Homilies on John 38.5–39.2

[5] But those who neglect their own salvation pay attention to none of this; so great an evil is the love of precedence. This gave birth to the heresies; this confirmed the impiety of the Greeks. For God wished his invisible things to be understood through the creation of this world; but they, leaving these aside and not deigning to come by this teaching, cut another road for themselves; that is why they fell from the one that exists. That is why the Jews too did not believe, receiving glory from one another and not seeking the glory that comes from God. But let us, beloved, flee this disease with all intensity and zeal. For even if we have countless good deeds, the ruin of vainglory is enough to undo them all. If, then, we love praise, let us seek the praise that is with God. For the praise from men, whatever it is like, appears and perishes at once; and even if it does not perish, it brings us no gain, and often comes from corrupt judgment. For what is wonderful in the glory that comes from men, which dancing boys and corrupted women, the greedy and robbers, enjoy? But one who is admired by God will be admired not with these, but with those holy ones—the prophets, I mean, the apostles, those who displayed an angelic life. And if we long to lead crowds about and to be looked at, let us examine the thing by itself, and we shall find it worth nothing. In short, if you love crowds, draw to yourself the people of the angels and become fearsome to demons, and you will make [no] account of human things, but will trample on all that is splendid as on mire and mud; and you will see clearly then that nothing so disposes a soul to disgrace itself as the love of glory. For it is not possible, it is not possible, for one who loves it to live the crucified life; just as it is not possible for one who has trampled on it not to trample down most of the passions. For one who prevails over it will prevail over envy and love of money and all the grievous diseases. “And how shall we prevail over it?” someone says. If we look to the other glory, the glory from heaven, out of which this one strives to cast us. For that glory makes us illustrious even here, and goes away with us into the life to come, and frees us from all fleshly slavery, which we now serve in great wretchedness, having given our whole selves to the earth and the things [of earth]. For whether you enter a house, or the streets, or the stations, or the lodgings, or the inns, or a ship, or an island, or the palaces, or the law courts, or the council chambers, everywhere you will see concern for present and worldly affairs, and everyone toiling for these things—those away and those arriving, those traveling and those staying, those sailing, those farming, those in the fields, those in the cities, simply everyone. What hope of salvation, then, will we have, when, inhabiting God's earth, we do not think the things of God, but, commanded to be strangers to the things here, are strangers to heaven and citizens of the things here? What could be worse than this insensibility, when every day hearing of the judgment and the kingdom, we imitate those in Noah's time and those in Sodom, waiting to learn everything by experience of the facts? And yet all those things were written for this purpose: that if someone disbelieves what is to come, he may receive from what has already happened a clear proof about what is to come as well. Considering, then, both the past and the future, let us at least breathe a little from this grievous slavery, and take some account of the soul too, so that we may obtain both the present and the future good things, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power to the ages of ages. Amen.

“For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” We need great zeal in all things, beloved. For we shall give an account and undergo an exact reckoning of both words and deeds. Our affairs do not stop at the present; another state of life will receive us from here, and we shall stand before a fearful court. “For we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ,” says Paul, “so that each may receive what he has done through the body, whether good or bad.” Let us then always think of this court, and in this way we shall be able to remain in virtue all our time. For as one who has cast that day out of his soul rushes over cliffs like a horse that has broken its bridle (“His ways are defiled at all times,” it says; and giving the reason he added, “Your judgments are removed from before his face”), so one who always has this fear will walk with self-control. “Remember your last things,” it says, “and you will never sin.” For the one who now forgives us our sins will then sit in judgment; the one who died for us will appear again to judge all nature. “For he will appear a second time,” it says, “without sin, to those who wait for him, for salvation.” That is why here too he said, “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” “Shall we then call him Father too?” someone says. Away with it! This is why he said “the Son”: so that we may honor him as the Father while he remains Son. One who calls him Father no longer honors the Son as the Father, but has confused everything. Since, then, people are not so drawn by being benefited as by being punished, he spoke so fearfully for this reason, so that fear at least might draw them to honor him. When he says “all,” he means that he is master both of punishing and of honoring, and can do either as he wishes. And “has given” is said so that you may not suspect him to be unbegotten, nor think there are two Fathers. For all that the Father is, the Son too is, having been begotten, and remaining Son in his being. And so that you may learn that “has given” is equivalent to “begot,” hear this very thing shown from another passage: “For as the Father has life in himself,” he says, “so he has given to the Son also to have life in himself.” What then? Did he first beget him and then give him life? For one who gives, gives to one who exists. Was he begotten, then, without life? Not even demons would suspect this; for along with impiety it has great folly. As, then, “gave life” means “begot him as life,” so too “gave judgment” means “begot him as judge.” For so that you may not, hearing that he has the Father as cause, think there is a difference of substance and a lessening of honor, he himself comes to judge you, showing the equality from this too. For the one who has authority to punish and to honor whom he wishes has the same power as the Father. Otherwise, if he was begotten and received the honor later, what happened that he was honored later? From what advancement did he come to this, so as to receive this dignity and be appointed to it? Are you not ashamed so shamelessly to bring these human and cheap notions into the pure nature, which has nothing added to it from outside? “Why then,” someone says, “does he speak so?” So that his word might be acceptable, and to prepare the way for lofty sayings. That is why he mixes these with those, and those with these. And see how—for it is good to look at these things from the beginning. He said, “My Father is working, and I am working,” showing by this the equality and equal honor. “And they sought to kill him.” What does he do next? In expression he lowers himself, but he puts the same meaning, saying, “The Son can do nothing of himself.” Then again he leads the discourse up to lofty things, saying, “For whatever he does, these the Son also does likewise.” Then again