Homilies on John 14.1–14.4

“And from his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” The other day we said that John, resolving the difficulty of those who would ask among themselves how Christ, who came later to the preaching, had become before him and more illustrious, added, “because he was before me.” That is one reason; and he sets down a second as well, which he now states. What is it? “From his fullness,” he says, “we have all received, and grace for grace.” And after this he gives yet another. Which is it? “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” “And what,” someone says, “is the meaning of ‘From his fullness we have all received’?” For it is to this that we must bring the discourse for now. He does not have the gift by participation, he means, but is himself the very source and root of all good things, life itself, light itself, truth itself; not keeping the wealth of good things shut up in himself, but pouring it out over all others, and after pouring it out remaining full. For he is in no way diminished by supplying others, but, ever gushing forth and sharing these good things with all, he remains in the same perfection. But what I have I have by participation (for I received it from another), and it is a small part of the whole, like a drop beside the boundless; or rather, not even this example can present what we are trying to say. For if you take a drop from the sea, by that very act you have lessened the sea, even if the lessening cannot be seen. But this cannot be said of that spring; however much one draws from it, it remains undiminished. So we must go on to another example. It too is weak and cannot present what we are seeking, but it leads us by the hand toward the thought now before us better than the former. Let us suppose that there is a spring of fire, and that from that spring ten thousand lamps are lit, and twice as many, and three times, and many times over: does not the fire remain in the same fullness even after sharing its operation with so many? It is clear to everyone. If, then, in the case of bodies, which are divisible and are diminished by subtraction, something has been found that suffers no loss even after giving what is its own to others, much more will this be so with that incorporeal and pure power. For if, where what is shared is a substance and a body, it is divided and yet not divided, much more, when the discourse is about an operation, and the operation of an incorporeal essence, it is unlikely to suffer anything of the kind.

That is why John said, “From his fullness we have all received,” and joins his own testimony to the Baptist’s. For “From his fullness we have all received” is not the word of the Forerunner but of the disciple. What he means is this: “Do not think that we who were much in his company, and shared his salt and his table, bear witness out of favor. For John too, who did not even know him before this, who had not been in his company, but saw him together with the others only when he baptized him, cried out, ‘He was before me,’ having received everything from there; and all of us, the twelve, the three hundred, the five hundred, the three thousand, the five thousand, the many tens of thousands of the Jews, the whole fullness of the faithful, both those of that time and those of now and those who will be hereafter, have received from his fullness.” And what did we receive? “Grace for grace,” he says. Which in exchange for which? The new in exchange for the old. For as there was righteousness and righteousness (“as to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless”), faith and faith (“from faith to faith”), adoption and adoption (“to whom belongs the adoption”), glory and glory (“for if what was being done away came with glory, much more what remains is in glory”), law and law (“for the law of the Spirit of life has set me free”), worship and worship (“to whom belongs the worship,” and again, “who worship God in spirit”), covenant and covenant (“I will make a new covenant with you, not like the covenant that I made with your fathers”), sanctification and sanctification, baptism and baptism, sacrifice and sacrifice, temple and temple, circumcision and circumcision, so too there is grace and grace. But those were as types, these as the truth, keeping a sameness of name, but not of meaning. For in figures and images too, both the man drawn in black on a white ground and the one painted in true colors is called a man; and in statues both the golden one and the clay one are called a statue; but the one as a type, the other as the truth.

