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JOHN xvii. 1.
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and
saith, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son
also may glorify Thee."
1. "He that hath done and taught," it saith, "the same shall be
called great in the Kingdom of heaven." And with much reason; for
to show true wisdom in words, is easy, but the proof which is by works
is the part of some noble and great one. Wherefore also Christ,
speaking of the endurance of evil, putteth Himself forth, bidding us
take example from Him. On this account too, after this admonition,
He betaketh Himself to prayer, teaching us in our temptations to
leave all things, and flee to God. For because He had said, "In
the world ye shall have tribulation," and had shaken their souls, by
the prayer He raiseth them again. As yet they gave heed unto Him as
to a man; and for their sake He acteth thus, just as He did in the
case of Lazarus, and there telleth the reason; "Because of the
people that stand by I said it, that they might believe that Thou
hast sent Me." (c. xi. 42.) "Yea," saith some one, "this
took place with good cause in the case of the Jews; but wherefore in
that of the disciples?" With good cause in the case of the disciples
also. For they who, after all that had been said and done, said,
"Now we know that Thou knowest" (c. xvi. 30), most of all
needed to be established. Besides, the Evangelist doth not even call
the action prayer; but what saith he? "He lifted up His eyes to
heaven," and saith rather that it was a discoursing with the Father.
And if elsewhere he speaks of prayer, and at one time shows Him
kneeling on His knees, at another lifting His eyes to heaven, be not
thou troubled; for by these means we are taught the earnestness which
should be in our petitions, that standing we should look up, not with
the eyes of the flesh only, but of the mind, and that we should bend
our knees, bruising our own hearts. For Christ came not merely to
manifest Himself, but also about to teach virtue ineffable. But it
behooveth the teacher to teach, not by words only, but also by
actions.Let us hear then what He saith in this place.
"Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also
may glorify Thee."
Again He showeth us, that not unwilling He cometh to the Cross.
For how could He be unwilling, who prayed that this might come to
pass, and called the action "glory," not only for Himself the
Crucified, but also for the Father? since this was the case, for
not the Son only, but the Father also was glorified. For before the
Crucifixion, not even the Jews knew Him "Israel," it saith,
"hath not known Me" (Isa. i. 3); but after the Crucifixion,
all the world ran to Him. Then He speaketh also of the manner of the
glory, and how He will glorify Him.
Ver. 2. "As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh," "that
nothing which Thou hast given Him should perish."
For to be always doing good, is glory to God. But what is, "As
Thou hast given Him power over all flesh"? He now showeth, that
what belongs to the preaching is not confined to the Jews alone, but
is extended to all the world, and layeth down beforehand the first
invitations to the Gentiles. And since He had said, "Go not into
the way of the Gentiles" (Matt. x. 5), and after this time is
about to say, "Go ye, and make disciples of all nations" (Matt.
xxviii. 19), He showeth that the Father also willeth this. For
this greatly offended the Jews, and the disciples too; nor indeed
after this did they easily endure to lay hold on the Gentiles, until
they received the teaching of the Spirit; because hence arose no small
stumblingblock for the Jews. Therefore, when Peter after such a
manifestation of the Spirit came to Jerusalem, he could scarcely, by
relating the vision of the sheet, escape the charges brought against
him. But what is, "Thou hast given Him power over all flesh"? I
will ask the heretics, "When did He receive this power? was it
before He formed them, or after?" He himself saith, that it was
after that He had been crucified, and had risen again; at least then
He said, "All power is given unto Me" (Matt. xxviii. 18),
and, "Go ye and make disciples of all nations." What then, had
He not authority over His own works? Did He make them, and had He
not authority over them after having made them? Yet He is seen doing
all in times of old, punishing some as sinners? (for, "Surely I
will not hide," it saith, "from My servant Abraham, that which I
am about to do"--Gen. xviii. 17, LXX.,) and honoring
others as righteous. Had He then the power at that time, and now had
He lost it, and did He again receive it? What devil could assert
this? But if His power was the same both then and now, (for, saith
He, "as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so
the Son quickeneth whom He will "--c. v. 21,) what is the
meaning of the words? He was about to send them to the Gentiles; in
order therefore that they might not think that this was an innovation,
because He had said, "I am not sent, save unto the lost sheep of
the house of Israel" (Matt. xv. 24), He showeth that this
seemeth good to the Father also. And if He saith this with great
meanness of circumstance, it is not wonderful. For so He edified
both those at that time, and those who came afterwards; and as I have
before said, He always by the excess of meanness firmly persuaded them
that the words were those of condescension.
