Homilies on John, Homily 72

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives anyone I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” [1.] The reward for caring for God’s servants is great, and this care bears fruit for us in itself. For Scripture says, “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” ( Matt. x. 40.) Now what can compare with receiving Christ and His Father? But how does this connect with what was said before? What does adding “Whoever receives you” have to do with His statement, “If you do these things, you are happy”? The connection is close and entirely consistent. See how. As they were about to go out and suffer many terrible things, He comforted them in two ways: one through Himself, the other through other people. “For if,” He says, “you are truly wise, always keeping Me in mind and carrying with you everything I said and did, you will easily endure terrible things. And you will find comfort not only in this way, but also in the great care everyone will show you.” He expressed the first point when He said, “If you do these things, you are happy”; the second when He said, “Whoever receives you receives Me.” For He opened everyone’s home to them, so that both the sound wisdom of their conduct and the eagerness of those who would care for them might give them a double comfort. Then, after giving them these instructions as men about to travel throughout the world, He reflected that the traitor was deprived of both these things and would enjoy neither of them: neither endurance in hardships nor the care of kind hosts. He was troubled again. And the Evangelist, to indicate this as well and show that He was troubled on the traitor’s account, adds, Ver. 21. “When Jesus had said this, He was troubled in spirit, and testified, saying, Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” Again He makes them all afraid by not mentioning (the traitor) by name. Ver. 22. “But they are uncertain,” although they are conscious of no evil in themselves. Still, they considered Christ’s declaration more trustworthy than their own thoughts. That is why they “looked at one another.” By placing the whole charge on one person, Jesus would have ended their fear, but by adding “one of you,” He troubled them all. What happened then? The others looked at one another, but Peter, always so fervent, “gestures” to John. He had been rebuked before, and when Christ wanted to wash him, he had tried to stop Him. Everywhere we find him acting out of love, yet being blamed. Afraid for this reason, he neither kept quiet nor spoke, but wanted to find out through John. But here is a question worth asking: when everyone was distressed and trembling, and their leader was afraid, why did John lean against Jesus’ bosom as though at ease, and not only lean, but even (lie) against His breast? Nor is this the only thing worth asking about; what follows deserves attention too. What is that? What he says about himself: “Whom Jesus loved.” Why did no one else say this about himself? The others were loved too, yet he was loved more than anyone. And if no one else said this about him, but he said it about himself, that is nothing surprising. Paul does the same when the occasion calls for it, saying, “I knew a man fourteen years ago.” Yet in fact he has also given himself other considerable praise. Does it seem a small thing to you that, when he heard “Follow Me,” he immediately left his nets and his father and followed, and that Christ took him alone with Peter up the mountain, ( Matt. xvii. 1 ,) and again on another occasion when He went into a house? ( Luke viii. 51.) And what high praise he himself gives Peter, openly telling us that Christ said, “Peter, do you love Me more than these?” ( c. xxi. 15 ), and everywhere showing him to be warm and generous toward himself. For instance, when Peter said, “Lord, and what will this man do?” he spoke out of great love. But why did no one else say (this) about John? Because he would not have said it himself unless he had come to this passage. For if, after telling us that Peter gestured to John to ask, he had added nothing more, he would have left us very puzzled and forced us to ask why. So, to resolve this difficulty himself, he says, “He lay against Jesus’ bosom.” Do you think you have learned something insignificant when you hear that “he lay” there and that their Master allowed them such familiarity? If you want to know the reason for this, the action came from love; that is why he says, “Whom Jesus loved.” I suppose John also does this for another reason: he wants to show that he was free from the charge, and so speaks openly and confidently. Again, why did he use these words at this particular moment, when the chief of the Apostles gestured to him? So that you would not think Peter gestured to him because of greater rank, he says that this happened because of the great love (which Jesus bare him). But why does he even lie against His bosom? They had not yet formed any exalted ideas about Him. Besides, He calmed their dejection in this way, for their faces were probably clouded at this moment. If their souls were troubled, their faces would