Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a

man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the

law of Moses should not be broken (or without breaking the law of

Moses); are ye angry at Me, because I have made a man every whit

whole on the sabbath day?' (John 7:22,23).

`... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned:

but what sayest Thou?' (John 8:5).

`Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art His disciple; but we are

Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses; as for this

fellow, we know not from whence He is' (John 9:28,29).

Let the reader trace the story of these references. First we have the

distinction `law' and `grace', and then the finding of the Messiah, the

Subject of prophecy.  The very gospel message of 3:16 finds its

foreshadowing in the act of Moses, even as the True Bread was

typified by the Manna. So far, the references, with one exception,

have been an expansion of 1:17. The exception was the warning of

The remaining references indicate the growing opposition of the

blind disciples of Moses which culminates in chapter 9. At the close

of this chapter we find much that makes us think of the fifth verse of

chapter 1. The darkness comprehended not, or did not grasp, the

`And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they

which see not might see; and that they which see might be made

blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with Him heard

these words, and said unto Him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto

them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We

see; therefore your sin remaineth' (John 9:39-41).

In this chapter He Who was the Word made flesh is called by His

enemies `a sinner', `a fellow', a `man not of God', but by the man born

blind He is first of all called: `a man that is called Jesus', then `a

Prophet', and at last `the Son of God' and `Lord'.

Moses therefore is given his rightful place in John's Gospel. Like

John the Baptist, he was but a voice, a lamp, a lifted finger. It is Christ

Who is the Word, the Light, and the Lamb of God.