Verse 15. And the Jews were amazed, saying, 'Why did you not learn this message?'6 They were amazed, not at what Jesus Christ taught, but at how He knows the Scriptures without studying. They understood that His teaching was full of all wisdom, and they thought that without knowledge of the Scriptures He could not teach it. From this they should have learned that God is He Who is Wisdom Itself, the One Who Himself has found all the ways of wisdom (Bar. 3:37).

Verse 16. Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but He who sent me."7 My teaching is spoken in accordance with the truth, but not mine is spoken in accordance with the all-wise plans of the Economy, in order to give honor to the Father and God, and to show humility and thereby make the teaching itself more acceptable. But if this is said in accordance with the plans of the Economy, then there can be no falsehood here, because everything that belongs to the Son also belongs to the Father, just as everything that belongs to the Father certainly belongs to the Son; everything is common to Them, as equals. Or according to another deeper understanding: the teaching that seems to you to be Mine is not Mine in the proper sense, since I do not have My own special teaching, but the teaching of the Father, since I learned it from the Father, because with Us nature and will are identical, and because I am His Word; although I am another Hypostasis, yet I say and do so that you consider Us to be one.

Verse 17. If anyone desires to do His will, he understands the doctrine which is from God, or I speak of Himself.8 By the will of God is here called the fulfillment of virtue and attention to prophecies about Him, because virtue purifies the mind, and prophecies clearly teach. The one who speaks of his own free will speaks on his own behalf. Further, he cites a consideration against which nothing can be said.

Verse 18. Speak of thyself, seeketh thy glory: but seek the glory of Him that sent Him, this one is true.9 Glory in this passage is called honor. Everywhere He placed the Father and God above Him, and attributed everything to Him, even His own deeds. And so, he who does not seek his own glory, why will he teach any foreign doctrine? And he who does not teach someone else's teaching, but that which belongs to him who sent him, is certainly true. And why did Jesus Christ draw everyone to faith in Himself and say: "He who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:23)? Apparently, He was seeking His glory by this. But He did this and spoke not out of love for His glory, but out of a desire to save people, which could happen in no other way than through faith in Him. The Father said: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased: Hear ye Him" (Matt. 17:5), and many other things of the same kind through the prophets.

Verse 18... And there is no unrighteousness in Him. He who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is not unjust. By unrighteousness in this passage some understood falsehood. There were many reasons why Jesus Christ spoke of Himself in a humiliating way: first of all, so that they would not think that He was not born, and would not consider Him an opponent of God, then – the weakness of the listeners, then – the one to teach people to be humble and not to say anything great about themselves, then – the fact that He spoke as a man, and – many others; but there was only one reason why He spoke lofty, namely, the loftiness of the Godhead. Since the Jews themselves brought two accusations against Jesus Christ: breaking the law and resisting God; because He broke the Sabbath and called God His Father, making Himself equal with God, as it is said above in the fifth chapter (v. 18), to one thing He answered them there, showing that He did not resist God, and to the other He now answers, and shows that they themselves are rather transgressors of the law.

Verse 19. Did not Moses give you the law... 1 The law in general refers to the commandments of the law, which Moses gave when he received them from God and wrote them to the people. So he asks; Did not Moses give you the law, Moses, whom you revere and so strongly defended, with whom God spoke?

Verse 19... And no one of you makes the law... 2 He creates, i.e. observes. Then he adds how they do not keep the law.

Verse 19... Why do you seek to kill me?3 If the law says; Thou shalt not kill, then how then do you try to kill Me, not keeping the law, not honoring Moses, who gave it to you? It is shameless to break the law to accuse another of breaking the law.

Verse 20. And the people answered, and said, Is it the devil of the Imashi? Who seeketh thee to be killed?4 This is what the people say, desiring to please the rulers, and to dishonor him who stands above all honor, in order to honor the rulers who are worthy of all dishonor. The people deny their desire to kill Jesus Christ, both out of hatred for Him, and so that, unguarded by anyone, He could be more easily seized by malefactors (Knowing that they are shameless and come to anger again, Jesus Christ leaves more to rebuke them, so that they do not become even more shameless; He did not want to constantly kindle anger in them.

Verse 21. Jesus answered and said to them, "One work you have done, and all be amazed."5 By one deed he calls the healing on the Sabbath of a 38-year-old paralytic, which is narrated in the fifth chapter. And all be amazed, that is, be troubled, troubled; these were those who at that time were raging and from that time onwards sought to kill Him. Further, Jesus Christ said that Moses gave circumcision, and they circumcised on the Sabbath, when the eighth day of the child was on the Sabbath; and then draws this conclusion; if a man is circumcised on the Sabbath (and circumcision is a deed), then why do you accuse Moses, who commanded the work on the Sabbath?

Verse 22. For this reason Moses has given you circumcision, not as it is from Moses, but from the fathers: and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.6 Homilies; for this reason – do not have a causal meaning here, but are simply placed according to the Jewish custom. So Jesus Christ says that Moses will give you circumcision... and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man, and He put all the middle words to show that although Moses also transmitted circumcision, it is older than it. He said, "Not as it is of Moses," i.e. Moses handed down to you circumcision, not as having received its beginning from his legislation, not as having begun from that time, but from the fathers, namely Abraham, since it was commanded to him first. And although it seems to have already been borrowed (into legislation), it nevertheless becomes more important than the Sabbath.

Verse 23. If a man accepts circumcision on the Sabbath, let not the law of Moses be destroyed, are you angry with Me, for you made all man healthy on the Sabbath?... 1 – that the law of Moses concerning circumcision should not be broken. He called it the law of Moses, as handed down by him, as we have said. And so, Jesus Christ says: "If a man accepts circumcision on the Sabbath, are you angry with Me, because you have made all man healthy, while you were not indignant with Moses, who before Me commanded circumcision to be performed on the Sabbath? He said the whole man, because He healed his entire paralyzed body, or thereby showed that He healed not only his body, but also his soul.

Verse 24. Do not judge by faces... 2 Do not judge him partially, absolving him from guilt, as great and glorious among you, but accusing me as despised and inglorious.

Verse 24... But judge righteous judgment, looking not at persons, but at deeds; or in other words: circumcision was a sign only of the Jew, and the work I have done is the complete healing of every person sealed by Me.