Homilies on John, Homily 87

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said, Unless I see in His hands—I will not believe.” [1.] Just as believing carelessly and at random comes from being too easily persuaded, being excessively inquisitive and meddlesome shows an extremely dull understanding. This is why Thomas is blamed. He did not believe the Apostles when they said, “We have seen the Lord,” not so much because he distrusted them as because he thought the thing was impossible—that is, resurrection from the dead. For he does not say, “I do not believe you,” but, “Unless I put my hand—I do not believe.” But how was it that, when everyone else had gathered, he alone was absent? Probably, after they had recently scattered, he had still not returned. But when you see the disciple’s unbelief, consider the Lord’s lovingkindness: for the sake of a single soul, He showed Himself with His wounds and came to save even this one, although his understanding was duller than the others’. Indeed, this is why he sought proof through the most material of the senses and would not even trust his eyes. For he did not say, “Unless I see,” but, “Unless I touch,” for fear that what he saw might somehow be an apparition. Yet the disciples who told him these things were trustworthy at the time, as was He who had made the promise. Still, because he wanted more, Christ did not deny him even this. And why does He not appear to him immediately, instead of “after eight days”? ( Ver. 26.) So that, as the disciples kept instructing him in the meantime and he kept hearing the same thing, his desire might grow more intense and he might be more ready to believe from then on. But how did he know that His side had been opened? He had heard it from the disciples. How, then, did he believe part of it and disbelieve part? Because this was so strange and wonderful. But notice, I ask you, the disciples’ truthfulness: they hide no faults, either their own or anyone else’s, but record them with complete honesty. Jesus presents Himself to them again. He does not wait for Thomas to ask or to say anything of the kind. Instead, before Thomas speaks, He Himself anticipates him and fulfills his desire, showing that He was present even when Thomas spoke those words to the disciples. For He used the same words in a way that conveyed a sharp rebuke and instruction for the future. For after saying, Ver. 26. “Bring your finger here and look at My hands; bring your hand here and put it into My side,” He added, “And do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Do you see that his doubt came from unbelief? But this was before he had received the Spirit. After that, it was no longer so; from then on, they were made perfect. And Jesus rebuked him not only in this way, but also through what follows. For when Thomas, fully convinced, breathed freely again and cried out, Ver. 28. “My Lord, and my God,” He says, Ver. 29. “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” For this is what faith means: accepting things unseen, since “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” ( Heb. xi. 1.) And here He pronounces blessed not only the disciples, but also those who would believe after them. “Yet,” someone says, “the disciples saw and believed.” Yes, but they demanded nothing of this kind. From the evidence of the linen cloths, they immediately accepted the message of the Resurrection, and before they saw the body, they showed complete faith. So when anyone today says, “I wish I had lived in those times and seen Christ working miracles,” let them reflect that “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” It is worth asking how an incorruptible body showed the nail marks and could be touched by a mortal hand. But do not be troubled: what happened was an act of condescension. For the body that was so fine and light that it could enter when the doors were shut was free from all density. But this marvel was shown so that people would believe in the Resurrection and know that it was the Crucified One Himself, and that someone else had not risen in His place. This is why He rose bearing the signs of the Cross, and this is why He eats. At any rate, the Apostles everywhere presented this as a sign of the Resurrection, saying, “We, who ate and drank with Him.” ( Acts x. 41.) So, just as when we see Him walking on the waves before the Crucifixion, we do not say that His body has a different nature, but that it has our own, so after the Resurrection, when we see Him with the nail marks, we will likewise not say that He is therefore corruptible. For He displayed these appearances for the disciple’s sake. Ver. 30. “And Jesus truly performed many other signs.” [2.] Since this Evangelist has mentioned fewer than the others, he tells us that the others, too, have not mentioned them all, but only as many as were enough to lead their hearers to belief. For, it says, “If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books.” ( c. xxi. 25.) This makes it clear that they wrote what they mentioned for its usefulness alone, without any desire to show off. For how could those who left out the greater part have written these others to show off? But why did they not go through them all? Mainly because there were so many. Besides, they also considered that anyone who did not believe those they had mentioned would pay no attention to a greater number, while anyone who accepted these would need no other sign in order to believe. Here, too, it seems to me that for the moment he is speaking about the miracles after the Resurrection. That is why he says, “In the presence of His disciples.” For just as many signs had to be performed before the Resurrection so that they would believe He was the Son of God, so they also had to be performed after the Resurrection so that they would accept that He had risen. He has also added “In the presence of His disciples” for another reason: after the Resurrection, He spent time with them alone. That is also why He said, “The world sees Me no more.” ( c. xiv. 19 .) Then, so that you may understand that what was done was done only for the disciples’ sake, he