Homilies on John, Homily 83

“When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.” [1.] Death is a dreadful thing, full of terror, but not to those who have learned the true wisdom from above. Someone who knows nothing certain about what is to come, but is certain that death is the dissolution and end of life, understandably shudders and is afraid, as though passing into nonexistence. But we who, by the grace of God, have learned the hidden and secret things of His wisdom, and regard death as a departure to another place, should have no reason to tremble. Instead, we should rejoice and be glad that we are leaving this perishable life for one far better and brighter, which has no end. Teaching this through His actions, Christ goes to His Passion willingly, without compulsion or necessity. “Jesus spoke these things,” it says, “and went ‘beyond the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.’” Ver. 2. “Judas also, who betrayed Him, knew the place, for Jesus often went there with His disciples.” He travels at midnight, crosses a river, and hurries to a place known to the traitor, making the work easier for those plotting against Him and sparing them every difficulty. He shows the disciples that He went willingly to His death—a fact that could comfort them more than anything else—and places Himself in the garden as though in a prison. “Jesus spoke these things to them.” “What are you saying? Surely He was speaking with the Father; surely He was praying. Why, then, don't you say that He came there ‘after finishing His prayer’?” Because it was not a prayer, but a speech given for the disciples' sake. “And the disciples entered the garden.” He had so completely freed them from fear that they no longer resisted, but entered the garden with Him. But how did Judas come there, and where had he gotten his information before coming? This circumstance makes it clear that Jesus generally spent the night outdoors. If He had usually spent it at home, Judas would have gone to the house, expecting to find Him asleep there, instead of coming to a deserted place. And so that hearing about a “garden” will not make you think Jesus hid Himself, it adds that “Judas knew the place”; and not only that, but that He “often went there with His disciples.” For He was often alone with them, discussing necessary matters that others were not allowed to hear. He did this especially on mountains and in gardens, looking for a place free from disturbance so that nothing would distract their attention as they listened. Ver. 3. “Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the Chief Priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.” These men had often sent others to seize Him before, but had been unable to do so. This makes it clear that He now surrendered Himself voluntarily. And how did they persuade the band? They were soldiers who had made a practice of doing anything for money. Ver. 4. “Jesus therefore, knowing everything that would happen to Him, went out and said, Who are you looking for?” That is, He did not wait to discover this from their arrival, but spoke and acted without confusion, knowing all these things. “But why do they come with weapons to seize Him?” They were afraid of His followers, and for this reason came upon Him late at night. “And He went out and said to them, Who are you looking for?” Ver. 5. “They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth.” Do you see His invincible power, how He prevented their eyes from recognizing Him while He stood among them? The Evangelist has shown that darkness was not the reason they failed to recognize Him, by saying that they also had torches. Even if there had been no torches, they should at least have recognized Him by His voice. Or if they did not recognize it, how could Judas fail to recognize Him, when he had been with Him so constantly? For he too stood with them and recognized Him no more than they did, but fell backward with them. Jesus did this to show that without His permission they could neither seize Him nor even see Him standing among them. Ver. 7. “He says again, Who are you looking for?” What madness! His word threw them backward, yet even then they did not turn back after learning how great His power was, but tried again to do the same thing. So when He had done everything that was His to do, He gave Himself up. Ver. 8. “He answered, I told you that I Am.” ( Ver. 5. “And Judas also, who betrayed Him, stood with them.”) See the Evangelist's restraint: he does not heap insults on the traitor, but relates what happened, wanting to prove just one thing—that everything happened with His own consent. Then, so that no one could say that He Himself led them into this by placing Himself in their hands and revealing Himself to them, He first showed them everything that should have been enough to turn them back. When they persisted in their wickedness and had no excuse, He placed Himself in their hands, saying, “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.” In this way He shows His lovingkindness toward them until the last hour. “If,” He says, “you want Me, leave these men alone, for look, I am giving Myself up.” Ver. 9. “So that the saying He spoke might be fulfilled, Of those whom You gave Me, I have lost none.” By “loss” He does not mean here the loss that comes through death, but eternal loss, though in this case the Evangelist includes the former too. One might wonder why they did not seize the disciples along with Him and cut them