Homilies on John, Homily 25

“Truly I say to you, Unless a person is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” [1.] Little children go to their teachers every day, learn their lessons, repeat them, and never stop learning this way. Sometimes they spend nights as well as days at it, and they are required to do all this for things that perish and pass away. Now we do not ask you adults to work as hard as you require your children to work. We urge you to listen to our words only two days a week, rather than every day, and only for a short part of the day, to make your task easy. For the same reason, we also divide what is written in Scripture into small portions for you, so that you can easily take them in and store them in your minds, and take enough care to remember them all that you yourselves can repeat them accurately to others—unless someone is sleepy, dull, and lazier than a little child. Let us now turn to the next part of our discussion. When Nicodemus went wrong and twisted Christ’s words into a reference to earthly birth, saying that an old man could not be born again, notice how Christ answers by revealing more clearly the manner of the Birth. Even this was difficult for His fleshly questioner to understand, yet it could still lift the listener above his low view of it. What does He say? “Truly I say to you, Unless a person is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” What He means is this: “You say that it is impossible; I say that it is so completely possible that it is necessary, and that there is no other way to be saved.” For God has also made necessary things extremely easy. Earthly birth according to the flesh comes from dust, and so heaven is walled off against it. For what does earth have in common with heaven? But the other Birth, which is of the Spirit, easily opens heaven’s arches to us. Listen, all of you who are unilluminated; shudder and groan. The threat is terrifying, and the sentence is terrifying. “It is not (possible),” He says, “for anyone who is not born of water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of heaven,” because he wears the clothing of death, of cursing, of destruction. He has not yet received his Lord’s token; he is a stranger and an alien; he does not have the royal password. “Unless,” He says, “a person is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven.” Yet even then Nicodemus did not understand. Nothing is worse than subjecting spiritual things to reasoning; this was what kept him from conceiving of anything lofty and great. This is why we are called faithful: so that we may leave the weakness of human reasoning below, rise to the heights of faith, and entrust most of our blessings to her teaching. If Nicodemus had done this, he would not have thought the thing impossible. What, then, does Christ do? To lead him away from his earthbound imagination and show that He is not speaking of earthly birth, He says, “Unless a person is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven.” He said this because He wanted to draw him to faith through the terror of the threat, persuade him not to think the thing impossible, and move him away from his notion of birth according to the flesh. “I mean another Birth, Nicodemus,” He says. “Why do you drag My words down to earth? Why do you subject this matter to the constraints of nature? This Birth is too high for birth pangs like these; it has nothing in common with you. It is indeed called ‘birth,’ but it shares only the name; in reality it is different. Move away from what is ordinary and familiar. I am bringing a different kind of childbirth into the world; I intend people to be brought into being in another way. I have come to bring a new way of creating. I formed (man) from earth and water, but what was formed proved useless; the vessel was twisted out of shape. I will no longer form them from earth and water, but ‘of water’ and ‘of the Spirit.’” And if anyone asks, “How can someone be formed from water?” I too will ask, How from earth? How was the clay divided into different parts? How could the material be uniform (it was earth only,) while the things made from it were varied and of every kind? Where did the bones, sinews, arteries, and veins come from? Where did the membranes, the vessels of the organs, the cartilage, the tissues, the liver, spleen, and heart come from? Where did the skin, blood, mucus, and bile come from? Where did such great powers and such varied colors come from? These do not belong to earth or clay. How does the earth make seeds sprout when it receives them, while the flesh consumes them when it receives them? How does the earth nourish what is put into it, while the flesh is nourished by these things and does not nourish them? The earth, for instance, receives water and makes it wine; the flesh often receives wine and changes it into water. How, then, is it clear that these things are formed from earth, when the nature of earth, as we have said, is contrary to that of the body? I cannot discover this through reasoning; I accept it by faith alone. If, then, things that happen every day