Tractates on the Gospel of John 71.1–73.4

Hear with your ears, take in with your minds, beloved: we are the ones speaking, but he is teaching who does not withdraw from us. The Lord says, as you heard just now when it was read: "The words that I speak to you I do not speak from myself; but the Father who abides in me, he does the works." So words too are works? Plainly so. For surely one who builds up his neighbor by speaking does a good work. But what is "I do not speak from myself," except "I who speak am not from myself"? For he attributes what he does to him from whom he himself, who does it, is. For God the Father is not from anyone; but the Son is God, equal to the Father indeed, yet from God the Father. So the Father is God, but not from God, and light, but not from light; the Son is God from God, light from light.

For different heretics oppose us, each holding on to one of these two statements, the one where it was said, "I do not speak from myself," the other where it was said, "But the Father who abides in me, he does the works"; striving not in one direction but in contrary directions, they wander off the road of truth. The Arians say: "See, the Son is unequal to the Father; he does not speak from himself." The Sabellians, that is, the Patripassians, say on the contrary: "See, the one who is the Father is himself also the Son; for what does 'The Father who abides in me, he does the works' mean, but 'I abide in myself, I who do them'?" You say contrary things, but not in the way a falsehood is contrary to the truth; rather as two falsehoods are contrary to each other. By straying in opposite directions you have left the road that lies in the middle. You are separated from each other by a longer distance than from the road itself, which you have deserted. You from this side, and you from that, come here: do not cross over to each other, but by coming to us from this side and that, find each other. Sabellians, acknowledge the one you pass over; Arians, acknowledge as equal the one you subordinate; and you will walk with us on the true road. For there is something of which each of you ought to be reminded by the other. Listen, Sabellian: the Son is so far from being the Father himself, and so truly another, that the Arian asserts he is unequal to the Father. Listen, Arian: the Son is so truly equal to the Father that the Sabellian says he is the same as the Father. You, add back the one you take away; you, make complete the one you diminish; and you will both stand with us. For neither may you take away, nor you diminish, him who is both other than the Father, to refute the Sabellian, and equal to the Father, to refute the Arian. For he cries out to both: "I and the Father are one." Let the Arians hear "one"; let the Sabellians hear "are"; and let neither the one group, by denying the equal, nor the other, by denying the other, be vain. If then, because he said, "The words that I speak to you I do not speak from myself," he is thought to be of such unequal power that he does not do what he wills, let what he said be heard: "As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will." Again, if because he said, "The Father who abides in me, he does the works," it is thought that the Father is not one and he another, let what he said be heard: "Whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does likewise"; and let it be understood that they are not one twice over, but two who are one. But because they are so equal to each other that yet the one is from the other, therefore he does not speak from himself, because he is not from himself; and therefore the Father abiding in him himself does the works, because the one through whom and with whom he does them is from no one but him. Finally he adds and says: "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? Otherwise believe because of the works themselves." Before, Philip alone was rebuked; but now it is shown that he was not the only one there who needed rebuke. "Because of the works themselves," he says, "believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me": for if we were separated, we could in no way work inseparably.

But what is it that follows? "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and he will do greater than these, because I am going to the Father; and whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." So he promised that he himself would do those greater works too. Let not the servant exalt himself above his Lord, or the disciple above his master: he says they will do greater things than he does, but with himself doing them in them or through them, not with them doing them as of themselves. For to him it is sung: "I will love you, O Lord, my strength." But what, after all, are these greater things? Is it perhaps that, as the apostles passed by, even their shadow healed the sick? For it is greater for a shadow to heal than for the fringe of a garment. That he did by himself, this through them; yet he did both. But when he said these things, he was commending the works of his words; for he had said: "The words that I speak to you I do not speak from myself; but the Father who abides in me, he does the works." What works did he then mean but the words he was speaking? They heard and believed, and the fruit of those same words was their faith; yet when the disciples preached the gospel, not just a few, as they were, but even nations believed: these are without doubt greater. Yet he did not say, "You will do greater things than these," so that we would think only the apostles would do them; but "Whoever believes in me," he says, "will also do the works that I do, and he will do greater than these." Does everyone who believes in Christ, then, do what Christ did, or greater things than Christ? These things must not be treated in passing, nor rushed in haste; but the need to close this sermon now forces us to put them off.

