the dedication at Jerusalem : and it was winter. 23. And Jesus "walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. 24. The Jews, therefore, came round about him, and said to him: How long dost thou hold our souls 'in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25. Jesus answered them: I speak to you, and 'you believe not the works that I do in the name of my Father, they give testimony of me: 26. But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep. 27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28. And I give them life everlasting: and they shall not perish for ever, and no man shall snatch them out of 10my hand. 29. That which my Father hath given me is "greater than all: and no man can snatch them out of the hand of my Father. 30. I and the Father 1are one. I and the Father are One. This is the great text quoted by the Fathers against the Arians. In reading verses 29 and 30 after the Greek, they will go thus: My Father who hath given Me the sheep is greater than all. But I and the Father are One. Therefore, no one can take them from me. After the Latin: That which the Father hath given is greater than all. That is the Divinity, for I and the Father are One. Therefore, no one can take My sheep from Me. In asserting His power of sanctifying His sheep, of giving them eternal life, all by His own power, He declared His divinity. His works are appealed to to prove that He was justified in what He claimed. Then He asserts it categorically. 1A dissension.—"The Evangelist does not tell us how it ended," remarks one commentator. We may tell him that the same dissension is going on yet. 2He is mad. There was always a strong party who held this opinion, chiefly amongst His faithless brethren and neighbours in Nazareth. 3Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ?—This party had some sound reasoning on their side. Feast of the Dedication.-What follows now occurred some time after the discourse about the good shepherd. Some gather from S. Luke ix. 51 and xiii. 22, that He went to Galilee; others think He stayed in Judea. Walked. He generally sat when teaching. In suspense. This crowd was hostile, and were hemming Our Lord in so that He might not escape the stones which they had ready for Him. "You believe not.-He knew their interiors, and yet they could see nothing divine in Him. You are not. He knew His sheep and knew who were not. I give them life everlasting.-Only God could do this. 10 My hand. This is His Providence which sustains all. 11 Greater than all.-The Divine Nature. 12 Are One.—One in Nature, two in Person. Mad: Ist. Because of His enthusiasm. 2nd. Because He exposed Himself to danger. 3rd. Because He died, even. Errors against the Incarnation are threefold: Ist. Against His Divinity. 2nd. Against His Humanity. 3rd. Against the Hypostatic Union. 31. Sustulerunt ergò lapides Judæi ut lapidarent eum. 32. Respondit eis JESUS: "Multa bona opera ostendi vobis ex Patre meo: propter quod eorum opus me lapidatis ?" 33. Responderunt ei Judæi: "De bono opere non lapidamus te, sed de blasphemiâ, et quia tu, homo cùm sis, facis teipsum DEUM." 34. Respondit eis JESUS: "Nonne scriptum est in lege vestrâ quia Ego dixi: Dii estis? 35. "Si illos dixit deos ad quos sermo DEI factus est (et non potest solvi Scriptura), 36. "Quem Pater sanctificavit et misit in mundum, vos dicitis Quia blasphemas quia dixi: Filium Dei sum? 37. "Si non facio opera Patris mei, nolite credere mihi; 38. "Si autem facio et si mihi non vultis credere, operibus credite, ut cognoscatis et credatis quia Pater in me est et ego in Patre.” 39. Quærebant ergò eum apprehendere. Et exivit de manibus eorum. 40. Et abiit iterùm trans Jordanem, in eum locum ubi erat Joannes baptizans primùm, et mansit illic. 41. Et multi venerunt ad 31. The Jews then 'took up stones to stone him. 32. Jesus answered them: Many good works I have shown to you from my Father: for which of those works do you stone me ? 33. The Jews answered him : For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy: and because that thou, 'being a man, makest thyself God. 34. Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I have said, "you are gods? 35. If he called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the Scripture cannot be made void ; 36. Do you say of him, whom the Father hath "sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the 'Son of God? 37. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38. But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. 39. They sought, therefore, to take him and he escaped 10 out of their hands. 40. And he went away again "beyond the Jordan, into that place where John was baptizing first; and there he abode. 41. And many resorted to eum, et dicebant quia Joannes | him, and they said: "John inquidem signum fecit nullum; deed did no sign; 42. Omnia autem quæcumque dixit Joannes de hoc vera erant. Et multi crediderunt in eum. 42. But all things whatsoever John said of this man were true. And many believed in him. The effect of the words in verse 30 was that they took up stones in order to put Him to death. He asks them why they do this? Which of His works did they object to? They object to His words; which they understood, S. Augustine says, better than the Arians do. He then mollifies them somewhat, by pointing out how the word Elohim which is applied to God alone in most parts of the Scripture, has been applied in a few instances, to angels, and to men who were doing God's work. He then makes an argument a fortiori about Himself, and to settle the matter for ever, He uttered the grand words: “THE FATHER IS IN ME AND I IN THE FATHER. 1Took up stones.-There were plenty thereabouts, as they were always doing something to the Temple, which was not yet completely finished. Many good works. He appeals confidently to their experience and their memory of His miracles. 3For blasphemy.—This was one of the indictments when He was before the tribunals. Being a man.-They meant a mere man. "You are gods.-Psalm lxxxi. 6. The expression occurs also in a few more places. Sanctified. By His being begotten, and by the Hypostatic union. "Son of God.-This is the same for the Son is God. 8Believe me not.-I would not have asked you to believe me if I had not given abundant and satisfactory proofs. Is in me and I in the Father.-No union could be more thorough and perfect. 10Out of their hands.-Their hands must have been laid upon Him. He rendered Himself invisible of course. 11Beyond the Jordan.-This was in Bethabara, or the other Bethany. 12John indeed did no sign.―This was said by the people. 13 Many believed in Him, both because of seeing John's predictions fulfilled, and listening to Himself. |