Homilies on the Gospel of John 57

'And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.'

'And His disciples asked Him, saying:'

'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?'

'And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.'

Being exceedingly loving toward mankind, and caring for our salvation, and wishing to stop the mouths of the ungrateful, He omits nothing of what pertains to Himself, even though there be none to give heed.

This indeed the Prophet also knew when he said:

'That You might be justified in Your words, and might prevail when You are judged.'

For this very reason here too, since they did not receive the loftiness of His words, but even called Him one possessed by a demon, and attempted to kill Him, He went out of the temple and healed a blind man — both soothing their wrath by His absence, and by the working of the miracle softening their hardness and cruelty, and confirming what He had spoken;

and He works a miracle, not any ordinary one, but one then happening for the first time.

'For since the world began,' it is said, 'it was never heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind.'

For of one who had become blind, perhaps someone had opened the eyes;

And that, having gone out from the temple, He came to this work of set purpose, is plain from this:

for it was He who saw the blind man, and not the blind man who approached Him;

and He restored his sight so earnestly as even to give His disciples occasion to perceive it.

It was from this, at any rate, that they were led to their question.

For seeing Him attending so earnestly to the man, they inquired, saying:

'Who sinned, this man or his parents?' The question is mistaken.

For how could he have sinned before he was born? And how, if his parents had sinned, could he himself have been punished? Whence, then, did they come to this question? Before this, when healing the paralytic, He had said:

These men, then, supposing that the paralytic had been paralyzed on account of sin, say:

'Granted that that man was paralyzed on account of sins;

but concerning this man what would you say? Did this man sin?' But it cannot be said;

for he is blind from birth.

'But his parents?' Nay, not this either.

For a child does not pay the penalty for its father.

Just as, then, when we see a little child in distress we say:

'What could one say about this? What has the child done?'—not really asking, but being at a loss;

so also the disciples said this not so much as asking, but rather being perplexed.

What, then, does Christ say? 'Neither did this man sin, nor his parents.'

But He says this not to acquit them of sins (for He did not say simply, 'Neither did this man sin, nor his parents,'

'that he should be born blind'), but that the Son of God might be glorified.

For both this man and his parents did indeed sin;

'but,' He says, 'the blindness did not come from this.'

And He said these things, not indicating that this man indeed was not so afflicted, while certain others were blinded for these causes, on account of their parents' sins.

For it cannot be that, when one sins, another is punished.

Since, if we grant this, we shall also grant that other point—that he sinned before his birth.

As therefore, in saying, 'Neither did this man sin,' He does not mean that it is possible to sin and be punished from birth;

so also in saying, 'Neither his parents,' He did not mean that it is possible to be punished on account of one's parents.

For indeed through Ezekiel too He does away with this supposition:

'As I live, saith the Lord, this parable that is spoken shall no longer be used—'

this proverb that is spoken:

'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.'

'The father shall not die for the child.'

And concerning a certain king He says that for this reason he did not do a certain thing, keeping the law of Moses.

But if anyone says, 'How then is it said, He who requiteth the sins of the parents upon the children unto the third and fourth generation?'—to that we would reply that the pronouncement is not universal, but was spoken concerning certain of those who came out of Egypt.

What He means is something like this:

Since those who came out of Egypt, after the signs and wonders of their forefathers, became worse than those who had beheld none of these things, they shall suffer, He says, the same things which those others suffered, seeing that they have dared to do the same things.

And that it was spoken concerning those men, one who examines the passage more carefully will perceive.

For what reason, then, was he born blind? 'That the glory of God might be made manifest,' He says.

Behold again another difficulty, whether apart from this man's punishment it was not possible for the glory of God to appear.

But indeed it is not said that it was not possible;

rather, that in this case too it might be made manifest.

'What then?' says he; 'was he wronged for the sake of God's glory?' What wrong, tell me?

For what if He had not willed to bring him into being at all?

But I say that he was actually benefited by his blindness.

For he recovered the eyes that are within.

For what profit had the Jews of their eyes? For they incurred a greater punishment, being blinded even while they saw.

And what harm had this man from his blindness? For through it he recovered his sight.

As therefore the evils of the present life are not evils;

so neither are its good things good;

but sin alone is an evil, while blindness is not an evil.

And He who brought him from non-being into being had authority even so to leave him thus.

that this adverb is not causal, but denotes the outcome;

as, for instance, when He says, 'For judgment I am come into this world, that they who see not might see, and they who see might become blind.'

And yet it was not for this that He came, that they who see might become blind.

'For that which may be known of God is manifest in them, so that they are without excuse.'

