and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up tators almost unanimously agree that Jesus referred to the same kind of sin which is alleged against the woman. He thus exposed the hollowness of their pretensions of regard for the law and its strict observance, as in John vii. 19 -23. See also Rom. ii. 1, 21-23. Let him first cast a stone at her. See note on Matt. xxi. 44. It was provided in the law, that, when death was inflicted by stoning, the first stone should be cast by the witnesses; after which the people were to assist in the execution. Deut. xiii. 9, 10; xvii. 6, 7. Agreeably to this provision, Jesus rendered judgment. As if he had said,-If any one of you will declare on your oath before God that this woman deserves death, if you can do this without also condemning yourself and pronouncing a like judgment against your own life, let him commence the execution of the law, according to the letter. Thus did Jesus preserve both his own integrity and the life of the woman, and at the same time administer a cutting rebuke to the hypocrites who surrounded him. 8. He stooped down. He had given the answer which they sought with so much pertinacity. That it might have its full effect, he remained silent, apparently engaged in writing. 9. Convicted by their own conscience. They knew their guilt. They were awed by the knowledge which Jesus appeared to possess of their characters. Their sense of shame was not utterly extinguished. They preferred to shrink away privately, even though this were a silent confession of guilt, rather than by any violent act give him occasion to proclaim their sins openly, and thus draw upon them the attention of the whole populace, to their shame and disgrace. One by one, &c. The manner of their retiring indicates the state of their minds. They felt mortified and humiliated. No one sought the face of another. There was no concert of action. But each endeavored to hide him himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. self from sight,-until the last one of all departed. ¶ Alone. That is, so far as those persons were concerned, who came in with the woman; they had every one gone. In the midst. Before this interruption, Jesus had been teaching the people. They probably fell back to make room for those who brought the woman. When these last had gone away, Jesus and the woman alone occupied this central space, still surrounded, however, by those who were previously listening to his instructions, and whom he again addressed, ver. 12. It may seem strange that all those persons who manifested such a holy horror against adultery should have been convicted by their consciences of the same crime. But it should be remembered that it is no uncommon thing for guilty persons, who imagine their sins are concealed, to be most loud and vociferous in their condemnation of those who are detected,--hoping, perhaps, thereby to avert suspicion from themselves. And, besides, that was a peculiarly wicked and adulterous generation. Matt. xii. 39; xvi. 4. Josephus testifies the same fact. 10. Hath no man condemned thee? This is to be understood as judicial condemnation. Concerning the fact of her guilt, there was no dispute; it was admitted. To condemn, here, cannot therefore mean to adjudge guilty, but must indicate to pronounce sentence of death, or to execute that sentence. 11. Neither do I condemn thee. Condemn must here be understood as in ver. 10. Jesus did not thus pronounce the woman innocent. He did not say he regarded her as free from the charge alleged against her; for she had not denied the fact. He did not say the act charged and confessed was not sinful; for in the subsequent clause of this verse, he distinctly recognizes it as a sin. He only said, that, as her accusers had declined the responsibility of taking the matter from the legal tribu 12 Then spake Jesus again | unto them, saying, I am the light of the world he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go but ye cannot tell whence I nal and pronouncing and executing the sentence of the law, so neither would he pronounce sentence or denounce legal punishment. ¶ Go, and sin no more. This exhortation was tender and solemn. He would not overwhelm her with reproaches or rebukes; at the same time, he distinctly indicated his judgment that she had committed sin. He exhorted her to refrain from sin in future, and live in purity and righteousWhat she had suffered, in thus having her life put in peril, might induce her to reform. Much more the mild yet searching language of the Lord. It may well be believed that she never again transgressed in like manner. ness. See 12. I am the light of the world. notes on Matt. v. 14; John i. 7—9. 13. Thou bearest record of thyself, &c. See note on John v. 31. 14. Though I bear record, &c. Jesus declared that, although in matters of judicature, the testimony of two witnesses was required, and the single unsupported testimony of one ought not to be regarded, to the injury of any person whatever; yet, in his own particular case, his testimony ought to be received, because he absolutely knew the truth he affirmed. Or, perhaps rather, he declared that, even if his testimony were unsupported, he himself had positive knowledge of the facts asserted, while they could not know the contrary, and had no good reason to disbelieve. 15. Ye judge after the flesh. Ye judge according to appearances, not justly. John vii. 24. Ye judge not according to the force of evidence in regard to doctrines, but according to your prejudices and preconceived opinions. Or, if the word krinō (xoivw,) here rendered judge, be understood to mean come, and whither I go. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself; and the Father that sent me, beareth witness of me. 19 Then said they unto him, condemn, as it is translated in John iii. 17, the meaning will be, ye condemn, not on evidence of wrong, but according to your corrupt propensities. I judge no man. Or, I condemn no man. See note on John iii. 17. 16. And yet if I judge, &c. He declared that if he should judge, or condemn them, for their iniquities, not only would his judgment be free from the special impropriety which attended theirs, but it would necessarily be correct and righteous; for he would not decide upon a mere superficial view of the case, but would be guided by that divine wisdom which is infallible in its decisions. 