CONVERSATION 28

"For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him" (John 3:17)

1. Many of the careless people, abusing God's love for mankind to increase sins and to greater negligence, say these words: there is no hell, there is no torment; God forgives us all sins. Stopping the mouths of such people, one wise man says: "And do not say, 'His mercy is great, He will forgive the multitude of my sins'; for mercy and wrath are with him, and his wrath abides upon sinners" (Sirach 5:6,7). And in another place: "As great is His mercy, so great is His chastisement" (Sirach 16:13). Where, someone will say, is His love for mankind, if we receive what follows for our sins? But we will get what we deserve, listen to both the prophet and Paul. One says: "You reward each one according to his deeds" (Psalm 61:13); and the other: "Who will reward each one according to his deeds" (Romans 2:6). Nevertheless, God's love for mankind is great, and this is evident from this: God divided our destinies into two centuries of life, the present and the future, and, having determined the former for podvigs, and the latter for receiving crowns, He thus showed great love for mankind. How? By the fact that, even though we have committed a multitude of grievous sins and have not ceased to defile our souls with innumerable vices from youth to extreme old age, He does not torture us for any of these sins, but in the bath of life gives us absolution and grants justification and sanctification. But what will you say if he who has been vouchsafed the sacraments from childhood after that falls into a multitude of sins? Such a person deserves all the more punishment. For the same sins we are subjected not to the same condemnation, but to a much more severe one, when we sin after being sanctified by the sacraments. This is shown by Paul in the following words: "[If] he who rejects the law of Moses, in the presence of two or three witnesses, without mercy [is punished] with death, how much more grievous punishment do you think he will be guilty of who tramples on the Son of God, and does not count the blood of the covenant as holy, by which he was sanctified, and offends the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:28,29)? Such a one, therefore, deserves a greater punishment.

However, God still opens the doors of repentance to such a person and gives him many means to wash away his sins, if only he himself desires. Consider, then, how great are the proofs of His love for mankind, that He forgives (sins) by His grace, and He does not punish him who sins after grace and deserves punishment, but gives time and means for justification. That is why Christ said to Nicodemus: "God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." Two comings of Christ: one has already happened, the other will be. But both have more than one purpose: the first was not to torture our deeds, but to resolve; The Second Coming will not be for remission, but for torment. Therefore of the first coming He says: "I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world" (John 12:47); and of the second: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory, and all nations will be gathered before Him; and separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left" (Matt. 25:31-33). However, the first coming could also be for the court, at the request of justice. Why? Because before the coming of Christ there were already the natural law, and the prophets, and the written law, and the teaching, and the innumerable promises, and the manifestation of miracles, and punishments, and torments, and many other things that could correct (people) – and in all this it was necessary to demand an account. But since (God) loves mankind, He did not torture, but granted forgiveness. And if He had judged, all would have perished immediately. "For all," it is said, "have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Do you see what an ineffable love for mankind? "He that believeth in him is not judged, but he that believeth not is condemned already" (v. 18). But if He did not come to judge the world, how is it that the unbeliever is "already condemned" when the time of judgment has not yet come? He says this either because unbelief without repentance is in itself the greatest torment, or because He foretells the future. Just as a murderer, even if he has not been condemned by the verdict of a judge, has already been condemned by the very nature of his work, so is the unbeliever. And Adam died on the very day that he ate of the tree: such was the definition: "In the day that you eat of it, you will surely die" (Gen. 2:17). But he still lived after that: how did he die? Both by God's determination and by the nature of his action. As he has made himself guilty of punishment, he is under punishment, although not yet in reality, but by definition. And so that someone, having heard: "I have not come to judge the world," should not think that it is possible to sin with impunity, and therefore become even more careless, Christ prevents such negligence, saying: "Already condemned." Since there will be judgment, but it has not yet come, He immediately arouses the fear of torment and already shows the punishment. But even this serves as proof of God's great love for mankind, that God not only gave the Son, but also postponed the time of judgment so that sinners and unbelievers would have the opportunity to cleanse their sins. "He that believeth in him is not judged," he who believes in the Son, and not one who examines; a believer, not a curious one. And if a believer also has an unclean life, unkind deeds? Paul calls such people not true believers: "they say that they know God, but by their works they deny it" (Titus 1:16). However, Christ here expresses that they are not to be condemned for unbelief, but will be subjected to the most severe punishment for their works; but they are not punished for unbelief, because they have already believed.

