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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom208wisdom. He turns about the miracle in every way, because they could not do away with it, andfrom it he draws his inferences. Seest thou that at first he said “Whether he be a sinner or not, Iknow not”? not doubting (God forbid!) but knowing that He was not a sinner. At least now, whenhe had an opportunity, see how he defended Him. “We know that God heareth not sinners”:“But if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth His will.” 1565Here he not only hath cleared Him from sin, but declareth that He is very pleasing to God, anddoeth all His will. For since they called themselves 1566 worshipers of God, he added, “and doethHis will”; “since,” saith he, “it is not sufficient to know God: men must also do His will.” Then hemagnifies what had been done, saying,Ver. 32 . “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one thatwas born blind.” 1567“If now ye acknowledge 1568 that God heareth not sinners, and this Person hath wrought a miracle,and such a miracle as no man ever wrought, it is clear that He hath surpassed all things in 1569 virtue,and that His power is greater than belongeth to man.” What then say they?Ver. 34 . “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?”As long as they expected that he would deny Christ, they deemed him trustworthy, calling uponhim once and a second time. If ye 1570 deemed him not trustworthy, why did ye call and questionhim a second time? But when he spake the truth, unabashed, then, when they ought most to haveadmired, they condemned him. But what is the, “Thou wast altogether born in sins”? They hereunsparingly reproach him with his very blindness, as though they had said, “Thou art in sins fromthy earliest age;” insinuating that on this account he was born blind; which was contrary to reason.On this point at least Christ comforting him said, “For judgment I am come into the world, thatthey which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind.” ( c. ix. 39 .)“Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?” Why, what had the man said? Didhe set forth his private opinion? Did he not set forth a common judgment, saying, “We know thatGod heareth not sinners”? Did he not produce your own words?“And they cast him out.”Hast thou beheld the herald of the truth, how poverty was no hindrance to his true wisdom?Seest thou what reproaches, what sufferings he bare from the beginning, and how by word and bydeed he testified?[4.] Now these things are recorded, that we too may imitate them. For if the blind man, thebeggar, who had not even seen Him, straightway showed such boldness even before he wasencouraged by Christ, standing opposed to a whole people, murderous, possessed, and raving, whodesired by means of his voice to condemn Christ, if he neither yielded nor gave back, but mostboldly stopped their mouths, and chose rather to be cast out than to betray the truth; how muchmore ought we, who have lived so long in the faith, who have seen ten thousand marvels wroughtby faith, who have received greater benefits than he, have recovered the sight of the eyes within,1565“ him He heareth, ” N.T.1566al. “ he (al. they) said that Christ was a worshiper of God. ”1567ver. 33 . “ If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing. ”1568al. “ Then he draws an inference also. ‘ If this Man were not of God He could do nothing. ’ If therefore it is acknowledged,” &c.1569or, “ prevailed in all by. ”1570al. “ if they, ” &c.316