And yet it was not for this that He showed it to them, that they might be deprived of excuse, but that they might obtain excuse.

'And the law entered, that the offence might abound.'

And yet it was not for this that it entered, but that sin might be restrained.

Do you see that everywhere the adverb denotes the outcome? For just as some excellent builder, having built one part of the house and left another part unfinished, so that through what remains he may give proof to the unbelieving concerning the whole;

so also God, as it were some dilapidated house, glues together and fills up our body, healing the withered hand, bracing up the paralyzed limbs, setting straight the lame, cleansing the lepers, raising up the sick, making whole those maimed in their legs, calling the dead back from death, opening eyes that were closed, and supplying eyes that were not there;

all which things, being defects belonging to natural weakness, He then corrected, and so displayed His power.

And in saying, 'That the glory of God might be made manifest,' He speaks concerning Himself, not concerning the Father.

For the Father's glory was already manifest.

For since they had heard that God made man, taking dust from the earth, for this reason He too fashioned him in this way.

For to say, 'I am He who took dust from the earth and fashioned man,' seemed to be offensive to His hearers;

but this being shown through the deed itself, thenceforth gave no more offence.

Wherefore indeed He too, taking dust and mixing it with the spittle, thus made manifest His hidden glory.

For it was no small glory to be accounted the Creator of the creation.

For from this the other truths also came in together; from the part the whole too was confirmed.

For the belief concerning the greater confirmed also the lesser.

For man is more honourable than all the creation, and than the members within us the eye is more honourable.

For this reason He fashioned the eyes not in some ordinary way, but after that particular manner.

For though the member is small in size, it is more necessary than the whole body.

If the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,' is it for this reason not of the body? For indeed all the things within us are a demonstration of the wisdom of God.

This, then, is what steers the whole body; this it is that works beauty for the entire body; this adorns the countenance; this is the lamp of all the members.

For what the sun is throughout the inhabited world, that the eye is in the body.

If you quench the sun, you have destroyed and thrown all things into confusion.

If you quench the eyes, then feet too are useless, and hands, and the very soul.

For knowledge is gone once these are maimed;

for it is through these that we have come to know God.

For His invisible things, from the creation of the world, are clearly perceived, being understood by the things that are made.

So the eye is a lamp not to the body alone, but even before the body, to the soul.

For this reason it is set as it were in some royal place, having obtained the region above, and presiding over the other senses.

Then, that you might not suppose He has need of matter when He makes, and that you might learn that not even at the beginning did He have need of clay (for He who brought the greater substances into being out of things that were not, much more made this one without matter),

that you might therefore learn that He does this not out of need, but teaching that He Himself is the Creator who was in the beginning, He anointed the clay, He says;

that you might know: 'I do not need clay in order to make eyes, but that in it My glory might be made manifest.'

For that He speaks concerning Himself, having said, 'That the glory of God might be made manifest,' He added:

'I must work the works of Him that sent Me;'

that is, 'I must manifest Myself, and do the things that can show Me doing the same things as the Father'—not such things, but the same things, which belongs to a greater exactness of identity, and which is said of those that differ not even in the least degree.

Who then will any longer look Him in the face in opposition, seeing Him able to do the same things as the Father? For He did not merely form eyes, nor merely open them, but also bestowed the power of seeing;

which is a proof that He also breathed in a soul.

For if that does not operate, the eye, even though it be perfectly complete, could never see anything.

So that He bestowed also the operation that comes from the soul, and gave the member having all things—arteries, and nerves, and veins, and blood, and all the other things out of which our body is composed.

'I must work while it is day.'

What do these words mean? And what connection have they? Much.

For what He says is of this sort:

While it is day, while it is permitted to men to believe in Me, while this present life stands, I must work.

'Night comes,' that is, the time to come,

when no one can work.

He did not say, 'When I cannot work,'

but 'When no one can work,' that is, when there is no longer faith, nor labors, nor repentance.

For that He calls faith a work, they say to Him:

'What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?' He says:

'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'

How then can no one work this work at that time? Because there is no longer faith, but willing and unwilling alike they shall obey.

For lest anyone should say that He does this out of vainglory, He shows that it is out of sparing them that He works all things, since here alone they have the power to believe, and there can no longer reap any fruit.

For this reason He did what He did without the blind man even having approached.

For that he was worthy to be healed, and that, had he been able to see, he would have believed and come forward, and had he heard from someone that He was present, he would not thus have been indifferent—this is plain from what follows, from his courage, from his faith itself.