2. Do you see how, having begun with (the fearful truths), Christ ended with them again? In the beginning He said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." And here again, "He that believeth not is condemned already." That is, do not think that postponement (of punishment) can be of any benefit to one who has already deserved punishment, if he does not repent. The condition of an unbeliever is in no way better than that of people who have already been condemned and given over to punishment. "But the judgment is this, that light has come into the world; but men loved darkness more than light" (v. 19). The meaning of these words is this: people are punished for not wanting to leave the darkness and hasten to the light. In this way, Christ deprives them of all justification. If, says He, I had come only to punish and demand an account of their deeds, they might have said, "That is why we have departed from Thee." But I have come to deliver them from darkness and bring them into the light. Who would have mercy on a man who does not want to come out of darkness into the light? In this way, he says, they depart from us, not being able to accuse us of anything, but still receiving from us innumerable blessings. Condemning them for this and in another place, He says: "They hated Me without a cause"; and again: "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin" (John 15:22), Whoever sits in darkness for want of light would perhaps receive forgiveness; and he who remains in darkness after the manifestation of light, testifies to himself that his will is corrupt and disobedient. But since what was said seemed incredible to many (for no one can prefer darkness to light), He also shows the reason why people were subjected to such misfortune. What is this reason? "For their works were evil; for everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed" (vv. 19-20). For He did not come to judge or torment, but to forgive and forgive their sins, to give them salvation through faith: why did they flee from Him? If He had come and sat down at the judgment seat, they might have had some reason to do so. Whoever is aware of something evil in himself usually avoids the judge; But criminals even rush to the one who forgives. Therefore, if He came with forgiveness, they should hasten to Him, and especially those who were conscious of many sins in themselves; And so many did. Publicans and sinners, coming to Jesus, sat down with Him. What do His words mean? He speaks of those who have resolved to remain forever in evil. He Himself came in order to forsake former sins and warn against future ones. But since some have changed to such an extent and have weakened themselves to the feats of virtue that they want to remain in evil until their last breath and never think of leaving it, Christ, having in mind such people, denounces them. Christianity demands both Orthodox teaching and a good life, but they, says Christ, are afraid to turn to us, because they do not want to show a good life. No one will rebuke him who lives in paganism, because he who has such gods and festivals, like shameful gods and worthy of ridicule, also shows deeds worthy of his teaching, and the worshippers of God, living carelessly, have everyone for themselves accusers and accusers - so worthy is the truth even for its enemies! Notice, then, with what precision Christ expresses what He speaks. He did not say, "He who has done evil does not come to the light," but, "He who does," that is, he who always does; whoever wants to always wallow in the mire of sin does not want to submit himself to My laws, and, outside of them, fearlessly commits fornication and does everything else that is forbidden. And when he comes to Me, he is seen as a thief in the light. That is why he shuns My authority. Indeed, even now we can hear from many pagans that they cannot turn to our faith because they cannot abandon drunkenness, fornication and similar vices. What, then, you will say, are there not Christians who do evil, and pagans who spend their lives in wisdom? That there are Christians who live badly, I also know; but whether there are pagans who live virtuously, I do not yet know for certain. Do not point out to me people who are humble and honest by nature: this is not a virtue! Point out a person who, experiencing a strong passion, would remain wise, and you will not find such a person (in paganism). If the promise of the kingdom, the threat of hell, and the like, scarcely keep men in virtue, how much less can men who are not convinced of this succeed in virtue. If some of them show a form of virtue, they do so for glory. And whoever does this for glory, when it is possible to conceal himself, will not refuse to satisfy his evil wishes. But in order not to appear to anyone to be lovers of argument, let us agree that among the pagans there are people who live well; This does not contradict our words in the least. I am talking about what happens many times, and not about what happens occasionally.

