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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom108the way” ( Ps. cx. 7 ): by this showing His frugal 796 way of life. This too the Evangelist shows inthis place.Ver. 6, 7, 8 . “Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus by the well; and it wasabout the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, GiveMe to drink. For His disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat.”Hence we learn His activity in journeying, His carelessness about food, and how He treated itas a matter of minor importance. 797 And so the disciples were taught to use the like dispositionthemselves; for they took with them no provisions for the road. And this another Evangelist declares,saying, that when He spake to them concerning “the leaven of the Pharisees” ( Matt. xvi. 6 ), theythought that it was because they carried no bread; and when he introduces them plucking the earsof corn, and eating ( Matt. xii. 1 ), and when he saith that Jesus came to the fig-tree by reason ofhunger ( Matt. xxi. 18 ), it is for nothing else but only to instruct us by all these to despise thebelly, and not to deem that its service is anxiously to be attended to. Observe them, for instance,in this place neither bringing anything with them, nor because they brought not anything, caringfor this at the very beginning and early part of the day, but buying food at the time when all otherpeople were taking their meal. 798 Not like us, who the instant we rise from our beds attend to thisbefore anything else, calling cooks and butlers, and giving our directions with all earnestness,applying ourselves afterwards to other matters, preferring temporal things to spiritual, valuing thosethings as necessary which we ought to have deemed of less importance. 799 Therefore all things arein confusion. We ought, on the contrary, making much account of all spiritual things, after havingaccomplished these, then to apply ourselves to the others.And in this place it is not His laboriousness alone that is shown, but also His freedom frompride; not merely by His being tired, nor by His sitting by the way-side, but by His having beenleft alone, and His disciples having been separated 800 from Him. And yet it was in His power, ifHe had willed it, either not to have sent them all away, or when they departed to have had otherministers. But He would not; for so He accustomed His disciples to tread all pride beneath theirfeet.“And what marvel,” saith one, “if they were moderate in their wishes, since they were fishermenand tentmakers?” Yes! Fishermen and tentmakers they were; but they had in a moment 801 mountedeven to the height of heaven, and had become more honorable than all earthly kings, being deemedworthy to become the companions of the Lord of the world, and to follow Him whom all beheldwith awe. And ye know this too, that those men especially who are of humble origin, wheneverthey gain distinction, are the more easily lifted up to folly, because they are quite ignorant how tobear their sudden 802 honor. Restraining them therefore in their present humblemindedness, Hetaught them always to be moderate, 803 and never to require any to wait upon them.796or “ active. ”797παρέργως798ἀ ριστοποιοῦνται . See on Stat. Hom. ix. 1, and note799πάρεργον800al. “ having departed. ”801ἄ θροον802al. “ so great. ”803συνεστάλθαι166