The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. John
For then streams of grace not only flowed, but poured down from heaven, not merely on a few, but on very many of the faithful. From thence there flowed forth such thousands of martyrs, who nobly endured the rack, the flames and the lions ; so many bands of virgins victoriously contending even to death for their Christian virginity ; so many swarms of monks and anchorets who in monasteries and deserts lived separate from the world and for God, as men of heaven, and angels upon earth ; so many orders of Pontiffs and Prelates, who governed most holily the churches committed to them, and moulded them to perfect sanctity ; such bands of Doctors, Preachers and Confessors, who scattered on every side their streams of doctrine and holy living, by their teaching, preaching and writings, enlightening the whole world with the knowledge of God, and enkindling it by His love ; of whom it is said, “ He shall pour forth as showers his wise sentences ” (Ecclus. xxxix. 6). And lastly, so many myriads of the faithful, both men and women, who living soberly, justly and godly in this world, eagerly looked, and still look for the glorious coming of our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Is not this great and unending glory to Jesus Christ?
Ver. 42 . — Doth not the Scripture say , &c. As Micah foretold. But Jesus is not the Christ as having been conceived and brought up at Nazareth. But He was born at Bethlehem, and since they had seen so many evident signs of His Messiahship, they were bound to inquire more carefully into this point which seemed to be wanting. And had they done so, they would have understood the truth, and would have known that His being a Galilean was no objection to His being the Christ ; but the people from indolence, and the Scribes from envy of Him, would not investigate the matter, and were both accordingly inexcusable.
Ver. 43. — So there was a division among the people because of Him. Some accusing Him of being an innovator, others excusing Him, and lauding Him as a Prophet.
Ver. 44. — And some of them would have taken Him, i.e., some of the multitude, not of the rulers, who were all of one mind not to acknowledge Him. But the officers who were sent for the purpose wished to apprehend Him.
But no man laid hands on Him . For Christ withheld them by His power of spirit, and the majesty of His countenance, much more by His Divine Power. And, moreover, the hour for His suffering had not yet come. So Cyril.
Ver. 45. — The officers therefore came, &c. As to the masters who had sent them.
And they said unto them , Why have ye not brought Him? Their coming was a greater thing than to have remained with Christ, for they would thus have been spared annoyance from them, but now they became heralds of Christ, and became more bold in their bearing, says S. Chrysostom.
Him, that innovator, deceiver, and false prophet. They deigned not to call Jesus by His own name.
Ver. 46. — The officers answered, &c. Because He was God-man, and therefore He teaches not with human but Divine grace, power, efficacy and majesty. Notice here the force of Christ’s words, His authority and dignity, which astounded these officers, who, though willing, were not able to take Him, nay were obliged to love, reverence and honour Him ; and to profess as much to their masters though most hostile to Christ. “Proving,” says Cyril, “how rash and weak it is to fight against Christ.” “They might certainly have excused themselves (says S. Chrysostom) “ by saying we dared not take Him, lest we should rouse to sedition against ourselves the multitude who favoured Him.” For they seemed not so much to admire Him, as to blame those who had sent them to seize Him, whom they ought rather to have listened to. Why sent ye us to seize so great a teacher? We have been captivated by the power of His words, and ye, if ye had heard Him yourselves, would have been captivated also. They spake not to please their masters, but to witness to the truth. Such is the power of truth. It is therefore probable that many of them were afterwards fully converted to Christ at Pentecost. For God seems to have rewarded in this way their sincere and noble testimony to Christ. “ They were laudably led astray,” says the Gloss, “in passing over to the faith from the evil of unbelief.” S. Cyril supposes that they suspected Him to be God. “ How then could we take Him, who is as far above us as God is above man?”
Ver. 47. — The Pharisees therefore answered, Are ye also deceived? “They were Christ’s implacable enemies,” says Nonnus. “ When they ought to have felt compunction, and to change their opinion,” says Chrysostom, “ they accuse the officers. But in mild terms, for fear they also should at the last fail them.” But they ought to have asked what there was so wonderful in Jesus’ words. But they took care not to do that, by their blind and obstinate hatred against Him. S. Cyril enforces it thus, “We may pardon the multitude for being deceived, but how could ye, who are our officers, and infected with the same incredulity with ourselves, how could you be so quickly led astray as to believe in Him?”
Ver. 48. — Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? And consequently He is not the Christ. An argument from authority, but yet a fallacy. For these rulers and Pharisees were the sworn enemies of Christ, because He reproved their sins. But yet some of the rulers secretly believed in Him, as Nicodemus. As S. Augustine wisely says, “ They who knew not the law, believed on Him who had sent the law, and they who taught the law despised Him who had sent it, that the saying might be fulfilled, ‘I am come that they which see not may see, and that they which see might be made blind.’ ”
Ver. 49. — But this people who knoweth not the Law are cursed. In passing, i.e., from Moses and the law to Jesus and the gospel. By this term the Pharisees endeavour to terrify the officers and others, and to turn them away from the faith and love of Jesus. “They are deserving” (says Theophylact) “of many curses for being unbelieving themselves, and the authors of unbelief in others.” As says S. Cyril, “Wise men by boasting become fools. For while they profess that they know the law, they accuse themselves of unbelief, and of ignorance also, in not acknowledging Christ, who was promised by the law, and who then stood before them.
Vers. 50, 51. — Nicodemus saith unto them , &c. The law of Moses, (Deut xiv. 14) and the law of nature, — Nicodemus accuses his colleagues of being the violators of both laws. But he does so in a quiet way, for fear of their anger. For, as S. Augustine saith, “ For he hoped if they would only hear Him patiently, they would become like those officers who were sent to take Christ, but preferred to believe on Him.” And further Cyril asserts that Nicodemus said this as pricked by his conscience. Still labouring under a fatal bashfulness , and not combining boldness of speech with his zeal, he exposes not to view the faith which was inherent in him. But vesting himself in a cloke of simulation, he was a kind of secret defender of Christ. Though it is the duty of believers without fear or shame to profess the true faith, as S. Paul said, “ I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.”
Ver. 52. — They answered, &c. And thou, as being of the same country, dost thou favour and defend Him ?
Search (the Scriptures , Vulg.) and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. They reply insolently, as though he knew not the Scriptures . Attend to us and learn. “ They insult him,” says Theophylact ; “go and learn, for up to this time thou hast not learned that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” (1.) This was not true. For Deborah was of Galilee (Judges iv. 4-6), and Anna of the tribe of Aser (Luke ii. 36), and Nahum the Elkoshite from Elkosh, a city in
Galilee. And in Samaria which adjoined Galilee there were many Prophets, as Elijah, Elisha, and the hundred which Obadiah hid in a cave.
(2.) It is rash to assert that because, up to that time, no Prophet had arisen from Galilee, none would afterwards arise.
(3.) It was foolish, because Nicodemus had never said that Jesus was a Prophet, but merely that He should not be condemned without being heard; but they were so blinded by hatred, as to do many rash and foolish things contrary to reasonable judgment.
Ver. 53 . — And every one went to his own house. “ Fearing lest any one else should support Nicodemus,” says Euthymius. They therefore deferred their intention of killing Jesus, but did not revoke it. God brought about this delay, by means of Nicodemus, because the ordained hour had not come.