Homilies on the Gospel of John 75

'Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us.'

'Jesus says to him: Have I been so long a time with you, and you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father.'

The prophet said to the Jews:

Thou hast had the face of a harlot, thou wast shameless toward all.

And it seems fitting to say these things not only to that city, but also to those who shamelessly look the truth in the face and gainsay it.

When Philip had said to Christ, 'Show us Thy Father,' He answers:

'Have I been so long a time with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip?' And yet there are some who even after these words cut off the Son from Him who begat Him.

And what closer nearness than this dost thou seek? For some, from this very saying, have even fallen into the disease of Sabellius.

But leaving both these and those, as transgressing in diametrically opposite ways, let us behold the exactness of the words that were spoken.

'Have I been so long a time with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip?' saith He. What then? Art thou the Father whom I seek? By no means, saith he.

For this reason He did not say, 'Thou hast not known Him,'

signifying nothing else than that the Son is nothing other than that which the Father is, while remaining in being the Son.

But whence did Philip come to this? He was saying:

'If ye had known Me, ye would have known My Father also;'

and to the Jews He had often said this.

Since therefore Peter had often asked Him, and the Jews too, who the Father is, and Thomas had also asked Him, and no one had learned anything clearly, but the things spoken were still not understood, that Philip might not seem to be tiresome and to trouble Him by asking, after the Jews, this very same question himself, he added, 'Show us Thy Father, and it sufficeth us.'

'If ye had known Me, ye would have known My Father also,' and through Himself He was making the Father manifest;

but he reversed the order, and saith:

'Show us the Father,' as though he knew Him [the Son] exactly.

But Christ doth not bear with him, but sets him upon the way, persuading him to learn the Father through Himself;

yet he wished to see Him with these bodily eyes, having perhaps heard concerning the prophets, that they saw God.

But those were acts of condescension, O Philip.

For this reason Christ said:

'No man hath seen God at any time;'

and again, 'Every one that hath heard from God, and hath learned, cometh unto Me.'

'Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape.'

And in the Old [Testament], 'No man shall see My face, and live.'

What then saith Christ? Very reprovingly:

'Have I been so long a time with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip?' And He said not, 'Thou hast not seen Me,' but, 'Thou hast not known Me.'

For do I wish thee to learn, saith He? I am seeking now to see thy Father;

but thou sayest to me, 'Thou hast not known Me?' What consequence then hath this? Much indeed.

For since this is that which the Father is, while remaining the Son, with good reason doth He show in Himself Him that begat Him.

Then, distinguishing the hypostases, He saith:

'He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father,' that no one might say that He is Himself the Father, and Himself the Son.

For if He were Himself the Father, He would not have said, 'He that hath seen Me hath seen Him.' But how did He not say to him, 'Thou askest things impossible and not according to man; for to Me alone is this possible'?

Since he said, 'It sufficeth us,' as though knowing Him, He shows that he had not even seen Him [the Son].

For he would surely have seen that One too, if he had been able [to see] even Him.

'He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.'

'If any one hath seen Me, he shall see that One also.'

And what He saith is of this kind, that neither Me nor that One is it possible to see.

For Philip was seeking the knowledge that is through sight;

and since he thought that he had seen Him, but wished to see the Father in like manner, He shows that he had not even seen Him.

But if any one should say that 'sight' here means knowledge, neither do I contradict this.

For 'he that hath known Me,' saith He, 'hath known the Father.'

But He said not this; rather, wishing to establish the consubstantiality, He said:

'He that hath known My essence hath known also that of the Father.'

For indeed he that hath known the creation hath known also God.

And yet all know the creation and have seen it;

but God not all know.

But in another way, let us see what Philip seeks to behold.

Is it the wisdom of the Father? Is it His goodness? No;

but the very thing, whatsoever God is, the essence itself.

To this, then, Christ answers:

But he that hath seen the creation hath not on that account seen also the essence of God.

'If any one hath seen Me, he hath seen My Father.'

But if He were of another essence, He would not have said this.

And that I may lay hold of a somewhat grosser illustration: no one who is ignorant of gold can behold the essence of gold in silver;

for one nature doth not appear through another.

and rightly did He reprove, saying:

'Have I been so long a time with you?'

Thou hast enjoyed such great teaching, thou hast seen signs done with authority, and all the things which were proper to Godhead, and which the Father alone worketh — sins being loosed, hidden things brought into the midst, death retreating, a creating fashioned from the earth — And hast thou not known Me? (Section 2.)

For since He was clothed with flesh, on this account He said, 'Thou hast not known Me.'

Hast thou seen the Father? Seek not to see more;

if thou hast seen Me, busy thyself with nothing further;

for indeed in Me thou hast known that One.

'Believest thou not that I am in the Father?' That is, In that essence I appear.

'The words that I speak, I speak not from Myself.'

Hast thou seen the excess of nearness, and the proof of one essence? 'But the Father, that abideth in Me, He doeth the works.'

How, having begun from words, did He come to works? For the consistent thing would have been to say, 'He speaketh the words;'

but He sets down two things here, concerning teaching and concerning signs;

or [it may be] because the words also were works.

