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“Then came the officers to the Chief Priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this Man.” [1.] There is nothing clearer, nothing simpler than the truth, if we deal not perversely; just as (on the other hand) if we deal perversely, nothing is more difficult. For behold, the Scribes and Pharisees, who seemed forsooth to be wiser than other men, being ever with Christ for the sake of plotting against Him, and beholding His miracles, and reading the Scriptures, were nothing profited, but were even harmed; while the officers, who could not claim one of these privileges, were subdued by one single sermon, and they who had gone forth to bind Him, came back bound themselves by wonder. We must not only marvel at their understanding, that they needed not signs, but were taken by the teaching alone; (for they said not, “Never man wrought miracles thus,” but, “Never man spake thus”;) we must not, I say, merely marvel at their understanding, but also at their boldness, that they spake thus to those that had sent them, to the Pharisees, to His enemies, to men who were doing all with a view to gratify their enmity. “The officers,” saith the Evangelist, “came, and the Pharisees said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?” To “come” was a far greater deed than to have remained, for in the latter case they would have been rid of the annoyance of these men, but now they become heralds of the wisdom of Christ, and manifested their boldness in greater degree. And they say not, “We could not become of the multitude, for they gave heed unto Him as unto a prophet”; but what? “Never man spake as this Man.” Yet they might have alleged that, but they show their right feeling. For theirs was the saying not only of men admiring Him, but blaming their masters, because they had sent them to bind Him whom it behooved rather to hear. Yet they had not heard a sermon either, but a short one; for when the long mind is impartial, there is no need of long arguments. Such a thing is truth. What then say the Pharisees? When they ought to have been pricked at the heart, they, on the contrary, retort a charge on the officers, saying, Ver. 47. “Are ye also deceived?” They still speak them fair, and do not express themselves harshly, dreading lest the others should entirely separate themselves, yet nevertheless they give signs of anger, and speak sparingly. For when they ought to have asked what He spake, and to have marveled at the words, they do not so, (knowing that they might have been captivated,) but reason with them from a very foolish argument; Ver. 48. “Wherefore,” saith one, “hath none1447
Dost thou then make this a charge against Christ, tell me, and not against the unbelievers? Ver. 49. “But the1449
Then is the charge against you the heavier, because the people believed, and ye believed not. They acted like men that knew the Law; how then are they accursed? It is ye that are accursed, who keep not the Law, not they, who obey the Law. Neither was it right, on the evidence of unbelievers, to slander one in whom they believed not, for this is an unjust mode of acting. For ye also believed not God, as Paul saith; “What if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect? God forbid.” ( Rom. iii. 3, 4.) For the Prophets ever rebuked them, saying, “Hear, ye rulers of Sodom”; and, “Thy rulers are disobedient” ( Isa. i. 10; 23 ); and again, “Is it not for you to know judgment?” ( Mic. iii. 1.) And everywhere they attack them vehemently. What then? Shall one blame God for this? Away with the thought. This blame is theirs. And what other proof can a man bring of your not knowing the Law than your not obeying it? For when they had said, “Hath any of the rulers believed on him?” and, “These who know not the Law,” Nicodemus in fair consequence upbraids them, saying, Ver. 51. “Doth our1450
He showeth that they neither know the Law, nor do the Law; for if that Law commandeth to kill no man without first hearing him, and they before hearing were eager for this deed, they were transgressors of the Law. And because they said, “None of the rulers hath believed on him” ( ver. 50 ), therefore the Evangelist informs us that Nicodemus was “one of them,” to show that even rulers believed on Him; for although they showed not yet fitting boldness, still they were becoming attached1451
Ver. 52. “Art thou also of Galilee?” [2.] When they ought to have shown that they had not sent to summon Him without judgment, or that it was not fitting to allow Him speech, they take the reply rather in a rough and angry manner. “Search, and look: for out of Galilee hath arisen no prophet.” Why, what had the man said? that Christ was a prophet? No; he said, that He ought not to be slain unjudged; but they replied insolently, and as to one who knew nothing of the Scriptures; as though one had said, “Go, learn,” for this is the meaning of, “Search, and look.” What then did Christ? Since they were continually dwelling upon Galilee and “The Prophet,” to free all men from this erroneous suspicion, and to show that He was not one of the prophets, but the Master of the world, He said, Chap. viii. ver. 12.1452
Not “of Galilee,” not of Palestine, nor of Judæa. What then say the Jews? Ver. 13. “Thou bearest record of thyself, thy record is not true.” Alas! for their folly, He continually referred them to the Scriptures, and now they say, “Thou bearest record of thyself.” What was the record He bare? “I am the light of the world.” A great thing to say, great of a truth, but it did not greatly amaze them, because He did not now make Himself equal to the Father, nor assert that He was His Son, nor that He was God, but for a while calleth Himself “a light.” They indeed desired to disprove this also, and yet this was a much greater thing than to say, “He that followeth Me, shall not walk in darkness.” Using the words “light” and “darkness” in a spiritual sense, and meaning thereby “abideth not in error.” In this place He draweth on Nicodemus, and bringeth him in as having spoken very boldly, and praiseth the servants who had also done so. For to “cry aloud,”1453
“They answered and said unto Him, Dost thou bear witness to thyself?” Ver. 14. “Though I bear record of Myself, My record is true; for I know whence I come, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come.”