What the Lord's words mean, "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do," and how they are to be taken, is not easy to comprehend; and since this is very hard to understand, he added something harder: "And he will do greater than these." What is this? We could not find anyone who would do the works Christ did; are we going to find one who will even do greater? But we had said in the previous sermon that it was greater to heal the sick by the passing of one's shadow, which the disciples did, than by the touch of the fringe, which the Lord himself did; and that more believed when the apostles preached than when the Lord preached with his own mouth; so that these seem to be the works to be understood as greater: not that the disciple was greater than the master, or the servant than the Lord, or the adopted than the Only-begotten, or man than God, but that he deigned to do these same greater things through them, he who says to them in another place, "Without me you can do nothing." For he himself, to omit other things, which are innumerable, made them without them, made this world without them; and because he deigned to become man himself, he made even himself without them. But what did they do without him, except sin? Finally, here too he soon removed what could have troubled us on this matter: for when he had said, "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and he will do greater than these," he went on at once to add, "Because I am going to the Father, and whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." He who had said "he will do" afterwards says "I will do," as if he said: Do not let this seem impossible to you; for he who believes in me cannot be greater than I, but it is I who will do it, and greater things then than now; greater things through him who believes in me than apart from him through myself. Yet it is I myself apart from him, and I myself through him; but when it is apart from him, he will not do it; when it is through him, though not through himself, he too will do it. Moreover, to do greater things through him than apart from him is not a failing but a condescension. For what can servants give back to the Lord for all that he has given them? For among other good things he deigned to grant them this as well, that he would do greater things through them than apart from them. Did not that rich man go away sad from his very mouth, when he sought counsel about eternal life? He heard, he rejected; and yet afterward what one man heard from him and did not do, many did, when the good master spoke through his disciples: despised by the rich man whom he warned in person, loved by those whom he made poor from rich through the poor. See, he did greater things when preached by believers than when he spoke to hearers.

But this still troubles us, that he did these greater things through the apostles; yet he did not say, meaning only them, "You will do the works that I do, and you will do greater than these," but, wishing all who belong to his household to be understood, he says, "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and he will do greater than these." If then whoever believes will do them, certainly whoever will not do them does not believe; just as it is: "Whoever loves me keeps my commandments"; from which surely whoever does not keep them does not love. Again in another place he says, "Whoever hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who builds his house upon the rock"; whoever, then, is not like this wise man beyond doubt either hears these words and does not do them, or does not hear them at all. "Whoever believes in me," he says, "though he die, shall live"; whoever, then, will not live certainly does not believe. Such too is this: "Whoever believes in me will do"; certainly he does not believe who will not do. What is this, brothers? Is he not to be counted among believers in Christ who has not done greater works than Christ? It is harsh, it is absurd, it cannot be borne: it is not tolerable unless it is understood. Let us hear the Apostle, then: "To one who believes in him who justifies the ungodly," he says, "his faith is counted as righteousness." In this work let us do the works of Christ, because even believing in Christ is itself a work of Christ. This he works in us, though certainly not without us. Hear now, then, and understand: "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do": first I do, then he too will do; because I do so that he may do. What works, but that from ungodly he becomes righteous?

"And he will do greater than these." Than what, I ask? Does he who works out his own salvation with fear and trembling do greater things than all the works of Christ? This, certainly, Christ works in him, but not without him. I would say outright that this is greater than heaven and earth and whatever is seen in heaven and on earth. For "heaven and earth will pass away"; but the salvation and justification of the predestined, that is, of those whom he foreknows, will remain. In those there is only the work of God, but in these there is also the image of God. But in the heavens too, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, Archangels, and Angels are works of Christ; does he then do greater things even than these works, who, with Christ working in him, cooperates toward his own eternal salvation and justification? I do not dare to rush to a verdict here; let him understand who can, let him judge who can, whether it is greater to create the righteous than to justify the ungodly. For certainly, if both belong to equal power, the latter belongs to greater mercy. For this is "the great mystery of godliness, which was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, appeared to angels, preached among the nations, believed in the world, taken up in glory." But no necessity compels us to understand all the works of Christ where he says, "He will do greater than these." For perhaps he said "than these" meaning those he was doing at that hour; and at that time he was doing words of faith, and he had spoken beforehand of these works, saying, "The words that I speak to you I do not speak from myself; but the Father who abides in me, he does the works." At that time, then, his words were his works. And certainly it is less to preach words of righteousness, which he did apart from us, than to justify the ungodly, which he does in us in such a way that we too do it. It remains to ask how we are to take, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." For because of the many things his faithful ask and do not receive, no small question arises here; but since this sermon must now be closed, let at least a short postponement be given for considering and treating it.