show it even more. So, soothing them by His words and by the question, He prepares the way and allows John to lean against His breast. Notice his modesty too: he does not mention his own name, but says, “whom He loved.” Paul does the same when he says, “I knew a man about fourteen years ago.” Now for the first time Jesus exposed the traitor, yet even now without naming him. How, then? Ver. 26. “It is the one to whom I will give a piece of bread after I have dipped it.” Even the manner (of the rebuke) was meant to put him to shame. He had no respect for the table, though he shared the bread; granted. But receiving the piece of bread from His own hand—who would not have been won over by that? Yet it did not win him over. Ver. 27. “Then Satan entered him.” Satan laughed at him for his shamelessness. As long as he belonged to the band of disciples, Satan did not dare pounce on him, but attacked him from outside. But when Christ exposed him and separated him from the others, then Satan pounced on him without fear. It was not fitting to keep someone of such a character among them, someone who had remained beyond correction for so long. So He now cast him out, and then the other seized him once he had been cut off. He left them and went out at night. “Jesus says to him, Friend, do what you are doing quickly.” Ver. 28. “Now no one at the table knew why He said this to him.” [3.] What astonishing insensitivity! How could he be neither softened nor put to shame, but become still more shameless and “go out”? “Do quickly” is not the expression of someone giving a command or advice, but of someone reproaching him and showing that He wanted to correct him, yet let him go because he was beyond correction. And the Evangelist says that “none of those sitting at the table knew” this. Someone may perhaps find a considerable difficulty here: when the disciples had asked, “Who is it?” and He had answered, “The one to whom I will give a piece of bread after I have dipped it,” how did they still fail to understand? Unless, indeed, He spoke quietly so that no one would hear. For this was precisely why John, leaning against His breast, asked Him almost directly into His ear, so that the traitor would not be exposed. And Christ answered in the same way, so that even then He did not reveal him. And although He spoke emphatically, “Friend, do what you are doing quickly,” they still did not understand. But He spoke this way to show that what He had told the Jews about His death was true. For He had told them, “I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again,” and, “No one takes it from Me.” ( c. x. 18.) As long as He wanted to keep it, no one was able (to take it); but when He gave it up, the deed became easy. He implied all this when He said, “Do what you are doing quickly.” Yet even then He did not expose him, for perhaps the others would have torn him to pieces, or Peter would have killed him. That is why “no one at the table knew.” Not even John? Not even he, for he could not have expected a disciple to reach such a depth of wickedness. Since they were so far from such evil themselves, they could not suspect others of such things. Just as He had told them earlier, “I am not speaking of you all” ( ver. 18 ), yet did not reveal the person, so here they thought He was speaking about something else. “It was night,” the Evangelist says, when he went out. “Why do you tell me the time?” So that you may understand his eagerness: even the hour did not hold him back from his purpose. Yet even this did not fully expose him, for the others were confused at this point, overwhelmed by fear and great distress. They did not know the real reason for what had been said, but supposed He spoke this way so that Judas might give something to the poor. For He cared deeply for the poor, teaching us also to give this matter great attention. But they had a reason for thinking this: “because he had the money bag.” Yet no one appears to have brought money to Him. Scripture says that the women disciples supported Him from their own resources, but nowhere indicates that He carried money. ( Luke viii. 3.) But how was it that He who told His disciples to carry neither a traveling bag, money, nor a staff Himself carried a money bag to provide for the poor? So that you may learn that even someone who is extremely poor and crucified must take great care in this matter. For He arranged many things to instruct us. The disciples, then, thought He said this so that Judas would give something to the poor. And even this did not shame him: His unwillingness, even to the last day, to expose him publicly. We too ought to do the same and not parade our companions’ sins, even if they are beyond correction. For even after this He gave a kiss to the man who came to betray Him and submitted to such an act as that, and then went on to something requiring far greater courage: the Cross itself, the shameful death. There again He showed His lovingkindness. And here He calls it “glory,” showing us that nothing is so shameful and disgraceful that it does not make the person who undergoes it shine more brightly, if it happens according to God’s