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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom274ver. 15 ); and, “He that hath My commandments and keepeth them”; and, “If any one heareth Myword and keepeth it, he it is that loveth Me—he that heareth not My words, loveth Me not.” ( Ver.24 .) I think that He alluded to their despondency; for since He had uttered many wise sayings tothem concerning death, saying, “He that hateth his life in this world shall save it unto life eternal”( c. xii. 25 ); and, “Unless a man take 2149 his cross and follow Me, he is not worthy of Me” ( Matt.x. 38 ); and is about to say other things besides, rebuking them, He saith, “Think ye that ye suffersorrow from love? The not sorrowing would be a sign of love.” And because He wished all alongto establish this, as He went on He summed up His discourse in this same point; “If ye loved Me,”He saith, “ye would have rejoiced, because—I go to My Father” ( ver. 28 ), but now ye are in thisstate through cowardice. To be thus disposed towards death is not for those who remember Mycommandments; for you ought to be crucified, if you truly loved Me, for My word exhorteth younot to be afraid of those that kill the body. Those that are such both the Father loveth and I. “AndI will manifest Myself unto him. 2150 Then saith Judas, 2151Ver. 22 . “How is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us?” 2152Seest thou that their soul was close pressed 2153 with fear? For he was confounded and troubled,and thought that as we see dead men in a dream, so He also would be seen. In order therefore thatthey might not imagine this, hear what He saith.Ver. 23 . “I and the Father will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” 2154All but saying, “As the Father revealeth Himself, so also do I.” And not in this way only Heremoved the suspicion, but also by saying, “We will make Our abode with him,” a thing whichdoth not belong to dreams. But observe, I pray you, the disciple confounded, and not daring to sayplainly what he desired to say. For he said not, “Woe to us, that Thou diest, and will come to us asthe dead come”; he spake not thus; but, “How is it that Thou wilt show Thyself to us, and not untothe world?” Jesus then saith, that “I accept you, because ye keep My commandments.” In orderthat they might not, when they should see Him afterwards, 2155 deem Him to be an apparition,therefore He saith these things beforehand. And that they might not deem that He would appear tothem so as I have said, He telleth them also the reason, “Because ye keep My commandments”;He saith that the Spirit also will appear in like manner. Now if after having companied with Himso long time, they cannot yet endure that Essence, or rather cannot even imagine It, what wouldhave been their case had He appeared thus to them at the first? on this account also He ate withthem, that the action might not seem to be an illusion. For if they thought this when they saw Himwalking on the waters, although His wonted form was seen by them, and He was not far distant,what would they have imagined had they suddenly seen Him arisen whom they had seen taken 2156and swathed? Wherefore He continually telleth them that He will appear, and why He will appear,and how, that they may not suppose Him to be an apparition.2149“ He that taketh not, ” &c.2150“ and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest, ” &c. N.T.2151“ not Iscariot, ” N.T.2152“ and not unto the world, ” N.T.2153πεπιλημένην , “ crushed like felt. ”2154Ver. 23 . “ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him,and We will come, ” &c.2155i.e. after the Resurrection.2156κατεχόμενου413