and that we handle require faith, how much more do things that are more mysterious and more spiritual than these! For just as the earth, which has no soul and does not move, received power through God’s will and had such wonders worked in it, so, all the more, when the Spirit is present with the water, all those things that are so strange and beyond reason happen easily. [2.] So do not disbelieve these things because you do not see them. You do not see your soul, yet you believe that you have a soul and that it is something distinct from the body. But Christ did not guide him toward understanding through this example; He used another. He did not use the example of the soul, although it is incorporeal, because His listener’s understanding was still too dull. He sets another example before him, one that has no connection with the density of solid bodies, yet does not rise as high as incorporeal natures: the movement of wind. At first He begins with water, which is lighter than earth but denser than air. And just as in the beginning earth was the underlying material, but the whole work came from Him who molded it, so now water is the underlying material, and the whole work comes from the grace of the Spirit. Then “man became a living soul” ( Gen. ii. 7 ); now he becomes “a life-giving Spirit.” But the difference between the two is great. A soul gives life only to the person in whom it is; Spirit not only lives but also gives life to others. Thus, for instance, the Apostles even raised the dead. Then man was formed last, after creation was completed; now, by contrast, the new man is formed before the new creation. He is born first, and then the world is made anew. ( 1 Cor. xv. 45.) And just as in the beginning He formed him whole, so He creates him whole now. Then He said, “Let us make a helper for him” ( Gen. ii. 18 , LXX.), but here He said nothing of the kind. What other help does someone need who has received the gift of the Spirit? What further assistance does someone need who belongs to the Body of Christ? Then He made man in the image of God; now He has united him with God Himself. Then He commanded him to rule over the fish and beasts; now He has raised our first-fruits above the heavens. Then He gave him a garden to live in; now He has opened heaven to us. Then man was formed on the sixth day, when the world was almost finished; but now on the first, at the very beginning, at the time when light was previously made. All this makes it clear that what was accomplished belonged to another and better life, and to a state of existence that has no end. The first creation, then, that of Adam, was from earth; the next, that of the woman, from his rib; the next, that of Abel, from seed. Yet we cannot understand any one of these or prove by reasoning how it happened, although they are thoroughly earthly in nature. How, then, can we explain the unseen generation through Baptism, which is far more exalted than these, or demand reasons for that strange and marvelous Birth? Even Angels stand by while that Generation takes place, but they could not explain how that marvelous work is done. They only stand by, doing nothing, but watching what happens. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit do it all. So let us believe God’s declaration; it is more trustworthy than actually seeing. Sight is often mistaken; God’s Word cannot fail. So let us believe it. The Word that called things that did not exist into existence can certainly be trusted when it speaks of their nature. What, then, does it say? That what takes place is a Generation. If anyone asks, “How?” silence him with God’s declaration, which is the strongest and clearest proof. If anyone asks, “Why is water included?” let us ask in return, “Why was earth used in the beginning to create man?” For everyone can plainly see that God could have made man without earth. So do not pry too far. You can learn in this way that water is absolutely necessary and indispensable. On one occasion, when the Spirit had flown down before the water was applied, the Apostle did not stop there. Instead, as though the water were necessary and not superfluous, notice what he says: “Can anyone deny water for the baptism of these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ( Acts x. 47.) What, then, is the use of the water? I will tell you this too later, when I reveal the hidden mystery to you. There are also other points of mystical teaching connected with this matter, but for now I will mention one out of many. What is this one? In Baptism the pledges of our covenant with God are fulfilled: burial and death, resurrection and life; and all these happen at once. For when we immerse our heads in the water, the old man is buried below as in a tomb and completely submerged forever; then, as we raise our heads again, the new man rises in his place. As it is easy for us to dip our heads and lift them again, so it is easy for God to bury the old man and bring forth the new. And this is done three times, so that you may learn that the power of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit accomplishes