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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom147Ver. 44 . “How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honorthat cometh from God only?”Hence again He showeth that they looked not to the things of God, but that under this pretensethey desired to gratify private feeling, and were so far from doing this on account of His glory,that they preferred honor from men to that which cometh from Him. How then were they likely toentertain 1137 such hostility towards Him 1138 for a kind of honor which they so despised, as to preferto it the honor which cometh from men?Having told them that they had not the love of God, and having proved it by what was doingin His case, and by what should be in the case of Antichrist, and having demonstrated that theywere deprived of all excuse, He next bringeth Moses to be their accuser, going on to say,Ver. 45–47 . “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one that accuseth you,even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for hewrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?”What He saith is of this kind: “It is Moses 1139 who has been insulted more than I 1140 by yourconduct towards Me, for ye have disbelieved him rather than Me.” See how in every way He hathcast them out from all excuse. “Ye said that ye loved God when ye persecuted Me; I have shownthat ye did so from hatred of Him: ye say 1141 that I break the Sabbath and annul the Law; I haverid Me of this slander also: ye maintain 1142 that ye believe in Moses by what ye dare to do againstMe; I on the contrary show that this is most to disbelieve in Moses; for so far am I from opposingthe Law, that he who shall accuse you is none other than the man who gave you the Law.” As thenHe said of the Scriptures, in which “ye think ye have eternal life,” so of Moses also He saith, “inwhom ye trust”; everywhere conquering them by their own weapons.“And whence,” saith some one, “is it clear that Moses will accuse us, and that thou art not aboaster? What hast thou to do with Moses? Thou hast broken the Sabbath which he ordained thatwe should keep; how then should he accuse us? And how doth it appear that we shall believe onanother who cometh in his own name? All these assertions thou makest without evidence.” Nowin truth all these points are proved above. “For” (Christ would reply) “since it is acknowledged thatI came from God, both by the works, by the voice of John, and by the testimony of the Father, itis evident that Moses will accuse the Jews.” For what saith he? “If a man come doing miracles andleading you to God, and truly foretelling things future, ye must hearken unto him with all readiness.”Now Christ had done all this. He wrought miracles in very truth, He drew all men to God, and (sothat He 1143 ) caused accomplishment to follow His predictions. 1144“But whence doth it appear that they will believe another?” From their hating Christ, since theywho turn aside from Him who cometh according to the will of God will, it is quite plain, receivethe enemy of God. And marvel not if He now putteth forward Moses, although He said, “I receivenot witness from man,” for He referreth them not to Moses, but to the Scriptures of God. However,1137ἀ ναδέχεσθαι1138or, “ to take on them such hostility as they would have incurred by following Him. ”1139ἐ κεινος1140or, “ before Me. ”1141al. “ accuse. ”1142al. “ profess. ”1143Not in all copies.1144Not found in so many words. The command is given with this test, Deut. xviii. 18–22; see also Deut. xiii. 1226