Commentary on John 1 part 24/94

for the former, although they had become beholders of many things not unworthy to be marvelled at, are not only hard and inhuman, but even thirst unjustly for the blood of Him who was eager to save them as was fitting, driving Him with untamed madnesses from their own city and country;

but the latter, being settled away from Jerusalem, and by this showing forth their foreign origin, glorify Him at one single sign, and nobly judge that they must without hesitation receive by faith the estimations concerning Him.

From all these things, then, Israel was shown to be self-condemned and self-allotted henceforth justly to be cast away, while it was owed to those of the nations to obtain the sparing from above and the love that is through Christ.

'And to seize Him that they might make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain, Himself alone.'

One might have cast a most praiseworthy vote, and very justly so, for those who from the great miracle were easily persuaded that all the most excellent things ought to belong to Christ, and that the highest place, as in the portion of honour, should be assigned to Him.

For their willing to appoint Him as king — what else could this signify to us than this? And one might reasonably admire this too along with the rest, for Christ is found to us a pattern of freedom from vainglory, both fleeing from those who chose to honour Him as was fitting, and declining the highest kingship among us — although the matter was truly not to be coveted by Him, since He reigns over all together with the Father — and at the same time He gives to understand, to those who look toward the hope to come, that great things in the world are small to them, and that it is good, even if honours in this life, that is, in the world, come of their own accord, not to admit them, so that they may ascend to that honour which is from God;

for it is truly unbecoming for those who press on toward divine grace, and who thirst for eternal glory, to love to shine forth in these things.

We must therefore decline the love of glory, the sister and neighbour of arrogance, not much separated in measure from the bounds of that vice.

And let us flee the conspicuous in honour according to the present life, as being unjust, but let us rather seek that which is venerable in lowliness, yielding to one another, even as the blessed Paul admonished us, saying: 'Let each of you have this mind among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, counted it not a thing to be grasped to be equal with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross;'

'wherefore also God highly exalted Him and freely gave to Him the name which is above every name.' Do you see how voluntary humility has a splendid end, and how a moderate mind is manifested to us as a root of many good things? For being in the form of God the Father, the Only-Begotten humbled Himself, becoming man for our sakes; but even though He appeared in this life with flesh, yet He did not remain lowly;

for He runs back up to the ancient dignity and to the glory that befits God, even though He became man.

In this same manner may one understand it also with regard to ourselves.

For whenever we bring ourselves down from the empty heights of the present life and seek the lowly things, then indeed altogether we shall in return receive the glory from above, and shall ascend to the being of gods by grace, receiving after the likeness the being called children of God with respect to Him who is truly and by nature the Son.

and, to say something akin to what lies before us, let us decline even that very earthly summit, if it presents itself, which is the mother of all honour, if we set our minds on the things above and live our citizenship among the things on high rather than among the things upon the earth.

But our discourse is not without a share of spiritual contemplations; wherefore again we shall speak, as it were recapitulating the whole force of the things that have taken place, and drawing up the account of the matters before us from the beginning;

for so shall what is about to be said become clear to us, especially since the blessed Evangelist has added, as though signifying something necessary and inevitable, the words 'that He withdrew to the mountain, Himself alone.'

So then, declining the inhumanity of the Jews, Christ departed from Jerusalem — which is plainly, 'I have forsaken My house, I have left My inheritance' — and having crossed over the sea of Tiberias, and being far separated from their folly, He sprang up to a mountain together with the disciples;

and these things we said also signify both the impassable and, as it were, unachievable nature of the way toward Him for the Jews, and the withdrawal of Christ that came out of wrath at the Passion for a time — that is, for the fitting time — and that Christ shall be conspicuous together with His own disciples, when He goes forth from Judea and walks toward the nations, transferring His grace to them;

He was looking about, and moreover was pondering concerning nourishment.

And this again we said signifies, as in a type, the oversight owed from above to the saints, according to that: 'The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,' and that Christ is not without providential care for those who reverence Him.

Then marvellously the great multitude was fed by means of the five loaves and the two fishes;

whereby we defined that there ought to be understood the writings of the saints, both old and new, the setting-forth through the apostles to those who love Christ.

