John Chrysostom, On John

would. But in fact he did nothing when he was a child; but Luke testified this one thing only, that when he was twelve years old he sat listening to the teachers, and through his questioning seemed to be wonderful; and otherwise it was with good reason and logically that he did not begin the signs immediately from his earliest years. For they would have thought the matter to be an illusion. For if many suspected this when he had come of age, much more so if he, being a mere youth, had worked miracles, and they would have rushed him to the cross sooner and before the proper time, being consumed by envy; and the very facts of the economy would have been disbelieved. Whence then did it occur to his mother to imagine something great about him? he says. He was beginning then to be revealed, and was manifest from John, and from the things said by him to his disciples; and before all these things, the conception itself, and all the things that happened after the birth, placed in her the greatest suspicion about the child. For she heard, he says, all the things concerning the child, and kept them in her heart. For what reason then, he says, did she not say these things before this? Because, as I said, he was then beginning to be made manifest. For before this he lived as one of the many; whence his mother did not dare to say any such thing to him. But when she heard that John came for his sake, and that he bore witness to him as he did, and that he had disciples, then at last taking courage she entreats him, and when the wine failed, she says: They have no wine. For she wished both to bestow a favor on them, and to make herself more illustrious through her child. And perhaps she was also suffering something human, just like his brothers, who said, Show yourself to the world, wishing to reap the glory from his miracles. For this reason he also answered more forcefully, saying: What have I to do with you, woman? My hour has not yet come. Since he greatly respected her who bore him, hear Luke relating how he was subject to his parents, and this evangelist himself showing how he took thought for her even at the very time of the cross. For where parents do not hinder or obstruct any of the things pertaining to God, it is necessary and a duty to yield, and not to do this is a great danger; but when they seek something unseasonably and obstruct something of a spiritual nature, it is not safe to obey. Therefore he answered thus here, and again elsewhere: Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? For they did not yet have the opinion about him that they ought; but since 59.131 she had borne him, she thought it right, according to the usual custom of mothers, to command him in all things, when it was necessary to revere and worship him as Lord. For this reason, then, he answered thus at that time. For consider what it was like for her, with all the people and the crowd standing around him, and the multitude hanging on his hearing, and the teaching having been set forth, to come into the midst, to draw him away from his exhortation, to speak with him privately, not even enduring to come inside, but drawing him outside to herself alone. For this reason he said, Who is my mother and my brothers? not insulting her who had given birth to him; far from it; but benefiting her greatly, and not allowing her to think lowly things about him. For if he cared for the others, and did all things so as to instill in them the proper opinion of him, much more so in the case of his mother. For since it was likely that even after hearing from her child she would not wish to be persuaded, but would claim for herself the first place everywhere, as being his mother; for this reason he answered thus to those who told him. For he would not otherwise have led her up from this lowliness to that height, if she expected to be always honored as by a child, and not that he would come as Lord. And here, then, for this reason he said: What have I to do with you, O woman? And for another necessary reason no less. What was this? So that the miracles which were happening would not be suspected. For it was necessary to be entreated by those in need, not by his mother. Why so? Because things that happen from the entreaty of one's own family, even if they are great, are offensive to the

