The apostles again felt sadness when they heard the words of the Lord: "I am departing, and the Spirit will come." Wherefore, seeing their hearts in confusion, and especially because of the sorrows and troubles that lie before them, he says, "Peace I leave with you," saying to them as it were, "What harm does it harm you from the troubles of the world, as long as you are at peace with me?" For My world is not like the world. This peace is often harmful and useless, but I give you a peace in which you will be at peace with each other and will be one body. And this will make you the strongest. Though many will rise up against you, yet you will not suffer in the least with unanimity and mutual peace. Then, since He again said, "I forsake you," which indicated His departure and could have thrown them into confusion, he adds, "Let not your heart be troubled, and let it not be afraid." They were confused by their affection and love for Him, because they were to be deprived of Him, and they were afraid that after His death calamities might befall them. But the Lord does not leave unhealed either their confusion from attachment or the fear of future calamities, but calms both, saying: "Let not your heart be troubled, and let it not be afraid."

You have heard that I said to you, "I am coming from you and will come to you." If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I said, "I go to the Father"; for My Father is greater than I. And behold, I told you these things before it came to pass, that you might believe when it came to pass.

Since the Lord saw that the Apostles did not fully hope for His resurrection, and did not even know what it was, and therefore they were greatly grieved and troubled at the thought of separation from Him, He condescended to their weakness and said: I told you that I would go and come again; and yet you are still grieving, for you do not trust me, that though I die, I will not forsake you in your afflictions. But now, when you hear that I am going to My Father, whom you consider great and greater than Me, you should rejoice that I am going to Him, greater than I am and able to destroy all calamities. Do you see what the sequence of thought is? "My Father is greater than Me," He said for the comfort of His disciples. They grieved because Christ could not protect them. And He says, "If I cannot either, then My Father, whom you consider greater than Me, will in all probability help you." Likewise, in another place He says: Do you think that I cannot pray to the Father, and He will send Me twelve legions of angels? (Matt. 26:53). Here He does not say this because He cannot do so (for how powerful is He Who by the mere word He spoke to the Jews, and suddenly threw them all back? (John 18:4-6), but because they thought of Him as a man. So also this, "My Father is greater than I," He said according to their conception, since they considered Him weak, and the Father able to strengthen them in time of afflictions.

"And behold, I spoke unto you before it came to pass, that ye might believe when it should come to pass." That is: I am so calm, I am not afraid of death and do not grieve, that I even predict it; therefore I command you also to rejoice, so that when it comes to pass, you will believe me, that just as I knew about the tribulations that will befall you, and having foretold about them, I did not lie, so in the prediction of your comfort and guidance I will not be false, but all joyful things will come to you.

Some think that He called the Father greater in that He is the author of the Son. The Father, he says, is more because He is My cause and beginning, for I was born of Him. And the fact that the Father is greater does not mean that He is also another being. For among men, too, it may be said that the father is greater than the son, but not any other being. Then, let the heretics say, by what did Christ depart to the Father: by Divinity or by humanity? Without a doubt, humanity. For, as God, He has always been in heaven and is not separated from the Father. Thus the Father is called greater than Him as a Man.

It is not enough for Me to speak to you, for the prince of this world is coming, and in Me he has nothing. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has commanded me, so do I do: arise, let us go hence.

Having comforted the disciples with the above speech, the Lord again speaks of His death. "For the prince of this world is coming," he says, "that is, the devil. That he is the prince of this world, understand not about the creature in general, but about vicious people and worldly philosophies. For he does not rule over heaven and earth, otherwise he would overthrow and upset everything, but over those who themselves give themselves over to him. That is why he is also called the prince of darkness, and by darkness understand evil deeds. And as some might have thought that Christ also was put to death for sins, He added: "And in Me He has nothing"; I am not guilty of death, I owe nothing to the devil, but I accept suffering voluntarily, out of love for the Father. He often mentions death, adding words of consolation to make it acceptable to them. For when they hear that He will die, they also know that He voluntarily despises the devil and dies for love of the Father. Thus, if the sufferings were pernicious and not salvific, the loving Father would not have deigned to do so, the beloved Son would not have taken them upon Himself. How are we to understand that He dies out of love for the Father? The Father, he says, loves the world, and for it He delivers Me up to death. I, loving the Father, agree with His good pleasure and will, and prove that I love the Father by taking upon Myself and fulfilling what He commanded, that is, His favor and determination. Tell you, Arians, if the Son were a slave, would He say that I die for love of the Father? A servant does the will of his master, not because he loves him, but because he is a slave and fears punishment. And the Lord Jesus, since He does the will of God out of love, is not a slave, not a creature, but truly a Son, doing the will of the Father. Therefore, when you hear, "The Father has commanded Me," because of the word "commanded," do not look upon the Lord as a subordinate, but because of the word, "Father," acknowledge Him to be the Son, consubstantial with the Father. Understand "commanded" thus: he willed, spoke, determined, and was well pleased.

