according to Rabbinic principle, a positive ordinance superseded a negative. And yet,
when Christ, as sent from God, made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath ('made a
whole man sound') they were angry with Him! 27 Every argument which might have been
urged i n favour of the postponement of Christ's healing to a week-day, would equally
apply to that of circumcision; while every reason that could be urged in favour of
Sabbath-circumcision, would tell an hundredfold in favour of the act of Christ. Oh, then,
let them not judge after the mere outward appearance, but 'judge the right judgment.'
And, indeed, had it not been to convince them of the externalism of their views, that
Jesus had on that Sabbath opened the great controversy between the letter that killeth
and the spirit that maketh alive, when He directed the impotent man to carry home the
bed on which he had lain?
25. The words 'on account of it,' rendered in the A.V. 'therefore,' and placed in ver. 22 (St.
John vii.), really form the close of ver. 21. At any rate, they cannot be taken in the sense
of 'therefore.'
26. This was a well-recognized Rabbinic principle. Comp. for example Shabb. 132 a,
where the argument runs that, if circumcision, which applies to one of the 248 members,
of which, according to the Rabbis, the human body consists, superseded the Sabbath,
how much more the preservation of the whole body.
27. vv. 21-24.
If any doubt could obtain, how truly Jesus had gauged the existing state of things, when
He contrasted heart-willingness to do the Will of God, as the necessary preparation for
the reception of His God-sent Teaching, with their murderous designs, springing from
blind literalism and ignorance of the spirit of their Law, the reported remarks of some
Jerusalemites in the crowd would suffice to convince us.28 The fact that He, Whom they
sought to kill, was suffered to speak openly, seemed to them incomprehensible. Could it
be that the authorities were shaken in their former idea about Him, and now regarded
Him as the Messiah? But it could not be.29 It was a settled popular belief, and, in a
sense, not quite unfounded, that the appearance of the Messiah would be sudden and
unexpected. He might be there, and not be known; or He might come, and be again
hidden for a time.30 31 As they put it, when Messiah came, no one would know whence
He was; but they all knew 'whence this One' was. And with this rough and ready
argument of a coarse realism, they, like so many among us, settled off -hand and once
for all the great question. But Jesus could not, even for the sake of His poor weak
disciples, let it rest there. 'Therefore' He lifted up His voice,32 that it reached the
dispersing, receding multitude. Yes, they thought they knew both Him and whence He
came. It would have been so had He come from Himself. But He had been sent, and He
that sent Him 'was real;'33 it was a real Mission, and Him, who had thus sent the Christ,
they knew not. And so, with a reaffirmation of His twofold claim, His Discourse closed.34
But they had understood His allusions, and in their anger would fain have laid hands on
Him, but His hour had not come. Yet others were deeply stirred to faith. As they parted
they spoke of it among themselves, and the sum of it all was: 'The Christ, when He
cometh, will He do more miracles (signs ) than this One did?'
28. St. John vii. 25-27.
29. In the original: 'Can it be?'.