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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom“for them whom Thou hast given Me.” He continually putteth the “hast given,” that they mightlearn that this seemeth good to the Father. Then, because He had said continually, “they are Thine,”and, “Thou gavest them unto Me,” to remove any evil suspicion, and lest any one should think thatHis authority was recent, and that He had but now received them, what saith He?[2.] Ver. 10 . “All Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them.”Seest thou the equality of honor? For lest on hearing, “Thou hast given them Me,” thou shouldestdeem that they were alienated from the authority of the Father, or before this from that of the Son,He removed both difficulties by speaking as He did. It was as though He said, “Do not when thouhearest that ‘Thou hast given them to Me,’ deem that they are alienated from the Father, for whatis Mine is His; nor when thou hearest, ‘Thine they were,’ think that they were aliens from Me, forwhat is His is Mine.” So that the, “Thou hast given,” is said only for condescension; for what theFather hath is the Son’s, and what the Son hath is the Father’s. But this cannot even be said of ason after the manner of man, but because They 2330 are upon a greater Equality of honor. 2331 Forthat what belongs to the less, belongs to the greater also, is clear to every one, but the reverse notso; but here He converteth 2332 these terms, and the conversion declares 2333 Equality. And in anotherplace, declaring this, He said, “All things that the Father hath are Mine,” speaking of knowledge.And the “hast given Me,” and the like expressions, are to show that He did not come as an alienand draw them to Him, but received them as His own. Then He putteth the cause and the proof,saying, “And I am glorified in them,” that is, either that “I have power over them,” or, that “theyshall glorify Me, believing in Thee and Me, and shall glorify Us alike.” But if He is not glorifiedequally in them, what is the Father’s is no longer His. For no one is glorified in those over whomhe hath no authority. Yet how is He glorified equally? All die for Him equally as for the Father;they preach Him as they do the Father; and as they say that all things are done in His Name, so alsoin the Name of the Son.Ver. 11 . “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world.” 2334That is, “Although I appear no longer in the flesh, yet by these am I glorified.” But why dothHe say continuously, that, “I am not in the world”; and that, “because I leave them I commit themto Thee”; and that, “when I was in the world I kept them”? for if one should take these words intheir simple sense, many absurdities will follow. For how could it be reasonable to say, that He isno longer in the world, and that when He departeth He committeth them to another? since theseare the words of a mere man parting from them forever. Seest thou how He speaketh for the mostpart like a man, and in a way adapted to their state of mind, because they thought that they had agreater degree of safety from His presence? Wherefore He saith, “While I was with them, I keptthem.” ( c. xiv. 28 .) Yet He telleth them, “I come to you”; and, “I am with you till the end.” (Matt. xxviii. 20 .) How then 2335 saith He these words, as if about to be parted from them? He2330i.e. the Father and the Son.2331μείζονός εἰσιν ἰσοτιμίας . If this be the right reading, the sense is, that the Father and the Son are more Equal in honorthan human father and son. Sav. reads μεῖζον . Ben. μείζονός ἐστιν , omitting ἰ σ2332ἀ ντιστρέφει2333al. “ shows. ”2334“ in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name those whom Thou hast given Me, thatthey may be one as we are. ” N.T.2335al. “ how now. ”449