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Ask a Questiondoctrine...not mine, &c.--that is, from Myself unauthorized; I am here by commission.
Judge not, &c.--that is, Rise above the letter into the spirit of the law.
sought to take...none laid hands--their impotence being equal to their malignity.
Who art thou?--hoping thus to extort an explicit answer; but they are disappointed.
this did not Abraham--In so doing ye act in direct opposition to him.
he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep--a true, divinely recognized shepherd.
And we--John and his readers (not as 1Jo 4:14, the apostles only). known and believed--True faith, according to John, is a faith of knowledge and experience: true knowledge is a knowledge of faith...
Nicodemus--In this member of the Sanhedrim sincerity and timidity are seen struggling together.
after two days--literally, the two days of His stay at Sychar.
a mountain--somewhere in that hilly range which skirts the east side of the lake.
would have taken him; but, &c.--(See on Joh 7:30).
my Father...your father--(See on Joh 8:23).
one, &c.--struck with either the matter or the manner of our Lord's prayers. as John, &c.--From this reference to John, it is possible that disciple had not heard the Sermon on the Mount. Nothing...
must needs go through Samaria--for a geographical reason, no doubt, as it lay straight in his way, but certainly not without a higher design.
Then they went out, &c.--How different from the Jews! and richly was their openness to conviction rewarded.
thirty and eight years--but not all that time at the pool. This was probably the most pitiable of all the cases, and therefore selected.
I receive not honour from men--contrasting His own end with theirs, which was to obtain human applause.
Do the rulers know, &c.--Have they got some new light in favor of His claims?
Whither will he go, &c.--They cannot comprehend Him, but seem awed by the solemn grandeur of His warning. He takes no notice, however, of their questions.
Nicodemus--reappearing to us after nearly three years' absence from the history, as a member of the council, probably then sitting.
as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from birth--and who "sat begging" (Joh 9:8).
They brought to the Pharisees--sitting probably in council, and chiefly of that sect (Joh 7:47, 48).
The Master is come and calleth for thee--The narrative does not give us this interesting detail, but Martha's words do.
I tell you before...that when it comes to pass, ye may believe--and it came to pass when they deeply needed such confirmation.
He then lying--rather leaning over on Jesus' bosom. saith--in a whisper, "Lord, who is it?"
And led him away to Annas first--(See on Lu 3:2, and Mt 26:57). (Also see on Mr 14:53.)
the Lord knew--not by report, but in the sense of Joh 2:25, for which reason He is here styled "the Lord."
This is the work of God--That lies at the threshold of all acceptable obedience, being not only the prerequisite to it, but the proper spring of it--in that sense, the work of works, emphatically...