected4 ,bodily death is as it were the symptom1 but not the disease itself4 ,it is that which reveals the presence of the pestilence1 but is not itself the real danger4 ,it is like the plague-spot that causes the beholder to shudder1 though the spot itself is only slightly painful4 ,now a skilful physician does not treat symptoms1 does not apply his skill to allay superficial distresses1 but endeavours to remove the radical disease4 ,if the eye becomes bloodshot he does not treat the eye1 but the general system4 ,if an eruption comes out on the skin1 he does not treat the skin1 but alters the condition of the blood2 and it is a small matter whether the symptom goes on to its natural issue1 if thereby the eradication of the disease is rather helped than hindered4 ,so it is with death3 it is not our danger2 no man can suppose that the mere transference from this state to another is injurious2 only1 death is in our case the symptom of a deep disease1 of a real1 fatal ailment of soul4 ,we know death not as a mere transference from one world to another1 but as our transference from probation to judgment1 which sin makes us dread2 and also as a transference which in form forcibly exhibits the weakness1 the imperfection1 the shame of our present state4 ,thus death connects itself with sin1 which our conscience tells us is the great root of all our present misery4 ,it is to us the symptom of the punishment of sin1 but the punishment itself is not the death of the body but of the soul2 the separation of the soul from all good1 from all hope1--in a word1 from ,god4 ,this is the real danger from which ,christ delivers us4 ,if this be removed1 it is immaterial whether bodily death remain or not2 or rather1 bodily death is used to help out our complete deliverance1 as a symptom of the disease sometimes promotes the cure4 ,christ has tasted death for every man1 and out of each man's cup has sucked the poison1 so that now1 as we in turn drink it1 it is but a sleeping draught4 ,there was a chemistry in ,his love and perfect obedience which drew the poison to ,his lips2 and absorbing into ,his own system all the virulence of it1 by the immortal vigour of ,his own constitution1 ,he overcame its effects1 and rose again triumphing over its lethargic potency4 ,it was not mere bodily death1 then1 which our ,lord endured4 ,that was not the wolf which the ,good ,shepherd saved us from4 ,it was death with the sting of sin in it4 ,it is this fact which shows us1 from one point of view1 the place of ,christ's death in the work of atonement ,death sets the seal on a man's spiritual condition4 ,it utters the final word3 ,he that is holy1 let him be holy still2 he that is filthy1 let him be filthy still4 ,the biblical view of death is that it marks the transition from a state of probation to a state of retribution4 ,it is appointed unto men once to die1 and after death the judgment4 ,there is no coming back again to make another preparation for judgment4 ,we cannot have two lives1 one after the flesh1 and another after the spirit1 but one life1 one death1 one judgment4 ,bodily death therefore thus becomes not only the evidence of spiritual death1 but its seal4 ,but this1 falling upon ,christ1 fell harmless4 ,separation from ,god must be separation of the will1 separation accomplished by the soul's self4 ,in ,christ there was no such separation4 ,sinners abide in death1 because not only are they judicially separated1 but they are in will and disposition separate4 ,plunge iron and wood into water3 the one sinks1 the other rises immediately1 cannot be kept under1 has a native buoyancy of its own that brings it to the surface1 immerse it as often as we please4 ,and ,christ is as the wood cut by the prophet1 that not only floats itself1 but brings to the surface the heaviest weight4 #c4 ,it is the mutual recognition of sheep and shepherd which decisively exhibits the difference between the true shepherd and the robber4 ,the timid animals that start and flee at the sound of a stranger's voice suffer their own shepherd to come among them and handle them4 ,as the ownership of a dog is easily determined by his conduct towards two claimants1 at one of whom he growls and round the other of whom he joyously barks and jumps2 so you can tell who is the shepherd and who is the stranger by the different way in which a sheep behaves in the presence of each4 ,if a shepherd's claim were doubtful1 it might be settled either by his familiarity with its marks and ways1 or by its familiarity with him1 its sufferance of his hand1 its answer to his voice4 ,christ stakes ,his claim on a similar mutual recognition4 ,if the soul does not respond to ,his call and follow ,him1 he will admit that ,his claim is ill-founded4 ,he may require to enter the fold1 to rouse the slumbering by a tap of ,his staff1 to lift the sickly1 to use a measure of severity with the dull and slow2 but ultimately and mainly ,he bases ,his claim to be the true ,leader and ,lord of men simply on ,his power to attract them to ,him4 ,if there is not that in ,him which causes us to mark ,him off from all other persons1 and makes us expect different things from ,him1 and causes us to trust ourselves with ,him1 then ,he does not expect that any other force will draw us to acknowledge ,him4 ,the application of this to the attitude the blind man had assumed towards the ,pharisees and towards ,jesus was sufficiently obvious4 ,he had disowned the ,pharisees2 he had acknowledged ,jesus4 ,it was plain therefore that ,jesus was the ,shepherd1 and it was also plain that the ,pharisees were not among ,christ's sheep2 they might be in the fold1 but as they did not recognise and follow ,christ they showed that they did not belong to ,his flock4 ,and ,christ trusts still to ,his own attractiveness and fitness to our needs4 ,it is very remarkable how insufficient an account of their own conversion highly educated persons can give4 ,professor ,clifford's favourite pupil was1 like himself1 an atheist2 but racked by distress on account of ,clifford's death1 and being obliged to pass through other circumstances fitted to disclose the weakness of human nature1 this pupil became an ardent ,christian4 ,one reads the record of this conversion expecting to find the reasoning power of the mathematician adding something to the demonstration of ,god's personality1 or building a sure foundation for ,christian faith4 ,there is nothing of the kind4 ,the experience of life gave new meaning to ,christ's offer and to ,his revelation--that was all4 ,so too in criticizing ,renan's ,life of ,christ1 a ,french critic more profound than himself says3 ,the characteristic thing in this analysis of ,christianity is that sin does not appear in it at all4 ,now if there is anything which explains the success of the ,good ,news among men1 it is that it offered deliverance from sin--salvation4 ,it certainly would have been more appropriate to explain a religion religiously1 and not to evade the very core of the subject4 ,this ',christ in white marble' is not ,he who made the strength of the martyrs4 ,all this just means that if men have no sense of need they will not own ,christ2 and that if ,christ's own presence and words do not draw them1 they are not to be drawn4 ,of course much may be done in the way of presenting ,christ to men1 but beyond the simple exhibition of ,his person by word or in conduct not much can be done4 ,it is a mystery1 often oppressive1 that men seem quite unattracted and unmoved by the ,figure that so transcends all others1 and gives a heart to the world4 ,but ,christ is known by ,his own4 ,this great fact of the mutual recognition of ,christ and ,his people has an application not only to the first acceptance of ,christ by the soul1 but also to the ,christian experience throughout4 ,a mutual recognition and deep-lying affinity not only at first forms but for ever renews and maintains the bond between ,christ and the ,christian4 ,he knows ,his sheep and is known by them4 ,often they do not know themselves2#ce but the ,shepherd knows them4 ,many of us are frequently brought into doubt of our interest in ,christ1 but the foundation of ,god standeth sure1 having this seal1 ,the ,lord knoweth them that are ,his4 ,we go astray1 and get so torn with thorns1 so fouled with mire1 that few can tell to what fold we belong--our owner's marks are obliterated2 but the ,good ,shepherd in telling ,his sheep has missed us1 and come after us1 and recognises and claims us even in our pitiable state4 ,who could tell to whom we belong when we lie absolutely content with the poisonous pasture of this world's vanities and rank gains2 when the soul is stained with impurity1 torn with passion1 and has every mark that distinguishes ,christ's people obscured8 ,is it surprising we should begin then ourselves to doubt whether we belong to the true fold or whether there is any true fold8 ,shameful are the places where ,christ has found us1 among prayerless days1 unrestrained indulgences1 with hardened heart and cynical thoughts1 far from any purpose of good2 and still again and again ,his presence has met us1 ,his voice recalled us1 ,his nearness awakened once more in us the consciousness that with ,him we have after all a deeper sympathy than with any besides4 ,the whole experience of ,christ as our ,shepherd gives ,him an increasing knowledge of us4 ,the shepherd is the first to see the lamb at its birth1 and not one day goes by but he visits it4 ,so needful and merciful a work is it that it has no ,sabbath1 but as on the day of rest the shepherd feeds his own children so he cares for the lambs of his flock1 sees that no harm is befalling them1 remembers their dependence on him1 observes their growth1 removes what hinders it1 hangs over the pale of the fold1 watching with a pleased and fond observance their ways1 their beauty1 their comfort4 ,and thus he becomes intimately acquainted with his sheep4 ,so ,christ becomes increasingly acquainted with us4 ,we have thought much of ,him2 we have again and again pondered ,his life1 ,his death1 ,his words4 ,we have endeavoured to understand what ,he requires of us1 and day by day ,he has somehow been in our thoughts4 ,not less but far more constantly have we been in ,his thoughts1 not a day has passed without ,his recurrence to this subject4 ,he has looked upon and considered us1 has marked the working of our minds1 the forming of our purposes4 ,he knows our habits by watching against them2 our propensities by turning us from them4 ,we are not left alone with our awful secret of sin3 there is another who comprehends our danger1 and is bent upon securing us against it4 ,slowly but surely does ,christ thus win the confidence of the soul2 doing for it a thousand kind offices that are not recognised1 patiently waiting for the recognition and love which ,he knows must at last be given2 quietly making ,himself indispensable to the soul ere ever it discerns what it is that is bringing to it so new a buoyancy and hope4 ,slowly but surely grows in every ,christian a reciprocal knowledge of ,christ4 ,more and more clearly does ,his ,person stand out as the one on whom our expectation must rest4 ,with ,him we are brought into connection by every sin of ours1 and by every hope4 ,is it not ,he before whom and about whom our hearts thrill and tremble time after time with a depth and awe of emotion which nothing else excites8 ,is it not to ,him we owe it that this day we live in peace1 knowing that our ,god is a loving ,father8 ,is it not still ,his grace we must learn more deeply1 ,his patient righteous way we must more exactly fall in with1 if we are to forget our loved sin in the love of ,god1 ourselves in the ,eternal ,one8 ,what is growth in grace but the laying bare of the sinner's heart to ,christ1 fold after fold being removed1 till the very core of our being opens to ,him and accepts ,him1 and the reciprocal laying bare of the heart of ,christ toward the sinner8 ,for this growth in mutual understanding must advance till that perfect sympathy is attained which ,christ indicates in the words3 ,i know ,my sheep and am known of ,mine1 as the ,father knoweth ,me and ,i