John Chrysostom, On John

to learn something clear. He then, as a man, was still inquiring; but Jesus as God answered. For indeed He said, "From above I know you;" and the uprightness of his character, not as a man who had followed him, but as God He knew from above; and, "Now I saw you under the fig tree," when no one was there, but only Philip was and Nathanael, and they said all these things in private. For this reason it is said, that seeing him from afar, He said, "Behold an Israelite indeed;" so that he might learn that before Philip drew near Christ uttered these words, so that the testimony might not become suspect. Therefore He mentioned the time, and the place, and the tree. For if He had only said, "Before Philip came to you, I saw you," he would have been suspected, as if He Himself had sent him, and saying nothing great; but now by mentioning the place, where he was staying when called by Philip, and the name of the tree, and the time of the conversation, He showed the prophecy to be indisputable. And He not only revealed the prophecy, but also taught him in another way. For He brought him to the remembrance of what was then said, such as, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" for which He especially accepted him the more; and that when he uttered these things, He did not condemn, but praised and admired. Therefore from this he understood, that He is truly the Christ, both from the prophecy, and from His having examined his mind with accuracy; which was a sign that He also knew the things in his thought; and especially that He did not find fault with what he seemed to say against Him, but even praised it. That Philip called him, then, He said; but what he said to him, and what this one to that one, He passed over, leaving it to his conscience, and not wishing to convict him further. 59.127 3. What then? Did He see him only before Philip called, and did He not also see him before this with His sleepless eye? He saw him, and no one would deny it; but for the time being it was urgent to say this. What then of him? Since he received indisputable proof of His foreknowledge, he came to the confession, showing his precision by his former delay, and his gratitude by his subsequent assent. For he answered, it says, and says to him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel." Have you seen a soul that suddenly became overjoyed, and embracing Jesus with its words? "You are," he says, "the awaited one, the one sought after." Have you seen him astonished, marveling, leaping, jumping for joy? So we too ought to rejoice, having been counted worthy to learn of the Son of God; and to rejoice, not only in thought, but also to show this in our very actions. And what is it for those who rejoice? To obey the one who has been made known. And for those who obey, it is to do whatever He might wish. For if we were to do things that provoke Him, from where shall we show that we rejoice? Do you not see also in houses when someone receives one of those who are longed for, how with joy he does everything, running about everywhere, and if it were necessary to give up all his possessions, sparing nothing, so as to please the one who has come? But if one, when called, does not obey, and does not do the things that give him rest, even if he should say ten thousand times that he rejoices at his presence, he would never be believed by the guest, and rightly so. For by our works we must demonstrate this. Therefore, since Christ has come to us, let us show that we rejoice, and let us do nothing of the things that provoke Him; let us adorn the house into which He has come; for this is what those who rejoice do; let us set before Him the meal He wishes to eat; 59.128 for this is what those who exult do. And what is this meal? He Himself says: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me." Let us feed Him when He is hungry; let us give Him drink when He is thirsty; even if you give a cup of cold water, He accepts it; for He loves you; and things from those who are loved, even if they happen to be small, seem great to the one who longs for them. Only do not you hesitate; even if you put down two obols, He does not turn away, but accepts it as great wealth. For since He is in need of nothing, and does not receive these things on account of need, reasonably not in the measure of the things given, but in the disposition of the one

