Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and came; for I did not come of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you cannot hear My words. Since He excluded them from their kinship with Abraham, they rose even higher, calling God their father. He rebuked them as murderers, and they, defending themselves, say that they avenge God and therefore form a council against Him. For this reason the Lord, showing that they do not intercede for God, but by their very plan they want to kill Him, and are not the children of God, as they thought, but even opponents of God, says: "If God were your Father, you would love Me." For I came down from God into the world, that is, I appeared in the flesh. I am not an opponent of God. I come from Him. Wherefore, when ye rise up against me, ye are enemies of God. Why do you not know My speech, and understand and understand what I say? Without a doubt, not in any other way, than because you cannot hear My words, that is, you do not want to. For "not to be able" is used instead of "not to want". As long as envy and murderous design dwell in you, how can you listen to what I say?

Your father is the devil; and you want to fulfill the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him; when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. He said, "You cannot hear My words instead of, You will not." Then he gives the reason why they did not want to listen, that they have their own father, namely the devil. Though you are mad and ascribe yourselves as children to God as your father, yet your deeds testify that the devil is a father more dear to you. You want to fulfill his lusts. He did not say "works," but "lusts," showing that they are very prone to lying and murder, two kinds of evil that are very characteristic of the devil. "He was a murderer from the beginning." Wherefore ye also, seeking to kill me, are like unto him that slew Adam. "He is not tired of the truth," but is the father of lies. And you, when you lie against Me and say that I am not of God, do not stand in the truth, do not abide in My word, you are the children of Him, who begat the lie. For he also slandered God against men, when he told Eve that he had forbidden them the tree of the knowledge of good and evil out of envy. Likewise, he slandered God against people, for example, against Job, saying that Job does not honor God for nothing. "When he tells a lie, he says his own." When people lie, they use someone else's lie, as it were. And the devil uses lies as property, for they are his offspring; and the liar in the proper sense and the father of lies is himself. He said to Eve, "In the day ye shall eat, ye shall be as gods" (Gen. 3:5). And they (Adam and Eve) received death. - And you do not believe Me, because I speak the truth. "Not having to accuse Me of anything else but the truth, for this very reason you rise up against Me, as sons of the father of lies."

Which of you will convict Me of unrighteousness? but if I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; you do not listen because you are not of God. To this the Jews answered and said to Him, "Is it not true that we say that You are a Samaritan, and that a demon is in You? Jesus answered, "There is no demon in Me, but I honor My Father; but you dishonor me. However, I do not seek My glory: there is the Seeker and the Judge. They called themselves the sons of God. He says, if you are sons of God, surely you must hate the sinner. If you can also convict Me, whom you hate, of sin, you obviously hate Me justly. But if no one can convict openly, you hate Me for the truth. For what truth? Without a doubt, because He called Himself the Son of God, which is absolutely true. - "He who is of God hears the words of God." Therefore, if you were also sons of God, you would not turn away from Me, the Son of God, who came down from heaven and exalted the word of God. "Thus the Lord speaks to them meekly, and they allow themselves to be impudent." They say, "Have we not truly said that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon in you?" They called Him a Samaritan as a violator of Jewish customs, for example, Sabbath rest, since the Samaritans did not strictly observe the Jewish law. And they call Him possessed, perhaps, just as they said that He cast out demons by the power of the prince of demons (Luke 11:15). For all those who slandered that He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, said that He had Beelzebub's demon in Him, by which He performed miracles. And since He revealed their thoughts and desires, perhaps they considered Him to be possessed by demons, because they thought that the secrets of their hearts were revealed to Him by demons. - When was He called the Samaritan? The evangelist did not mention this anywhere. From this it is evident that the Evangelists did not write down everything, but omitted much, as we have noted in another place. In this way they offend Him, and He accepts offenses from them without malice. However, when they call themselves sons of God, He strongly rebukes them, interceding for the truth; and when He is wronged, He does not defend Himself. By this He teaches us also to stand up for the glory of God and to meekly endure offenses that concern us, just as He meekly says: "There is no demon in Me, but I honor My Father." How does He honor the Father? Interceding for Him and not allowing murderers and liars to be called sons of the Savior and the Truth. You, he says, dishonor Me because I honor My Father, whom you reproach, because you slander that He is your father. But if I do not avenge Myself, but endure offenses, do not think that this offense will remain unavenged. There is a Father who will punish such an offense to Me because I intercede for Him and do not allow you to call yourselves His sons. There is One who seeks My glory, and not only He Who seeks, but He who is able to judge and punish those who offend Me without reason. Often someone seeks punishment for an offense, but cannot judge for himself. And the Father both seeks the glory of the Son and is able to judge. For this reason He said: "There is a Seeker and a Judge."

Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever keepeth my word shall never see death. The Jews said to Him, "Now we have known that the devil is in You; Abraham died, and the prophets, and Thou sayest, Whosoever keepeth My word shall never taste death. What philanthropy! He is offended, and leaving the search for His glory and vengeance to the Father, He turns to exhortation and teaching, and thus does good to those who offend Him. So we must pay our enemies. What did he say to them? "Whoever keeps My word," that is, unites a pure life with faith (for he only truly observes the teaching of the Lord, who also has a pure life), will not see the death by which sinners die, who are given over to endless torment in the age to come, and fall away from true life. At the same time, He lets them know that if he who keeps My word does not die, how much more do I. Why then do you want to kill Me, over Whom death has so little power that I even give true life to others? For though believers die bodily, yet they are alive in God. What do the Jews say to this? They consider Him to be a madman, as if He were saying some strange things because of the damage to His mind. Abraham and the prophets, who heard the words of God, are dead, how can Your hearers not die? Now, they say, we have truly, that is, fully and firmly, learned that You, when you say this, are possessed.

Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died, and the prophets died? What do You make Yourself to be? Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; My Father glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. And ye have not known him, but I know him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you; but I know him, and keep his word. Fools, not understanding what kind of death the Lord spoke of that it would not affect those who believe in Him, tell Him something foolish and insane. See how they answer. "Are you greater than our father Abraham?" they should have said, "Are you greater than God?" Those who heard the word of God are dead, but those who hear Thee will not die. But they are not. Wishing to show that He is less than Abraham, they say, "Are You greater than our father Abraham?" The Lord Himself does not reveal to them what kind of death He spoke about. And that He is higher than Abraham, He convinces of this a little later. "What do You make Yourself do?" You, unworthy of a single word, Son of a carpenter, Galilean, what do You make Yourself? Neither works, nor truth, nor Scriptures, but with what do You make Yourself? For Thou art Thyself appropriating glory to Thyself. To this the Lord says, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing, as you also think. But now he who glorifies Me is another, namely My Father. The Father glorified Him in every way, now with prophecies about Him, now with testimony from heaven, now with countless and immeasurable miracles. Of this Father you say that He is your God. But you do not acknowledge Him as My Father or your God. If you had recognized Him as the Father, you would have honored His Son. But now you do not honor His Son. Obviously, you do not recognize Him as My Father. But you don't recognize Him as just God. Otherwise you would fear His words as God. Now you decisively despise Him. He decreed by law: "Thou shalt not kill." You seek to kill Me, and moreover, when you cannot convict Me of sin. It is clear that you do not know Him at all. And I know Him by nature, have perfect knowledge of Him. For as I am, so is the Father. And as I know Myself, I know Him also. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you. For you lie, boasting that you know Him; but I will deny the truth, if, knowing Him, I say that I do not know. How will You prove that You know Him? By saying that I keep His word, that is, His commandments. For I am not an adversary of Him, otherwise I would boast as an adversary of God, nor do I violate His commandments. But you, transgressors of His commandments, are in captivity, giving way to evil lusts, thirsting for murder, and doing many other things forbidden by the law, with passion, and thereby clearly manifest that you do not know Him. For if you knew Him, you would keep His word, that is, the commandments. - Other words "I keep His word" are understood in this way: because I know Him because in Myself I have the unchanging image of His Being, that is, of His being, and as the image of His Essence is with the Father, so is Me. For the Father and the Son have one and the same Nature and one and the same way of being. Therefore I know the Father, for I keep the unchanging image of His Being. Such a turn of phrase is customary in Scripture. For example, in Slavonic it is said: "Give us help from sorrow, and the salvation of man is vain" (Psalm 59:13). Here the particle "and" is used instead of "for," and the speech has the following meaning: give us help, for salvation from man is uncertain. So also in these words: I know Him, and I keep His word – the particle "and" is placed in place of "for." For, he says, I keep his word.

Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day, and saw it, and rejoiced. And the Jews said to him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, "Verily, verily, I say to you, before Abraham was, I was seven." Then they took stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, passing through the midst of them and going on. Here he claims that He is greater than Abraham. Above they said to Him, "Are You greater than our father Abraham? Here He answers: yes, I am more. He was glad to see My day, that is, he considered it pleasant, longed-for, and joyful, as a very beneficial day, and as the day not of a small person, not of an ordinary person, but of a great one. "Day" is the name of the Cross, for it was foreshadowed by Abraham in the offering of Isaac and in the slaughter of the ram. As he carried the wood, so the Lord carried the cross, and as Isaac was forsaken, and the ram was slaughtered, so He, like God, remained beyond suffering, but suffered in humanity and in the flesh. Foreseeing this day of the Cross as the day of universal salvation, Abraham rejoiced. He also shows that He voluntarily goes to suffering, since He praises the one who rejoiced in the Cross: for through Him is the salvation of the universe. - Some understand by "day" the entire time of Christ's appearance in the flesh, which, foreseeing, Abraham rejoiced that from him and his descendants would come the Saviour. And perhaps it was not only Abraham who rejoiced, but all of them, as David says: "This day the Lord hath made: let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 117:24). The Jews, not being able to rise to the meaning of His words, instead of asking and finding out what day He is talking about, which Abraham saw, mock Him even more, as if He were saying something foolish. You, they say, are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham? They said this, thinking that the Lord was about fifty years old, while He was about thirty-three years old. Why did they not say, "Thou art not yet forty years old, but, Fifty?" It would be superfluous to ask about this. Maybe they mentioned fifty years without a definite thought. Yet some say that they said this because they especially honored the fiftieth year, that is, the year of jubilee, in which slaves were set free, buyers gave up their acquisitions, and did everything else that pertained to honor. What does the Lord say? "Before Abraham was, I am." See that he did not say, "Before Abraham was," "I was," but, "I am." For this saying "I am" is more characteristic of God, because it means continuous and eternal existence. Thus His Father expressed Himself in the Old Testament: "I am He" (Exodus 3:14). Of Abraham, as corruptible, he decently said, "was." For what has received existence is destroyed. And the word "I am" indicates freedom from all corruption and divine eternity. For this reason they also took this saying, as befitting God alone, for blasphemy, and took stones against Him. But again He hides Himself with humility, so as not to die before the time appointed for His death. How is it hidden? He did not hide in a corner of the church, did not run into a house, did not lean against the wall or behind a pillar, but by Divine power He made Himself invisible to the accusers, although He came out in the midst of them. "And he went on," that is, he went like this, simply, until a certain time. - See, perhaps, how He fulfilled everything on His part: He taught them enough about Himself and about the Father, and showed true nobility and freedom in freedom from sins; He explained that slavery alone is shameful, slavery to sin, and in general he did not omit anything necessary. And they throw stones at Him. For this reason He leaves them, as they are no longer capable of correction. Note that the stones are thrown by those of whom the evangelist said that they believed in Him (above vv. 30 and 31). This means that their faith was not faith, but some kind of temporary and cold disposition to the words of Christ.