3. But see how Christ deprives them, on the other hand, of all justification. He says that "light has come into the world." Did they seek him, he says, did they labor, did they take care to find him? The light came to them by itself; yet even then they did not hasten to him. If, however, some live badly among Christians, then we note that Christ does not speak of those who became Christians from birth and received the faith from their ancestors (although often they also deviated from the right teaching by their vicious lives); it seems that it is not about them that we are speaking here, but about those who from Judaism or paganism had to convert to the true faith. (Christ) shows that no one, being in error, will want to turn to faith unless he first prescribes to himself a good life, and no one will remain in unbelief unless he first decides to remain evil forever. Do not tell me that so-and-so is chaste, and do not believe; this is not the only virtue. What is the use, having these qualities, to be a slave to vain rumors, and, fearing the shame of one's friends, to remain in error? This does not mean living virtuously. A slave of vanity is no better than a fornicator; even commits much greater and more grievous sins than the other. But show me someone among the Gentiles, who would be free from all passions and would not be involved in any vice: you cannot point out. And those who were famous among them for great deeds and despised, as they say, wealth and luxury, were the ones who were most subservient to the glory of men; and this is the cause of all evil. The Jews also remained in this state. That is why, accusing them, Christ said: "How can ye believe, when ye receive glory from one another" (John 5:44)? But why did Christ not converse and spread words about this with Nathanael, to whom He testified the truth? Because he did not come to Christ with such zeal (as with Nicodemus). Nicodemus considered this a duty for himself and used the time to listen to the conversation in which others rested. But Nathanael came because of the conviction of another. However, Christ did not ignore him either; He said to him; "From henceforth ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending" (John 1:51). To Nicodemus He did not say anything of the kind, but conversed with him about the dispensation of our salvation and about eternal life, using different speeches in accordance with the spiritual disposition of each. For Nathanael, who knew the prophecies and was not so afraid, it was enough to hear this alone. And to Nicodemus, since he was still fearful, Christ did not reveal everything clearly, but shook his soul in order to destroy fear with fear, saying that the unbeliever is condemned and that unbelief comes from a vicious conscience. Nicodemus treasured the glory of man much and thought about it more than about punishment. "And many of the rulers," it is said, "believed on Him; but for the sake of the Pharisees they did not confess" (John 12:42): it is for this that Christ reproaches him and shows him, moreover, that he who does not believe in Him does not believe for any other reason than because he leads an unclean life. Then He says: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12); and here, "light has come into the world" (v. 19). In this way, at first He spoke more secretly, and later more clearly. Meanwhile, Nicodemus was restrained by the glory of the people; therefore he could not have as much courage as he should have. Let us flee from vanity; This passion is stronger than all passions. Hence covetousness and love of money; Hence hatred, enmity, strife. He who desires more cannot stop at anything; but he desires more because he loves vain glory. Tell me, why do many surround themselves with a multitude of eunuchs, a crowd of servants, and such brilliance? Not out of necessity, but so that people who meet them will witness this inappropriate brilliance. Thus, if we cut off this passion, then together with the head we will destroy the other members of this evil, and then nothing will prevent us from living on earth as in heaven. Vanity not only draws its captives to evil, but also creeps into virtues; and if he cannot deprive us of them; then it does us great harm in virtue itself, forcing us to endure labors, and depriving us of fruits. Infected with vanity, whether he fasts, prays, or gives alms, he is deprived of his reward. What misfortune can be greater than this, exhausting oneself in vain and in vain, to be subjected to ridicule and to be deprived of heavenly glory? And he who desires both glory cannot receive both together. True, it is possible to attain both glory, but only if we desire not both, but one – the glory of heaven. And he who covets both cannot receive both together. Therefore, if we want to attain glory, let us flee from the glory of men, and to desire that glory alone is from God. In this way we can acquire both glory, which may we all be vouchsafed to receive, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

DISCOURSE 29

"After these things Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judah, and there he dwelt with them, and baptized" (John 3:22)

