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I am and lowly in heart. And these things he taught not by words only, but also by deeds. For they called him both a Samaritan and one who had a demon, and a deceiver, and they cast stones at him; and now the Pharisees sent officers to seize him, and now they sent others to plot against him; and they themselves often continued to insult him, and this while having nothing to charge him with, but even being continually benefited by him; and yet after so many things he does not cease doing them good both by words and by deeds. And when a certain servant struck him, he says; If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why do you strike me? But those things were towards his enemies and those who plotted against him; let us see what he does now also towards the disciples; or rather, what he now shows towards the plotter. For the one whom he ought to have hated most of all, because being a disciple, and having shared his table and salt, and seen miracles, and been deemed worthy of so many things, he did things more grievous than all, not throwing stones or insulting him, but betraying him and handing him over, see how kindly he receives this man, washing his feet. For in this way he wished to restrain him from that wickedness. And yet it was possible, if he had wished, both to wither him like the fig tree, and to cut him asunder as he broke the rocks, and to tear him apart like the veil; but he did not wish to lead him away from the plot by force, but by choice. For this reason he also washes the feet. And not even at this was that wretched and miserable one ashamed. But before the feast of the Passover, it says, when Jesus knew that his hour was come. Not knowing then; but that he did what he did, knowing long ago, it says. That he should depart. Magnanimously. the evangelist calls his death a departure Having loved his own, he loved them unto the end. Do you see how, being about to leave them, he shows a more intense love? For, "Having loved, he loved them unto the end," means this: He left nothing undone which it was fitting for one who loves intensely to do. Why then did he not do this from the beginning? He works the greater things later, so as to increase 59.382 their intimacy, and to lay up for them beforehand much comfort for the dreadful things that were about to come. And he calls them his own according to the principle of intimacy; since he also calls others his own, according to the principle of creation, as when he says: His own received him not. What then is, "Those in the world"? Since his own also were the departed, those around Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and those after them; but they were not in the world. Do you see that he is the God of the Old and New Covenants? What then is, "He loved them unto the end"? Instead of, he continued loving them perpetually, and he says this as a proof of his great love; and yet elsewhere he said another thing, that is, to lay down his life for his friends. But that had not yet happened. For what reason did he do this now? Because it was much more wonderful, when he appeared more glorious than all; and he left no small comfort being about to depart. For since they were about to be intensely grieved, through these things he introduces a corresponding comfort for them. And supper being ended, the devil having put into the heart of Judas, that he should betray him. The evangelist said this in astonishment, showing that he washed this man who had already chosen to betray him. And he shows his great wickedness, that not even the sharing of salt restrained him, which is especially known to check wickedness, nor the teacher's remaining and enduring him until the last day. And Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he had come from God, and was going to God. Here he also says in wonder, that one so great, and of such stature, who came from God, and was going to him, the ruler of all, did this, and not even so did he disdain to undertake so great a deed. And the "giving over," as it seems to me, he here calls the salvation of the faithful. For when he says, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father," he means this "giving over"; as also elsewhere