know the ,father4 ,the mutual understanding between the ,eternal ,father and the ,son is the only parallel to the mutual understanding of ,christ and ,his people4 ,in the loving union of husband and wife we see how intimate is the understanding1 how the one is dissatisfied if any anxiety is not uttered and shared1 how there can be no secret on either side4 ,we see how a slight movement1 a look1 betrays intention more than many words of a stranger could reveal it2 we see what confidence in one another is established1 how the one is not satisfied until his thought is ratified by the other1 his opinion reflected and better judged in the other1 his emotion partaken of and again expressed by the other4 ,but even this1 though suggestive1 is but a suggestion of the mutual intelligence subsisting between the ,father and the ,son1 the absolute confidence in one another1 the perfect harmony in purpose and feeling1 the delight in knowing and being known4 ,into this perfect harmony of feeling and of purpose with the ,supreme does ,christ introduce ,his people4 ,gradually their thoughts are disengaged from what is trivial1 and expand to take in the designs of the ,eternal ,mind4 ,gradually their tastes and affections are loosened from lower attachments1 and are wrought to a perfect sympathy with what is holy and abiding4 ,,footnotes3 #ce ,st4 ,augustine4 ,,xxii4 ,,jesus1 ,,son ,,of ,,god4 ,and it was the feast of the dedication at ,jerusalem3 it was winter2 and ,jesus was walking in the temple in ,solomon's porch4 ,the ,jews therefore came round about ,him1 and said unto ,him1 ,how long dost ,thou hold us in suspense8 ,if ,thou art the ,christ1 tell us plainly4 ,jesus answered them1 ,i told you1 and ye believe not3 the works that ,i do in ,my ,father's name1 these bear witness of ,me4 ,but ye believe not1 because ye are not of ,my sheep4 ,my sheep hear ,my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they follow ,me3 and ,i give unto them eternal life2 and they shall never perish1 and no one shall snatch them out of ,my hand4 ,my ,father1 which hath given them unto ,me1 is greater than all2 and no one is able to snatch them out of the ,father's hand4 ,i and the ,father are one4 ,the ,jews took up stones again to stone ,him4 ,jesus answered them1 ,many good works have ,i showed you from the ,father2 for which of those works do ye stone ,me8 ,the ,jews answered ,him1 ,for a good work we stone ,thee not1 but for blasphemy2 and because that ,thou1 being a man1 makest ,thyself ,god4 ,jesus answered them1 ,is it not written in your law1 ,i said1 ,ye are gods8 ,if ,he called them gods1 unto whom the word of ,god came 7and the ,scripture cannot be broken71 say ye of ,him1 whom the ,father sanctified and sent into the world1 ,thou blasphemest2 because ,i said1 ,i am the ,son of ,god8 ,if ,i do not the works of ,my ,father1 believe ,me not4 ,but if ,i do them1 though ye believe not ,me1 believe the works3 that ye may know and understand that the ,father is in ,me1 and ,i in the ,father4 ,they sought again to take ,him3 and ,he went forth out of their hand4 ,and ,he went away again beyond ,jordan into the place where ,john was at the first baptizing2 and there ,he abode4 ,and many came unto ,him2 and they said1 ,john indeed did no sign3 but all things whatsoever ,john spake of this man were true4 ,and many believed on ,him there4--,,john x4 #bb-db4 ,after our ,lord's visit to ,jerusalem at the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 and owing to ,his collision with the authorities in regard to the blind man whom ,he healed1 ,he seems to have retired from the metropolis for some weeks1 until the ,feast of the ,dedication4 ,this ,feast had been instituted by the ,maccabees to celebrate the ,purification of the ,temple after its profanation by ,antiochus ,epiphanes4 ,it began about the #bjth ,december1 and lasted eight days4 ,as it was winter1 possibly raining1 and certainly cold1 ,jesus walked about in ,solomon's ,porch1 where at all events ,he was under cover and had some shelter4 ,here the ,jews gradually gathered1 until at length ,he found ,himself ringed round by hostile questioners1 who bluntly1 almost threateningly asked ,him1 ,how long dost ,thou make us to doubt8 ,if ,thou be the ,christ1 tell us plainly1 a question which shows that1 although they inferred from the assertions ,he had made regarding ,himself that ,he claimed to be the ,messiah1 ,he had not directly and explicitly proclaimed ,himself in terms no one could misunderstand4 ,at first sight their request seems fair and reasonable4 ,in fact it is neither4 ,the mere affirmation that ,he was the ,christ would not have helped those whom ,his works and words had only prejudiced against ,him4 ,as ,he at once explained to them1 ,he had made the affirmation in the only way possible1 and their unbelief arose not from any want of explicitness on ,his part1 but because they were not of ,his sheep 7ver4 #bf74 ,my sheep hear ,my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they follow ,me4 ,here1 as elsewhere1 ,he points in confirmation of ,his claim to the works ,his ,father had given ,him to do1 and to the response ,his manifestation awakened in those who were hungering for truth and for ,god4 ,those who were given to ,him by the ,father1 who were taught and led by ,god1 acknowledged ,him1 and to such ,he imparted all those eternal and supreme blessings ,he was commissioned to bestow upon men4 ,but in describing the safety of those who believe in ,him1 ,jesus uses an expression which gives umbrage to those who hear it--,i and the ,father are one4 ,those who trust themselves to ,christ shall not be plucked out of ,his hand3 they are eternally secure4 ,the guarantee of this is1 that those who thus trust in ,him are given to ,him by the ,father for this very purpose of safe-keeping3 the ,father ,himself therefore watches over and protects them4 ,no man is able to pluck them out of ,my ,father's hand4 ,i and ,my ,father are one4 ,in this matter ,christ acts merely as the ,father's agent4 ,the ,pharisees might excommunicate the blind man and threaten him with penalties present and to come1 but he is absolutely beyond their reach4 ,their threats are the pattering of hail on a bomb-proof shelter4 ,the man is in ,christ's keeping1 and thereby is in ,god's keeping4 ,but this assertion the ,jews at once construed into blasphemy1 and took up stones to stone ,him4 ,with marvellous calmness ,jesus arrests their murderous intention with the quiet question3 ,many good works have ,i showed you from ,my ,father2 for which of these do you stone ,me8 ,you question whether ,i am the ,father's ,agent3 does not the benignity of the works ,i have done prove ,me such8 ,do not ,my works evince the indwelling power of the ,father8 ,the ,jews reply1 and from their point of view quite reasonably3 ,for a good work we stone ,thee not2 but because ,thou1 being a man1 makest ,thyself ,god4 ,how far they were justified in this charge we must inquire4 ,in this conversation two points are of the utmost significance4 #a4 ,the comparative equanimity with which they consider the claim of ,jesus to be the ,messiah is changed into fury when they imagine that ,he claims also equality with ,god4 ,their first appeal1 ,if ,thou be the ,christ1 tell us plainly1 is calm2 and ,his answer1 though it distinctly involved an affirmation that ,he was the ,christ1 was received without any violent demonstration of rage or of excitement4 ,but their attitude towards ,him changes in a moment and their calmness gives place to uncontrollable indignation as soon as it appears that ,he believes ,himself to be one with the ,father4 ,they themselves would not have dreamed of putting such a question to ,him3 the idea of any man being equal with ,god was too abhorrent to the rigid monotheism of the ,jewish mind4 ,and when it dawned upon them that this was what ,jesus claimed1 they could do nothing but stop their ears and lift stones to end such blasphemy4 ,no incident could more distinctly prove that the claim to be the ,messiah was in their judgment one thing1 the claim to be ,divine another thing4 #b4 ,the contrast our ,lord draws between ,himself and those who had in ,scripture been called gods is significant4 ,it is the eighty-second ,psalm ,he cites2 and in it the judges of ,israel are rebuked for abusing their office4 ,it is of these unjust judges the psalm represents ,god as saying1 ,i have said1 ,ye are gods1 and all of you are children of the ,most ,high4 ,but ye shall die like men1 and fall like one of the princes4 ,to these judges this word of ,god1 ,ye are gods1 had come at their consecration to their office4 ,having been occupied with other work they were now set apart to represent to men the authority and justice of ,god4 ,but1 argues our ,lord1 if men were called gods1 to whom ,god's word came1--and they are so called in ,scripture1 which cannot be broken1--appointing them to their office1 may ,he not rightly be called ,son of ,god who is ,himself sent to men2 whose original and sole destiny it was to come into the world to represent the ,father8 ,the words are overweighted with manifold contrast4 ,the judges were persons to whom the word of ,god came1 as from without2 ,jesus was a person ,himself sent into the world from ,god1 therefore surely more akin to ,god than they were4 ,the judges represented ,god by virtue of a commission received in the course of their career--the word of ,god came to them3 ,jesus1 on the other hand1 represented ,god because sanctified1 that is1 set apart or consecrated for this purpose before ,he came into the world1 and therefore obviously occupying a higher and more important position than they4 ,but1 especially1 the judges were appointed to discharge one limited and temporary function1 for the discharge of which it was sufficient that they should know the law of ,god2 whereas it was the ,father1 the ,god of universal relation and love1 who consecrated ,jesus and sent ,him into the world1 meaning now to reveal to men what lies deepest in ,his nature1 ,his love1 ,his fatherhood4 ,the idea of the purpose for which ,christ was sent into the world is indicated in the emphatic use of the ,father4 ,he was sent to do the works of the ,father 7ver4 #cg72 to manifest to men the benignity1 tenderness1 compassion of the ,father2 to encourage them to believe that the ,father1 the ,source of all life1 was in their midst accessible to them4 ,if ,jesus failed to reveal the ,father1 ,he had no claim to make4 ,if ,i do not the works of ,my ,father1 believe ,me not4 ,but if ,he did such works as declared the ,father to be in their midst1 then1 as bearing the ,father in ,him and doing the ,father's will1 ,he might well be called the ,son of ,god4 ,though ye believe not ,me1 believe the works2 that ye may know1 and believe1 that the ,father is in ,me1 and ,i in ,him4 ,there can be no question1 then1 of the conclusiveness with which our ,lord rebutted the charge of blasphemy4 ,by a single sentence ,he put them in the position of presumptuously contradicting their own ,scriptures4 ,but weightier questions remain behind4 ,did ,jesus merely seek to parry their thrust1 or did ,he mean positively to affirm that ,he was ,god8 ,his words do not carry a direct and explicit affirmation of ,his ,divinity4 ,indeed1 to a hearer ,his comparison of ,himself with the judges would necessarily rather tend to veil the full meaning of ,his previous claims to pre-existence and superhuman dignity4 ,on reflection1 no doubt the hearers might see that a claim to ,divinity was implied in ,his words2 but even in the saying which first gave them offence1 ,i and the ,father are one1 it is rather what is implied than what is expressed that carries with it such a claim4 ,for ,calvin is unquestionably right in maintaining that these words were not intended to affirm identity of substance with the ,father4#cf ,an ambassador whose actions or claims were contested might very naturally say1 ,i and my ,sovereign are ,one2 not meaning thereby to claim royal dignity1 but meaning to assert that what he did1 his ,sovereign did2 that his signature carried his ,sovereign's guarantee1 and