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1. The inward state of Christ's disciples, when before His
passion He talked with them as with children of great things, but in
such a way as befitted the great things to be spoken to children,
because, having not yet received the Holy Spirit, as they did after
His resurrection, either by His own breathing upon them, or by
descent from above, they had a mental capacity for the human rather
than the divine, is everywhere declared through the Gospel by numerous
testimonies; and of a piece therewith, is what they said in the lesson
before us. For, says the evangelist, "His disciples say unto
Him: Lo, now speakest Thou plainly, and utterest no proverb. Now
we are sure that Thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man
should ask Thee: by this we believe that Thou camest forth from
God." The Lord Himself had said shortly before, "These things
have I spoken unto you in proverbs: the hour cometh, when I shall no
more speak to you in proverbs." How, then, say they, "Lo, now
speakest Thou plainly, and utterest no proverb"? Was the hour,
indeed, already come, when He had promised that He would no more
speak unto them in proverbs? Certainly that such an hour had not yet
come, is shown by the continuation of His words, which run in this
way: "These things," said He, have I spoken unto you in
proverbs: the hour cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in
proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of my Father. At that day ye
shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the
Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have
loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth
from the Father, and have come into the world: again, I leave the
world, and go to the Father" (vers. 25 28). Seeing that
throughout all these words He is still promising that hour when He
shall no more speak in proverbs, but shall show them openly of the
Father; the hour, when He says that they will ask in His name, and
that He will not pray the Father for them, on the ground that the
Father Himself loveth them, and that they also have loved Christ,
and have believed that He came forth from the Father, and was come
into the world, and was again about to leave the world and go to the
Father: when thus that hour is still the subject of promise when He
was to speak without proverbs, why say they, "Lo, now speakest
Thou plainly, and utterest no proverb;" but just because those
things, which He knows to be proverbs to those who have no
understanding, they are still so far from understanding, that they do
not even understand that they do not understand them? For they were
babes, and had aS yet no spiritual discernment of what they heard
regarding things that had to do not with the body, but with the
spirit.
2. And still further admonishing them of their age as still small and
infirm in regard to the inner man, "Jesus answered them: Do ye now
believe? Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be
scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone. And yet I
am not alone, because the Father is with me." He had said shortly
before, "I leave the world, and go to the Father;" now He says,
"The Father is with me." Who goes to him who is with him? This
is a word to him that understandeth, a proverb to him that
understandeth not: and yet in such way that what at present is
unintelligible to babes, is in some sort sucked in; and even though it
yield them not solid food, which they cannot as yet receive, it denies
them not at least a milky diet. It was from this diet that they drew
the knowledge that He knew all things, and needed not that any one
should ask Him: and, indeed, why they said this, is a topic worthy
of inquiry. For one would think they ought rather to have said, Thou
needest not to ask any one; not, "That any one should ask Thee."
They had just said, We are sure that Thou knowest all things:" and
surely He that knoweth all things is accustomed rather to be questioned
by those who do not know, that in reply to their questions they may
hear what they wish from Him who knoweth all things; and not to be
Himself the questioner, as if wishing to know something, when He
knoweth all things. What, then, are we to understand by this,
that, when apparently they ought to have said to Him, whom they knew
to be omniscient, Thou needest not to ask any man, they considered it
more befitting to say, "Thou needest not that any man should ask
Thee"? Yea, is it not the case that we read of both being done; to
wit, that the Lord both asked, and was asked questions? But this
latter is speedily answered: for this was needful not for Him, but
for those rather whom He questioned, or by whom He was questioned.
For He never questioned any for the purpose of learning anything from
them, but for the purpose rather of teaching them. And for those who
put questions to Him, as desirous of learning something of Him, it
was assuredly needful to be made acquainted with some things by Him who
knew everything. And doubtless on the same account also it was that
He needed not that any man should ask Him. As it is the case that
we, when questioned by those who wish to get some information from us,
discover by their very questionings what it is that they wish to know,
we therefore need to be questioned by those whom we wish to teach, in
order that we may be acquainted with their inquiries that call for an
answer: but He, who knew all things, had no need even of that, and
as little need had He of discovering by their questions what it was
that any one desired to know of Him, for before a question was put,
He knew the intention of him who was to put it. But He suffered
Himself to be questioned on this account, that He might show to those
who were then present, or to those who should either hear the things
that were to be spoken or read them when written, what was the
character of those by whom He was questioned; and in this way we might
come to know both the frauds that were powerless to impose upon Him,
and the ways of approach that would turn to our profit in His sight.
But to foresee the thoughts of men, and thus to have no need that any
one should ask Him, was no great matter for God, but great enough
for the babes, who said to Him, "By this we believe that Thou
camest forth from God." A much greater thing it was, for the
understanding of which He wished to have their minds expanded and
enlarged, that, on their saying, and saying truly, "Thou camest
forth from God," He replied, "The Father is with me;" in order
that they should not think that the Son had come forth from the Father
in any sense that would lead them to suppose that He had also withdrawn
from His presence.
3. And then, in bringing to a close this weighty and protracted
discourse, He said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that in
me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but
be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." The beginning of such
tribulation was to be found in that whereof, in order to show that they
were infants, to whom, as still wanting in intelligence, and
mistaking one thing for another, all the great and divine things He
had said were little better than proverbs, He had previously said,
"Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come,
that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own." Such, I say,
was the beginning of the tribulation, but not in the same measure of
their perseverance. For in adding, "and ye shall leave me alone,"
He did not mean that they would be of such a character in the
subsequent tribulation, which they should have to endure in the world
after His ascension, as thus to desert Him; but that in Him they
should have peace by still abiding in Him. But on the occasion of
His apprehension, not only did they outwardly abandon His bodily
presence, but they mentally abandoned their faith. And to this it is
that His words have reference, "Do ye now believe? Behold, the
hour cometh, that ye shall be scattered to your own, and shall leave
me:" as if He had said, You will then be so confounded as to leave
behind you even what you now believe. For they fell into such despair
and such a death, so to speak, of their old faith, as was apparent in
the case of Cleophas, who, after His resurrection, unaware that he
was speaking with Himself, and narrating what had befallen Him,
said, "We trusted that it had been He who should have redeemed
Israel." That was the way in which they then left Him, abandoning
even the very faith wherewith they had formerly believed in Him. But
in that tribulation, which they encountered after His glorification
and they themselves had received the Holy Spirit, they did not leave
Him: and though they fled from city to city, from Himself they did
not flee; but in order that, while having tribulation in the world,
they might have peace in Him, instead of being fugitives from Him,
it was rather Himself that they made their refuge. For in receiving
the Holy Spirit, there was wrought in them the very state described
to them now in the words, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world." They were of good cheer, and they conquered. But in whom,
save in Him? For He had not overcome the world, were it still to
overcome His members. Hence said the apostle, "Thanks be unto
God, who giveth us the victory;" and immediately added, "through
our Lord Jesus Christ:" through Him who had said to His own,
"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
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