Hereafter I will not talk much with you
Meaning before his death; for after his resurrection he talked
much with them, about the things pertaining to the kingdom of
God; being seen of them and conversing with them, for the space
of forty days; not much, he says, chiefly what is delivered in
the two next chapters: the design of this was, to observe to them
that his time of departure was near at hand, and to quicken their
attention to what he did say to them; since they could not expect
to hear him long, or much more from him; he would be otherwise
engaged;
for the prince of this world cometh:
by "the prince of this world", is meant the devil; why he is so
called, (See Gill on John
12:31); the reason why Christ chooses to use this
circumlocution, rather than to say Satan or the devil cometh, is
partly to point out what a powerful adversary he had, and was
about to engage with, and partly to observe to his disciples,
what they must expect from the world, even hatred and
persecution; since Satan was the prince of it, and had such
powerful influence over the minds of the men of it. When it is
said that he cometh, it is to be understood of his coming to
Christ, though it is not expressed, and that with an intent
agreeably to his character, as a thief, to kill and to destroy;
and not of his coming merely by Judas, into whom he had already
entered, and had put it into his heart to betray him; and by the
armed soldiers, who would accompany him to apprehend him; and by
the chief priests, rulers, and people of the Jews, who with
united voices would cry, Crucify him, Crucify him; nor only
invisibly by his angels, his principalities and powers, he was
now employing in different ways, to bring about his purposes; but
of his coming himself personally, and visibly: as he visibly
appeared to Christ in the wilderness, tempting him, where he left
him for a season; so this season or opportunity being come, he
takes it, and visibly appears to him in the garden, where a sharp
agony and combat was between them; what success he had in this
conflict, is next mentioned;
and hath nothing in me;
or as some copies read it, "shall find nothing in me"; or as
others, "hath nothing to find in me"; Christ had no sin in him,
which can be said of none but him. The Jews say {e}, that Samuel,
by whom they mean the devil, when he wrestled with Jacob,
(Nwe wb aum alv) , "could
not find any iniquity in him", he had committed; but this is only
true of Jacob's antitype: for though his emissaries sought
diligently for it, they could find none in him; though he had sin
upon him, he had none in him; the sins of his people were imputed
to him, but he had no sin inherent in him; hence, though he the
Messiah was "cut off", according to ( Daniel 9:26 ) , "but
not for himself"; which by the Septuagint is rendered
(kai krima) (ouk estin en autw) , "but there is no
judgment" or "condemnation in him", i.e. no cause of
condemnation; which agrees with what is here said: though the
accuser of men sought to have something against him, to accuse
him of, he could find none; some pretences indeed were made, and
charges brought, but could not be made good, insomuch that the
judge himself said, "I find in him no fault at all", ( John 18:38 ) : so that
the devil had no power over him, no rightful power, nor any but
what he had by permission, nor indeed did he prevail over him;
for though according to the first prophecy of the Messiah, Satan
bruised the heel of Christ; yet Christ bruised his head,
destroyed him and his works, spoiled him, and his principalities
and powers; whence it appears that the death of Christ was not
owing to any sin of his own, for he had none, nor could any be
found in him; nor to the superior power of the devil over him; he
submitted to death, not through the power of Satan over him, and
complied with all the circumstances leading to it, not out of
fear of him, but in love to his Father, and obedience to his
command; as is clear from the following verse.