Homilies on John 13.1–13.4

“John bears witness about him, and cried out, saying, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me has become before me, because he was before me.” Are we running and laboring in vain? Are we sowing on rocks? Are the seeds falling, without our noticing, by the road and among the thorns? For I am in great anguish and fear lest our husbandry prove useless; and this although I myself shall suffer no loss in the reward for this labor; for the case of teachers is not like that of [farmers’] labors. The farmer, after his yearly toils, his hardship and his sweat, if the land produces nothing worth his labors, can find no consolation for them from anyone else, but goes back with shame and dejection from the threshing floor to his house, his wife, and his children, having no one from whom to demand recompense for his long industry. But with us nothing of the kind will happen; even if the land we cultivate yields no fruit, provided we have shown all our labor, the Lord of it and of us will not let us go away with empty hopes, but will give the rewards. “For each,” it says, “will receive his own wage according to his own labor,” not according to the outcome of things. And that this is so, hear: “And you, son of man, testify to this people, whether they will hear, whether they will understand.” One can learn this through Ezekiel too: if the watchman foretells what to flee and what to choose, he has delivered his own soul, even if no one pays heed. Yet although we have this strong consolation and are confident about our reward, when we see that your work is not advancing, we are in no better state than those farmers who groan and lament [over their fields]. And Moses, though he could have been rid of their ingratitude and received another and much greater people (“Let me alone,” he says, “and I will blot them out and make of you a great nation, greater than this”), since he was holy and a servant of God, and a genuine and noble friend, would not even bear to hear this voice, but chose rather to perish with those once allotted to him than to be saved without them and be in greater dignity. Such ought the one who has charge [of souls] to be. For it is absurd that one who has bad children should not wish to be called the father of others, but only of those born from him, while we, when disciples have been entrusted to us, keep exchanging them for others, now these, now those, and after these snatch at the charge of yet others, attached to none as our own. But may we never suspect this of you. For we are confident that you abound rather in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in love toward one another and toward all. We say these things wishing to increase your zeal and to advance still further the virtue of your way of life. For in this way we shall [go down] to the very depth of the words set before us, [when nothing] darkens the eyes of the mind and disturbs its clear and keen sight.

What, then, is set before us today? “John bears witness about him, and cried out, saying, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me has become before me, because he was before me.” This evangelist makes much of John, turning him over again and again and bringing forward his testimony in many places. And he does this not idly, but very wisely. For since all the Jews held this man in great admiration (Josephus too attributes the war to his death, shows that because of him the city that was once the mother city is no longer even a city, and strings together long speeches in his praise), wishing to shame the Jews by him, he continually reminds them of the Forerunner’s testimony. The other evangelists mention the older prophets, and at each of the things that happened concerning him [remind the hearer of them], saying, “All this took place to fulfill what was spoken: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son”; and when he is plotted against and searched for everywhere so carefully that even children of tender age are slaughtered by Herod, they bring forward Jeremiah from long before, saying, “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, [Rachel weeping for] her children”; and, remembering Hosea, when he comes up again out of Egypt, they bring him in too, saying, “Out of Egypt I called my son”; and they do this everywhere. But this evangelist, making the testimony clearer and fresher, as one who spoke with a louder voice than the others, continually brings forward not only those who had departed and died, but also the one who was living and present, who pointed him out and baptized him; not hastening to make the Master credible through the servant, but condescending to the weakness of his hearers. For as, if he had not taken the form of a servant, he would not have been easily received, so, if he had not [prepared] the ears of his fellow servants by a servant’s voice, [the Jews would not have] received his word. [And there was] another wonderful reason too. For since a man’s saying something great about himself makes the testimony suspect and offends many of the hearers, another comes to bear witness about him. Besides this, people are somehow accustomed to run rather to a voice that is more usual and familiar to them, since they recognize it better than others. That is why the voice from heaven came once or twice, but John’s often and continually. For those who had risen above the weakness of the people and been freed from all things of sense could hear even the voice from above, and did not much need the human one, since they obeyed that one in everything and were led by it; but those who still turned about below and were covered with many veils needed this humbler voice. So John, since he had stripped himself of the things of sense on every side, needed no human teachers, but was taught from heaven. “For he who sent me to baptize with water,” he says, “he said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit of God descending, this is he.” But the Jews, still children and not yet able to reach that height, had a man for their teacher, who did not tell them his own things, but announced the things from above.

