Homilies on John 53.1–53.3

“These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.” O the folly of the Jews! They had sought him before the Passover; then, having him in their midst, and having often tried to lay hold of him, both by themselves and through others, and having been unable, not even so were they struck with amazement at his power, but they persisted in their wickedness and did not desist. That they were always making attempts, it says: “These things he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple, and no one seized him.” He was speaking in the temple, and in the role of a teacher, which was more apt to rouse them; and he was saying the things at which they were stung and for which they accused him, that he makes himself equal to the Father. For “the testimony of two men is true” shows this. But nevertheless, it says, he spoke these things in the temple and in the role of a teacher, “and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come”: that is, the fitting time when he wished to be crucified had not yet come. So even then it was not the work of their power, but of his own dispensation. For they had long wished to, but could not; nor then would they have been able, unless he himself had permitted it. “So Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek me.’” Why does he keep saying this? To shake their souls and frighten them. For see how much fear this produced in them. Though they wished to kill him in order to be rid of him, they ask where he is going: so greatly did they imagine about the matter. And he wished to teach them something else too: that the thing was not of their violence, but he had foreshown it from above, and was already sketching the resurrection beforehand through these words. “So they said, ‘Will he kill himself?’” What then does Christ do? Removing their suspicion, and showing that such an act is a sin, he says, “You are from below.” What he means is this: “It is no wonder that you think such things, being carnal men who reason nothing spiritual; but I will do no such thing. For I am from above; you are of this world.” And here again he means worldly and carnal thoughts. From this it is clear that “I am not of this world” also does not mean that he had not taken flesh, but that he was far from their wickedness. For he says of the disciples too that they are not of the world [, and yet they had flesh. As Paul, in saying,] “You are not in the flesh,” does not say that they are bodiless, so in saying that the disciples are not of the world he testifies to nothing other than their life of wisdom. “So I told you that [you will die in your sins]; for unless you believe that I am [he, you will die in your sins].” For if he came for this, to take away the sin of the world, and it is not possible to put it off in any other way than through the washing, then one who does not believe must keep the old man. For one who does not wish to put him to death and bury him through faith will die in him, and will depart there to give account for the sins committed before. That is why he said, “But whoever does not believe is condemned already”: not only by not believing, but because he departs still having his former sins. “So they said to him, ‘Who are you?’” O folly! After so long a time, and signs, and teaching, they ask, “Who are you?” What then does Christ say? “[Even] what I have told you from the beginning.” What he means is this: “You are unworthy even to hear my words at all, much less to learn who I am. For you speak everything to test me, and pay heed to nothing I say. And I could convict you of all this now.” [For this is the meaning of “I have much to say about you and to judge”: “I could] not only convict you, but also punish you. But he who sent me, that is, the Father, does not wish this. For I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” “For God did not send his Son to judge the world,” it says, “but that he might save the world.” “If then he sent me for this, and he is true, it is fitting that I judge no one now; but I speak the things that make for salvation, not those that make for conviction.” He says this so that they may not think that, though he heard so much, he does not proceed against them from weakness, or because he does not know their thoughts and their mockery. “They did not understand that he was speaking to them of the Father.” O folly! He did not cease speaking to them about him, and they did not understand. Then, since after working many signs and teaching he had not drawn them, he now speaks about the cross, saying, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, [but speak as the Father taught me]; and he who sent me is with me; the Father has not left me alone.” He shows that he said rightly, “[Even] what I have told you from the beginning.”

