Tractate XXV.
John Chapter VI. 15–44
1. Following upon yesterday’s lesson from the Gospel is that of to-day, upon which this day’s discourse is due to you. When that miracle was wrought, in which Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves, and the multitudes marveled and said that He was a great prophet that came into the world, then follows this: “When Jesus therefore knew that they came to seize Him, and to make Him king, He escaped again unto the mountain alone.” It is therefore given to be understood that the Lord, when He sat on the mountain with His disciples, and saw the multitudes coming to Him, had descended from the mountain, and fed the multitudes on its lower parts. For how can it be that He should escape thither again, if He had not before descended from the mountain? There is something meant by the Lord’s descending from on high to feed the multitudes. He fed them, and ascended.
2. But why did He ascend after He knew that they wished to seize Him and make
Him a king? How then; was He not a king, that He was afraid to be made a king?
He was certainly not such a king as would be made by men, but such as would
bestow a kingdom on men. May it not be that Jesus, whose deeds are words, does
here, too, signify some
161thing to us? Therefore in this, that they wished to seize Him and make Him a
king, and that for this He escapes to the mountain alone, is this action in His
case silent; does it speak nothing, does it mean nothing? Or was this seizing of
Him perhaps an intention to anticipate the time of His kingdom? For He had come
now, not to reign immediately, as He is to reign in the sense in which we pray,
Thy kingdom come. He ever reigns, indeed, with the Father, in that He is the Son
of God, the Word of God, the Word by which all things were made. But the
prophets foretold His kingdom according to that wherein He is Christ made man,
and has made His faithful ones Christians. There will consequently be a kingdom
of Christians, which at present is being gathered together, being prepared and
purchased by the blood of Christ. His kingdom will at length be made manifest,
when the glory of His saints shall be revealed, after the judgment is executed
by Him, which judgment He Himself has said above is that which the Son of man
shall execute. Of which kingdom also the apostle has said: “When He shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father.”487487 1 Cor. xv. 24. In
reference to which also Himself says: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive
the kingdom which is prepared for you from the beginning of the world.”488488
Matt. xxv. 34. But the disciples and the multitudes that believed on Him thought
that He had thus come immediately to reign; hence, they wished to seize Him and
to make Him a king; they wished to anticipate the time which He hid with
Himself, to make it known in due time, and in due time to declare it in the end
of the world.
3. That ye may know that they wished to make Him a king,—that is, to anticipate, and at once to have manifest the kingdom of Christ, whom it behoved first to be judged and then to judge,—when He was crucified, and they who hoped in Him had lost hope of His resurrection, having risen from the dead, He found two of them despairingly conversing together, and, with groaning, talking with one another of what had been done; and appearing to them as a stranger, while their eyes were held that He should not be recognized by them, He mixed with them as they held discourse: but they, narrating to Him the matter of their conversation, said that He was a prophet, mighty in deeds and in words, that had been slain by the chief priests; “And we,” say they, “did hope that it was He that should have redeemed Israel.”489489 Luke xxiv. 13–21. Rightly you hoped: a true thing you hoped for: in Him is the redemption of Israel. But why are ye in haste? Ye wish to seize it. The following, too, shows us that this was their feeling, that, when the disciples inquired of Him concerning the end, they said to Him, “Wilt Thou at this time be made manifest, and when will be the kingdom of Israel?” For they longed for it now, they wished it now; that is, they wished to seize Him, and to make Him king. But saith He to the disciples (for He had yet to ascend alone), “It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father hath put in His own power: but ye shall receive virtue from on high, the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the ends of the earth.”490490 Acts i. 6–8. You wish that I should manifest the kingdom now; let me first gather what I may manifest; you love elevation, and you shall obtain elevation, but follow me through humility. Thus it was also foretold of Him, “And the gathering of the peoples will surround Thee, and for this cause return Thou on high;”491491 Ps. vii. 8. that is, that the gatherings of the peoples may surround Thee, that Thou mayest gather many together, return Thou on high. Thus He did; He fed men, and ascended.
4. But why is it said, He escaped? For He could not be held against His will,
nor seized against His will, since He could not be recognized against His will.
