The hireling leaveth the sheep, ST. JOHN. but Jesus lays down his life for them. A. D. 32. A D. 32. A. M. 4036. fleeth; and the wolf catcheth them, || 16 And other sheep I have, which A. M. 4036. and scattereth the sheep. are not of this fold: them also I 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is a hire- || must bring, and they shall hear my voice; ling, and careth not for the sheep. hand there shall be one fold, and one shep 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my herd. sheep, and am known of mine. 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, i because I lay down my life, that I might take it 15 *As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: fand I lay down my life for the sheep. || again. d2 Timothy ii. 19. Matthew xi. 27.—f Chapter xv. 13. h Ezek. xxxvii. 22; Eph. ii. 14; 1 Pet. ii. 25.-i Isa. liii. 7, 8, 12; g Isa. lvi. 8. Heb. ii. 9. pains; whose own the sheep are not-Who has nei- || have just apprehensions of my dignity and character; their profit nor loss by them, and proposes nothing|| in particular, they know that I am their Shepherd to himself but his own gain; seeth the wolf-Or || and Saviour, sent from God, and that I am able to some other savage beast; coming, and leaveth the || feed them with knowledge, and to deliver them from sheep, and fleeth-Deserts them; because, instead the punishment of sin, and to bestow on them everof loving them, he loves himself, and therefore will lasting life. As the Father knoweth me, &c.—That not expose himself to any danger on their account; || is, I know my sheep, and am known of mine, even as in consequence of which, the beast of prey, meeting || the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; for with no resistance, catcheth, and scattereth the sheep || so the passage ought to be rendered, and construed -Seizes on some and disperses the rest; the two || in connection with the foregoing verse; as if he had ways of hurting the flock of Christ. The wolf sig- said, The mutual knowledge subsisting between me nifies an enemy who by force or fraud attacks the|| and my sheep, is like that which subsists between Christian's faith, liberty, or life. Observe, reader, || the Father and me. It is a knowledge which imit is not the bare receiving hire, which denominates plies an inexpressible union. See chap. xvii. 21, a man a hireling, (for the labourer is worthy of|| 22. And I lay down my life for the sheep-He his hire, Jesus Christ himself being judge: yea, speaks of the present time: for his whole life was and the Lord hath ordained that they who preach || only a going unto death. I show the greatness of the gospel should live by the gospel,) but the loving || the love which I bear to my sheep by dying for hire; the loving the hire more than the work; the them, which no hireling did, or ever will do. working for the sake of the hire. He is a hireling Verses 16-18. And other sheep have I-Whom I who would not work were it not for the hire; to foreknow as repenting and believing in me; which whom this is the great, if not only, motive of work- are not of this fold-Not of the Jewish Church or ing. O God! if a man who works only for hire is nation, but Gentiles. Some, indeed, understand by such a wretch, a mere thief and a robber; what is these the Jews living out of the land of Canaan; but he who continually takes the hire, and yet does not certainly they could not with propriety be said not work at all! The hireling fleeth, because he is a to belong to the fold of Israel. The incorporating hireling-Because he loves the hire, not the sheep; the believing Gentiles into one church with the and takes the work upon him merely for the wages Jews was a grand event, worthy of such particular he is to receive. From what our Lord here says, it notice. Them also I must bring-Namely, into my plainly appears to be the duty of every minister of || church, the general assembly of those whose names the gospel, intrusted with the care of a flock, to re- are written in heaven. And they shall hear my side ordinarily among them. For, if approaching || voice-The voice of my gospel, calling them to redanger to himself, or them, is no excuse for his flee-pentance, and inviting them to believe in me as their ing away and leaving them, far less will interest, or Redeemer and Saviour. And there shall be one fold pleasure, or any lesser matter, be an excuse for such Greek, a Tovп, one flock, though in different unfaithfulness. I am the good shepherd, and know folds, no corrupt or divided flocks remaining; and my sheep-With a tender regard and special care. one shepherd-Who laid down his life for the sheep, Being the good shepherd, and the owner of the|| and will leave no hireling among them. This unity, sheep, I pay such earnest and constant attention to both of the flock and the Shepherd, shall be commy flock, and take such care of it, that I not only || pleted in its season. The shepherds shall bring all know every particular sheep, but I know every || into one flock, and the whole flock shall hear the one thing relating to each. I know the circumstances Shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me→He wherein they are placed, am