Homilies on John 81.1–81.3

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” The Son of God is called the Angel of great counsel, both for the other things he taught and above all because he proclaimed the Father to human beings; which he now says too: “I have manifested your name to the people.” For having said, “I have accomplished your work,” he explains again what work. And yet the name was known. For Isaiah too says … “the true God.” But what I have often said I say now too: even if it was known, it was to Jews, and not even to all of them; but here he speaks about the Gentiles. And he shows not only this, but also that they knew him as Father. And it is not the same to learn that he is Creator and that he has a Son. And he manifested his name both by words and by deeds. “Whom you gave me out of the world.” As he says above, “No one comes to me unless it is given him,” and, “unless my Father draws him,” so here too, “whom you gave me.” And yet he himself says that he is the way. From this it is clear that he establishes two things here by what is said: that he is not opposed to the Father, and that it is the Father's will that they believe in the Son. “They were yours, and you gave them to me.” Here he wishes to teach that he is greatly loved by the Father. For that he did not need to receive them is clear from this: he himself made them, he himself provides for them continually. How then did he receive them? But, as I said, this shows his oneness of mind with the Father. And if someone wished to examine it in a human way, and as it is said, they will no longer be the Father's. For if, when the Father had them, the Son did not have them, it is clear that when he gave them to the Son, he gave up his own lordship; and again the more absurd thing: they will be found imperfect while they were with the Father, but becoming perfect when they came to the Son. But these things are laughable even to say. What then does he show by this? That it was his resolve too that they believe in the Son. “And they have kept your word, and now they have known that everything that you have given me is from you.” How did they keep your word? By believing in me and not attending to the Jews. For “whoever believes in him,” it says, “has set his seal that God is true.” Some say, “Now I have known that everything you have given me is from you”; but this would make no sense. For how could the Son be ignorant of the things of the Father? But it is said of the disciples. For since I said these things, he says, they have learned that everything you have given me is from you; nothing foreign, nothing of my own beside you. For he often uses “of my own” as of something foreign. So they knew that everything I teach is yours, both teachings and doctrines. And from where did they learn? From my words; for so I also taught. And not only this, but also that “I came out from you”; for this he was eager to establish throughout the gospel. “I ask on their behalf.” What are you saying? Do you teach the Father as though he were ignorant? Do you converse as with a man who does not know? What then does this distinction mean? Do you see that the prayer is made for no other reason than that they may learn the love he has for them? For the one who not only gives what is his own but also calls on another for this shows greater longing. What then is “I ask on their behalf”? Not on behalf of the whole world, he says, but on behalf of those whom you have given me. He continually sets down “you have given,” so that they may learn that this seems good to the Father. Then, since he had continually said, “They are yours, and you gave them to me,” removing the evil suspicion, so that no one might think his rule recent and that he had received them now, what does he say? “All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them.” Do you see equality of honor? For so that you may not, on hearing “You gave me,” think them estranged from the Father's authority, or before this from the Son's, he removed both, saying what he said; as if he were saying, Neither, on hearing “You gave them to me,” think them strangers to the Father (for what is mine is his); nor, on hearing “They were yours,” think them strangers to me; for what is his is mine. So “you have given” was said for the sake of condescension alone. For what the Father has is the Son's, and what the Son has is the Father's. And this cannot be said of a son in human terms, but because it belongs to a greater [equality of honor]. For that what belongs to the lesser belongs to the greater is plain to everyone; but the converse is no longer so. But here he reverses it, and the reversal shows equality. Showing this elsewhere too he said, “All that my Father has is mine,” speaking about knowledge. And “You gave me” and all such sayings are to show that he did not come as a stranger and draw them to himself, but received his own. Then he also sets down the reason and the proof, saying, “And I have been glorified in them”; that is, either that I have authority over them, or that they will glorify me, believing in you and in me, and will glorify us alike. And if he has not been glorified in them alike, what is the Father's is no longer his. For no one is glorified in those over whom he has no authority.