τι σαφὲς μαθεῖν. Αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐξήταζεν ἔτι· ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ὡς Θεὸς ἀπεκρίνατο. Καὶ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἄνωθέν σε οἶδα· καὶ τῶν τρόπων αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος αὐτῷ παρηκολουθηκὼς, ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν ὡς Θεὸς ἔγνω· καὶ, Νῦν εἶδόν σε ἐν τῇ συκῇ, ὅτε οὐδεὶς αὐτόθι παρῆν, ἀλλὰ μόνος Φίλιππος ἦν καὶ Ναθαναὴλ, καὶ κατ' ἰδίαν ἅπαντα ταῦτα εἶπον. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο εἴρηται, ὅτι Ἰδὼν αὐτὸν πόῤῥωθεν, εἶπεν· Ἴδε ἀληθῶς Ἰσραηλίτης· ἵνα μάθῃ ὅτι πρὶν ἢ πλησιάσαι τὸν Φίλιππον ταῦτα ἐφθέγγετο ὁ Χριστὸς, ὥστε μὴ ὕποπτον γενέσθαι τὴν μαρτυρίαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸν καιρὸν εἶπε, καὶ τὸν τόπον, καὶ τὸ δένδρον. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἶπε μόνον, Πρὸ τοῦ Φίλιππον ἐλθεῖν πρὸς σὲ, εἶδόν σε, κἂν ὑπωπτεύθη, ὡς αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεσταλκὼς, καὶ οὐδὲν μέγα λέγων· νῦν δὲ τῷ τὸν τόπον εἰπεῖν, καθ' ὃν διέτριβε φωνούμενος παρὰ τοῦ Φιλίππου, καὶ τοῦ δένδρου τὴν προσηγορίαν, καὶ τῆς διαλέξεως τὸν καιρὸν, ἀναμφισβήτητον τὴν πρόῤῥησιν ἔδειξεν οὖσαν. Οὐ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν δὲ μόνον ἐδήλωσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρως αὐτὸν ἐπαίδευσεν. Εἰς ὑπόμνησιν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἤγαγε τῶν τότε λεχθέντων, οἷον, ὅτι Ἐκ Ναζαρὲτ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι; ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ μάλιστα μειζόνως αὐτὸν ἀπεδέξατο· καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα αὐτοῦ φθεγξαμένου, οὐ κατέγνω, ἀλλ' ἐπῄνεσε καὶ ἐθαύμασε. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐκ τούτου συνεῖδεν, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς ὄντως ἐστὶν, ἀπό τε τῆς προῤῥήσεως, ἀπό τε τοῦ τὴν γνώμην ἐξετάσαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας αὐτοῦ· ὅπερ δεικνύντος ἦν, ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἠπίστατο· ἄλλως τε καὶ τὸ καθ' ἑαυτοῦ δόξαντα λέγειν, μὴ μέμψασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαινέσαι. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἐφώνησεν αὐτὸν ὁ Φίλιππος, εἶπε· τί δὲ αὐτῷ διελέχθη, καὶ τί οὗτος ἐκείνῳ, παρῆκεν, ἀφεὶς αὐτοῦ τῷ συνειδότι, καὶ οὐ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἐπὶ πλέον ἐλέγχειν. 59.127 γʹ. Τί οὖν; πρὶν ἢ τὸν Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι εἶδεν αὐτὸν μόνον, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἑώρα τῷ ἀκοιμήτῳ ὄμματι; Ἑώρα, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν ἀντείποι· ἀλλὰ τέως τοῦτο τὸ κατεπεῖγον ἦν εἰπεῖν. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνος; Ἐπειδὴ τεκμήριον ἀναμφισβήτητον ἔλαβε τῆς προγνώσεως, ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν ὁμολογίαν, καὶ τῇ ἀναβολῇ τῇ προτέρᾳ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν δηλῶν, καὶ τῇ μετὰ ταῦτα συγκαταθέσει τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην. Ἀπεκρίθη γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ Ῥαββὶ, σὺ εἶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· Εἶδες ψυχὴν περιχαρῆ γενομένην ἀθρόον, καὶ τοῖς ῥήμασι περιπτυσσομένην τὸν Ἰησοῦν; Σὺ εἶ, φησὶν, ὁ προσδοκώμενος, ἐκεῖνος ὁ ζητούμενος. Εἶδες ἐκπληττόμενον, θαυμάζοντα, σκιρτῶντα, πηδῶντα ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς; Οὕτω καὶ ἡμᾶς χαίρειν δεῖ, καταξιωθέντας μαθεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Υἱόν· χαίρειν δὲ, οὐ κατὰ διάνοιαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν τοῦτο δεικνύναι. Τί δὲ τῶν χαιρόντων ἐστί; Πείθεσθαι τῷ γνωρισθέντι. Πειθομένων δέ ἐστι, τὸ ποιεῖν ἅπερ ἂν ἐκεῖνος βούληται. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μέλλοιμεν τὰ παροξύνοντα αὐτὸν πράττειν, πόθεν δηλώσομεν ὅτι χαίρομεν; Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε καὶ ἐν οἰκίαις ὅταν τις τινὰ ὑποδέχηται τῶν ποθουμένων, πῶς μετὰ χαρᾶς πάντα πράττει πανταχοῦ περιτρέχων, καὶ εἰ δέοι πάντα τὰ ὄντα προέσθαι, μηδενὸς φειδόμενος, ὥστε ἀρέσαι τῷ παραγενομένῳ; Εἰ δὲ καλῶν τις μὴ ὑπακούοι, καὶ τὰ ἀναπαύοντα αὐτὸν μὴ πράττοι, κἂν μυριάκις λέγῃ τῇ παρουσίᾳ χαίρειν, οὐκ ἂν πιστευθείη ποτὲ παρὰ τοῦ ξενιζομένου, δικαίως. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν ἔργων τοῦτο ἐπιδεικνύναι χρή. Οὐκοῦν ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἦλθε, δείξωμεν ὅτι χαίρομεν, καὶ μηδὲν τῶν παροξυνόντων αὐτὸν πράττωμεν· καλλωπίσωμεν τὴν οἰκίαν εἰς ἣν παρεγένετο· τοῦτο γὰρ χαιρόντων· παραθῶμεν ἄριστον ὃ βούλεται φαγεῖν· 59.128 τοῦτο γὰρ ἀγαλλομένων. Ποῖον δέ ἐστι τοῦτο τὸ ἄριστον; Αὐτός φησιν· Ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα ποιήσω τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με. Θρέψωμεν αὐτὸν πεινῶντα· ποτίσωμεν διψῶντα· κἂν ψυχροῦ δῷς ποτήριον, δέχεται· φιλεῖ γάρ σε· τὰ δὲ παρὰ τῶν φιλουμένων, κἂν μικρὰ τυγχάνῃ, μεγάλα τῷ ποθοῦντι φαίνεται. Μόνον σὺ μὴ κατοκνήσῃς· κἂν ὀβολοὺς δύο καταβάλῃς, οὐκ ἀποστρέφεται, ἀλλ' ὡς πολὺν δέχεται πλοῦτον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀνενδεής ἐστι, καὶ οὐ χρείας ἕνεκεν ταῦτα λαμβάνει, εἰκότως οὐκ ἐν τῷ μέτρῳ τῶν διδομένων, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει τοῦ