to the humbler: “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself does; and he will show him greater works than these.” Then again to the loftier: “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he wills.” And after this again to the humble and lofty together: “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.” Then to the loftier: “So that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” Do you see how he varies his discourse, weaving it of lofty and humble names and expressions, so that it might be acceptable to those of that time, and those who came after might suffer no harm, receiving from the lofty expressions the fitting understanding of the others too? For if this is not so, and what was said was not said for the sake of condescension, why were the lofty things added? For one who avoids saying great things about himself has a plausible excuse when he says something small and humble, doing so for some purpose of dispensation; but one who ought to say mean things about himself—if he says something great, why does he utter things that surpass his nature? This is no longer the act of some dispensation, but [of extreme impiety].

[2] So we can give a just reason, fitting for God, for the humble expressions: the condescension, the teaching of modesty, and the salvation arranged for us by it; which he himself showed elsewhere, saying, “But I say these things so that you may be saved.” For since he took refuge in John's testimony, leaving his own (which was unworthy of his greatness), he gave the reason for such meanness of expression and said, “But I say these things so that you may be saved.” But you who say that he does not have the same authority and power as the one who begot him, what will you say when you hear him uttering words by which he shows his power, authority and glory equal to the Father's? And why does he demand the same honor, if he is greatly inferior, as you say? And he does not stop there after saying this, but adds: “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” Do you see how the honor of the Son is interwoven with the honor of the Father? “And what of that?” someone says. “This can be seen in the case of the apostles too: ‘Whoever receives you,’ he says, ‘receives me.’” But there he spoke so because he makes the affairs of his servants his own; here, because the substance and the glory are one. Besides, in the case of the apostles “so that they may honor” is not said. Rightly he said, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father.” For if there were two kings and one were insulted, the other too would be insulted with him, and especially when the one insulted is a son. A king is insulted even when a soldier is abused, but not in the same way—only as through an intermediary; here it is not so, but as in his own person. That is why he said beforehand, “so that they may honor the Son just as they honor the Father,” so that when he says, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father,” you may understand the same honor. For he does not simply say “whoever does not honor,” but “whoever does not honor him in the way I said does not honor the Father.” “And how,” someone says, “are the sender and the one sent of the same substance?” Again you bring the discourse down to human things, and do not consider that all these things were said for no other reason than that we might know the cause and not fall into the disease of Sabellius, and that the weakness of the Jews might be healed in this way, so that he might not be thought by them to be an enemy of God. For they said, “This man is not from God; this man has not come from God.” And to remove this suspicion the lofty things did not contribute so much as the humble. That is why he kept saying again and again that he had been sent: not so that you might think the expression any lessening of him, but to stop their mouths. That is why he also constantly takes refuge in the Father, while putting in his own sovereignty between. For if he had said everything in keeping with his own dignity, they would not have received what was said, since even for a few such words they persecuted him and often stoned him; and if, looking to them, he had uttered only humble things, many afterwards would have been harmed. That is why he mixes and blends his teaching, by the humble expressions, as I said, stopping their mouths, and by those spoken in keeping with his dignity repelling among people of sense the mean understanding of what was said and showing it to have nothing to do with him. For being sent belongs to change of place; but God is present everywhere. Why then does he say he was sent? He speaks in more material terms, showing his agreement with the Father. So at any rate he shapes the following words too, wishing to establish this. “Truly, truly, I say to you,” he says, “whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” Do you see how he constantly puts the same thing, curing that suspicion both here and by what follows, [drawing them to] friendship with himself by fear and by the promise of benefit, [condescending] much in his words? For he did not say, “Whoever hears my words and believes me”; they would have thought the thing conceit and excessive boasting. For if after so long a time and countless miracles they suspected this when he spoke so, much more then. That is why they said to him at that later time, “Abraham died, and the prophets died, and how do you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death’?” So that they might not become savage here too, see what he says: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” And this made his word no little acceptable—learning, I mean, that those who hear him believe the Father. For having received this eagerly, they would receive the rest more easily. So by saying something humble he contributed to and prepared the way for the lofty things. Having said, “has eternal life,” he adds, “and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life,” making his word acceptable by these two things: that it is the Father who is believed, and that the one who obeys enjoys many good things. “Does not come into judgment” means “will not be punished.” For he speaks of death not as this one here but the eternal one, as also of that immortal life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Having spoken the words, he states also the proof through deeds. For since he had said, “As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he wills,” so that the thing might not seem boasting and conceit, he provides the proof through works too, saying, “The hour is coming.” Then, so that you may not suspect a long time, he adds, “and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Did you see sovereignty here, and unspeakable authority? As it will be in the resurrection, he says, so it will be now too. For then too we shall rise on hearing a commanding voice: “For at the command of God,” it says, “the dead will rise.” “And how is it clear,” someone may say, “that what was said is not boasting?” From what he added: “and now is.” For if he had promised it only for the time to come, the word would have been suspect to them; but as it is he provides the proof: while I am staying with you, he says, this will happen. And he would not have made the promise for that time unless he was able, so as not to incur more ridicule by the promise. Then he adds a reasoning that demonstrates what was said: “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son also to have life in himself.”