And in addition to these things, that the choir of the disciples shall receive from God the abundant fruit of their ministry toward us, and after them, those who preside over the holy churches of God;

for in them the type was upon all in the beginning.

Then the beholders marvel at the sign and take counsel to seize Jesus for a king;

which indeed He also perceiving, withdraws alone to the mountain as it is written;

for when among the nations Christ was marvelled at as a mighty worker and as God, when all inscribed Him as king and lord, then also He was taken up alone into heaven, no one at all following Him;

for as the firstfruits of the dead He went up wholly alone into the mountain, the great and truer one, according to that which is said through the psalmist: 'Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord, or who shall stand in His holy place? He that is innocent in hands and pure in heart.' For such a one shall follow Christ and shall ascend into the spiritual mountain, at the time of the kingdom of the heavens;

and He withdrew to the mountain — that is, He ascended into heaven — not declining to reign over those who had believed in Him, but deferring the time of the more manifest kingdom until His return to us from above, when in the glory of the Father He shall descend, no longer recognized through signs as before that He is truly by nature Lord, but confessed without hesitation, from His God-befitting glory, that He is King.

For again I will say, gathering together into a brief compass the breadth of the things spoken:

when through signs He was believed and recognized as God, having gone forth from the Jewish peoples, then indeed all press to take Him even for a king;

but He ascends alone into the heavens at the fitting time, reserving the more manifest demonstration of the kingdom.

'And when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and having entered into a boat, they were going across the sea to Capernaum.'

The first sign having been marvellously accomplished, a root again and occasion of another is found, in the flight and withdrawal from that place ordered by the divine economy, and the worker of wonders proceeds, according to that which is written, 'from strength to strength.'

For since He was being sought after for a king by those who had been struck with amazement at that great miracle, but He Himself was declining the honours in the world according to the accounts already rendered before;

it was altogether necessary that He should depart both from the places, or rather from the whole country of those men.

In order therefore that He might seem to have sailed away, and might slacken the intensity of those who were seeking Him, He commands the disciples to depart ahead, and He Himself remains behind, coming with a good pretext to the sign that follows next;

for it was indeed also very much a matter of zeal to Him, through every occasion and circumstance, to confirm unto faith in Himself the mind of the apostles.

For since they were to be teachers of the inhabited world, and, as it were, certain luminaries to shine forth in the world, according to the utterance of Paul, He made necessary for them the guidance in all things that are by nature apt to profit.

For this was not only to bestow a favour upon those alone, but also upon those who were to be trained by them unto the unerring apprehension concerning Him.

But for what reason, someone perhaps will say, immediately after the mighty work upon that occasion is the power of Jesus to walk even upon the sea introduced? Such a one shall hear in reply a very persuasive cause.

having said that the number would scarcely suffice them for a very small enjoyment, but he who teaches that five loaves and two fishes were found with one of the lads — that the thing found was as nothing for so great a crowd — and from all, so to speak, of their own words they supposed Him to be able to do nothing outside the sequence owed to the things among us.

Of necessity, in order that He might free Himself from so mean an estimation, and might persuade the mind of the apostles, still somewhat feeble, to be able to learn that He does all things marvellously, whatsoever He may will, not hindered by the nature of the matters, nor in any respect at all impeded by the sequence as it were of necessity, He set beneath His feet the liquid nature of the waters, although it had been practised to be subject to human bodies;

for all things were possible to Him as to God.

So then, evening having now come, and the time loosening the diligence of those who were seeking Him, the choir of the holy disciples goes down to the sea, and straightway they sailed away, obeying in all things and without hesitation the God and Teacher.

'And darkness had now come, and Jesus had not yet come to them, and the sea was being stirred up because a great wind was blowing.'

Many things at the same time are usefully dispensed, and the circumstances that befell drive the disciples together into a warmer seeking after the Saviour;

for the darkness of the night, being deep, throws them into confusion, floating like smoke upon the raging waters, and taking away the knowledge of where they must henceforth steer.

Moreover, the fierceness of the winds threw everything into no small turmoil, sweeping down upon the waves with a roar and already raising the surge to an unaccustomed height.

But even after these things had already happened, He says, Jesus had not yet come to them.

For in this above all lay the peril, and what wrought in the voyagers a fear greater than all was that Christ was not present with them.

