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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom500“And ye have forgotten the exhortation.” That is, And ye have slackened your hands, ye havebecome faint. “Ye have not yet,” he said, “resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Here he indicatesthat sin is both very vigorous, 3377 and is itself armed. For the [expression] “Ye have resisted [stoodfirm against],” is used with reference to those who stand firm. 3378[2.] “Which” (he says) “speaketh unto you as unto sons, My son, despise not thou the chasteningof the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him.” He has drawn his encouragement from thefacts themselves; over and above he adds also that which is drawn from arguments, from thistestimony.“Faint not” (he says) “when thou art rebuked of Him.” It follows that these things are of God.For this too is no small matter of consolation, when we learn that it is God’s work that such thingshave power, 3379 He allowing [them]; even as also Paul says; “He said unto me, My grace is sufficientfor thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” ( 2 Cor. xii. 9 .) He it is who allows [them].“For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” Thoucanst not say that any righteous man is without affliction: even if he appear to be so, yet we knownot his other afflictions. So that of necessity every righteous man must pass through affliction. Forit is a declaration of Christ, that the wide and broad way leads to destruction, but the strait andnarrow one to life. ( Matt. vii. 13, 14 .) If then it is possible to enter into life by that means, andis not by any other, then all have entered in by the narrow [way], as many as have departed untolife.Ver. 7 . “Ye endure chastisement” 3380 (he says); not for punishment, nor for vengeance, norfor suffering. See, from that from which they supposed they had been deserted [of God], from thesehe says they may be confident, that they have not been deserted. It is as if he had said, Because yehave suffered so many evils, do you suppose that God has left you and hates you? If ye did notsuffer, then it were right to suppose this. For if “He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth,” hewho is not scourged, perhaps is not a son. What then, you say, do not bad men suffer distress? Theysuffer indeed; how then? He did not say, Every one who is scourged is a son, but every son isscourged. For in all cases He scourges His son: what is wanted then is to show, whether any sonis not scourged. But thou wouldest not be able to say: there are many wicked men also who arescourged, such as murderers, robbers, sorcerers, plunderers of tombs. These however are payingthe penalty of their own wickedness, and are not scourged as sons, but punished as wicked: but yeas sons.[3.] Then again [he argues] from the general custom. Seest thou how he brings up argumentsfrom all quarters, from facts in the Scripture, from its words, from our own notions, from examplesin ordinary life? ( Ver. 8 .) “But if ye be without chastisement” [&c.]. Seest thou that he said whatI just mentioned, that it is not possible to be a son without being chastened? For as in families,fathers care not for bastards, though they learn nothing, though they be not distinguished, but fearfor their legitimate sons lest they should be indolent, [so here.]. If then not to be chastised is [a3377σφόδρα πνέουσαν3378[There is a paronomasia here Τὸ ἀντικατέστητε, πρὸς τοὺς ἑστῶτας εἴρηται , which cannot easily be reproduced inEnglish.—F.G.]3379τὸ τοιαῦτα δυνηθ ΣΨΜΒΟΛ 210 \φ ̈ΣΙΛ Γαλατια̈ \σ 12 ναι3380εἰς παιδείαν εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε is the reading of the best mss. &c. of St. Chrys. as it is the approved reading of theEpistle. The later [printed] texts have the later reading εἰ π. ὑπ724