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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom493witnesses to the greatness of God, as for instance, the Three Children, those with Elijah, all theprophets.“Laying aside all things.” “All”: what? That is, slumber, indifference, mean reasonings, allhuman things.“And the sin which doth [so] easily beset us”; εὐπερίστατον , that is either, “which easilycircumvents us,” or “what can easily be circumvented,” 3342 but rather this latter. For it is easy, ifwe will, to overcome sin.“Let us run with patience” (he says) “the race that is set before us.” He did not say, Let uscontend as boxers, nor, Let us wrestle, nor, Let us do battle: but, what was lightest of all, the [contest]of the foot-race, this has he brought forward. Nor yet did he say, Let us add to the length of thecourse; but, Let us continue patiently in this, let us not faint. “Let us run” (he says) “the race thatis set before us.”[4.] In the next place as the sum and substance of his exhortation, which he puts both first andlast, even Christ. ( Ver. 2 ) “Looking” (he says) “unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith”;The very thing which Christ Himself also continually said to His disciples, “If they have called theMaster of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of His household?” ( Matt. x. 25 .) Andagain, “The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord.” ( Matt. x. 24 .)“Looking” (he says), that is, that we may learn to run. For as in all arts and games, we impressthe art upon our mind by looking to our masters, receiving certain rules through our sight, so herealso, if we wish to run, and to learn to run well, let us look to Christ, even to Jesus “the author andfinisher of our faith.” What is this? He has put the Faith within us. For He said to His disciples,“Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you” ( John xv. 16 ); and Paul too says, “But thenshall I know, even as also I have been known.” 3343 ( 1 Cor. xiii. 12 .) He put the Beginning intous, He will also put on the End.“Who,” he says, “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame.”That is, it was in His power not to suffer at all, if He so willed. For “He did no sin, neither wasguile found in His mouth” ( 1 Pet. ii. 22 ); as He also says in the Gospels, “The Prince of the worldcometh and hath nothing in Me.” ( John xiv. 30 .) It lay then in His power, if so He willed, not tocome to the Cross. For, “I have power,” He says, “to lay down My life; and I have power to takeit again.” ( John x. 18 .) If then He who was under no necessity of being crucified, was crucifiedfor our sake, how much more is it right that we should endure all things nobly!“Who for the joy that was set before Him” (he says) “endured the cross, despising the shame.”But what is, “Despising the shame”? He chose, he means, that ignominious death. For suppose thatHe died. Why [should He] also [die] ignominiously? For no other reason, but to teach us to makeno account of glory from men. Therefore though under no obligation He chose it, teaching us tobe bold against it, and to set it at nought. Why did he say not “pain,” but “shame”? Because it wasnot with pain 3344 that He bore these things.What then is the end? “He is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Seest thou theprize which Paul also says in an epistle, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and givenHim a Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow.”3342περίστασιν παθεῖν3343ἐ πεγνώσθην3344λύπης714