that his pledges would be fulfilled by the entire resources of his ,sovereign4 ,and as ,god's delegate1 as the great ,messianic ,viceroy among men1 it was no doubt this that our ,lord wished in the first place to affirm1 that ,he was the representative of ,god1 doing ,his will1 and backed by all ,his authority4 ,see the ,father in ,me1 was ,his constant demand4 ,all ,his self-assertion and self-revelation were meant to reveal the ,father4 ,but although ,he does not directly and explicitly say1 ,i am ,god2 although ,he does not even use such language of ,himself as ,john uses1 when he says1 ,the ,word was ,god2 yet is not ,his ,divine nature a reasonable inference from such affirmations as that which we are here considering8 ,some interpreters very decidedly maintain that when ,christ says1 ,i and the ,father are one1 ,he means one in power4 ,they affirm that this assertion is made to prove that none of ,his sheep will be plucked out of ,his hand1 and that this is secured because ,his ,father is greater than all1 and ,he and ,his ,father are one4 ,accordingly they hold that neither the old orthodox interpretation nor the ,arian is correct3 not the orthodox1 because not unity of essence but unity of power is meant2 not the ,arian1 because something more is meant than moral harmony4 ,this1 however1 is difficult to maintain1 and it is safer to abide by ,calvin's interpretation1 and believe that what ,jesus means is that what ,he does will be confirmed by the ,father4 ,it is the ,father's power ,he introduces as the final guarantee1 not ,his own power4 ,still1 although the very terms ,he here uses may not even by implication affirm ,his ,divinity1 it remains to be asked whether there are not parts of ,christ's work as ,god's commissioner on earth which could be accomplished by no one who was not ,himself ,divine4 ,an ambassador may recommend his offers and guarantees by affirming that his power and that of his ,sovereign are one1 but in many cases he must have actual power on the spot4 ,if a commissioner is sent to reduce a mutinous army or a large warlike tribe in rebellion1 or to define a frontier in the face of an armed claimant1 he must in such cases be no mere lay-figure1 whose uniform tells what country he belongs to1 but he must be a man of audacity and resource1 able to act for himself without telegraphing for orders1 and he must be backed by sufficient military force on the spot4 ,it comes therefore to be a question whether the work on which ,christ was sent was a work which could be accomplished by a man however fully equipped8 ,jesus though nothing more than human might have said1 if commissioned by ,god to say so1 ,the promises ,i make1 ,god will perform4 ,the guarantees ,i give1 ,god will respect4 ,but is it possible that a man1 however holy1 however wise1 however fully possessed by the ,holy ,spirit1 could reveal the ,father to men and adequately represent ,god8 ,could ,he influence1 guide1 and uplift individuals8 ,could ,he give life to men1 could ,he assume the function of judging1 could ,he bear the responsibility of being sole mediator between ,god and men8 ,must we not believe that for the work ,christ came to do it was needful that ,he should be truly ,divine8 ,while therefore it is quite true that ,christ here rebuts the charge of blasphemy in ,his usual manner1 not by directly affirming ,his ,divine nature1 but only by declaring that ,his office as ,god's representative gave ,him as just a claim to the ,divine name as the judges had1 this circumstance cannot lead us to doubt the ,divine nature of ,christ1 or prompt us to suppose ,he ,himself was shy in affirming it1 because the question is at once suggested whether the office ,he assumed is not one which only a ,divine ,person could undertake4 ,it need not stumble our faith1 if we find that not only in this passage but everywhere ,jesus refrains from explicitly saying3 ,i am ,god4 ,not even among ,his ,apostles1 who were so much in need of instruction1 does ,he definitely announce ,his ,divinity4 ,this is consistent with ,his entire method of teaching4 ,he was not aggressive nor impatient4 ,he sowed the seed1 and knew that in time the blade would appear4 ,he trusted more to the faith which slowly grew with the growth of the believer's mind than to the immediate acceptance of verbal assertions4 ,he allowed men gradually to find their own way to the right conclusions1 guiding them1 furnishing them with sufficient evidence1 but always allowing the evidence to do its work1 and not breaking in upon the natural process by ,his authoritative utterances4 ,but when1 as in ,thomas's case1 it did dawn on the mind of any that this ,person was ,god manifest in the flesh1 ,he accepted the tribute paid4 ,the acceptance of such a tribute proves ,him ,divine4 ,no good man1 whatever his function or commission on earth1 could allow another to address him1 as ,thomas addressed ,jesus1 ,my ,lord and my ,god4 ,in the paragraph we are considering a very needful reminder is given us that the ,jews of our ,lord's time used the terms ,god and ,son of ,god in a loose and inexact manner4 ,where the sense was not likely to be misunderstood1 they did not scruple to apply these terms to officials and dignitaries4 ,the angels they called sons of ,god2 their own judges they called by the same name4 ,the whole people considered collectively was called ,god's son4 ,and in the #bnd ,psalm1 speaking of the ,messianic ,king1 ,god says1 ,thou art ,my ,son3 this day have ,i begotten ,thee4 ,it was therefore natural that the ,jews should think of the ,messiah not as properly ,divine1 but merely as being of such surpassing dignity as to be worthily though loosely called ,son of ,god4 ,no doubt there are passages in the ,old ,testament which intimate with sufficient clearness that the ,messiah would be truly ,divine3 ,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever2 ,unto us a ,child is born 444 and ,his name shall be called the ,mighty ,god2 ,behold the days come that ,i will raise unto ,david a righteous ,branch1 and this is the name whereby ,he shall be called1 ,jehovah our ,righteousness4 ,but though these passages seem decisive to us1 looking on the fulfilment of them in ,christ1 we must consider that the ,jewish ,bible did not lie on every table for consultation as our ,bibles do1 and also that it was easy for the ,jews to put a figurative sense on all such passages4 ,in a word1 it was a ,messiah the ,jews looked for1 not the ,son of ,god4 ,they looked for one with ,divine powers1 the delegate of ,god1 sent to accomplish ,his will and to establish ,his kingdom1 the representative among them of the ,divine presence2 but they did not look for a real dwelling of a ,divine ,person among them4 ,it is quite certain that the ,jews of the second century thought it silly of the ,christians to hold that the ,christ pre-existed from eternity as ,god1 and condescended to be born as man4 ,no ,jew would allow1 says a writer of that time1 that any prophet ever said that a ,son of ,god would come2 but what the ,jews do say is that the ,christ of ,god will come4 ,this circumstance1 that the ,jews did not expect the ,messiah to be a ,divine ,person1 throws light upon certain passages in the ,gospels4 ,when1 for example1 our ,lord put the question1 ,what think ye of ,christ8 ,whose ,son is ,he8 ,the ,pharisees promptly answer1 ,he is the ,son of ,david4 ,and1 that they had no thought of ascribing to the ,messiah a properly ,divine origin1 is shown by their inability to answer the further question1 ,how then does ,david call ,him ,lord8--a question presenting no difficulty at all to any one who believed that the ,messiah was to be ,divine as well as human4#cg ,so1 too1 if the ,jews had expected the ,messiah to be a ,divine person1 the ascription of ,messianic dignity to one who was not the ,messiah was blasphemy1 being equivalent to ascribing ,divinity to one who was not ,divine4 ,but in no case in which ,jesus was acknowledged as the ,messiah were those who so acknowledged ,him proceeded against as blasphemous4 ,the blind men who appealed to ,him as the ,son of ,david were told to be quiet2 the crowd who hailed ,his entrance to ,jerusalem scandalized the ,pharisees but were not proceeded against4 ,and even the blind beggar who owned ,him was excommunicated by a special act passed for the emergency1 which proves that the standing statute against blasphemy could not in such a case be enforced4 ,again1 this fact1 that the ,jews did not expect the ,messiah to be strictly ,divine1 sheds light on the real ground of accusation against ,jesus4 ,so long as it was supposed that ,he merely claimed to be the promised ,christ1 and used the title ,son of ,god as equivalent to a ,messianic title1 many of the people admitted ,his claim and were prepared to own ,him4 ,but when the ,pharisees began to apprehend that ,he claimed to be the ,son of ,god in a higher sense1 they accused ,him of blasphemy1 and on this charge ,he was condemned4 ,the account of ,his trial as given by ,luke is most significant4 ,he was tried in two courts1 and in each upon two charges4 ,when brought before the ,sanhedrim ,he was first asked1 ,art ,thou the ,christ8 a question which1 as ,he at once pointed out1 was useless2 because ,he had taught quite openly1 and there were hundreds who could testify to the claims ,he had put forward4 ,he merely says that they themselves will one day own ,his claim4 ,hereafter shall the ,son of ,man sit on the right hand of the power of ,god4 ,this suggests to them that ,his claim was to something more than they ordinarily considered to be involved in the claim to ,messiahship1 and at once they pass to their second question1 ,art ,thou then the ,son of ,god8 ,and on ,his refusing to disown this title1 the ,high ,priest rends ,his clothes1 and ,jesus is there and then convicted of blasphemy4 ,the different significance of the two claims is brought out more distinctly in the trial before ,pilate4 ,at first ,pilate treats ,him as an amiable enthusiast who fancies ,himself a ,king and supposes ,he has been sent into the world to lead men to the truth4 ,and accordingly after examining ,him he presents ,him to the people as an innocent person1 and makes light of their charge that ,he claims to be ,king of the ,jews4 ,on this the ,jews with one voice cry out1 ,we have a law1 and by our law ,he ought to die1 because ,he made ,himself the ,son of ,god4 ,the effect of this charge upon ,pilate is immediate and remarkable3 ,when ,pilate heard that saying he was the more afraid1 and went again into the judgment hall1 and saith unto ,jesus1 ,whence art ,thou8 ,but ,jesus gave him no answer4 ,it is plain then that it was for blasphemy ,christ was condemned2 and not simply because ,he claimed to be the ,messiah4 ,but if this is so1 then how can we evade the conclusion that ,he was in very truth a ,divine person8 ,the ,jews charged ,him with making ,himself equal with ,god2 and1 if ,he was not equal with ,god1 they were quite right in putting ,him to death4 ,their law was express1 that no matter what signs and wonders a man performed1 if he used these to draw them from the worship of the true ,god he was to be put to death4 ,they crucified ,jesus on the ground that ,he was a blasphemer1 and against this sentence ,he made no appeal4 ,he showed no horror at the accusation1 as any good man must have shown4 ,he accepted the doom1 and on the ,cross prayed1 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,that which they considered an act of piety was in truth the most frightful of crimes4 ,but if ,he was not ,divine1 it was no crime at all1 but a just punishment4 ,but no doubt that which lodges in the heart of each of us the conviction that ,christ is ,divine is the general aspect of ,his life1 and the attitude ,he assumes towards men and towards ,god4 ,we may not be able to understand in what sense there are ,three ,persons in the ,godhead1 and may be disposed with ,calvin to wish that theological terms and distinctions had never become necessary4#ch ,we may be unable to understand how if ,christ were a complete ,person before the ,incarnation1 the humanity ,he assumed