[3] Do you see the exact likeness, showing the difference in one thing only, that one is Father and the other Son? For the word “has given” introduces this distinction only, and shows all the rest equal and exactly alike. Hence it is clear that he does everything with as much authority and power as the Father, not empowered from elsewhere; for he has life just as the Father does. That is why he at once added the next thing too, so that from this we might understand that as well. What is it? “He has given him authority to execute judgment also.” And why does he keep turning resurrection and judgment over and over? “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he wills”; and again, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son”; and again, “As the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son also to have life in himself”; and again, “Those who hear the voice of the Son of God will live”; and here again, “He has given him authority to execute judgment.” Why then does he constantly turn these over—judgment, I mean, and life and resurrection? Because these above all are able to draw even the most unfeeling hearer. For one who is persuaded that he will rise and give account to him of his offenses, even if he has seen no other sign, [will hasten to] make the judge favorable to himself. “Because he is Son of Man. Do not marvel at this.” Paul of Samosata does not read it so, but how? “He gave him authority to execute judgment because he is Son of Man.” But said in this way it has no logical sequence. For he did not receive judgment because he is a man (otherwise what prevented all men from being judges?), but because he is the Son of that unspeakable substance, for that reason he is judge. So it should be read thus: “That he is Son of Man, do not marvel at this.” For since what was said seemed to the hearers contradictory, and they thought him nothing more than a mere man, while what was said was greater than befits a man—or rather greater than befits an angel, and belonged to God alone—to resolve this objection he added: “Do not marvel that he is Son of Man; for the hour is coming in which those who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, but those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” And why did he not say, “Do not marvel that he is Son of Man, for he is also Son of God,” but mentioned the resurrection? He had put this above, saying, “They will hear the voice of the Son of God.” And if he passed it over in silence here, do not marvel. For by mentioning the work proper to God, he lets the hearers infer from it thereafter that he was both God and God's Child. For if it had been constantly said by him, it would have offended them then; but shown by inference from the miracles, it made the teaching less burdensome. For those who construct syllogisms, when they have laid down the premises and proved the point in question vigorously, often do not add the conclusion themselves, but, making the hearer more fair-minded and the victory more brilliant, lead the opponent himself to pronounce the conclusion, so that those present may vote for them all the more when their opponents give the verdict in their favor. Mentioning the resurrection of Lazarus, then, he kept silent about the judgment, for Lazarus did not rise for that; but speaking of the general resurrection he added this too: “Those who have done good will come out to the resurrection of life; but those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” So too John led on the hearer by mentioning judgment, and that “whoever does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” So too he himself led on Nicodemus: “For whoever believes in the Son,” he said to him, “is not judged; but whoever does not believe has been judged already.” So here too he mentions both the judgment seat and the punishment for evil deeds. For since he had said above, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me is not judged,” so that no one might think that this alone suffices for salvation, he added what concerns one's life too, saying, “Those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; but those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” Since, then, he had said that the whole world would give account to him, and that all would rise at his voice—a new and strange thing, still disbelieved even now by many, even of those who seem to have believed, let alone by the Jews then—hear how he establishes it, again condescending to the weakness of his hearers: “I can do nothing of myself. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me.” And yet he had already given no small proof of resurrection by bracing the paralytic. That is why he did not speak about resurrection until he had done that, which fell little short of resurrection. And he hinted at the judgment then, saying after the bracing of the body, “See, you have become well; sin no more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” But nevertheless he foretells both the resurrection of Lazarus and that of the world. And since he foretold these two resurrections—that of Lazarus, which was to take place very soon, and that of the world, which was to come long ages later—he confirms the one from the paralytic and the nearness of the time, saying, “The hour is coming, and now is”; and the other from the resurrection of Lazarus, bringing before their eyes what had not yet happened through what had already happened. And one can see him doing this everywhere: putting two or three predictions together, and always confirming what will be from what has happened.