Homilies on the Gospel of John 89

When therefore they had dined, Jesus says to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?' He says to Him:

'Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee.'

Many indeed are the other things also which are able to give us boldness before God, and to show us bright and well-approved;

But that which above all things procures for us the goodwill from on high is the care we show for our neighbors.

This, then, is precisely what Christ requires of Peter.

For when their meal had come to an end, Jesus says to Simon Peter:

'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?' He says to Him:

'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'

And why, then, passing over the others, does He converse with this one about these matters? He was the chosen of the apostles, the mouth of the disciples, and the head of the choir.

For this reason Paul also went up at that time to see him rather than the others.

At the same time, showing him also that he must henceforth take courage, since his denial had been blotted out, He entrusts to him the leadership of the brethren.

And He does not bring forward the denial, nor reproach him for what had happened;

but He says: If you love me, take charge of the brethren, and the fervent love which you displayed throughout, and in which you exulted, now show it; and the life which you said you would lay down for me, this now give up for my sheep.

Since, then, having been asked once and a second time, he called as witness the very One who knows the secrets of the heart, and then was asked a third time and was troubled, again fearing what had gone before (for at that former time too he had been proved wrong after strongly asserting himself)—

for this reason he again takes refuge in Him.

For to say, 'You know all things,' means the present things and the things to come.

Do you see how he became better and more sober-minded, no longer being self-willed and contradicting? For it was for this reason that he was troubled—lest perhaps I think I love, but do not really love;

just as before, too, though I thought and strongly asserted many things, I was afterward proved wrong.

And a third time He enjoins the same things, showing how highly He values the care of His own sheep, and that this above all is a sign of love toward Him.

And having spoken to him about the love toward Himself, He foretells to him also the martyrdom which he was to endure, indicating that it was not out of distrust of him that He said what He said, but rather out of great confidence in him; and wishing to show the proof of his love toward Him, and to instruct us in what manner above all we ought to love Him.

When you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished;

but when you grow old, others will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.

And indeed this was what he willed and desired;

wherefore He made this plain to him.

For since again and again he had said, 'I will lay down my life for you,'

and, 'Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you,' He granted him his desire.

What, then, is the meaning of 'where you do not wish'? He speaks of the natural fellow-feeling, and of the necessity of the flesh, and that the soul is torn from the body against its will.

So that, even though the resolve of his purpose was strong, nevertheless even so nature was found reluctant.

For no one puts off the body without suffering—God having, as I said before, arranged this providentially for our benefit, so that violent deaths should not become many.

For if, even things being thus, the devil was able to accomplish this, and led countless numbers to precipices and pits;

if the soul's desire for the body were not so great,

even from any chance despondency the multitude would quickly have rushed to this.

The phrase, then, 'where you do not wish,' indicates the natural fellow-feeling.

But how, having said, 'When you were younger,' does He again say:

'But when you grow old'? For this shows that he was not then young;

but neither yet grown old, but a full-grown man.

For what reason, then, did He remind him of his former life? To make plain that such are the ways of His kingdom.

For in the affairs of this life the young man is useful, but the old man useless;

but in mine, He says, it is not so; rather, when old age comes on, then is the prowess more brilliant, then is the valor more conspicuous, in no way hindered by age.

And He said these things not to dismay him, but to rouse him;

for He knew his longing, and that he had long been in travail for this noble thing;

and at the same time He also makes plain the manner of his death.

For since Peter continually wished to be among the dangers borne for His sake, He says, 'Take courage;'

for so will I fill up your desire, that the things you did not suffer when young, these you must suffer when grown old.

Then, rousing the hearer, the evangelist added:

And this He said, signifying by what death he should glorify God.

but, 'He should glorify God,' that you may learn that to suffer for Christ is glory and honor to the one who suffers.

And having said these things, he says, He says:

From this again He hints at His tender care, and that He was disposed toward him with great intimacy.

But if anyone should say, How then did James receive the throne of Jerusalem? I would answer this: that He appointed this man teacher not of the throne, but of the whole world.

Peter, then, turning, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following—who also had leaned back at the supper on His breast;

For what reason did he remind us of that reclining? Not simply, nor by chance, but to show how great was the boldness which Peter had after the denial.

For he who at that time did not dare to ask, but entrusted this to another, this same man was now entrusted with the leadership of the brethren.

And not only does he not entrust his own affairs to another, but he himself now brings forward to the Teacher an inquiry on behalf of another;

and John indeed keeps silent, while that one converses.

And here too he shows the love which he had toward him;

for Peter loved John exceedingly;

and this is plain also from the things that followed;

and throughout the whole Gospel the bond between these two is shown, and in the Acts as well.

Since, then, He had foretold him great things, and had entrusted him with the whole world, and had proclaimed beforehand his martyrdom, and had testified to his love as greater than that of the others, wishing to take this one also as a partner, he says:

'And this man, what? Will he not come the same way with us?' And just as at that time he himself,

not being able to ask, put this one forward;

so now too, repaying him the recompense, and supposing that he wished to ask the things concerning himself but then did not take courage, he himself undertook the question.

What, then, does Christ say? 'If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?' Since he spoke out of great affection, and out of not wishing to be parted from him, Christ, showing that however much he might love him, he could not surpass His own love, says:

'If I will that he remain, what is that to you?' by these words instructing us not to be vexed, nor to be over-curious about anything beyond what seems good to Him.

For since Peter was always fervent in such inquiries and leapt forward, cutting off his fervor once more, and teaching him not to pry further, He says this.