17. In your law, &c. See Deut. xvii. 6; xix. 15. ¶ Two men. If such testimony were sufficient, much more that of Jesus and his Father. Is true. Is to be believed; is sufficiently authenticated or established. 18. I am one, &c. Jesus offered himself as one witness. Although, in matters of judicature, he could not have testified in his own case, yet upon a question like that which was then in dispute between him and the Jews his testimony was valid. He had no sinister design; and they had the best evidence of that fact; for he was modest, unassuming, seeking not his own, but laboring constantly to promote the happiness of others. T The Father that sent me beareth witness of me. is, by an audible voice from heaven, and by the divine energy imparted to Jesus and manifested in miracles which no man could perform unless God were with him. Luke iii. 22; ix. 35. See notes on John v. 32-37. That 19. Where is thy Father? The Jews must have know that, by the Fa ther, Jesus referred to God. They professed to have more accurate knowledge of God, than any other people. Their question must therefore be understood as contemptuous. They pretended to misunderstand him, as referring to an earthly father, and inquired where he was. ¶Ye neither know me, nor my Father. Our Lord thus administered a just rebuke of their superciliousness. They prided themselves on their acquaintance with the divine character. He assured them they were ignorant on this subject. Although they knew the name of God, and had some general ideas concerning his government in the universe, yet they mistook entirely his character and his designs concerning mankind. If ye had known me, &c. That is, if they had recognized Jesus as a divine messenger, and believed his testimony, they would have acquired that knowledge of the divine character and purposes of which they were now destitute. He only was able to communicate that knowledge accurately; for he only, of all who ever spake in God's name, had dwelt in the Father's bosom and been made acquainted fully with his designs. John i. 18; iii. 12, 13. 20. Treasury. See notes on Matt. xxi. 12; Mark xii. 41. His hour was not yet come. See note on John vii. 30. him, for his hour was not yet come. 21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins : whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. die in your sins. Some understand this to denote the national or political death which soon afterwards befell the Jews, on account of their sinfulness. To me it seems more probable that Jesus used the phrase shall die in its literal sense. I understand his argument thus: You are now sinful, and especially guilty of rejecting the Messiah, whose divine mission has been sufficiently_authenticated: I shall soon depart from the earth; you will continue seeking for the Messiah, (for me, though you know it not,) but cannot come to him or find him, for he will be in heaven. In this hopeless search you will persist, and will die without having found or recognized him,-guilty of having rejected him when he was manifested to you, in addition to all your other sins. And such was the actual state of facts. The people, who are here addressed in their collective capacity, continued their unprofitable search, and at length not only died, remaining sinful, but perished in a signal manner, more than a million of them having been destroyed at the siege and overthrow of their principal city. Whither I go, ye cannot come. Some have vainly fancied that Jesus here intended a final exclusion from his presence. But this interpretation is inadmissible; because, in John xiii. 33 -36, Jesus repeated the same language 21. I go my way, &c. See notes on to his disciples, making express reJohn vii. 33, 34. Ye shall seek me. ference to this passage; and when The meaning of this verse is similar to Peter desired an explanation, he said, that of John vii. 33, 34, with the addi-"Whither I go, thou canst not follow tion, that the Jews should die in their me now; but thou shalt follow me sins. They would seek for the Mes- afterward." Hence the incapacity must siah, whose coming they so confident- be understood, not as perpetual, but only ly expected and passionately desired; as temporary. The real meaning of which Messiah Jesus was, though they our Lord is sufficiently illustrated in the knew it not. But he would be beyond former part of this note, and in note on their reach, he in heaven, and they on John vii. 34. earth. This is not to be understood of seeking for spiritual salvation by individuals, but of desiring temporal deliverance from grievous calamities by the people in the aggregate. ¶ Shall 22. Will he kill himself? See note on John vii. 35. They seem here to have approached more nearly to__the truth than on the former occasion. They then understood, or affected to under 23 And he said unto them, Ye | said unto you from the beginning. are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. 25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I stand, that he purposed to depart from Judea into foreign countries; but now they evidently understood him to refer to a departure from the earth. But this event they regarded as improbable soon to occur, as he was still young and in the enjoyment of perfect health. Hence their taunting, mocking question, will he kill himself? will he commit suicide, in order to place himself beyond our reach? 23. Ye are from beneath; I am from above. The earthly origin and corrupt passions of the Jews are here contrasted with the heavenly origin and spiritual character of Jesus. Their reference to suicide shows manifestly their determination not to interpret his language according to its true spiritual import, nor to receive him as a divine messenger from heaven. Ye are of this world, &c. Substantially the same idea repeated, in different phraseology. 24. Therefore. Because you are thus earthly minded and carnally disposed, because you will not understand the true character of my doctrine, the actual meaning of my language, nor the force of evidence arising from my miracles, because you thus persist in remaining blind to my true character,-I said, ye shall die in your sins. See note on ver. 21. That I am he. That is, the Messiah. 