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

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

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NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom89arrival of death we depart hence uninitiated, 677 though we have ten thousand virtues, our portionwill be no other than hell, and the venomous worm, and fire unquenchable, and bonds indissoluble.But God grant that none of those who hear these words experience that punishment! And this willbe, if having been deemed worthy of the sacred mysteries, we build upon that foundation gold, andsilver, and precious stones; for so after our departure hence we shall be able to appear in that placerich, when we leave not our riches here, but transport them to inviolable treasuries by the hands ofthe poor, when we lend to Christ. Many are our debts there, not of money, but of sins; let us thenlend Him our riches, that we may receive pardon for our sins; for He it is that judgeth. Let us notneglect Him here when He hungereth, that He may ever feed us there. Here let us clothe Him, thatHe leave us not bare of the safety which is from Him. If here we give Him drink, we shall not withthe rich man say, “Send Lazarus, that with the tip of his finger he may drop water on my broiling678tongue.” If here we receive Him into our house, there He will prepare many mansions for us; ifwe go to Him in prison, He too will free us from our bonds; if we take Him in when He is a stranger,He will not suffer us to be strangers to the Kingdom of heaven, but will give us a portion in theCity which is above; if we visit Him when He is sick, He also will quickly deliver us from ourinfirmities.Let us then, as receiving great things though we give but little, still give the little that we maygain the great. While it is yet time, let us sow, that we may reap. When the winter overtakes us,when the sea is no longer navigable, we are no longer masters of this traffic. But when shall thewinter be? When that great and manifest Day is at hand. Then we shall cease to sail this great andbroad sea, for such the present life resembles. Now is the time of sowing, then of harvest and ofgain. If a man puts not in his seed at seed time and sows in harvest, besides that he effects nothing,he will be ridiculous. But if the present is seed time, it follows that it is a time not for gatheringtogether, but for scattering; let us then scatter, that we may gather in, and not seek to gather in now,lest we lose our harvest; for, as I said, this season summons us to sow, and spend, and lay out, notto collect and lay by. Let us not then give up the opportunity, but let us put in abundant seed, andspare none of our stores, that we may receive them again with abundant recompense, through thegrace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Ghostbe glory, world without end. Amen.Homily XXVI.John iii. 6“That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”677 i.e. unbaptized.678ἀ ποτηγανιζομένῃ .138

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom90[1.] Great mysteries are they, of which the Only-begotten Son of God has counted us worthy;great, and such as we were not worthy of, but such as it was meet for Him to give. For if one reckonour desert, we were not only unworthy of the gift, but also liable to punishment and vengeance;but He, because He looked not to this, not only delivered us from punishment, but freely gave usa life much more bright 679 than the first, introduced us into another world, made us another creature;“If any man be in Christ,” saith Paul, “he is a new creature.” ( 2 Cor. v. 17 .) What kind of “newcreature”? Hear Christ Himself declare; “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannotenter into the Kingdom of God.” Paradise was entrusted to us, and we were shown unworthy todwell even there, yet He hath exalted us to heaven. In the first things we were found unfaithful,and He hath committed to us greater; we could not refrain from a single tree, and He hath providedfor us the delights 680 above; we kept not our place in Paradise, and He hath opened to us the doorsof heaven. Well said Paul, “O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”( Rom. xi. 33 .) There is no longer a mother, or pangs, or sleep, or coming together, and embracingsof bodies; henceforth all the fabric 681 of our nature is framed above, of the Holy Ghost and water.The water is employed, being made the Birth to him who is born; what the womb is to the embryo,the water is to the believer; for in the water he is fashioned and formed. At first it was said, “Letthe waters bring forth the creeping things that have life” ( Gen. i. 20 , LXX.); but from the timethat the Lord entered the streams of Jordan, the water no longer gives forth the “creeping thing thathath life,” but reasonable and Spirit-bearing souls; and what has been said of the sun, that he is “asa bridegroom coming out of his chamber” ( Ps. xviii. 6 ), we may now rather say of the faithful,for they send forth rays far brighter than he. That which is fashioned in the womb requires time,not so that in water, but all is done in a single moment. Here our life is perishable, and takes itsorigin from the decay of other bodies; that which is to be born comes slowly, (for such is the natureof bodies, they acquire perfection by time,) but it is not so with spiritual things. And why? Becausethe things made are formed perfect from the beginning.When Nicodemus still hearing these things was troubled, see how Christ partly opens to himthe secret of this mystery, and makes that clear which was for a while obscure to him. “That whichis born,” saith He, “of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” He leads himaway from all the things of sense, and suffers him not vainly to pry into the mysteries revealed withhis fleshly eyes; “We speak not,” saith He, “of flesh, but of Spirit, O Nicodemus,” (by this wordHe directs him heavenward for a while,) “seek then nothing relating to things of sense; never canthe Spirit appear to those eyes, think not that the Spirit bringeth forth the flesh.” “How then,”perhaps one may ask, “was the Flesh of the Lord brought forth?” Not of the Spirit only, but of flesh;as Paul de clares, when he says, “Made of a woman, made under the Law” ( Gal. iv. 4 ); for theSpirit fashioned Him not indeed out of nothing, (for what need was there then of a womb?) butfrom the flesh of a Virgin. How, I cannot explain unto you; yet it was done, that no one mightsuppose that what was born is alien to our nature. For if even when this has taken place there aresome who disbelieve in such a birth, into what impiety would they not have fallen had He notpartaken of the Virgin’s flesh.679 al. “precious.”680τρυφὴν .681κατασκευὴ .139