could also be complete and similar to our own4 ,but notwithstanding such difficulties1 which are the necessary result of our inability to comprehend the ,divine nature1 we are convinced1 when we follow ,christ through ,his life and listen to ,his own assertions1 that there is in ,him something unique and unapproached among men1 that while ,he is one of us ,he yet looks at us also from the outside1 from above4 ,we feel that ,he is ,master of all1 that nothing in nature or in life can defeat ,him2 that while dwelling in time1 ,he is also in ,eternity1 seeing before and after4 ,the most stupendous claims ,he makes seem somehow justified2 assertions which in other lips would be blasphemous are felt to be just and natural in ,his4 ,it is felt that somehow1 even if we cannot say how1 ,god is in ,him4 ,,footnotes3 #cf ,calvin says3 ,the ancients misinterpreted this passage to prove that ,christ is of one substance with the ,father4 ,for ,christ is not here disputing regarding unity of substance1 but regarding the harmony of will 7consensu7 which he has with the ,father1 maintaining that whatever ,he does will be confirmed by the ,father's power4 #cg ,in this passage ,i borrow the convincing argument of ,treffry in his too little read treatise ,on the ,eternal ,sonship4 ,he says1 p4 #hi3 ,had the ,jews regarded the ,messiah as a ,divine person1 the claims of ,jesus to that character had been in all cases equivalent to the assertion of ,his ,deity4 ,but there is not upon record one example in which any considerable emotion was manifested against these claims2 while1 on the other hand1 a palpable allusion to ,his higher nature never failed to be instantly and most indignantly resented4 ,the conclusion is obvious4 #ch ,utinam quidem sepulta essent 7,instit41 ,i41 #ac1 #e74 ,,xxiii4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,resurrection ,,and ,,life4 ,now a certain man was sick1 ,lazarus of ,bethany1 of the village of ,mary and her sister ,martha4 ,and it was that ,mary which anointed the ,lord with ointment1 and wiped ,his feet with her hair1 whose brother ,lazarus was sick4 ,the sisters therefore sent unto ,him1 saying1 ,lord1 behold1 he whom ,thou lovest is sick4 ,but when ,jesus heard it1 ,he said1 ,this sickness is not unto death1 but for the glory of ,god1 that the ,son of ,god may be glorified thereby4 ,now ,jesus loved ,martha1 and her sister1 and ,lazarus4 ,when therefore ,he heard that he was sick1 ,he abode at that time two days in the place where ,he was4 ,then after this ,he saith to the disciples1 ,let us go into ,judaea again4 ,the disciples say unto ,him1 ,rabbi1 the ,jews were but now seeking to stone ,thee2 and goest ,thou thither again8 ,jesus answered1 ,are there not twelve hours in the day8 ,if a man walk in the day1 he stumbleth not1 because he seeth the light of this world4 ,but if a man walk in the night1 he stumbleth1 because the light is not in him4 ,these things spake ,he3 and after this he saith unto them1 ,our friend ,lazarus is fallen asleep2 but ,i go1 that ,i may awake him out of sleep4 ,the disciples therefore said unto ,him1 ,lord1 if he is fallen asleep1 he will recover4 ,now ,jesus had spoken of his death3 but they thought that ,he spake of taking rest in sleep4 ,then ,jesus therefore said unto them plainly1 ,lazarus is dead4 ,and ,i am glad for your sakes that ,i was not there1 to the intent ye may believe2 nevertheless let us go unto him4 ,thomas1 therefore1 who is called ,didymus1 said unto his fellow-disciples1 ,let us also go1 that we may die with ,him4 ,so when ,jesus came1 ,he found that he had been in the tomb four days already4 ,now ,bethany was nigh unto ,jerusalem1 about fifteen furlongs off2 and many of the ,jews had come to ,martha and ,mary1 to console them concerning their brother4 ,martha1 therefore1 when she heard that ,jesus was coming1 went and met ,him2 but ,mary still sat in the house4 ,martha1 therefore1 said unto ,jesus1 ,lord1 if ,thou hadst been here1 my brother had not died4 ,and even now ,i know that1 whatsoever ,thou shalt ask of ,god1 ,god will give ,thee4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,thy brother shall rise again4 ,martha saith unto ,him1 ,i know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day4 ,jesus said unto her1 ,i am the ,resurrection1 and the ,life3 he that believeth on ,me1 though he die1 yet shall he live3 and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die4 ,believest thou this8 ,she saith into ,him1 ,yea1 ,lord3 ,i have believed that ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 even ,he that cometh into the world4 ,and when she had said this1 she went away1 and called ,mary her sister secretly1 saying1 ,the ,master is here1 and calleth thee4 ,and she1 when she heard it1 arose quickly1 and went unto ,him4 7,now ,jesus was not yet come into the village1 but was still in the place where ,martha met ,him47 ,the ,jews then which were with her in the house1 and were comforting her1 when they saw ,mary1 that she rose up quickly and went out1 followed her1 supposing that she was going unto the tomb to weep there4 ,mary therefore1 when she came where ,jesus was1 and saw ,him1 fell down at ,his feet1 saying unto ,him1 ,lord1 if ,thou hadst been here1 my brother had not died4 ,when ,jesus therefore saw her weeping1 and the ,jews also weeping which came with her1 ,he groaned in the spirit1 and was troubled1 and said1 ,where have ye laid him8 ,they say unto ,him1 ,lord1 come and see4 ,jesus wept4 ,the ,jews therefore said1 ,behold how ,he loved him6 ,but some of them said1 ,could not this man1 which opened the eyes of him that was blind1 have caused that this man also should not die8 ,jesus therefore again groaning in ,himself cometh to the tomb4 ,now it was a cave1 and a stone lay against it4 ,jesus saith1 ,take ye away the stone4 ,martha1 the sister of him that was dead1 saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 by this time he stinketh3 for he hath been dead four days4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,said ,i not unto thee1 that1 if thou believedst1 thou shouldest see the glory of ,god8 ,so they took away the stone4 ,and ,jesus lifted up ,his eyes1 and said1 ,father1 ,i thank ,thee that ,thou heardest ,me4 ,and ,i know that ,thou hearest ,me always3 but because of the multitude which standeth around ,i said it1 that they may believe that ,thou didst send ,me4 ,and when ,he had thus spoken1 ,he cried with a loud voice1 ,lazarus1 come forth4 ,he that was dead came forth1 bound hand and foot with grave-clothes2 and his face was bound about with a napkin4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,loose him1 and let him go4--,,john xi4 #a-dd4 ,in this eleventh chapter it is related how the death of ,jesus was finally determined upon1 on the occasion of ,his raising ,lazarus4 ,the ten chapters which precede have served to indicate how ,jesus revealed ,himself to the ,jews in every aspect that was likely to win faith1 and how each fresh revelation only served to embitter them against ,him1 and harden their unbelief into hopeless hostility4 ,in these few pages ,john has given us a wonderfully compressed but vivid summary of the miracles and conversations of ,jesus1 which served to reveal ,his true character and work4 ,jesus has manifested ,himself as the ,light of the ,world1 yet the darkness does not comprehend ,him2 as the ,shepherd of the ,sheep1 and they will not hear ,his voice2 as the ,life of men1 and they will not come unto ,him that they might have ,life2 as the impersonated love of ,god come to dwell among men1 sharing their sorrows and their joys1 and men hate ,him the more1 the more love ,he shows2 as the ,truth which could make men free1 and they choose to serve the father of lies1 and to do his work4 ,and now1 when ,he reveals ,himself as the ,resurrection and the ,life1 possessed of the key to what is inaccessible to all others1 of the power most essential to man1 they resolve upon ,his death4 ,there was an appropriateness in this4 ,his love for ,his friends drew ,him back at the risk of ,his life to the neighbourhood of ,jerusalem3 it is as if to ,his eye ,lazarus represented all ,his friends1 and ,he feels constrained to come out from ,his safe retreat1 and1 at the risk of ,his own life1 deliver them from the power of death4 ,that this was in the mind of ,jesus ,himself is obvious4 ,when ,he expresses ,his resolve to go to ,his friends in ,bethany1 ,he uses an expression which shows that ,he anticipated danger1 and which at once suggested to the disciples that ,he was running a great risk4 ,let us go1 not to ,bethany but into ,judaea again4 ,his disciples say unto ,him1 ,master1 the ,jews of late sought to stone ,thee1 and goest ,thou thither again8 ,the answer of ,jesus is significant3 ,are there not twelve hours in the day8 ,that is to say3 ,has not every man his allotted time to work1 his day of light1 in which he can walk and work1 and which no danger nor calamity can shorten8 ,can men make the sun set one hour earlier8 ,so neither can they shorten by one hour the day of life1 of light1 and toil your ,god has appointed to you4 ,wicked men may grudge that ,god's sun shine on the fields of their enemies and prosper them1 but their envy cannot darken or shorten the course of the sun3 so may wicked men grudge that ,i work these miracles1 and do these deeds of ,my loving ,father1 but ,i am as far above their reach as the sun in the heavens2 until ,i have run ,my appointed course their envy is impotent4 ,the real danger begins when a man tries to prolong his day1 to turn night into day2 the danger begins when a man through fear turns aside from duty2 he then loses the only true guide and light of his life4 ,a man's knowledge of duty1 or ,god's will1 is the only true light he has to guide him in life3 that duty ,god has already measured1 to each man his twelve hours2 and only by following duty into all hazards and confusion can you live out your full term2 if1 on the other hand1 you try to extend your term1 you find that the sun of duty has set for you1 and you have no power to bring light on your path4 ,a man may preserve his life on earth for a year or two more by declining dangerous duty1 but his day is done1 he is henceforth only stumbling about on earth in the outer cold and darkness1 and had far better have gone home to ,god and been quietly asleep1 far better have acknowledged that his day was done and his night come1 and not have striven to wake and work on4 ,if through fear of danger1 of straitened circumstances1 of serious inconvenience1 you refuse to go where ,god--i4e41 where duty--calls you1 you make a terrible mistake2 instead of thereby preserving your life you lose it1 instead of prolonging your day of usefulness and of brightness and comfort1 you lose the very light of life1 and stumble on henceforward through life without a guide1 making innumerable false steps as the result of that first false step in which you turned in the wrong direction2 not dead indeed1 but living as the very ghost of your former self on this side of the grave--miserable1 profitless1 benighted4 ,john apparently had two reasons for recording this miracle2 firstly1 because it exhibited ,jesus as the ,resurrection and the ,life2 secondly1 because it more distinctly separated the whole body of the ,jews into believers and unbelievers4 ,but there are two minor points which may be looked at before we turn to these main themes4 ,first1 we read that when ,jesus saw ,mary weeping1 and the ,jews also weeping which came with her1 ,he groaned in spirit and was troubled1 and then wept4 ,but why did ,he show such emotion8 ,the ,jews who saw ,him weep supposed that ,his tears were prompted1 as their own were1 by sorrow for their loss and sympathy with the sisters4 ,to see a woman like ,mary casting herself at ,his feet1 breaking into a passion of tears1 and crying with intense regret1 if not with a tinge of reproach1 ,lord1 if ,thou hadst been here1 my brother had not died1 was enough to bring tears to the eyes of harder natures than our ,lord's4 ,but the care with which ,john describes the disturbance of ,his spirit1 the emphasis