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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom177because 1402 they said, “God spake to Moses, but as for this fellow we know not whence he is” ( c.ix. 29 ), He showeth that they were insulting Moses as well as Himself, for Moses gave them theLaw, and they obeyed it not.Ver. 21 . “I have done one work, and ye all marvel.”Observe how He argueth, where it is necessary to defend Himself, and make His defense acharge against them. 1403 For with respect to that which had been wrought, He introduceth not thePerson of the Father, but His own: “I have done one work.” He would show, 1404 that not to havedone it would have been to break the Law, and that there are many things more authoritative 1405than the Law, and that “Moses” endured to receive a command against 1406 the Law, and moreauthoritative than the Law. For “circumcision” is more authoritative than the Sabbath, and yetcircumcision is not of the Law, but of “the fathers.” “But I,” He saith, “have done that which ismore authoritative and better than circumcision.” Then He mentioneth not the command of theLaw; for instance, that the Priests profane the Sabbath, as He had said already, but speaketh morelargely. The meaning of, “Ye marvel” ( Matt. xii. 5 ) is, “Ye are confused,” “are troubled.” For ifthe Law was to be lasting, circumcision would not have been more authoritative than it. And Hesaid not, “I have done a thing greater than circumcision,” but abundantly refuteth them by saying,1407Ver. 23 . “If a man receive circumcision.” 1408“Seest thou that the Law is most established when a man breaketh it? Seest thou that the breakingof the Sabbath is the keeping of the Law? that if the Sabbath were not broken, the Law must needshave been broken? so that I also have established the Law.” He said not, “Ye are wroth with Mebecause I have wrought a thing which is greater than circumcision,” but having merely mentionedwhat had been done, He left it to them to judge, whether entire health was not a more necessarything than circumcision. “The Law,” He saith, “is broken, that a man may receive a sign whichcontributeth nothing to health; are ye vexed and indignant at its being broken, that one might befreed from so grievous a disease?”Ver. 24 . “Judge not according to appearance.”What is, “according to appearance”? “Do not, since Moses hath the greatest honor among you,give your decision according to your estimation of persons, but according to the nature of things;for this is to judge rightly. Wherefore hath no one of you reproved Moses? Wherefore hath no onedisobeyed him when he ordereth that the Sabbath be broken by a commandment introduced fromwithout into the Law? He alloweth a commandment to be of more authority than his own Law; acommandment not introduced by the Law, but from without, which is especially wonderful; whileye who are not lawgivers are beyond measure jealous for the Law, and defend it. Yet Moses, whoordereth that the Law be broken by a commandment which is not of the Law, is more worthy of1402or, “ when. ”1403al. “ to admit what had taken place as a charge against Himself. ”1404i.e. by ver. 22 . “ Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but the fathers) and ye on theSabbath day circumcise a man. ”1405κυριώτερα1406κατὰ τοῦ ν1407al. “ but hinted by saying. ”1408ver. 23 . “ If a man on the Sabbath day receive circumcision, that the Law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angryat Me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day? ”271