How did He manifest His glory? After all, few were present at this event, and it was not done in the presence of the people? But if not then, then later everyone should have heard about this miracle, as it is proclaimed to this day, and did not remain unknown. Understand the words: "His disciples believed in Him" in such a way that they had great and strongest faith in Him. Of course, they had believed before, but they did not believe so firmly.

After this He came to Capernaum, Himself and His Mother, and His brethren, and His disciples; and there they stayed a few days. The Passover of the Jews was approaching, and Jesus came to Jerusalem and found that oxen, sheep, and pigeons were being sold in the temple, and money changers were sitting. And having made a whip of cords, he drove out of the temple all the sheep and oxen; and scattered the money of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; And he said to those who sold doves, Take this from hence, and do not make my Father's house a house of trade. At this His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for Thy house devours Me" (Psalm 68:10).

The Lord comes to Capernaum for no other purpose than to leave His Mother there, so as not to lead her everywhere with Him. Since they went to Cana for the wedding, and the marriage took place, He returned the Mother to Capernaum to Her house. And that for this very reason the Lord comes to Capernaum is revealed from the fact that He stayed there for a few days, and did not perform miracles there, because the inhabitants of that city had no faith in Him, which is why the Lord in another place expresses woe to him (Matt. 11:23). – With the words: "Pascha was approaching," the Evangelist shows that Jesus was baptized shortly before Pascha. Having come to Jerusalem, He performs a deed that reveals complete autocracy, namely: He drives out of the temple those who sold sheep and oxen. Although Matthew (21:12-13) tells of this, know that He did it more than once. What is narrated in Matthew He does close to His sufferings, but the present – in John – He does at the beginning of the signs. Wherefore here he said with indulgence: "Do not make My Father's house a house of commerce." For the miracles were just beginning, and He did not yet have the boldness that miracles did. And there, that is, in Matthew, he says: "Do not make a den of thieves." He clearly called them robbers, as profiting by unjust means. For whoever values a thing of little value dearly, and on occasion takes advantage of the poor and widows (as those who buy up necessities and then sell afterwards do), what else does he do but rob, taking advantage of the misfortune of his neighbors? Why does He completely expel such people from the temple? Not without reason: He will heal on the Sabbath, and as it were break the law concerning it; therefore, lest He should then be considered an adversary of God, He now warns of such a thought. For whoever has shown such zeal for the temple will not reject God, the Lord of the temple. And he drove out, not simply, but by striking with a whip from the ropes, and overturned the tables, and scattered the money changers, and decided to do a very dangerous thing. And whoever puts himself in danger for the house of God will allow himself to depart from the law of God, not as an opponent of God, but, without a doubt, as the Son, who has equal authority with God and the Father, who gave the law of the Sabbath. Wherefore He did not say, "The house of God," but, "The house of My Father," showing that He, as the Son, has authority over all that belongs to the Father. Moneychangers are those who sell small coins or nummas. Like the merchants of that time, many of the high priests sin: when they sell "oxen" in the church, not giving honor to those who are distinguished in the teacher's word, but giving it to those who wish to do evil, when they sell "sheep" – the common and ordinary people, "doves" – spiritual gifts, and when they place to the highest degree those who give more; such the Lord "drives out" of the sanctuary, finding them unworthy of the high priesthood according to His judgment. Likewise, if someone sells a large or small coin, that is, an opinion and a word, and being a teacher, but not foreseeing the benefit, does not proclaim the word of the Gospel, then the Lord "overturns" both his "table," that is, the title of teacher, and the teaching, which he withholds out of malice, not giving it to everyone; while the Lord Jesus dismisses such a person from power, and places another worthy one on the teacher's table. The disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for thy house devours me" (Psalm 68:10). A little more time they grow in goodness, and already they remember passages from the Scriptures, and, finding evidence in them, they are more and more confirmed in their knowledge of Christ.

And the Jews said, "By what sign wilt thou prove to us that thou hast authority to do such things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." And the Jews said, "This temple has been built for forty-six years, and you will build it in three days?" And He spoke of the temple of His body. And when He rose from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had spoken these things, and believed the Scriptures and the word that Jesus had spoken.