25. Who art thou? This question seems to have been proposed, not for information, but contemptuously. Jesus had not said, in so many words, that he was the Messiah, though his meaning could scarcely be mistaken; but they professed not to understand him, and superciliously demanded to know who he was, that he should presume to lecture them upon matters of duty, and threaten retribution for their neglect to perform it. Even the same, &c. He 26 I have many things to say, and to judge of you: but he that sent me, is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am referred them, for an answer, to his uniform testimony. He had not been a double-dealer; but had constantly professed himself commissioned by the Father to communicate blessings to mankind. He had announced himself as the light of the world, the bread from heaven, or the bread of life, the Son of God, who was sent not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He had avoided a distinct and explicit announcement to the Jews that he was the Messiah, for prudential reasons; knowing that he could not thus so successfully accomplish his ministry as otherwise. See notes on Matt. viii. 4; ix. 30; xvi. 20. Yet, by his language and works, he assumed so many characteristics of the Messiah, that blindness to the fact must have resulted from wilfulness or stupidity. 26. To judge of you. Or, to condemn in you. He was perfectly acquainted with their character. John ii. 25. And he saw much in them which deserved disapproval and condemnation. T He that sent me, &c. The idea seems to be this: though I have not mentioned or condemned all your faults, yet be assured that, so far as I have spoken, my judgment is just; for I have been guided therein by that divine wisdom which cannot err, and have spoken the decision not of myself alone, but of my Father, who is just and true. 27. They understood not, &c. It would seem that they must by this time have understood that he referred to God as his Father; but they were in the condition described by the prophet; having eyes they saw not, and having ears they heard not, neither did understand. Isa. vi. 10. 28. When ye have lifted up the Son of man. That is, crucified him. John iii. 14; xii. 32. T Shall ye know. Ye he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29 And he that sent me is with me the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. 30 As he spake these words, many believed on him. shall have even more conclusive evidence; referring to the miraculous events attending his crucifixion, or his resurrection, or the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in the apostles. T That I am he. The Messiah, as in ver. 24. That I do nothing of myself, &c. You shall then perceive that I have indeed done all things by that divine energy which the Father bestowed. 29. Is with me. He affords me constant aid by his spirit. ¶ I do always, &c. Jesus came not so much to do his own will as the will of his Father, and he delighted to execute that will. John iii. 16, 17; iv. 34; vi. 38, 39. And, being thus obedient and faithful, God was well pleased, and bestowed on him the highest honor. Luke ix. 35; Phil. ii. 8-11. 30. Many believed. Stiff-necked and rebellious as were the Jews generally, there were some, even on this occasion, who were overpowered by the force of our Lord's language, and believed on him as the Messiah. Doubtless, like others, they mistook his true character; yet they believed he was the one that should come. Luke vii. 19, 20. 31. If ye continue, &c. That is, if you remain steadfast in faith, listen to my instructions, and obey them. This is the true test of discipleship; it consist's not in a mere profession of faith, or in the actual exercise of faith for a short period, which afterwards evaporates; not in distressing fears succeeded by rapturous joy, which subsequently becomes a mere matter of memory; but in a steadfast adherence to the gospel of Christ, and a constant desire and effort to learn his will and obey it. Forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth to higher perfection, the true disciple strives continually to attain a more perfect resemblance to his divine Master. Phil. iii. 13, 14. See 32. Ye shall know the truth. note on John vii. 17. ¶ The truth shall 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how saymake you free. Or, deliver you, or save you. John xvii. 3, 17; 1 Tim. ii. 4. The knowledge of the truth, that is, of the gospel of grace and salvation, is frequently thus connected with the present salvation of men from the power of sin. Thus it is said to produce eternal life and deliverance from death and condemnation. John v. 24. Here it is described as making the believer free; that is, free from the power of sin, which is bondage. See Rom. vi. 16–23. "Religion is not slavery or oppression. It is true freedom. He alone is free whom the truth sets free, and all are slaves beside.' The service of God is freedom from degrading vices and carnal propensities; from the slavery of passion and inordinate desires. It is a cheerful and delightful surrender of ourselves to Him whose yoke is easy, and whose burden is light."-Barnes. The true Christian feels himself to be a servant, to be sure, bound to obey the will of God. But obedience produces such constant happiness, that he regards it quite as much a privilege as a duty. It is a principal source of enjoyment. And he constantly rejoices in the liberty to do good; the liberty to love God and obey him, to love mankind and benefit them. 33. They answered. Not the believing Jews, but the unconverted scoffers who heard the declaration of Jesus. We be Abraham's seed. That is, the children or posterity of Abraham. The Jews prided themselves on their descent from this worthy patriarch, and claimed high privileges as their birthright. But they were degenerate plants from a noble stock. Had they resembled Abraham in character, their pride of affinity might have been excused. But they imitated neither his faith nor his practice; and they were assured that their claim to exclusive privileges was unfounded. See Matt. iii. 9; Rom. ix. 6-8. ¶ Never in bondage. They |