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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom215account Ezekiel of old rebuked them, and said, “Woe, 1606 ye shepherds of Israel! Do the shepherdsfeed themselves? Do not the shepherds feed the sheep?” ( Ezek. xxxiv. 2 , LXX.) But they did thecontrary, which is the worst kind of wickedness, and the cause of all the rest. Wherefore It saith,“They have not turned back the strayed, nor sought the lost, nor bound up the broken, nor healedthe sick, because they fed themselves and not the sheep.” ( Ezek. xxxiv. 4 .) As Paul also hathdeclared in another passage, saying, “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s”( Philip. ii. 21 ); and again, “Let no man seek his own, but every man his neighbor’s.” ( 1 Cor. x.24 .) From both Christ distinguisheth Himself; from those who came to spoil, by saying, “I amcome that they might have life, and that they might have more abundantly” ( ver. 10 ); and fromthose who cared not for the sheep being carried away by wolves, by never deserting them, but evenlaying down His life for them, that the sheep might not perish. For when they desired to kill Him,He neither altered His teaching, nor betrayed those who believed on Him, but stood firm, and choseto die. Wherefore He continually said, “I am the good Shepherd.” Then because His words appearedto be unsupported by testimony, (for though the, “I lay down My life,” was not long after proved,yet the, “that they might have life, and that they might have more abundantly,” was to come to passafter their departure hence in the life to come,) what doth He? He proveth one from the other; bygiving His mortal life 1607 (He proveth) that He giveth life immortal. 1608 As Paul also saith, “If whenwe were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciledwe shall be saved.” ( Rom. v. 10 .) And again in another place, “He that spared not His own Son,but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” ( Rom.viii. 32 .)But wherefore do they not now bring against Him the charge which they did before, when theysaid, “Thou bearest witness of thyself, thy witness is not true?” ( c. viii. 13 .) Because He hadoften stopped their mouths, and because His boldness towards them had been increased by Hismiracles. Then because He said above “And the sheep hear his voice, and follow him,” lest anyshould say, “What then is this to those who believe not?” hear what He addeth, “And I know Mysheep, and am known of Mine.” As Paul declared when he said, “God hath not rejected His peoplewhom He foreknew” ( Rom. xi. 2 ); and Moses, “The Lord knew those that were His” ( 2 Tim.ii. 19; comp. Num. xvi. 5 ); “those,” He saith, “I mean, whom He 1609 foreknew.” Then that thoumayest not deem the measure of knowledge to be equal, hear how He setteth the matter right byadding, “I know My sheep, and am known of Mine.” But the knowledge is not equal. “Where is itequal?” In the case of the Father and Me, for there, “As the Father knoweth Me, even so know Ithe Father.” Had He not wished to prove this, why should He have added that expression? BecauseHe often ranked Himself among the many, therefore, lest any one should deem that He knew as aman knoweth, He added, “As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father.” “I know Himas exactly as He knoweth Me.” Wherefore He said, “No man knoweth the Son 1610 save the Father,nor the Father save the Son” ( Luke x. 22 ), speaking of a distinct kind of knowledge, and suchas no other can possess.1606al. “ O. ”1607ψυχὴν1608ζωὴν1609Ben. “ I. ”1610“ who the Son is, ” &c., N.T.326