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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom125to feast with them, partly that He might attract the multitude that was free from guile; for duringthese days 951 especially, the more simply disposed ran together more than at other times.Ver. 2, 3 . “Now there is at Jerusalem a sheep pool, 952 called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda,having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, 953 of halt, blind, withered,waiting for the moving of the water.”What manner of cure is this? What mystery doth it signify to us? For these things are not writtencarelessly, or without a purpose, but as by a figure and type they show in outline 954 things to come,in order that what was exceedingly strange might not by coming unexpectedly harm among themany the power of faith. 955 What then is it that they show in outline? A Baptism was about to begiven, possessing much power, and the greatest of gifts, a Baptism purging all sins, and makingmen alive instead of dead. These things then are foreshown as in a picture by the pool, and by manyother circumstances. And first is given a water which purges the stains of our bodies, and thosedefilements which are not, but seem to be, as those from touching the dead, 956 those from leprosy,and other similar causes; under the old covenant one may see many things done by water on thisaccount. However, let us now proceed to the matter in hand.First then, as I before said, He causeth defilements of our bodies, and afterwards infirmities ofdifferent kinds, to be done away by water. Because God, desiring to bring us nearer to faith in 957baptism, no longer healeth defilements only, but diseases also. For those figures which came nearer[in time] to the reality, both as regarded Baptism, and the Passion, and the rest, were plainer thanthe more ancient; 958 and as the guards near the person of the prince are more splendid than thosebefore, 959 so was it with the types. And “an Angel came down and troubled the water,” and enduedit with a healing power, that the Jews might learn that much more could the Lord of Angels healthe diseases 960 of the soul. Yet as here it was not simply the nature of the water that healed, (forthen this would have always taken place,) but water joined to the operation 961 of the Angel; so inour case, it is not merely the water that worketh, but when it hath received the grace of the Spirit,then it putteth away 962 all our sins. Around this pool “lay a great multitude of impotent folk, ofblind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water”; but then infirmity was a hindrance tohim who desired to be healed, now each hath power to approach, for now it is not an Angel thattroubleth, it is the Lord of Angels who worketh all. The sick man cannot now say, “I have no man”;he cannot say, “While I am coming another steppeth down before me”; though the whole worldshould come, the grace is not spent, the power is not exhausted, but remaineth equally great as itwas before. Just as the sun’s beams give light every day, yet are not exhausted, nor is their lightmade less by giving so abundant a supply; so, and much more, the power of the Spirit is in no way951al. “ feasts. ”952προβατικὴ κολυμβήθρα [ ἐ πὶ τῇ π . G. T.].953[ ἀ σθενούντων ] G. T. and Ben.954ὑ πογράφει , al. προϋπ955al. “ harm the faith of the hearers. ”956ἀ πὸ κηδείας , Num. v957lit. “ faith of, ” al. “ the gift of. ”958Morel. and ms. in Bodl. “ have more power to lead by the hand than the archetypes. ”959al. “ afar. ”960al. “ hindrances. ”961ἐ πὶ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ , al. “ at the coming down. ”962λύει192