Homilies on the Gospel of John 49

And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee;

for He would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles, was at hand.

Nothing is worse than envy and malice;

thus did death enter into the world.

For when the devil saw man held in honor, unable to bear his prosperity, he did everything to destroy him.

And everywhere one may see this fruit springing from that root.

Thus was Abel slain, thus was David marked out for death, thus also many others of the righteous.

From this same source the Jews too became slayers of Christ.

And the Evangelist, making this plain, said:

'After these things Jesus walked in Galilee;'

'for He could not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.'

What do you say, O blessed John? Had He no power, He who was able to do all that He willed? He who said, 'Whom do you seek?' and cast them backward to the ground? He who was present yet unseen—had He no power? And how is it that later, coming into their very midst, in the midst of the temple, in the midst of the feast, when the assembly was gathered and the would-be murderers were present, He discoursed of the very things that provoked them all the more? This indeed was what they marveled at,

saying, 'Is not this He whom they seek to kill? And behold, He speaks openly, and they say nothing to Him.'

What then are these riddling words? Away with such a thought!

He did not speak thus that He might be thought to utter riddles, but that He might show that He displayed at once the things that belong to His Godhead and the things that belong to His manhood.

For when He says that 'He had no power,' He is speaking as concerning a man, who did many things also after the manner of men;

but when it says that He stood in their very midst and they could not lay hold of Him, it manifestly shows forth the power of His Godhead.

For He both fled as man, and was manifested as God;

for the fact that, being in the very midst of those who plotted against Him, He was not held fast, showed that He was unconquerable and invincible;

while His withdrawing confirmed and gave assurance of the dispensation, so that neither Paul of Samosata might have anything to say, nor Marcion, nor those who are sick with their doctrines.

By this, therefore, He stops all their mouths.

'After these things there was a feast of the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles.'

The phrase 'After these things' signifies nothing else than that, cutting short a long intervening period, he leaped over it.

For when He sat upon the mountain, it says, it was the Feast of the Passover;

but here he mentions the Feast of Tabernacles, and in the five months' interval he related nothing else to us, nor taught us anything other than the sign concerning the loaves and the discourse addressed to those who had eaten.

And yet He Himself did not cease from working signs and discoursing, neither by day nor at evening, and oftentimes even by night.

At any rate, He came upon His disciples in such a manner, as all the Evangelists relate.

Why then did they pass that over? Because it was not possible to recount everything.

And besides, they were also earnest to relate those things concerning which either some blame or some contradiction was likely to follow on the part of the Jews.

For to those others there were many things alike.

For that He healed the sick, and raised the dead, and that He was marveled at, they often recorded;

but wherever they have something strange to tell, or to relate some blame that seemed to be arising against Him, these things they set down;

such as indeed is the present case, that His brethren did not believe in Him;

for the matter carries with it no ordinary reproach.

And it is worthy of admiration, this their truth-loving character, how they are not ashamed to tell those things which seem to bring shame upon their Teacher, but have rather been most earnest above all else to report them.

And so now, passing by many signs and wonders and discourses, he straightway leaped upon this matter.

'For His brethren,' he says, 'said unto Him:'

'Depart hence and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may behold the works that You do.'

'For no man does anything in secret, and himself seeks to be openly known.'

'Manifest Yourself to the world.'

'For not even His brethren believed in Him.'

And what unbelief, one might ask, is there here? For they urge Him to work wonders.

Yet the very words, and the boldness, and the ill-timed frankness, are marks of unbelief.

For they thought that because of their kinship it was permitted to them to speak with Him with too great a freedom.

And the request seems indeed to be that of friends;

but there was much bitterness in what was said;

for here they reproach Him both with cowardice and with vainglory.

For the saying, 'No man does anything in secret,' belongs to those who charge Him with cowardice, and at the same time hold suspicions about the things done by Him;

while the adding of 'He seeks to be openly known' is a mark of vainglory.

But do you consider for me the power of Christ.

For from among those very men who spoke these words came the first bishop of Jerusalem, the blessed James, concerning whom Paul also says:

'But other of the apostles I saw none, save James the Lord's brother.'

And Judas too is said to have become admirable.

And yet these men were also present at Cana, when the wine was made;

Whence then came so great an unbelief in them? From an evil mind and from envy;

for kinship that is pre-eminent is wont somehow to be envied by those who are not such.

But whom do they here call 'the disciples'? The multitude that followed after Him, not the Twelve.

What then does Christ say? Observe how gently He answered.

But who are you, that give this counsel and

teach these things? But what does He say? 'My time is not yet come.'

Here He seems to me to hint also at something else.

For perhaps out of envy they were even taking counsel to betray Him to the Jews.

Wherefore, making this plain, He says, 'My time is not yet come;'

that is, the time of the cross and of death.

Why then do you press to destroy Me before the time? 'But your time is always ready.'

Even if you were always with the Jews, they will not slay you, seeing that you are zealous for the same things as they are;

but Me they will straightway wish to slay.

So that for you it is always both a fitting time to associate with them, without danger;

but for Me the time is then, when the time of the cross shall come, when it is needful to die.

And that this is what He means is plain from what He adds:

'The world cannot hate you.'

For how could it hate those who will the same things and run for the same ends? 'But Me it hates, because I reprove it, that its works are evil'—that is, because I lay hold of and reprove it, for this cause I am hated.

From these things let us be schooled to master anger, and not to think ourselves unworthily treated, even though those who give us counsel be of mean estate.