to pieces, especially after Peter had infuriated them by what he did to the servant. Who restrained them, then? None other than the Power that threw them backward. And so, to show that this happened through the power and decree of Him whom they had seized, rather than through their own intention, the Evangelist adds, “So that the saying He spoke might be fulfilled,” that “not one, etc.” ( c. xvii. 12.) [2.] Peter, then, encouraged by His voice and by what had already happened, arms himself against the attackers. “And how,” someone asks, “does a man who was told not to have a travel bag or two coats possess a sword?” I think he had prepared it long before, fearing the very thing that happened. But if you ask, “How does someone who was forbidden even to strike a blow with his hand become a killer?” he had certainly been commanded not to defend himself, but here he was defending his Master, not himself. Besides, they were not yet perfect or complete. But if you want to see Peter filled with heavenly wisdom, you will later see him wounded and bearing it meekly, suffering ten thousand terrible things without becoming angry. Yet here too Jesus works a miracle, both showing that we should do good to those who do evil to us and revealing His own power. He therefore restored the servant's ear and told Peter that “All who take the sword will perish by the sword” ( Matt. xxvi. 52 ); and just as He checked Peter's intensity with a threat in the case of the basin, He does so here too. The Evangelist adds the servant's name because what happened was very great: not only did He heal him, but He healed someone who had come against Him and would shortly afterward strike Him, and He stopped the conflict that this incident was likely to ignite against the disciples. That is why the Evangelist gives the name, so that people at the time could investigate carefully whether these things had really happened. Nor does he mention the “right ear” without a reason. I think he wants to show the Apostle's impetuousness, that he almost aimed at the head itself. Yet Jesus not only restrains him with a threat, but also calms him with other words, saying, Ver. 11. “The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” He shows that what happened came from His consent rather than their power, and declares that He was not opposed to God, but obedient to the Father even to death. Ver. 12, 13. “Then Jesus was taken, and they bound Him and led Him away to Annas.” Why to Annas? In their delight, they made a display of what they had done, as though they had set up a trophy. “And he was Caiaphas's father-in-law.” Ver. 14. “Now Caiaphas was the one who advised the Jews that it was better for one man to die for the people.” Why does the Evangelist remind us of his prophecy again? To show that these things were done for our salvation. Truth is so overwhelmingly powerful that even enemies proclaimed these things beforehand. So that the listener will not be dismayed at hearing of bonds, he reminds him of that prophecy: that Jesus' death was the salvation of the world. Ver. 15. “And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.” Who is that other disciple? The writer himself. “And why doesn't he name himself? When he reclined on Jesus' chest, he had good reason to conceal his name; but why does he do so now?” For the same reason, since here too he mentions a very good deed: when everyone else had fled, he followed. So he conceals himself and puts Peter before him. He had to mention himself so that you could understand that he describes what happened in the courtyard more precisely than the others because he was inside himself. But notice how he reduces the praise due to him. So that no one will ask, “When everyone else had withdrawn, how did this man go farther inside than Simon?” he says that he “was known to the high priest.” This keeps anyone from marveling that he followed, or praising his courage. What was remarkable was Peter's conduct: despite such fear, he came as far as the courtyard when the others had withdrawn. Love brought him there; distress and fear kept him from entering. The Evangelist recorded these things to prepare the way for excusing his denial. As for himself, he does not present being known to the high priest as any great achievement. But since he had said that he alone went in with Jesus, he also gives the reason, so that you will not suppose the action came from some lofty state of mind. What follows shows that Peter too would have entered if he had been allowed: when the writer went out and told the young woman keeping the door to bring Peter in, Peter immediately came in. But why didn't he bring him in himself? He stayed close to Christ and followed Him; that is why he told the woman to bring him in. What, then, does the woman say? Ver. 17. “Aren't you also one of this man's disciples? And he says, I am not.” What are you saying, Peter? Didn't you just declare, “If I need to lay down my life for You, I will lay it down”? What has happened, then, that you cannot even bear a doorkeeper's questioning? Is a soldier questioning you? Is it one of those who seized Him? No, it is a lowly, insignificant doorkeeper, and her questioning is not harsh. She does not say, “Are you a disciple of that cheat and corrupter?” but “of that man,” an expression more suited to someone feeling pity and softening. But Peter could not bear any of these words. She says, “Aren't you also,” because John was inside. That is how gently the woman spoke. But