added, Ver. 31. “That by believing you might have life in His Name.” He is speaking to humanity in general and showing that he bestows a very great favor on us, rather than on Him in whom we believe. “In His Name” means “through Him,” for He is the Life. Chap. xxi. ver. 1. “After these things, Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.” Do you see that He does not remain with them continually, or as He did before? For instance, He appeared in the evening and flew away; then, eight days later, He appeared once again and again flew away; then, after these things, He appeared by the sea, again inspiring great fear. But what does “showed” mean? It makes clear that He could not be seen unless He condescended to appear, because His body was now incorruptible and completely pure. But why has the writer mentioned the place? To show that He had now removed most of their fear, so that they ventured out of their dwelling and traveled everywhere. For they were no longer shut up at home, but had gone into Galilee to avoid the danger from the Jews. So Simon goes fishing. Since He was not with them continually, the Spirit had not yet been given, and they had not yet been entrusted with anything, they had nothing to do and returned to their trade. Ver. 2. “Simon Peter, Thomas, and Nathanael,” (he that was called by Philip,) “the sons of Zebedee, and two others were together.” Having nothing to do, then, they went fishing, and they did so at night because they were very afraid. Luke also mentions this, but that is a different occasion, not this one. The other disciples followed because they were now closely bound to one another, and also wanted to watch the fishing and make good use of their free time. While they were working and growing weary, Jesus appeared before them. He did not reveal Himself immediately, so that they would enter into conversation with Him. So He says to them, Ver. 5. “Do you have any food?” For a time, He speaks in an ordinary human way, as though He were going to buy something from them. But when they indicated that they had nothing, He told them to cast their nets on the right. They cast them and caught a haul. But when they recognized Him, the disciples Peter and John again showed their individual temperaments. One was more fervent, the other more elevated in understanding; one was more eager, the other more clear-sighted. This is why John recognized Jesus first, while Peter came to Him first. For the signs that had taken place were extraordinary. What were they? First, that so many fish were caught; then, that the net did not break; then, that before they landed, coals were already there, with fish laid on them, and bread. For He no longer made things from matter that already existed, as He had done before the Crucifixion as part of a particular dispensation. So when Peter recognized Him, he dropped everything, both fish and nets, and fastened his clothing around him. Do you see his reverence and love? They were only two hundred cubits away, yet even at that distance Peter could not wait to reach Him in the boat, but swam to shore. What, then, does Jesus do? Ver. 12. “Come,” He says, “eat.” “And none of them dared to ask Him.” For they no longer had the same boldness or confidence, and they no longer approached Him with words. Instead, they sat down in silence, with great fear and reverence, paying attention to Him. “For they knew that it was the Lord.” And so they did not ask Him, “Who are You?” But because His appearance had changed and inspired such awe, they were greatly amazed and wanted to ask something about it. Yet their fear, and their knowledge that He was the Same and no one else, held back their questions. They simply ate what He created for them with a greater display of power than before. For here He no longer looks up to heaven or performs those human actions, showing that the things He had done before were also acts of condescension. And to show that He did not remain with them continually, or in the same way as before, it says, Ver. 14. “This was the third time that Jesus appeared to them after He rose from the dead.” And He tells them “to bring some of the fish,” to show that what they saw was no apparition. Here, indeed, it does not say that He ate with them, but Luke says elsewhere that He did: “He was eating together with them.” ( Acts i. 4.) But how this happened is not for us to say, for these things happened in a manner too extraordinary to explain. His nature did not now need food; this was an act of condescension to prove the Resurrection. [3.] Perhaps when you heard these things, your hearts burned, and you called those who were with Him then blessed, as well as those who will be with Him on the day of the general Resurrection. Let us then make every effort to see that wonderful Face. For if, simply hearing about Him now, we burn with such desire to have lived in the days He spent on earth, to have heard His Voice and seen His face, to have approached Him, touched Him, and served Him, consider how great it will be to see Him no longer in a mortal body or performing human actions, but surrounded by a bodyguard of Angels, while we ourselves also have a completely pure form, see Him, and enjoy all the other bliss that words cannot express. So I beg you, let us use every means to avoid missing such glory. For nothing is difficult if we are willing, nothing burdensome if we pay attention. “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” ( 2 Tim. ii. 12.) What, then, does “If we endure” mean? If we bear troubles and persecutions, if we walk the narrow way. For the narrow way is by its nature difficult, but our willingness makes it easy because of our hope for what is to come. “For our present light affliction produces for us a far greater and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen.” ( 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18.) Let us then turn our eyes toward heaven, continually picture “those” things, and look at them. For if we always spend our time with them, we will not be stirred to desire this world’s pleasures or find its sorrows hard to bear. Instead, we