And how has he been glorified alike? All alike die for him as for the Father, and preach him as they preach the Father; and as they say that all things happen in his name, so also in the name of the Son. “And I am no longer in the world, and these are in the world.” That is: even if I am not visible in the flesh, I am glorified through these. And why does he continually say, “I am not in the world,” and, since I leave them, I commit them to you, and, “When I was in the world, I kept them”? For if one took these things simply, many absurdities would follow. For how would it make sense that he is not in the world, and that, when he departs, he commits them to another? For these were the words of a mere man separated from them forever. Do you see that he speaks mostly in a human way, and with a view to their mind, since they thought they had more safety from his presence? This is why he says, “When I was with them, I kept them.” And yet he says, “I am coming to you,” and, “I am with you until the end.” How then does he now say these things as one about to be separated? But, as I said, with a view to their suspicion, so that they might breathe a little, hearing him say these things and commit them to the Father. For since, though hearing many comforts from him, they were not persuaded, he henceforth speaks with the Father, showing his affection for them; as if he were saying, Since you are calling me to yourself, set them in safety. For I am coming to you. What are you saying? Can you not keep them? Yes, I can. Why then do you say these things? “That they may have my joy fulfilled”; that is, so that they may not be troubled, being still imperfect. And by saying this he showed that he was saying all these things in this way for their rest and joy; since the discourse seems to be contradictory. “And now I am no longer in the world, and these are in the world.” For they suspected this; for the time being, then, he condescends to them. For if he had said, “I keep them,” they would not have believed in the same way; therefore he says, “Holy Father, keep them in your name”; that is, by your help. “When I was in the world, I kept them in your name.” Again he speaks as a man and as a prophet; since he nowhere appears to have done anything in the name of God. “Those whom you gave me I guarded, and none of them perished except the son of perdition, that the [Scripture might be fulfilled].” And elsewhere he says, “Of all that you have given me I shall lose nothing.” And yet not he alone perished, but many afterward too. How then does he say, “I shall not lose”? As far as my part goes, I shall not lose; as he showed more clearly elsewhere, saying, “I will not cast him out”; not through my fault, nor by my thrusting him away, nor by my abandoning him. But if they leap away of themselves, I do not drag them by compulsion. “But now I am coming to you.” Do you see the discourse composed in a rather human way? So that if anyone wishes to diminish the Son from these words, he will diminish the Father too. See, at any rate, from the beginning, part is as one teaching and making things clear to him, part as one commanding: part as one teaching, as when he says, “I do not ask concerning the world”; part as one commanding: “I have kept them until now, and none perished,” and, “You then keep them,” he says; and again, “They were yours, and you gave them to me,” and, “When I was in the world, I kept them.” But the solution of everything is that what was said was said with a view to their weakness. And having said, “None of them perished except the son of perdition,” he added, “that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” What Scripture does he mean? The one that foretells much about him. Yet he did not perish in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. We discussed this at length before too: that this is the peculiar manner of Scripture, setting down as a cause what results from the outcome. And we must examine everything with exactness, both the manner of the speaker and the subject and the laws of Scripture, if we are not to be misled. “For, brothers, do not be children in your minds.”

And this must be read not only for understanding the Scriptures, but also for earnestness about our way of life. For little children do not long for great things, but are wont to admire things worth nothing. For they rejoice to see carriages and horses and the muleteer and the wheels, all made of clay; but if they see the emperor seated on a golden carriage, with a pair of white mules and much adornment, they do not even turn around. And again they dress up brides made of the same material; but the real and radiant ones they do not even [look at]; and they feel the same about many other things. Many grown people too suffer this now. For when they hear of the things of heaven, they do not even attend; but over things of clay they are all excited like children, and they gape at wealth from the earth, and honor glory and luxury in the present life; and yet these are childish things like those, while the others are causes of life and glory and rest. But as children weep when deprived of these, but do not know how even to come to desire the others, so too are many of those who seem to be men. This is why he says, “Do not be children in your minds.” Do you love money, tell me, and not love the wealth that remains, but childish toys? Then, if you see someone admiring [a lead coin and stooping] to pick them up, you will condemn his great poverty; but you, gathering things meaner than these, number yourself among the rich? And how would this make sense? For we shall call that man rich who looks down on all present things. For no one, no one, will choose to laugh at these small things, silver and gold and the rest of the show, unless he has the longing for greater things; just as no one laughs at a lead coin unless he possesses gold coins. You too, then, when you see a man running past the whole world, think that he does this from no other cause than from looking to a greater world. So too the farmer despises a few grains of wheat, when he expects a greater harvest. And if, when the hope is uncertain, we despise what we have, much more ought we to do this when the expectation is sure. Therefore I beg and beseech you not to bring loss on yourselves, nor, clinging to mud, to deprive yourselves of the treasures above, bringing the ship into harbor with straw and chaff. Let anyone who wishes say what he will about us, let him be annoyed at the continual [exhortation; we] will not cease exhorting continually about these things, and continually chanting to all of you that word of the prophet: “Redeem your sins by almsgiving, and your iniquities by compassion [on the poor], and bind them on your neck.” Do not do it today and stop tomorrow. For this body too needs daily food. So too the soul, and much more; and if it does not receive it, it becomes weaker and more shameful. Let us not overlook it [perishing], choking. Many [wounds] it receives every day; [so we must] prepare remedies. And not small is the remedy of almsgiving. “For give alms,” it says, “and all things will be clean for you”; almsgiving, not greed. For what comes from greed does not remain, even if you give it to the needy. For almsgiving is that which is free from all injustice; this makes all things clean. This is better than fasting and sleeping on the ground. And yet those are more laborious and toilsome, [but this lightens the soul, and] makes it beautiful and fair. The fruit of the olive does not so sustain the athletes as this oil restores the contestants of true religion. Let us anoint our hands, then, so that we may stand up well against the adversary. The one who practices showing mercy to the needy will soon cease from greed too. The one who continues giving to the poor will soon cease from anger too, and will never be proud. For as a physician who continually tends the wounded is easily humbled, seeing human nature in the misfortunes of others, so too we, if we join in helping the poor, will easily live wisely, and will not admire wealth nor think present things anything great, but will despise them all; and, raised up toward heaven, we shall easily obtain the eternal good things, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.