Jesus performed other signs in the presence of his disciples. Now, many things omitted by John have been written by the other evangelists, but many have been left out by them as well; for it is not for one book to contain all the things done by the Savior. And John also teaches us for what reason he deemed the memoirs of Christ’s presence worthy of writing, that it was for the greatest benefit of the hearers; for it was neither to astonish with the miracles nor for the delight of the narrative, but that we might believe in the power through his works and, believing, might receive the only true benefit, which is into eternal life.

155 Jo 21, 15-17 For he had said this very thing even before the denial, indicating that he would be tempted by the devil, who was moving him from the confession of Christ, but by help from him he would remain in the faith. And it is necessary for the one who has obtained this help to show the same care and solicitude for the brethren. "Simon," he says, "Simon, behold, Satan has asked for you, to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brethren." The Lord therefore repeats those words and says that, if you love the teacher and savior who has kept you in love until now, imitate my solicitude toward you by strengthening the brethren and feeding them as a shepherd feeds his flocks, calling the sheep his own even if they were shepherded through Peter, because he himself is the true shepherd and teacher. And he added a third question about the same things, at once making the command unforgettable for him? and at the same time reminding him of the third denial that occurred and introducing the threefold confession of love in place of the threefold denial and demanding readiness for service, that he might confess in deeds Christ, whom he had denied in words

caring for the salvation of men. 156 Jo 21, 18-19 He says that he will make the yet greater proof of love through martyrdom and prepares him to be ready for this, that by introducing courage in place of fear and the testimony concerning the Lord even unto death, he might blot out the denial that previously happened through fear of death. And by "gird," he means "be bound." But the following will be especially through the cross, because he suffers the same as the Savior and is removed with him and has a free departure from the prisons in hades because his soul is being led up to Christ. Wherefore also Paul says, "it is better to depart," for the sake of "being with Christ." 157 Jo 21, 23 The Lord's saying, then, was about those who would not die at the end. And he made this clear by saying: "he who believes in me, though he die, shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." For this reason, they did not consider it hopeless for a man to live and not die. But this was reserved for those left until the coming of Christ, for those who will be in the last generation, just as Paul taught. And John points out that he himself did not have a promise not to die, but the brethren, having misheard the saying, supposed this out of ignorance.

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ἄλλα σημεῖα ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐνώπιον τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ. πολλὰ μὲν οὖν παραλελειμμένα ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου γέγραπται πρὸς τῶν λοιπῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν, πολλὰ δὲ κἀκείνοις λέλειπται· οὐ γὰρ ἑνὸς βιβλίου πάντα περιλαβεῖν τὰ πρὸς τοῦ σωτῆρος πεποιημένα. διδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν γραφῆς ἠξίωσεν τὰ τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἀπομνημονεύματα, ὅτι πρὸς ὠφέλειαν μεγίστην τῶν ἀκουόντων· οὔτε γὰρ πρὸς ἔκπληξιν τῶν θαυμάτων οὔτε πρὸς τέρψιν τῆς διηγήσεως, ἀλλὰ ἵνα πιστεύωμεν τῇ δυνάμει διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ καὶ πιστεύοντες τὴν μόνην ἀληθινὴν ὠφέλειαν κομιζώμεθα τὴν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

155 Jο 21, 15-17 Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτὸ καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀρνήσεως προειρήκει δηλῶν μέν, ὅτι διαβόλου πειραθήσεται μεθιστάντος αὐτὸν τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ὁμολογίας, βοηθείᾳ δὲ τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ μένει ἐπὶ τῆς πίστεως. καὶ δεῖ τὸν ταύτης ἐπικουρίας τυχόντα τὴν ὁμοίαν περὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς φειδὼ καὶ κηδεμονίαν ἐνδείκνυσθαι. "Σίμων" γάρ, φησίν, "Σίμων, ἰδοὺ ὁ σατανᾶς ἐξῃτήσατο ὑμᾶς τοῦ σινιάσαι ὡς τὸν σῖτον. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐδεήθην περὶ σοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἡ πίστις σου. καὶ σύ ποτε ἐπιστρέψας στήρισον τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου" . ἐπαναλαμβάνει δὴ τοὺς λόγους ἐκείνους ὁ κύριος καί φησιν, ὅτι, εἰ φιλεῖς τὸν διδάσκαλον καὶ σωτῆρα τὸν ἄχρι σε καὶ νῦν ἐν ἀγάπῃ τηρήσαντα, μίμησαι τὴν ἐμὴν πρός σε κηδεμονίαν ἐπιστη-ρίζων τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ νέμων ὡσπερεὶ ποιμὴν ποίμνια, ἴδια λέγων τὰ πρόβατα καὶ εἰ διὰ τοῦ Πέτρου ἐποιμαίνετο, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμὴν καὶ διδάσκαλος. προσέθηκεν δὲ τρίτην περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐρώτησιν ἅμα μὲν ἀείμνηστον αὐτῷ ποιῶν τὸ παράγγελμα; ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῆς τρίτης γενομένης ἀρνήσεως ἀναμιμνῄσκων καὶ τὴν τριπλῆν ὁμολογίαν τῆς ἀγάπης ἀντὶ τῆς τριπλῆς ἀρνήσεως ἀντεισάγων καὶ τὴν προθυμίαν τῆς ὑπηρεσίας ἀπαιτῶν, ἵν' ἐν ἔργοις ὁμολογήσειε Χριστόν, ὃν λόγοις ἠρνήσατο

σωτηρίας ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμελούμενος. 156 Jο 21, 18-19 Τὴν ἔτι μείζω τῆς ἀγάπης ἀπόδειξιν τὴν διὰ τοῦ μαρτυρίου φησὶν αὐτὸν ποιήσεσθαι καὶ παρασκευάζει πρὸς τοῦτο ἔχειν ἑτοίμως, ἵνα ἀντὶ δέους θάρσος ἀντεισαγαγὼν καὶ τὴν μέχρι θανάτου μαρτυρίαν περὶ τοῦ κυρίου τὴν πρότερον διὰ θανάτου φόβον ἄρνησιν γενομένην ἀπαλείψειεν. ζώννυσθαι δὲ τὸ δεσμεῖσθαί φησιν. ἡ δὲ ἀκολούθησις μάλιστα μὲν διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἔσται, ὅτι ταὐτὸν τῷ σωτῆρι πάσχει καὶ μετανίσταται αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν μετάστασιν ἐλευθέραν ἔχει ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν ἅδου δεσμωτηρίων διὰ τὸ πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀνάγεσθαι τὴν ψυχήν. διὸ καὶ τὸ "κρεῖσσον τὸ ἀναλῦσαι", φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, ἕνεκα τοῦ "σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι" . 157 Jο 21, 23 Ἦν ἄρα ὁ τοῦ κυρίου λόγος περὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει μὴ ἀποθανουμένων. καὶ τοῦτο ἐδήλου λέγων· "ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα" . διὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀνέλπιστον ἐποιοῦντο βιώσεσθαι ἄνθρωπον καὶ μὴ ἀποθανεῖσθαι. τὸ δὲ ἦν ἀποκείμενον τοῖς καταλειπομένοις ἕως Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, τοῖς ἐν ἐσχάτῃ γενεᾷ γενησομένοις, ὥσπερ ὁ Παῦλος ἐξεδίδαξεν. καὶ ἐπισημαίνεται ὁ Ἰωάννης, ὅτι οὐκ εἶχεν ἐπαγγελίαν αὐτὸς τοῦ μὴ ἀποθανεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀγνοίας ὑπέλαβον τοῦτο τοῦ λόγου παρακούσαντες οἱ ἀδελφοί.

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