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εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ ταῦτα οὐ διὰ ῥημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐδίδασκε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Σαμαρείτην καὶ δαιμονῶντα αὐτὸν ἐκάλουν, καὶ πλάνον, καὶ λίθους ἠφίεσαν κατ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ νῦν μὲν ὑπηρέτας ἀπέστελλον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ὥστε αὐτὸν συλλαβεῖν, νῦν δὲ ἄλλους καθίεσαν ἐπιβουλεύοντας· καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ πολλάκις ὑβρίζοντες διετέλουν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐδὲν ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐεργετούμενοι διηνεκῶς· καὶ ὅμως μετὰ τοσαῦτα οὐκ ἀφίσταται αὐτοὺς εὖ ποιῶν καὶ διὰ ῥημάτων καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων. Καὶ οἰκέτου δέ τινος ῥαπίσαντος αὐτὸν, φησίν· Εἰ μὲν κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί με δέρεις; Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας· ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς τί ποιεῖ νῦν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἃ νῦν ἐπιδείκνυται πρὸς τὸν ἐπίβουλον. Ὃν γὰρ μάλιστα πάντων ἐχρῆν μισεῖν, ὅτι μαθητὴς ὢν, καὶ τραπεζῶν καὶ ἁλῶν κοινωνήσας, καὶ θαύματα ἰδὼν, καὶ τοσούτων ἀξιωθεὶς, πάντων ἐποίησε χαλεπώτερα, λίθοις μὲν οὐ βάλλων οὐδὲ ὑβρίσας, ἀλλὰ προδοὺς αὐτὸν καὶ παραδοὺς, τοῦτον ὅρα πῶς φιλοφρόνως δέχεται, νίπτων αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας. Καὶ γὰρ ταύτῃ αὐτὸν κατασχεῖν ἐβούλετο τῆς πονηρίας ἐκείνης. Καίτοι γε ἐνῆν, εἴπερ ἤθελε, καὶ ξηρᾶναι αὐτὸν ὡς τὴν συκῆν, καὶ διατεμεῖν ὥσπερ τὰς πέτρας ἔῤῥηξε, καὶ διασχίσαι ὥσπερ τὸ καταπέτασμα· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐβούλετο ἀνάγκῃ, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσει τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτὸν ἀπαγαγεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ νίπτει τοὺς πόδας. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ᾐδέσθη ὁ ταλαίπωρος ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἄθλιος. Πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ Πάσχα, φησὶν, εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα. Οὐ τότε εἰδώς· ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐποίησεν ὅπερ ἐποίησεν, πάλαι εἰδὼς, φησίν. Ἵνα μεταβῇ. Μεγαλοφρόνως. ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς μετάβασιν αὐτοῦ τὸν θάνατον καλεῖ Ἀγαπήσας τοὺς ἰδίους, εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς. Εἶδες πῶς μέλλων ἐγκαταλιμπάνειν αὐτοὺς, σφοδροτέραν τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπιδείκνυται; Τὸ γὰρ, Ἀγαπήσας, εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτοὺς, τοῦτο δηλοῖ· Οὐδὲν ἐνέλιπεν ὧν τὸν σφόδρα ἀγαπῶντα εἰκὸς ἦν ποιῆσαι. Τί δήποτε δὲ οὐκ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦτο ἐποίησε; Τὰ μείζονα ὕστερον ἐργάζεται, ὥστε αὐτῶν ἐπιτεῖ 59.382 ναι τὴν οἰκείωσιν, καὶ πολλὴν αὐτοῖς προαποθέσθαι παράκλησιν πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἐπιέναι δεινά. Ἰδίους δὲ αὐτοὺς λέγει κατὰ τὸν τῆς οἰκειώσεως λόγον· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἄλλους ἰδίους λέγει, κατὰ τὸν τῆς δημιουργίας, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον. Τί δέ ἐστι, Τοὺς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ; Ἐπειδὴ ἦσαν αὐτοῦ ἴδιοι καὶ οἱ τετελευτηκότες, οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ οἱ κατ' ἐκείνους· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι Παλαιᾶς καὶ Καινῆς αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός; Τί δέ ἐστιν, Εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἔμενεν ἀγαπῶν διηνεκῶς, καὶ τεκμήριον τῆς πολλῆς ἀγάπης τοῦτο λέγει· καίτοι γε ἀλλαχοῦ ἕτερον εἶπε, τὸ, τὴν ψυχὴν θεῖναι ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὔπω ἐκεῖνο ἐγεγόνει. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν τοῦτο νῦν ἐποίησεν; Ὅτι πολλῷ θαυμαστότερον ἦν, ὅτε λαμπρότερος παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐφάνη· καὶ παραμυθίαν δὲ οὐ μικρὰν κατέλιπε μέλλων ἀναχωρεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλον ὀδυνᾶσθαι σφοδρῶς, ἀντίῤῥοπον αὐτοῖς διὰ τούτων παράκλησιν ἐπεισάγει. Καὶ δείπνου γενομένου, τοῦ διαβόλου βεβληκότος εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Ἰούδα, ἵνα παραδῷ αὐτόν. Τοῦτο ἐκπληττόμενος εἶπεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, δηλῶν, ὅτι τοῦτον τὸν ἤδη προδοῦναι ἑλόμενον αὐτὸν ἔνιψε. ∆είκνυσι δὲ αὐτοῦ πολλὴν τὴν πονηρίαν, ὅτι οὐδὲ τῶν ἁλῶν αὐτὸν ἡ κοινωνία κατέσχεν, ὃ μάλιστα οἶδεν ἐπέχειν πονηρίαν, οὐ τὸ μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἡμέρας παραμεῖναι τὸν διδάσκαλον αὐτοῦ διαβαστάζοντα. Εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι πάντα αὐτῷ εἰς χεῖρα δέδωκεν ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἐξῆλθε, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπάγει. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ θαυμάζων λέγει, ὅτι Ὁ τοσοῦτος, καὶ τηλικοῦτος, ὁ παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐλθὼν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπιὼν, ὁ πάντων κρατῶν, τοῦτο εἰργάσατο, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀπηξίωσε καταδέξασθαι πρᾶγμα τοσοῦτον. Παράδοσιν δὲ, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, τὴν τῶν πιστῶν σωτηρίαν ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ, Πάντα μοι παρεδόθη παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός μου, ταύτην λέγει τὴν παράδοσιν· ὡς καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