It is therefore inevitable that those who are not with Him should be storm-tossed—being in some way cut off, or seeming to journey far away by departing from the divine laws, and separated because of sin from Him who is able to save.

If then it is a grievous thing for the spiritual mind to come to be in darkness, and if it is hard to be drowned in the bitter sea of pleasures, let us receive Jesus.

For this will both deliver us from perils and from the sin that leads to death.

And the type of what has been said will be seen in the events themselves.

He will therefore assuredly come to the disciples.

So when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they behold Jesus walking upon the sea and drawing near to the boat.

And He said to them, 'It is I; be not afraid.'

When they were separated from the land by great distances, and it was likely that, once in distress, they could in no way be saved—

for they now had the sea midway across—

then indeed Christ most longingly appears to them.

For thus it was to bestow salvation upon those in danger in the most gracious manner, since fear had already cut off from them all hope of living.

And He appears to them in a marvelous way.

For this above all was what was ordered by the divine economy for their benefit.

And they are struck with amazement, seeing Jesus coming through the midst of the sea and upon the very waters, and their wonder adds to their fear.

But Christ at once delivers them from what had befallen, saying, 'It is I; be not afraid.'

For it was necessary—yea, necessary—that all tumult should depart, and that those with whom Christ was now present should show themselves superior to every danger.

We shall therefore learn also through this once more, to have a courageous and manly disposition amid trials, and to make use of steadfast endurance in our hope toward Christ, being confirmed in the good courage of being assuredly saved, even though many fears arising from temptation surge about us.

For observe how it was not immediately upon their setting sail, nor at the beginning of their dangers, that Christ appeared to those in the boat, but when they were already far removed from the land by many stadia.

so that we may be found, so to speak, in the very midst of the waves of afflictions.

Then indeed Christ appears unexpectedly, and both wraps away the fear and delivers from every danger, transforming the terrors by His unspeakable power, as it were into a calm of good cheer.

They were willing therefore to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

Not only does the Lord deliver the mariners from dangers by shining upon them in a marvelous way, but He already also frees them from toil and sweat, driving the vessel to the opposite shore by His God-befitting power.

For they expected that by rowing they would still scarcely be able to make the crossing, but He removes them even from these toils, showing Himself to them, for their full assurance, as the worker of many wonders in a very brief span of time.

Therefore whenever Christ appears and shines upon us, we shall accomplish even what is beyond our hope, without struggle; and we who through not having Him were in peril shall need no further toil to be able to accomplish what is profitable, when He is present.

Christ, then, is the deliverance from every danger, and the outcome of achievements beyond hope for those who receive Him.

But since we have made our discourse on each of the matters set before us in turn, come now, let us once more, weaving together the sense of these things with the sequence of what has already gone before, spin out a spiritual contemplation.

Just as, therefore, we said that Jesus had gone up as onto a mountain into heaven—that is, having been taken up—after the resurrection from the dead;

but when this had come to pass, then the disciples, alone and by themselves, holding the type of the ecclesiastical teachers who follow in every age, swim across, as it were a sea, the surge of the present life, falling into frequent and great trials and enduring no contemptible dangers on account of their teaching, at the hands of those who withstand the faith and plainly war against the evangelical proclamations;

but they shall cease both from fear and from every danger, and shall also come to an end of their toilsome misery, when Christ once again appears to them in God-befitting power, having all the world beneath His feet.

For this, I think, is what walking upon the sea signifies, since the sea is also often taken in the divine Scripture as a type of the world, according to what is said in the Psalms: 'This is the sea, the great and wide.'

'there are creeping things innumerable, living creatures small and great.' When therefore Christ shall come in the glory of His Father, as it is written, then the vessel of the holy apostles—that is, the Church—and those sailing in it—that is, those who through faith and love toward God have risen above the affairs that are in the world—shall, without care and without any toil, put in to land, to the land to which they were going.

For their aim was, as it were, to put in to a fair-weather harbor—namely, the kingdom of the heavens.

And the Saviour confirms the meaning underlying all that has been said, when He says to His own disciples, at one time, 'A little while, and you behold Me no more; and again a little while, and you shall see Me'; and at another time again, 'You shall have tribulation in the world.'

'But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.' Moreover, the Lord comes down from the mountain by night, and visits His own disciples as they keep watch.