Do not, then, think from the sharing of names that the things are identical; but do not think them alien either. For if it was a type, it was not alien to the truth; but if it kept only a shadow, it was less than the truth. What, then, is the difference between all these? Shall we go into it, taking up one or two of the things mentioned? For in this way the rest will be clear to you too, and we shall all see that those were lessons for children, these for noble and great men; and that the one set of laws was laid down as for men, the other as for angels. Where, then, shall we begin? Shall it be from adoption itself? What, then, is the difference between this one and that? That one was an honor in word; here the reality follows too. Of that one he says, “I said, You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High”; of this one, that “they were born of God.” How and in what manner? “Through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” And they, after receiving the title of sons, still had a spirit of slavery; for they remained slaves and were honored with this name; but we, having become free, received the honor not in name but in reality. Paul showed this when he said, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba, Father.” For having been born from above, and, so to speak, refashioned, we were thus called sons. And if anyone learns the manner of the holiness, what this one is and what that one, he will again see a great difference here too. For they were given the name when they did not [worship idols, nor commit sexual immorality and adultery]; but we become holy not only by abstaining from these things, but also by acquiring greater things. First, from the very [receiving] of the gift; then also from a way of life far greater than the Jewish. And that these words are no boast, hear what he says to them: “You shall not practice augury, you shall not purify your children [by fire], for you are a holy people.” So with them holiness was this: to be rid of idolatrous customs. But with us it is not so; rather, “that she may be holy,” it says, “in both body and spirit”; and, “Pursue peace and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord”; and, “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” For the word “holy” is not enough to convey the same meaning in all those of whom it is said; since God too is called holy, but not as we are. When the prophet heard this word borne from the Seraphim, see what he says: “Woe is me, wretched that I am, for I am a man and have unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips.” And yet he was holy and pure; but compared with the holiness above, we are unclean. The angels are holy, the archangels are holy, and the Seraphim and Cherubim themselves; but in this holiness too there is again a difference, both with respect to us and with respect to the higher powers.

I could go through all the rest too, but I see the discourse stretching out to a great length. So I shall stop going further and leave the rest for you to handle. For you too can gather them at home, see the difference, and go through the rest in the same way. “Give an occasion to the wise,” it says, “and he will be wiser.” The beginning comes from us; the end will come from you. But we must take up the sequence again. Having said, “From his fullness we have all received,” he added, “and grace for grace,” showing that the Jews too were saved by grace. “It was not because you were numerous,” he says, “but because of your fathers that I chose you.” If, then, they were chosen by God not for their own achievements, it is clear that they obtained this honor by grace. And we too were saved by grace, but not in the same way; not for the same things, but for far greater and loftier ones. Our grace is not like theirs. For not only was forgiveness of sins given to us (in this respect we share with them, for all have sinned), but also righteousness, sanctification, adoption, and the grace of the Spirit, far brighter and more abundant. Through this grace we have become dear to God, no longer as servants, but as sons and friends. That is why he says, “grace for grace.” For the things of the law too were of grace, and so was our very being brought into existence from what was not. For we did not receive this reward for previous achievements (how could we, when we did not even exist?), but God everywhere took the lead in his kindness. And not only our being made from what was not, but also that, as soon as we were made, we learned what to do and what not to do, received this law in our nature, and had the incorruptible tribunal of conscience deposited in us by our Maker: this belongs to the greatest grace and unspeakable loving-kindness. And the restoring of this law, when it had been corrupted, through the written law, was of grace. For what should have followed was that those who violated the commandment once given should be punished and chastised; but what happened was not this, but again correction, and a pardon not owed but given out of mercy and grace. That it was of grace and mercy, hear what David says: “The Lord does deeds of mercy and judgment for all who are wronged. He made known his ways to Moses, his will to the sons of Israel.” And again: “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he will instruct sinners in the way.”

