Homilies on John, Homily 81

“I have revealed Your Name to the men You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” [1.] The Son of God is called the “‘Messenger’ of great counsel” ( Isa. ix. 6 , LXX.), because of the other things He taught, and especially because He made the Father known to humanity, as He also says here: “I have revealed Your Name to the men.” For after saying, “I have finished Your work,” He goes on to explain it in detail, telling us what kind of work it was. Now the Name was certainly well known. For Isaiah said, “You will swear by the true God.” ( Isa. lxv. 16.) But I tell you now what I have often told you: although it was known, it was known only to Jews, and not even to all of them. But now He is speaking about the Gentiles. Nor does He mean only this, but also that they knew Him as the Father. For learning that He is Creator is not the same as learning that He has a Son. But He “revealed His Name” through both words and actions. “Whom You gave Me out of the world.” As He says above, “No one comes to Me unless it is granted to him” ( c. vi. 65 ); and, “Unless My Father draws him” ( c. vi. 44 ); so here too, “Whom You gave Me.” ( c. xvii. 6.) Now He calls Himself “the Way.” ( c. xiv. 6.) From this it is clear that He establishes two things by what He says here: that He is not opposed to the Father, and that it is the Father’s will to entrust them to the Son. “They were Yours, and You gave them to Me.” Here He wants to teach that He is greatly loved by the Father. That He did not need to receive them is clear from this: He made them, and He cares for them continually. How, then, did He receive them? As I said before, this shows His unity of will with the Father. Now if someone chooses to examine the matter in human terms and take the words literally, they will no longer belong to the Father. For if the Son did not have them when the Father had them, it is clear that when He gave them to the Son, He gave up His authority over them. And again, there is an even more improper conclusion: they will turn out to have been imperfect while they were still with the Father, but to have become perfect when they came to the Son. But even to speak this way is a mockery. What, then, does He mean by this? “That the Father too has seen fit for them to believe in the Son.” “And they have kept Your word.” Ver. 7. “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You.” How did they “keep Your word”? “By believing in Me and paying no attention to the Jews. For whoever believes in Him, it says, ‘has affixed his seal, confirming that God is true.’” ( c. iii. 33.) Some read, “Now I know that everything You have given Me is from You.” But this would make no sense. For how could the Son be ignorant of the things of the Father? No, the words refer to the disciples. “From the time,” He says, “that I told them these things, they have learned that everything You have given Me is from You; nothing is foreign, nothing belongs exclusively to Me, with You.” (For whatever belongs exclusively to someone implies that most other things are foreign to him.) “They have therefore come to know that everything I teach consists of Your doctrines and teachings.” “And how have they learned this?” From My words, for this is what I have taught them. And I have taught them not only this, but also that “I came out from You.” For He was intent on proving this throughout the Gospel. Ver. 9. “I pray for them.” “What are You saying? Are You teaching the Father as though He were ignorant? Are You speaking to Him as to a man who does not know?” “What, then, does this distinction mean?” Do you see that the prayer has no other purpose than to help them understand His love for them? For someone who not only gives what belongs to Him but also calls on Another to do the same shows greater love. What, then, does “I pray for them” mean? “Not for the whole world,” He says, but “for those You have given Me.” He keeps saying “have given” so that they may learn that this also pleases the Father. Then, because He had repeatedly said, “they are Yours,” and, “You gave them to Me,” what does He say to remove any harmful suspicion, so that no one will think His authority is recent and that He has only just received them? [2.] Ver. 10. “All that is Mine is Yours, and all that is Yours is Mine; and I am glorified in them.” Do you see the equality of honor? So that, on hearing “You have given them to Me,” you would not think they had been removed from the Father’s authority, or that before this they had been outside the Son’s authority, He removed both difficulties by speaking as He did. It was as though He said, “When you hear ‘You have given them to Me,’ do not think they have been taken away from the Father, for what is Mine is His. And when you hear ‘they were Yours,’ do not think they were strangers to Me, for what is His is Mine.” So “You have given” is said only to accommodate their understanding, for what the Father has