THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
It was the wise design of our benevolent Lord to shield the righteous man from witnessing the devastation that unfolded. If we, after countless years and generations, can feel dread and awe merely by hearing the accounts of Scripture, what anguish must the righteous man have experienced if he had gazed upon such a horrifying void? How could he have withstood such a grim sight, even for a fleeting moment? Surely, his spirit would have departed at the first glance, unable to bear the overwhelming scenes of calamity. Consider, dear friends, how we tremble even at a minor flood, gripped by fear for everything and caught in despair for our very lives. What torment would the righteous man have faced if he beheld the waters surging to such an extreme?
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The Scriptures tell us, “fifteen cubits of water rose above them.” Recall the words of the Lord: “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever; for he is flesh” (Gen. 6:3), and “the earth was corrupt, and the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:11), as well as “and God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt: for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth” (Gen. 6:12). Thus, given the universe's need for thorough purification and the necessity to cleanse it from all impurity, eradicating every trace of former corruption to ensure a renewal of creation, the Lord acted like a masterful artist. He took a vessel that had succumbed to decay and rust, and cast it into the fire. By removing all the rust, He remakes, transforms, and restores it to its former glory. In a similar manner, our Lord has purified the entire universe through this flood, liberating it from human evil and extreme defilement, resulting in its beauty being restored and revealing to us its glorious countenance, ensuring that not even a remnant of its former corruption remains.