So little did they attend to what was said. “When you have lifted up the Son of Man.” “Do you not expect that then above all you will be rid of me and kill me? But I say that then above all you will know that I am he, because of the signs, and the resurrection, and the capture [of the city].” For all these things were enough to show his power. And he did not say, “Then you will know who I am.” “For when you see,” he says, “that I shall suffer nothing from death, then you will know that I am he,” that is, the Christ, the Son of God, who bears and leads all things, and not opposed to him. That is why he added, “And I speak nothing of myself.” “For you will know both: my power and my oneness of mind with the Father.” For “I speak nothing of myself” shows the unvarying likeness of essence, and that he utters nothing apart from what is the Father’s. [“For when you are cast out] from your worship, when you are not allowed even to serve him as before, then you will know that it is in avenging me that he does these things, and because he is provoked on behalf of those who did not listen to me”; as if he were saying, “If I were an enemy of God and a stranger to him, he would not have stirred up such great anger against you.” Isaiah too says this: “He will give the wicked in return for his burial”; and David [too], and he himself: “Behold, your house is left to you desolate.” And the parables show the same, when he says, “What will the lord of the vineyard do to those tenants? He will miserably destroy those wretches.” Do you see that everywhere he speaks so because they did not yet believe? For if he will destroy them, as indeed he will (“Bring here,” he says, “those who did not wish me to reign over them, and slay them”), why does he not say that what happens is his own work, but the Father’s? Because he speaks to their weakness, and at the same time honors the one who begot him. That is why he did not say, “I leave your house desolate,” but “It is left,” for this he put impersonally. But by saying, “How often I wished to gather your children, and you would not,” and then adding, “It is left,” he shows that he himself was working the desolation. “For since,” he says, “when you were benefited and healed, you would not know me, when you are punished you will know who I am.” “And the Father is with me.” So that they might not think that “he who sent me” implied inferiority, he says, “He is with me”; the one belongs to the dispensation, the other to the Godhead. “And he has not left me alone, for I always do the things that please him.” Again he brought the discourse down to the humbler level, constantly standing against what they were saying, that he is not from God and that he does not keep the Sabbath; against this he says, “I always do the things that please him,” showing that even the breaking of the Sabbath is pleasing to him. So too [at the time of his arrest he said, “Do you think that I cannot ask] my Father?” And yet by saying only, “Whom do you seek?” he threw them on their backs. Why then does he not say, “Do you think that I cannot destroy you?”, showing this by deed? He comes down to their weakness. For he took great pains to show that he does nothing contrary to the Father. So here too he speaks in a more human way. And as “He has not left me alone” was said, so too was “I always do the things that please him.” “As he spoke these things, many believed in him.” When he brought his discourse down to a humble level, then many believed. Do you still ask why he speaks humbly? And indeed the evangelist hinted at this clearly when he said, “As he spoke these things, many believed in him,” all but crying out by these words, “Do not be troubled, hearer, if you hear something humble. For those who after so much teaching were not yet persuaded that he is from the Father naturally heard humbler things, so that they might be persuaded.” And this is a defense for the humble things that were going to be said. They believed, then, but not as they ought; only simply and casually, pleased and soothed by the humbleness of the words. For that they did not have perfect faith the evangelist shows from the words that follow, in which they insult him again. And that these are the same men he made clear by saying, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word,’” showing that they had not yet received the teaching, but only paid attention to what was said. That is why [he spoke to them] more cuttingly. For earlier he had simply said, “You will seek me”; but now he added something greater: “You will die in your sins.” And he shows how: that when you come there you can no longer entreat me. “I speak these things to the world.” By these words he indicated that from now on he would go out to the Gentiles. And since they did not understand that he had earlier been speaking to them of the Father, he speaks of him again; and the evangelist has set down the reason for the humbleness of the words [… ]

If, then, we are willing to search the Scriptures in this way, with exactness and not carelessly, we shall be able to attain our salvation; if we continually spend our time in them, we shall come to know both correctness of doctrine and an exact way of life. Even if someone is very hard and harsh and slack, even if he gains nothing at other times, he will at least reap the fruit of this time and receive some benefit, if not so much as to feel it, yet he will receive it. For if someone passing a perfumer’s shop, or sitting by such workshops, is tinged with the fragrance even against his will, much more one who goes to church. For as idleness is born of idleness, so eagerness is begotten of activity. Even if you are full of countless evils, even if you are unclean, do not flee from spending time here. “What then,” someone says, “if I hear and do not do?” It is no small gain to call yourself wretched; this fear is not useless, this dread is not untimely. If you only groan, “I hear and do not do,” you will surely come at some time to doing too. For it is not possible for one who converses with God and hears God conversing not to gain something. At any rate we at once compose ourselves and wash our hands [when we are about] to take up the book. Do you see how much reverence there is even before the reading? If then [we read] with exactness, we shall reap much benefit. For [the soul,] unless it had put itself into reverence, would not have washed the hands. [And a woman, if she is unveiled, at once puts on] her veil, showing the sign of the reverence within; and a man, if he is covered, bares his head. Do you see how the outward bearing becomes a herald of the reverence within? Then too, sitting down to listen, he has often groaned, and the one who sat has condemned his present life. Let us then attend to the Scriptures, beloved; and if nothing else, let the Gospels at least be eagerly studied by us, and let us have them in our hands. For as soon as you open the book you will see the name of Christ set there, and you will at once hear him saying, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” One who hears this will at once desire virginity, will marvel at the birth, will be set free from the earth. These things too are not small, when you see the virgin deemed worthy of the Spirit and an angel conversing with her. And this on the surface; but if you persevere, going on to the end, you will at once spit upon all the things of this life and laugh at everything here. Even if you are rich, you will count wealth as nothing, on hearing that she, the wife of a carpenter and of a lowly household, became the mother of your Master; and even if you are poor, you will not be ashamed of your poverty, on learning that the Creator of the world was not ashamed of the meanest house. Thinking of these things, you will not rob, you will not be greedy, you will not take what belongs to others, but you will rather be a lover of poverty and look down on wealth. And if this happens, you will banish all evils. Again, when you see him lying in a manger, you will not be eager to put golden ornaments on your child, nor [to adorn your wife’s couch with silver; and not] being eager for these things, you will not commit the greed and robbery that come from them. There are many other things to be gained, which it is not possible to tell now one by one; but those who have made trial will know. So I urge you to acquire books, and with the books to hold fast their thoughts and write them on your minds. For the Jews, since they did not pay attention, were commanded to have the books [fastened] to their hands; but we do not even put them in our hands, but in the house, when we ought to imprint them on the heart. For in this way, cleansing the present life, we shall attain the good things to come; may we all attain them, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.