For it was likely that he should reflect and say:

'Whatever is this? He made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, Go, wash.'

'Could He not have healed me, and then sent me to Siloam? Many a time have I washed there with many others, and enjoyed no benefit at all.'

'If He had any power, being present He would have healed me;'

which is the very thing Naaman also said to Elisha.

For he too, when bidden to go and wash in the Jordan, was incredulous, and that though so great a report existed concerning Elisha.

But the blind man was not incredulous, nor did he gainsay,

nor did he reason within himself, 'Whatever is this? Was it necessary to lay on clay? This is rather to blind;

who ever recovered sight in this way?' But he reasoned none of these things.

Do you see faith firm and steadfast, and eagerness? 'Night comes.'

By this He shows that even after the cross He is about to provide for the ungodly, and to draw many.

But after this He utterly cuts them off.

'While I am in the world, I am the light of the world;'

'Believe, while the light is with you.'

Why ever did Paul call the present life night, and that other one day? Not opposing Christ, but saying the same things, if not in words, yet in meaning.

For he says, 'The night is far spent, and the day is at hand.'

For he calls the present time night on account of those who sit in darkness, or because it is taken up into that Day;

but Christ calls the time to come night, on account of the inactivity of sinful deeds.

And Paul calls the present life night, because those who spend their time in wickedness and unbelief are in darkness.

Discoursing therefore with the faithful, he said:

'The night is far spent, and the day is at hand,' as of those about to enjoy that Light;

and he calls the old manner of life night.

'For let us cast off,' he says, 'the works of darkness.'

Do you see that he says it is night for those? Wherefore he says:

'Let us walk becomingly as in the day, that we may enjoy that Light.'

For if this light is so fair, consider how great that other shall be.

For by as much as the sun's light is better than that of a lamp, by so much, and much more, is that better than this.

And declaring this He said, that 'The sun shall be darkened,' that is, on account of the superabundance of that radiance, this one too shall not appear.

But if now, for the sake of having bright and airy houses, we spend countless sums of money, building and taking pains,

consider how we ought to spend even our very bodies, that bright dwellings may be built for us in the heavens, where is that ineffable Light.

For here there are battles and contentions over boundaries and walls;

but there is nothing of the sort there;

nor will anyone contend with us over boundary-lines.

This house we must of all necessity leave behind, but that other one abides with us continually.

This one must needs rot with time and be subject to countless injuries, but that one remains ageless forever.

This house the poor man cannot build, but that one may be built even with two mites, as the widow did.

For this reason I am choked with grief: that, with so many good things set before us, we are slothful and careless; and that we do everything to have splendid houses here,

yet as to gaining even a small dwelling in the heavens, we take no care, we give no thought.

Where would you wish to have a house here? In the wilderness, or in one of the little towns? I think not;

but rather in the most royal and great cities, where trade is more abundant, where the renown is greater.

But I lead you to such a city, whose designer and maker is God.

There I exhort you to found and to build, with less money and with less toil.

That house the hands of the poor build up, and this is building in the truest sense;

whereas the things now being done belong to the utmost folly.

For indeed, if someone led you into the land of Persia to see the things there and then return,

and then bade you build houses there,

would you not condemn him for the utmost folly, as one bidding you spend to no purpose? How then do you do this very thing upon the earth, which a little later you will leave behind? 'But I shall leave it to my children,' he says.

But they too, a little later, will leave it behind after you;

and those after them again likewise.

And here on earth the matter becomes to you an occasion of despondency, whenever you do not see your heirs holding fast the possession.

But there is nothing of the kind to suspect in that other place;

rather the possession abides unshaken, both for you and for your children and your descendants, if they imitate the same virtue.

That building Christ Himself takes in hand;

and in building it there is no need to set overseers over the work, nor to be anxious, nor to be troubled.

When He undertakes the work, what need is there of anxiety? He gathers all together and raises up the house.

And this is not the only marvel, but that He builds it in such a way as is pleasing to you;

nay rather, even beyond what is pleasing, and beyond what you desire.

For He is the best of craftsmen, and cares exceedingly for what is to your profit.

And even if you are poor and wish to build this house, it brings you no envy, nor breeds any malice against you;

for none of those who know how to envy behold it, but those who know how to rejoice—the angels—look upon your good things;

none will be able to move its boundaries;

for none who are sick with such a disease dwells near it.

You have there for neighbours the saints, those about Paul and Peter, all the prophets, the martyrs, the host of angels and archangels.

For all these reasons, then, let us pour out what we have upon the poor, that we may attain to those tabernacles;

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, unto the ages of ages. Amen.