The wife may save the husband.

611

XII.

crown and triumphing' with thy husband through those JOHN unalloyed ages, and enjoying the everlasting good things, 50. which may we all obtain, through the grace and loving- TOμπkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

ουσα

2 ἀκη

ράτους

HOMILY LXX.

1 Cor. 11, 1.

1 lit.' our

3.

Him

self'

29.

kill'

JOHN xiii. 1.

Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.

BE ye imitators of me, saith Paul, as I also am of Christ. For on this account He took also flesh of our substance', lump.' that by means of it He might teach us virtue. For (God Rom. 8, sending His own Son) in the likeness of sinful flesh, It saith, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. And 2al. 'and Christ Himself saith, Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. And this He taught, not by words alone, Mat. 11, but by actions also. For they called Him a Samaritan, and one that had a devil, and a deceiver, and cast stones at 3 al. 'in Him; and at one time the Pharisees sent servants to take3 order to Him, at another they sent plotters against Him; and they continued also insulting Him themselves, and that when they had no fault to find, but were even being continually benefitted. Still after such conduct He ceaseth not to do well to them both by words and deeds. And, when a certain c. 18, 23. domestic smote Him on the face, He said, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why smitest thou Me? But this was to those who hated and plotted against Him. Let us see also what He doeth now towards the disciples, or rather what actions He now exhibiteth' towards the traitor. The man whom most of all there was reason to hate, because being a disciple, having shared the table and

4al. doeth

5 ἐχρῆν

5

Christ's forbearance towards the traitor: His love for His own. 613

XIII. 1.

the salt, having seen the miracles and been deemed worthy JoHN of such great things, he acted more grievously than any, not stoning indeed, nor insulting Him, but betraying and giving Him up, observe in how friendly sort He receiveth this man, washing his feet; for even in this way He desired to restrain him from that wickedness. Yet it was in His power, had He willed it, to have withered him like the fig-tree, to have cut him in two as He rent the rocks, to have cleft him asunder like the vail; but He would not lead him away from his design by compulsion, but by choice. Wherefore He washed his feet; and not even by this was that wretched and miserable man shamed.

2

'added'

Before the feast of the Passover, It saith, Jesus knowing that His hour was come. Not then "knowing,” but (It means) that He did what He did having "known" long ago. That He should depart. Magnificently' the Evangelist calleth His death,' al. 6 magni"departure." Having loved His own, He loved them unto the loquentend. Seest thou how when about to leave them He sheweth ly' greater love? For the, having loved, He loved them unto the end, sheweth that he omitted nothing of the things which it was likely that one who earnestly loved would do. Why then did He not this from the beginning? He worketh the al greatest things last, so as to render more intense their attachment, and to lay up for them beforehand much comfort, against the terrible things that were about to fall on them. St. John calls them His own, in respect of personal attachment, since he calls others also "His own," in respect of the work of creation; as when he saith, His own c. 1, 11. received Him not. But what meaneth, which were in the world? Because the dead also were "His own," Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the men of that sort, but they were not3 KAT in the world. Seest thou that He is the God both of the Old and New (Testament)? But what meaneth, He loved them unto the end? It stands for, "He continued loving them unceasingly," and this the Evangelist mentions as a sure proof of great affection. Elsewhere indeed He spake of another (proof), the laying down life for His friends; but that had not yet come to pass. And wherefore did He this thing now? Because it was far more wonderful at a time when He appeared more glorious in the sight of all men.

ἐκείνους

LXX.

614

Abasement of Christ a lesson of humblemindedness.

HOMIL. Besides, He left them no small consolation now that He was about to depart, for since they were going to be greatly grieved, He by these means introduceth also comfort to the grief.

Ver. 2. And supper being ended, the devil having now Judas put it into the heart of Judas1 to betray Him.

Iscariot

son,

N. T.

Simon's This the Evangelist hath said amazed, shewing that Jesus washed the man who had already chosen to betray Him. This also proves his great wickedness, that not even the having shared the salt restrained him, (a thing which is most by the able to restrain wickedness;) not the fact that even up to the last day, his Master continued to bear with him3.