The Lord promised a great hope to those who hope in him, saying: "Because I am going to the Father, and whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." So he went to the Father in such a way as not to leave the needy but to hear those who ask. But what is "whatever you ask," when we see his faithful very often asking and not receiving? Is it perhaps because they ask badly? For the apostle James reproached this, saying: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask badly, to spend it on your desires." So one who would use badly what he wants to receive does not receive it, rather by God's mercy. Therefore if something is asked of him by which a man would be harmed if his prayer were heard, it is rather to be feared that what he could withhold in kindness he may give in anger. Do we not see that the Israelites obtained, to their harm, what they asked with blameworthy desire? For they had longed to eat meat, though manna was being rained on them from heaven. They loathed what they had, and shamelessly asked for what they did not have; as if they would not have done better to ask, not that the food they lacked be supplied to an unseemly desire, but that their loathing be healed and the food at hand be taken. For when evil things delight us and good things do not, we ought to ask God rather that good things may delight us than that evil things be granted. Not that it is evil to eat meat, since the Apostle, speaking of this matter, says, "Every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving"; but because, as he also says, "It is evil for the man who eats with offense"; and if with offense to a man, how much more to God? To him it was no small offense in the Israelites to reject what wisdom gave and to ask for what desire gaped after; although they did not even ask, but grumbled because it was lacking. But so that we might know that it is not God's creature that is blameworthy but stubborn disobedience and disordered desire, the first man found death not because of a pig but because of a fruit, and Esau lost his birthright not because of a hen but because of a lentil stew.

How then is "Whatever you ask, I will do it" to be understood, if God does not do some things that the faithful ask, even in caring for them? Should we perhaps take it as said to the apostles alone? Far from it. For the point from which he came to say this was what he had said above: "Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and he will do greater than these," which we treated in the previous sermon. And so that no one would attribute this to himself, to show that it is he himself who does even those greater works, he added and said: "Because I am going to the Father; and whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." Did the apostles alone believe in him? So when he said, "Whoever believes in me," he was speaking to those among whom, by his gift, we too are, who certainly do not receive whatever we ask. Even if we think of the most blessed apostles themselves, we find that he who labored more than them all, yet not he but the grace of God with him, asked the Lord three times that the angel of Satan might depart from him, and yet did not receive what he had asked. What shall we say, beloved? Shall we think that this promise, where he says, "Whatever you ask, I will do it," was not fulfilled by him even for the apostles? And for whom at last will he fulfill what he promises, if he cheated his own apostles of his promise?

Wake up, then, believer, and listen attentively to what is placed there: "in my name." For he did not say "whatever you ask" in any way at all, but "in my name." What then is he called who promised so great a benefit? Christ Jesus, of course: Christ means King, Jesus means Savior. Certainly not just any king will save us, but the King who is Savior; and therefore whatever we ask against the interest of our salvation, we do not ask in the name of the Savior. And yet he is Savior not only when he does what we ask but also when he does not; for when he sees something asked against salvation, he shows himself the Savior rather by not doing it. For the doctor knows what the sick man asks for in favor of his health and what against it; and therefore he does not do the will of one who asks for what is harmful, so that he may bring about health. So when we want him to do whatever we ask, let us ask not in any way at all but in his name, that is, let us ask in the name of the Savior. Let us not, then, ask against our salvation; for if he does that, he does not do it as Savior, which is his name for his faithful. For he who deigns to be Savior to the faithful is also the one who condemns the ungodly. So whoever believes in him, whatever he asks in that name which he bears for those who believe in him, he does it, because he does it as Savior. But if one who believes in him asks through ignorance something against his own salvation, he does not ask in the name of the Savior; for he will not be his Savior if he does what hinders his salvation. Hence it is then better that, by not doing what he is called upon for, he may do what he is called. Therefore, as not only Savior but also good teacher, so that he may do whatever we ask, he taught us in the very prayer he gave us what to ask; so that in this way too we may understand that we do not ask in the teacher's name what we ask outside the rule of his teaching.

Certainly, even when we ask certain things in his name, that is, ask in accordance with the Savior and in accordance with the teacher, he does not do them at the time we ask, but he does them nonetheless. For it is not the case that, because we ask that the kingdom of God may come, he does not do what we ask simply because we do not at once reign with him in eternity: what we ask is deferred, not denied. Yet in praying, as in sowing, let us not lose heart; for in due season we shall reap. And at the same time, when we ask well, let us ask that he not do what we ask badly; for this too belongs to what we say in the same Lord's Prayer: "Lead us not into temptation." For it is no small temptation if your request is against your own cause. But we must not listen carelessly to this: lest anyone think that what he promised to do for those who ask he would do without the Father, when he had said, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it," he at once added, "that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it." So the Son in no way does this without the Father, since he does it precisely so that the Father may be glorified in him. So the Father acts in the Son, that the Son may be glorified in the Father; and the Son acts in the Father, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; for the Father and the Son are one.