2. But what is, "Of all flesh"? For certainly not all
believed. Yet, for His part, all believed; and if men gave no heed
to His words, the fault was not in the teacher, but in those who
received them not.
"That He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given
Him."
If here also He speaketh in a more human manner, wonder not. For
He doth so both on account of the reasons I have given, and to avoid
the saying anything great concerning Himself; since this was a
stumblingblock to the hearers because as yet they imagined nothing great
concerning Him. John, for example, when He speaks in his own
person, doth not so, but leadeth up his language to greater
sublimity, saying, "All things were made by Him, and without Him
was not anything made" (c. i. 3, 4, 9, 11); and that He
was "Life"; and that He was "Light"; and that "He came to
His own": he saith not, that He would not have had power, had He
not received it, but that He gave to others also "power to become
sons of God." And Paul in like manner calleth Him equal with
God. But He Himself asketh in a more human way, saying thus,
"That He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given
Him." (Phil. ii. 6.)
Ver. 3. "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."
"The only true God," He saith, by way of distinction from those
which are not gods; for He was about to send them to the Gentiles.
But if they will not allow this, but on account of this word "only"
reject the Son from being true God, in this way as they proceed they
reject Him from being God at all. For He also saith, "Ye seek
not the glory which is from the only God." (c. v. 44.) Well
then; shall not the Son be God? But if the Son be God, and the
Son of the Father who is called the Only God, it is clear that He
also is true, and the Son of Him who is called the Only true God.
Why, when Paul saith, "Or I only and Barnabas" (1 Cor. ix.
6), doth he exclude Barnabas? Not at all; for the "only" is put
by way of distinction from others. And, if He be not true God, how
is He "Truth"? for truth fir surpasses what is true. What shall
we call the not being a "true" man, tell me? shall we not call it
the not being a man at all? so if the Son is not true God, how is
He God? And how maketh He us gods and sons, if He is not true?
But on these matters we have spoken more particularly in another
place; wherefore let us apply ourselves to what follows.
Ver. 4. "I have glorified Thee on the earth." Well said He,
"on the earth"; for in heaven He had been already glorified, having
His own natural glory, and being worshiped by the Angels. Christ
then speaketh not of that glory which is bound up with His Essence,
(for that glory, though none glorify Him, He ever possesseth in its
fullness,) but of that which cometh from the service of men. And so
the, "Glorify Me," is of this kind; and that thou mayest
understand that He speaketh of this manner of glory, hear what
follows.
"I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me that I should do
it."
And yet the action was still but beginning, or rather was not yet
beginning. How then said He, "I have finished"? Either He
meaneth, that "I have done all My part"; or He speaketh of the
future, as having already come to pass; or, which one may say most of
all, that all was already effected, because the root of blessings had
been laid, which fruits would certainly and necessarily follow, and
from His being present at and assisting in those things which should
take place after these. On this account He saith again in a
condescending way, "Which Thou gavest Me." For had He indeed
waited to hear and learn, this would have fallen far short of His
glory. For that He came to this s of His own will, is clear from
many passages. As when Paul saith, that "He so loved us, as to
give Himself for us" (Eph. v. 2); and, "He emptied
Himself, and took upon Him the form of a servant" (Phil. ii.
7); and, "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you."
(c. xv. 9.)
Ver. 5. "And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine Own
Self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was."
Where is that glory? For allowing that He was with reason unhonored
among men, because of the covering which was put around
Him; how seeketh He to be glorified with the Father? What then
saith He here? The saying refers to the Dispensation; since His
fleshly nature had not yet been glorified, not having as vet enjoyed
incorruption, nor shared the kingly throne. Therefore He said not
"on earth," but "with Thee."