2 al. 'bath put

way'

in

3 δια βαστά

ζοντα

4 al.

given

over

5 al. ' either

this'

deliver

ed.

Ver. 3. Jesus knowing that the Father had given✦ all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God.

Here the Evangelist saith, even wondering, that One so he saith great, so very great, Who came from God and went to Him, Who ruleth over all, did this thing, and disdained not even so to undertake such an action. And by the "giving over," methinks St. John means the salvation of the faithful. For 6 E. V. when He saith, All things are given over to Me of My Father, He speaketh of this kind of giving over; as also in another Mat. 11, place He saith, Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me; c. 17, 6. and again, No man can come unto Me except the Father draw him; and, Except it be given him from heaven. The Evangelist then either means this, or that Christ would be nothing lessened by this action, since He came from God, and went to God, and possessed all things. But when thou hearest of" giving over," understand it in no human sense, for it sheweth how He honoureth the Father, and His una

27.

c. 6, 44.

c. 3. 27.

vered up

E. V. 1 Cor.

15, 24.

8 al. what

deli nimity with Him. For as the Father giveth over to Him, so He to the Father. And this Paul declares, saying, When He shall have given over the kingdom to God, even the Father. But St. John hath said it here in a more human sense, shewthen is ing His great care for them, and declaring His unutterable added P' love, that He now cared for them as for His own; teaching went to them the mother of all good, even humblemindedness, which He said was both the beginning and the end of virtue. And did what not without a reason is added the, He came from God and went to God but that we may learn that He did what was worthy worthy

9 al.

God,

that is,

was

8

9

Humility of Christ: St. Peter's refusal.

615

of One Who came thence and went thither, trampling down all JOHN pride.

XIII. 4-6.

στὰς.

Ver. 4. And having risen' from supper, and laid aside1avaHis garments".

(ἐγείρε

G.T.)

[2] Observe how not by the washing only, but in ra another way also He exhibiteth humility. For it was not before reclining, but after they had all sat down, then He arose. In the next place, He doth not merely wash them, but doth so, putting off His garments. And He did not even stop here, but girded Himself with a towel. Nor was He satisfied with this, but Himself filled (the bason), and did not bid another fill it; He did all these things Himself, shewing by all that we must do such things, when we are engaged in well doing, not merely for form's sake, apobut with all zeal. Now He seemeth to me to have washed νους the feet of the traitor first, from Its saying,

σιουμέ

wipe

Ver. 5. He began to wash the disciples' feet3, and adding, 3 and to Ver. 6. Then cometh He to Simon Peter, and Peter saith them unto Him, Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?

with the towel

with

He was

N. T.

"With those hands," he saith, "with which Thou hast whereopened eyes, and cleansed lepers, and raised the dead?" For this (question) is very emphatic; wherefore He needed girded, not to have said any more than the, "Thou;" for even of itself this would have sufficed to convey the whole. Some one might reasonably enquire, how none of the others forbad Him, but Peter only, which was a mark of no slight love and reverence. What then is the cause? He seemeth to me to have washed the traitor first, then to have come to Peter, and that the others were afterwards instructed from his case. That' He washed some one other before him is clear from Its ἐκείνου, saying, But when He came to Peter. Yet the Evangelist . ‘by is not a vehement accuser, for the "began," is the ex-5 He pression of one implying this. And even if Peter were the cometh first', yet it is probable that the traitor, being a forward) fore ouv person, had reclined even before the chiefs. For by another N. T. circumstance also his forwardness is shewn, when He dippeth Judas with his Master in the dish, and being convicted, feels no dignity compunction; while Peter being rebuked but once on a Kopu

a He riseth, &c, and took a towel, poureth water into a bason. N. T. and girded Himself. 5. After that He

al. ὑπ'

him'

there

6 i. e. of

71. e. in

φαίου