The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. John
Ver. 18 . — He that speaketh of Himself &c. But on the other hand Cyril concludes with, “ He who seeks not God’s glory but his own, is a liar, and full of deceit.” — a liar, because under pretence of observing the law he puts forth his own will ; and full of deceit, because he dares to prefer his own commands to those of God. This then is the second proof that Christ gives, that He speaks not of Himself. Put logically it is thus, He that speaks for Himself seeks his own glory. But I seek not my own glory ; therefore I speak not of Myself. Heretics and philosophers teach their own opinions, and call their followers after their own names. For in either case, it is desire for fame which causes heresies and sects.
Unrighteousness , that is fraud, craft, deception, for Christ teaches sincerely and truly what he believes will please God and promote His glory, while others seek their own glory, and use flattery and other arts to extort it from men for themselves.
Ver. 19-20. — Did not Moses give you the law? And yet, &c. The primary sense is, no wonder ye do not accept Mine and My Father’s law, since ye keep not the law of Moses, which ye value so much and urge against Me. For it strictly forbids murder (Ex. xxiii. 7). So S. Augustine and others. But secondly, F. Lucas thus explains it more profoundly and more closely to the context: “Ye accuse Me of disregarding the law, and breaking the Sabbath by healing the paralytic. But ye equally break it by circumcising a man, which is a longer and more cruel act than healing with a word. Ye are therefore more deserving of death than I am.”
Ver. 20. — The people answered and said. Thou hast a devil, who seeketh to kill Thee? That is, Thou art mad as Saul was when possessed with a devil. Or more strictly, it is the devil who instigates Thee to make this false charge of murder against us. We never thought of it. These are the words of the people, some of whom thought well, and others ill of Christ, but yet did not wish to kill Him. But that was the wish of the Scribes and rulers, who mingled with the crowd. Christ therefore glances at them, and openly proclaims their secret plans for killing Him, which were fully known to Him, thus shewing Him to be God.
Ver. 21.— Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. The work of healing the paralytic. Jesus did not return taunt for taunt, but forbearingly suppressed his feelings, and with gentleness and prudence pulled up their charge by the roots. “ He was not troubled, but calm in the possession of His truth ; He returned not evil for evil, or railing for railing, though, if He had said to them, Ye have a devil, He would certainly have spoken truth ; for they would never have said such things to Him who is Truth itself, if the false teaching of the devil had not ensnared them.
Ye wonder, and are indignant, as though I had done contrary to the law. “ Ye are disturbed and agitated,” says S. Chrysostom. “ Ye condemn Me,” says Cyril, “Ye seek to kill Me,” says Euthymius. The order of events is inverted. For astonishment caused indignation , indignation disturbance, disturbance the contriving His death.
Ver. 22 . — For this cause Moses, &c. (1.) Some, as Theophylact and Maldonatus, connect this with the preceding verse, “ Ye all marvel at this My healing on the Sabbath.” (2.) Euthymius and Jansen explain thus, “To keep you from wondering, just consider what I am going to say about circumcision.”
(3.) S. Cyril, Toletus and F. Lucas explain it thus : “ Though Moses gave you circumcision, it was because he wished studiously to observe the tradition of the fathers, and yet on the Sabbath day, which Moses also authorised, ye circumcise a man.” (4.) It is on account of the surprise you feel that I add an argument from the rite of circumcision, which ye perform by Moses' own order on the Sabbath.
Not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers. The patriarch, and not Moses, instituted circumcision. And he adds this to teach them not to rely to such an extent on the law of Moses alone, respecting the Sabbath, or to neglect the laws of those who preceded him. But on the other hand, if those earlier laws are at variance with the law of Moses, the elder laws should prevail and the law of Moses give way to them. And, thus, the law of circumcision given to Abraham cancelled the law of the Sabbath given to
Moses, that if a child were born on the Sabbath, he was obliged to be circumcised precisely on the eighth day, and that his circumcision could not possibly be deferred to the day following. If then the law of Moses was obliged to give way to the law of Abraham, much more should it give way to the Law of Christ and God, which orders us to do good, if we can, to the sore afflicted, even on the Sabbath, more especially if we do so quickly, and in a word, as Christ did.
And ye on the Sabbath day circumcise a man. And, i.e., therefore, because the law of circumcision was anterior, and given to Abraham by God, it overrules the Sabbath, which was instituted afterwards by Moses at the command of God. And therefore, if the eighth day from the child’s birth is the Sabbath, ye circumcise him with great preparation and trouble, that the law of God given to Abraham may be kept.
Ver. 23. — If a man on the Sabbath day receive circumcision , &c. If circumcision, which in its own nature is a servile, troublesome, and tedious work, as well as one causing pain, is not only lawful, but even commanded to be done on the Sabbath ; why am not I equally allowed to heal on the Sabbath a man who has been paralysed for so many years, and with a word to restore him to health, and that too to the alone praise and glory of God ? For the law of piety and kindness is a law of nature, to which every law, human and divine, such as that of the Sabbath, should give way. Observe here, “the whole man.” For as Euthymius remarks, since his whole body was shattered by palsy, He rendered it entirely whole. Christ appositely compares the healing to circumcision, because as a superfluous part of the body is cut off by the one, so the palsy, which was attacking his whole body, was cut off by the other. But circumcision took place with pain and wounds, the healing by Christ with pleasure and complete health, for He healed the whole man, that is, body and soul together. Christ appears to have cut off from the soul of this sick man his vices and sins, and to have justified and sanctified him, as well as others who were healed by Him, just as circumcision by circumcising the flesh circumcised the soul also ; cut away from it original sin, and clothed it with the grace and righteousness of God.
Ver. 24. — Judge not according to appearance , but judge righteous judgment. He charges the Jews with acceptance of persons, in acquitting Moses, or rather themselves, in a like matter, but accusing and condemning Jesus. Ye accuse Me as a Sabbath-breaker only for healing a sick man by my divine power, whereas ye think it lawful by the law of Moses to circumcise and wound a child, to heal his wound by applying plasters, and to staunch the blood, which is much more tedious, painful and horrible. And this is because ye judge not according to the truth of things, but according to the dignity of the persons. For Me ye contemn as vile, poor and hated ; but ye set up yourselves with Moses as the chiefs and teachers of the people. For were ye to judge according to our doings, ye ought to acquit Me as well as Moses and yourselves ; or if ye condemn Me, ye should condemn both Moses and yourselves. For I healed the man on the Sabbath, but ye with Moses on the very same day first wound and afterwards heal the child. And my object was even more holy, because I did it only for the glory of God, to show that I was the Messiah. So say S. Augustine, S. Chrysostom, and others. Many think that Christ here put Himself above Moses. But it would be more fitly said that Christ here compared Himself with the Jews, who, according to the law of Moses, circumcised on the Sabbath. But Moses never expressly commanded this. It was merely inferred from his words.
Ver. 25. — Therefore said some of them of Jerusalem, Those, that is, that were convinced by Christ’s argument. Many of the people at Jerusalem had a leaning towards Him, but could not openly show it for fear of the rulers.
Is not this He whom they seek to kill? They knew, says S. Augustine, how savagely He was sought for. The others then said falsely and craftily, “Who seeketh to kill Thee?”
Ver. 26. — And lo He speaketh openly , and they say nothing against Him . What means this great silence ? says Nonnus. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? They know it, or easily could have known it, but they, blinded by their pride and hatred, persecuted Him to the death; but they were restrained by His divine power from laying hands on Him.