But that you may know that this was done mystically, not of necessity, but of
express purpose, you will presently see in the following: that He appeared to
the same multitudes that sought Him, said many things in speaking with them, and
discoursed much about the bread of heaven; when discoursing about bread, was He
not with the same people from whom He had escaped lest He should be held of
them? Then, could He not have so acted at that time that He should not be seized
by them, just as afterwards when He was speaking with them? Something,
therefore, was meant by His escaping. What means, He escaped? His loftiness
could not be understood. For of anything which thou hast not understood thou
sayest, “It has escaped me.” Wherefore, “He escaped again unto the mountain
alone,—the first-begotten from the dead, ascending above all heavens, and
interceding for us.”492492 Col. i. 18; Rom. viii. 34.
5. Meanwhile, He, the one great High Priest being above (He who has entered into
that within the veil, the people standing without; for Him that priest under the
old law, who did this once a year, did signify): He then be
162ing above, what were the disciples enduring in the ship? For that ship
prefigured the Church while He is on high. For if we do not, in the first place,
understand this thing which that ship suffered respecting the Church, those
incidents were not significant, but simply transient; but if we see the real
meaning of those signs expressed in the Church, it is manifest that the actions
of Christ are a kind of speeches. “But when it was late, saith he, His disciples
went down to the sea; and when they had entered into a ship, they came over the
sea to Capernaum.” He declared that as finished quickly, which was done
afterwards,—“They came over the sea to Capernaum.” He returns to explain how
they came; that they passed over by sailing across the lake. And whilst they
were sailing to that place to which He has already said they had come, He
explains by recapitulation what befell them. “It was now dark, and Jesus had not
come to them.” Rightly he said “dark,” for the light had not come to them. “It
was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.” As the end of the world
approaches, errors increase, terrors multiply, iniquity increases, infidelity
increases; the light, in short, which, by the Evangelist John himself, is fully
and clearly shown to be charity, so much so that he says, “Whoso hateth his
brother is in darkness;”493493 1 John ii. 11. that light, I say, is very often
extinguished; this darkness of enmity between brethren increases, daily
increases, and Jesus is not yet come. How does it appear to increase? “Because
iniquity will abound, and the love of many will begin to wax cold.” Darkness
increases, and Jesus is not yet come. Darkness increasing, love waxing cold,
iniquity abounding,—these are the waves that agitate the ship; the storms and
the winds are the clamors of revilers. Thence love waxes cold; thence the waves
do swell, and the ship is tossed.
6. “And a great wind blowing, the sea rose.” Darkness was increasing, discernment was diminishing, iniquity was growing. “When, therefore, they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs.” Meanwhile they struggled onward, kept advancing; nor did those winds and storms, and waves and darkness effect either that the ship should not make way, or that it should break in pieces and founder; but amid all these evils it went on. For, notwithstanding iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxes cold, and the waves do swell, the darkness grows and the wind rages, yet the ship is moving forward; “for he that perseveres to the end, the same shall be saved.”494494 Matt. xxiv. 12. Nor is that number of furlongs to be lightly regarded. For it cannot really be that nothing is meant, when it is said that, “when they had rowed twenty-five or thirty furlongs, Jesus came to them.” It were enough to say, “twenty-five,” so likewise “thirty;” especially as it was an estimate, not an assertion of the narrator. Could the truth be aught endangered by a mere estimate, if he had said nearly thirty furlongs, or nearly twenty-five furlongs? But from twenty-five he made thirty. Let us examine the number twenty-five. Of what does it consist? of what is it made up? Of the quinary, or number five. That number five pertains to the law. The same are the five books of Moses, the same are those five porches containing the sick folk, the same are the five loaves feeding the five thousand men. Accordingly the number twenty-five signifies the law, because five by five—that is, five times five—make twenty-five, or the number five squared. But this law lacked perfection before the gospel came. Moreover, perfection is comprised in the number six. Therefore in six days God finished, or perfected, the world, and the same five are multiplied by six, that the law may be completed by the gospel, that six times five become thirty. To them that fulfill the law, therefore, Jesus comes. And how does He come? Walking upon the waves, keeping all the swellings of the world under His feet, pressing down all its heights. Thus it goes on, so long as time endures, so long as the ages roll. Tribulations increase, calamities increase, sorrows increase, all these swell and mount up: Jesus passeth on treading upon the waves.
