John Gill Commentary John 5:45

"Think not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, [even] Moses, on whom ye have set your hope." — John 5:45 (ASV)

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father
To God the Father, as the Ethiopic version reads. The Syriac and Persic versions read by way of interrogation, "do you think that I will?" &c. Christ is no accuser of men; no, not of the worst of men; see (John 8:10John 8:11) ; he came not into the world to bring charges against men and condemn them, but to save them; to be an accuser is not agreeable to his characters of a Surety, a Saviour, an Advocate, and Judge: there were enough to accuse these persons of; as their perverseness and stubbornness, in not coming to Christ for life; their want of love to God; their rejection of him, though he came in his Father's name; their reception of another, that should come in his own name; their taking honour one of another, and not seeking the true spiritual and eternal honour, which God gives; but though he hints these things to them, he would not have them think that he accused them of them to the Father:

the Jews have a notion, that when the Messiah comes, there will be accusations lodged against their doctors and wise men ^F20 .``R. Zeira says, that R. Jeremiah bar Aba said, that in the generation in which the son of David shall come, there will be (Mymkx ydymltb ayrwgwjq) , "accusations against the disciples of the wise men".'' And one of their writers <sup>F21</sup> thus interprets, (Daniel 12:1) : ``and at that time "shall Michael stand up"; he shall be as silent as a dumb man, when he shall see the holy blessed God contending with him, and saying, how shall I destroy a nation so great as this, for the sake of Israel? "and there shall be a time of trouble" in the family above, and there shall be "accusations" against the disciples of the wise men.'' However, there was no need for Christ to accuse them; for as it follows,

there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom you trust ;
by whom is meant, not Moses personally; for when on earth, he was a mediator between God and the people of Israel, and an intercessor for them; and since he has been in heaven, as the dead know not any thing, he knew nothing of their affairs; and when he was on the mount with Christ, his discourse with him turned upon another subject: but either the writings of Moses, as in (Luke 16:29Luke 16:31) (24:27) ; or the doctrine of Moses, as (1 Corinthians 10:2) (John 9:28) ; or rather the law of Moses, (Matthew 22:24) (Mark 7:10) (Acts 6:11) (21:21) .

And in this the Jews trusted; they rested in it, and made their boast of it; and expected eternal life and salvation on account of their having it, and through their hearing it read every sabbath day, and by their obedience to it: and now sin being a transgression of the law, this same law brings charges against them, and accuses them of the breach of the several precepts of it, and pronounces them guilty before God; it curses and passes a sentence of condemnation on them, and according to it, will they perish eternally, without an interest in Christ; for their own righteousness by the law of works, will be of no avail to them; the law in which they trust for life, will rise up in judgment, and be a swift witness against them: so the Jews sometimes speak of the law, as witnessing against the people of Israel ^F23 .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F20: T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 112. 2.
• F21: Jarchi in Dan xii. 1. Vid. Abkath Rocel, par. 2. p. 265.
• F23: Prefat. Echa Rabbati, fol. 40. 1.