John 7:48

Our Lord having invited those, who believed in Him, to drink of the Holy Spirit, a dissension arose among the multitude: Many of the people therefore, when they heart these saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.

The one, that is, who was expected. Others, i.e. the people said, This is the Christ.

These had now begun to drink in that spiritual thirst, and had laid aside the unbelieving thirst. But others still remained dried up in their unbelief: But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said, That Christ comes of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? They knew what were the predictions of the Prophets respecting Christ, but knew not that they all were fulfilled in Him. They knew that He had been brought up at Nazareth, but the place of His birth they did not know; and did not believe that it answered to the prophecies.

But be it so, they knew not His birth-place: were they ignorant also of His extraction? that He was of the house and family of David? Why did they ask, Has not the Scripture said, that Christ comes of the seed of David? They wished to conceal His extraction, and therefore put forward where He had been educated. For this reason, they do not go to Christ and ask, How say the Scriptures that Christ must come from Bethlehem, whereas you come from Galilee purposely and of malice prepense they do not do this. And because they were thus inattentive, and indifferent about knowing the truth, Christ did not answer them: though He had lauded Nathanael, when he said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? and called Him an Israelite indeed, as being a lover of truth, an well learned in the ancient Scriptures. So there was as a division among the people concerning Him.

Not among the rulers; for they were resolved one way, viz. not to acknowledge Him as Christ. The more moderate of them only used malicious words, in order to oppose Christ’s path to glory; but the more malignant wished to lay hands on Him: And some of them would haze taken Him.

The Evangelist says this to show, that they had no concern for, and no anxiety to learn, the truth. But no man laid hands on Him.

That is, because He Who had the power to control their designs, did not permit it.

This were sufficient to have raised some compunction in them; but no, such malignity believes nothing; it looks only to one thing, blood.

They; however who were sent to take Him, returned guiltless of the offense, and full of admiration: Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said to them, Why have you not brought Him?

They who wished to take and stone Him, reprove the officers for not bringing Him.

The Pharisees and Scribes profited nothing by seeing the miracles, and reading the Scriptures; but their officers, who had done neither, were captivated with once hearing Him; and they who went to take hold of Him, were themselves taken hold of by the miracle. Nor did they say, We could not because of the multitude: but made themselves proclaimers of Christ’s v wisdom;: The of officers answered, Never man spoke like this Man.

He spoke thus, because He was both God and man.

Not only is their wisdom to be admired, for not wanting miracles, but being convinced by His teaching only, (for they do not say, Never man did such miracles as this Man, but, Never man spoke like this Man,) but also their boldness, in saying this to the Pharisees, who were such enemies of Christ. They had not heard a long discourse, but minds unprepossessed against Him did not require one.

The Pharisees however rejected their testimony: Then answered them the Pharisees, Are you also led away? As if to say, We see that you are charmed by His discourse.

And so they were led away; and laudably too, for they had left the evil of unbelief, and were gone over to the faith.

They make use of the most foolish argument against them: Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him? but this people who knows not the law are cursed? This then was their ground of accusation, that the people believed, but they themselves did not.

They who knew not the law, believed on Him who had given the law, and they who taught the law condemned Him; thus fulfilling our Lord’s words, I am come, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind.

How then are they cursed, who are convinced by the law? Rather are you cursed, who have not observed the law.

The Pharisees answer the officers courteously and gently, because they are afraid of their forthwith separating from them, and joining Christ.

As they said that none of the rulers believed on Him, the Evangelist contradicts them: Nicodemus said to them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them.)

He was not unbelieving, but fearful; and therefore came by night to the light, wishing to be enlightened, but afraid of being known to go. He replies, Does our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he does? He thought that, if they would only hear Him patiently, they would be overcome, as the officers had been. But they preferred obstinately condemning Him, to knowing the truth.

He calls the law of God, our law; because it was given to men.

Nicodemus shows that they knew the law, and did not act according to the law. They, instead of disproving this, take to rude and angry contradiction: They answered and said to him, Are you also of Galilee?

i.e. led away by a Galilean. Our Lord was called a Galilean, because His parents were of the town of Nazareth; I mean by parents, Mary.

Then, by way of insult, they direct Him to the Scriptures, as if He were ignorant of them; Search and look, for out of Galilee arises no prophet: as if to say, Go, learn what the Scriptures say.

They knew the place where He had resided, but never thought of inquiring where He was born; and therefore they not only denied that He was the Messiah, but even that He was a prophet.

No prophet indeed arises out of; Galilee, but the Lord of prophets arose thence. And every man went to his own house.

Having effected nothing, devoid of faith, and therefore incapable of being benefited, they returned to their home of unbelief and ungodliness.

6. “For behold they have hunted my soul.…There have rushed upon me strong men” ( ver. 3 ). We must not however pass on from these strong men: diligently we must trace who are the strong men rising up. Strong men, upon whom but upon weak men, upon powerless men, upon men not strong? And praised nevertheless are the weak men, and condemned are the strong men. If it would be perceived who are strong men, at first the devil himself the Lord hath called a strong man: “No one,” He saith, “is able to go into the house of a strong man, and to carry off his vessels, unless first he shall have bound the strong man.” He hath bound therefore the strong man with the chains of His dominion: and his vessels He hath carried off, and His own vessels hath made them. …

Ver. 48 . “Wherefore,” saith one, “hath none of the rulers believed on Him?” Dost thou then make this a charge against Christ, tell me, and not against the unbelievers?

[1.] As wealth is wont to hurl into destruction those who are not heedful, so also is power; the first leads into covetousness, the second into pride. See, for instance, how the subject multitude of the Jews is sound, and their rulers corrupt; for that the first of these believed Christ, the Evangelists continually assert, saying, that “many of the multitude believed on Him” ( c. vii. 31, 48 ); but they who were of the rulers, believed not. And they themselves say, not the multitude, “Hath any of the rulers believed on Him?” But what saith one? “The multitude who know not God are accursed” ( c. vii. 49 ); the believers they call accursed, and themselves the slayers, wise. In this place also, having beheld the miracle, the many believed; but the rulers were not contented with their own evil deeds, they also attempted to kill Lazarus. …