How then doth He Himself do them? And indeed elsewhere He saith:

'If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not;'

How then does He here say that the Father works? By showing this very thing, that there is nothing intermediate between the Father and the Son.

It is not that the Father acted in one way and I in another;

and indeed elsewhere He says that both He Himself and the Father work, declaring:

'My Father works until now, and I also work;'

there showing the exact identity of their works, and here demonstrating their sameness.

But if the surface impression of the words conveys a note of lowliness, do not be astonished.

For having first said, 'You do not believe,' He then uttered this;

showing that it was for the sake of leading them into faith that He so framed His words.

For He was searching into their hearts.

'Do you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?' You ought, on hearing 'Father' and 'Son,' to seek nothing further for the demonstration of their kinship according to essence.

But if this does not suffice for you to show their equal honour and consubstantiality, then learn it at least from the works.

And the saying, 'He who has seen Me has seen My Father,' if it were spoken concerning the works, He would not afterward have said:

'But if not, believe Me because of the works themselves.'

Then, showing that He can do not these things only, but others far greater than these, He sets them forth with emphasis.

For He does not say, 'I too can do greater things than these;'

but, what was far more marvellous, 'I can also grant to others,' He says, 'to do even greater things than these.'

'Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do, because I go to the Father.'

That is to say, 'Henceforth the working of miracles rests with you.'

Then, when He had accomplished what His discourse intended, He says: 'Whatever you ask in My name, you shall receive, and I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in Me.'

Do you see how again He Himself does this? For 'I,' He says, 'will do it.'

And He did not say, 'I will entreat the Father;'

but, 'That the Father may be glorified in Me.'

'God will glorify Him in Himself;'

but here, 'He Himself will glorify the Father.'

For when the Son is seen to be capable of great things, He who begot Him will be glorified.

And what is the meaning of 'in My name'? Just what the apostles said, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.'

For all the signs which they performed, He Himself was working, and 'the hand of the Lord was with them.'

Do you see His authority? The things done through others He Himself does;

but the things done through Himself has He no power for, being rather energized by the Father? And who could say such a thing? And for what reason does He set it down a second time? To confirm His own word, and to show that the former things were of condescension.

And the saying, 'I go to the Father,' means this:

'I shall not perish, but abide in My own proper dignity, and I am in the heavens.'

And all these things He said in order to comfort them.

For since it was likely that they, not yet understanding the words concerning the resurrection, should conceive some gloomy thought, He promises that He will grant such things to others as well, everywhere tending them, and showing that He abides perpetually, and not only abides, but will also display a greater power.

Let us therefore follow Him, and take up the cross.

For even if persecution is not present, yet another kind of cross is present.

'Mortify,' He says, 'your members which are upon the earth.'

Let us therefore quench desire, let us slay wrath, let us destroy envy.

This sacrifice does not end in ashes, nor is it dispersed in smoke, nor does it need wood, and fire, and knife.

For it has fire and knife—the Holy Spirit.

Using this knife, circumcise from your heart what is superfluous and alien; open the closed ear.

For diseases and wicked desires are wont to block up the entrance of the word.

For the desire of money, once set before us, does not allow us to hear the word concerning almsgiving; and envy, when it comes upon us, walls off the teaching about love; and yet another disease, falling upon us, again renders the soul more sluggish toward everything.

Let us therefore do away with our wicked desires.

For it is enough to will it, and all is quenched.

For let us not look at this, that the love of money is tyrannical, but that the tyranny belongs to our own sloth.

At any rate, many say that they do not even know what silver is.

For this desire is not natural.

For the natural desires were laid down from above and from the beginning;

but gold and silver, for a long time, were not even known to be what they are.

Whence then did this desire grow? From vainglory and utmost sloth.

For of the desires, some are necessary, some are natural, and some are neither of these.

Those which, when not fulfilled, destroy the living creature—these are natural and necessary;

such as the desire for food and drink, and the desire for sleep;

but the love of bodies is natural indeed, yet not necessary.

For many have overcome it, and did not perish.

But the desire of money is neither natural nor necessary, but superfluous;

and if we so will, we need not receive its beginning at all.

Assuredly Christ too, when discoursing on virginity, says:

'He who is able to receive it, let him receive it;'

but concerning money He does not speak thus. Rather, what does He say? 'Unless a man renounces all that he possesses, he is not worthy of Me.'

For what was easy, He exhorted;

but what surpasses the many, He commits to the free choice.

Why then do we deprive ourselves of all defence? For he who is caught by the more tyrannical passion will not pay a great penalty;

but he who is mastered by the weak one is deprived of all defence.

For what shall we say, when He says, 'You saw Me hungry, and did not feed Me?' What defence shall we have? Shall we by all means plead poverty? But we are not poorer than that widow, who, casting in two mites, surpassed them all.

For God does not require the quantity of the offering, but the measures of the intention;

and this too is a mark of His care for us.

Marvelling therefore at His love for mankind, let us contribute what we are able;

that both in the present life and in that which is to come, having obtained the great love of God toward mankind, we may be able to enjoy the good things promised to us, by the grace and love toward mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory unto the ages of ages.