3. This glory we also shall enjoy according to our measure, if we be
sober. Wherefore Paul saith, "If so be that we suffer with Him,
that we may also be glorified together." (Rom. viii. 17.) Ten
thousand tears then do they merit, who through sluggishness and sleep
plot against themselves when such glory is set before them; and, were
there no hell, they would be more wretched than any, who, when it is
in their power to reign and to be glorified with the Son of God,
deprive themselves of so great blessings. Since if it were necessary
to be cut in pieces, if to die ten thousand deaths, if to give up
every day ten thousand lives and as many bodies, ought we not to submit
to such things for such glory? But now we do not even despise money,
which hereafter, though unwilling, we shall leave: we do not despise
money, which brings about us ten thousand mischiefs, which remains
here, which is not our own. For we are but stewards of that which is
not our own, although we receive it from our fathers. But when there
is hell besides, and the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not
quenched, and the gnashing of teeth, how, tell me, shall we bear
these things? How long will we refuse to see clearly, and spend our
all on daily fightings, and contentions, and unprofitable talk,
feeding, cultivating earth, fattening the body and neglecting the
soul, making no account of necessary things, but much care about
things superfluous and unprofitable? And we build splendid tombs, and
buy costly houses, and draw about with us herds of all kinds of
servants, and devise different stewards, appointing managers of
lands, of houses, of money, and managers of those managers; but as
to our desolate soul, we care nothing for that. And what will be the
limit to this? Is it not one belly that we fill, is it not one body
that we clothe? What is this great bustle of business? Why and
wherefore do we cut up and tear to pieces the one soul, which we have
had assigned to us, in attending to the service of such things,
contriving for ourselves a grievous slavery? For he who needs many
things is the slave of many things, although he seem to be their
master. Since the lord is the slave even of his domestics, and brings
in another and a heavier mode of service; and in another way also he is
their slave, not daring without them to enter the agora, nor the
bath, nor the field, but they frequently go about in all directions
without him. He who seems to be master, dares not, if his slaves be
not present, to go forth from home, and if whilst unattended he do but
put his head out of his house, he thinks that he is laughed at.
Perhaps some laugh at us when we say this, yet on this very account
they would be deserving of ten thousand tears. For to show that this
is slavery, I would gladly ask you, wouldest thou wish to need some
one to put the morsel to thy mouth, and to apply the cup to thy lips?
Wouldest thou not deem such a service worthy of tears? What if thou
didst require continually supporters to enable thee to walk, wouldest
thou not think thyself pitiable, and in this respect more wretched than
any? So then thou oughtest to be disposed. now. For it matters
nothing whether one is so treated by irrational things, or by men.
Why, tell me, do not the Angels differ from us in this respect,
that they do not want so many things as we do? Therefore the less we
need, the more we are on our way to them; the more we need, the more
we sink dozen to this perishable life. And that thou mayest learn that
these things are so, ask those who have grown old which life they deem
happiest, that when they were helplessly mastered, or now when they
are masters of these things? We have mentioned these persons, because
those who are intoxicated with youth, do not even know the excess of
their slavery. For what of those in fever, do they call themselves
happy when, thirsting much, they drink much and need more, or when,
having recovered their health, they are free from the desire? Seest
thou that in every instance the needing much is pitiable, and far apart
from true wisdom, and an aggravation of slavery and desire? Why then
do we voluntarily increase to ourselves wretchedness? For, tell me,
if it were possible to live uninjured without roof or wails, wouldest
thou not prefer this; wherefore then dost thou increase the signs of
thy weakness? Do we not for this call Adam happy, that he needed
nothing, no house, no clothes? "Yes," saith some one, "but now
we are in need of them." Why then do we make our need greater? If
many persons curtail many of the things actually needed, (servants,
I mean, and houses, and money,) what excuse can we have if we
overstep the need? The more thou puttest about thee, the more slavish
dost thou become; for by whatever proportion thou requirest more, in
that proportion thou hast trenched upon thy freedom. For absolute
freedom is, to want nothing at all; the next is, to want little; and
this the Angels and their imitators especially possess. But for men
to succeed in this while tarrying in a mortal body, think how great
praise this hath. This also Paul said, when writing to the
Corinthians, "But I spare you," and, "lest such should have
trouble in the flesh." (1 Cor. vii. 28.) Riches are called
"usables," that we may "use" them rightly, and not keep and bury
them; for this is not to possess them, but to be possessed by them.
Since if we are going to make this our aim how to multiply them, not
that we may employ them rightly, the order is reversed, and they
possess us, not we them. Let us then free ourselves from this
grievous bondage, and at last become free. Why do we devise ten
thousand different chains for ourselves? Is not the bond of nature
enough for thee, and the necessity of life, and the crowd of ten
thousand affairs, but dost thou twine also other nets for thyself, and
put them about thy feet? And when wilt thou lay hold on heaven, and
be able to stand on that height? For a great thing, a great thing is
it, that even having cut asunder all these cords, thou shouldest be
able to lay hold on the city which is above. So many other hindrances
are there; all which that we may conquer, let us keep to the mean
estate [and having put away superfluities, let us keep to what is
necessary.] Thus shall we lay hold on eternal life, through the
grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory
for ever' and ever.
Amen.
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