CHAPTER NINE

And as he passed, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi! Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind? The Lord leaves the temple in order to tame the wrath of the Jews. He proceeds to heal the blind man, in order to soften their hardness of heart and stubbornness by this sign, although they did not take advantage of it, and at the same time to show them that He did not say in vain and out of self-praise: "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). It was fitting that He Himself approached the blind man, and not this one to Him. The disciples, noticing His attention to the blind man, asked: "Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind?" For how could he have sinned before he was born? The Apostles probably did not share the pagan superstition that the soul, before uniting with the body, lives in the other world and descends into the body for sin, as if as a punishment. As fishermen, they could not hear anything of the sort, for such thoughts belonged to the sages. So, the question seems unreasonable, but not for the attentive. For know. The Apostles heard Christ say to the paralytic: "Behold, thou art healed, sin not, lest something worse happen to thee" (John 5:14). Now they see the blind man and are perplexed, and it is as if they say: "Let us suppose that he was paralyzed because of his sins, but what do you say about this?" Did he sin? But this cannot be said; because he is blind from birth. Or his parents? And this cannot be said, because a son is not punished for his father. Thus, the apostles in the present case are not so much asking as perplexed. The Lord, in order to resolve their perplexity, says: "Neither did he sin (for he had sinned before birth), nor did his parents." However, He says this without absolving them from their sins. For he did not simply say that his parents had not sinned, but added that "he was born blind." Although his parents sinned, this misery was not for this reason with him. It is unjust to lay the sins of fathers on children who are innocent of anything. This is also inspired by God through Ezekiel: "Let not this proverb be any more among you: "Fathers have eaten sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge" (Ezekiel 18:1, 2). And through Moses He decreed by the law: "Let not a father die for his son" (Deuteronomy 24:16). But how, you will say, is it written: "Give the sins of your parents to the children to the third and fourth generation" (Exodus 34:7)? To this we can say, first, that this is not a universal sentence, not spoken of all, but only of those who came out of Egypt. Then look at the meaning of the sentence. It does not say that children are punished for sins committed by fathers, but that the punishments for the sin of fathers are passed on to children when children have committed the same sins. In order that those who came out of Egypt should not think that they would not be punished with the same punishment as their fathers, even though they had sinned worse than they, He said to them, "No, not so; The sins of the fathers, that is, the punishments, will be passed on to you, because you have not become better, but have committed the same sins, and even worse. If we see that children often die as a punishment for their parents, then we know that God takes them out of this life out of love for mankind, so that in life they do not become worse than their parents and do not live to the evil of their souls or even many others. But the abyss of God's destinies hid these cases in itself. And we will strive further.

Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents have sinned, but this is so that the works of God may be manifested in him." I must do the works of Him who sent Me while there is a day; the night comes when no one can do. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Here is another difficulty again. Some will ask: How did He say this? For this would mean that a person deprived of light was offended in order that the works of God might be manifested in him? Could they not have appeared otherwise? "Tell me, what kind of injury does he suffer, tell me?" You'll say that he is devoid of light. And what harm is there from being deprived of sensual light? On the contrary, he is more beneficial. For together with the bodily sight he also saw the eyes of the soul. Blindness served him well, since through healing from it he came to know the true Sun of Righteousness. Thus, this blind man is not offended, but beneficial. - Further, anyone who studies the word of God should know that the particles "in order to" are often used in Scripture to designate not the cause, but the event itself. For example, in David it is said: "So that (yes) Thou art righteous in Thy judgment" (Psalm 50:6). David did not sin in order for God to be justified. But because of David's sin, God had to be justified.