[3.] So receiving the law was a matter of mercy and compassion and grace. That is why, having said, “grace for grace,” contending still more warmly for the greatness of the gifts, he adds, “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Do you see how quietly and little by little, by one word, both John the Baptist and the disciple brought their hearers up to the loftiest [thought]? For the one, comparing with himself him who surpasses all beyond comparison, then shows his superiority by saying, “who has become before me,” and then adding, “he was before me”; this one made the comparison much greater than that, though still less than the dignity of the Only-begotten. For he makes the comparison not with John, but with one more admired among the Jews than John, I mean Moses: “For the law,” he says, “was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” And see his wisdom: he does not examine the person, but the things. For once these were shown to be far greater, even the unfeeling would of necessity accept the verdict and judgment about Christ. For when the things themselves bear witness, which can be suspected neither of favor nor of hatred, they present a [clear] verdict. For as those who made them left them, so they remain to be seen; that is why their testimony is the least open to suspicion of all. And see how inoffensively he makes the comparison even for the weaker. He does not build up the superiority by argument, but shows the difference by the bare names, setting grace and truth against law, and “came” against “was given.” And the difference between them is great. For “was given” belongs to one who ministers, who received from another and gave to those to whom he was ordered to give; but “came,” said of grace and truth, belongs to a king who with authority forgives all sins and himself provides the gift. That is why he said, “Your sins are forgiven”; and again, “That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, Rise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Do you see how grace comes through him? Consider truth too. These things show grace, and so do the case of the robber, the gift of baptism, the grace of the Spirit given through him, and many other things; but we shall know truth more clearly if we learn the types. For the things that were to be accomplished [in the New Testament], the [Old] sketched beforehand as types; and Christ came and accomplished them. Let us look at the types briefly, then; for it is not the [occasion] now to go through all the types; but having learned some by comparison, you will know the rest too. Shall we begin from the passion itself? What, then, does the type say? “Take a lamb for each house, and sacrifice it, and do as he commanded and ordained.” But Christ does not do so; he does not command this to be done, but himself becomes it, offering himself as sacrifice and offering to the Father …

See how the type was given through Moses, but the truth came through Jesus Christ. Again, at Mount Sinai, when the Amalekites were fighting the Hebrews, the hands of Moses were propped up, held up by Aaron and Hur standing on either side; but Christ, when he came, himself held his hands stretched out on the cross. Do you see how the type was given, but the truth came? Again, the law said, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in this book”; but what does grace say? “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”; and Paul says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” Since, then, we have enjoyed such grace and truth, I beg you, let us not become more slothful because of the greatness of the gift. For the greater the honor we have been counted worthy of, the more virtue we owe. The man who has received small benefits, even if he shows small things in return, does not deserve so much condemnation; but the man who has gone up to the highest summit of honor and then shows groveling and mean conduct will deserve a much greater punishment. But may we never suspect such things of you. For we are confident in the Lord that you have given your souls wings toward heaven and have left the earth, and that, though you are in the world, you [do not mind] the things of the world. Yet even though we are confident of this, we do not stop continually urging the same things. For in outside contests too, the spectators all encourage not those who have fallen back, nor those lying flat on their backs, but those who are active and still running. For of the former, as if they would labor in vain and could not raise them up by encouragement, since they have broken off once for all from the victory, they stop thinking and condemn them; but here [we hope] not only for you who are sober, but also for those who have fallen, [for it is possible for them to rise again]. That is why we do everything, exhorting, rebuking, urging, praising, so as to work out your salvation. So do not be vexed at our continual exhortation about your way of life. For what is said comes not from people who have condemned your slackness, but from those who have very good hopes about you. And it has been said, and will be said, not to you only, but also to us who say it; for we too need the same teaching. For even if it is spoken by us, nothing prevents its being said to us as well. For when the word finds someone liable, it corrects him; and the one who is outside and free of the fault it leads still further away. For we ourselves are not pure of sins either. The healing is common, and the remedies are set before all; but the cure is not common, but comes about according to the choice of those who use them. So the one who handles the remedy as he should gains some benefit from the cure; but the one who does not apply it to the wound makes the evil greater and ends in the most grievous death. Let us not, then, be pained when we are being healed, but much more rejoice, even if the method of our teaching brings bitter pains; for later it will show us a very sweet fruit. Let us do everything, then, to depart to that age clean of the wounds and blows [that the teeth of sin inflict on the soul], so that, having become worthy of the sight of Christ, we may not be handed over on that day to the powers that punish and are severe, but to those that are able to bring us into the inheritance of heaven, which is prepared for those who love him. May we all attain it, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might to the ages of ages. Amen.