Homilies on John 65.1–65.3

“But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die for the people,’” and so on. “The nations are caught in the pit they made; in the snare they hid their own foot was caught.” This happened to the Jews. For they said they should kill Jesus so that the Romans might not come and take away both their nation and their city. But when they had killed him, they suffered these things; and what they did as though to escape it, after they did it they did not escape. But the one who was killed is in heaven, while those who killed him inherit hell. Yet this is not what they considered; but what? “From that day,” it says, “they wished to kill him.” For they said, “The Romans will come and take away our nation.” “But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said,” being more shameless than the rest, “You know nothing at all.” What they were doubtful about and put forward as a matter for counsel (for they said, “What are we doing?”), this man [declared] shamelessly, bareheaded, and with recklessness. For what does he say? “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is better that one man should die and the whole nation not perish.” “He did not say this of himself, but being high priest he prophesied.” Do you see how great is the power of the high-priestly authority? For since he had been deemed worthy of the high priesthood at all, though unworthy of the office, he prophesied, not knowing what he said; and grace used his mouth only, and did not touch his defiled heart. Many others too foretold the future though unworthy: Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, Balaam; and the reason in all is clear. What he means is this: “You sit here, you attend to the matter too sluggishly, and do not know how to disregard the safety of one man for the sake of the common good.” See how great is the power of the Spirit: from a wicked mind it was able to bring forth words full of wonderful prophecy. And the evangelist calls the Gentiles “children of God” from what they were going to be; as he himself says, “And I have other sheep,” calling them so from what was to come. And what is “being high priest that year”? Along with the other things, this too had been corrupted. For they no longer held the priesthood for the whole of life, but for a year, since the offices became purchasable. Yet even so the Spirit was still present. But when they lifted their hands against Christ, then it abandoned them and passed over to the apostles. And this the veil showed by being torn, and the voice of Christ saying, “Behold, your house is left to you desolate.” And Josephus too, who lived a short time after, said that certain angels, who still remained in case they might be willing to change, left them. For as long as the vineyard stood, everything was done; but when they killed the heir, no longer, but they perished. And as one takes a splendid garment from a useless son, so God took it from the Jews and gave it to the grateful servants from the Gentiles, leaving those deserted and naked. And it was no small thing that even the enemy prophesied these things. This too could draw the others. For as far as his intention went, the outcome was the opposite. For because he died, the believers were freed from the punishment to come. What is “to gather into one those near and those far off”? He made them one body. One who sits in Rome thinks the Indians a member of himself. What can equal this gathering? And Christ is the head of all. “From that day the Jews took counsel to kill him.” And yet they sought this before. For it says, “For this reason the Jews sought to kill him,” and, “Why do you seek to kill me?” But then they sought it; now they ratified their resolve and set about the thing as a deed. “So Jesus no longer walked openly in Judea.” Again he saves himself in a human way, and he does this continually.

I have stated the reason why he often went away and withdrew. And now he stays near the wilderness, in Ephraim, “and remained there with his disciples.” How troubled do you think the disciples were, seeing him save himself in a human way? No one followed him any longer. For since the feast was near, all were running to Jerusalem; but they, when all were rejoicing and keeping festival, then hide, then are in dangers; yet they stayed with him. For in Galilee too, at the Passover and the feast of Tabernacles, they hid; and again after this, while the feast was on, they alone of all fled and hid with the teacher, showing their goodwill. From this, Luke says, he said, “You are those who have continued with me in my trials.” He said this to show that they were strengthened by his aid. “Now many went up from the country to purify themselves. And the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might seize him.” A wonderful purification, with a bloodthirsty purpose, with a murderous mind, with bloodied hands! “And they said, ‘What do you think? Will he not come to the feast?’” At the Passover they plotted, and made the time of the feast a time of slaughter; that is, “He must fall into our hands here, since the time calls him.” O impiety! When there was need of more reverence, and of releasing even those held for the gravest crimes, then they try to hunt down one who had done no wrong. And yet having already done this before, they not only gained nothing, but became ridiculous. That is why, continually falling into their hands, he escapes, and restrains those who take counsel to kill him and leaves them at a loss, wishing by the proof of his power to prick their consciences, and so that when they took him, they might learn that what happened was not of their own strength but of his permission. For not even then could they seize him, though Bethany was near; and when they did seize him, he threw them on their backs. “Six days before the Passover he came to Bethany, where Lazarus was; and they gave a supper for him there, and Martha served, and Lazarus was eating.” This was a sign of a genuine resurrection: that after many days he both lived and ate. From this it is clear that the dinner was in her house; for as friends and lovers they receive Jesus. But some say that this took place in another’s house. And Mary did not serve, for she was a disciple. Here again she acts more spiritually. For she did not serve as one invited, nor make her service common; but she directs the honor to him alone, and approaches him not as a man but as God. For this is why she poured out the ointment and wiped his feet with the hair of her head: things which belonged to one who did not have such an opinion of him as the many had. But Judas rebuked her, under a pretext of piety, of course. What then does Christ say? “She has done a good work for my burial.” And why did he not rebuke the disciple about the woman, nor say what the evangelist said, that he rebuked the woman because of his own thieving? He wished to shame him by his great long-suffering. For that he knew he was a traitor, he had often reproved him earlier, saying, “Not all believe,” and, “One of you is a devil.” He showed, then, that he knew him to be a traitor; but he did not reprove him openly, but bore with him, wishing to call him back. How then does another evangelist say that all the disciples said this? All did, and he too; but the rest not with the same intention. And if anyone asks why he entrusted the money box of the poor to a thief, and made one who loved money a steward, we would say that God knows the secret reason; but if we must say something by conjecture, it was to cut off every pretext. For he could not say that he did this from love of money (for he had in the money box enough to satisfy his desire), but from great wickedness, which Christ wished to restrain, using great condescension toward him. That is why he did not even reproach him when he stole, though he knew, stopping up his wicked desire and taking away every excuse. “Let her alone,” he says, “for she has kept this for the day of my burial.” Again he reminded the traitor by saying “burial.” But the reproof does not touch him, nor does the saying soften him, though it was enough to move him to pity, as if he were saying, “I am burdensome and troublesome; but wait a little, and I shall go away.” For he was establishing this too in saying, “But you do not always have me.” But none of these things bent the savage and raging man, though Christ said and did much more than this: he washed his feet on that very night, and shared table and salt with him, which knows how to restrain even the souls of robbers (and he spoke other words, enough to soften even a stone); and this not long before, but on that very day, so that not even time might bring forgetfulness. But against everything he stood firm.

