What then is His meaning? It was because He had strengthened the paralytic, and was about to raise the dead, that He thus spake, all but saying, "Wonder ye that I have strengthened the paralyzed? Ye shall see greater things than these." But He spake not thus, but proceeded somehow in a humbler strain, in order that He might soothe [1029] their madness. And that thou mayest learn that "shall show" is not used absolutely, listen again to what followeth.
Ver. 21. "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will."
Yet "can do nothing of Himself" is opposed to "whom He will": since if He quickeneth "whom He will," He can do something "of Himself," (for to "will" implies power,) but if He "can do nothing of Himself," then He can not "quicken whom He will." For the expression, "as the Father raiseth up," showeth unvarying resemblance in Power, and "whom He will," Equality of Authority. Seest thou therefore that "cannot do anything of Himself" is the expression of One not taking away His (own) authority, but declaring the unvarying resemblance of His Power and Will (to those of the Father)? In this sense also understand the words, "shall show to Him"; for in another place He saith, "I will raise him up at the last Day." ( c. vi. 40.) And again, to show that He doth it not by receiving an inward power [1030] from above, He saith, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." ( c. xi. 25.) Then that thou mayest not assert that He raiseth what dead He will and quickeneth them, but that He doth not other things in such manner, He anticipateth and preventeth every objection of the kind by saying, "What things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise," thus declaring that He doeth all things which the Father doeth, and as the Father doeth them; whether thou speakest of the raising of the dead, or the fashioning [1031] of bodies, or the remission of sins, or any other matter whatever, He worketh in like manner to Him who begat Him.
[5.] But men careless of their salvation give heed to none of these things; so great an evil is it to be in love with precedence. This has been the mother of heresies, this has confirmed the impiety of the heathen. [1032] For God desired that His invisible things should be understood by the creation of this world ( Rom. i. 20 ), but they having left these and refused to come by this mode of teaching, cut out for themselves another way, and so were cast out from the true. [1033] And the Jews believed not because they received honor from one another, and sought not the honor which is from God. But let us, beloved, avoid this disease exceedingly and with all earnestness; for though we have ten thousand good qualities, this plague of vainglory is sufficient to bring them all to nought. ( c. v. 44.) If therefore we desire praise, let us seek the praise which is from God, for the praise of men of what kind soever it be, as soon as it has appeared has perished, or if it perish not, brings to us no profit, and often proceeds from a corrupt judgment. And what is there to be admired in the honor which is from men? which young dancers enjoy, and abandoned women, and covetous and rapacious men? But he who is approved of God, is approved not with these, but with those holy men the Prophets and Apostles, who have shown forth an angelic life. If we feel any desire to lead multitudes about with us or be looked at by them, let us consider the matter apart by itself, and we shall find that it is utterly worthless. In fine, if thou art fond of crowds, draw to thyself the host of angels, and become terrible to the devils, then shalt thou care nothing for mortal things, but shalt tread all that is splendid underfoot as mire and clay; and shall clearly see that nothing so fits a soul for shame as the passion for glory; for it cannot, it cannot be, that the man who desires this should live the crucified life, as on the other hand it is not possible that the man who hath trodden this underfoot should not tread down most other passions; for he who masters this will get the better of envy and covetousness, and all the grievous maladies. "And how," saith some one, "shall we get the better of it?" If we look to the other glory which is from heaven, and from which this kind strives to cast us out. For that heavenly glory both makes us honored here, and passes with us into the life which is to come, and delivers us from all fleshly slavery which we now most miserably serve, giving up ourselves entirely to earth and the things of earth. For if you go into the forum, if you enter into a house, into the streets, into the soldiers' quarters, into inns, taverns, ships, islands, palaces, courts of justice, council chambers, you shall everywhere find anxiety for things present and belonging to this life, and each man laboring for these things, whether gone or coming, traveling or staying at home, voyaging, tilling lands, in the fields, in the cities, in a word, all. What hope then of salvation have we, when inhabiting God's earth we care not for the things of God, when bidden to be aliens from earthly things we are aliens from heaven and citizens of earth? What can be worse than this insensibility, when hearing each day of the Judgment and of the Kingdom, we imitate the men in the days of Noah, and those of Sodom, waiting to learn all by actual experience? Yet for this purpose were all those things written, that if any one believe not that which is to come, he may, from what has already been, get certain proof of what shall be. Considering therefore these things, both the past and the future, let us at least take breath a little from this hard slavery, and make some account of our souls also, [1034] that we may obtain both present and future blessings; through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.
[997] Sav. omits "because we are sensible of the infirmity."
[998] al. "learn."
[999] Ben. and ms. in Bodl. read the passage thus: "For the chastisement was of itself sufficient...but when not being sobered by the application of punishment, he again dares the same things, such an one will reasonably suffer some penalty, calling this as he does upon his own self."
[1000] al. "have been punished here."
[1001] al. "at this."
[1002] e phodion gignetai. So Euseb. H. E. viii. 10, e ph. tes eis ten zoen eisodou
[1003] lit. "there."
[1004] al. "from loose living," rh athumias
[1005] See p. 129.
[1006] al. "from another reason."
[1007] al. "chased thence by all."
[1008] a prosopos, i.e. not referring to Himself.
[1009] sphinxai
[1010] al. "proofs."
[1011] i diazontos
[1012] Jericho was taken on the seventh day by command of God. Josh. vi. 4, 15
[1013] lit. "weldeth." sunkrotei. Sav. conjectures sunkratei, but the word is not uncommon for holding together a system.
[1014] eis klibanon, G. T.
[1015] Matt. xii
[1016] pragma
[1017] tes autes gnomes apophasis, i.e. in saying that He was making Himself "equal to the Father," the Evangelist asserts a truth which had before been signified by His breaking the Sabbath, and saying that God was His Father.
[1018] al. "given."
[1019] lit. "to clench."
[1020] i.e. nothing by Himself.
[1021] al. "testifies."
[1022] a nenchoreton
[1023] to aparallakton
[1024] gnomes
[1025] Ekeinos, G. T.
[1026] Morel. and ms. in Bodl., "that the likewise ' (to homoios) may remain."
[1027] kathupheis
[1028] a gnomosi
[1029] al. "heal."
[1030] e nergeian
[1031] diaplasin
[1032] lit. "Greeks."
[1033] tes ouses sub. ho dou
[1034] i.e. as well as of earthly things.