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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom310not’?” Not because He doth not rule here, but because He hath his empire from above, and becauseit is not human, but far greater than this and more splendid. “If then it be greater, how was He madecaptive by the other?” By consenting, and giving Himself up. But He doth not at present reveal 2430this, but what saith He? “If I had been of this world, ‘My servants would fight, that I should not bedelivered.’” Here He showeth the weakness of kingship among us, that its strength lies in servants;but that which is above is sufficient for itself, needing nothing. From this the heretics taking occasionsay, that He is different from the Creator. What then, when it saith, “He came to His own”? ( c. i.11 .) What, when Himself saith, “They are not of this world, as I am not of this world”? ( c. xvii.14 .) So also He saith that His kingdom is not from hence, not depriving the world of His providenceand superintendence, but showing, as I said, that His power was not human or perishable. Whatthen said Pilate?Ver. 37 . “Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a King. To this end wasI born.”If then He was born a king, all His other attributes are by Generation, and He hath nothingwhich He received in addition. So that when thou hearest that, “As the Father hath life in Himself,so hath He given to the Son also to have life” ( c. v. 26 ), deem of nothing else but His generation,and so of the rest.“And for this cause came I, 2431 that I should bear witness unto the truth.”That is, “that I should speak this very thing, and teach it, and persuade all men.”[5.] But do thou, O man, when thou hearest these things, and seest thy Lord bound and ledabout, deem present things to be nought. For how can it be otherwise than strange, if Christ boresuch things for thy sake, and thou often canst not endure even words? He is spit upon, and dostthou deck thyself with garments and rings, and, if thou gain not good report from all, think lifeunbearable? He is insulted, beareth mockings, and scornful blows upon the cheek; and dost thouwish everywhere to be honored, and bearest thou not the reproaching of Christ? Hearest thou notPaul saying, “Be ye imitators 2432 of me, even as I also am of Christ”? ( 1 Cor. xi. 1 .) Whentherefore any one makes a jest of thee, remember thy Lord, that in mockery they bowed the kneebefore Him, and worried 2433 Him both by words and deeds, and treated Him with much irony; butHe not only did not defend Himself, but even repaid them with the contraries, with mildness andgentleness. Him now let us emulate; so shall we be enabled even to be delivered from all insult.For it is not the insulter that gives effect to acts of insult, and makes them biting, but he who is littleof soul, and is pained by them. If thou art not pained, thou hast not been insulted; for the sufferingfrom injuries depends not on those who inflict, but on those who undergo them. Why dost thougrieve at all? If a man hath insulted thee unjustly, in this case surely thou oughtest not to grieve atall, but to pity him; if justly, much more oughtest thou to keep quiet. For should any one addressthee, a poor man, as though thou wert rich, the praise contained in his words is nothing to thee, buthis encomium is rather mockery; and so if one insulting thee utter things that are untrue, the reproachis nothing to thee either. But if conscience takes hold of what hath been said, be not grieved at thewords, but make correction in deeds. This I say with regard to what really are insults. For if one2430al. “ hide. ”2431“ came I into the world, ” N.T.2432μιμηταὶ2433διέσυρον466