In the early Church, the status of catechumens was complex. Although the catechumen had already chosen his religious path and was preparing for Baptism, he had not yet reached the state of a believer who had been baptized.
St. John Chrysostom sharply distinguished believers from catechumens in his Commentary on the Gospel of John. He said that even if a catechumen performed thousands of good deeds in this world, after death he would fall into Gehenna and unquenchable fire.
No one weighed down by sins will see the Kingdom of Heaven. No one whose sins have not been forgiven will be able to reign with Christ.
But sins can be forgiven only to the one who is born of water and of the Holy Spirit. Let us consider what all the words mean.
Then those who are lazy may learn from them with what zeal they should hasten to be freed from their burden. If they were carrying some heavy load, whether stone, wood, or household goods, they would hasten to put it down.
If they were carrying grain, wine, or property, they would hurry to be freed from the burden. They carry the burden of sins and do not want to hasten to be freed from sins.
One must hasten to be freed from this burden. It presses down and drags downward.
You have heard that when the Lord Jesus Christ was in Jerusalem at the feast of Pascha, many believed in His name, seeing the miracles that He did. Many believed in His name (cf. Jn 2:23).
What follows? "But Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them" (Jn 2:24). What does this mean?
They believed in His name, but Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them. Or perhaps they did not believe in Him, but only pretended to believe, and therefore Jesus did not entrust Himself to them?
But then the Evangelist would not have said, "Many believed in His name," for he gives true testimony about them. Therefore this is a great and wondrous question.
Men believe in Christ, and Christ does not entrust Himself to men. It is especially wondrous because He is the Son of God and voluntarily endured suffering.
If He had not wished it, He would never have endured it. If He had not wished it, He would not even have been born.
If He had wished only to be born and not to suffer, He would have done as He wished, since He is the almighty Son of the almighty Father. Let us prove this from the facts.
When they wanted to seize Him, He withdrew from them. The Gospel says: "And when they wanted to throw Him down from the brow of the hill, He passed through them unharmed" (cf. Lk 4:29-30).
And when they came to seize Him, after He had already been sold by Judas the traitor, the Lord revealed that He accepted suffering by His own will and not by necessity.
Judas thought it was in his power to betray his Teacher and Lord. But when the Jews wished to seize Him, He said to them, "Whom do you seek?"
They said, "Jesus of Nazareth." And He said, "I am He." Hearing this answer, they drew back and fell to the ground (Jn 18:4-6).
By casting them to the ground with His answer, He revealed His power. By allowing Himself to be seized by them, He revealed His will.
Therefore His suffering belonged to mercy. For "He was delivered up for our sins and rose for our justification" (Rom 4:25).
Hear His own words: "I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down Myself, that I may take it again" (cf. Jn 10:17-18).
Since He had such power, proclaiming it in words and revealing it in deed, what does it mean that Jesus did not entrust Himself to them?
It cannot mean that they could harm Him against His will, or do anything against His will. This is especially true since we see that they had already believed in His name.
The Evangelist said, "They believed in His name," about the very same people of whom he says, "But Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them."
Why? "Because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He Himself knew what was in man" (Jn 2:24-25).
The Craftsman knew better what was in His work than the work knew what was in itself. The Maker of man knew what was in man, which the man He had made did not know.
Do we not see this in Peter? He did not know what was in him when he said, "With You, even to death" (cf. Mt 26:33; Lk 22:33).
Hear what the Lord knew was in man: "You with Me even to death? Truly, truly I say to you, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times" (cf. Mt 26:34; Lk 22:34).
Man did not know what was in him, but the Maker of man knew what was in man.
Still, many believed in His name, but Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them. What shall we say, brethren?
Perhaps what follows will show us the mystery of these words. It is clear that people believed in Him. This is truly so.
No one doubts it. The Evangelist says it, and the trustworthy Evangelist testifies to it.
On the other hand, that Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them (Jn 2:24) is also clear. No Christian doubts it, because it is said in the Gospel.
The same trustworthy Evangelist testifies to this. Why, then, did they believe in His name, while Jesus did not entrust Himself to them?
Let us see what follows next in the Gospel (see Jn 3).
THEOSIS