So, you see, in the sentence "so that Thou art righteous" (Slavonic: as thou shalt be justified) the particle does not mean a cause, but an effect. You will find many such figures of speech in the Apostle's writings. For example, in the Epistle to the Romans: "What can be known about God is manifest to the Gentiles, so that they are unanswerable" (Slavonic: in order to be unanswerable) (Romans 1:19, 20). God gave knowledge to the Gentiles not so that they would be unaccountable when they sinned, but so that they would not sin. And because they sinned, because of this, knowledge made them unanswerable. And again: the law came after, "that transgression may abound" (Romans 5:20). Though the law was not given to increase sin, but to diminish; but since those who accepted the law did not want to reduce sin, the law served them to increase sin. For their sin became more important and grievous because they had the law, and yet they sinned. - So here, too, the expression "in order that the works of God may be revealed" indicates not the cause, but the effect. For through the healing of the blind man God was glorified. - Often another builder of a house will do one thing, and leave the other unfinished, so that he who does not believe that he has built the first part can prove by arranging what is unfinished that he is also an artist of what was previously built. In the same way, our God Jesus, in healing the injured members and bringing them to their natural (normal) state, shows that He is the Creator of the other members as well. - "That the glory of God may be revealed," says this about Himself, and not about the Father. For the glory of the Father was manifest, but it was necessary to manifest the glory of Jesus, and to the fact that He who created man in the beginning was He. And there is no doubt much glory in this, when it will be revealed that He Who is now man, in the beginning as God created man. - What He says about Himself, listen further. He adds, "I must do the works of Him who sent Me." I, he says, must manifest Myself and do works that can show that I do the same thing that the Father does. Look, He did not say that I should do the same works as the Father does, but the same ones that the Father does. I, he says, must do the very works that He who sent Me does. I must do them "while there is a day," as long as real life lasts, and people can believe in Me. Then "the night will come when no one can do," that is, to believe, for he calls faith a deed. So, in the age to come, no one can believe. - The present life is the day, because during it, as in the daytime, we can do; although the Apostle Paul calls it night, partly because those who do virtue or vice are not known here, and partly in comparison with the Light that will illumine the righteous. The age to come is night, because no one can do there; although the Apostle Paul calls it a day, because the righteous will appear in the light and the deeds of each one will be revealed. Thus, in the age to come, there is no faith, but all will obey, those who desire and those who do not. - "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world," for by teaching and by the manifestation of miracles I enlighten souls. Wherefore even now it behoveth Me to enlighten the souls of many, through the healing of the blind man, and the illumination of the pupils in his eyes. As light, I must enlighten both sensually and spiritually.

And when he had said this, he spat on the ground, and made clay out of spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with it, and said to him, "Go and wash in the pool of Siloam." He went and washed himself, and came back seeing. Having said this, Jesus did not stop at words, but added to them the deed. He spat on the ground, made clay out of spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with clay, showing through clay that He also formed Adam's body from clay. The mere words that I had created Adam might have seemed tempting to the hearers, but when the words were confirmed by deeds, there was no cause for temptation. He makes his eyes out of mortality, using the same method of creation that He created Adam. Not only did He arrange His eyes and open them, but He gave them vision, which showed that He also breathed a soul into Adam. For without the action of the soul, the eye would never have seen, even though it had been arranged. He also used spittle to endow him with vision. Since He intended to send the blind man to Siloam, so that they would not attribute the miracle to the water of the spring, but would know that the eyes of the blind man were formed and opened by the power that came out of His mouth, for this purpose He spat on the ground and made clay out of the spittle of the mouth. Then, so that you do not think that the miracle depended on the earth, He commands you to wash yourself, so that the clay will completely fall behind. However, some say that this mortality did not fall away at all, but turned into eyes.

- Why did the Evangelist add an explanation of the name Siloam? In order that you may know that Christ healed the blind man here too, and that Siloam is the image of Christ. For Christ is both a spiritual Stone (1 Corinthians 10:4) and a spiritual Siloam; and as the brook of Siloam by its strange course represented something sudden and striking, so the coming of the Lord, hidden and unknown to the angels, by its power drowns all sin.

