The Harmony Chronicle and Order of the New Testament, Part 1 · Section 59
SECTION LIX. JOHN Chap. VII. from Ver. II, to the end of the Chapter. CHRIST, at the Feast of Tabernacles.
THe pregnancy of the order here, speaks it self: In the two preceding Sections, Iesus was in the way up to the Feast, and now he is come there.
Now is the year of the World 3960, and the year of Christ ▪ 33 begun: both entring in this very monethmonth in which the Feast of Tabernacles was. The great year of the world, the fullnesse of time, the year of redemption and powring down of the Spirit. It was indeed the year of Jubilee, however the Jews would jumble their account [as see Maymon. in Shemittah veiobel. per. 10.] whether ignorantly or wilfully let them look to it. For count from the 7th year of the rule of Ioshua, when the warres of Canaan ended, and Jubilees began, and you have 1400 years to this present year that we are upon, just eight and twenty Jubilees: this year the last that Israel must ever see. It is the confession of Zohar in Lev. 25. that the Divine glory should be freedom and redemption in a year of Iubilee. Compare the sending out of the seventy Disciples neer upon the very instant when this Jubilee began, with the sounding of the Trumpet for the proclaiming of the Jubilee, Lev. 25.9. and there is a fair equity and unanswerablenesse to that type, in that very thing.
From this Feast of Tabernacles to the Passeover at which time Christ suffered, was that last half year, of the last half seven mentioned Dan. 9. which compare with the last half year of Israels being in Egypt, in which time Moses did his miracles, and which ended also at the Passeover.
Among the many varieties of solemnity and festivity used at the Feast of Tabernacles, of which we have given account at large in another volume, there was the powring out of water fetched out of the fountain Siloam, with the wine of the drink-offering, and at night their most transportant joyfulnesse, expressed by their singing, dancing and the like jocund gestures, for that powring out of water: which by some, in Ierus. succah, fol. 55. col. 1. is interpreted to signifie the powring out of the holy Ghost: The consideration of this illustrates ver. 37, 38. where it is said, that on the last and great day of the Feast, Iesus cried, If any thirst, &c. He that beleeveth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of water, &c. Upon which words many beleeved him, because they had seen already so fair evidence of the gifts of the Spirit, in the powerfull works of himself and his Disciples: and yet the text saith here, The holy Ghost was not yet given, because Iesus was not yet glorified: a far greater gift of that being yet behind.
The Sanhedrin would fain have been medling with him to have tried him for a false Prophet, as may be gathered from their words ver. 52. but his hour was not yet come.
JOHN Chap. VIII. A woman taken in Adultery, &c.
IT is said in the conclusion of the former Chapter, that every one [of the Sanhedrin] went home, and here, Iesus went into the mount of Olives: which joyns the story plain enough. Not that he lodged in mount Olivet in the open fields, but that he went to Bethany, and lodged in the house of Lazarus, of which we shall finde confirmation in the next Section.
In the morning he comes to the Temple, and in the treasury, or the Court of the women, he sitteth down, and teacheth the people: For it was the custom for the Teachers of the people to sit when they taught, and those that were taught to stand about them. As he thus sits teaching, the Scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to him taken in the act of Adultery, &c.
The Syriack wants this story: and Beza doubts it [a man alwayes ready to suspect the text] because of the strangenesse of Christs action, writing with his finger on the ground. Mihi ut ingenuè loquar [saith he] vel ob hunc ipsum locum suspecta est haec historia. Whereas it speaks the style of Iohn thoroughout, and the demeanour of the Scribes and Pharisees, and of Christ most consonantly to their carriage all along the Gospel. The snare that they laid for him in this matter, was various. That he should condemn the adulteresse, but where was the adulterer? why brought they not him too? If he condemned her, he seemed to assume Judiciall power: if he condemned her not, he seemed a contemer of the Law. But he in his divine wisdom used such a mean, as condemned their basenesse, and confounded their machination against him. His writing with his finger upon the ground, may rather be construed from allusion to Numb. 5.23. or from Ier. 17.13. or from a passage in Tal. Ierus. in Megillah. fol. 74. col. 2. or from severall other illustrations, then for that action toughly and rudely to deny the authenticknesse of the story. The censuring and judging of this woman, belonged to a Judiciall bench at the least of twenty three Judges, and it would have carried a fair accusation against him, had he gone about to judge in such a matter. The woman was espoused and not yet married, as see Deut. 22.24. for their Judicials punished him that lay with an espoused maid, with stoning, Sanhedr. per. 7 halac. 4. but him that lay with a married wife, with strangling, Ibid. per. 11. halac. 1.
Christs words at ver. 25. I am even the same that I said to you from the beginning, refer to his open and manifest asserting himself for the Messia a year and a half ago before the Sanhedrin, Joh. 5.
Their words to him, ver. 57. Thou art not yet fifty years old, mean, Thou art not yet come within the compasse of old age, no not to the first skirts of it, for fifty years was the beginning of superannuation to the Levites at the Temple, Numb. 4. and the Jews had a common opinion, that whosoever died before fifty, or at least fifty two, died untimely, and as it were by cutting off.