1. There is nothing brighter and stronger than truth, just as there is nothing more powerless than falsehood, even if it is covered by innumerable veils. Lies are easy to catch and refute; and truth openly offers itself to all who wish to see its beauty. She does not like to hide, is not afraid of danger, does not tremble at calumnies, does not seek the glory of the people, is not subject to anything else human; it stands above all, subjecting, of course, to thousands of calumnies, but remaining irresistible; Those who come to it she guards as with a strong wall by the majesty of her strength; it does not tolerate hidden shelters, but openly offers everything that is in it to everyone. This was also shown by Christ when He said to Pilate: "I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and I have spoken nothing in secret" (John 8:20). He said it then, and now He has done it. "After this," it is said, "Jesus came with His disciples to the land of Judea, and there He dwelt with them, and baptized." On feast days He came to the city to offer teaching among the people, and to do good to them with miracles; and at the end of the feasts, he often went to Joardan, because there too many people flocked there. He always visited crowded places, not out of a desire to show Himself, or out of curiosity, but with the aim of benefiting a greater number of people. Since the Evangelist further says that it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples, it is clear that here he also says, that is, only His disciples baptized. Why, you will say, did He not baptize Himself? Even earlier John said: "He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (John 3:11); but He did not yet give the Holy Spirit, therefore, of course, He did not baptize. But the disciples did this, wishing to lead many to salvation. Why, then, when Jesus' disciples began to baptize, did John not cease to do so, but he continued to baptize and do so until his imprisonment? The words, "For John also baptized in Anon," and the following: "For John was not yet locked up in prison" (John 3:23,24) show precisely that he did not cease to baptize at that time. Why, you will say, did he baptize until now? After all, if he had ceased to baptize at the same time as the disciples of Jesus had begun, surely he would have shown their superiority? So, why did he continue to baptize? In order not to arouse more envy and rivalry in his students. If John did not persuade them to follow Christ, despite the fact that he cried out a thousand times, always yielded to Him the primacy and recognized himself as less than Him, then if he had also ceased to baptize, how much more would he have aroused rivalry in them. For this reason Christ began to preach especially when John was put to death. And I think that the death of John was allowed and followed so soon that the attention of all the people would be turned to Christ, and opinions would no longer be divided between the two. However, even when baptizing, John did not cease to exhort and show the great and lofty dignity of Jesus. He baptized not for anything else, but only "that they might believe in Him who comes after him" (Acts 19:4). So, in preaching this, how would he show the worthiness of Christ's disciples if he stopped baptizing? Then they would think that he did it out of envy or annoyance. And as he continued to preach, he proved their reverence even more strongly. He did not gain glory for himself, but sent his hearers to Christ, and no less than His disciples cooperated with Him, even more, because His testimony was not suspicious, and He had more glory with everyone than they did. The Evangelist also pointed to this, saying: "Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about the Jordan, went out to him" (Matt. 3:5). And even at the time when the disciples were baptizing, the people did not cease to come to him. And if anyone wanted to know whether the baptism of the disciples (Jesus) had any advantage over the baptism of John, we will say that there was none. Both baptisms did not have the grace of the Spirit, and the purpose of both was only to bring those who were baptized to Christ. The disciples of Jesus, not wishing to go constantly (to different places) in order to gather those who wished to believe, as his brother had done with Simon and Philip with Nathanael, instituted baptism, in order to easily lead everyone to Christ through it and pave the way to faith in Him. And that neither one nor the other baptism had any advantage over the other is evident from the following circumstances. What? "Then the disciples of John had a dispute with the Jews about purification" (v. 25). John's disciples always envied Christ's disciples, even Christ Himself; but when they saw that they were baptizing, they began to tell the baptized that their baptism contained something more than the baptism of Christ's disciples, and taking one of the baptized, they tried to convince him of this, but did not convince him. And that they themselves came to him, and he did not seek them, listen to how the Evangelist hints at this. He does not say that one Jew began to contend with them, but: "Then the disciples of John had a dispute with the Jews about purification."