And so they gaze upon Him as He comes, not without dread.

for they shudder, in order that here too some necessary point might be revealed to us for our understanding.

For He shall come down from heaven as it were in the night, the world in a manner sleeping and snoring deep in sin.

For on this account He also says somewhere to us: 'Watch therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord comes.' And the parable concerning the virgins shall teach us the same thing no less.

For He says that five were wise, and five foolish.

'But while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.'

the manner in which the inspired Paul will make clear when he says, at one time that 'the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God'; and at another time again, concerning the risen saints, that 'we also, the living who remain, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall ever be with the Lord.' And that the disciples were smitten with fear, although they beheld Him coming, and were engaged in toil and watchfulness, signifies this: that He shall come as a fearsome Judge upon all, and even the righteous man shall certainly cower before Him, as being tested through fire—even though he ever looks forward to Him who is to come, and has not shrunk from labors on behalf of virtue, and has been nurtured likewise in sobriety and good watchfulness.

But the Lord does not enter in together with His own disciples, as though about to sail with them, but rather brings the vessel to anchor at the dry land.

For Christ shall no longer appear in order to cooperate with those who worship Him toward the achievement of virtue, but in order to set upon what has already been achieved the looked-for consummation.

On the next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea, seeing that there was no other little boat there except that one into which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not gone with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone—

but other little boats came from Tiberias, near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

The marvel does not escape notice—I mean, that Jesus walked upon the very sea, though it was done by night and in darkness and dispensed secretly.

But the multitude of those accustomed to follow perceives, through much watchfulness, as it seems, that He had neither sailed together with His own disciples—being fully assured of this—nor indeed had crossed over in another vessel.

For only the boat of the apostles was there, which indeed they had taken and gone ahead.

Nothing therefore of good things escapes notice, even though perchance it be accomplished secretly by someone; and from this we shall see the truth of the saying, 'Nothing is hidden that shall not be made manifest, neither anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.' I say therefore that he who wishes to follow in the footsteps of Christ, and, so far as is possible for man, to be fashioned according to the type that is in Him, ought not to press to live in an ostentatious manner, nor to be dragged into hunting after praises by making his virtue a show, nor, if he should take up some marvelous and highly disciplined life, to love on that account to be immoderately glorified, but rather to wish to be seen only by the eyes of the Godhead, which lays bare hidden things and brings what has been done secretly into the most manifest apprehension.

When therefore the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves entered into the little boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

These follow, being perhaps admirers of the signs, yet not receiving the profit from them so as to be brought to belief, but rather offering, as it were, a recompense to the Worker of wonders by merely praising Him—a thing not unwelcome.

But this is a cold sickness of the mind, and of a soul in no way accustomed to be trained toward the choice of what is profitable.

And the cause of these things in them is this: that they delight only in the pleasures of the flesh, and eagerly leap upon the most paltry and transient food rather than run after spiritual goods and endeavor to gain whatever nourishes toward eternal life.

And this you may learn accurately also through what follows.

And having found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, 'Rabbi, when didst Thou come here?' The word is indeed fashioned into the disposition of those who love, and it feigns in some way sweetness; yet it is convicted of being utterly senseless and childish.

For it was not fitting that those who had chanced upon so great a Teacher should be eager to say something vain and to learn nothing.

For what need was there to inquire curiously when perchance He Himself had arrived? And what likelihood was there that they would be profited by learning this? Wise things therefore should be sought from the wise, and silence in understanding should be preferred to uninstructed words.

And another of the wise exhorts to this, saying: 'Son, if thou hast a word of understanding, answer; but if not, let thy hand be upon thy mouth.'

And how base a thing it is to be condemned for an uninstructed tongue, we shall know also through another: 'For if anyone,' he says, 'seems to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, this man's religion is vain.' Jesus answered them and said, 'Amen, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw a sign, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.'

We shall say something common, yet worn smooth by a little custom.

The great dispositions of teachers are naturally inclined often to be no moderately displeased, whenever they are questioned about something idle and unprofitable.

And we shall by no means find that they suffer this out of arrogance, but rather that they are grieved at the ignorance of those who ask.

Now in the case of us and of those like us, I suppose such a thing is not inelegantly said.

