19 parents, I say, of him that had received his sight*.] And they asked them, saying, " Is this your son, of whom ye say that he was born blind? how then doth he now see?" 20 His parents answered them, and said, "We know that 21 this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he will 22 speak for himself." His parents spake these words, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed that, if any man should confess Jesus to be the 23 Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. For this 24 cause his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." A second time therefore they called the man that had been blind, and said unto him, "Give glory to God: we 25 know that this man is a sinner." (Then) he answered and said, "Whether he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, I now see." 26 Then they said to him again, "What did he to thee? 27 how opened he thine eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and ye did not hearken: why desire ye to hear it again? would ye also be his disciples ?" 28 Then they reviled him, and said, "Thou art his disciple; 29 but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spake 30 to Moses: but we know not whence this man is. The man answered and said unto them, "In this now is a wonderful thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet 31 he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of 32 God, and do his will. him he heareth. From the beginning of the world, it hath not been heard that any man 33 opened the eyes of one born blind. If this man were not 34 from God, he could do nothing." They answered and said unto him, " Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?" And they cast him out of their synagogues. * "See the external authorities, which show that the two last Greek words in this verse are a gloss. And though there is no external authority for omitting the three last words of ver. 13, they have the appearance of a marginal note inserted in the text," Newcome. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and, when he met him, he said unto him, "Dost thou believe in the 36 Son of God*?" He answered and said, "Who is he, Sir, 37 that I may believe in him?" And Jesus said unto him, "Thou hast both seen him, and it is he who talketh with 38 thee." And the man said, " Sir, I believe." And he did 39 Jesus obeisance. Then Jesus said, "For judgement I am come into this world: that those who see not, may 40 see; and that those who see, may become blind." And some of the Pharisees that were with him, heard these 41 words, and said unto him, "Are we also blind?" Jesus said unto them, " If ye were blind, ye would not have sin: but now ye say, 'We see;' your sin therefore remaineth. Сн. х. " Verily verily I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some 2 other way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he that 3 entereth in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hearken to his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and lead4. eth them out. And when he bringeth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; 5 for they know his voice. Whereas a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not 6 the voice of strangers." This parable Jesus spake unto them: but they understood not what things they were, which he spake unto them. 7 Jesus therefore said unto them again, "Verily verily 8 I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that have come [before me] are thieves and robbers: but the * Or, as some good copies read, "the Son of man?" 9 sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any enter in, he shall be safe, and shall go in and out, and 10 find pasture. The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that the sheep may have 11 life, and that they may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life 12 for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf 13 seizeth them, and scattereth the sheep: and the hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the 14 sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, 15 and am known by mine; even as the Father knoweth me, and as I know the Father: and I lay down my life for 16 the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice; and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd. 17 For this my Father loveth me; because I lay down my 18 life, that I may take it again. None taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again*. This commission I have received from my Father." 19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews 20 because of these words. And many of them said, "Не 21 hath a demon, and is madt; why hear ye him?" Others said, "These are not the words ‡ of him that hath a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" * See Wakefield. To lay down life was a voluntary act, to which Jesus submitted in full confidence that it would be speedily restored to him. The common version, which the primate here adopts, is, "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again:" which seems to imply, that our Lord's resurrection was the effect of his own power, a sense which the words in the original do not convey, and which is directly contrary to the most explicit declarations of the scriptures. Acts ii. 24; iii. 15; xvii. 31; Rom, vi. 4; 1 Cor. xv. 15. + He hath a demon, and is mad.] Observe, these words express cause and effect. The effect, the disease, is insanity: the supposed cause is possession by a demon, or a human ghost, than which no supposition can be more absurd: but it was the philosophy of the nge. † Or, actions. 22 Now the feast of Dedication was kept at Jerusalem; 23 and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in 24 Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded him, and said unto him, "How long dost thou keep us in suspense ? 25 If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, " I have told you, and ye believe not: the works which I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of 26 me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep. 27 As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know 28 them, and they follow me: and I give unto them ever lasting life; and they shall never perish, nor shall any 29 one force* them out of mine hand. My Father, that hath given them to me, is greater than all; and none is able 30 to force them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father 31 are one t." Then the Jews took up stones again, to 32 stone him. Jesus said to them, " Many good works I have shown you from my Father: for which of those 33 works do ye stone me?" The Jews answered him, [saying,] "For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy, and because thou, being a man, makest thy34 self God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in 35 your law, I said, ye are gods?' If those be called gods, to whom the word of God came, (and the scripture can36 not be made void ;) say ye of him, whom the Father hath set apart, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest:' because I said, 'I am the son of God || ?" If 38 I do not the works of my Father, believe me not: but if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, 39 and I in him *." Upon this they sought again to appre. 40 hend him: but he escaped out of their hand; and de * snatch, or tear, N. † Gr. one thing. To snatch my true disciples out of my hand, would be to snatch them out of my Almighty Father's hand; because I and my Father are one; one in design, action, agreement, affection. See ch. xvii. 11, 21,22; 1 Cor. iii. 8. and, in some copies, fv: Gal. iii. 28. The phrase is equivalent to that which occurs at the close of ver. 38." Newcome. † Gr. sanctified. "If the psalmist, or the law, or the scripture, called those gods, who were prophets, or magistrates, or both; (and every assertion of the scripture is true, and therefore such are justly styled gods;) do I blaspheme, in calling God my Father, and therefore myself the Son of God; when the Father hath consecrated me to the office of prophet and Christ, and delegated me to assume this character among mankind?" Newcome. parted again beyond Jordan, to the place where John at 41 first baptized: and there he abode. And many resorted to him, and said, " John did no miracle: but all things 42 which John spake of this man were true." And many believed in him there. CH. XI. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Be2 thany, the town of Mary and of her sister Martha. (Now it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with balsam †, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was 3 sick.) His sisters therefore sent to Jesus, saying, " Mas4 ter, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." And when Jesus heard it, he said, " This sickness is not unto death; but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be 5 glorified by it." (Now Jesus loved Martha, and her 6 sister, and Lazarus.) When he heard therefore that Laz arus was sick, he still abode two days in the place where 7 he was. Then afterward he saith to his disciples, "Let 8 us go again into Judea." His disciples say unto him, "Master, but now the Jews sought to stone thee: and 9 goest thou thither again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world: 10 but if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth; because 11 the light is not in him." He spake these things; and afterward he saith unto them, " Our friend Lazarus sleep12 eth; but I go that I may awake him." Then his dis13 ciples said, "Master, if he sleep, he will recover." But That the Father is in me, and I in him.] “Compare ch. xiv. 10, 11; where this union is said to consist in speaking the words, and doing the works, of the Father." Newcome. † the same Mary that anointed the Lord with ointment. N. See Campbell. |