2. But note also the modesty of the evangelist. He does not use words of reproach, but, as far as possible, mitigates the guilt (of the disciples of John), saying simply: "There was a dispute." And that this contest arose from envy is evident from the following circumstances, which the Evangelist also set forth without reproach. "And they came," he says, "to John, and said to him, Rabbi! He who was with you at the Jordan, and of whom you testified, behold, he baptizes, and all go to him" (v. 26), that is, to him whom you baptized; this they express in the words, "Of whom thou hast testified." They seemed to say: He whom you have made famous and glorious, He dares to do the same as you do. But they did not say, "Whom thou hast baptized," in which case they would have been compelled to remember both the voice that came from above, and the descent of the Spirit, but what do they say? "He who was with you at the Jordan and of whom you testified," that is, who was among your disciples, who had nothing greater than ours in him, He, having separated from you, baptizes. But it was not only by this that they thought to excite John, but also by the fact that their glory at last began to be eclipsed: all, they say, are coming to Him. From this it is evident that they did not overcome the Jew with whom they had a contest. And they said this because they were still imperfect and still unclean from covetousness. What about John? Fearing that they, having separated themselves from himself, will do something more evil, he does not reproach them much; And what does he say? "A man cannot receive anything [on] [himself], except it be given to him from heaven" (v. 27). If here he does not yet speak very highly of Christ, do not be surprised at this; He could not teach his disciples imbued with such feelings suddenly and on the first try. He wants first to strike them with fear and to show that they, in enmity against Him, are not against anyone else, but against God Himself. Thus, as Gamaliel also said: "You cannot destroy it; [beware] lest ye also be found to be enemies of God" (Acts 5:39), then John also secretly expresses here. By saying: "No one can take it, except it be given to him from heaven," he shows that they covet the impossible and therefore turn out to be atheists. What then? Did not the accomplices of Theudas take it from themselves? But they took it, and immediately they were scattered and perished. But the works of Christ are not like that. In this way, John imperceptibly calms them down, showing that the one who eclipses their glory is not a man, but God. Therefore, if His works are glorious, and all go to Him, it should not be surprising: such are the works of God, and he who does them is God; otherwise He would never have been able to do such great things. Human affairs are comprehensible and unstable, they soon collapse and perish. And these things are not like that; therefore they are not human works. And behold, how the words, "Of whom thou hast testified," which John's disciples thought to turn to the humiliation of Christ, John turns against themselves. Having first shown that Christ was not glorified by his testimony, he then stops their mouths in this way: "A man cannot," he says, "receive anything [on] [himself], unless it be given to him from heaven." What does that mean? If, that is, you fully adhere to my testimony and recognize it as true, then know that according to this very testimony you should prefer not me to Him, but Him to me. And what did I testify? I call you to witness this. Wherefore he adds, "Ye yourselves are witnesses unto me, that I have said, I am not the Christ, but I am sent before him," v. 28. If, therefore, you hold to my testimony, and make it appear to me, and say, "Of whom thou hast testified," know that not only is He not humbled by the acceptance of my testimony, but is still more exalted by it. In other words, that testimony was not mine, but God's. If, therefore, you think me a man worthy of probability, I have also said, among other things, that I am sent before Him. Do you see how little by little he shows them that this testimony is divine? The meaning of his words is this: I am a minister, and I speak the words of Him who sent me, not flattering Him according to human partiality, but serving His Father, Who sent me. I did not please Him with my testimony, but spoke what I was sent to say. Therefore, do not consider me great; in this His greatness is revealed. He Himself is the Lord of all these works. Explaining this, John adds: "He who has a bride is a bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices when he hears the voice of the bridegroom" (v. 29). But why does he, who used to say, "I am not worthy to untie the strap of His shoes" (John 1:27), now calls himself His friend? He says this, not exalting himself or exalting himself, but wishing to show that this is what he strives for, that this is not against his will or to his grief, but in accordance with his desire and effort, and that it is to this that he directed all his actions. This he very wisely expressed by the name of his friend, because the bridegroom's servants in such circumstances do not rejoice and rejoice so much as his friends. Thus, when he calls himself a friend, he does not mean his equality with Christ – no, – but wishes to express his joy, and at the same time he condescends to the weakness of his disciples. He also pointed to his ministry, saying, "I am sent before Him." But since they thought that he was grieved by this, he called himself the friend of the Bridegroom, thus showing that he was not only not grieved by this, but also very happy. I, he says, have come to this work, and therefore I am so far from being grieved by these circumstances, that then I would be most grieved if it did not happen. I would then grieve if the bride did not come to the Bridegroom; and not now, when our desires have been fulfilled. If the Bridegroom's affairs prosper, then we are happy too. What we wished came true, and the bride recognized the Bridegroom. And you yourself testify that everyone goes to Him. This is what I tried to do, and this is what I directed all my actions towards. Thus, seeing now the fulfillment of this, I rejoice, rejoice, and rejoice.