Then the neighbors, and those who had seen before that he was blind, said, "Is this not the one who sat and begged? Some said, "This is he," and others, "He resembles him." And he said, "It is I." Then they asked him, "How did your eyes open?" He answered and said, "The man called Jesus has made clay, anointed my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself." I went to wash my face and regained my sight. The neighbors, amazed at the extraordinariness of the miracle, did not believe it. Although his procession to Siloam with eyes anointed with clay was so that many would see him and then not deny ignorance, yet even now they do not believe. The Evangelist, not without intention, remarks that he was begging for alms, but in order to show the Lord's ineffable love for mankind in that He condescended to the poor as well, that He healed the poor with great care, and from this we would learn not to despise our lesser brethren. And the blind man, not ashamed of his former misery, not afraid of the people, openly says, "This is I," preaches the Benefactor, and says, "The man called Jesus." - He calls the Lord Man, because until now he knew nothing about Him, and what he has now learned, he confesses. How does he know that it is Jesus? From His conversation with His disciples. The disciples asked the Lord about him, and He answered them for quite a long time: "I must do the works of Him who sent Me; I am the light of the world." No one else taught this except Jesus alone, and He often used such speeches. It was from this that the blind man knew that it was Jesus. That He made the clay and anointed his eyes, He knew from the touch, and said. He kept silent about spitting, because he did not know, and as he did not know, he did not add. Apparently, this man was righteous.

Then they said to him, "Where is he?" He answered, "I don't know." They took this former blind man to the Pharisees. And there was a sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He has put clay in my eyes; And I washed my face and saw. Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not of God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." Others said: how can a sinful man work such miracles? And there was strife between them. Since the Lord, when He bestowed healing and performed miracles, usually hid Himself in His modesty, the blind man, when asked where Jesus is, says "I do not know," in order to be completely faithful to the truth. - They take him to the Pharisees in order to subject him to a more detailed and strict interrogation. - The Evangelist remarks that "there was a Sabbath" in order to show their malice, how they seize every opportunity against Christ: they accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath and thus attempt to obscure the miracle. Wherefore they do not ask him how thou didst receive thy sight, but how he opened thy eyes, slandering the Lord in all things, as He who acted on the Sabbath. The blind man himself is forced to remember that He made the frailty on the Sabbath. He, answering those who have already heard, does not mention the name of Jesus, nor what the Lord said to him, but only says: "He has put clay in my eyes, and I have washed and see." For it is probable that the Pharisees had heard from those who had brought the blind man to them, and perhaps they had slandered the Lord, and said, This is what Jesus does on the Sabbath. The courage of the blind man is worthy of remark, that he fearlessly speaks to the Pharisees. He was brought in so that, stricken with fear, he would reject the reality of healing, and he very clearly exclaimed: I see. - Of the Pharisees, some of them, not all, but more bold, said: "This man is not of God." And others said: how can a sinful person work such miracles? You see, under the influence of miracles, many are softened. These people are the Pharisees, the rulers, but as a result of this miracle, they are ashamed and somewhat protective. "And there was strife among them." This strife used to take place among the people, for some said that He deceived the people, and others that He was good (John 7:12, 43), and now it begins among the rulers. And so many Pharisees, separating themselves from the rest, defend the miracle. However, even after the separation, they speak for Christ very weakly and more doubtfully and double-minded than firmly. For listen to what they say: how can a sinful man work such miracles? Do you see how weakly they object? Look also at the cunning of the slanderers. They do not say that He is not of God, because He heals on the Sabbath, but that He does not keep the Sabbath; they constantly expose not a beneficence, but a violation of the day. Note also that the rulers are slower to do good than the people. The people had already been divided in opinion, and not all spoke against Christ, and the leaders came to this laudable division after the people. For it is good sometimes to divide, as the Lord also says: "I have come to bring a sword to the earth" (Matt. 10:34), that is, without a doubt, disagreement because of goodness and godliness.