he lays upon ,his groaning1 the notice he takes of the account the ,jews give of ,his tears1--all seem to indicate that something more than ordinary grief or sympathy was the fountain of these tears1 the cause of the distress which could vent itself only in audible groans4 ,he was in sympathy with the mourners and felt for them1 but there was that in the whole scene with which ,he had no sympathy2 there was none of that feeling ,he required ,his disciples to show at ,his own death1 no rejoicing that one more had gone to the ,father4 ,there was a forgetfulness of the most essential facts of death1 an unbelief which seemed entirely to separate this crowd of wailing people from the light and life of ,god's presence4 ,it was the darkness between ,god and ,his creatures that gave room for1 and was filled with1 their weeping and wailing over their dead4 ,it was the deeper anguish into which mourners are plunged by looking upon death as extinction1 and by supposing that death separates from ,god and from life1 instead of giving closer access to ,god and more abundant life1--it was this which caused ,jesus to groan4 ,he could not bear this evidence that even the best of ,god's children do not believe in ,god as greater than death1 and in death as ruled by ,god4 ,this gives us the key to ,christ's belief in immortality1 and to all sound belief in immortality4 ,it was ,christ's sense of ,god1 ,his uninterrupted consciousness of ,god1 ,his distinct knowledge that ,god the loving ,father is the existence in whom all live1--it was this which made it impossible for ,christ to think of death as extinction or separation from ,god4 ,for one who consciously lived in ,god to be separated from ,god was impossible4 ,for one who was bound to ,god by love1 to drop out of that love into nothingness or desolation was inconceivable4 ,his constant and absolute sense of ,god gave ,him an unquestioning sense of immortality4 ,we cannot conceive of ,christ having any shadow of doubt of a life beyond death2 and if we ask why it was so1 we further see it was because it was impossible for ,him to doubt of the existence of ,god--the ever-living1 ever-loving ,god4 ,and this is the order or conviction in us all4 ,it is vain to try and build up a faith in immortality by natural arguments1 or even by what ,scripture records4 ,as ,bushnell truly says3 ,the faith of immortality depends on a sense of it begotten1 not on an argument for it concluded4 ,and this sense of immortality is begotten when a man is truly born again1 and instinctively feels himself an heir of things beyond this world into which his natural birth has ushered him2 when he begins to live in ,god2 when the things of ,god are the things among which and for which he lives2 when his spirit is in daily and free communication with ,god2 when he partakes of the ,divine nature1 finding his joy in self-sacrifice and love1 in those purposes and dispositions which can be exercised in any world where men are1 and with which death seems to have no conceivable relation4 ,but1 on the other hand1 for a man to live for the world1 to steep his soul in carnal pleasures and blind himself by highly esteeming what belongs only to earth1--for such a man to expect to have any intelligent sense or perception of immortality is out of the question4 #b4 ,another question1 which may1 indeed1 be inquisitive1 but can scarcely be reprehended1 is sure to be asked3 ,what was the experience of ,lazarus during these four days8 ,to speculate on what he saw or heard or experienced1 to trace the flight of his soul through the gates of death to the presence of ,god1 may perhaps seem to some as foolish as to go with those curious ,jews who flocked out to ,bethany to set eyes on this marvel1 a man who had passed to the unseen world and yet returned4 ,but although no doubt good and great purposes are served by the obscurity that involves death1 our endeavour to penetrate the gloom1 and catch some glimpses of a life we must shortly enter1 cannot be judged altogether idle4 ,unfortunately1 it is little we can learn from ,lazarus4 ,two ,english poets1 the one fitted to deal with this subject by an imagination that seems capable of seeing and describing whatever man can experience1 the other by an insight that instinctively apprehends spiritual things1 and both by reverential faith1 have taken quite opposite views of the effect of death and resurrection upon ,lazarus4 ,the one describes him as living henceforth a dazed life1 as if his soul were elsewhere2 as if his eye1 dazzled with the glory beyond1 could not adjust itself to the things of earth4 ,he is thrown out of sympathy with the ordinary interests of men1 and seems to live at cross purposes with all around him4 ,this was a very inviting view of the matter to a poet3 for here was an opportunity of putting in a concrete way an experience quite unique4 ,it was a task worthy of the highest poetic genius to describe what would be the sensations1 thoughts1 and ways of a man who had passed through death and seen things invisible1 and been exalted above measure1 and become certified by face to face vision of all that we can only hope and believe1 and had yet been restored to earth4 ,the opportunity of contrasting the paltriness of earth with the sublimity and reality of the unseen was too great to be resisted4 ,the opportunity of flouting our professed faith by exhibiting the difference between it and a real assurance1 by showing the utter want of sympathy between one who had seen and all others on earth who had only believed1--this opportunity was too inviting to leave room for a poet to ask whether there was a basis in fact for this contrast2 whether it was likely that in point of fact ,lazarus did conduct himself1 when restored to earth1 as one who had been plunged into the full light and thronging life of the unseen world4 ,and1 when we consider the actual requirements of the case1 it seems most unlikely that ,lazarus can have been recalled from a clear consciousness and full knowledge of the heavenly life--unlikely that he should be summoned to live on earth with a mind too large for the uses of earth1 overcharged with knowledge he could not use1 as a poor man suddenly enriched beyond his ability to spend1 and thereby only confused and stupefied4 ,apparently the idea of the other poet is the wiser when he says3-- ',where wert thou1 brother1 those four days8' ,there lives no record of reply1 ,which1 telling what it is to die1 ,had surely added praise to praise4 ,from every house the neighbours met1 ,the streets were fill'd with joyful sound1 ,a solemn gladness even crown'd ,the purple brows of ,olivet4 ,behold a man raised up by ,christ6 ,the rest remaineth unrevealed2 ,he told it not2 or something seal'd ,the lips of that ,evangelist4 ,the probability is1 he had nothing to reveal4 ,as ,jesus said1 ,he came to awake him out of sleep4 ,had he learned anything of the spirit world1 it must have oozed out4 ,the burden of a secret which all men craved to know1 and which the scribes and lawyers from ,jerusalem would do all in their power to elicit from him1 would have damaged his mind and oppressed his life4 ,his rising would be as the awaking of a man from deep sleep1 scarcely knowing what he was doing1 tripping and stumbling in the grave-clothes and wondering at the crowd4 ,what ,mary and ,martha would prize would be the unchanged love that shone in his face as he recognized them1 the same familiar tones and endearments1--all that showed how little change death brings1 how little rupture of affection or of any good thing1 how truly he was their own brother still4 ,to our ,lord ,himself it was a grace that so shortly before ,his own death1 and in a spot so near where ,he ,himself was buried1 ,he should be encouraged by seeing a man who had been three days in the grave rise at ,his word4 ,the narrative of ,his last hours reveals that such encouragement was not useless4 ,but for us it has a still more helpful significance4 ,death is a subject of universal concern4 ,every man must have to do with it2 and in presence of it every man feels his helplessness4 ,nowhere do we so come to the limit and end of our power as at the door of a vault2 nowhere is the weakness of man so keenly felt4 ,there is the clay1 but who shall find the spirit that dwelt in it8 ,jesus has no such sense of weakness4 ,believing in the fatherly and undying love of the ,eternal ,god1 ,he knows that death cannot harm1 still less destroy1 the children of ,god4 ,and in this belief ,he commands back to the body the soul of ,lazarus2 through the ear of that dead and laid-aside body ,he calls to ,his friend1 and bids him from the unseen world4 ,surely we also may say1 with ,himself1 we are glad that ,he was not with ,lazarus in his sickness1 that we might have this proof that not even death carries the friend of ,christ beyond ,his reach and power4 ,there is no one who can afford to look at this scene with indifference4 ,we have all to die1 to sink in utter weakness past all strength of our own1 past all friendly help of those around us4 ,it must always remain a trying thing to die4 ,in the time of our health we may say1-- ,since ,nature's works be good1 and ,death doth serve ,as ,nature's work1 why should we fear to die8 but no argument should make us indifferent to the question whether at death we are to be extinguished or to live on in happier1 fuller life4 ,if a man dies in thoughtlessness1 with no forecasting or foreboding of what is to follow1 he can give no stronger proof of thoughtlessness4 ,if a man faces death cheerfully through natural courage1 he can furnish no stronger evidence of courage2 if he dies calmly and hopefully through faith1 this is faith's highest expression4 ,and if it is really true that ,jesus did raise ,lazarus1 then a world of depression and fear and grief is lifted off the heart of man4 ,that very assurance is given to us which we most of all need4 ,and1 so far as ,i can see1 it is our own imbecility of mind that prevents us from accepting this assurance and living in the joy and strength it brings4 ,if ,christ raised ,lazarus ,he has a power to which we can safely trust2 and life is a thing of permanence and joy4 ,and if a man cannot determine for himself whether this did actually happen or not1 he must1 ,i think1 feel that the fault is his1 and that he is defrauding himself of one of the clearest guiding lights and most powerful determining influences we have4 ,this miracle is itself more significant than the explanation of it4 ,the act which embodies and gives actuality to a principle is its best exposition4 ,but the main teaching of the miracle is enounced in the words of ,jesus3 ,i am the ,resurrection and the ,life4 ,in this statement two truths are contained3 7#a7 that resurrection and life are not future only1 but present2 and 7#b7 that they become ours by union with ,christ4 7#a7 ,resurrection and ,life are not blessings laid up for us in a remote future3 they are present4 ,when ,jesus said to ,martha1 ,thy brother shall rise again1 she answered1 ,i know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day1--meaning to indicate that this was small consolation4 ,there was her brother lying in the tomb dead1 and there he would lie for ages dead2 no more to move about in the home she loved for his sake1 no more to exchange with her one word or look4 ,what comfort did the vague and remote hope of reunion after long ages of untold change bring8 ,what comfort is to sustain her through the interval8 ,when parents lose the children whom they could not bear to have for a day out of their sight1 whom they longed for if they were absent an hour beyond their time1 it is no doubt some comfort to know that one day they will again fold them to their breast4 ,but this is not the comfort ,christ gives ,martha4 ,he comforts her1 not by pointing her to a far-off event which was vague and remote1 but to ,his own living person1 whom she knew1 saw1 and trusted4 ,and ,he assured her that in ,him were resurrection and life2 that all1 therefore1 who belonged to ,him were uninjured by death1 and had in ,him a present and continuous life4 ,christ1 then1 