he neither noticed any of this nor took it to heart—not the first time, or the second, or the third, but only when the rooster crowed. Even this did not bring him to his senses until Jesus gave him that bitter look. And he stood warming himself with the high priest's servants, while Christ was kept bound inside. We say this to show the truth of what Christ had said, not to accuse Peter. Ver. 19. “The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.” [3.] What wickedness! Though he had repeatedly heard Him speaking in the temple and teaching openly, he now wants information. Since they had no charge to bring, they asked about His disciples—perhaps where they were, why He had gathered them, with what intention, and on what terms. He asked this because he wanted to prove Him a rebel and an innovator, since no one paid attention to Him except His disciples alone, as though He ran some workshop of wickedness. What, then, does Christ say? To overturn this, He says, Ver. 20. “I spoke openly to the world (not to the disciples privately,) and taught openly in the temple.” “What, then, did He say nothing in secret?” He did, but not, as they thought, out of fear or to organize conspiracies. He did so whenever His sayings were beyond the understanding of the crowd. Ver. 21. “Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard Me.” These are the words of someone confident in the truth of what He has said, not someone speaking arrogantly. What He said at the beginning, “If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not true” ( c. v. 31 ), He now implies here, wanting to make His testimony thoroughly credible. For when Annas mentioned the disciples, what does He say? “Are you asking Me about My own? Ask My enemies, ask those who have plotted against Me and bound Me; let them speak.” Calling one's enemies as witnesses to what one says is an unquestionable proof of truth. What, then, does the high priest do? Although this was the proper way to conduct the inquiry, he did not do so. Ver. 22. “And when He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him with the palm of his hand.” What could be more outrageous than this? Shudder, heaven; be astounded, earth, at the Lord's patient endurance and the servants' senselessness! Yet what had He said? He did not say, “Why are you asking Me?” to refuse to speak, but to remove every pretext for senseless behavior. And when He was struck for this, although He could shake, annihilate, or sweep away everything, He does none of these things, but speaks words capable of softening any brutality. Ver. 23. “And He says, If I have spoken evil, testify to the evil.” That is, “If you can find fault with My words, declare it; but if you cannot, why are you striking Me?” Do you see how the judgment hall is full of uproar, disturbance, anger, and confusion? The high priest asked deceitfully and treacherously; Christ answered directly and appropriately. What should have happened next? They should either have refuted what He said or accepted it. Instead, a servant strikes Him. This was so far from being a court of justice that its proceedings were a conspiracy and an act of tyranny. Then, having discovered nothing further even in this way, they send Him bound to Caiaphas. Ver. 25. “And Simon Peter stood warming himself.” It is astonishing what a stupor seized that fiery, impetuous man while Jesus was being led away! After everything that had happened, he does not move, but keeps warming himself, so that you may learn how great our nature's weakness is if God abandons us. And when questioned, he denies again. Ver. 26. Then “the relative of the man whose ear Peter cut off, (grieving at what had taken place,) says, Didn't I see you in the garden?” But neither the garden nor the great affection Jesus had shown there through those words reminded him of what had happened. Under the pressure of anxiety, he banished all these things from his mind. But why have the Evangelists all written about him? They wanted to teach us how great an evil it is to trust ourselves instead of entrusting everything to God, not to accuse the disciple. But admire his Master's tender care: though a prisoner and bound, He took great care for His disciple, lifting Peter up with His look when he had fallen and launching him into a sea of tears. “So they lead Him from Caiaphas to Pilate.” This happened so that the number of His judges might show, even against their will, how thoroughly His truth had been tested. “And it was early.” He was brought to Caiaphas before the rooster crowed, and to Pilate early in the morning. By this the Evangelist shows that, although Caiaphas questioned Him for an entire half of the night, He was proved guilty of nothing; that is why Caiaphas sent Him on to Pilate. But John leaves these things for the others to relate and speaks about what follows. And notice the Jews' ridiculous conduct. Those who had seized an innocent man and taken up arms do not enter the judgment hall, “so that they would not be defiled.” Tell me, what kind of defilement was there in setting foot in a judgment hall, where wrongdoers face justice? Those who paid tithes of mint and anise did not think they were defiled when bent on killing unjustly, but thought they defiled themselves by even stepping into a court of justice. “And why didn't they kill Him instead of bringing Him to Pilate?” In the first place, most of their rule and authority had been taken away when their affairs were placed under Roman