belongs to the Son, and what the Son has belongs to the Father. But this cannot even be said of a son in human terms; it can be said here because They have a greater Equality of honor. For everyone knows that what belongs to the lesser also belongs to the greater, but the reverse is not equally clear. Here, however, He reverses the terms, and that reversal declares Equality. Elsewhere, declaring this, He said, “Everything the Father has is Mine,” speaking of knowledge. And “have given Me” and similar expressions show that He did not come as a stranger and draw them to Himself, but received them as His own. Then He gives the reason and the proof, saying, “And I am glorified in them,” meaning either “I have authority over them,” or “they will glorify Me, believing in You and Me, and will glorify Us equally.” But if He is not equally glorified in them, what belongs to the Father no longer belongs to Him. For no one is glorified in those over whom he has no authority. Yet how is He equally glorified? They all die for Him just as they do for the Father; they preach Him just as they do the Father; and just as they say that everything is done in His Name, so too in the Name of the Son. Ver. 11. “And now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world.” That is, “Although I no longer appear in the flesh, I am still glorified through these men.” But why does He keep saying, “I am not in the world”; and, “because I am leaving them, I entrust them to You”; and, “when I was in the world, I kept them”? For if someone took these words in their plain literal sense, many absurdities would follow. How could it be reasonable to say that He is no longer in the world and that when He leaves, He entrusts them to another? These are the words of a mere man leaving them forever. Do you see how He usually speaks like a man, in a way suited to their state of mind, because they thought His presence gave them greater safety? That is why He says, “While I was with them, I kept them.” ( c. xvii. 12.) Yet He tells them, “I come to you” ( c. xiv. 28 ); and, “I am with you until the end.” ( Matt. xxviii. 20.) How, then, does He say these things as though He were about to leave them? As I said before, He speaks to what they are thinking, so that they may breathe a little easier when they hear Him speaking this way and placing them in the Father’s care. For since His many words of encouragement had not persuaded them, He then speaks with the Father, showing His affection for them. It is as though He said, “Since You are calling Me to Yourself, keep these men safe, for I come to You.” “What are You saying? Are You not able to keep them?” “Yes, I am able.” “Why, then, do You speak this way?” “So that they may have My joy fulfilled” ( ver. 13 ); that is, “so that they may not be thrown into confusion because they are imperfect.” By these words He showed that He had said all these things this way to give them peace and joy. For the statement seems contradictory: “Now I am no longer in the world, and these are in the world.” This was what they feared. For a while, therefore, He accommodates their understanding, because if He had said, “I keep them,” they would not have believed as readily. That is why He says, “Holy Father, keep them through Your own Name”; that is, “by Your help.” Ver. 12. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your Name.” Again He speaks as a man and as a Prophet, since nowhere does He appear to have done anything by the Name of God. “Those You gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” And elsewhere He says, “Of all that You gave Me, I will certainly lose nothing.” ( c. vi. 39.) Yet not only was he lost, but many others afterward. How, then, does He say, “I will never lose”? “For My part, I will not lose.” So elsewhere, making the point more clearly, He said, “I will never cast out.” ( c. vi. 37.) “It is through no fault of Mine, nor because I either incite them or abandon them; but if they break away on their own, I do not draw them by force.” Ver. 13. “But now I come to You.” Do you see that the discourse is framed more in human terms? So if anyone wants to use these words to lower the Son, he will lower the Father too. As proof of this, notice how, from the beginning, He speaks partly as though informing Him and explaining things to Him, and partly as though giving Him instructions. He informs Him when He says, “I do not pray for the world”; He gives instructions when He says, “I have kept them until now,” and “none of them is lost,” and, “therefore, now keep them Yourself.” And again, “They were Yours, and You have given them to Me,” and, “While I was in the world, I kept them.” But the explanation of all this is that the words were spoken to accommodate their weakness. But after saying that “none of them was lost except the son of perdition,” He added, “so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” What Scripture does He mean? The Scripture that foretells many things