will. At any rate, after Judas went out to betray Him, He says, Ver. 31. “Now the Son of Man is glorified.” In this way He lifts the disciples’ dejected thoughts and persuades them not only to stop despairing, but even to rejoice. This is why He rebuked Peter at the beginning: for someone who has been in death to overcome death is great glory. And this is what He said about Himself: “When I am lifted up, then you will know that I Am” ( c. viii. 28 ); and again, “Destroy this Temple” ( c. ii. 19 ); and again, “No sign will be given to you except the sign of Jonah.” ( Matt. xii. 39.) For how can the ability to do greater things after death than before death be anything but great glory? The disciples did greater works so that the Resurrection would be believed. But if He were not alive and were not God, how could these men have done such things in His Name? Ver. 32. “And God will glorify Him.” What does “And God will glorify Him in Himself” mean? It means “through Himself, not through another.” “And will glorify Him immediately.” [4.] That is, “at the same time as the Cross.” “For it will not be long afterward,” He says, “nor will He wait for the distant time of the Resurrection, nor will He show Him glorious only then. His glories will appear immediately, on the Cross itself.” And so the sun was darkened, the rocks split, the temple curtain was torn apart, and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep rose. The tomb had its seals, the guards sat beside it, and while a stone lay over the Body, the Body rose. Forty days passed, and the Gift of the Spirit came, and they all immediately preached Him. This is what “will glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately” means: not through Angels or Archangels, not through any other power, but through Himself. But how did He also glorify Him through Himself? By doing everything for the Son’s glory. Yet the Son did everything. Do you see that He attributes to the Father the things He Himself did? Ver. 33. “Little children, I am with you a little while longer—and as I said to the Jews, Where I am going you cannot come, so now I say to you.” He now begins to speak words of sorrow after supper. For when Judas went out, it was no longer evening, but night. But since those coming to arrest Him would soon arrive, it was necessary to lay everything before the disciples so that they might remember it; or rather, the Spirit recalled everything to their minds. For they were likely to forget many things, hearing them for the first time and being about to undergo such trials. Men weighed down with sleep, (as another Evangelist says,— Luke xxii. 45 ,) men overcome by dejection, as Christ Himself says, “Because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts” ( c. xvi. 6 )—how could they remember all these things exactly? Why, then, were they spoken? They benefited greatly in their understanding of Christ when, later, they were reminded and knew for certain that they had heard these things from Christ long before. But why does He first cast down their souls by saying, “I am with you a little while longer”? “There was good reason to say this to the Jews, but why do You put us in exactly the same class as those stubborn people?” He certainly did not do that. “Then why did He say, ‘As I said to the Jews’?” He reminded them that He was not warning them about these things now because troubles were upon them, but that He had foreknown them from the beginning, and that they themselves were witnesses who had heard Him say these things to the Jews. That is also why He added the words “little children”: so that when they heard “As I said to the Jews,” they would not think the expression had the same meaning when applied to them. He spoke this way, then, to comfort them, not to discourage them, so that their dangers would not trouble them excessively by coming upon them suddenly. “Where I am going, you cannot come.” He shows that His death is a departure and a change for the better, to a place that does not admit corruptible bodies. He says this both to awaken their love for Him and to make it more fervent. You know that when we see any of our dearest friends leaving us, our affection is warmest, and all the more when we see them going somewhere we cannot possibly go ourselves. He said these things, then, to terrify the Jews, but to kindle longing in the disciples. “The place is such that not only they, but even you, My best beloved, cannot come there.” Here He also shows His Own dignity. “So now I say to you.” Why “now”? “To them in one way, to you in another”; that is, “not together with them.” But when did the Jews seek Him, and when did the disciples? The disciples, when they fled; the Jews, when they suffered unbearable miseries beyond all description at the capture of their city, when God’s anger descended on them from every side. He spoke to the Jews then because of their unbelief, “but to you now, so that troubles may not come upon you unexpectedly.” Ver. 34. “I give you a new commandment.” Since they were likely to be troubled when they heard these things, as though they were about to be deserted, He comforted them by giving