all this. To show that what we say is no guess, listen to Paul saying, “We are buried with Him through Baptism into death”; and again, “Our old man is crucified with Him”; and again, “We have been planted together in the likeness of His death.” ( Rom. vi. 4, 5, 6.) And not only is Baptism called a “cross,” but the “cross” is called “Baptism.” “You will be baptized,” Christ says, “with the Baptism with which I am baptized” ( Mark x. 39 ); and, “I have a Baptism to be baptized with” ( Luke xii. 50 ) (which you do not know about). For just as we easily dip our heads and lift them again, so He too easily died and rose again when He chose—or rather, much more easily, although He waited the three days to carry out a certain mystery. [3.] So let us who have been considered worthy of such mysteries live in a way worthy of the Gift—that is, lead a most excellent life. And you who have not yet been considered worthy, do everything you can to become so, so that we may be one body, so that we may be brothers. For as long as we are divided in this respect, even if someone is a father, son, brother, or any other relation, he is no true relative, since he is cut off from the relationship that comes from above. What good are earthly family ties if we are not joined by spiritual ties? What good is close kinship on earth if we are to be strangers in heaven? For the Catechumen is a stranger to the Faithful. He does not have the same Head, the same Father, the same City, Food, Clothing, Table, or House; everything is different. For the former, all these are on earth; for the latter, all are in heaven. One has Christ for his King; the other, sin and the devil. The food of one is Christ; the food of the other is food that decays and perishes. One wears the work of worms as his clothing; the other wears the Lord of angels. Heaven is the city of one, earth of the other. Since, then, we have nothing in common, tell me, in what can we have fellowship? Did our births relieve the same birth pangs? Did we come out of the same womb? This has nothing to do with that most perfect relationship. So let us work diligently to become citizens of the city above. How long will we linger beyond the border when we ought to reclaim our ancient homeland? The danger we face is no ordinary one. For if it should happen (which God forbid!) that death suddenly arrives and we leave this life uninitiated, even if we have ten thousand virtues, our portion will be nothing but hell, the venomous worm, unquenchable fire, and chains that cannot be broken. But may God grant that none who hear these words experience that punishment! And this will be so if, after being considered worthy of the sacred mysteries, we build on that foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones. For then, after we leave this life, we will be able to appear there rich, if we do not leave our riches here but transfer them through the hands of the poor to treasuries that cannot be broken into, when we lend to Christ. We have many debts there, not of money but of sins. So let us lend Him our riches, so that we may receive pardon for our sins, for He is the judge. Let us not neglect Him here when He is hungry, so that He may always feed us there. Let us clothe Him here, so that He does not leave us stripped of the safety that comes from Him. If we give Him a drink here, we will not say with the rich man, “Send Lazarus, so that with the tip of his finger he may drop water on my burning tongue.” If we welcome Him into our house here, He will prepare many mansions for us there. If we go to Him in prison, He too will free us from our chains. If we take Him in when He is a stranger, He will not let us be strangers to the Kingdom of heaven, but will give us a share in the City above. If we visit Him when He is sick, He too will quickly free us from our weaknesses. So, since we receive great things although we give only a little, let us keep giving the little so that we may gain the great. While there is still time, let us sow so that we may reap. When winter overtakes us, when the sea can no longer be sailed, this trade is no longer in our hands. But when will winter come? When that great and clearly revealed Day is near. Then we will stop sailing this great and wide sea, for that is what the present life resembles. Now is the time for sowing; then will be the time for harvest and profit. If someone fails to plant his seed at sowing time and sows at harvest, he will not only accomplish nothing but also look ridiculous. But if the present is sowing time, it follows that this is a time for scattering, rather than gathering. So let us scatter so that we may gather in, and let us not try to gather in now, for fear of losing our harvest. For, as I said, this season calls us to sow, spend, and pay out, rather than collect and store up. So let us not miss the opportunity, but let us plant abundant seed and spare none of our stores, so that we may receive them back with an abundant return, through the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom may the Father and the Holy Spirit receive glory, forever and ever. Amen.