Chapter Fifteen

I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch of Me that does not bear fruit He cuts off; and every one that beareth fruit, He cleanses, that it may bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word which I have preached to you.

By repeatedly speaking about His sufferings, the Lord completely convinced His disciples of the need for them. Wherefore he saw that they were afraid lest they should soon be seized, and from great fear they would no longer heed His words. Therefore, He apparently wants to lead them to a secret place, where they will not be captured. But He departs from the place where they were, in order to tame the confusion in their souls, and to teach them the most mysterious teaching. He takes them, as we learn from what follows, to the garden that was known to Judas. Such an act was apparently a withdrawal, but in reality a voluntary surrender of Himself; for he is withdrawing to a place which Judas knew. What mysterious things does He teach them? I, he says, am the vine, that is, the root, and you are the branches, and My Father is the husbandman. For whom does the Father care? Is it about the root? No, but about branches. For, he says, "every branch that does not bear fruit He cuts off," that is, every man who, through faith, has become a part of the root, has been united to the Lord, and has become a bearer of Him, must also bear fruit, that is, lead a virtuous life, so that if anyone has only an unfounded confession of faith, and does not bear fruit through the observance of the commandments, he becomes a dead branch; for "faith without works is dead" (James 2:29). Therefore every believer is in Christ as long as he believes; for, he says, every branch that is in me, if it does not bear fruit, the Father "cuts off," that is, deprives it of communion with the Son, and "cleanses" the one that bears fruit. From this we learn that even a very virtuous person still needs God's care. For a barren branch cannot remain on the vine, but the Father makes a fruitful one even more fruitful. Understand these words also about the misfortunes of the disciples. Since disasters are similar to what gardeners call pruning, the Lord shows His disciples that through tribulations they will become more fruitful, just as the branches will become more fruitful through pruning. For through temptations they proved to be more and more powerful. Then, lest they ask, "Of whom thou speakest this," He says, "Ye have already been cleansed by the word which I have preached unto you." See, I said above that the Father cleanses, and now He presents Himself as taking care of the branches. So, the Father and the Son have one action. I, he says, have cleansed you through My teaching: now it is necessary that you also show in deeds what follows on your part. Therefore he adds:

Abide in Me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it is on the vine, so neither can you, unless you are in Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch, and will wither; but such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.

I, he says, have cleansed you through my word and teaching, and nothing has been left unfulfilled on my part. Now your business should begin. "Abide in Me." That they may not be separated from him for fear, he strengthens their weakened souls, cleaves them to himself, and already gives them a good hope: whatsoever ye ask ye shall receive, if ye abide in me, v. 7. The example of the branch clearly shows us that from Him power and life are given to those who please Him, for as the branch that abides on the vine bears fruit and from it receives assistance to life, so also you, if you abide in Me through the keeping of the commandments, will bring forth more fruit. And whoever does not abide will "wither," that is, he loses what he had from the root, and if he received any spiritual grace, he is deprived of it and the help and life communicated from it. And finally? "They are thrown into the fire, and they are burned." With these words He also gives them no small consolation, showing that those who plot against Him, such as Judas, will be burned, but they, who abide in Him, will bear fruit. For without the power and quickening which are given from Him, they will not be able to do anything.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. By this my Father will be glorified, if you bear much fruit and be my disciples.

Here the Lord explains to us what the words "if ye abide in Me" mean, namely, if ye keep my commandments, for the words, "If My words abide in you," mean that He desires to be united with them through works. For each of those who live God-pleasing to God abides on the Vine of his own free will, uniting with Her through love and keeping the commandments, and cleaving to Her in spirit; just as, on the contrary, he who ceases to keep the commandments is arbitrarily alienated from the Lord. "By this," he says, "my Father will be glorified, if you bring forth much fruit." The glory of God and the Father is the dignity of the disciples of His Son. For when the light of the apostles shone before men, then they glorified also the Heavenly Father (Matt. 5:14-16). The fruit of the apostles is also those peoples who were brought to faith by their teaching and began to glorify God. But if the Father is glorified by bringing forth fruit, He will surely not despise His own glory, but will help you to bear more fruit, that He also may be more glorified. My Father will be glorified when you bear much fruit "and become My disciples." You see, he who bears fruit is a true disciple. And the Father is "glorified" because of this, that is, He rejoices and considers it His glory.