7. And yet so great are the tribulations, that even they who have trusted in
Jesus, and who strive to persevere unto the end, greatly fear lest they fail;
while Christ is treading the waves, and trampling down the world’s ambitions and
heights, the Christian is sorely afraid. Were not these things foretold him?
Justly “they were afraid,” too, at seeing Jesus walking on the waves; like as
Christians, though having hope in the world to come, are frequently disquieted
at the crash of human affairs, when they see the loftiness of this world
trampled down. They open the Gospel, they open the Scriptures, and they find all
these things there foretold; that this is the Lord’s doing. He tramples down the
heights of the world, that He may be glorified by the humble. Concerning whose
loftiness it is foretold: “Thou shalt destroy strongest cities,” and “the spears
of the enemy have
163come to an end, and Thou hast destroyed cities.” 495495 Ps. ix. 7. Why then
are ye afraid, O Christians? Christ speaks: “It is I; be not afraid.” Why are ye
alarmed at these things? Why are ye afraid? I have foretold these things, I do
them, they must necessarily be done. “It is I; be not afraid. Therefore they
would receive Him into the ship.” Recognizing Him and rejoicing, they are freed
from their fears. “And immediately the ship was at the land to which they went.”
There is an end made at the land; from the watery to the solid, from the
agitated to the firm, from the way to the goal.
8. “On the next day the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea,” whence the disciples had come, “saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto His disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples were gone away alone; but there came other boats from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, giving thanks to the Lord: when, therefore, the multitudes saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.” Yet they got some knowledge of so great a miracle. For they saw that the disciples had gone into the ship alone, and that there was not another ship there. But there came boats also from near to that place where they did eat bread; in these the multitudes followed Him. He had not then embarked with His disciples, and there was not another ship there. How, then, was Jesus on a sudden beyond the sea, unless that He walked upon the sea to show a miracle?
9. “And when the multitudes had found Him.” Behold, He presents Himself to the people from whom He had escaped into the mountain, afraid that He should be taken of them by force. In every way He proves to us and gives us to know that all these things are said in a mystery, and done in a great sacrament (or mystery) to signify something important. Behold, that is He who had escaped the crowds unto the mountain; is He not speaking with the same crowds? Let them hold Him now; let them now make Him a king. “And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, Rabbi, when camest Thou hither?”
10. After the sacrament of the miracle, He introduces discourse, that, if possible, they who have been fed may be further fed, that He may with discourse fill their minds, whose bellies He filled with the loaves, provided they take in. And if they do not, let that be taken up which they do not receive, that the fragments may not be lost. Wherefore let Him speak, and let us hear. “Jesus answered and said Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because ye saw the signs, but because ye have eaten of my loaves.” Ye seek me for the sake of the flesh not for the sake of the spirit. How many seek Jesus for no other object but that He may bestow on them a temporal benefit! One has a business on hand, he seeks the intercession of the clergy; another is oppressed by one more powerful than himself, he flies to the church. Another desires intervention in his behalf with one with whom he has little influence. One in this way, one in that, the church is daily filled with such people. Jesus is scarcely sought after for Jesus’ sake. “Ye seek me, not because ye have seen the signs, but because ye have eaten of my loaves. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto eternal life.” Ye seek me for something else, seek me for my own sake. For He insinuates the truth, that Himself is that meat: this shines out clearly in the sequel. “Which the Son of man will give you.” Thou didst expect, I believe, again to eat bread, again to sit down, again to be gorged. But He had said, “Not the meat which perisheth, but that which endureth unto eternal life,” in the same manner as it was said to that Samaritan woman: “If thou knewest who it is that asketh of thee drink, thou wouldest perhaps have asked of Him, and He would give thee living water.” When she said, “Whence hast thou, since thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep?” He answered the Samaritan woman: “If thou knewest who it is that asketh of thee drink, thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would give thee water, whereof whoso drinketh shall thirst no more; for whoso drinketh of this water shall thirst again.” And she was glad and would receive, as if no more to suffer thirst of body, being wearied with the labor of drawing water. And so, during a conversation of this kind, He comes to spiritual drink. Entirely in this manner also here.