does not think of immortality as we do4 ,the thought of immortality is with ,him involved in1 and absorbed by1 the idea of life4 ,life is a present thing1 and its continuance a matter of course4 ,when life is full1 and abundant1 and glad1 the present is enough1 and past and future are unthought of4 ,it is life1 therefore1 rather than immortality ,christ speaks of2 a present1 not a future1 good2 an expansion of the nature now1 and which necessarily carries with it the idea of permanence4 ,eternal life ,he defines1 not as a future continuance to be measured by ages1 but as a present life1 to be measured by its depth4 ,it is the quality1 not the length1 of life ,he looks at4 ,life prolonged without being deepened by union with the living ,god were no boon4 ,life with ,god1 and in ,god1 must be immortal2 life without ,god ,he does not call life at all4 ,in evidence of this present continued life ,lazarus was called back1 and shown to be still alive4 ,in him the truth of ,christ's words was exemplified3 ,he that believeth in ,me1 though he were dead yet shall he live2 and whosoever liveth and believeth in ,me shall never die4 ,he will doubtless1 like all men1 undergo that change which we call death2 he will become disconnected from this present earthly scene1 but his life in ,christ will suffer no interruption4 ,dissolution may pass on his body1 but not on his life4 ,his life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,it is united to the unfailing source of all existence4 7#b7 ,such life1 now abundant and evermore abiding1 ,christ affords to all who believe in ,him4 ,to ,martha ,he intimates that ,he has power to raise the dead1 and that this power is so much ,his own that ,he needs no instrument or means to apply it2 that ,he ,himself1 as ,he stood before her1 contained all that was needful for resurrection and life4 ,he intimates all this1 but ,he intimates much more than this4 ,that ,he had the power to raise the dead it would1 no doubt1 revive the heart of ,martha to hear1 but what guarantee1 what hope1 was there that ,he would exercise that power8 ,and so ,christ does not say1 ,i have the power1 but1 ,i am4 ,is any one1 is ,lazarus1 joined to ,me8 has he attached himself confidingly to ,my ,person3 then whatever ,i am finds exercise in him4 ,it is not only that ,i have this power to exercise on whom ,i may2 but ,i am this power1 so that if he be one with ,me ,i cannot withhold the exercise of that power from him4 ,they who have learned to obey ,christ's voice in life will most quickly hear it1 and recognise its authority1 when they sleep in death4 ,they who have known its power to raise them out of spiritual death will not doubt its power to raise them from bodily death to a more abundant life than this world affords4 ,they once felt as if nothing could deliver them2 they were dead--deaf to ,christ's commands1 bound in bonds which they thought would hold them till they themselves should rot away from within them2 they were buried out of sight of all that could give spiritual life1 and the heavy stone of their own hardened will lay on their ruined and outcast condition4 ,but ,christ's love sought them out and called them into life4 ,assured that ,he has had power to do this1 conscious in themselves that they are alive with a life given by ,christ1 they cannot doubt that the grave will be but a bed of rest1 and that neither things present nor things to come can separate them from a love which already has shown itself capable of the utmost4 ,,xxiv4 ,,jesus ,,the ,,scapegoat4 ,many therefore of the ,jews1 which came to ,mary and beheld that which ,he did1 believed on ,him4 ,but some of them went away to the ,pharisees1 and told them the things which ,jesus had done4 ,the chief priests therefore and the ,pharisees gathered a council1 and said1 ,what do we8 for this man doeth many signs4 ,if we let ,him thus alone1 all men will believe on ,him3 and the ,romans will come and take away both our place and our nation4 ,but a certain one of them1 ,caiaphas1 being high priest that year1 said unto them1 ,ye know nothing at all1 nor do ye take account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people1 and that the whole nation perish not4 ,now this he said not of himself3 but being high priest that year he prophesied that ,jesus should die for the nation2 and not for the nation only1 but that he might also gather together into one the children of ,god that are scattered abroad4 ,so from that day forth they took counsel that they might put ,him to death4 ,jesus therefore walked no more openly among the ,jews1 but departed thence into the country near to the wilderness1 into a city called ,ephraim2 and there ,he tarried with the disciples4--,,john xi4 #de-ed4 ,when ,jesus raised ,lazarus from the dead ,he was quite aware that ,he was risking ,his own life4 ,he knew that a miracle so public1 so easily tested1 so striking1 could not be overlooked1 but must decisively separate between those who yielded to what was involved in the miracle1 and those who hardened themselves against it4 ,it is remarkable that none had the hardihood to deny the fact4 ,those who most determinedly proceeded against ,jesus did so on the very ground that ,his miracles were becoming too numerous and too patent4 ,they perceived that in this respect ,jesus answered so perfectly to the popular conception of what the ,messiah was to be1 that it was quite likely ,he would win the multitude to belief in ,him as the long-looked-for ,king of the ,jews4 ,but if there were any such popular enthusiasm aroused1 and loudly declared1 then the ,romans would interfere1 and1 as they said1 come and take away both our place and nation4 ,they felt themselves in a great difficulty1 and looked upon ,jesus as one of those fatal people who arise to thwart the schemes of statesmen1 and spoil well-laid plans1 and introduce disturbing elements into peaceful periods4 ,caiaphas1 astute and unscrupulous1 takes a more practical view of things1 and laughs at their helplessness4 ,why6 he says1 do you not see that this ,man1 with ,his eclat and popular following1 instead of endangering us and bringing suspicion on our loyalty to ,rome1 is the very person we can use to exhibit our fidelity to the ,empire4 ,sacrifice ,jesus1 and by ,his execution you will not merely clear the nation of all suspicion of a desire to revolt and found a kingdom under ,him1 but you will show such a watchful zeal for the integrity of the ,empire as will merit applause and confidence from the jealous power of ,rome4 ,caiaphas is the type of the bold1 hard politician1 who fancies he sees more clearly than all others1 because he does not perplex himself by what lies below the surface1 nor suffer the claims of justice to interfere with his own advantage4 ,he looks at everything from the point of view of his own idea and plan1 and makes everything bend to that4 ,he had no idea that in making ,jesus a scapegoat he was tampering with the ,divine purposes4 ,john1 however1 in looking back upon this council1 sees that this bold1 unflinching diplomatist1 who supposed he was moving ,jesus and the council and the ,romans as so many pieces in his own game1 was himself used as ,god's mouthpiece to predict the event which brought to a close his own and all other priesthood4 ,in the strange irony of events he was unconsciously using his high-priestly office to lead forward that one ,sacrifice which was for ever to take away sin1 and so to make all further priestly office superfluous4 ,caiaphas saw and said that it was expedient that one man die for the nation2 but1 as in all prophetic utterance1 so in these words1 says ,john1 a very much deeper sense lay than was revealed by their primary application4 ,it is1 says ,john1 quite true that ,christ's death would be the saving of a countless multitude1 only it was not from the ,roman legions that it would long save men1 but from an even more formidable visitation4 ,caiaphas saw that the ,romans were within a very little of terminating the ceaseless troubles which arose out of this ,judaean province1 by transporting the inhabitants and breaking up their nationality2 and he supposed that by proclaiming ,jesus as an aspirant to the throne and putting ,him to death1 he would cleanse the nation of all complicity in ,his disloyalty and stay the ,roman sword4 ,and ,john says1 that in carrying out this idea of his1 he unwittingly carried out the purpose of ,god that ,jesus should die for that nation--and not for that nation only1 but that also ,he should gather together in one the children of ,god that were scattered abroad4 ,now it must be owned that it is much easier to understand what ,caiaphas meant than what ,john meant2 much easier to see how fit ,jesus was to be a national scapegoat than to understand how ,his death removes the sin of the world4 ,there are1 however1 one or two points regarding the death of ,christ which become clearer in the light of ,caiaphas's idea4 ,first1 the very characteristics of ,christ which made ,caiaphas think of ,him as a possible scapegoat for the nation1 are those which make it possible that ,his death should serve a still larger purpose4 ,when the brilliant idea of propitiating the ,roman government by sacrificing ,jesus flashed into the mind of ,caiaphas1 he saw that ,jesus was in every respect suited to this purpose4 ,he was in the first place a person of sufficient importance4 ,to have seized an unknown peasant1 who never had1 and never could have1 much influence in ,jewish society1 would have been no proof of zeal in extinguishing rebellion4 ,to crucify ,peter or ,john or ,lazarus1 none of whom had made the most distant claim to kingship1 would not serve ,caiaphas's turn4 ,but ,jesus was the head of a party4 ,in disposing of ,him they disposed of ,his followers4 ,the sheep must scatter1 if the ,shepherd were put out of the way4 ,then1 again1 ,jesus was innocent of everything but this4 ,he was guilty of attaching men to ,himself1 but innocent of everything besides4 ,this also fitted ,him for ,caiaphas's purpose1 for the high priest recognised that it would not do to pick a common criminal out of the prisons and make a scapegoat of him4 ,that had been a shallow fiction1 which would not for a moment stay the impending ,roman sword4 ,had the ,russians wished to conciliate our ,government and avert war1 this could not have been effected by their selecting for execution some political exile in ,siberia1 but only by recalling and degrading such an outstanding person as ,general ,komaroff4 ,in every case where any one is to be used as a scapegoat these two qualities must meet--he must be a really1 not fictitiously1 representative person1 and he must be free from all other claims upon his life4 ,it is not everyone who can become a scapegoat4 ,the mere agreement between the parties1 that such and such a person be a scapegoat1 is only a hollow fiction which can deceive no one4 ,there must be underlying qualities which constitute one person1 and not another1 representative and fit4 ,now ,john does not expressly say that the deliverance ,jesus was to effect for men generally was to be effected in a similar manner to that which ,caiaphas had in view4 ,he does not expressly say that ,jesus was to become the scapegoat of the race3 but impregnated as ,john's mind was with the sacrificial ideas in which he had been nurtured1 the probability is that the words of ,caiaphas suggested to him the idea that ,jesus was to be the scapegoat of the race4 ,and1 certainly1 if ,jesus was the scapegoat on whom our sins were laid1 and who carried them all away1 ,he had these qualities which fitted ,him for this work3 ,he had a connection with us of an intimate kind1 and ,he was stainlessly innocent4 ,this passage then compels us to ask in what sense ,christ was our sacrifice4 ,with remarkable1 because significant1 unanimity the consciences of men very differently situated have prompted them to sacrifice4 ,and the idea which all ancient nations1 and especially the ,hebrews1 entertained regarding sacrifice is fairly well ascertained4 ,both the forms of their rites and their explicit statements are conclusive on this