Ver. 15. “Ye judge after the flesh.” As to live after the flesh is to live badly, so to judge after the flesh is to judge unjustly. “But I judge no man.” Ver. 16. “And yet if I judge, My judgment is true.”1458
What He saith, is of this kind; “Ye judge unjustly.” “And if,” saith some one, “we judge unjustly, why dost Thou not rebuke us? why dost Thou not punish us? why dost Thou not condemn us?” “Because,” He saith, “I came not for this.” This is the meaning of, “I judge no man; yet if I judge, My judgment is true.” “For had I been willing to judge, ye would have been among the condemned. And this I say, not judging you. Yet neither do I tell you that I say it, not judging you, as though I were not confident that had I judged you, I should have convicted you; since if I had judged you, I must justly have condemned you. But now the time of judgment is not yet.” He alluded also to the judgment to come, saying, “I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me.” Here He hinted, that not He alone condemneth them, but the Father also. Then He concealed this, by leading them to His own testimony. Ver. 17. “It is written in your Law, that the testimony of two men is true.” [3.] What would the heretics say here? (They would say,) “How is he better than man, if we take what he hath said simply? For this rule is laid down in the case of men, because no man by himself is trustworthy. But in the case of God, how can one endure such a mode of speaking? How then is the word ‘two’ used? Is it because they are two, or because being men they are therefore two? If it is because they are two, why did he not betake himself to John, and say, I bear witness of myself, and John beareth witness of me? Wherefore not to the angels? Wherefore not to the prophets? For he might have found ten thousand other testimonies.” But he desireth to show not this only that there are Two, but also that they are of the same Substance. Ver. 19. “Then said they unto Him, Who is thy father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father.” Because while they knew they spake as though they knew not, and as if trying Him, He doth not even deem them worthy of an answer. Wherefore henceforth He speaketh all more clearly and more boldly; drawing His testimony from signs, and from His teaching of them that followed Him, and1459
Ver. 18. “I am One that bear witness of Myself; and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me.” Had He been of inferior substance, He would not have put this. But now that thou mayest not deem that the Father is included, to make up the number (of two), observe that His power hath nothing different (from the Father’s). A man bears witness when he is trustworthy of himself, not when he himself needs testimony, and that too in a matter pertaining to another; but in a matter of his own, where he needs the witness of another, he is not trustworthy. But in this case it is all contrary. For He though bearing witness in a matter of His own, and saying that witness is borne to Him by another, asserteth that He is trustworthy, in every way manifesting His independence. For why, when He had said, “I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me,” and, “The testimony of two men is true,” did He not hold His peace, instead of adding, “I am One that bear witness of Myself”? It was evidently to show His independence. And He placeth Himself first; “I am One that bear witness of Myself.” Here He showeth His equality of honor, and that they were profited nothing by saying that they knew God the Father, while they knew not Him. And He saith that the cause of this (ignorance) was that they were not willing to know Him. Therefore He telleth them that it was not possible to know the Father without knowing Him, that even so He might draw them to the knowledge of Him. For since leaving Him they even sought to get the knowledge of the Father, He saith, “Ye cannot know the Father without Me.” ( Ver. 19.) So that they who blaspheme the Son, blaspheme not the Son only, but Him that begat Him also. [4.] This let us avoid, and glorify the Son. Had He not been of the same Nature, He would not have spoken thus. For had He merely taught, but been of different Substance, a man might not have known Him, and yet have known the Father; and again, it would not have been that one who knew Him, would have altogether known the Father; for neither doth one who knoweth a man know an Angel. “Yes,” replieth some one, “he that knoweth the creation, knoweth God.” By no means. Many, or rather I should say, all men know the creation, (for they see it,) but they know not God. Let us then glorify the Son of God, not with this glory (of words) only, but that also which is by works. For the first without the last is nothing. “Behold,” saith St. Paul, “thou art called a Jew, and restest in the Law, and makest thy boast of God—thou therefore that teachest another, teachest1461
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