For if Christ meekly bore with those who did not believe when they gave Him counsel—counsel of things not fitting, and counsel that proceeded not from good intent—what pardon shall we obtain, who are but earth and ashes, if we are vexed at those who counsel us, even when those who do so are but a little meaner than ourselves, deeming this beneath our dignity? Consider then how with all meekness He repels their accusation.

For when they said, 'Show yourself to the world,' he answered:

'The world cannot hate you, but me the world hates.'

thereby removing the ground of their accusation.

'So far am I,' he says, 'from seeking the glory that comes from men, that I do not cease to reprove them.'

and this though he knew that from this a hatred was being begotten, and a death was being prepared.

'And where did he reprove them?' one may ask. For when did he ever cease from doing this? Did he not say:

'Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father;

there is one who accuses you, even Moses;'

and, 'I have known you, that you do not have the love of God in you;'

and, 'How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?' Do you see how through all these things he showed that it was the frank and open reproof that produced the hatred against him, and not the loosing of the Sabbath? But why then does he send them up to the feast, saying:

'Go up to the feast; I am not going up now'? He was showing that he said these things not because he needed them, nor because he wished to be flattered, but because he permitted them to observe the Jewish customs.

'How then,' one asks, 'did he go up, having said, I am not going up?' He did not say absolutely, 'I am not going up;'

but, 'now,' he said—that is, with you.

'For my time is not yet fulfilled.'

And yet at the coming Passover he was about to be crucified.

How then did he himself not go up? For if it was because the time was not yet present that he did not go up, he ought not to have gone up at all.

But it was not for this reason that he went up—that he might suffer—but that he might instruct them.

But why in secret? For indeed he could have gone up openly, and been in their midst, and restrained their disorderly impulse, as he often did.

But he did not wish to do this continually.

For if he had gone up openly, and again had blinded them, he would have made his own Godhead shine forth more greatly—which for the time was not fitting—and would rather have unveiled it.

But since those men supposed that his remaining was a mark of cowardice, he shows the very opposite—that it was a matter of courage and of divine ordering;

and that, foreknowing the time at which he should suffer, when at length it should be at hand, then above all he would desire to go up to Jerusalem.

But to me it seems that by saying, 'Go up, you,' he meant this:

do not think that I am compelling you to remain with me against your will;

while by adding, 'My time is not yet fulfilled,' he makes plain that signs also had to be wrought, and public discourses to be delivered, so that more of the crowds might believe, and the disciples might become firmer, beholding the boldness of their teacher and the things which he suffered.

Let us then learn from what has been said his forbearance, his gentleness;

'Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart;'

and let us cast out all bitterness.

If anyone exalts himself against us, let us become lowly;

and if anyone acts insolently, let us tend and heal him;

and if he bites and devours with mockery and ridicule, let us not be overcome, nor by defending ourselves destroy ourselves.

For wrath is a wild beast, a beast sharp and fierce.

Let us therefore charm ourselves with the charms drawn from the divine Scripture, and let us say: 'You are earth and ashes;'

and, 'Why is earth and ashes proud?' and that, 'The swing of his wrath is his downfall;'

and that, 'A wrathful man is not comely.'

For nothing is uglier than an angry countenance, nothing more misshapen.

But if of the countenance, much more of the soul.

For just as, when mire is stirred up, a stench is wont to arise,

so, when the soul is troubled by wrath, great will be the unseemliness and offensiveness.

'But I cannot bear,' one says, 'the insult from my enemies.'

For if it is true, you ought even before him to feel compunction, and to be grateful to him for the reproof;

but if it is false, despise it.

Did he call you base-born or senseless? Then groan on his behalf.

For 'he who says to his brother, You fool, shall be liable to the gehenna of fire.'

When therefore he insults you, consider the punishment with which he is punished, and not only will you feel no anger, but you will even shed tears.

For no one is provoked against a man in a fever, nor against one inflamed with disease, but pities all such and weeps for them.

For such is an angry soul.

But even if you wish to take revenge, keep silence, and you have dealt him a mortal blow.

But if you couple abuse with abuse, you have kindled the fire.

'But those present,' one says, 'will condemn us for weakness, if we keep silence.'

They will not condemn you for weakness, but will admire you for your philosophy.

But if, being insulted, you are stung, you have returned the insult;

and being stung, you force what was said to be regarded as true.

Why, tell me, does the rich man laugh when he hears himself called poor? Is it not because he is not conscious of poverty in himself? So too you: if we laugh all the more at the insults, we shall furnish the greatest proof of not being conscious of the things said.

And besides, how long shall we dread the scrutiny of men? How long shall we despise the common Master, and be nailed to the flesh? For 'where there is among you strife and jealousy and divisions, are you not carnal?' Let us therefore become spiritual, and let us bridle this dreadful beast.

Between wrath and madness there is nothing;

rather, it is a temporary demon—nay, even worse than one possessed by a demon.

For he who is possessed by a demon might obtain pardon;

but he who is angry will be worthy of ten thousand punishments, willingly bearing himself into the pits of destruction, and even before the coming gehenna paying the penalty here already, bringing upon the reasonings of the soul a ceaseless tumult and a silent-less storm through every night and through every day.

In order therefore that we may deliver ourselves both from the punishment in the present and from the retribution in the age to come, let us cast out this passion, and let us display all gentleness and forbearance, so that both here we may find rest for our souls, and in the kingdom of the heavens;

which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.