NPNF (V1-14)<strong>St</strong>. Chrysos<strong>to</strong>m89arrival <strong>of</strong> death we depart hence uninitiated, 677 though we have ten thous<strong>and</strong> virtues, our porti<strong>on</strong>will be no o<strong>the</strong>r than hell, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> venomous worm, <strong>and</strong> fire unquenchable, <strong>and</strong> b<strong>on</strong>ds indissoluble.But God grant that n<strong>on</strong>e <strong>of</strong> those who hear <strong>the</strong>se words experience that punishment! And this willbe, if having been deemed worthy <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sacred mysteries, we build up<strong>on</strong> that foundati<strong>on</strong> gold, <strong>and</strong>silver, <strong>and</strong> precious st<strong>on</strong>es; for so after our departure hence we shall be able <strong>to</strong> appear in that placerich, when we leave not our riches here, but transport <strong>the</strong>m <strong>to</strong> inviolable treasuries by <strong>the</strong> h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> poor, when we lend <strong>to</strong> Christ. Many are our debts <strong>the</strong>re, not <strong>of</strong> m<strong>on</strong>ey, but <strong>of</strong> sins; let us <strong>the</strong>nlend Him our riches, that we may receive pard<strong>on</strong> for our sins; for He it is that judgeth. Let us notneglect Him here when He hungereth, that He may ever feed us <strong>the</strong>re. Here let us clo<strong>the</strong> Him, thatHe leave us not bare <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> safety which is from Him. If here we give Him drink, we shall not with<strong>the</strong> rich man say, “Send Lazarus, that with <strong>the</strong> tip <strong>of</strong> his finger he may drop water <strong>on</strong> my broiling678t<strong>on</strong>gue.” If here we receive Him in<strong>to</strong> our house, <strong>the</strong>re He will prepare many mansi<strong>on</strong>s for us; ifwe go <strong>to</strong> Him in pris<strong>on</strong>, He <strong>to</strong>o will free us from our b<strong>on</strong>ds; if we take Him in when He is a stranger,He will not suffer us <strong>to</strong> be strangers <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kingdom <strong>of</strong> heaven, but will give us a porti<strong>on</strong> in <strong>the</strong>City which is above; if we visit Him when He is sick, He also will quickly deliver us from ourinfirmities.Let us <strong>the</strong>n, as receiving great things though we give but little, still give <strong>the</strong> little that we maygain <strong>the</strong> great. While it is yet time, let us sow, that we may reap. When <strong>the</strong> winter overtakes us,when <strong>the</strong> sea is no l<strong>on</strong>ger navigable, we are no l<strong>on</strong>ger masters <strong>of</strong> this traffic. But when shall <strong>the</strong>winter be? When that great <strong>and</strong> manifest Day is at h<strong>and</strong>. Then we shall cease <strong>to</strong> sail this great <strong>and</strong>broad sea, for such <strong>the</strong> present life resembles. Now is <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> sowing, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>of</strong> harvest <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong>gain. If a man puts not in his seed at seed time <strong>and</strong> sows in harvest, besides that he effects nothing,he will be ridiculous. But if <strong>the</strong> present is seed time, it follows that it is a time not for ga<strong>the</strong>ring<strong>to</strong>ge<strong>the</strong>r, but for scattering; let us <strong>the</strong>n scatter, that we may ga<strong>the</strong>r in, <strong>and</strong> not seek <strong>to</strong> ga<strong>the</strong>r in now,lest we lose our harvest; for, as I said, this seas<strong>on</strong> summ<strong>on</strong>s us <strong>to</strong> sow, <strong>and</strong> spend, <strong>and</strong> lay out, not<strong>to</strong> collect <strong>and</strong> lay by. Let us not <strong>the</strong>n give up <strong>the</strong> opportunity, but let us put in abundant seed, <strong>and</strong>spare n<strong>on</strong>e <strong>of</strong> our s<strong>to</strong>res, that we may receive <strong>the</strong>m again with abundant recompense, through <strong>the</strong>grace <strong>and</strong> lovingkindness <strong>of</strong> our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Fa<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Holy Ghostbe glory, world without end. Amen.Homily XXVI.<strong>John</strong> iii. 6“That which is born <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> flesh is flesh: <strong>and</strong> that which is born <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spirit is spirit.”677 i.e. unbaptized.678ἀ ποτηγανιζομένῃ .138

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