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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom235this texture, would they have given heed to Him? When therefore He saith, “As the Fathercommanded Me, so I speak” 1786 ( c. xiv. 31 ); and, “I am not come 1787 of Myself” ( c. vii. 28 ),then they believe. That they did believe then is clear, from the Evangelist signifying this besides,and saying, “As He spake these words, many believed on Him.” ( c. v. 30 .) If then lowly speakingdrew men to 1788 faith, and high speaking scared them away, 1789 must it not be a mark of extremefolly not to see at a glance how to reckon 1790 the sole reason of those lowly sayings, namely, thatthey were uttered because of the hearers. Since in another place when He had desired to say somehigh thing, He withheld it, adding this reason, and saying, “Lest we should offend them, cast a hookinto the sea.” ( Matt. xvii. 27 .) Which also He doth here; for after saying, “I know that Thouhearest Me always,” He addeth, “but because of the multitude which standeth around I said it, thatthey might believe.” Are these words ours? Is this a human conjecture? When then a man will notendure to be persuaded by what is written, that 1791 they were offended at sublime things, how, whenhe heareth Christ saying that He spake in a lowly manner that they might not be offended, how,after that, shall he suspect that the mean sayings belonged to His nature, not to His condescension?1792So in another place, when a voice came down from heaven, He said, “This voice came notbecause of Me, but for your sakes.” ( c. xii. 30 .) He who is exalted may be allowed to speak lowlythings of himself, but it is not lawful for the humble to utter concerning himself anything grand orsublime. For the former ariseth from condescension, and has for its cause the weakness of thehearers; or rather (it has for its cause) the leading them to 1793 humblemindedness, and His beingclothed in flesh, and the teaching the hearers to say nothing great concerning themselves, and Hisbeing deemed an enemy of God, and not being believed to have come from God, His being suspectedof breaking the Law, and the fact that the hearers looked on Him with an evil eye, and were illdisposed towards Him, because He said that He was equal to God. 1794 But that a lowly man shouldsay any great thing of Himself, hath no cause either reasonable or unreasonable; 1795 it can only befolly, impudence, and unpardonable boldness. Wherefore then doth Christ speak humbly, being ofthat ineffable and great Substance? For the reasons mentioned, and that He might not be deemedunbegotten; for Paul seems to have feared some such thing as this; wherefore he saith, “ExceptHim who did put all things under Him.” ( 1 Cor. xv. 27 .) This it is impious even to think of. Sinceif being less than Him who begat Him, and of a different Substance, He had been deemed equal,would He not have used every means that this might not be thought? But now He doth the contrary,saying, “If I do not the works of Him that sent Me, 1796 believe Me not.” ( c. x. 37 .) Indeed His1786“ so I do, ” N.T.1787al. “ I speak nothing. ”1788al. “ caused. ”1789ἀ πεσοβεῖ1790al. “ not to reckon. ”1791or, “ because. ”1792al. for when we are persuaded from the actions that the men are offended at high sayings, and when He saith Himself,that “ on this account I speak in a lowly way, lest they should be offended, ” who will yet suspect, &c.1793al. “ to look to. ”1794al. and the maliciousness of the hearers, and its being continually said in the Old (Covenant), “ The Lord thy God is OneLord. ”1795al. “ hath no cause at all that is specious. ”1796“ My Father, ” N.T.355