John Chrysostom, On John

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of service, nor for this reason did He lead them about making a show of them. For how could He who said these things to these men? Why then did He not praise them? why did He not marvel at them? At once preserving the fitting dignity of the Teacher, and at the same time showing that by this manner they ought rather to be drawn to Him. For if He had praised them, thinking they were doing Him a favor, they might have suffered some human weakness; but by showing that He did not need their following, He held them the more. And see how prudently He has said it. For He did not say, Depart; for that would have been to thrust them away; but He asks, saying, Do you also wish to go away? Which was the act of one removing all force and necessity, and not wishing them to be attached by any sense of shame, but with a sense of gratitude. And by neither accusing those men openly, but gently rebuking them, He showed how one ought to be wise in such matters. But we experience the contrary; and reasonably so, since clinging to our own glory, we do all things. Therefore we think our own affairs are diminished by the departure of our followers. Thus He neither flattered, nor drove them away, but asked a question. It was not, then, the act of one who disdained them, but of one who did not wish them to be held by force and necessity. For to remain thus is the same as to depart. What then says Peter? To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have known that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Do you see that it was not the words that caused offense, but the inattention and sloth and ingratitude of the hearers? For even if He had not said it, they would have been offended, and would not have ceased, ever paying attention to bodily food, and being nailed to the earth. Besides, these men also heard with those; but nevertheless they declared the contrary to them, saying, To whom shall we go? The saying is indicative of much affection. For it shows that the Teacher is more precious to them than everything, than fathers, and mothers, and all that they have, and that having departed from Him there is no other place to take refuge. Then, lest it should seem that he said, To whom shall we go? for this reason, as if there were none to receive them, he immediately added, You have the words of eternal life. For the one group heard carnally and with human reasonings, but these spiritually, 59.267 and entrusting everything to faith. Therefore Christ also said, The words that I have spoken to you are spirit; that is, do not suppose that the teaching of my words is subject to the sequence of events and to the necessity of things that happen. Spiritual things are not such; they do not endure to be enslaved to the laws on earth. This Paul also makes clear, saying, Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down); or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). You have the words of eternal life. These men had already accepted the resurrection and the entire end there. But see the one who loves his brethren, the affectionate one, how he speaks on behalf of the whole company; for he did not say, I have known, but We have known. Rather, consider how he comes to the very words of the Teacher, not uttering the same things as the Jews. For they said, This is the son of Joseph; but this man, that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God; and, that You have the words of eternal life; perhaps having often heard Him say, He who believes in Me has eternal life. For he showed that he retains all the things that had been said, by reminding them of the words themselves. What then says Christ? He did not praise Peter, nor did He marvel at him, although He did this elsewhere; but what does He say? Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? For since he said, And we have believed, He removes Judas from the company. For in that other place he himself said nothing about the disciples, but when Christ said, But who do you say that I am? he says, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. But here, since he said, And we have believed, He rightly does not leave Judas in their company. And this He did, checking the wickedness of the traitor from afar and from the beginning, knowing that it would be of no avail, but doing His own part. d. And behold the