ἄν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐποίησε παῖς ὤν· ἀλλ' ἓν τοῦτο μόνον ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ Λουκᾶς, ὅτι ἐκαθέζετο δωδεκαετὴς ὢν τῶν διδασκάλων ἀκροώμενος, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως ἐδόκει θαυμαστὸς εἶναι· καὶ ἄλλως δὲ εἰκότως καὶ κατὰ λόγον οὐκ ἤρξατο τῶν σημείων ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας εὐθέως. Ἐνόμισαν γὰρ ἂν φαντασίαν εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ γενομένου πολλοὶ τοῦτο ὑπώπτευσαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ἐὰν μειράκιον ὢν κομιδῇ ἐθαυματούργει, καὶ θᾶττον δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ προσήκοντος καιροῦ ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ὥρμησαν ἂν, τῇ βασκανίᾳ τηκόμενοι· καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας δ' ἂν ἠπιστήθη πράγματα. Πόθεν οὖν ἐπῆλθε τῇ μητρὶ μέγα τι φαντασθῆναι περὶ αὐτοῦ; φησίν. Ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι λοιπὸν ἤρχετο, καὶ ἐξ Ἰωάννου κατάδηλος ἦν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς εἰρημένων αὐτῷ· καὶ πρὸ τούτων δὲ ἁπάντων, αὐτὴ ἡ σύλληψις, καὶ τὰ μετὰ τὴν γέννησιν γενόμενα πάντα, μεγίστην αὐτῇ περὶ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐνέθηκε τὴν ὑπόνοιαν. Ἤκουσε γὰρ, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ περὶ τοῦ παιδός, Καὶ συνετήρει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, φησὶν, οὐ πρὸ τούτου ταῦτα ἔλεγεν; Ὅτι, ὅπερ ἔφην, τότε λοιπὸν ἀρχὴν τοῦ φανεροῦσθαι ἐλάμβανε. Πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τούτου ὡς τῶν πολλῶν εἷς ὢν, οὕτω διῆγεν· ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἐθάῤῥει τοιοῦτόν τι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ μήτηρ εἰπεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἤκουσεν, ὅτι Ἰωάννης δι' αὐτὸν ἦλθε, καὶ ὅτι αὐτῷ ἐμαρτύρησεν ἅπερ ἐμαρτύρησε, καὶ ὅτι μαθητὰς ἔσχε, τότε λοιπὸν θαῤῥοῦσα παρακαλεῖ, καὶ ὑστερήσαντος οἴνου, λέγει· Οἶνον οὐκ ἔχουσιν. Ἐβούλετο γὰρ καὶ ἐκείνοις καταθέσθαι χάριν, καὶ ἑαυτὴν λαμπροτέραν ποιῆσαι διὰ τοῦ παιδός. Καὶ τάχα τι καὶ ἀνθρώπινον ἔπασχε, καθάπερ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, λέγοντες, ∆εῖξον σεαυτὸν τῷ κόσμῳ, βουλόμενοι τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν θαυμάτων δόξαν καρπώσασθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς σφοδρότερον ἀπεκρίνατο, λέγων· Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, γύναι; Οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι σφόδρα ᾐδεῖτο τὴν τεκοῦσαν, ἄκουσον τοῦ Λουκᾶ διηγουμένου πῶς ὑποτεταγμένος τοῖς γονεῦσιν ἦν, καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τούτου τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ δεικνύντος, πῶς αὐτῆς προενόησε καὶ παρ' αὐτὸν τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸν καιρόν. Ἔνθα μὲν γὰρ ἂν μηδὲν ἐμποδίζωσι, μηδὲ παρεγκόπτωσί τι τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν πραγμάτων οἱ γονεῖς, ἀναγκαῖον εἴκειν καὶ ὀφειλόμενον, καὶ τὸ μὴ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, κίνδυνος μέγας· ὅταν δὲ ἀκαίρως τι ζητῶσι καὶ ἐγκόπτωσί τι τῶν πνευματικῶν, οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς πείθεσθαι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὕτως ἀπεκρίνατο, καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πάλιν· Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου, καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ ἀδελφοί μου; Οὐδέπω γὰρ ἣν ἐχρῆν περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν εἶχον· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ 59.131 ὤδινεν αὐτὸν, ἠξίου κατὰ τὴν λοιπὴν τῶν μητέρων συνήθειαν, οὕτως ἅπαντα ἐπιτάττειν αὐτῷ, δέον ὡς ∆εσπότην σέβειν καὶ προσκυνεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν τότε οὕτως ἀπεκρίνατο. Ἐννόησον γὰρ οἷον ἦν παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τοῦ δήμου περιεστῶτος αὐτὸν, καὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἐκκρεμαμένου, καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας προτεθείσης, ἐκείνην παρελθοῦσαν μέσην, ἀπαγαγεῖν μὲν αὐτὸν τῆς παραινέσεως, ἰδίᾳ δὲ διαλέγεσθαι, μηδὲ ἔνδον ἀνέχεσθαι ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλ' ἕλκειν αὐτὸν ἔξω μόνον πρὸς ἑαυτήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγε, Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου; οὐχ ὑβρίζων τὴν γεγεννηκυῖαν· ἄπαγε· ἀλλ' ὠφελῶν τὰ μέγιστα, καὶ οὐκ ἀφιεὶς ταπεινὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ φρονεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἐκήδετο, καὶ πάντα ἔπραττεν ὥστε ἐνθεῖναι αὐτοῖς τὴν προσήκουσαν περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ μητρός. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ ἀκούσασαν παρὰ τοῦ παιδὸς μὴ βούλεσθαι μηδὲ οὕτω πεισθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἀξιοῦν ἑαυτὴν πανταχοῦ τῶν πρωτείων, ἅτε μητέρα οὖσαν· διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως ἀπεκρίνατο πρὸς τοὺς εἰπόντας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἑτέρως αὐτὴν ἀνήγαγεν ἀπὸ τῆς ταπεινώσεως ταύτης πρὸς τὸ ὕψος ἐκεῖνο, εἰ προσεδόκα ὡς παρὰ παιδὸς ἀεὶ τιμηθήσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὡς ∆εσπότην ἥξειν αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς προφάσεως ἔλεγε· Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, ὦ γύναι; Καὶ δι' ἑτέραν δὲ ἀναγκαίαν αἰτίαν οὐχ ἧττον. Ποίαν δὲ ταύτην; Ὥστε μὴ ὑποπτευθῆναι τὰ γινόμενα θαύματα. Παρὰ γὰρ τῶν δεομένων παρακληθῆναι ἐχρῆν, οὐ παρὰ τῆς μητρός. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῆς τῶν οἰκείων παρακλήσεως γινόμενα, κἂν μεγάλα ᾖ, προσίσταται τοῖς