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

NPNF (V1-14)St. ChrysostomTherefore when a great rush of worldly matters comes, it overwhelms all; and if there hath beenany profit, destroys it. For if a man have a wound, and after putting on a plaster, do not tie it tight,but allow it to fall off, and expose his sore to wet, and dust, and heat, and ten thousand other thingsable to irritate it, he will get no good; yet not by reason of the inefficacy of the remedies, but byreason of his own carelessness. And this also is wont to happen to us, when we attend but little tothe divine oracles, but give ourselves up wholly and incessantly to things of this life; for thus allthe seed is choked, and all is made unfruitful. That this may not be the case, let us look carefullya little, let us look up to heaven, let us bend down to the tombs and coffins of the departed. For thesame end awaiteth us, and the same necessity of departure will often come upon us before theevening. Prepare we then for this expedition; 2469 there is need of many supplies for the journey, 2470for great is the heat there, and great the drought, and great the solitude. Henceforth there is noreposing at an inn, there is no buying anything, when one hath not taken all from hence. Hear atleast what the virgins say, “Go ye to them that sell” ( Matt. xxv. 9 ); but they who went found not.Hear what Abraham saith, “A gulf between us and you.” ( Luke xvi. 26 .) Hear what Ezekiel saithconcerning that day, that Noah, and Job, and Daniel shall in nowise deliver their sons. ( Ezek. xiv.14 .) But may it never come to pass that we hear these words, but that having taken hence sufficientprovision for our way to eternal life, we may behold with boldness our Lord Jesus Christ, withwhom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and world withoutend. Amen.Homily LXXXV.John xix. 16–18“Then delivered he Him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led Himaway. And He, bearing His Cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, 2471 wherethey crucified Him.” 2472[1.] Successes have terrible power to cast down or draw aside those who take not heed. Thusthe Jews, who at first enjoyed the influence 2473 of God, sought the law of royalty from the Gentiles,and in the wilderness after the manna remembered the onions. In the same way here, refusing theKingdom of Christ, they invited to themselves that of Cæsar. Wherefore God set a king over them,according to their own decision. When then Pilate heard these things, he delivered Him to becrucified. Utterly without reason. For when he ought to have enquired whether Christ had aimed2469ἔ ξοδον2470ἐ φοδίων2471“ place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha. ” N.T.2472“ Him, and two others with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. ” N.T.2473ῥ οπῆς473