John ix. 34-36

And they cast him out. And Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And the rest.

[1.] They who for the sake of the truth and the confession of ¹⁵⁸²

1582 lit. to.

When they had cast him out from the Temple, Jesus found him. The Evangelist shows, that He came for the purpose of meeting him. And observe how He recompenseth him, by that which is the chiefest of blessings. For He made Himself known to him who before knew Him not, and enrolled him into the company of His own disciples. Observe also how the Evangelist describes the exact circumstances; for when Christ had said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? the man replied, Lord, who is He? For as yet he knew Him not, although he had been healed; because he was blind before he came to his Benefactor, and after the cure, he was being worried by those dogs. Therefore, like some judge at the games, He receiveth the champion who had toiled much and gained the crown. And what saith He? Dost thou believe on the Son of God? What is this, after so much arguing against the Jews, after so many words, He asketh him, Dost thou believe? He spake it not from ignorance, but desiring to make Himself known, and showing that He gently valued the man's faith. This great multitude, He saith, hath insulted Me, but of them I make no account; for one thing I care, that thou shouldest believe. For better is one who doeth the will of God, than ten thousand transgressors. Dost thou believe on the Son of God? As having both been present, and as approving what had been said by him, He asketh this question; and first, ¹⁵⁸³

1583 i.e. before revealing Himself.

Ver. 37 . Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.

He said not I am He, but as yet in an intermediate ¹⁵⁸⁴

1584 μέσως , al. μέσος

Ver. 38 . He saith, Lord, I believe; and he worshiped Him (straightway ¹⁵⁸⁵

1585 not in G. T.

He said not, I am He that healed thee, that bade thee, Go, wash in Siloam; but keeping silence on all these points, He saith, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? and then the man, showing his great earnestness, straightway worshiped; which few of those who were healed had done; as, for instance, the lepers, and some others; by this act declaring His divine power. For that no one might think that what had been said by him was a mere expression, he added also the deed. When he had worshiped, Christ said,

Ver. 39 . For judgment I am come into the world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind.

So also saith Paul; What shall we say then? That the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of the faith of Jesus; but Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. ( Rom. ix. 30; 31 .) By saying, For judgment I am come into this world, He both made the man stronger respecting the faith, and aroused those who followed Him; for the Pharisees were following Him. And the, For judgment, He spake with reference to a greater punishment; showing that they who had given sentence against Him, had received sentence against themselves; that they who had condemned Him as a sinner, were themselves the persons condemned. In this passage He speaketh of two recoveries of sight, and two blindnesses; one sensible, the other spiritual.

Ver. 40 . Some of them that followed Him, say unto Him, ¹⁵⁸⁶

1586 And some of the Pharisees which were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him, N.T.

As in another place they said, We were never servants to any man; and, We be not born of fornication ( c. viii. 33; 41 ); so now they gape on material things alone, and are ashamed of this kind of blindness. Then to show that it was better for them to be blind than seeing, He saith,

Ver. 41 . If ye were blind, ye should have no sin.

Since they deemed the calamity a matter to be ashamed of, He turneth this back upon their own head, telling them, that this very thing would have rendered your punishment more tolerable; cutting away on every side their human thoughts, and leading them to a notion high and marvelous.

But now ye say, We see.

As He saith in that other place, Of whom ye said that He was your God ( c. viii. 54 ); so too here, Now ye say that ye see, ¹⁵⁸⁷

1587 ye say, We see, therefore your sin remaineth, N.T.

[2.] And not without a cause hath the Evangelist mentioned, that they of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said, Are we blind also? but to remind thee that these were the men who first withdrew from and then stoned Him, for they were persons who followed Him superficially, and who easily changed to the contrary opinion. How then doth He prove that He is not a deceiver, but a Shepherd? By laying down the distinguishing marks both of the shepherd, and of him who is a deceiver and a spoiler, and from these affording them opportunity of searching into the truth of the matter. And first He showeth who is a deceiver and a spoiler, calling him so from the Scriptures, and saying,

Chap. x. ver. 1 . Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Observe the marks of a robber; first, that he doth not enter openly; secondly, not according to the Scriptures, for this is the, not by the door. Here also He referreth to those who had been before, and to those who should be after Him, Antichrist and the false Christs, Judas and Theudas, and whatever others there have been of the same kind. And with good cause He calleth the Scriptures a door, for they bring us to God, and open to us the knowledge of God, they make the sheep, they guard them, and suffer not the wolves to come in after them. For Scripture, like some sure door, barreth the passage against the heretics, placing us in a state of safety as to all that we desire, and not allowing us to wander; and if we undo it not, we shall not easily be conquered by our foes. By it we can know all, both those who are, and those who are not, shepherds. But what is into the fold? It refers to the sheep, and the care of them.  For he that useth not the Scriptures, but climbeth up some other way, that is, who cutteth out for himself another and an unusual ¹⁵⁸⁸

1588 or, unlawful.

1589 or, It saith.

Ver. 2-4 . He that entereth in by the door, the same is the shepherd of the sheep; to him the doorkeeper openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own by name. ¹⁵⁹⁰

1590 and leadeth them out, N.T.