What, then, does he say? “He bears witness about him, and cried out, saying.” What is “cried out”? With boldness, he means, with freedom, without any reserve he proclaims. And what does he proclaim? What does he testify and cry out? “This was he,” he says, “of whom I said, He who comes after me has become before me, because he was before me.” The testimony is veiled and still has much lowliness in it. For he did not say, “This is the only-begotten Son of God,” but what? “This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me has become before me, because he was before me.” For as mother birds do not teach their young the whole of flying at once, nor in a single day, but now [lead them out a little] in flight, and on the next day add much more, and so quietly, little by little, bring them to the proper height, in the same way blessed John did not at once lead the Jews to lofty things, but for the time taught them to fly up a little from the earth, saying that Christ was greater than himself. For not even this was a small thing for the time: [to persuade] the hearers that one who had not yet [appeared] was greater than so wonderful and illustrious a man as John, to whom all [ran] and whom they thought to be an angel. So for the time [he was eager] to achieve this in the minds of his hearers: that the one witnessed to is greater than the witness, the one who came later greater than the one who came first, the one not yet manifested greater than the well-known and illustrious one. And see how wisely he introduces the testimony. He not only points him out when he has appeared, but proclaims him before he appears. For “This is he of whom I said” shows this; as Matthew too says that, when all were coming to him, he said, “I baptize you with water; but he who comes after me is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to loose.” Why, then, did he do this even before he appeared? So that the testimony might be easily received when he appeared, the minds of the hearers having already been taken hold of by what had been said about him, and the meanness of his outward appearance not spoiling it. For if they had heard nothing at all beforehand and then seen Christ himself, and had received together with the sight a testimony in words so wonderful and great, the meanness of his appearance would at once have stood in the way of the greatness of what was said. For Christ wore an appearance so mean and so common to all that Samaritan women, prostitutes, and tax collectors approached him with great freedom and confidence and conversed with him.

As I said, then, if they had [heard] these words and seen him at one and the same time, they would have laughed at John’s testimony. But as it was, hearing it often before Christ appeared, and stirred up by what was said about him, they experienced the opposite: they did not cast off the teaching of the words because of the sight of the one witnessed to, but from their faith in what had already been said, they thought him all the more illustrious. “He who comes after me” means he who preaches after me, not he who was born after me. Matthew too hints at this when he says, “After me comes a man,” speaking not of his birth from Mary but of his coming in the preaching. For if he had been speaking of the birth, he would not have said “comes,” but “came”; for he had already been born when these things were said. What, then, is “has become before me”? More illustrious, more honored. “Do not think,” he says, “because I came first preaching, that I am for that reason greater than he; for I am far less, so much less that I am not worthy to be counted even in the rank of a servant.” This is what “has become before me” means; which Matthew, indicating it in another way, put thus: “I am not worthy to loose the strap of his sandal.” And that “has become before me” is not said either about his coming into existence is clear from what is added. For if he had wished to say this, what follows, “because he was before me,” would be superfluous. For who is so stupid and foolish as not to know that the one who came into being before him was before him? If it were about the existence before the ages, what is said would be nothing else than, “He who comes after me came into being before me because he came into being before me.” Besides, such a thing is unintelligible, and the reason is added to no purpose. For on the contrary, if this were what was meant, he should have said, “He who comes after me was before me, since he came into being before me.” For one might rightly give coming into being first as the cause of being first; but being first is no longer the cause of coming into being first. But what we say would make very good sense. For you all know, of course, that it is not what is evident but what is unclear that always needs a reason to be given. If the discourse were about existence, it would not be unclear that one who came into being first must be first; but since he is speaking of honor, he naturally resolves what seemed to be a difficulty. For many were likely to be at a loss how and for what reason the one coming later had become before, that is, had appeared more honored. So he at once sets down the cause in answer to this question; and the cause is that he was first. “For it is not by some advancement,” he says, “that he has thrust me, who was first, behind and has become before me; but he was before me, even if he arrives later.”