For love of money is a terrible thing, terrible: it blinds eyes and ears, and makes men worse than a wild beast, not letting them think of conscience, of friendship, of fellowship, of the salvation of their own soul, but, having once withdrawn them from all things, it makes those it captures its slaves, like a harsh tyranny. And the terrible thing about this so bitter slavery is that it persuades them even to be grateful to it; and the more they serve it, the more their pleasure increases. And in this way above all the disease becomes incurable; in this way the beast is hard to catch. This made Gehazi a leper instead of a disciple and prophet; this destroyed Ananias and his wife; this made Judas a traitor; this corrupted the rulers of the Jews, who took bribes and became partners of thieves. This brought in countless wars, filling the roads with blood and the cities with laments and wailings. This made banquets unclean and tables defiled, and filled foods with lawlessness. That is why Paul called it idolatry. But not even so did he frighten them. And why does he call it idolatry? Many have money and do not dare to use it, but consecrate it, handing it on untouched to children and grandchildren, not daring to touch it, as if it were some votive offerings. And if they are ever forced to, they feel as though they had done something unlawful. And besides, as the Greek tends his idol, so you entrust your gold to doors and bars, making a chest instead of a temple and laying it up in silver vessels. “But I do not worship it, as he does the idol.” But you show it every kind of service. Again, he would gladly give up his eyes and his life rather than the idol; so too do those who love gold. “But I do not worship gold,” someone says. Neither does he worship the idol, he says, but the demon dwelling in it. So you too, even if you do not worship the gold, worship the demon who leaps upon your soul from the sight of the gold and from desire. For the desire of avarice is harsher than a demon, and many obey it more than others obey idols. For they disobey those in many things, but here they yield everything, and obey whatever it bids them do. What does it say? “Be at war,” it says, “an enemy of all; ignore nature; despise God; sacrifice yourself to me”; and they obey in everything. And to idols they sacrifice oxen and sheep; but avarice says, “Sacrifice your own soul to me,” and it persuades. Do you see what altars it has? What sacrifices it receives? “The greedy will not inherit the kingdom of God”; and not even so are they afraid. And yet this desire is the weakest of all. For it is not innate, nor natural; otherwise it would have been put in at the beginning. But in the beginning there was no gold, nor did anyone love gold. But if you wish, I will tell you from where the evil came in. Each, emulating the one before him, intensified the disease, and the one who came first provokes the one who does not wish it. For when they see splendid houses and a multitude of fields and herds of slaves and silver vessels and a great heap of garments, they do everything to surpass them; so that the first become the cause of the second, and these of those after them. But if they wished to live temperately, they would not become teachers to the others; or rather, not even these have a defense. For there are others too who despise money. “And who,” someone says, “despises it?” For this is the terrible thing: through much wickedness it seems to have become an impossibility, and no one is even believed to achieve it. Shall I name, then, many in the cities and many in the mountains? And what is the gain? For you will not become better because of them. And besides, our discourse is not now about this, that you should empty out what you have; I would wish it, but since the burden is too great for you, I do not compel you; but I exhort you not to covet what belongs to others, and to share from what you have. And we shall find many such, content with their own, caring for their own affairs, and living from just labors. Why do we not emulate and imitate these? Let us consider those before us. Do not their possessions stand, preserving only their names: so-and-so’s bath, and so-and-so’s country house and lodging? Do we not groan at once when we see them, considering how much toil he endured, how much robbery he committed, and he appears nowhere, while others revel in his goods, people he never expected, perhaps even enemies, while he pays the utmost penalty? These things await us too. For we shall certainly die; we shall certainly undergo the same end. How much anger, tell me, how much expense, how many enmities they endured! And what is the gain? Undying punishment, and finding no consolation, and being accused by all not only while living but even after departing. And what? When we see the portraits of many set up in their houses, do we not weep the more? Truly the prophet spoke well: “Surely every living man is troubled in vain.” For eagerness about such things is truly trouble, trouble and superfluous tumult. But it is not so in the eternal dwellings, nor in those tabernacles. For here one has toiled and another enjoys; but there each will be master of his own toils, and will receive the [reward] many times over. Let us be eager, then, for that possession; there let us build ourselves houses, so that we may rest in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, to the ages. Amen.