Homilies on the Gospel of John 85

'To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.'

'Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.'

A wondrous thing is long-suffering, and as in a calm harbor it establishes the soul, delivering it from waves and evil winds.

And this Christ everywhere taught us;

but most of all now, being judged and led and led about.

For indeed, when brought to Annas, He answered with much forbearance, and to the servant who smote Him He said words able to lay low all pride;

and from thence coming to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, and spending a whole night in these things, throughout all He displays His own meekness;

and when they said that He was a malefactor, and could not convict Him, He stood in silence;

but when He was asked concerning the kingdom, then He spoke to Pilate, instructing him and leading him up to higher things.

But why is it that Pilate does not make the inquiry in their presence, but having entered privately into the praetorium? He held some great surmise concerning Him, and wished, without the Jews making an uproar, to learn everything accurately.

Then, when he said, 'What hast thou done?' concerning this He answered nothing;

but concerning that which Pilate most longed to hear, His kingdom, concerning this He answers, saying:

'My kingdom is not of this world;'

that is, I am indeed a king, but not such a one as you suspect, but far more glorious;

and by these words and by those that follow, He declares that nothing evil has been wrought by Him.

For He who said, 'To this end was I born, and for this cause came I, that I should bear witness unto the truth,' shows that nothing evil has been wrought by Him.

Then, having said, 'Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice,' by these words He draws him and persuades him to become a hearer of what is spoken.

For if anyone is truthful, He says, and longs for these things, he will assuredly hear Me.

In this way, indeed, He took hold even of him with those brief words, so that he said, 'What is truth?' But for the present he stands by what is pressing at hand.

For he perceived that this question required leisure and a fitting time.

But he wishes to snatch Him away from the fury of the Jews.

And what does he say? 'I find no fault in Him.'

For he did not say, 'Since He has sinned and is worthy of death, grant Him to you as a favor for the feast';

but having first cleared Him of every charge, then, as a further concession, he asks that even if they will not release Him as innocent, they should at least grant Him to the occasion as one liable to punishment.

'You have a custom that I should release one unto you at the Passover.'

Then, in a shaming manner: 'Will you therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?' They then all cried out:

'Not this man, but Barabbas.'

They ask for those of like manners with themselves, and release the guilty;

but they command that the guiltless one be punished;

for this had been their law from of old.

But do you, through all these things, consider the loving-kindness of the Master in these events.

Pilate scourged Him, wishing perhaps to relax and to appease the Jewish frenzy.

For since by the former measures he had not availed to deliver Him, hastening to check the calamity at this point, he both scourged Him and permitted the things that were done—the putting on of the robe and the crown—so as to slacken their wrath.

For this reason he also led Him out to them crowned, that seeing the outrage done to Him they might take a little breath from their passion and vomit forth their venom.

And how was it that the soldiers did these things, unless it were by the ruler's command? To gratify the Jews;

since not even at the outset did they go out by night by his command, but to please the Jews, and for the sake of money they dared all things.

But nevertheless, though so many and such great things were done, He Himself stood in silence;

which indeed He did also at the examination, and answered nothing.

But do you not only hear these things, but keep them continually in your mind; and beholding the King of the world and of all the angels mocked by soldiers, in words and in deeds, and bearing all in silence, imitate Him through your works.

For since Pilate had said, 'The King of the Jews,' they thereupon put on Him the guise of mockery.

Then, leading Him out, he says:

'I find no fault in Him.'

He came out therefore wearing the crown, and not even so was their wrath quenched, but they cried out:

'Crucify, crucify Him.'

So then Pilate, seeing that all was done in vain, says:

'Take Him yourselves, and crucify Him.'

Whence it is plain that he had also conceded the former things because of their madness.

'For I,' he says, 'find no fault in Him.'

See through how many things the judge makes his defense for Him, continually clearing Him of the charges;

but none of these things put those dogs to shame.

For the very words, 'Take Him and crucify Him,' belong to one washing his hands of it, and thrusting them toward a deed not permitted to them.

They indeed had brought Him, that this might be done with the ruler's sentence;

but the contrary came about—that from the ruler's judgment He was rather to be released.

Then, since they were put to shame, 'We have a law,' he says, 'and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.'

How then, when the judge said, 'Take Him and judge Him according to your law,' did you say:

'It is not lawful for us to put any man to death';

yet here you take refuge in the law? And consider the accusation.