power. Besides, they feared that Pilate might afterward accuse and punish them. “But what does ‘So that they might eat the Passover’ mean? For He had done this on the first day of unleavened bread.” Either he calls the whole feast “the Passover,” or he means that they were keeping the Passover then, while He had given it to His followers one day earlier, reserving His own Sacrifice for Preparation Day, when the Passover had also been celebrated in ancient times. But although they had taken up arms, which was unlawful, and were shedding blood, they are scrupulous about the place and have Pilate come out to them. Ver. 29. “And after going out, he said, What accusation do you bring against this man?” [4.] Do you see that he was free from a love of power and from malice? Although he saw Jesus bound and led by so many people, he did not assume they had unquestionable proof of their accusation. He questions them, thinking it strange that they should claim the right to judge for themselves and then turn the punishment over to him without a trial. What, then, do they say? Ver. 30. “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” What madness! Why don't you mention His evil deeds instead of concealing them? Why don't you prove the evil? Do you see how they avoid a direct accusation at every turn and have nothing to say? Annas questioned Him about His teaching and, after hearing Him, sent Him to Caiaphas. Caiaphas in turn questioned Him, discovered nothing, and sent Him to Pilate. Pilate says, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” Here too they have nothing to say, but again resort to conjectures. Perplexed by this, Pilate says, Ver. 31, 32. “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. They therefore said, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” But they said this “so that the Lord's saying might be fulfilled, which He spoke to indicate what kind of death He would die.” “And how did the statement ‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death’ indicate this?” Either the Evangelist means that He was about to be killed by the Gentiles as well as the Jews, or that they were not permitted to crucify. But when they say, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” they are referring to that season. For Stephen's stoning shows that they did kill people, and that they killed them in a different way. But they wanted to crucify Him so that they could make a spectacle of the manner of His death. Pilate, wanting to avoid trouble, does not send Him away for a lengthy trial, but, Ver. 33, 34. “After going inside, he asked Jesus, Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” Why did Christ ask this? Because He wanted to expose the Jews' evil intentions. Pilate had heard this statement from many people, and since the accusers had nothing to say, he wanted to bring up what was constantly being reported so that the inquiry would not take long. But when he told them, “Judge him according to your law,” they wanted to show that His offense was not merely against Jewish law, and replied, “It is not lawful for us.” “He has not sinned against our law; the charge applies generally.” Pilate, understanding this and thinking that he (himself) might be in danger, says, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Then Jesus, wanting the Jews to be accused even by Pilate, rather than asking out of ignorance, asks him, “Did others tell you?” Pilate then made his own position clear on this point and replied, Ver. 35. “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed You over to me; what have You done?” Here he wants to clear himself of the matter. Then, because he had said, “Are You the King?” Jesus answers by rebuking him: “You heard this from the Jews. Why don't you investigate carefully? They have said that I am a criminal; ask them what evil I have done. But you do not do this; you are simply framing charges against Me.” “Jesus answered him, Are you saying this on your own,” or from others? Pilate cannot immediately say that he heard it, but simply goes along with the people, saying, “They have handed You over to me.” “So I have to ask You what You have done.” What, then, does Christ say? Ver. 36. “My Kingdom is not of this world.” He leads Pilate, who was not a very wicked man or like them, toward higher things, and wants to show that He is not merely a man, but God and the Son of God. And what does He say? “If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews.” He removes what Pilate had feared for a time: the suspicion that He was seizing royal power. “Then doesn't His kingdom belong to this world too?” Certainly it does. “How, then, does He say it ‘is not’?” Not because He does not rule here, but because His dominion comes from above and is not human, but far greater and more splendid. “If it is greater, then, how was He taken captive by the other?” By consenting and giving Himself up. But He does not reveal this at present. Instead, what does He say? “If I had been of this world, ‘My servants would fight to keep Me from being handed over.’” Here He shows the weakness of kingship among us, whose strength lies in servants, while the kingship above is self-sufficient and needs nothing. The heretics use this as an opportunity to say that He is different from the Creator. What, then, of the words, “He came to His own”? ( c. i. 11 .) What of His own words, “They are not of this world, as I am not of this world”? ( c. xvii. 14.) In the same way, He says that His