[3.] He hath set down the marks of the shepherd, and of the evil doer; let us now see how He hath fitted to them what followeth. To him, He saith, the doorkeeper openeth; He continueth in the metaphor to make the discourse more emphatic. But if thou shouldest be minded to examine the parable word by word, there is nothing to hinder thee from supposing Moses to be the doorkeeper, for to him were entrusted the oracles of God. Whose voice the sheep hear, and he calleth his own by name. Because they everywhere said that He was a deceiver, and confirmed this by their own unbelief, saying, Which ¹⁵⁹¹

1591 Hath any, N.T.

Ver. 5 . And ¹⁵⁹²

1592 ver. 4 for they know his voice. and, N.T.

Certainly here He speaketh of Theudas and Judas, (for all, as many as believed on them, were scattered [ Acts v. 36 ], It saith,) or of the false Christs who after that time should deceive. For lest any should say that He was one of these, He in many ways separateth Himself from them. And the first difference He setteth down is His teaching from the Scriptures; for He by means of these led men to Him, but the others did not from these draw men after them. The second is, the obedience of the sheep; for on Him they all believed, not only while He lived, but when He had died; the others they straightway left. With these we may mention a third difference, no trifling one. They did all as rebels, ¹⁵⁹³

1593 τύραννοι , assuming royalty.

Ver. 6 . This parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them.

And wherefore spake He obscurely? Because He would make them more attentive; when He had effected this, He removes the obscurity, saying,

Ver. 9 . I am ¹⁵⁹⁴

1594 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am, &c., N.T.

As though He had said, shall be in safety and security, (but by pasture, He here meaneth His nurturing and feeding the sheep, and His power ¹⁵⁹⁶

1596 or, power over them.

Ver. 8 . All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

He doth not here speak of the Prophets, (as the heretics assert,) for as many as believed on Christ did hear them also, and were persuaded by them; but of Theudas and Judas, and the other exciters of sedition. Besides, He saith, the sheep did not hear them, as praising them; now nowhere is He seen to praise those who refused to hearken to the Prophets, but, on the contrary, to reproach and accuse them vehe mently; whence it is evident that the, did not hear, refers to those leaders of sedition.

Ver. 10 .  The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

Which then took place when all (their followers) were slain and perished.

But I am come that they might have life, and that they might have more. ¹⁵⁹⁷

1597 περισσὸν ἔχωσι . E.V. have (it) more abundantly.

And what is more than life, tell me? The kingdom of heaven. But He doth not as yet say this, but dwelleth on the name of life, which was known to them.

Ver. 11 . I am the good Shepherd.

Here He next speaketh concerning the Passion, showing that this should be for the salvation of the world, and that He came to it not unwillingly. Then again He mentioneth the character of the shepherd and the hireling.

For the shepherd ¹⁵⁹⁸

1598 good shepherd.

1599 life for the sheep.

Ver. 12 . But he that is an hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth, and the wolf cometh and catcheth them. ¹⁶⁰⁰

1600 them, and scattereth the sheep, N.T.

Here He declareth Himself to be Master even as the Father, if so be that He is the Shepherd, and the sheep are His. Seest thou how He speaketh in a more lofty tone in His parables, where the sense is concealed; and giveth no open handle to the listeners? What then doth this hireling? He seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and the wolf cometh, and scattereth them. This those false teachers did, but He the contrary. For when He was taken, He said, Let these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled ( c. xviii. 8; 9 ), that not one of them was lost. Here also we may suspect a spiritual ¹⁶⁰¹

1601 νοητὸν

[4.] Wherefore, I beseech you, let us remain pasturing beneath this Shepherd; and we shall remain, if we obey Him, if we hear His voice, if we follow not a stranger. And what is His voice? Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the merciful. ( Matt. v. 3, 8, 7 .) If thus we do, we shall remain beneath the Shepherd, and the wolf will not be able to come in; or if he come against us, he will do so to his own hurt. For we have a Shepherd who so loveth us, that He gave even His life for us. When therefore He is both powerful and loveth us, what is there to hinder us from being saved? Nothing, unless we ourselves revolt from Him. And how can we revolt? Hear Him saying, Ye cannot serve two masters, God and mammon. ( Matt. vi. 24 .) If then we serve God, we shall not submit to the tyranny of mammon. And truly a bitterer thing than any tyranny is the desire of riches; for it brings no pleasure, but cares, and envyings, and plottings, and hatred, and false accusations, and ten thousand impediments to virtue, indolence, wantonness, greediness, drunkenness, which make even freemen slaves, nay, worse than slaves bought with money, slaves not to men, but even to the most grievous of the passions, and maladies of the soul. Such a one dares many things displeasing to God and men, dreading lest any should remove from him this dominion. O bitter slavery, and devlish tyranny! For this is the most grievous thing of all, that when entangled in such evils we are pleased and hug our chain, and dwelling in a prison house full of darkness, refuse to come forth to the light, but rivet evil upon ourselves, and rejoice in our malady. So that we cannot be freed, but are in a worse state than those that work the mines, enduring labors and affliction, but not enjoying the fruit. And what is in truth worse than all, if any one desire to free us from this bitter captivity, we do not suffer it, but are even vexed and displeased, being in this respect in no better case than madmen, or rather in a much more miserable state than any such, inasmuch as we are not even willing to be delivered from our madness. What? was it for this, O man, that thou wast brought into the world? Was it for this that thou wast made a man, that thou mightest work in these mines, and gather gold? Not for this did God create thee in His Image, but that thou mightest please Him, that thou mightest obtain the things to come, that thou mightest join the choir of Angels. Why now dost thou banish thyself from such a relationship, and thrust thyself into the extreme of dishonor and meanness? ¹⁶⁰⁴

1604 lit. low birth.

1605 al. with whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory.

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