'He made Himself the Son of God.'

Is this a charge, tell me—that one who does the works of the Son of God should say that He is the Son of God? What then does Christ do? Even while they were disputing these matters with one another, He kept silence, fulfilling that prophetic word, 'He opens not His mouth;'

'in His humiliation His judgment was taken away.'

Then Pilate indeed is afraid, having heard from them that He made Himself the Son of God, and dreads lest what is said should be true, and lest he seem to act unlawfully;

but they, having learned this by deeds and by words, shudder not, but slay Him for the very things for which they ought to have worshipped Him.

For this reason he no longer asks Him, 'What have You done?' but again, shaken from above by fear, makes his examination, saying:

'Are You the Christ?' But He answered not.

For he who had heard, 'To this end was I born, and to this end came I,' and, 'My kingdom is not from hence,' and who ought to have withstood and delivered Him, did not this, but followed the Jewish impulse.

Then they, being stopped in the mouth on every side, bring the matter out to a public charge, saying:

'He that makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.'

It behooved him therefore to examine this with exactness—whether He had aspired to tyranny, and had attempted to cast Caesar out of his kingdom.

But he does not make the examination with exactness.

For this reason He answered him nothing, since He knew that he asked all things in vain.

And besides, since His works bore witness to Him, He was unwilling to conquer by word and to compose a defense, showing that He came to this willingly.

'Do You not know that I have power to crucify You?' See how he condemned himself beforehand? For if the whole matter lies with you, why, finding no fault, do you not release Him? Since then he had brought the sentence out against himself, then He says:

'He that delivered Me unto you has the greater sin;'

showing that he too is liable to sin.

Then, pulling down his pride and arrogance, He says:

'You would have no power, unless it were given you;'

showing that this was not happening simply and according to the ordinary course of the many, but was being accomplished in a mysterious way.

But lest, hearing, 'Unless it were given you,' he should think himself cleared of every charge, for this reason He said:

'He that delivered Me unto you has the greater sin.'

And yet, if it had been given, neither this man nor those would be liable to charges;

for the word 'given' here means 'permitted';

yet not on that account are you free from wickedness.

He astounded him by His words, and furnished a clear defense;

wherefore he also sought to release Him.

But they again cried out:

'If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend.'

For since they had gained nothing by bringing charges against Him from the Law, they maliciously turn to the laws of those outside, saying:

'Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.'

And where did this man appear as a tyrant? Whence can you show it? From the purple robe? From the diadem?

From His array? From His soldiers? Did He not always walk alone with His twelve disciples, providing for everything in a lowly manner—food, and clothing, and dwelling? But O the shamelessness and the ill-timed cowardice!

For Pilate, thinking that he would henceforth be in danger if he disregarded these things, goes out as though to examine the matter (for the sitting down signified this);

but making no examination, he delivers Him up, thinking to shame them.

For that he did it in this way, hear what the Evangelist says:

And when they had said, 'Crucify Him,' he again added, saying:

'Shall I crucify your King?' But they cried out, 'We have no king but Caesar.'

Of their own will they subjected themselves to punishment.

For this reason God also gave them over, when they themselves had first cast themselves out from His providence and His oversight.

And since they with one voice denied the Kingdom, He suffered them to fall by their own votes.

And yet the words spoken were enough to have quelled their wrath at last.

But they were afraid lest, being released again, He should stir up the crowd, and they did everything for this end.

For the love of rule is a terrible thing, terrible and able to destroy the soul.

For this reason they never listened to Him.

But Pilate wished to release Him on the strength of bare words;

these men, however, pressed on, saying, 'Crucify Him.'

And why then did they endeavor to slay Him in this manner? This death was one of reproach.

Fearing, therefore, lest there should afterward be any memory of Him, they were eager to bring Him even to this accursed punishment, not knowing that through the very hindrances the truth is exalted.

For that they suspected this, hear what they say:

'We heard that that deceiver said, After three days I rise again.'

For this reason they stirred everything up, turning all things upside down, so as to mar what should come after;

and they continually cried out, 'Crucify,' a disorderly rabble corrupted by their rulers.

But let us not merely read these things, but also carry them in our mind—the crown of thorns, the robe, the reed, the buffetings, the blows upon the cheek, the spittings, the mockery.

For these things, continually revolved in the mind, are able to take away all anger.