11. Therefore “this meat, not that which perisheth, but that which endureth unto
everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you; for Him hath God the
Father sealed.” Do not take this Son of man as you take other sons of men, of
whom it is said, “And the sons of men will trust in the protection of Thy
wings.”496496 Ps. xxxvi. 7. This Son of man
164is separated by a certain grace of the spirit; Son of man according to the
flesh, taken out from the number of men: He is the Son of man. This Son of man
is also the Son of God; this man is even God. In another place, when questioning
His disciples, He saith: “Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? And they
answered, Some John, some Elias, some Jeremias, or one of the prophets. And He
said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answered, Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.”497497 Matt. xvi. 13–16. He declared Himself Son of
man, Peter declared Him the Son of the living God. Most fitly did He mention
that which in mercy He had manifested Himself to be; most fitly did the other
mention that which He continues to be in glory. The Word of God commends to our
attention His own humility: the man acknowledged the glory of his Lord. And
indeed, brethren, I think that this is just. He humbled Himself for us, let us
glorify Him. For not for Himself is He Son of man, but for us. Therefore was He
Son of man in that way, when “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” For
to that end “God the Father sealed Him.” What is to seal, but to put some
particular mark? To seal is to impress some mark which cannot be confounded with
the rest. To seal is to put a mark on a thing. When thou puttest a mark on
anything, thou doest so lest it might be confused with other things, and thou
shouldst not be able to recognize it. “The Father,” then, “hath sealed Him.”
What is that, “hath sealed”? Bestowed on Him something peculiar, which puts Him
out of comparison with all other men. For that reason it is said of Him, “God,
even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy
fellows.”498498 Ps. xlv. 8. What is it then to seal, but to have Him excepted?
This is the import of “above Thy fellows.” And so, do not, saith He, despise me
because I am the Son of man, but seek from me, “not the meat that perisheth, but
that which endureth to eternal life.” For I am the Son of man in such manner as
not to be one of you: I am Son of man in such manner that God the Father sealed
me. What does that mean, He “sealed me”? Gave me something peculiarly my own,
that I should not be confounded with mankind, but that mankind should be
delivered by me.
12. “They said therefore unto Him, What shall we do, that we may work the works
of God?” For He had said to them, “Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but
for that which endureth unto eternal life.” “What shall we do?” they ask; by
observing what, shall we be able to fulfill this precept? “Jesus answered and
said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He has
sent.” This is then to eat the meat, not that which perisheth, but that which
endureth unto eternal life. To what purpose dost thou make ready teeth and
stomach? Believe, and thou hast eaten already. Faith is indeed distinguished
from works, even as the apostle says, “that a man is justified by faith without
the works of the law:”499499 Rom. iii. 28. there are works which appear good,
without faith in Christ; but they are not good, because they are not referred to
that end in which works are good; “for Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth.”500500 Rom. x. 4. For that reason, He
willeth not to distinguish faith from work, but declared faith itself to be
work. For it is that same faith that worketh by love.501501 Gal. v. 6. Nor did
He say, This is your work; but, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him
whom He has sent;” so that he who glories, may glory in the Lord. And because He
invited them to faith, they, on the other hand, were still asking for signs by
which they might believe. See if the Jews do not ask for signs. “They said
therefore unto Him, What sign doest thou, that we may see and believe thee? what
dost thou work?” Was it a trifle that they were fed with five loaves? They knew
this indeed, but they preferred manna from heaven to this food. But the Lord
Jesus declared Himself to be such an one, that He was superior to Moses. For
Moses dared not say of himself that ge gave, “not the meat which perisheth, but
that which endureth to eternal life.” Jesus promised something greater than
Moses gave. By Moses indeed was promised a kingdom, and a land flowing with milk
and honey, temporal peace, abundance of children, health of body, and all other
things, temporal goods indeed, yet in figure spiritual; because in the Old
Testament they were promised to the old man. They considered therefore the
things promised by Moses, and they considered the things promised by Christ. The
former promised a full belly on the earth, but of the meat which perisheth; the
latter promised, “not the meat which perisheth, but that which endureth unto
eternal life.” They gave attention to Him that promised the more, but just as if
they did not yet see Him do greater things. They considered therefore what sort
of works Moses had done, and they wished
165yet some greater works to be done by Him who promised them such great things.