The Saviour brings the rebuke upon those who put those questions, as speaking in an uninstructed way and considering things without understanding—not that it were fitting to seek those things by which they might become noble and good, but to follow Him for a bodily and that a most paltry recompense.

For what could be less than ephemeral food, and that not of a costly kind? One ought therefore to practice both reverence and love toward Christ, not that we may find something bodily, but that we may gain the salvation that comes through Him; and not, on the one hand, to speak good words to Him, as those men did the 'Rabbi,' while, on the other hand, seasoning our fair speech merely as a pretext for trafficking and for the insatiable amassing of money.

Rather, he who attempts such things will not thereafter be ignorant that he will meet with Christ as one who bitterly convicts, and who lays bare the wickedness hidden within him.

And it is fitting again to marvel also at the dispensation shown in these things.

For since He beheld them gripped by the aforementioned sickness, like some master craftsman and skilled physician He devised for them a twofold remedy, weaving into a most notable sign a beneficial reproof.

The sign, then, we shall find in His knowing the things that were in them; and in that they were pressing to say that the Worker of wonders had not, properly speaking, come for the sake of piety, you will behold the reproof.

For by clearly understanding the counsels within them and knowing them exactly, He shows that they are without understanding, seeing that they thought to escape the divine Eye—having buried their wickedness in the heart, yet practising sweetness on the tongue.

And this was the work of one now persuading them to depart from the sickness attendant on such things, and to leave off a sin that was no small one.

For he is truly insolent and lawless who holds such a notion concerning God.

But by usefully reproving those who had sinned, He in some way reins back the further course of the evil.

For it creeps on and stretches itself out, having nothing to hinder it.

But once it is somehow detected it all but feels shame, and like a cord draws itself back into itself.

The Lord therefore does good even in reproving; and through the very things by which one might suppose Him to be striking a person, through these very things one would see Him conferring benefit.

From this it must be understood that even if some flatter, or fawn with kindly words upon the leaders of the churches, yet walk not uprightly concerning the faith, it does not follow that these leaders should be carried away by the flatteries, nor, as though lending a wage in return for the praises, give to those who need correction silence over whatever faults they commit;

but rather to reprove with boldness, and to persuade them to turn to what is better, or through this to benefit others also, according to what was said by Paul: 'Rebuke those who sin in the presence of all, that the rest also may have fear.' The matters, then, in the passage before us are set forth in these things part by part; and I judge that these too, following consistently and of necessity upon what has already been contemplated, ought themselves to be brought to light.

We added further that He appears to His own disciples while they were still keeping watch and in the midst of toil, and, having freed them at once from their fear, He brought the vessel to land.

And what it was that is here portrayed for us as in figures, we explained in those passages.

But observe now also, that after Jesus had come down from the mountain, some are late in following, and walk toward Him last of all.

For they come 'on the next day'—the Evangelist having added this too not without careful observation.

Then, having met Him, they attempt to flatter Him with kindly words; but Christ rebukes them, bringing to bear a fervent and sharp reproof, so that we may again ponder this: that after the Lord has come to us from the heavens, henceforth the seeking of good things is most vain and unprofitable for men, and the willingness to follow Him no longer has its fitting season.

But even if some approach, thinking to soften Him with most gentle words, they will no longer encounter One who is kindly and mild in judging, but one both censorious and striking.

For both the flattery of those being reproved, and the reproof itself, you will behold in the words of the Saviour, when indeed He also says: 'Many will say to Me in that day'—that is, the day of judgment—'Lord, Lord, did we not cast out demons in Thy name?' But 'Then,' He says, 'I will confess to them, Verily I say unto you, I never knew you.' For 'You did not seek Me,' He says, 'purely, nor did you love to be distinguished in sanctification, for I would have known you through these things; but since you made your reverence consist in the finding of prosperity in mere show and in bare pretences, I justly confess to have known you not.'

That, then, which in those words we say is the 'Lord, Lord,' this same thing is here the 'Rabbi.'

Therefore, let him to whom chastisement is bitter not fall into unmanliness, nor grow weak in manifold ways so as to transgress, looking to the kindness that is in God; but let him prepare his works for his departure, as it is written, and let him make ready for the field—that is, while he is still in this world.

For the Saviour interpreted the world as the field.