Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom82“But,” says one, “if they were to hear from the Spirit, why needed they to accompany Christwhen they would not retain His words?” Be cause the Spirit taught them not, but called to theirmind what Christ had said before; and it contributes not a little to the glory of Christ, that they werereferred to the remembrance of the words He had spoken to them. At the first then it was of the giftof God that the grace of the Spirit lighted upon them so largely and abundantly; but after that, itwas of their own virtue that they retained the Gift. For they displayed a shining life, and muchwisdom, and great labors, and despised this present life, and thought nothing of earthly things, butwere above them all; and like a sort of light-winged eagle, soaring high by their works; reached 611to heaven itself, and by these possessed the unspeakable grace of the Spirit.Let us then imitate them, and not quench our lamps, but keep them bright by alms-doing, forso is the light of this fire preserved. Let us collect the oil into our vessels whilst we are here, forwe cannot buy it when we have departed to that other place, nor can we procure it elsewhere, saveonly at the hands of the poor. Let us therefore collect it thence very abundantly, if, at least, wedesire to enter in with the Bridegroom. But if we do not this, we must remain without thebridechamber, for it is impossible, it is impossible, though we perform ten thousand other gooddeeds, to enter the portals of the Kingdom without alms-doing. Let us then show forth this veryabundantly, that we may enjoy those ineffable blessings; which may it come to pass that we allattain, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and theHoly Ghost be glory, for ever and ever. Amen.Homily XXIV.John ii. 23“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast, many believed on Him.”[1.] Of the men of that time some clung to their error, others laid hold on the truth, while ofthese last, some having retained it for a little while again fell off from it. Alluding to these, Christcompared them to seeds not deeply sown, but having their roots upon the surface of the earth; andHe said that they should quickly perish. And these the Evangelist has here pointed out to us, saying,“When He was in Jerusalem, at the Passover, in the feast, many believed on Him, 612 when theysaw the miracles which He did.”Ver. 24 . “But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them.”For they were the more perfect 613 among His disciples, who came to Him not only because ofHis miracles, but through His teaching also. The grosser sort the miracles attracted, but the betterreasoners His prophecies and doctrines; and so they who were taken by His teaching were more611 al. “were drawn away.”612εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ , G. T.613ἀ κριβέστεροι , al. ἀ σφαλέστεροι .128