Do you, he says, want to know My equality with the Father? You cannot know equality in essence, because it is impossible to know the essence of God; but take the equality and identity of deeds as a proof of the identity of force; for works will be for you a testimony of My Divinity. And you'll know and believe that I'm none other than the Father. For, being the Son and being different in person, I have one and the same being; just as the Father, being the Father and differing in person, is nothing other than the Son, of course, in essence and nature. Though We differ in persons, yet the persons are inseparable and inseparable, and the Father and the Son dwell in one another without confusion. With us, the father exists separately from the son, although he is one by nature. But in the faces of God it is not as with us; but they dwell in one another unmerged. For this reason it is said of us: "three men," for we are separate persons, and do not actually constitute one; and of the Holy Trinity it is said: "one" God, and not three, because the persons do not merge with one another. Add to this the identity of will and will.

Then again they sought to seize Him; but He turned away from their hands, and went again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John had baptized before, and remained there. Many came to Him and said that John had not performed any miracle; but all that John said about Him was true. And many there believed in Him.

They seek to seize the Lord, unable to bear His lofty testimony about Himself, for they have not endured His excellent theology. But He withdraws, yielding to their wrath, and arranging so that through His departure the passion of their wrath may be subsided. He withdraws against their will, in order to show (as we have said many times) that He would not have been taken to the cross if He had not given Himself up voluntarily.

Where does it go? Beyond the Jordan, to the place where John baptized. He did not retire here without purpose, but in order to remind many of what had happened there and what John had said about Him. That His presence here benefited many is evident from the fact that the Evangelist adds: "And many came to Him" and, remembering this place, said: "John did not perform any miracle." Their words have this meaning: if we believed him (John), although he did not perform any miracle, then much more should we believe this (Jesus), since He performed so many miracles. Since John had already testified about Christ, but did not perform any miracle and therefore could be considered unreliable, the Evangelist adds: everything that John said about Him was true. Faith is not given to Jesus by the testimony of John, but to John by the works that Jesus did. Wherefore, he says, many believed there. The word "there" shows that this place brought them much benefit. For this reason Jesus often leads the people out into the wilderness and removes them from the company of evil people, so that there may be more fruit. This, it seems, was what He did in the Old Testament: He brought out of Egypt and in the wilderness He formed and organized the people, giving them the Law.

Note that the removal of Christ is also accomplished in a spiritual sense. He departs from Jerusalem, that is, from the Jewish people, and goes to a place that has springs, that is, to the Church of the Gentiles, which has sources of baptism. And many come to Him, passing through baptism. For "beyond the Jordan" means this, that is, the passage through baptism. For no one comes to Jesus and becomes truly faithful except by having passed through baptism, which is signified by the Jordan.

Chapter Eleven

There was a certain Lazarus from Bethany, from the village where Mary and Martha, her sister, lived. But Mary, with whom Brother Lazarus was sick, was the one who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped His feet with her hair. The sisters sent to say to Him: Lord! behold, whom Thou lovest, sick.

Only John tells this story. He tells us in order to teach us not to be offended if any illness befalls zealous and God-pleasing people. For Lazarus was a friend of Christ, yet he also was sick. It should also be known that this Mary, who anointed the Lord with myrrh, was neither the harlot mentioned in the Evangelist Luke (7:37-50), nor the woman mentioned in the Evangelist Matthew (26:7), but different, not a harlot, but honest, God-loving and zealous. For she was anxious to receive Christ and served Him, as John himself later testifies (12:2). The Lord also testifies of her that she chose the good part, as the Evangelist Luke remarks (10:42). These sisters were so wonderful and venerable that Lazarus became more famous because of them. For Lazarus, it is said, was from Bethany, from the village of Mary and Martha.

Why do they send to call for Jesus, and do not go to Him themselves, like the centurion and the king's man? Because they had strong hope in Christ, because they were weak women, and it was unseemly for them to go out of the house, because they too were obsessed with sorrow and were busy caring for their brother. And that they did not do this through negligence, it appears from what follows, for they show Christ great honor and respect, and offer firm prayer. "This is whom you love." They say this in order to incline the Lord to compassion in the name of friendship. Such an expression of these women also reveals a certain faith in them. They are so confident in the greatness of the Lord's power that they wonder how sickness has touched a man He loves. For it seems surprising that the one whom You, O Lord, love is sick.

When Jesus heard this, he said, "This sickness is not unto death, but to the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." And Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was.

Since Jesus intended to stay in that place for two days, he says that "this sickness is not unto death," although it was unto death; He speaks in order to encourage the messengers and give them, as it were, some consolation, so that they do not insist and do not strain. For this reason he says: "This sickness is not unto death." And it is different. If you look closely, you will see that this illness did not lead to death, such as many die, that is, to a long-term death, but temporary and lasting four days. And since on the fourth day Lazarus rose again, then, looking at the end of the matter, we say: this sickness is not unto death. "But to the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." You see, the Father and the Son have the same glory. For, having said, "To the glory of God," he added, "That the Son of God may be glorified," for the glory of God, that is, of the Father, differs in no way from the glory of the Son. Consequently, the Son is properly and truly God, just as the Father, for he who has one glory has one Being. Let the Arians be ashamed of this saying. "Let him be glorified." Understand this not as a cause, but as an event and the end of the matter (which we have talked about more than once). For Lazarus was not sick so that God might be glorified, but Lazarus fell ill, and the Lord turned it to the glory of God.

"He stayed two days" so that Lazarus would die, so that no one could say that he had a deep sleep, exhaustion and ecstasy, and not death. For this reason the Lord remains for so long that the decay has already begun, and the sister herself says that "it stinks already" (v. 39).

And he said unto his disciples, Let us go again into Judea. The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi! how long have the Jews sought to stone Thee, and Thou art going thither again? Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" He who walks by day does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but he who walks at night stumbles, because there is no light with him.

In other cases, the Lord never expressed in advance where He intended to go, but only here He declares ahead, it seems, because His disciples were very afraid to go to Judea. He announces ahead that they should not be troubled by the surprise if He suddenly led them to a country to which they were afraid to go. Since they also feared for Him, because they did not yet have a perfect knowledge of Him, and feared for themselves, they said to Him, "How long have the Jews sought to stone Thee, and Thou art going there again?" The Lord encourages them and says: "As he who sees the light does not stumble, but he who walks at night stumbles, so he who does good and walks in the works of light will not suffer any misfortune, but he who does evil will suffer misfortune; therefore you need not be afraid, for we have done nothing worthy of death. Or to put it another way: if he who sees this light does not stumble, how much more will he who is with Me stumble, unless he himself leaves Me behind. Wherefore ye also, abiding with Me, the True Light, fear in vain. Others understand by "day" the time before suffering, and by "night" the time of suffering. And so, he says, as long as the "day" passes, that is, before the time of suffering has come, you will not stumble, for you will not meet with persecution from the Jews, nor any other trouble. And when the "night" comes, that is, My sufferings, then you will be confused and gathered together in one house for fear of the Jews. From that time on, you will experience sorrows and illnesses, and many angers and troubles. When I, the Light, no longer live with you bodily, the night of sorrows will pass you by.