When the Jews saw that the Lord was doing this with great authority, and said, "Do not make my Father's house a market," they said, "Assure us by some miracle that you are the Son of God, and that you have been sent by him." For how can it be seen that the Lord of this house is Thy Father? And He answered them in a flowing way, saying: "Destroy this temple," no doubt speaking of His body, because in it dwelt all the Divinity of the Only-begotten. By the word "destroy" he does not encourage them to kill (away with such a thought!), but, knowing their intention to do so, hints at what will happen without delay. Let the Arians also hear how the Lord and the destroyer of death says: "I will raise up." He did not say, "The Father will raise up," but "I" will raise up using my own power, and not needing someone else's from outside. But the Jews, thinking that He is speaking of a soulless temple, laugh at Him. How, they say, do you say that you will raise it up in three days, when it was built for forty-six years? It should be known that when the temple was first built under Solomon, then everything was needlessly completed in twenty years. Later, when the Jews were allowed to build the temple after their captivity, they began to renew it during the reign of Cyrus; then, meeting with an obstacle from the envious, they continued the construction until the reign of Artaxerxes; under him, enjoying complete security, they could finish this matter with great difficulty. But when it is said that the Jews held a spear in one hand and a building tool in the other, they were so much in fear of the neighboring Idumeans, and not of the Persians, for they enjoyed complete safety from them, that is, from the Persians, as I have said. Of this building, which took place after the captivity, it is said that it lasted forty-six years, because the Jews were hindered, and therefore they extended it from the reign of Cyrus to Artaxerxes. And it is not surprising that the Jews did not understand Jesus' words, as did the disciples. For them there were two great difficulties: one was that the matter of the resurrection was very incomprehensible, especially since they did not know it at all; the other is that he who lives in the body is God. However, after the resurrection, the disciples understood and believed the Scriptures. What Scripture? And to everyone who precedes the resurrection, and, as the clearest, this: "Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell" (Psalm 15:10), and this: "The Lord desires to cleanse him from his wound, and to show him light" (Isaiah 53:11). For these passages of Scripture very clearly precede the resurrection. Apollinaris tries to find here a defense of his heresy. Wishing to confirm that the flesh of the Lord was without a soul, he says: the flesh is called a temple, but the temple is soulless; therefore, it is also soulless. Thunderstruck and spinning! Thou shalt make the flesh of the Lord, perhaps, both trees and stones, since the temple is made of them?! When you hear the words of the Lord: "My soul is now troubled" (John 12:27) and "I have power to lay down My life" (John 10:18), how do you understand them? If you say that this is not said about the verbal and rational soul, then where do you put the words: "Father! into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46)? Will you understand this about the foolish soul? And this: "Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell" (Psalm 15:10), what do you think? But perish with your like-minded people.

And when he was in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover, many saw the miracles which he wrought, and believed in his name. But Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew them all, and had no need for anyone to bear witness to man; for He Himself knew what was in man.

Chapter Three

Among the Pharisees there was a man named Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Jews; and he came to Jesus by night, and said to him, Rabbi! we know that you are a Teacher who has come from God, for no one can perform such miracles as you do, unless God is with him.

When Jesus was at the feast, some apparently believed in His name; but their faith was uncertain. For, heeding Christ for a time not as God, but as a God-bearing man, they again fell away from this most insignificant faith. And that they were such is evident from the following. Jesus Himself, it is said, did not entrust Himself to them and did not impart all His teaching, as to untrue believers, penetrating into their hearts (Psalm 93:11; Jeremiah 17:10) and knowing what was in them about Him. For it was not hidden from Him what was the thought in every man, apparently a believer. Almost so was Nicodemus. He also believed Jesus, and it seems that he spoke to the Jews in favor of the Lord, namely, that He should be judged by careful examination (John 7:50-51). And after the crucifixion at burial, he also showed a lot of care and generosity. However, he did not believe, as he should have. Still holding on to Jewish weakness, he comes to Jesus "by night" out of fear of the Jews (John 19:38, 39); He calls Him the Teacher, as a simple man, for he had such an idea of Him, wherefore he adds that no one can work such miracles unless God is with him. You see, he comes to Jesus as a prophet and a man loved by God. What about the Lord? He does not denounce him in a formidable manner, does not say, why do you come at night to the Teacher sent from God, why do you not have courage? He says nothing of the kind, but graciously talks to him about divine and lofty things. Note also that although Christ performed many miracles, the present Evangelist does not narrate any of them, either because they are spoken of by other Evangelists, or because they are higher than the detailed narration.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

It seems that the Lord's words to Nicodemus have nothing in common with the words of Nicodemus to Him. But for the attentive one, many similarities will be revealed. Since Nicodemus had a degraded concept of Christ, namely, that He is a Teacher and that God is with Him, the Lord says to him: "It is natural for you to have such an understanding of Me." For you have not yet been born "again," that is, of God, by spiritual birth, but still of the flesh, and the knowledge which you have of Me is not spiritual, but spiritual and human. But I say to you that you and everyone else will be outside the kingdom, unless you are born again and of God, and do not receive a proper understanding of me. For birth through baptism, by bringing light into the soul, gives it the opportunity to see or know the Kingdom of God, that is, His only-begotten Son. For the Son can be called both the wisdom of God and the Kingdom of God. But this kingdom, Nicodemus, no one can see or know, unless he is born of God. In the same way, because you have not yet been born spiritually, you do not see Me – the Kingdom of God, as you should, but you have a low understanding of Me.

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb another time and be born? Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus, hearing a teaching higher than that of man, is amazed and, according to the nature of human weakness, asks: How is this possible? This is a sign of unbelief. For where there is no faith, there are questions: how is this, why is this? The words of Nicodemus also seem ridiculous, because he did not think about spiritual birth, but remembered the bodily womb. When he heard that if someone is not born "again," he thought that it was used instead of "first," "again," a second time, and he understood the speech to mean "if someone is not born again," a second time. Wherefore he saith, How, being old, can he enter into his mother's womb? Two subjects were incomprehensible to him: one was spiritual birth, the other was the Kingdom. For the Jews had never heard the name of the kingdom of heaven. Now he is perplexed about the birth. Christ reveals to him more clearly the way in which the spiritual is born. For man, consisting of two parts, soul and body, also has a two-part image of birth. Water, visibly received, acts for the purification of the body, and the Spirit, invisibly united, for the rebirth of the invisible soul. If you ask how water can give birth, then I will also ask, how can seed, which is itself water-like, be formed into a man? Therefore, just as the grace of God does everything over the bodily seed, so at baptism water is offered, but everything is done by the Spirit and prayerful invocation, and especially by the presence of God. For in this water are made the signs and the image of burial and resurrection. Three immersions are a sign of a three-day burial; then a person rises (emerges) like the Lord, wearing a bright and pure garment of incorruption, and immersing corruption in water.