John Chrysostom, On the Request of Zebedee's Sons' Mother

a disturbance, and the perplexity to become greater, and to be in agony; but do not be afraid; for I will not depart until I bring the solution. But bear with me for a little while as I trace the argument further back; for it is not possible otherwise to entrust everything with clarity to your understanding. What then is that which was said? The mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, approached Jesus as He was departing for Jerusalem with her children, saying, Say that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left. But another evangelist says that the sons asked these things of Christ. But there is no disagreement, nor should we overlook these small matters; but putting their mother forward, since she spoke and opened the door, they themselves also presented the supplication, not knowing what they were saying, but saying it nonetheless. For even if they were apostles, they were still in a rather imperfect state, like nestlings wandering in a nest, their wings not yet grown firm.

And it is most necessary for you to know this, that before the cross they were in great ignorance; wherefore also, rebuking them, he said, Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet perceive nor understand, that I did not speak to you concerning bread, to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees? And again, I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. And not only were they ignorant of the higher things, but they also often cast away what they heard out of fear and cowardice; for which, reproaching them, he said, None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. And again, speaking of the Paraclete, He will bring all things to your remembrance, and will teach you. Now He would not have said, He will bring to remembrance, unless they had cast out many of the things that had been said. These things have not been said by me idly, but because Peter appears, now confessing a perfect confession, and now having forgotten everything.

For he who said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, and was blessed for these words, shortly after sinned so grievously as to be called Satan; for He says, Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. What could be more imperfect than one who is not mindful of His things, but of the things of men? For when He spoke to him about the cross and resurrection, not knowing the depth of what was said, nor the mystery of the doctrines, nor understanding the salvation about to come to the world, 48.774 he took Him aside and said, Be it far from you, Lord; this shall not happen to you. Do you see how they knew nothing clearly even about the resurrection? And the Evangelist, pointing this very thing out, said, For as yet they did not know that He must rise from the dead. And they, not understanding these things, were much more ignorant of the others; such as the things concerning the kingdom above, and of our first-fruits, and of the ascension into heaven, and they were still earthly, not yet able to fly high.

5. Having therefore such a notion, and expecting that immediately would come

to Him the kingdom in Jerusalem—for of this they knew nothing more; which another Evangelist also points out, saying that they thought His kingdom was already at hand, suspecting it to be a human one, and expecting that He was proceeding to this, and not to a cross and death; for even though they heard it countless times, they were not able to know it clearly; since, then, they did not yet possess a clear precision of the doctrines, and they thought He was proceeding to this perceptible kingdom, and to reign in Jerusalem, taking Him aside on the way, as having an opportune moment

θόρυβον, καὶ πλείονα γενέσθαι τὴν ἀπορίαν, καὶ ἐναγωνίους εἶναι· ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσητε· οὐ γὰρ ἀποστήσομαι, ἕως ἂν ἐπαγάγω τὴν λύσιν. Μικρὸν δὲ ἀνάσχεσθε ἀνωτέρω τὸν λόγον ἀνάγοντος· οὐ γὰρ ἑτέρως μετὰ σαφηνείας ἅπαντα ὑμῶν παρακαταθέσθαι τῇ γνώμῃ δυνατόν. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; Ἡ μήτηρ τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου, Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωάννου, ἀναχωροῦντι πρὸς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα τῷ Ἰησοῦ προσῆλθε μετὰ τῶν παίδων λέγουσα, Εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ δύο υἱοί μου καθίσωσιν εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου, καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων σου. Ἕτερος δὲ εὐαγγελιστής φησιν, ὅτι οἱ παῖδες ταῦτα ᾐτοῦντο παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι διαφωνία οὐδὲ γὰρ ταῦτα δεῖ τὰ μικρὰ παρατρέχειν· ἀλλὰ τὴν μητέρα προβαλλόμενοι, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν ἐκείνη καὶ θύραν ἤνοιξε, καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν προσήγαγον, οὐκ εἰδότες μὲν ἅπερ ἔλεγον, λέγοντες δὲ ὅμως. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀπόστολοι ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ἀτελέστερον ἔτι διέκειντο, καθάπερ νεοττοὶ ὡς ἐν καλιᾷ πλανώμενοι, οὐδέπω τοῦ πτεροῦ παγέντος αὐτοῖς.

Καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστα ὑμᾶς ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐν πολλῇ ἦσαν ἀγνοίᾳ· διὸ καὶ ἐπιτιμῶν αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν· Ἀκμὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε; οὔπω νοεῖτε οὐδὲ συνίετε, ὅτι οὐ περὶ τῶν ἄρτων εἶπον ὑμῖν προσέχειν ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων; Καὶ πάλιν, Πολλὰ ἔχω λέγειν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἠγνόουν τὰ ὑψηλότερα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἃ ἤκουον ἀπέβαλλον ἀπὸ φόβου καὶ δειλίας πολλάκις· ὅπερ ὀνειδίζων αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν· Οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐρωτᾷ με, Ποῦ ὑπάγεις; ἀλλ' ὅτι ταῦτα εἶπον ὑμῖν, ἡ λύπη πεπλήρωκεν ὑμῶν τὴν καρδίαν. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει πάντα, καὶ διδάξει ὑμᾶς, περὶ τοῦ Παρακλήτου λέγων. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ εἶπεν, ἀναμνήσει, εἰ μὴ πολλὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐξέβαλον. Ταῦτα δέ μοι οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ φαίνεται Πέτρος, νῦν μὲν ἀπηρτισμένην ὁμολογίαν ὁμολογῶν, νῦν δὲ πάντων ἐπιλελησμένος.

Ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ μακαρισθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις, τοιοῦτον ἥμαρτε μετὰ μικρὸν, ὡς Σατανᾶς προσαγορευθῆναι· λέγει γὰρ, Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ· σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀτελέστερον τοῦ τὰ αὐτοῦ μὴ φρονοῦντος, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ σταυροῦ αὐτῷ διελέγετο καὶ ἀναστάσεως, οὐκ εἰδὼς τῶν λεγομένων τὸ βάθος, οὐδὲ τῶν δογμάτων τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον, οὐδὲ τὴν μέλλουσαν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ σωτηρίαν καταλαμβάνειν, 48.774 λαβὼν αὐτὸν κατ' ἰδίαν ἔλεγεν· Ἵλεώς σοι γίνου, Κύριε· οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο. Ὁρᾷς πῶς οὐδὲ περὶ ἀναστάσεως οὐδὲν ᾔδεισαν σαφές; Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐπισημαινόμενος ἔλεγεν· Οὐδέπω γὰρ ᾔδεισαν, ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῆναι. Οἱ δὲ, ταῦτα οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ἄλλα ἠγνόουν· οἷον τὰ περὶ βασιλείας τῆς ἄνω, καὶ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως τῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ χθαμαλοί τινες ἦσαν ἔτι, οὐδέπω δυνάμενοι ὑψηλὰ πέτεσθαι.

εʹ. Ἅτε οὖν τοιαύτην ἔχοντες ἔννοιαν, καὶ προσδοκῶντες ὅτι εὐθέως ἀπαντήσει

αὐτῷ ἡ βασιλεία ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ταύτης γὰρ οὐδὲν πλέον ᾔδεισαν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἕτερος ἐπισημαίνεται Εὐαγγελιστὴς λέγων, ὅτι ἐνόμιζον ἤδη παραγίνεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν, ἀνθρωπίνην τινὰ αὐτὴν ὑποπτεύοντες, καὶ προσδοκῶντες ἐπὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸν χωρεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ σταυρὸν καὶ θάνατον· καὶ γὰρ μυριάκις ἀκούοντες, σαφῶς εἰδέναι οὐκ εἶχον· ἐπεὶ οὖν τετρανωμένην μὲν τῶν δογμάτων οὐδέπω ἀκρίβειαν ἐκέκτηντο, ἐνόμιζον δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ βασιλείαν χωρεῖν τὴν αἰσθητὴν ταύτην, καὶ βασιλεύειν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, ἀπολαβόντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ, ὡς καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἔχειν