John 8:50Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore He says, "I do not seek My own glory." He does not say this because He considers the desire to insult Him harmless, or because He encourages anyone to fall into such impiety.

Rather, He declares this: I did not come to acquire glory for Myself from you. Nor did I come seeking any honor or splendid fame for Myself. For I humbled Myself.

Being in the form of God and the Father, I became for your sake a man like you. I did not even deem it unworthy of Myself to take the form of a servant. I could have remained in equality with God and the Father.

I could have possessed glory that surpasses mind and speech (Phil 2:5-11). How, then, can anyone think that I seek glory from someone? Do I not rather desire to remain in voluntary dishonor for the benefit of others?

Either Christ says this here, or we may understand in another way that He does not seek His own glory. He could at once have punished those who insulted Him. He could have executed judgment upon them for their blasphemy, since they acted impiously against the Lord of all Himself.

Yet He silently bears the injury. He shows such patience that He did not wish to repay His insulters with injury, even by one simple word.

But lest impiety against God should seem unimportant to anyone, He considers it necessary at once to give a safeguard against this. He sets before them the wrath of the Father.

Although the Son is without malice and does not at once avenge His own glory, the Father, He says, will not permit this. He will be the avenger and will rise against the blasphemers.

He will not do this as the defender of another, nor from a desire to repay an insult done to one of the saints. He will do it precisely for the sin directed against Himself.

There is nothing dividing the Father and the Son, insofar as we speak of identity of essence, though each must be conceived as existing personally and distinctly. Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ says elsewhere, "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father" (Jn 5:23).

The Son has the Father naturally in Himself, co-glorified and existing distinctly as another. Likewise, the Father has the Son in Himself as sharer of His essence and, therefore, of glory in all things.

Therefore the wretched Jews will undergo punishment for blaspheming the Lord and the Son. They proved impious against the whole consubstantial (homoousion) and Holy Trinity, and against the royal Nature that rules over all, because they insulted it in the Son.

For this reason every prudent person must renounce every insult against the good God. We must not be careless merely because He does not immediately bring His wrath upon those who sin against Him.

For He is good. He "does not bring wrath every day. But if we do not turn back, He will sharpen His sword" (Ps 7:12-14), as it is written. He will bend His bow against us. In it are vessels of death, that is, every kind of disgrace and unbearable calamity.

Yet, He said, "I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it and judges." Whom, in His meaning, should we understand here, if not the Father? But how does He say elsewhere, "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son" (Jn 5:22), while here He says, "I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it and judges"? If the Father judges, how does He judge no one, but has given all judgment to the Son?

To resolve this question, pay close attention. It can be resolved from a similar passage. You find in Scripture, "God tempts no one" (cf. Jas 1:13). Yet you also find, "The Lord your God is tempting you, to know whether you love Him" (Deut 13:3). As you see, there is an apparent contradiction. How does God tempt no one, and yet the Lord your God tempts you, to know whether you love Him?

Again it is written, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 Jn 4:18). Elsewhere it is written, "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever" (Ps 18:10). This too seems contradictory. How does perfect love cast out fear, if the fear of the Lord is pure and endures forever?

We must understand, then, that there are two temptations. One deceives; the other proves. According to the temptation that deceives, God tempts no one. According to the temptation that proves, "The Lord your God is tempting you, to know whether you love Him." Yet another question arises here. How does He tempt in order to know, when nothing can be hidden from Him, even without any temptation?

Therefore God is not ignorant. The phrase "to know" means, "to cause you to know." Expressions of this kind occur both in common speech and among masters of eloquence. I shall give an example from ordinary speech. We say "a blind pit," not because it has lost eyes, but because, being unseen, it makes us blind. Now I shall give an example from well-known writers. One speaks of gloomy lupines, that is, bitter ones. They are not gloomy in themselves, but they create bitterness in the mouth of the one who eats them. In this way they make him gloomy.

Expressions of this kind also occur in the Scriptures. For those who take the trouble to examine such questions, it is not difficult to find their solution. Thus, "The Lord your God is tempting you, to know" (Deut 13:3). What does "to know" mean? It means, to cause you to know whether you love Him. Job did not know himself, but he was not unknown to God. God permitted the tempter against him, and revealed him to himself.

What shall we say about the two fears? There is servile fear, and there is chaste fear. There is fear of punishment, and there is another fear, the fear of losing righteousness. Fear of punishment is servile fear. What is more common than fearing punishment? Even the vilest slave and the cruelest robber do this. There is nothing great in fearing punishment, but love of righteousness is far greater.