kingdom is not from here, without depriving the world of His providence and oversight. Instead, as I said, He shows that His power was neither human nor perishable. What, then, did Pilate say? Ver. 37. “Are You a king, then? Jesus answered, You say that I am a King. For this I was born.” If, then, He was born a king, all His other attributes are His by Generation, and He has received nothing in addition to that. So when you hear, “As the Father has life in Himself, so He has also given the Son to have life” ( c. v. 26 ), understand nothing other than His generation, and understand the rest in the same way. “And for this reason I came, to testify to the truth.” That is, “to speak this very thing, teach it, and persuade everyone.” [5.] But you, my fellow man, when you hear these things and see your Lord bound and led around, regard present things as nothing. For how can it be anything but strange if Christ endured such things for your sake, while you often cannot endure even words? He is spat on, while you adorn yourself with clothes and rings, and think life unbearable if everyone does not speak well of you? He is insulted and endures mockery and contemptuous blows to the cheek, while you want to be honored everywhere and cannot bear reproach for Christ? Don't you hear Paul saying, “Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ”? ( 1 Cor. xi. 1.) So when someone makes fun of you, remember your Lord: they knelt before Him in mockery, harassed Him with both words and deeds, and treated Him with bitter sarcasm. Yet He not only did not defend Himself, but repaid them with the opposite—with mildness and gentleness. Let us imitate Him now; then we will be able to escape every insult. For it is not the person giving the insults who gives them their force and makes them sting, but the person who is small in spirit and feels hurt by them. If you are not hurt, you have not been insulted, for suffering from injuries depends on those who endure them, not those who inflict them. Why grieve at all? If someone has insulted you unjustly, surely you should not grieve at all, but pity him. If justly, you have even more reason to keep quiet. For if someone addresses you, a poor man, as though you were rich, the praise in his words means nothing to you; his tribute is instead a mockery. In the same way, if someone insults you by saying things that are untrue, the reproach means nothing to you either. But if your conscience recognizes the truth of what was said, do not be grieved by the words; correct your actions. I say this about things that really are insults. For if someone reproaches you for poverty or low birth, laugh at him. These things disgrace the speaker, who does not know true wisdom, rather than the hearer. “But,” someone says, “when these things are said in front of many people who do not know the truth, the wound becomes unbearable.” No, it is especially bearable when you have an audience of witnesses praising and applauding you, while scoffing at him and making fun of him. Sensible people applaud the one who says nothing, not the one who defends himself. And if no one present is sensible, laugh at him all the more and take delight in the audience of heaven. For there everyone will praise, applaud, and welcome you. One Angel is worth as much as the whole world. But why do I speak of Angels, when the Lord Himself praises you publicly? Let us train ourselves in these ways of thinking. There is no loss in remaining silent when insulted; on the contrary, the loss lies in defending yourself when insulted. For if it were wrong to bear what is said in silence, Christ would never have told us, “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him too.” ( Matt. v. 39.) So if our enemy says what is untrue, let us pity him for this very reason: he brings down on himself the punishment and vengeance due to accusers, and is unworthy even to read the Scriptures. For God says to the sinner, “Why do you declare My statutes and take My covenant in your mouth? You sat and spoke against your brother.” ( Ps. l. 16 and 20 , LXX.) And if he speaks the truth, he is to be pitied just the same. For the Pharisee also spoke the truth; yet he did no harm to the man who heard him, but rather did him good, while depriving himself of ten thousand blessings and suffering shipwreck through this accusation. So either way, he is the one who suffers injury, not you. But if you keep your head, you will gain in two ways: you will win God's favor through your silence, and you will become still more discerning, using what has been said as an opportunity to correct what you have done and to despise human glory. For this is the source of our pain: many of us stare hungrily at other people's opinions. If we resolve to be truly wise in this way, we will know well that human things are nothing. Let us learn, then, and take stock of our faults and correct them while there is time. Let us resolve to correct one this month, another next month, and a third the month after that. In this way, climbing step by step, let us reach heaven by a Jacob's ladder. For it seems to me that the ladder in that vision represents, in a riddle, the gradual ascent through virtue by which we can rise from earth to heaven, using improvement and correction of our conduct instead of material steps. Let us take hold of this means of departure and ascent, so that, having reached heaven, we may also enjoy all the blessings there, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.