well acquainted with || loves me more especially on this account, approving their wants, and can judge what aids they stand in it as an act of eminent duty and love to him; beneed of. Besides, I love them all with an ardent || cause I lay down my life-That I am come into the affection, and approve of their obedience to me, be- world with this design, to give my life for the recause, though it is imperfect, it is sincere. And am demption of my sheep, which are dear to him, as known of mine-With a holy confidence and affec-|| well as to me; that I might take it again—And tion. As I know, love, and approve my sheep, so I possess it for ever, to be employed for his glory and am known and beloved of them in return, for they || for the happiness of my people. In other words, I | || 19 qm There was a division therefore again 24 Then came the Jews round about him, among the Jews for these sayings. and said unto him, How long dost thou 1 make 1 20 And many of them said, "He hath a devil, us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us and is mad; why hear ye him? 21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil Popen the eyes of the blind? Chap. ii. 19. Chap. vi. 38 Chap. vi. 38; xv. 10; Acts ii. 24, 32. m Chap. vii. 43; ix. 16.—n Chap. vii. 20; viii. 48, 52.——————o Exod. plainly. cheerfully die to expiate the sins of mankind, to the of the dedication-Or, as ɛyeveтo de тa ɛykaivia may end I may rise again for their justification. No man be rendered, Now the feast of dedication came on at taketh it from me-"This," says Dr. Campbell, || Jerusalem: for it does not appear that the preceding can hardly be said with propriety, since he suffered || discourses, from chap. vii. 14, were delivered at this by the hands of others. The English verb take, || feast, but at the feast of tabernacles. Dr. Campbell does not express the full import of the Greek, aɩpɛw, || reads, Once, when they were celebrating the feast of [here used.] In this place it is evidently our Lord's || dedication, it being winter, as Jesus walked, &c. intention to inform his hearers, that his enemies || This festival, which, according to the meaning of the could not by violence take his life, if he did not vol- Greek term, might be more properly called the feast untarily put himself in their power." Hence he of renovation, was instituted by Judas Maccabæus, translates the clause, No one forceth it from me, but || (1 Mac. iv. 59,) in memory of their pulling down the I give it up of myself—By my own free act and altar of burnt-offerings, which had been profaned by deed; I have power to lay it down, and I have|| the Pagans, and building a new one, dedicated to the power to take it again—I have an original power || true God, and of their purifying the temple from the and right of myself, both to lay it down as a ransom, || pollutions and idolatries of Antiochus Epiphanes. and to take it again after full satisfaction is made for "This restoration of the worship of God was a very the sins of the whole world. I am able to raise my- || joyful event to every religious Israelite; and being self from the dead! nay, I can do it as easily as I || considered as a new dedication of the temple, great can die! Nevertheless, I do not lay down my life, regard was paid to the festival instituted in rememnor rise from the dead, without the appointment of || brance of it. See Joseph. Antiq., xii. 11. Accordmy Father. In both I act wisely, and agreeably to || ingly, though it was of human institution, our Lord the divine will. This commandment—Or, this com- || did not scruple being present at it. The Jews celemission, as the word evroλŋ may be rendered; have brated this feast for eight days successively, beginI received of my Father-Which I readily execute. || ning on the 25th of Casleu. But the latter half of Our Lord's receiving this commission as a Mediator, || that month falling in with the first half of our Deis not to be considered as the ground of his power || cember, it was winter, and commonly bad weather to lay down and resume his life, for this he had in at this feast. Wherefore, to avoid the inclemency himself, as having an original right to dispose thereof of the season, Jesus walked in Solomon's portico." antecedent to the Father's commission. But this | Josephus informs us, that when Solomon built the commission was the reason why he thus used his temple, he filled up a part of the adjacent valley, power in laying down his life: he did it in obedience and built a portico over it toward the east. This to his Father. was a noble structure, supported by a wall four hundred cubits high; and continued even to the time of Albinus and Agrippa, which was several years after the death of Christ. Verses 19-21. There was a division among the Jews-These sayings of our Lord "affected the minds of the Jews differently, for some of them cried out that he was possessed and mad, and that it was folly to hear him; others, judging more impartially of him and his doctrine, declared that his discourses were not the words of a lunatic, nor his miracles the works of a devil. Moreover, they asked his enemies if they imagined any devil was able to impart the faculty of sight to one that was born blind, alluding to the astonishing cures which Jesus had lately performed."