This saying, then, went out to the brethren—that is, to the disciples—that that one does not die.

Yet Jesus did not say that 'He does not die,' but, 'If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?' For do not suppose, He says, that I govern your affairs in one manner only.

And this He did on account of their untimely sympathy toward one another.

For since they were about to take up the stewardship of the world, it was not fitting that they should henceforth be bound up with one another;

for truly this would have become a great loss to the world.

A work has been entrusted to you; attend to it, and accomplish it, and strive, and contend.

For what if I also will that he remain here? Attend to your own affairs and be concerned with them.

But here too I would have you consider the freedom from vainglory that marks the Evangelist.

For having reported the opinion of the disciples, he corrects it, showing that they had not rightly understood what He said.

'For Jesus said not,' he tells us, 'that he should not die, but, If I will that he tarry.'

'This is the disciple who bears witness of these things, and who wrote these things;'

'and we know that his testimony is true.'

Why is it that, when none of the others does this, he alone speaks thus, and does this a second time, bearing witness to himself?

and it seems to offend those who hear. What then is the reason? He is said to have come to write last of all, God having moved and stirred him up to this;

and for this reason he continually points to his own love, hinting at the cause from which he was impelled to write.

For this reason too he repeatedly makes mention of it, making his account worthy of belief, and showing that, moved from that source, he came to this work.

'And I know,' he says, 'that the things which he says are true;'

'and if the many do not believe, it is possible for them to believe from this.'

From what? From what is said next:

'For there are also,' he says, 'many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.'

Whence it is plain that I would not have shown favour.

For he who, when there were so many things, did not even relate as much as the rest, but passed over the greater part of them, and instead set forth in public the plots of the Jews, the stonings, the hatred, the insults, the revilings, and made clear how they called Him even a demoniac and a deceiver—it is quite evident that he would not have shown favour.

For one who wished to flatter would have had to do the opposite: to conceal the shameful things, and set forth the glorious.

Since therefore he wrote what he wrote out of full assurance, he does not decline to bring forward his own testimony into the midst, inviting men to examine and test each detail of what took place.

For it is our custom, when we seem to be speaking with the utmost truth, never to refuse our own testimony.

And if we do this, much more did that man who wrote by the Spirit;

which very thing the rest of the Apostles also said in their preaching:

'We are witnesses,' he says, 'of the things we speak, and so is the Spirit, which He has given to those who obey Him.'

And he was present at all things, and did not forsake Him even when He was being crucified, and to him was entrusted the Mother;

all which things are tokens of his love toward Him, and of his knowing all things with exactness.

And if he said that so many were the signs that were wrought, marvel not;

but considering the unspeakable power of Him who wrought them, receive with faith that which is said.

For as it is easy for us to speak,

so for Him—nay, far more easily—He does whatever He wills.

For it sufficed only to will, and all things followed.

Let us then give careful heed to the things that have been said, and let us not cease to unfold them;

for from constant reading there comes to us some further gain.

Thus shall we be able to cleanse our own life, thus to cut out the thorns.

For such is sin and the care of this life—unfruitful and full of pain.

And just as the thorn, wherever it is grasped, pricks the one who grasps it,

so also the things of this life, wherever you take hold of them, grieve the one who clasps them tightly and cherishes them.

But spiritual things are not of this kind; rather they resemble a pearl:

whichever way you turn it about, it delights the eyes.

For a man is not only nourished by the hope of things to come, but also rejoices in the good things here, being everywhere confident, and doing all things with much boldness.

He has prevailed over an evil desire;

and even before the Kingdom he has already from this reaped the fruit, being praised and admired before all others by his own conscience.

And each of the good works is of this kind; just as, on the other hand, evil deeds, even before hell, punish the conscience here.

If, having sinned, you consider the things to come, you become full of fear and trembling, even though no one punishes you;

and if you consider the present, you have many enemies and live in suspicion, and can no longer even look those you have wronged in the face;

nay, not even those whom you have not wronged.

For we do not reap so much pleasure from these things as we do dejection, our conscience crying out against us, the men without condemning us, God being provoked, hell in travail to receive us, our thoughts finding no rest.

For sin is a grievous, a grievous and burdensome thing, and heavier than any lead.

At least he who is sensible of it will not be able to look up even a little, however utterly insensible he may be.

Thus indeed even Ahab, ungodly though he was in the extreme, when he became sensible of it, walked with his head bowed down, broken and afflicted.

For this cause too he put on sackcloth, and let flow fountains of tears.

If we do this, and mourn as he did, we shall put off our accusations as Zacchaeus did, and we too shall obtain some measure of pardon.

For just as in the case of swellings and fistulas, unless one first stays the humour that flows in and aggravates the wound, whatever medicines he applies, so long as the source of the evil is not checked, he does everything in vain;

so also we, unless we stay the hand of covetousness and hold back this evil influx, even though we give alms, we do everything in vain.

For covetousness, coming upon what was healed by almsgiving, floods it over and ruins it, and makes the state worse than before.

Let us then cease from plundering, and so let us show mercy.

But if we cast ourselves into precipices, how shall we be able to draw breath? For if one should draw up from above the man who is about to fall (which almsgiving is), while another should force him down from below, nothing more will come of such a struggle than that the man be torn asunder.

In order therefore that we may not suffer this, nor, while covetousness weighs us down from below, almsgiving forsake us and depart, let us lighten ourselves and spread our wings, that through the deliverance from evils, and through the working of eternal good, being made perfect, we may attain the eternal good things, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honour, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.