3. But what is the meaning of the words, "He who stands and hearkens to him, rejoices when he hears the voice of the bridegroom"? Here he passes from the parable to the real subject; having mentioned the Bridegroom and the Bride, he shows how the introduction of the bride takes place: namely, by voice and teaching. This is how the Church is united to God. That is why Paul also says: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). And so, it is this voice that pleases me. But he also used the expression "standing" not without purpose, but with the purpose of showing that his work is finished, that he, after handing over the bride to the Bridegroom, has only to stand and listen, that he is a servant and executor, and that his good hope and joy have been fulfilled. Showing this, he adds: "This is my joy fulfilled" (v. 29), i.e. the work that was to be done has been done by me, and we can do nothing more. Then, in order to stop the intensification of sorrowful feelings (in his disciples) not only for the present time, but also for the future, he reveals to them future events and confirms them both by what has already been said and by what has already been done. For this purpose he adds these words: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (v. 30), i.e. our works have stopped and are already finished, but His works begin to increase. What you fear is not only for the present time, but will increase in the future; This will show our deeds in full light. For this reason I have come, and I rejoice that His works have been so prosperous, and that for the sake of which all that we have done has been accomplished. Do you see how calmly and with what wisdom he tamed their passions, extinguished their envy and proved the impossibility of their enterprise, from which the evil is especially weakened? But this was arranged during the life and baptism of John, so that they, having in him such a high witness, could no longer justify themselves if they did not believe. He did not come to express this of his own accord, and not only because he was asked by strangers: his disciples themselves asked him and listened to him. If he had spoken on his own behalf, they might not have believed yet; but when they heard his answers to their own questions, they already had a verdict against themselves. In the same way, the Jews, precisely because they sent a deliberate embassy to him, heard his answers, and yet did not believe him, - for this reason they deprived themselves of all justification. What do we learn from this? That the cause of all evil is vanity. It drove John's disciples to envy; it also aroused their envy again, when they had calmed down a little. Therefore, when they came to Jesus, they said to Him: "Why do not Your disciples fast" (Matt. 9:14)? Let us, beloved, flee from this passion. And if we avoid it, we will get rid of hell. It is she who kindles fire most of all; it stretches its power everywhere and painfully possesses every age and every rank; it overthrew entire churches; it harms civil affairs; it destroys entire houses, cities, nations, tribes. And why are you surprised at this? It penetrates into the deserts and there shows great power. Often even those who left the great possessions and all the deception of the world, who had no communion with anyone, took possession of the strongest carnal desires, and those, being captivated by empty glory, lost everything. For this passion, the Pharisee, who labored much, is placed below the publican, who did not work at all, but committed many sins. It is not difficult to condemn this passion (everyone agrees about it). And it is necessary to try to overcome it. How to overcome? Let us oppose glory to glory. Just as we despise earthly riches when we look at heavenly riches, and do not value the present life when we think of a much better life, so we can despise the glory of the present world when we think of a much higher glory, of true glory. The glory of this world is vain and vain glory, having only a name, without work, and that glory, heavenly glory, is the true glory, in which not men are glorified, but angels and archangels and the Lord of archangels Himself, or rather, people are also glorified. If you look at that spectacle, if you recognize the crowns there, if you turn to that glorification, then the earthly will never take possession of you; you will not consider the present to be great, and you will not seek the transitory. And in the king's chambers not one of the armor-bearers who stand before the king will leave the service of him who is clothed with a diadem and sits on the throne to attend to the cries of crows and the buzzing of flying flies and mosquitoes. And the praise of people is no better than this. Therefore, knowing the low value of human things, let us gather all things into safe treasuries and seek the constant and unchanging glory, which may we all be vouchsafed, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 30