“And how,” someone says, “if the discourse were about his manifestation to men and the glory that was to follow from them, does he speak of what had not yet been fulfilled as already having happened? For he did not say, ‘will become,’ but ‘has become.’” Because this has been the custom of those who prophesy from of old: in many places to speak of future things as though they had happened. Isaiah, at any rate, speaking of his slaughter, did not say, “He will be led as a sheep to the slaughter,” which was future, but, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter”; and yet he had not yet become incarnate, but still the prophet speaks of what was to be as having happened. And David, indicating the cross, did not say, “They will dig my hands and feet,” but, “They dug my hands and feet,” and, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” And speaking of the traitor, who had not yet been born, he says something like this: “He who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” Likewise of what happened at the cross he says, “They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

Shall we add what follows, or is this enough? I think so. For even if we have not dug up the place in breadth, yet we have dug it through in depth; and this is no less labor than that; and we fear lest, by straining you, we neglect what is fitting. And what is fitting? The praise that befits God; and what befits him is not praise by words only, but much more praise by deeds. “Let your light shine,” he says, “before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” For nothing is brighter, beloved, than the best way of life. Showing this, one of the wise says, “The ways of the righteous shine like light.” [And they shine not only for those who] kindle the light by their works and guide others to the right road, but also for those who are near them. Let us pour oil, then, into these lamps, so that the fire may rise higher and the light appear rich. For this oil has great strength not only now; even when the sacrifices flourished, it far surpassed their power: “For I desire mercy,” he says, “and not sacrifice”; and very rightly. For that altar is lifeless, but this one is living; and there everything laid on it becomes food for the fire, ends in dust, is broken up into ashes, and the smoke dissolves into the substance of the air; but here there is nothing of the kind, but it bears other fruits. Paul showed this when he said (for in describing the treasures of the Corinthians’ love for the poor he wrote thus), “For the ministry of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also overflows in many thanksgivings to God”; and again, “glorifying God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel, and for the generosity of your fellowship with them and with all, while they long for you in their prayer for you.” Do you see it resolved into thanksgiving and the praise of God, into continual prayers from those who have been helped, and into warmer love? Let us sacrifice, then, beloved, let us sacrifice on these altars every day. For this sacrifice is greater than prayer and fasting and many other things, provided only that it comes from just gain and honest labor, and is pure of all greed, robbery, and violence. For God accepts such offerings, but turns away from the others and hates them. For he does not wish to be honored by the misfortunes of others. Such a sacrifice is unclean and profane, and would provoke God rather than appease him. So we must use all diligence not to insult the one we honor under the guise of serving him. For if Cain, who offered the second best, and that without having wronged anyone, paid the extreme penalty, when we offer something from robbery and greed, how shall we not suffer worse? For this is why God showed us the form of this commandment: that we may show mercy, not that we may punish our fellow servants. But the man who takes what belongs to others and gives it to another has not shown mercy, but has punished, and has committed the utmost injustice. As a stone would not produce oil, so neither does cruelty produce loving-kindness. For when it has such a root, it is no longer almsgiving. So I beg you not to look only to this, that we give to those in need, but also that we do not give out of robbery of others. “For when one prays and another curses, whose voice will the Master hear?” If we conduct ourselves with such exactness, we shall be able by the grace of God to obtain great loving-kindness, mercy, and pardon for the sins we have committed during all this long time, and to escape the river of fire. May all of us be freed from it and go up to the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, to the ages of ages. Amen.