-Macknight. Verses 24-26. Then came the Jews round about him, &c.-Here the Jews came and required him to put them out of doubt, by telling them plainly, whether he was the Messiah or not: Jesus knowing that it was not information they were seeking, but an opportunity of accusing him to the Romans, as a seditious person, who aspired to be a king, directed them, as before, to form a judgment of him from his actions. Jesus answered, I told you, and ye believed Verses 22, 23. And it was at Jerusalem the feast || not-What our Lord had been lately saying of him 27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know works have I showed you from my Fathem, and they follow me: ther; for which of those works do ye stone me? 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and * they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 a I and my Father are one. of himself which could possibly be so interpreted, as this and other expressions were, by all that heard our Lord speak. Indeed, his hearers were provoked to such a degree by what he now said, that they took up stones, and were going to kill him outright, imagining that he had spoken blasphemy. self, (see the preceding verses,) as the good shepherd, was equivalent to a declaration of his being the Messiah. Besides, he had already performed those miracles which were to characterize and distinguish the Messiah, such as cleansing the lepers, giving sight to the blind, &c.; and if they had but followed the dictates of their own rabbis, or of their own unpre- Verses 32-36. Jesus answered, Many good works judiced reason, they must have acknowleged that have I showed you from my Father—That is, in conhe had sufficiently established his claim to the title firmation of my mission from my Father I have of the Messiah. But ye believe not, because ye are wrought many miracles, all of a beneficent kind, and not of my sheep-Because ye do not, will not follow most becoming the perfections of my Father, who me: because ye are proud, unholy, lovers of praise,|| sent me. I have fed the hungry, I have healed the lovers of the world, lovers of pleasure, not lovers of lame, I have cured the sick, I have given sight to the God. The reason why ye do not believe in me is blind, I have cast out devils, and I have raised the not that the proofs of my mission are insufficient, || dead: for which of all these are you going to stone but because ye are not of an humble and teachable me? The Jews answered, For a good work we disposition, free from worldly passions, and willing || stone thee not-We are going to punish thee with to receive the doctrine that comes from God. Per- || death, not for a good work, but for blasphemy; for, sons of this character easily know, by the nature of though thou art a man, weak and mortal as we ourmy doctrine and miracles, who I am, and conse-selves are, thou arrogantly assumest to thyself the quently readily believe in and follow me. power and majesty of God; and by laying claim to Verses 27-31. My sheep hear my voice, &c.—Our the incommunicable attributes of the Deity, makest Lord still alludes to the discourse he had had before thyself God. This they took to be the plain meanthis festival. As if he had said, My sheep are those ing of his assertion, that he and the Father were who, 1st, Hear my voice by faith; 2d, Are known one. Jesus—Not judging it proper, at that time, to (that is, approved) by me as loving me; and, 3d, bring the sublime doctrine of his Deity into further Follow me, keep my commandments, with a believ- debate; answered them, Is it not written in your law ing, loving heart. And to those who, 1st, Truly ||—Or, in those sacred books which you own to be believe, (observe three promises annexed to three of divine original, (see Psa. lxxxii. 6,) where it is conditions,) I give eternal life. He does not say, plain the persons that are spoken of are princes I will give, but I give. For he that believeth, hath and magistrates; I said, Ye are gods?—"The Jeweverlasting life. Those whom, 2d, I know truly to ish magistrates were God's deputies in an especial love me, shall never perish, provided they abide in manner, because the people whom they governed my love. 3d, Those who follow me, neither men were his peculiar people, and because, in many nor devils can pluck out of my hand. My Father—|| instances, they were expressly called by him to Who hath, by an unchangeable decree, given me all undertake the fatigues of government, and had an that believe, love, and obey, is greater than all in afflatus, or inspiration of the Spirit, for that end. heaven or earth, and none is able to pluck them out Thus the high-priests derived their dignity from of his hand. I and the Father are one-Not by God, and were possessed of the Urim and Thummim, consent of will only, but by unity of power, and by which they inquired of the Lord. When Moses consequently of nature. Are-This word confutes chose the seventy elders to assist him in the distribuSabellius, proving the plurality of persons; one- tion of justice, God put his Spirit upon them, and they This word confutes Arius, proving the unity of na-prophesied, Num. xi. 17. Joshua, who succeeded ture in God. Never did any prophet before, from Moses by divine appointment, is said to have been a the beginning of the world, use any one expression || man in whom was the Spirit, Num. xxvii. 