What, say they, doest thou, that we may believe thee? And that thou mayest know
that they compared those former miracles with this and so judged these miracles
which Jesus did as being less; “Our fathers,” say they, “did eat manna in the
wilderness.” But what is manna? Perhaps ye despise it. “As it is written, He
gave them manna to eat.” By Moses our fathers received bread from heaven, and
Moses did not say to them, “Labor for the meat which perisheth not.” Thou
promisest “meat which perisheth not, but which endureth to eternal life;” and
yet thou workest not such works as Moses did. He gave, not barley loaves, but
manna from heaven.
13. “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, not Moses gave you bread from heaven, but my Father gave you bread from heaven. For the true bread is He that cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to the world.” The true bread then is He that giveth life to the world; and the same is the meat of which I have spoken a little before,—“Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto eternal life.” Therefore, both that manna signified this meat, and all those signs were signs of me. Ye have longed for signs of me; do ye despise Him that was signified? Not Moses then gave bread from heaven: God gives bread. But what bread? Manna, perhaps? No, but the bread which manna signified, namely, the Lord Jesus Himself. My Father giveth you the true bread. “For the bread of God is He that cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to the world. Then said they unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.” Like that Samaritan woman, to whom it was said, “Whoso drinketh of this water shall never thirst.” She, immediately understanding it in reference to the body, and wishing to be rid of want, said, “Give me, O Lord, of this water;” in the same manner also these said, “O Lord, give us this bread;” which may refresh us, and yet not fail.
14. “And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to me
shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” “He that
cometh to me;” this is the same thing as “He that believeth on me;” and “shall
never hunger” is to be understood to mean the same thing as “shall never
thirst.” For by both is signified that eternal sufficiency in which there is no
want. You desire bread from heaven; you have it before you, and yet you do not
eat. “But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and ye believed not.” But
I have not on that account lost my people. “For hath your unbelief made the
faith of God of none effect?”502502 Rom. iii. 3. For, see thou what follows:
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I
will not cast out of doors.” What kind of within is that, whence there is no
going out of doors? Noble interior, sweet retreat! O secret dwelling without
weariness, without the bitterness of evil thoughts, without the solicitings of
temptations and the interruptions of griefs! Is it not that secret dwelling
whither shall enter that well-deserving servant, to whom the Lord will say,
“Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord?”503503 Matt. xxv. 23.
15. “And him that will come to me, I will not cast out. For I came down from
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” Is it for
that reason that Thou wilt not cast out him that shall come unto Thee, because
Thou hast descended from heaven, not to do Thine own will, but the will of Him
that sent Thee? Great mystery! I beseech you, let us knock together; something
may come forth to us which may feed us, according to that which has delighted
us. That great and sweet secret dwelling-place: “He that will come to me.” Give
heed, give heed, and weigh the matter: “He that will come unto me, I will not
cast out.” Why? “Because I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the
will of Him that sent me.” Is it then the very reason why Thou castest not out
him that cometh unto Thee, that Thou camest down from heaven, not to do Thy own
will, but the will of Him that sent Thee? The very reason. Why do we ask whether
it be the same? The same it is; Himself says it. For it would not be right in us
to suspect Him to mean other than He says, “Whoso will come to me, I will not
cast out.” And, as if thou askedst, wherefore? He answered, “Because I came not
to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” I am afraid that the
reason why the soul went forth away from God is, that it was proud; nay, I do
not doubt it. For it is written, “Pride is the beginning of all sin; and the
beginning of man’s pride is a falling away from God.” It is written, it is firm
and sure, it is true. And hence what is said of proud mortal man, clad in the
tattered rags of the flesh, weighed down with the weight of a corruptible body,
and withal extolling himself, and forgetting with what skin-coat he is
clothed,—what, I ask, saith the Scripture to him?
166“Why is dust and ashes proud?” Why proud! Let the Scripture tell why.
“Because in his life he put forth his inmost parts.” 504504 Ecclus. x. 14, 15.