And though we be mocked, though we suffer anything unjustly, let us continually say:

'The servant is not greater than his lord';

and let us bring forward into the midst the things spoken by the Jews, which they uttered in their frenzy, saying, 'Thou hast a demon';

and, 'By Beelzebub He casteth out the demons.'

For it was for this reason that He endured all these things, that we might tread in His footsteps, and might bear reproaches, which most of all drive men beside themselves among all revilings.

Yet nevertheless He not only bore these things, but did everything so as to save and

to deliver those who did them from the punishment laid up for them.

For indeed He sent the apostles for the salvation of these very men.

You hear them, at any rate, saying, 'We know that ye did it in ignorance,' and by these words drawing them to repentance.

Let us also emulate these things.

For nothing makes God so propitious as to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us.

When anyone insults you, look not to him, but to the demon that moves him, and pour out all your anger against that one;

but have pity on him too, the one who is being moved by that demon.

For if lying is from the devil, so also is being angry without cause—much more is it from thence.

When you see a man scoffing, consider that it is the devil who moves him.

For jesting mockery does not belong to Christians.

For he who has been commanded to mourn, and who hears, 'Woe unto you that laugh!'

and who then reviles and scoffs and is inflamed, is worthy not to be reviled by us but to be lamented, since Christ also was troubled when He thought upon Judas.

Let us therefore practice all these things in our deeds.

For if we do not accomplish these things aright, we have come into the world in vain and to no purpose;

for faith is not sufficient to bring us into the Kingdom, but it is especially able by this very thing to condemn those who display a base life.

For 'he who knows his lord's will, and does it not, shall be beaten with many stripes';

and again, 'If I had not come,' He says, 'and spoken to them, they would not have had sin.'

What defense then shall we have, we who have come within the palace and have been counted worthy to peer into the inner sanctuaries, and have become partakers of mysteries that free from sins, if we prove worse than the Greeks who have shared in none of these things? For if those men displayed so great a philosophy for the sake of vainglory, much more ought we to pursue every virtue for the sake of what pleases God.

But as it is, we do not even despise money;

but those men often disregarded even their own life, and gave up their children in wars to the madness of demons, and despised nature for the sake of the demons;

while we, neither for the sake of Christ despise silver, nor for the sake of what pleases God restrain anger, but we are inflamed, and are in no better a state than men in a fever.

And just as those men, being held fast by evil, are burning, so we too, as if choked by a kind of fire, are nowhere able to stand from our desire, but keep increasing both anger and the love of money.

For these reasons I am ashamed and astounded, seeing among the Greeks men who despise riches, but among us all men raging mad.

For even if we should find some of them despising these things, yet they are caught by others, by wrath and by envy;

and it is a difficult matter to find pure philosophy.

And the cause is that we are not diligent to take the remedies from the Scriptures, nor do we attend to them with compunction and with pain and groaning, but only carelessly, whenever we might happen to have leisure.

For this reason, when much rubbish of the affairs of life comes, it floods over everything, and whatever gain there was, it destroys.

For neither, if a man had a wound, and then, applying a plaster, should not bind it on with care, but should let it fall off, and should give up his sore to water, and dust, and squalor, and countless other things able to fret it—will anything be gained for him;

but it is not owing to the weakness of the remedies, but to his own slothfulness.

This is wont to happen to us also, whenever we attend but little to the divine oracles, but give ourselves over to the affairs of life altogether and continually.

For thus is all the seed choked, and everything becomes unfruitful.

In order, then, that this may not happen, let us look forth a little, let us lift up our eyes to heaven, and cast our gaze down upon the tombs and coffins of those who have departed.

For the same end awaits us also, and the very necessity of departure will often stand over us before the evening.

Let us therefore prepare ourselves for this departure.

For indeed we have need of much provision for the journey;

since there also the heat is great, the drought great, the desolation great.

It is not possible to lodge at an inn any longer there;

it is not possible to buy anything there, unless one has taken all things hence.

Hear, then, what the virgins say:

'Go rather to them that sell.'

but when they had gone away they found none.

Hear what Abraham says: that 'There is a gulf betwixt us and you.'

Hear what Ezekiel says concerning that day: that 'Noah, and Job, and Daniel shall by no means deliver their own sons.'

But may it not be ours to hear these words; rather, having received from hence a sufficient provision for the eternal life, may we behold with boldness our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.