point1--that in a certain class of sacrifices they looked on the victim as a substitute bearing the guilt of the offerer and receiving the punishment due to him4 ,this seems1 after all discussion1 to be the most reasonable interpretation to put upon expiatory sacrifice4 ,both heathens and ,jews teach that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins2 that the life of the sinner is forfeited1 and that in order to the sparing of his life1 another life is rendered instead2 and that as the life is in the blood1 the blood must be poured out in sacrifice4 ,heathens were as punctilious as ,hebrews in their scrutiny of the victims1 to ascertain what animals were fit for sacrifice by the absence of all blemish4 ,they used forms of deprecation as exactly expressing the doctrines of substitution and of atonement by vicarious punishment4 ,in one significant1 though repulsive1 particular some of the heathen went farther than the ,hebrews3 occasionally1 the sinner who sought cleansing from defilement was actually washed in the blood of the victim slain for him4 ,by an elaborate contrivance the sinner sat under a stage of open woodwork on which the animal was sacrificed1 and through which its blood poured upon him4 ,the idea expressed by all sacrifices of expiation was1 that the victim took the place of the sinner1 and received the punishment due to him4 ,the sacrifice was an acknowledgment on the sinner's part that by his sin he had incurred penalty2 and it was a prayer on the sinner's part that he might be washed from the guilt he had contracted1 and might return to life with the blessing and favour of ,god upon him4 ,of course1 it was seen1 and said by the heathen themselves1 as well as by the ,jews1 that the blood of bulls and goats had in itself no relation to moral defilement4 ,it was used in sacrifice merely as a telling way of saying that sin was acknowledged and pardon desired1 but always with the idea of substitution more or less explicitly in the mind4 ,and the ideas which were inevitably associated with sacrifice were transferred to ,jesus by ,his immediate disciples4 ,and this transference of the ideas connected with sacrifice to ,himself and ,his death was sanctioned--and indeed suggested--by ,jesus1 when1 at the ,last ,supper1 ,he said1 ,this cup is the ,new ,testament in ,my ,blood1 which is shed for many1 for the remission of sins4 ,but here the question at once arises3 ,in what sense was the ,blood of ,christ shed for the remission of sins8 ,in what sense was ,he a substitute and victim for us8 ,before we try to find an answer to this question1 two preliminary remarks may be made--first1 that our salvation depends not on our understanding how the death of ,christ takes away sin1 but upon our believing that it does so4 ,it is very possible to accept the pardon of our sin1 though we do not know how that pardon has been obtained4 ,we do not understand the methods of cure prescribed by the physician1 nor could we give a rational account of the efficacy of his medicines1 but this does not retard our cure if only we use them4 ,to come into a perfect relation to ,god we do not require to understand how the death of ,christ has made it possible for us to do so2 we need only to desire to be ,god's children1 and to believe that it is open to us to come to ,him4 ,not by the intellect1 but by the will1 are we led to ,god4 ,not by what we know1 but by what we desire1 is our destiny determined4 ,not by education in theological requirements1 but by thirst for the living ,god1 is man saved4 ,and1 second1 even though we carry over to the death of ,christ the ideas taught by ,old ,testament sacrifice1 we commit no enormous or misleading blunder4 ,christ ,himself suggested that ,his death might be best understood in the light of these ideas1 and even though we are unable to penetrate through the letter to the spirit1 through the outward and symbolic form to the real and eternal meaning of the sacrifice of ,christ1 we are yet on the road to truth1 and hold the germ of it which will one day develop into the actual and perfect truth4 ,impatience is at the root of much unbelief and misconception and discontent2 the inability to reconcile ourselves to the fact that in our present stage there is much we must hold provisionally1 much we must be content to see through a glass darkly1 much we can only know by picture and shadow4 ,it is quite true the reality has come in the death of ,christ1 and symbol has passed away2 but there is such a depth of ,divine love1 and so various a fulfilment of ,divine purpose in the death of ,christ1 that we cannot be surprised that it baffles comprehension4 ,it is the key to a world's history2 for aught we know1 to the history of other worlds than ours2 and it is not likely that we should be able to gauge its significance and explain its rationale of operation4 ,and therefore1 if1 without any sluggish indifference to further knowledge1 or merely worldly contentment to know of spiritual things only so much as is absolutely necessary1 we yet are able to use what we do know and to await with confidence further knowledge1 we probably act wisely and well4 ,we do not err if we think of ,christ as our ,sacrifice2 nor even if we somewhat too literally think of ,him as the ,victim substituted for us1 and ascribe to ,his ,blood the expiatory and cleansing virtue which belonged symbolically to the blood of the ancient sacrifices4 ,and1 indeed1 there are grave difficulties in our path as soon as we strive to advance beyond the sacrificial idea1 and try to grasp the very truth regarding the death of ,christ4 ,the ,apostles with one voice affirm that ,christ's death was a propitiation for the sins of the world3 that ,he died for us2 that ,he suffered not only for ,his contemporaries1 but for all men2 that ,he was the ,lamb of ,god1 the innocent ,victim1 whose blood cleansed from sin4 ,they affirm1 in short1 that in ,christ's death we are brought face to face1 not with a symbolic sacrifice1 but with that act which really takes away sin4 ,if we read the narrative given us in the ,gospels of the death of ,christ1 and the circumstances that led to it1 we see that the sacrificial idea is not kept in the foreground4 ,the cause of ,his death1 as explained in the ,gospels1 was ,his persistent claim to be the ,messiah sent by ,god to found a spiritual kingdom4 ,he steadily opposed the expectations and plans of those in authority until they became so exasperated that they resolved to compass ,his death4 ,the real and actual cause of ,his death was ,his fidelity to the purpose for which ,he had been sent into the world4 ,he might have retired and lived a quiet life in ,galilee or beyond ,palestine altogether2 but ,he could not do so1 because ,he could not abandon the work of ,his life1 which was to proclaim the truth about ,god and ,god's kingdom4 ,many a man has felt equally constrained to proclaim the truth in the face of opposition2 and many a man has1 like ,jesus1 incurred death thereby4 ,that which makes the death of ,jesus exceptional in this aspect of it is1 that the truth ,he proclaimed was what may be called the truth1 the essential truth for men to know--the truth that ,god is the ,father1 and that there is life in ,him for all who will come to ,him4 ,this was the kingdom of ,god among men--- ,he proclaimed a kingdom based only on love1 on spiritual union between ,god and man2 a kingdom not of this world1 and that came not with observation2 a kingdom within men1 real1 abiding1 universal4 ,it was because ,he proclaimed this kingdom1 exploding the cherished expectations and merely national hopes of the ,jews1 that the authorities put ,him to death4 ,so much is obvious on the very face of the narrative4 ,no one can read the life of ,christ without perceiving this at least--that ,he was put to death because ,he persisted in proclaiming truths essential to the happiness and salvation of men4 ,by submitting to death for the sake of these truths ,he made it for ever clear that they are of vital consequence4 ,before ,pilate ,he calmly said1 ,to this end was ,i born1 and for this cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i should bear witness unto the truth4 ,he knew that it was this witnessing to the truth that had enraged the ,jews against ,him1 and even in prospect of death ,he could not refrain from proclaiming what ,he felt it was vital for men to know4 ,in this very true sense1 therefore1 ,he died for our sakes--died because ,he sought to put us in possession of truths without which our souls cannot be lifted into life eternal4 ,he has given us life by giving us the knowledge of the ,father4 ,his love for us1 ,his ceaseless and strong desire to bring us near to ,god1 was the real cause of ,his death4 ,and1 recognising this1 we cannot but feel that ,he has a claim upon us of the most commanding kind4 ,not for ,his contemporaries alone1 not for one section of men only1 did ,christ die1 but for all men1 because the truths which ,he sealed by ,his death are of universal import4 ,no man can live eternal life without them4 ,but again1 ,jesus ,himself explained to ,his disciples in what sense ,his death would benefit them4 ,it is expedient for you that ,i go away1 for if ,i go not away the ,comforter will not come unto you4 ,the spiritual kingdom ,he proclaimed could not be established while ,he was visibly present4 ,his death and ascension put an end to all hopes that diverted their minds from that which constituted their real union to ,god and satisfaction in ,him4 ,when ,he disappeared from earth and sent the ,holy ,spirit to them1 what remained to them was ,god's kingdom within them1 ,his true rule over their spirits1 their assimilation to ,him in all things4 ,what they now clearly saw to be still open to them was to live in ,christ's spirit1 to revive in their memories the truths ,his life had proclaimed1 to submit themselves entirely to ,his influence1 and to make known far and near the ideas ,he had communicated to them1 and especially the ,god ,he had revealed4 ,it was ,his death which set their minds free from all other expectations and fixed them exclusively on what was spiritual4 ,and this salvation they at once proclaimed to others4 ,what were they to say about ,jesus and ,his death8 ,how were they to win men to ,him8 ,they did so in the first days by proclaiming ,him as raised by ,god to be a ,prince and a ,saviour1 to rule from the unseen world1 to bless men with a spiritual salvation1 by turning them from their iniquities4 ,and the instrumentality1 the actual spiritual experience through which this salvation is arrived at is the belief that ,jesus was sent by ,god and did reveal ,him1 that in ,jesus ,god was present revealing ,himself1 and that ,his ,spirit can bring us also to ,god and to ,his likeness4 ,still further1 and not going beyond the facts apparent in the ,gospel1 it is plain that ,christ died for us1 in the sense that all ,he did1 ,his whole life on earth from first to last1 was for our sake4 ,he came into the world1 not to serve a purpose of ,his own1 and forward ,his own interests1 but to further ours4 ,he took upon ,him our sins and their punishment in this obvious sense1 that ,he voluntarily entered into our life1 polluted as it was all through with sin and laden with misery in every part4 ,our condition in this world is such that no person can avoid coming in contact with sin1 or can escape entirely the results of sin in the world4 ,and in point of fact persons with any depth of sympathy and spiritual sensibility cannot help taking upon them the sins of others1 and cannot help suffering their own life to be greatly marred and limited by the sins of others4 ,in the case of our ,lord this acceptance of the burden of other men's sins was voluntary4 ,and it is the sight of a holy and loving person1 enduring sorrows and opposition and death wholly undeserved1 that is at all times affecting in the experience of ,christ4 ,it is the sight of this suffering1 borne with meekness and borne willingly1 that makes us ashamed of our sinful condition1 which inevitably entails such suffering on the self-sacrificing and holy4 ,it enables us to see1 