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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom281after having said ten thousand things first, Christ entered upon this matter. 2203 Having firstsmoothed their minds, He thus proceedeth to these points, showing that these things too were fortheir exceeding advantage, as He had also shown that the others were. For as He had told them thatthey ought not to grieve, but rather to rejoice, “because I go to the Father,” (since He did this notas deserting but as greatly loving them,) so here also He showeth that they ought to rejoice, notgrieve. And observe how He effecteth this. He said not, “I know that the action is grievous, butbear for My sake, since for My sake also ye suffer,” for this reason was not yet sufficient to consolethem; wherefore letting this pass, He putteth forward another. And what is that? It is that this thing2204would be a sure proof of their former virtue. “And, on the contrary, ye ought to grieve, notbecause ye are hated now but if ye were likely to be loved”; for this He implieth by saying,Ver. 19 . “If ye were of the world, the world would love its own.” 2205So that had ye been loved it would be very clear that ye had shown forth signs of wickedness.Then, when by saying this first, He did not effect his purpose, He goeth on again with the discourse.Ver. 20 . “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will alsopersecute you.” 2206He showed that in this point they would be most His imitators. For while Christ was in theflesh, men had war with Him, but when He was translated, the battle came in the next place uponthem. Then because owing to their fewness they were terrified at being about to encounter the attackof so great a multitude, He raiseth their souls by telling them that it was an especial subject of joythat they were hated by them; “For so ye shall share My sufferings. Ye should not therefore betroubled, for ye are not better than I,” as I before told you, “The servant is not greater than his lord.”Then there is also a third source of consolation, that the Father also is insulted together with them.Ver. 21 . “But all these things will they do unto you for My Name’s sake, because they knownot Him that sent Me.”That is, “they insult Him also.” Besides this, depriving those others of excuse, and putting alsoanother source of comfort, He saith,Ver. 22 . “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin.” 2207Showing that they shall do unjustly both what they do against Him and against them. “Whythen didst Thou 2208 bring us into such calamities? Didst Thou not foreknow the wars, the hatred?”Therefore again He saith,Ver. 23 . “He that hateth Me, hateth My Father also.”From this also proclaiming beforehand no small punishment against them. For, since theycontinually pretended that they persecuted Him on account of the Father, to deprive them of thisexcuse He spake these words. “They have no excuse. I gave them the teaching which is by words,that by works I added, according to the Law of Moses, who bade all men obey one speaking and2203What follows seems to be a commentary on ver. 18 , omitted. “ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me beforeit hated you. ”2204i.e. persecution.2205“ But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. ” N.T.2206Ver. 20 . “ Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant, ” &c., adding, “ If they have kept My saying, theywill keep yours also. ” N.T.2207“ but now they have no cloke for their sin, ” N.T.2208al. “ did He. ”424