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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostomwith words of humility. And where hath He done this? Nay, where hath He not done it? See, forinstance, what He saith at the beginning, “As I hear, I judge.” ( c. v. 30 .) Then in a loftier tone,“As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, so also the Son quickeneth whom Hewill” ( c. v. 21 ); again, “I judge you not, there is another that judgeth.” Then again He retireth.Then coming to Galilee, “Labor not,” He saith, “for the meat that perisheth” ( c. vi. 27 ); and afterhaving said great things of Himself, that He came down from Heaven, that He giveth eternal life,He again withdraweth Himself. And He cometh in the Feast of Tabernacles also, and doth the same.And one may see Him continually thus varying His teaching, by His presence, by His absence, bylowly, by high discourses. Which He also did here. “Though He had done so many miracles,” itsaith, “they believed not on Him.”Ver. 38 . “That the saying of Esaias 1916 might be fulfilled which he spake, Lord, who hathbelieved our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” And again,Ver. 39–41 . “They 1917 could not believe,” it saith, “because that Esaias said, 1918 Ye shall hearwith your ears, and not understand. 1919 These things he said, 1920 when he saw His glory, and spakeof Him.”Here again observe, that the “because,” and “spake,” refer not to the cause of their unbelief,but to the event. For it was not “because” Isaiah spake, that they believed not; but because theywere not about to believe, that he spake. Why then doth not the Evangelist express it so, instead ofmaking the unbelief proceed from the prophecy, not the prophecy from the unbelief? And fartheron he putteth this very thing more positively, saying, “Therefore they could not believe, becausethat Esaias said.” He desires hence to establish by many proofs the unerring truth of Scripture, andthat what Isaiah foretold fell not out otherwise, but as he said. For lest any one should say,“Wherefore did Christ come? Knew he not that they would give no heed to him?” he introducesthe Prophets, who knew this also. But He came that they might have no excuse for their sin; forwhat things the Prophet foretold, he foretold as certainly to be; since if they were not certainly tobe, he could not have foretold them; and they were certainly to be, because these men were incurable.And if, “they could not,” is put, instead of, “they would not,” do not marvel, 1921 for He saithalso in another place, “He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” ( Matt. xix. 12 .) So in manyplaces He is wont to term choice, power. Again, “The world cannot hate you, but Me it hateth.” (c. vii. 7 .) This one may even see observed in common conversation; as when a man saith, “I cannotlove this or that person,” calling the force of his will, power. And again, “this or that person cannotbe a good man.” And what saith the Prophet? “If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardhis spots, this people also shall be able to do good, having learned evil.” ( Jer. xiii. 23 , LXX.) Hesaith not that the doing of virtue is impossible to them, but that because they will not, thereforethey cannot. And by what he saith the Evangelist means, that it was impossible for the Prophet tolie; yet it was not on that account impossible that they should believe. For it was possible, even hadthey believed, that he should remain true; since he would not have prophesied these things if they1916“ Esaias the prophet, ” N.T.1917“ therefore they, ” N.T.1918“ said again, ” N.T.1919Ver. 40 . “ He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart: that they should not see with their eyes, nor understandwith their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. ” N.T.1920“ said Esaias, ” N.T.1921Ben. “ and if ‘ they could not ’ is put, it is put instead of ‘ they would not. ’ And do not marvel. ”378