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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostomblasphemed,” (and wherever there is a “woe,” every punishment and vengeance straightway follows,)“but blessed is he by whom that Name is glorified.” Let us then not be as in darkness, but avoid allsins, and especially those which tend to the hurt of others, since by these God is most blasphemed.What pardon shall we have, when, being commanded to give to others, we plunder the property ofothers? What shall be our hope of salvation? Thou art punished if thou hast not fed the hungry; butif thou hast even stripped one who was clothed, what sort of pardon shalt thou obtain? These thingsI will never desist from saying, for they who have not heard to-day perhaps will hear tomorrow,and they who take no heed to-morrow perhaps will be persuaded the next day; and even if any beso disposed as not to be persuaded, yet for us there will be no account to give of them at theJudgment. Our part we have fulfilled; may we never have cause to be ashamed of our words, noryou to hide your faces, but may all be able to stand with boldness before the judgment-seat ofChrist, that we also may be able to rejoice over you, and to have some compensation of our ownfaults, in your being approved in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father and the HolyGhost be glory for ever. Amen.249Homily LXVIII.John xii. 34“The people answered Him, We have heard out of the Law that Christ abideth for ever; and howsayest thou, The Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”[1.] Deceit is a thing easily detected, and weak, though it be daubed outside with ten thousandcolors. For as those who whitewash decayed walls, cannot by the plastering make them sound, sotoo those who lie are easily found out, as in fact was the case here with the Jews. For when Christsaid to them, “If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto Me; We have heard,” saith one of them,“out of the Law, that Christ remaineth forever; and how sayest thou, that the Son of Man must belifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” Even they then knew that Christ was some Immortal One, andhad life without end. And therefore they also knew what He meant; for often in Scripture the Passionand the Resurrection are mentioned in the same place. Thus Isaiah puts them together, saying, “Hewas led as a sheep to the slaughter” ( Isa. liii. 7 ), and all that follows. David also in the secondPsalm, and in many other places, connects these two things. The Patriarch too after saying, “Helay down, He couched as a lion,” addeth, “And as a lion’s whelp, who shall raise Him up?” ( Gen.xlix. 9 .) He showeth at once the Passion and the Resurrection. But these men when they thoughtto silence Him, and to show that He was not the Christ, confessed by this very circumstance thatthe Christ remaineth forever. And observe their evil dealing; they said not, “We have heard thatChrist neither suffereth nor is crucified,” but that “He remaineth forever.” Yet even this which hasbeen mentioned, would have been no real objection, for the Passion was no hindrance to HisImmortality. Hence we may see that they understood many of the doubtful points, and deliberatelywent wrong. For since He had before spoken about death, when they now heard in this place the,376