about him. It is not that he perished for this reason, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But we have already discussed this point at length: this is Scripture’s characteristic way of speaking, presenting things that happen in agreement with it as though they were caused by it. And we must carefully examine everything—the speaker’s manner, his argument, and the rules of Scriptural expression—if we intend to avoid drawing wrong conclusions. For, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking.” ( 1 Cor. xiv. 20.) [3.] We need to consider this carefully, both to understand the Scriptures and to live earnestly. For little children do not desire great things, but tend to admire worthless things. They enjoy seeing chariots, horses, a mule driver, and wheels, all made of clay; but if they see a king sitting in a chariot, a pair of white mules, and great splendor, they do not even turn their heads. They dress up dolls made of the same material as brides, but they do not even notice actual brides, real and beautiful. And they behave this way in many other matters. Now many people today do the same thing. When they hear about heavenly things, they do not even pay attention, but they are as eager as children for all the things made of clay, foolishly admiring earthly wealth and honoring the glory and luxury of this present life. Yet these are just as much toys as those are, while heavenly things bring life, glory, and rest. But just as children cry when deprived of their playthings and do not even know how to desire the real things, so do many who seem to be grown men. That is why it says, “Do not be children in your thinking.” ( 1 Cor. xiv. 20.) Tell me, do you desire riches, yet desire childish toys instead of lasting wealth? If you saw a man admiring a lead coin and stooping to pick it up, you would pronounce him desperately poor. Yet do you count yourself among the rich when you collect things more worthless than this? How can that make sense? We will call the person who despises all present things rich. For no one, no one will choose to laugh at these little things—silver, gold, and other outward displays—unless he desires greater things, just as the man would not despise the lead coin unless he possessed gold coins. So when you see a man passing by all worldly things, consider that he does so for no other reason than that he looks toward a greater world. In the same way, the farmer thinks little of a few grains of wheat when he expects a larger harvest. But if we disregard things we have when our hope is uncertain, we should do so all the more when what we expect is certain. That is why I plead and beg you not to bring loss on yourselves or, by clinging to mud, rob yourselves of the treasures above, bringing your ship into port loaded with straw and chaff. Let anyone say what he likes about us; let him be angry at our constant warnings; let him call us foolish, tedious, tiresome. Still, we will not stop continually urging you about these things and continually repeating to you the Prophet’s words: “‘Break off your sins by almsgiving, and your wrongdoing by showing mercy to the poor’ ( Dan. iv. 27 ), and bind them around your neck.” Do not do this today and stop tomorrow. For even the body needs daily food, and so does the soul—or rather, the soul needs it much more. And if it does not give, it grows weaker and more degraded. Let us then not neglect it as it perishes and chokes. It receives many wounds each day through lust, anger, laziness, abusive speech, revenge, and envy. So we must also prepare remedies for it, and almsgiving is no small remedy: it can be applied to every wound. For it says, “Give alms from what you have, and see, everything is clean for you.” ( Luke xi. 41 .) “Alms,” not greed, for what comes from greed does not last, even if you give to those in need. For almsgiving is what is free from all injustice; “this” makes everything clean. This is better even than fasting or lying on the ground. Those may be more painful and demanding, but this is more beneficial. It enlightens the soul and makes it sleek, beautiful, and strong. The fruit of the olive does not sustain athletes as well as this oil restores those who fight for godliness. Let us then anoint our hands, so that we may raise them effectively against our adversary. Whoever practices showing mercy to someone in need will soon give up greed; whoever keeps giving to the poor will soon give up anger and will never even be arrogant. For just as a physician who continually tends the wounded readily becomes sober-minded, seeing human nature in the sufferings of others, so we too, if we undertake the work of helping the poor, will readily become truly wise. We will not admire riches or consider present things anything great, but will despise them all and, soaring up to heaven, will readily obtain eternal blessings, through the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory forever and ever. Amen.