18. Many Jesus vindicates himself, A. M. 4037. CHAPTER X. e and many believe on him. A. D. 33. 35 If ye called them gods, unto m that the Father is in me, and I in A. M. 4037. whom the word of God came, and the || him. Scripture cannot be broken; n 39 ¶ Therefore they sought again to take 36 Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanc- || him; but he escaped out of their hand, i 40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode. 41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle; but all things that John spake of this man were true. 42 ¶ And many believed on him there. of the judges were raised up by God, and had his I do not expect to be credited merely on my own Spirit. When Saul was anointed, the Spirit of God || affirmation: if I do not such glorious works as could came upon him, and he prophesied, 1 Sam. x. 6, 10." || not be performed by any but a divine agent, believe -Macknight. If he (God) called them gods, to me not: but if I do-If it be apparent that I do such whom the word of God came-That is, to whom || works, though you believe not me, and are regardGod was then speaking; and the Scripture cannot || less of my own testimony in the case, yet, at least, be broken-That is, nothing that is written therein || believe the works; and let their evidence remove can be censured or rejected. Dr. Campbell trans- the prejudices you have entertained; that ye may lates this clause, And if the language of Scripture || know, &c., that the Father is in me, and I in him— is unexceptionable; observing, "Our Lord defends Namely, by such a union as abundantly justifies the what he had said from the charge of blasphemy, by expression which seems to give you such peculiar showing its conformity to the style of Scripture in offence. In other words, Though ye do not believe less urgent cases; insomuch, that if the propriety of what I say concerning my personal dignity, on my Scripture language were admitted, the propriety of own authority, you ought to believe it on account his must be admitted also." "This," adds he, "is of my miracles, which are plainly of such a kind, one of those instances wherein, though it is very that it is impossible for any deceiver to perform easy for the translator to discover the meaning, it is them; they are the works of God himself, and therevery difficult to express it in words which shall fore you ought to consider them as such. Thereappear to correspond to those of his author." Say fore they sought again to take him—For this defence ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified-Hath was so far from pacifying them, that they were set apart for the great work of redeeming and rather the more enraged at him through it. But he saving the human race; and sent into the world—|| escaped out of their hand-Withdrew himself, as he For that purpose; Thou blasphemest, because I || had done before, in an extraordinary manner. See said, I am the Son of God?—If the Scripture, which || cannot err, gives the title of gods to mortal and sin- Verses 40-42. And, presently departing from ful men, why should you reckon guilty of blasphemy, Jerusalem, he went again beyond Jordan- Into me, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into Perea, a country for the most part desert and rocky; the world on so grand a design, because I assume to the place where John at first baptized—Called myself a title which so justly belongs to me, namely, Bethabara, chap. i. 28; and there he abode-Probathat of the Son of God? Some set the argument in bly till he came into Judea, to raise Lazarus from another light, thus: If they, to whom the word of the dead, that being the next particular mentioned God, and the revelation of his will came, are called by this evangelist. If so, the time of his abode in gods in Scripture, how dare you say to the Word these parts must have been considerable: and, as of God himself, by whom all the various revelations appears from what follows, was not spent there in of the divine will have been made to men; how vain. For many of the inhabitants of that place, dare you say to such a person, on such an occasion, who had been formerly acquainted with John the Thou blasphemest! Jesus, it must be observed,|| Baptist, and remembered the strong and repeated was charged here by the Jews with ascribing divinity testimonies which he had borne to Jesus, resorted to his human nature; and in reply to this he shows,|| unto him-To attend his ministry; and said, John that, calling himself the Son of God, did not imply || did no miracle-For it seems John was not endued that, and that his works proved such a union of the human nature with the divine as he had before asserted, than which no answer could have been more wise and pertinent. Verses 37-39. If I do not the works of my Father, &c.