What is “put forth,” but “threw afar off”? This is to go forth away. For to
enter within, is to long after the inmost parts; to put forth the inmost parts,
is to go forth away. The proud man puts forth the inmost parts, the humble man
earnestly desires the inmost parts. If we are cast out by pride, let us return
by humility.
16. Pride is the source of all diseases, because pride is the source of all sins. When a physician removes a disorder from the body, if he merely cures the malady produced by some particular cause, but not the cause itself, he seems to heal the patient for a time, but while the cause remains, the disease will repeat itself. For example, to speak of this more expressly, some humor in the body produces a scurf or sores; there follows a high fever, and not a little pain; certain remedies are applied to repress the scurf, and to allay that heat of the sore; the remedies are applied, and they do good; thou seest the man who was full of sores and scurf healed; but because that humor was not expelled, it returns again to ulcers. The physician, perceiving this, purges away the humor, removes the cause, and there will be no more sores. Whence doth iniquity abound? From pride. Cure pride and there will be no more iniquity. Consequently, that the cause of all diseases might be cured, namely, pride, the Son of God came down and was made low. Why art thou proud, O man? God, for thee, became low. Thou wouldst perhaps be ashamed to imitate a lowly man; at any rate, imitate the lowly God. The Son of God came in the character of a man and was made low. Thou art taught to become humble, not of a man to become a brute. He, being God, became man; do thou, O man, recognize that thou art man. Thy whole humility is to know thyself. Therefore because God teaches humility, He said, “I came not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” For this is the commendation of humility. Whereas pride doeth its own will, humility doeth the will of God. Therefore, “Whoso cometh to me, I will not cast him out.” Why? “Because I came not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” I came humble, I came to teach humility, I came a master of humility: he that cometh to me is made one body with me; he that cometh to me becomes humble; he who adhereth to me will be humble, because he doeth not his own will, but the will of God; and therefore he shall not be cast out, for when he was proud he was cast out.
17. See those inner things commended to us in the psalm: “But the sons of men
will put their trust in the covering of Thy wings.” See what it is to enter
within; see what it is to flee for refuge to His protection; see what it is to
run even under the Father’s lash, for He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
“But the sons of men shall put their trust under the cover of Thy wings.” What
is within? “They shall be filled with the plenteousness of Thy house,” when Thou
shalt have sent them within, entering into the joy of their Lord; “they shall be
filled with the plenteousness of Thy house; and Thou shalt give them to drink of
the stream of Thy pleasure. For with Thee is the fountain of life.” Not away
without Thee, but within with Thee, is the fountain of life. “And in Thy light
we shall see light. Show Thy mercy upon them that know Thee, and Thy
righteousness to them that are of upright heart.” They who follow the will of
their Lord, not seeking their own, but the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, they
are the upright in heart, their feet shall not be moved. For “God is good to
Israel, to the upright in heart. But, as for me, says he, my feet were almost
moved.” Why? “Because I was jealous at sinners, looking at the peace of
sinners.”505505 Ps. lxxiii. 1, 2. To whom is God good then, unless to the
upright in heart? For God was displeasing to me when my heart was crooked. Why
displeasing? Because He gave happiness to the wicked, and therefore my feet
tottered, as if I had served God in vain. For this reason, then, my feet were
almost moved, because I was not upright of heart. What then is upright in heart?
Following the will of God. One man is prosperous, another man toils; the one
lives wickedly and yet is prosperous, the other lives rightly and is distressed.
Let not him that lives rightly and is in distress be angry; he has within what
the prosperous man has not: let him therefore not be saddened, nor vex himself,
nor faint. That prosperous man has gold in his own chest; this other has God in
his conscience. Compare now gold and God, chest and conscience. The former has
that which perishes, and has it where it will perish; the latter has God, who
cannot perish, and has Him there whence He cannot be taken away: only if he is
upright in heart; for then He enters within and goeth not out. For that reason,
what said he? “For with Thee is the fountain of life:”
167not with us. We must therefore enter within, that we may live; we must not
be, as it were, content to perish, nor willing to be satisfied of our own, to be
dried up, but we must put our mouth to the very fountain, where the water fails
not. Because Adam wished to live by his own counsel, he, too, fell through him
who had fallen before through pride, who invited him to drink of the cup of his
own pride. Wherefore, because “with Thee is the fountain of life, and in Thy
light we shall see light,” let us drink within, let us see within. Why was there
a going out thence? Hear why: “Let not the foot of pride come to me.” Therefore
he, to whom the foot of pride came, went out. Show that therefore he went out.