them love, the root of all blessings and a safeguard. It was as though He had said, “Are you grieving over My departure? If you love one another, you will be stronger.” Why, then, did He not say this? Because He said something that benefited them more. Ver. 35. “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples.” [5.] By giving them a distinguishing sign, He also showed that their community would never die out. He said this when the traitor had been cut off from them. But how does He call something a new commandment when it is also contained in the Old (covenant)? He Himself made it new by the manner of loving; that is why He added, “As I have loved you.” “I have not repaid you a debt for good deeds you first did for Me; I Myself took the initiative,” He says. “And so you ought to do good to those dearest to you, even though you owe them nothing.” And without speaking of the miracles they would do, He makes love their distinguishing mark. Why? Because this, more than anything, shows people to be holy. It is the foundation of all virtue; above all, it is through this that we are all saved. “For this,” He says, “is what it means to be a disciple. Everyone will praise you when they see you imitating My Love.” What then? Do miracles not show this much more clearly? Certainly not. For “many will say, Lord, have we not cast out demons in Your Name?” ( Matt. vii. 22.) And again, when they rejoice that the demons obey them, He says, “Do not rejoice that the demons obey you, but that your names are written in heaven.” ( Luke x. 20.) And miracles did indeed win over the world, because love came before them. Without love, miracles would not have continued either. This, then, immediately made them perfect: all having one heart and one soul. But if they had separated from one another, everything would have been lost. Now He said this not only to them, but to everyone who would believe in Him. Even now, nothing else causes the pagans to stumble except the absence of love. “But,” someone says, “they also object that we have no miracles.” But not in the same way. “But where did the Apostles show their love?” Do you see Peter and John inseparable from one another and going up to the Temple? ( Acts iii. 1.) Do you see Paul showing the same attitude toward them, and still doubt? If they had gained the other blessings, much more did they possess the mother of them all. For this is something that springs from a virtuous soul; but where wickedness exists, the plant withers away. For Scripture says, “When lawlessness increases, the love of many will grow cold.” ( Matt. xxiv. 12.) And miracles do not attract the pagans as much as the way we live, and nothing produces a good life as much as love. For they often even called those who performed miracles deceivers, but they could find no grounds for attacking a pure life. While the Gospel message had not yet spread, people rightly marveled at miracles, but now people must earn admiration by their lives. For nothing inspires respect among the pagans as much as virtue; nothing offends them as much as vice. And with good reason. When one of them sees a greedy man, a plunderer, urging others to do the opposite, when he sees a man who was commanded to love even his enemies treating his own relatives like beasts, he will say that the words are nonsense. When he sees someone trembling at death, how will he accept the accounts of immortality? When he sees us craving power and enslaved to the other passions, he will cling more firmly to his own doctrines and form no high opinion of us. We, we are the reason they remain in their error. They have long condemned their own doctrines and likewise admire ours, but our way of life holds them back. Practicing wisdom in words is easy; many among them have done that. But they demand proof in deeds. “Then let them look at the earlier members of our faith.” But they do not believe what is said about those people; they ask about those living now. For Scripture says, “Show me your faith by your works” ( Jas. ii. 18 ). But this does not happen. On the contrary, seeing us tear at our neighbors worse than any wild beast, they call us the curse of the world. These things hold the pagans back and keep them from coming over to our side. So we will be punished for these things too: not only for the wrong we do ourselves, but because God’s name is blasphemed. How long will we be given over to wealth, luxury, and the other passions? From now on, let us leave them behind. Hear what the Prophet says about certain foolish people: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” ( Isa. xxii. 13.) But in our present situation we cannot even say this, since “many” gather for themselves what belongs to everyone. So the Prophet also rebuked them, saying, “Will you live alone on the earth?” ( Isa. v. 8.) That is why I fear that something terrible may happen and that we may bring God’s heavy vengeance upon ourselves. To keep this from happening, let us give careful attention to every virtue, so that we may obtain the blessings to come, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory now and forever, and for ages without end. Amen.