_Jesus went to the Mount of Olives_ THE HABITS OF JESUS At the close of the day Jesus withdrew to the Mount of Olives, and it is interesting to trace in Him once more that dislike of crowded cities, that love for the pure, sweet, fresh air, and for the quiet of the lonely hill, which we see in all... [ Continue Reading ]
_And early in the morning He came again unto the Temple_ THE TEMPLE We have in our version only one word, “Temple,” with which we render both ἰερόν and ναός, but there is a very real distinction between the two, and one the marking of which would often add much to the clearness and precision of... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Scribes and the Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery_ THE SCENE AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE It is probable that the hilarity and abandonment of the feast, which had grown to be a kind of vintage festival, would often degenerate into acts of licence and immorality; and these would... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then spake Jesus again unto them_ THE CONNECTION OF CHRIST’S DISCOURSE WITH THE PREVIOUS INCIDENT AND THE FEAST The feast of tabernacles was over. The water of Siloah was no more poured out by the altar; the golden lights no longer burned in the forecourt of the Temple. But like as Jesus Christ,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true_ THE SELF-EVIDENCING POWER OF THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS The sun pours forth his beams so that it becomes bright day, and we question not his being the sun, because he bears witness of himself; and shall we say to the eternal Sun, who is sheddin... [ Continue Reading ]
_These words spake Jesus in the Treasury_ THE TREASURY From Mark 12:41 and Luke 21:1 it is clear that this word was applied to the brazen trumpet-shaped chests placed in the Court of the Women for the reception of alms. There were thirteen of them, and each bore an inscription showing to what purp... [ Continue Reading ]
_I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins._ Sin here means the departure of the heart from God, general alienation from Him, and in John 8:24 the particular manifestations of such a disposition. In John 13:33 Jesus speaks to the apostles of theimpossibility of following Him in... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said they unto Him, Who art Thou?_ …Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. By thus expressing Himself, Jesus evidently declared Himself to be the expected One. He avoided, however, the term “Messiah,” as subject to too much misunderstanding among the Jews. It was, however, jus... [ Continue Reading ]
_When ye have lifted up the Son of Man._ --As instruments they would lift Him to the cross; as a result He would ascend to His throne. (_W. H. Van Doren, D. D._) CHRIST FORECASTING HIS DEATH AND DESTINY Christ’s language here I. REVEALS HIS SUBLIME HEROISM IN THE PROSPECT OF A TERRIBLE DEATH. “W... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said Jesus unto those Jews which believed on Him._ A GLORIOUS LIBERATOR I. FREEDOM PROFFERED. 1. Sin makes bondage (John 8:34; Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13; Romans 6:16; Galatians 4:25; 2 Peter 2:19). 2. Truth brings freedom (John 8:32; Romans 6:14;... [ Continue Reading ]
_I speak that which I have seen with My Father; and ye do that which ye have seen with your Father_ THE MARKS OF DIVINE AND DIABOLIC RELATIONSHIP Christ had admitted (John 8:37) that the Jews were the seed of Abraham: He now proceeds to show that they had another Father. Those who degenerate from... [ Continue Reading ]
_Say we not well that Thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil_ THE ANTI-DIABOLISM OF CHRIST I. CHRIST HONOURS THE FATHER; THE DEVIL DOES NOT (John 8:49). 1. How does Christ honour the Father? (1) By a faithful representation of the Father’s character. The revelation of the Infinite in the material... [ Continue Reading ]
_If any man keep My saying he shall never see death._ I. THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED. 1. The “saying” of Christ means the whole system of truth which He has taught, and includes (1) All the doctrines and precepts publicly inculcated by Himself as reported by the Evangelists. (2) Those which He taugh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Abraham is dead and the prophets_ ABRAHAM AND JESUS I. THE GREATNESS OF ABRAHAM: 1. The ancestor of the Jews. “Our father,” said they (John 8:53); “Your father,” conceded Christ (John 8:56). It was no small distinction to be the progenitor of so renowned a race. 2. The father of the faithful. H... [ Continue Reading ]
_If I honour Myself, My honour is nothing_ THE FATHER HONOURING THE SON To honour is to do or to speak of a person so as not only to show our esteem, but to make others esteem. Thus God honoured Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, David, etc. This is specially seen in His dealings with His Son--the purp... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ye have not known Him; but I know Him_ I. THE JEWS’ IGNORANCES. 1. They knew Him not in His majesty, His infinity, His mercifulness, since they conceived of Him only after a low and material idea. 2. They knew Him as the Maker of the world, but not as the Almighty Father of mankind; they saw in... [ Continue Reading ]
_Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day_ ABRAHAM’S VISION OF CHRIST’S DAY (Christmas day Sermon):--Here is joy, joy at a sight, at the sight of a day, and that day Christ’s, and no day is so properly His as His birthday. First, Christ has a day proper to Him. “My day.” Secondly, this day is a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Before Abraham was, I am._ Here the Saviour claims with a double “Amen” the Incommunicable Name (Exodus 3:14). It signifies unchangeable essence and everlasting duration. This is the name which the Jews for centuries had not dared to utter. Silently they had read it, used another in its stead, reve... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then took they up stones to cast at Him._ Stones of the visible Temple cast at the cornerstone of the Temple of God. (_W. H. Van Doren, D. D._) THE JEWS AND JESUS Followeth now the issue of this long dispute, and particularly of this last contest. They look upon Him as so absurd in what He had j... [ Continue Reading ]