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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostomthe cleansing, and stopping the shameless mouths of those who asserted that He was legislating inopposition to God. This also He did in like manner in the case of the wine; for He did not merelyshow it to them, but also caused it to be borne to the governor of the feast, in order that one whoknew nothing of what had been done, by his confession might bear to Him unsuspected testimony;wherefore the Evangelist saith, that the ruler of the feast “knew not whence it was,” thus showingthe impartiality of his testimony. And in another place, when He raised the dead, He said, “Giveye him to eat”; 984 supplying this proof of a real resurrection, and by these means persuading eventhe foolish that He was no deceiver, no dealer in illusions, 985 but that He had come for the salvationof the common nature of mankind.[2.] But why did not Jesus require faith of this man, as He did in the case of others, saying,“Believest thou that I am able to do this?” 986 It was because the man did not yet clearly know whoHe was; and it is not before, but after the working of miracles that He is seen so doing. For personswho had beheld His power exerted on others would reasonably have this said to them, while ofthose who had not yet learned who He was, but who were to know afterwards by means of signs,it is after the miracles that faith is required. And therefore Matthew doth not introduce Christ ashaving said this at the beginning of His miracles, but when He had healed many, to the two blindmen only.Observe however in this way the faith of the paralytic. When he had heard, 987 “Take up thybed and walk,” he did not mock, nor say, “What can this mean? An Angel cometh down andtroubleth the water, and healeth only one, and dost Thou, a man, by a bare command and wordhope to be able to do greater things than Angels? This is mere vanity, boasting, mockery.” But heneither said nor imagined anything like this, but at once he heard and arose, and becoming whole,was not disobedient to Him that gave the command; 988 for immediately he was made whole, and“took up his bed, and walked.” What followed was even far more admirable. That he believed atfirst, when no one troubled him, was not so marvelous, but that afterwards, when the Jews werefull of madness and pressed upon him on all sides, accusing 989 and besieging him and saying, “Itis not lawful for thee to take up thy bed,” that then he gave no heed to 990 their madness, but mostboldly in the midst of the assembly 991 proclaimed his Benefactor and silenced their shamelesstongues, this, I say, was an act of great courage. For when the Jews arose against him, and said ina reproachful and insolent manner to him,Ver. 10 . “It is the Sabbath day, it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed”; hear what he saith:Ver. 11 . “He that made me whole, the Same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.”984The reference seems to be to Luke viii. 55985φαντασιοκόπος986Morel. and mss. read, “ as He did in the case of the blind men, ( Matt. ix. 28 ,) saying, ‘ Believe ye, ’” &c.987Morel. and ms. in Bodl. read, “ for having heard that with authority, and as one commanding, He said to him, ‘ Arise,’” &c.988Morel and ms. “ who had commanded, ‘ Arise, ’” &c.989Morel and ms. “ accusing, as the Evangelist shows by what follows, saying, ‘ And on the same day was the Sabbath.The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the Sabbath day, it is not lawful, ’” &c.990al. “ not only disregarded. ”991lit. “ theater. ”197