more distinctly than anything besides1 the essential hatefulness and evil of sin4 ,here is an innocent person1 filled with love and compassion for all1 ,his life a life of self-sacrifice and devotion to human interests1 carrying in ,his person infinite benefits to the race--this person is at all points thwarted and persecuted and finally put to death4 ,in this most intelligible sense ,he very truly sacrificed ,himself for us1 bore the penalty of our sins1 magnified the law1 illustrated and rendered infinitely impressive the righteousness of ,god1 and made it possible for ,god to pardon us1 and in pardoning us to deepen immeasurably our regard for holiness and for ,himself4 ,still further1 it is obvious that ,christ gave ,himself a perfect sacrifice to ,god by living solely for ,him4 ,he had in life no other purpose than to serve ,god4 ,again and again during ,his life ,god expressed ,his perfect satisfaction with the human life of ,christ4 ,he who searches the heart saw that into the most secret thought1 down to the most hidden motive1 that life was pure1 that heart in perfect harmony with the ,divine will4 ,christ lived not for ,himself1 ,he did not claim property in ,his own person and life1 but gave ,himself up freely and to the uttermost to ,god3 more thoroughly1 more spontaneously1 and with an infinitely richer material did ,he offer ,himself to ,god than ever burnt-offering had been offered4 ,and ,god1 with an infinite joy in goodness1 accepted the sacrifice1 and found on earth in the person of ,jesus an opportunity for rejoicing in man with an infinite satisfaction4 ,and this sacrifice which ,christ offered to ,god tends to reproduce itself continually among men4 ,as ,christ said1 no sooner was ,he lifted up than ,he drew all men to ,him4 ,that perfect life and utter self-surrender to the highest purposes1 that pure and perfect love and devotion to ,god and man1 commands the admiration and cordial worship of serious men4 ,it stands in the world for ever as the grand incentive to goodness1 prompting men and inspiring them to sympathy and imitation4 ,it is in the strength of that perfect sacrifice men have ceaselessly striven to sacrifice themselves4 ,it is through ,christ they strive to come themselves to ,god4 ,in ,him we see the beauty of holiness2 in ,him we see holiness perfected1 and making the impression upon us which a perfect thing makes1 standing as a reality1 not as a theory2 as a finished and victorious achievement1 not as a mere attempt4 ,in ,christ we see what love to ,god and faith in ,god really are2 in ,him we see what a true sacrifice is and means2 and in ,him we are drawn to give ourselves also to ,god as our true life4 ,looking then only at those facts which are apparent to every one who reads the life of ,christ1 and putting aside all that may over and above these facts have been intended in the ,divine mind1 we see how truly ,christ is our ,sacrifice2 and how truly we can say of ,him that ,he gave ,himself1 the just for the unjust1 that ,he might bring us to ,god4 ,we see that in the actual privations1 disappointments1 temptations1 mental strain1 opposition1 and suffering of ,his life1 and in the final conflict of death1 ,he bore the penalty of our sins2 underwent the miseries which sin has brought into human life4 ,we see that ,he did so with so entire and perfect a consent to all ,god's will1 and with so ready and unreserved a sacrifice of ,himself1 that ,god found infinite satisfaction in this human obedience and righteousness1 and on the basis of this sacrifice pardons us4 ,some may be able to assure themselves better of the forgiveness of ,god1 if they look at what ,christ has done as a satisfaction for or reparation of the ill that we have done4 ,he properly satisfies for an offence who offers to the offended party that which he loves as well or better than he hates the offence4 ,if your child has through carelessness broken or spoiled something you value1 but seeing your displeasure is at pains to replace it1 and does after long industry put into your hands an article of greater value than was lost to you1 you are satisfied1 and more than forgive your child4 ,if a man fails in business1 but after spending a lifetime to recover himself restores to you not only what you lost by him1 but more than could possibly have been made by yourself with the original sum lost1 you ought to be satisfied4 ,and ,god is satisfied with the work of ,christ because there is in it a love and an obedience to ,him1 and a regard to right and holiness1 that outweigh all our disobedience and alienation4 ,often1 when some satisfaction or reparation of injury or loss is made to ourselves1 it is done in so good-hearted a manner1 and displays so much right feeling1 and sets us on terms of so much closer intimacy with the party who injured us1 that we are really glad1 now that all is over1 that the misunderstanding or injury took place4 ,the satisfaction has far more than atoned for it4 ,so is it with ,god3 our reconciliation to ,him has called out so much in ,christ that would otherwise have been hidden1 has so stirred the deepest part1 if we may say so1 of the ,divine nature in ,christ1 and has called out also so signally the whole strength and beauty of human nature1 that ,god is more than satisfied4 ,we cannot see how without sin there could have been that display of love and obedience that there has been in the death of ,christ4 ,where there is no danger1 nothing tragic1 there can be no heroism3 human nature1 not to speak of ,divine1 has not scope for its best parts in the ordinary and innocent traffic and calm of life4 ,it is when danger thickens1 and when death draws near and bares his hideous visage1 that devotion and self-sacrifice can be exercised4 ,and so1 in a world filled with sin and with danger1 a world in which each individual's history has something stirring and tragic in it1 ,god finds room for the full testing and utterance of our natures and of ,his own4 ,and in the redemption of this world there occurred an emergency which called forth1 as nothing else conceivably could call forth1 everything that the ,divine and human natures of ,christ are capable of4 ,another result of ,christ's death is mentioned by ,john3 ,that the children of ,god which were scattered abroad might be gathered together in one4 ,it was for a unity ,christ died1 for that which formed one whole4 ,when ,caiaphas sacrificed ,christ to propitiate ,rome1 he knew that none but ,christ's own countrymen would benefit thereby4 ,the ,romans would not recall their legions from ,africa or ,germany because ,judaea had propitiated them4 ,and supposing that the ,jews had received some immunities and privileges from ,rome as an acknowledgment of its favour1 this would affect no other nation4 ,but if any members of other nations coveted these privileges1 their only course would be to become naturalized ,jews1 members and subjects of the favoured community4 ,so ,christ's death has the effect of gathering into one all those who seek ,god's favour and fatherhood1 no matter in what ends of the earth they be scattered4 ,it was not for separate individuals ,christ died1 but for a people1 for an indivisible community2 and we receive the benefits of ,his death no otherwise than as we are members of this people or family4 ,it is the attractive power of ,christ that draws us all to one centre1 but being gathered round ,him we should be in spirit and are in fact as close to one another as to ,him4 ,,note ,,on ,,chap4 ,,vi41 ,,vers4 #cg1 #dd1 #de4 ,three terms are used in these verses which call for examination1--giving1 drawing1 teaching4 ,the two latter are used in a connection which leaves little room for doubt as to their meaning4 ,no man can come to ,me1 except the ,father which hath sent ,me draw him4444 ,it is written in the prophets1 ,and they shall be all taught of ,god4 ,every man1 therefore1 that hath heard and hath learned of the ,father1 cometh unto ,me2 but1 by implication1 no man who has not so learned4 ,both verses express the thought that without special aid from ,god no man can come to ,christ4 ,there must be a ,divine illumination of the human faculties1 enabling the man to apprehend that ,jesus is the ,christ1 and to receive ,him as such4 ,these expressions cannot refer to the outward illumination which is communicated by ,scripture1 by the miracles of ,christ1 and so forth2 because the whole of the crowd addressed by our ,lord had such illumination1 and yet not all of them were taught of ,god4 ,the hearing1 and learning1 or being taught of ,god1 here spoken of must signify the opening of the inner ear by the unseen operation of ,god ,himself4 ,most emphatically does ,jesus affirm that without this exercise of the ,divine will and ,divine power upon the individual no man can receive ,him4 ,the mere manifestation of ,god in the flesh is not enough3 an inward and special enlightenment is required to enable a man to recognise ,god manifest in the flesh4 ,the words1 then1 of ver4 #dd can only mean that in order to apprehend the significance of ,christ and to yield ourselves to ,him we must be aided individually and inwardly by ,god4 ,whether the giving of ver4 #cg is intended to signify an act prior to the teaching and drawing may reasonably be doubted4 ,it is prior to the coming to ,christ1 as the terms of the verse prove3 ,all that the ,father giveth ,me shall come to ,me3 and him that cometh to ,me ,i will in no wise cast out4 ,principal ,reynolds says it is the present activity of the ,father's grace that is meant1 not a foregone conclusion1 ,no doubt that is in strictness true4 ,our ,lord1 in the face of general unbelief1 is comforting ,himself with the assurance that after all ,he will draw to ,himself all whom the ,father gives ,him2 and this implies that the ,father's giving is the main factor in ,his success4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 price #gs4 #f;d4 each vol4 ,,first ,,series1 #ahhg-hh4 ,colossians4 ,by ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,st4 ,mark4 ,by ,very ,rev4 the ,dean of ,armagh4 ,genesis4 ,by ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 #a ,samuel4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d4 #b ,samuel4 ,by the same ,author4 ,hebrews4 ,by ,principal ,t4 ,c4 ,,edwards1 ,d4,d4 ,,second ,,series1 #ahhh-hi4 ,galatians4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a4 ,the ,pastoral ,epistles4 ,by ,rev4 ,a4 ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4 ,isaiah ,i4--,,xxxix4 ,by ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,m4,a4 ,vol4 #a4 ,the ,book of ,revelation4 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,,milligan1 ,d4,d4 #a ,corinthians4 ,by ,prof4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,w4 ,,alexander1 ,d4,d4 ,,third ,,series1 #ahhi-ij4 ,judges and ,ruth4 ,by ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a4 ,jeremiah4 ,by ,rev4 ,c4 ,j4 ,,ball1 ,m4,a4 ,isaiah ,,xl4--,,lxvi4 ,by ,g4 ,a4 ,,smith1 ,m4,a4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,st4 ,matthew4 ,by ,rev4 ,j4 ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,d4,d4 ,exodus4 ,by ,very ,rev4 the ,dean of ,armagh4 ,st ,luke4 ,by ,rev4 ,h4 ,,burton1 ,b4,a4 ,,fourth ,,series1 #ahij-ia4 ,ecclesiastes4 ,by ,rev4 ,,samuel ,,cox1 ,d4,d4 ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,jude4 ,by ,rev4 ,a4 ,,plummer1 ,d4,d4 ,proverbs4 ,by ,rev4 ,r4 ,f4 ,,horton1 ,m4,a4 ,leviticus4 ,by ,rev4 ,s4 ,h4 ,,kellogg1 ,d4,d4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,prof4 ,m4 ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,by ,prof4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,,fifth ,,series1 #ahia-ib4 ,the ,psalms4 ,by ,a4 ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,i4 #a and #b ,thessalonians4 ,by ,,jas4 ,,denney1 ,b4,d4 ,the ,book of ,job4 ,by ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,d4,d4 ,ephesians4 ,by ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,prof4 ,m4 ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,by ,prof4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton1 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row4