“And let not the hands of sinners move me;” because of the foot of pride. Why
sayest thou this? “They are fallen, all they that work iniquity.” Where are they
fallen? In their very pride. “They were driven out, and they could not
stand.”506506 Ps. xxxvi. 8–13. If, then, pride drove them out who were not able
to stand, humility sends them in who can stand for ever. For this reason,
moreover, he who said, “The bones that were brought low shall rejoice,”507507
Ps. li. 10. said before, “Thou shalt give joy and gladness to my hearing.” What
does he mean by, “to my hearing”? By hearing Thee I am happy; because of Thy
voice I am happy; by drinking within I am happy. Therefore do I not fall;
therefore “the bones that were brought low will rejoice;” therefore “the friend
of the Bridegroom standeth and heareth Him;” therefore he stands, because he
hears. He drinks of the fountain within, therefore he stands. They who willed
not to drink of the fountain within, “there are they fallen: they were driven,
they were not able to stand.”
18. Thus, the teacher of humility came not to do His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him. Let us come to Him, enter in unto Him, be ingrafted into Him, that we may not be doing our own will, but the will of God: and He will not cast us out, because we are His members, because He willed to be our head by teaching us humility. Finally, hear Himself discoursing: “Come unto me, ye who labor and are heavy laden: take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart:” and when ye have learned this, “ye shall find rest for your souls,”508508 Matt. xi. 28, 29. from which ye cannot be cast out; “because I am come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me;” I teach humility; none but the humble can come unto me. Only pride casteth out; how can he go out who keeps humility and falls not away from the truth? So much as could be said about the hidden sense has now been said, brethren: this sense is hidden enough, and I know not whether I have drawn out and shaped in suitable words for you, why it is that He casteth not out him that cometh unto Him; because He came not to do His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him.
19. “And this,” saith He, “is the will of the Father that sent, that of all that He hath given me I should lose nothing.” He that keeps humility was given to Him; the same He receives: he that keeps not humility is far from the Master of humility. “That of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing.” “So it is not the will of your Father that one of these little ones should perish.” Of the proud, there may perish; but of the little ones, none perisheth; because, “if ye will not become as this little one, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” “Of all that the Father hath given me, I should lose nothing, but I will raise it up again on the last day.” See how here He delineates that twofold resurrection. “He that cometh unto me” immediately rises again, being made humble in my members; but I will raise him up again on the last day also according to the flesh. “For this is the will of my Father that sent me, that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.” He said above, “Whoso heareth my word, and believeth Him that sent me:” but now, “Whoso seeth the Son, and believeth on Him.” He has not said, seeth the Son, and believeth on the Father; for to believe on the Son is the same thing as to believe on the Father. Because, “even as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given also to the Son to have life in Himself. That every one who seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have eternal life:” by believing and by passing unto life, just as by that first resurrection. And, because that is not the only resurrection, He saith, “And I will raise him up at the last day.”
See Also:
The Bread of Life
by Rev. Russell B. SmithThe Bread of Life - Part 2
by Rev. Russell B. SmithThe Bread of Life Came Down From Heaven
by Tobin Pederson, MNUnderstanding the Bible in its own time and in ours
by David EwartFirst Thoughts on John 6:24-35
by William Loader, Murdoch University, AustraliaThen and Now
by Larry BrodingDevotional Thoughts for the 1st Sunday after Pentecost
by Jose Kurian PuliyerilDevotional Thoughts for the 1st Sunday after Pentecost
by Jose Kurian PuliyerilLord, evermore give us this bread
by Rev. Fr. John BrianSermons and Bible Commentaries for the 1st Sunday after Pentecost
Sermons Home | General Sermons and Essays | Articles | eBooks | Our Faith | Prayers | Library - Home | Baselios Church Home
-------
Malankara World
A service of St. Basil's Syriac Orthodox
Church, Ohio
Copyright © 2009-2020 - ICBS Group. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer
Website designed, built, and hosted by
International Cyber Business Services, Inc., Hudson, Ohio