John Chrysostom, In illud Pater si possibile est transeat

Καὶ τὴν ἀνάληψιν· Ἀνέβη ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, Κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος, Καὶ τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδραν· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. Ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν φησὶ λέγων, ὅτι Ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἥκει εἰς θάνατον· καὶ, ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ πάντες ὡς πρόβατα ἐπλανήθησαν, διὰ τοῦτο σφαγιάζεται. Εἶτα καὶ τὸ κατόρθωμα ἐπάγει λέγων· Τῷ μώλωπι 51.34 αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἰάθημεν, καὶ ὅτι Ἁμαρτίας πολλῶν ἀνήνεγκεν. Εἶτα οἱ μὲν προφῆται καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ᾔδεισαν, καὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὴν αἰτίαν, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ σταυροῦ κατορθούμενα, καὶ τὸν τάφον, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ τὴν ἀνάβασιν, καὶ τὴν προδοσίαν, καὶ τὸ δικαστήριον, καὶ πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας διέγραψαν· ὁ δὲ ἀποστείλας αὐτοὺς, καὶ ταῦτα κελεύσας εἰπεῖν, αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖ; Καὶ τίς ἂν ταῦτα νοῦν ἔχων εἴποι; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ δεῖ τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἁπλῶς προσέχειν; οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ ἄπορον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς ἀπορώτερον. Τί γάρ φησι· Πάτερ, Εἰ δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἀγνοῶν μόνον εὑρεθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ παραιτούμενος τὸν σταυρόν· ὃ γὰρ λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν· Εἰ ἐγχωρεῖ, φησὶ, μὴ ἐμπέσοιμι εἰς τὸ σταυρωθῆναι, μηδὲ ἀναιρεθῆναι. Καίτοι τῷ Πέτρῳ τῷ κορυφαίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦτο αὐτῷ εἰπόντι, ὅτι Ἵλεώς σοι, Κύριε, οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο, οὕτω σφόδρα ἐπετίμησεν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ, σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καίτοι γε πρὸ μικροῦ μακαρίσας αὐτόν. Ἀλλ' οὕτως αὐτῷ ἄτοπον ἐδόκει εἶναι τὸ μὴ σταυρωθῆναι, ὡς ἐκεῖνον τὸν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν δεξάμενον, τὸν μακαρισθέντα, τὸν λαβόντα τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν, Σατανᾶν καλέσαι καὶ σκάνδαλον, καὶ αἰτιᾶσθαι, ὡς μὴ φρονοῦντα τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ἵλεώς σοι, Κύριε, οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο, τὸ σταυρωθῆναι.

Ὁ τοίνυν τὸν μαθητὴν οὕτως ὑβρίσας, καὶ τοσαύτῃ κατ' αὐτοῦ χρησάμενος τῇ καταφορᾷ, ὡς καὶ Σατανᾶν αὐτὸν καλέσαι μετὰ τοσαῦτα ἐγκώμια, ἐπειδὴ ἔλεγε, Μὴ σταυρωθῇς, πῶς αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο μὴ σταυρωθῆναι; πῶς δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος ὑπογράφων τὴν εἰκόνα, τοῦτο ἔφησε μάλιστα δεῖγμα εἶναι τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτοῦ, τὸ σφάττεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων, οὕτω λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός· ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων; Καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν· Ὁ δὲ μισθωτὸς, καὶ οὐκ ὢν ποιμὴν, θεωρεῖ τὸν λύκον ἐρχόμενον, καὶ ἀφίησι τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ φεύγει. Εἰ τοίνυν τοῦ καλοῦ μὲν ποιμένος τὸ σφάττεσθαι, τοῦ δὲ μισθωτοῦ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τοῦτο ὑπομένειν, πῶς αὐτὸς λέγων εἶναι ποιμὴν καλὸς, παρακαλεῖ μὴ σφαγιασθῆναι; πῶς δὲ ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ; Εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ σαυτοῦ τίθης, πῶς ἕτερον παρακαλεῖς, ἵνα μὴ θῇς; πῶς δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Παῦλος θαυμάζει ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς προφάσεως, οὕτω λέγων· Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε, μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος, καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἑαυτὸν ἐταπείνωσε, γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ; Αὐτὸς δὲ πάλιν οὕτω πώς φησι· ∆ιὰ τοῦτό με ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Πατὴρ, ὅτι ἐγὼ τὴν ψυχήν μου τίθημι, ἵνα πάλιν λάβω αὐτήν. Εἰ γὰρ οὐ βούλεται, ἀλλὰ παραιτεῖται καὶ παρακαλεῖ τὸν Πατέρα, πῶς διὰ τοῦτο ἀγαπᾶται; Ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τῶν κατὰ γνώμην ἐστί. Πῶς δέ φησι πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος· Ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν; Αὐτὸς δὲ πάλιν ὁ Χριστὸς μέλλων σταυροῦσθαι ἔλεγε· Πάτερ, ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα· δόξασόν σου τὸν Υἱὸν, δόξαν τὸν 51.35 σταυρὸν καλῶν· καὶ πῶς ἐνταῦθα μὲν παραιτεῖται, ἐκεῖ δὲ καὶ κατεπείγει; Ὅτι γὰρ δόξα ὁ σταυρὸς, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· Οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὔπω ἐδοξάσθη. Ὃ δὲλέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Οὐδέπω ἦν δοθεῖσα ἡ χάρις, ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἔχθρα ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οὐδέπω ἦν καταλυθεῖσα, τῷ μηδέπω τὸν σταυρὸν προκεχωρηκέναι.