"He who comes from above is above all; but he that is of the earth is and speaketh, as he that is of the earth" (John 3:31)

1. The love of glory is terrible, terrible and full of many evils. It is thorns, hard-to-pluck out, an indomitable, many-headed beast that rises up against the very ones who feed it. As a worm devours the trees in which it is born, rust devours the iron in which it appears, and moths devour fabric, so vanity destroys the soul that brought it up in itself. Therefore, we need a lot of effort to destroy this passion in ourselves. And here, no matter how much John instilled in his disciples, who suffered from this illness, he barely tames them. After the words spoken earlier, he turns to them with another speech; With what? "He who comes from above," he says, "is above all; but he who is of the earth is and speaks, as he who is of the earth" (John 3:31). Since, says he, you carry my testimony everywhere and say that in it I am fully worthy of faith, it is necessary for you to know that He who comes from heaven cannot be made worthy of faith through him who lives on earth. What do the words "there is above all" mean and what do they show? They show that Christ needs no one, but is satisfied with Himself, and that He is above all without any comparison. And John calls himself "of the earthly earth" who speaks, and he does not say so from his own mind; but just as Christ said: "I have spoken unto you of earthly things, and ye believe not" (John 3:12), meaning here baptism, not because it was something earthly, but in comparison with it of His ineffable birth, so John here calls himself speaking from the earth, comparing his teaching with the teaching of Christ. Nothing else is meant by the words, "He speaketh as being of the earth," as the fact that my words, in comparison with Christ's, are of little importance, meager, insignificant, such as is characteristic of words that have received an earthly origin. But in Him are "hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). And that John is not speaking here about human reasoning is evident from his own words: "He who is of the earth also is." But in John not everything was of the earth, but the most important thing was heavenly; he had both a soul and the fellowship of the Spirit not of the earth. How does John say of himself that he is of the earth? This means nothing else than that I am small and worthless, as one who comes from the earth and was born on the earth; but Christ came to us from above. When with all these words John tamed the passion of his disciples, then with great boldness he proclaims about Christ. Before this, it would be superfluous to say any words about Him, since they could not have a place for themselves in the minds of those who heard. But when John has plucked out the thorns, then he fearlessly begins to cast seeds, saying: "He who comes from above is above all; and what he saw and heard, he testifies; and no man receiveth his testimony" (v. 31, 32). But having said these great and lofty words about Christ, John again passes on to the humble word. The expression: "what He saw and heard" is used in a human-like way; for He does not know by sight or hearing that He knows, but in His nature He has all things, as He who came perfect from the bosom of the Father, and has no need of a guide, as He Himself says: "As the Father knoweth Me, so also I know the Father" (John 10:15). What does it mean, "What He has seen and heard, He also bears witness to"? Since by means of these senses we know everything with accuracy, and consider ourselves reliable teachers in what we perceive through sight and hearing, because we do not invent or tell lies, John, wishing to express this here also, said: "What He saw and heard," that is: in Him there is nothing false, but everything is true. Just as we often ask with curiosity: Have you heard it yourself? Have you seen it? and when this is confirmed, then the testimony becomes indubitable, so when Christ Himself says: "As I hear, so I judge" (John 5:30), and: "What I have heard from Him, that I say" (8:26), and "We speak of what we know" (3:11), and similar words, then we should not think that He speaks from the teaching of others (it would be extremely foolish to think so). but that He speaks in this way so that nothing He said would be suspected by shameless Jews. Since they did not yet have a proper understanding of Him, He often turns to the Father, and thus makes His words worthy of faith for them.