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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom301Again He simplifieth 2349 His language; again He rendereth it more clear; which is the act ofone showing, by making entreaty for them with exactness, nothing else but this, that He hath avery tender care for them. Yet He Himself had told them, that the Father would do all thingswhatsoever they should ask. How then doth He here pray for them? As I said, for no other purposethan to show His love.Ver. 16 . “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”How then saith He in another place, “Which Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine theywere”? ( Ver. 6 .) There He speaketh of their nature; here of wicked actions. And He puttethtogether a long encomium of them; first, that “they were not of the world”; then, that “the FatherHimself had given them”; and that “they had kept His word;” and that on this account “they werehated.” And if He saith, “As I am not of the world,” be not troubled; for the “as” is not hereexpressive of unvarying exactness. For as, when in the case of Him and the Father the “as” is used,a great Equality is signified, because of the Relationship in Nature; so when it is used of us andHim, the interval is great, because of the great and infinite interval between the respective natures.For if He “did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” ( 1 Pet. ii. 22 ), how could the Apostlesbe reckoned equal to Him? What is it then that He saith, “They are not of the world”? “They lookto another world, they have nothing common with earth, but are become citizens of heaven.” Andby these words He showeth His love, when He commendeth them to the Father, and committeththem to Him who begat Him. When He saith, “Keep them,” He doth not speak merely of deliveringthem from dangers, but also with regard to their continuance in the faith. Wherefore He addeth,Ver. 17 . “Sanctify them through Thy truth.” “Make them holy by the gift of the Spirit, and ofright doctrines.” As when He saith, “Ye are clean through the word which I spake unto you” ( c.xv. 3 ), so now He saith the same thing, “Instruct them, teach them the truth.” “And yet He saiththat the Spirit doth this. How then doth He now ask it from the Father?” That thou mayest againlearn their equality of Honor. For right doctrines asserted concerning God sanctify the soul. Andif He saith that they are sanctified by the word, marvel not. And to show that He speaketh ofdoctrines, He addeth,“Thy word is truth.”That is, “there is no falsehood in it, and all that is said in it must needs come to pass”; and again,it signifieth nothing typical or bodily. As also Paul saith concerning the Church, that He hathsanctified it by the Word. For the Word of God is wont also to cleanse. ( Eph. v. 26 .) Moreover,the, “sanctify them,” seems to me to signify something else, such as this, “Set them apart for theWord and for preaching.” And this is made plain from what follows. For, He saith,Ver. 17 . “As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.”As Paul also saith, “Having put in us the word of reconciliation.” ( 2 Cor. v. 19 .) For the sameend for which Christ came, for the same did these take possession of the world. In this place againthe “as” is not put to signify resemblance in the case of Himself and the Apostles; for how was itpossible for men to be sent otherwise? But it was His custom to speak of the future as having cometo pass. 2350Ver. 19 . “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified in the truth.”2349σαφηνίζει2350i.e. the words refer to the mission of the Ap. on the day of Pentecost.453