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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom257but withstands Him, 1983 saying, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” But as soon as He threatened,he straightway relaxed his tone. But what meaneth, “Thou shalt know after this”? “After this?”When? “When in My Name thou shalt have cast out devils; when thou shalt have seen Me takenup into Heaven, when thou shalt have learnt from the Spirit 1984 that I sit 1985 on His right hand, thenshalt thou understand what is being done now.” What then saith Christ? When Peter said, “not myfeet only, but also my hands and my head,” He replieth,Ver. 10, 11 . “He that is washed, needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; andye are clean, 1986 but not all. For He knew who should betray Him.” 1987“And if they are clean, why washeth He 1988 their feet?” That we may learn to be modest. 1989On which account He came not to any other part of the body, but to that which is considered moredishonorable than the rest. But what is, “He that is washed”? It is instead of, “he that is clean.”Were they then clean, who had not 1990 yet been delivered from their sins, nor deemed worthy ofthe Spirit, since sin still had the mastery, the handwriting of the curse still remaining, the victimnot having yet been offered? How then calleth He them “clean”? That thou mayest not deem themclean, as delivered from their sins, He addeth, 1991 Behold, “ye are clean through the word that Ihave spoken unto you.” That is, “In this way ye are so far 1992 clean; ye have received the light, yehave been freed from Jewish error. For the Prophet also saith, ‘Wash you, make you clean, putaway the wickedness from your souls’ ( Isa. i. 16 , LXX.); so that such a one is washed and isclean.” Since then these men had cast away all wickedness from their souls, and had companiedwith Him with a pure mind, therefore He saith according to the word of the Prophet, “he that iswashed is clean already.” For in that place also It meaneth not the “washing” of water, practicedby the Jews; but the cleansing of the conscience. 1993[3.] Be we then also clean; learn we to do well. But what is “well”? “Judge for the fatherless,plead for the widow; and come, let us reason together, saith the Lord.” ( Isa. i. 7 .) There is frequentmention in the Scriptures of widows and orphans, but we make no account of this. Yet considerhow great is the reward. “Though,” it saith, “your sins be as scarlet, I will whiten them as snow;though they be red like crimson, I will whiten them as wool.” For a widow is an unprotected being,therefore He 1994 taketh much care for her. For they, when it is even in their power to contract asecond marriage, endure the hardships of widowhood through fear of God. Let us then all, bothmen and women, stretch forth our hands to them, that we may never undergo the sorrows ofwidow-hood; or if we should have to undergo them, let us lay up 1995 a great store of kindness forourselves. Not small is the power of the widow’s tears, it is able to open heaven itself. Let us not1983al. “ Him again. ”1984Ben. and mss. Sav. “ the Father. ”1985Sav. “ He sitteth. ”1986al. “ clean through the word which I have spoken unto you ” (from c. xv. 3 ).1987“ Him, therefore said He, Ye are not all clean, ” N.T.1988al. “ washest thou. ”1989μετριάζειν1990al. “ yet they had not. ”1991from c. xv. 31992τέως1993al. “ of the creation. ”1994or, “ It. ”1995al. “ but we shall not undergo them if we lay up. ”388