—When I claim the character of the Son of God, chap. viii. 59; Luke iv. 30. with the power of working miracles, that the authority of Jesus might be more conspicuous and unquestionable; but all things that John spake of this man were true-The character which John gave of one that was to come after him, is completely verified by the doctrine and miracles of this person. Jesus is informed of the ST. JOHN. sickness of Lazarus. And many believed on him there-Believed him to || excellent purposes, while he himself was moulderbe the Messiah, the Son of God. And thus they happily improved this season of Christ's recess among them, as the means of their instruction, and establishment in piety. Thus we see the testimony of John the Baptist was recollected to ing in his tomb. And what can a faithful minister account a greater happiness, or more earnestly desire, than that, even while he is dead, he may yet speak for the honour of Christ, and the salvation of souls? CHAPTER XI. (1,) Christ is informed of the sickness of his friend Lazarus, of Bethany, but delays going thither till he was dead, 1-16. (2,) Some days after his death, he determines to go again into Judea, though against the persuasion of his disciples, and visits and confers with Lazarus's sisters, 17-32. (3,) After weeping, and the removal of the grave-stone, and after solemn thanksgiving to his Father, he raises Lazarus from the dead, though he had been buried four days, 33–46. (4,) The chief priests and rulers, being informed of the resurrection of Lazarus, by the advice of Caiaphas, agree that it was necessary he should be put to death, and from that time consult to carry their design into execution, 47-53. (5,) Jesus retires to Ephraim, a city near the wilderness, and the priests and Pharisees issue an order for apprehending him, 54-57. a certain man was sick, || Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is A. M. 4037. A. D. 33. NOW named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of a Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, A. M. 4037. а a Luke x. 38, 39.- b Matt. xxvi. 7; Mark xiv. 3; Chap. xii. 3. NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. Verses 1, 2. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus-While Jesus was on the other side of Jordan, whither he had retired when he left Jerusalem, a particular friend of his, called Lazarus, fell sick of a very dangerous disorder, at the village of Bethany, near Jerusalem. The town of Mary, and Martha, Lazarus's sisters-It is probable Lazarus was younger than his sisters, Bethany being named their town, and Lazarus being mentioned after them, verse 5. Ecclesiastical history informs us, that Lazarus was now thirty years old, and that he lived thirty years after Christ's ascension. It was that Mary who afterward anointed the Lord with ointmentSee chap. xii. 3; and Matt. xxvi. 7. Some commentators have supposed that this refers to the story || related by Luke, chap. vii. 37, &c.; and have argued from thence, that Mary Magdalene, whom they think to be the person there described, as a woman that was a sinner, was the same with this Mary, the sister of Lazarus. But it seems much more probable that John himself should mention the fact that he has here referred to, which, if he has done at all, it must be that which he relates chap. xii. 3, &c., where there can be no doubt that the person who performed this instance of respect to Christ was Mary the sister of Lazarus, who was of Bethany, and therefore must be different from Mary Magdalene, who was of Magdala, a town of Galilee, at a considerable distance. Nor is there any ground from Scripture to conclude, that Mary Magdalene sick. C A. D. 33. 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. c Chap. ix. 3; Verse 40. was the person who anointed Christ in Luke, which appears rather to be there described as the action of a woman of Nain, where Christ restored the widow's son to life. See note on Luke vii. 37, and viii. 2. Verses 3-6. Therefore his sisters-Observing his sickness was of a dangerous kind, and therefore being full of concern for him, knowing where Jesus was, thought proper to send him word of it; for they firmly expected that he, who had cured so many strangers, would willingly come and give health to one whom he so tenderly loved. When Jesus heard this he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God-The event of this sickness will not be death, in the usual sense of the word, a final separation of his soul and body; but a manifestation of the glorious power of God, and a confirmation of the doctrine and mission of his Son. Dr. Campbell renders the clause, will not prove fatal, observing that this reading gives the full import of the Greek expression, в ε5ɩ πρos davarov, and at the same time preserves the ambiguity intended. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, &c.-That is, he loved them with a peculiar affection, on account of their unfeigned piety toward God, their friendship and affection toward one another, and their faith in him as the Messiah, and had often visited them, and lodged at their house. And, in consequence of his peculiar love to them, he was determined to conduct himself toward them, in their present trying circumstances, in such a manner as he knew would be most for |