will laugh at these things and others like them, and nothing will be able to enslave us or make us proud, if only we direct our longing there and look toward that love. And why do I say that we will not grieve over present troubles? We will no longer even seem to notice them. Such is the power of intense desire. For instance, every day we picture those who are absent from us but whom we love. For love rules with great power: it draws the soul away from everything else and chains it to the object of its desire. If we love Christ in this way, everything here will seem like a shadow, an image, a dream. We too will say, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress?” ( Rom. viii. 35.) He did not say, “money, or wealth, or beauty” (these are very low and contemptible things), but listed the things that seem terrible: famines, persecutions, deaths. He spat even on these as nothing, while we, for the sake of money, separate ourselves from our life and cut ourselves off from the light. And Paul indeed gives none of these—“neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any other creature”—priority over love for Him. But if we see a little gold, we burn with desire and trample on His laws. And if these things are unbearable to speak of, they are much more so when done. For this is the terrible thing: we shudder to hear them, but do not shudder to do them. We readily swear oaths and commit perjury; we plunder and charge usurious interest; we care nothing for self-control, neglect diligence in prayer, violate most of the commandments, and for the sake of money disregard our own members. For anyone who loves wealth will do countless evils to his neighbor and to himself as well. He will easily grow angry with his neighbor, insult him, call him a fool, swear oaths, and commit perjury. He does not even keep to the standards of the old law. For anyone who loves gold will not love his neighbor, yet for the sake of the Kingdom we are commanded to love even our enemies. Now, if keeping the old commandments will not enable us to enter the Kingdom of heaven unless our righteousness exceeds and goes beyond them, what excuse will we have when we violate even these? Anyone who loves money will not only fail to love his enemies, but will even treat his friends as enemies. [4.] But why do I speak of friends? Lovers of money have often disregarded even the ties of nature. Such a person does not acknowledge kinship, remember companionship, or respect age. He has no friend, but is hostile toward everyone, and above all toward himself, not only by destroying his soul, but by tormenting himself with countless worries, labors, and sorrows. For he will endure foreign travel, hatred, dangers, plots—anything at all—just to have the root of all evil in his house and count large amounts of gold. What, then, can be more painful than this disease? It offers none of the luxury or pleasure for which people often sin, and no honor or glory. For the lover of money suspects that tens of thousands accuse him, envy him, slander him, and plot against him, and in fact many do. Those he has wronged hate him because he has mistreated them. Those who have not yet suffered show the same hostility because they fear they may suffer and sympathize with those who have. Meanwhile, the greater and more powerful are his enemies and hate him, moved to indignation on behalf of the lowly and at the same time envying him. And why do I speak of people? When someone has made God his enemy too, what hope will he have? What consolation? What comfort? Anyone who loves riches will never be able to use them; he will be their slave and keeper, not their master. For, always anxious to increase them, he will never be willing to spend them. Instead, he will deprive himself and live in greater poverty than any poor person, because his desire has no stopping point. Yet riches exist for us to use, not merely to keep. But if we are going to bury them for others, who could be more miserable than we are, running around eager to gather everyone’s possessions so that we can lock them away inside and keep them from common use? But there is another disease no less serious than this. Some bury their money in the ground; others bury it in their bellies, in pleasure and drunkenness, adding to the punishment for their injustice the punishment for their self-indulgence. Some use their wealth to support parasites and flatterers, others to pay for dice and prostitutes, and others for different expenses of the same kind. They carve out countless roads for themselves that lead to hell, while abandoning the right and approved road that leads to heaven. Yet that road offers not only greater gain, but greater pleasure than the things we have mentioned. For anyone who gives to prostitutes makes himself ridiculous and disgraces himself, and will have many quarrels and brief pleasure—or rather, not even brief pleasure, because whatever he gives the women who are his mistresses, they will not thank him for it. For “The house of a stranger is a cask with holes.” ( Prov. xxiii. 27 , LXX.) Besides, people of that sort are shameless, and Solomon has compared their love to the grave. They stop only when they see their lover stripped of everything. Or rather, such a woman does not stop even then, but dresses herself up all the more, tramples on him when he is down, makes him a laughingstock, and does him more harm than words can even describe. The pleasure of the saved is different. There, no one has a rival; everyone rejoices and is glad, both those who receive blessings and those who look on. No anger, dejection, shame, or disgrace besieges such a person’s soul. Instead, his conscience is full of joy, his hope for what is to come is great, his glory is bright, and his distinction is great. Above all, he has God’s favor and protection, with no precipice or cause for suspicion anywhere, but a harbor without waves, and calm. So, considering all these things and comparing pleasure with pleasure, let us choose the better, so that we may obtain the good things to come through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.