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τῆς θεραπείας, οὐδὲ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς περιῆγεν ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Πῶς γὰρ ὁ καὶ τούτοις ταῦτα λέγων; ∆ιατί οὖν αὐτοὺς μὴ ἐπῄνεσε; διατί μὴ ἐθαύμασεν; Ὁμοῦ μὲν τὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου πρέπον ἀξίωμα τηρῶν, ὁμοῦ δὲ δεικνὺς, ὅτι διὰ τούτου μᾶλλον ἐφέλκεσθαι ἔδει τοῦ τρόπου. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐπῄνεσε, νομίζοντες αὐτῷ χάριν διδόναι, κἂν ἔπαθόν τι ἀνθρώπινον· τῷ δὲ δεικνύναι μὴ δεόμενον αὐτὸν τῆς ἀκολουθήσεως αὐτῶν, κατεῖχε μᾶλλον. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ συνετῶς εἴρηκεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἀπέλθετε· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀπωθουμένου ἦν· ἀλλ' ἐρωτᾷ λέγων, Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε ὑπάγειν; Ὅπερ πᾶσαν ἦν ἀφαιροῦντος βίαν καὶ ἀνάγκην, καὶ οὐ βουλομένου αἰδοῖ τινι προσηρτῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ χάριν εἰδέναι. Τῷ δὲ μήτε ἐκείνων κατηγορῆσαι φανερῶς, ἀλλ' ἠρέμα καθάψασθαι, ἔδειξεν ὅπως δεῖ φιλοσοφεῖν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τἀναντία πάσχομεν· εἰκότως, ἐπειδὴ τῆς οἰκείας ἐχόμενοι δόξης, ἅπαντα πράττομεν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐλαττοῦσθαι νομίζομεν τὰ ἡμέτερα διὰ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως τῶν θεραπευόντων. Οὕτως δὲ οὔτε ἐκολάκευσεν, οὔτε διεκρούσατο, ἀλλ' ἠρώτησεν. Οὐκ ἄρα καταφρονοῦντος ἦν, ἀλλὰ μὴ βουλομένου βίᾳ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ κατέχεσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ οὕτω μένειν ἴσον ἐστὶ τοῦ ἀπελθεῖν. Τί οὖν ὁ Πέτρος; Πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; Ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις. Καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ τὰ ῥήματα ἦν τὰ σκανδαλίζοντα, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀπροσεξία καὶ ἡ ῥᾳθυμία καὶ ἀγνωμοσύνη τῶν ἀκουόντων; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ εἰ μὴ εἶπεν, ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν ἂν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο, τροφῇ προσέχοντες ἀεὶ σωματικῇ, καὶ τῇ γῇ προσηλωμένοι. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ οὗτοι μετ' ἐκείνων ἤκουον· ἀλλ' ὅμως τἀναντία ἐκείνων ἀπεφήναντο, λέγοντες· Πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; Πολλῆς τὸ ῥῆμα φιλοστοργίας ἐμφαντικόν. ∆είκνυσι γὰρ ὅτι παντὸς αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ὁ ∆ιδάσκαλος τιμιώτερος, καὶ πατέρων, καὶ μητέρων, καὶ τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων, καὶ ἀποστάντας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔνι λοιπὸν ποῦ καταφυγεῖν. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ δοκῇ τὸ, Πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; διὰ τοῦτο εἰρηκέναι αὐτὸν, ὡς οὐκ ὄντων τῶν ὑποδεξαμένων αὐτοὺς, εὐθέως ἐπήγαγε· Ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ σαρκικῶς καὶ μετὰ λογισμῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἤκουον, οὗτοι δὲ πνευματικῶς, 59.267 καὶ τῇ πίστει τὸ πᾶν ἐπιτρέποντες. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγε· Πνεῦμά ἐστι τὰ ῥήματα, ἃ λελάληκα ὑμῖν· τουτέστι, μὴ ὑπολάβῃς τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολουθίᾳ, καὶ τῇ τῶν γινομένων ἀνάγκῃ τῶν ῥημάτων τῶν ἐμῶν τὴν διδασκαλίαν ὑποκεῖσθαι. Οὐ τοιαῦτα τὰ πνευματικά· οὐκ ἀνέχεται δουλεύειν νόμοις τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος δηλοῖ, λέγων· Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τουτέστι, Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τουτέστι, Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. Ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις. Ἤδη τὴν ἀνάστασιν οὗτοι παρεδέξαντο καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ λῆξιν ἅπασαν. Ὅρα δὲ τὸν φιλάδελφον, τὸν φιλόστοργον, πῶς ὑπὲρ παντὸς ἀπολογεῖται τοῦ χοροῦ· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν Ἔγνωκα, ἀλλ' Ἐγνώκαμεν· μᾶλλον δὲ σκόπει πῶς ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἔρχεται τῶν ῥημάτων τοῦ διδασκάλου, οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις φθεγγόμενος. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔλεγον· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωσήφ· οὗτος δὲ, ὅτι Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος· καὶ, ὅτι Ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις· τάχα πολλάκις ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ἔδειξε γὰρ ὅτι πάντα κατέχει τὰ εἰρημένα, αὐτῶν ἀναμνήσας τῶν ῥημάτων. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Οὐκ ἐπῄνεσε τὸν Πέτρον, οὐδὲ ἐθαύμασε, καίτοι ἀλλαχοῦ τοῦτο ποιήσας· ἀλλὰ τί φησιν; Οὐχὶ ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς τοὺς δώδεκα ἐξελεξάμην, καὶ εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διάβολός ἐστιν; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε, Καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν, ἐξαιρεῖ τοῦ χοροῦ τὸν Ἰούδαν. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτὸς εἶπε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰπόντος· Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε; φησί· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, Καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν, εἰκότως οὐκ ἀφίησι τὸν Ἰούδαν εἰς τὸν ἐκείνων χορόν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίει, πόῤῥωθεν καὶ ἄνωθεν τοῦ προδότου τὴν κακίαν ἀνακρουόμενος, εἰδὼς μὲν ὅτι οὐδὲν ὀνήσει, τὸ δὲ ἑαυτοῦ πράττων. δʹ. Καὶ θέα τὴν