Yet does the one who loves righteousness fear nothing? Certainly he fears. He does not fear being punished, but losing righteousness (cf. 1 Jn 4:18). My brethren, believe this, and from it discern what you love. One of you loves money. Do you think I shall find anyone who does not love it? Yet from what he loves, let him understand what I am saying. He fears losing money. Why does he fear losing it? Because he loves money. In the measure that he loves money, in that same measure he fears losing it.

Now there is someone who worships righteousness. In his heart he fears loss still more. He fears being deprived of righteousness more than you fear being deprived of money. This fear is chaste, and it endures unto ages of ages. Chastity does not remove it or cast it out. Rather, chastity is strengthened by it, held by it, and preserved with it. We come to the Lord in order to meet Him face to face. This chaste fear saves us, for this fear does not confound us, but encourages us. An adulterous wife fears lest her husband appear. A chaste wife fears lest her husband leave her.

Thus, according to one temptation, "God tempts no one" (cf. Jas 1:13). According to another, "The Lord your God is tempting you" (Deut 13:3). Likewise, according to one fear, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 Jn 4:18). According to another, "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever" (Ps 18:10).

So also here, according to one judgment, "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son." According to another judgment He said, "I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it and judges." This apparent contradiction can be resolved by considering the word judgment itself.

You find in the Gospel mention of a judgment that carries punishment: "He who does not believe is judged already" (Jn 3:18). Elsewhere it is said, "The hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment" (cf. Jn 5:28-29). See how He has appointed judgment as condemnation and punishment.

Yet if judgment were always exercised as condemnation, would we ever hear in the Psalm, "Judge me, O God" (Ps 42:1)? Above, judgment is understood as the inflicting of torment. Here judgment means discernment. In what way discernment? In the way that the very speaker revealed when he said, "Judge me, O God." Read and see what follows. What does "Judge me, O God" mean? He says, "And separate my cause from an ungodly people" (cf. Ps 42:1).

Thus it was said, "Judge me, O God, and separate my cause from an ungodly people." In this same sense the Lord Jesus says here, "I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it and judges." How is there One who seeks and judges? There is the Father, who distinguishes and separates My glory from your glory. You glorify yourselves according to this world. I have glory not according to this world. I say to the Father, "Glorify Me, Father, with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (Jn 17:5).

What is "that glory"? It is the glory distinguished from human pride. In this sense the Father judges. What does judges mean? He distinguishes. What does He distinguish? The glory of His Son from the glory of men. Therefore it was also said, "God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions" (Ps 44:8).

Because He became man, He is not to be confused with us. We are men with sin; He is without sin. We are men who received death and transgression from Adam. He received mortal flesh from the Virgin, and no unrighteousness. Finally, we were not born because we wished it. We do not live as long as we wish. We do not die when we wish.

But He, before His birth, chose the Mother from whom He would be born. When He was born, He caused the Magi to worship Him. He grew as an infant. Through miracles He showed Himself as God, and through weakness He manifested Himself as man. At the end He also chose the manner of His death, namely, to be hung upon the Cross. He impressed that very Cross upon the forehead of believers, so that the Christian might say, "I do not desire to boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 6:14).

When He wished, He took His body down from the Cross and departed. He lay in the tomb as long as He wished. When He wished, He rose as though from a bed. Therefore, brethren, even in this very form of a servant (Phil 2:7), there is a great difference between the glory of Christ and the glory of all other men. For who could fittingly say, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn 1:1)?

This was the glory of which He spoke when He heard that there was supposedly a demon in Him: "I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it and judges."

We know exactly what is written, that the Father has given all judgment to the Son (Jn 5:22). Yet behold, the Son, enduring injustices, does not seek His own glory.

He leaves the insults inflicted upon Him to the judgment of the Father, so that He may truly teach us how patient we ought to be, when even He who judges does not wish to avenge Himself for this.

The Lord's glory appeared especially in His resurrection and ascension, and in the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. The condemnation of the Jews was especially solemnly expressed in the destruction of Jerusalem and the abolition of the Jewish people's political independence.

There is no demon in Him, because He honors the Father, while the Jews dishonor Him by their deeds. To the accusation of heresy He says that He does not seek human glory, as every heretic does.

Nor does He need to seek it, because "there is One who seeks and judges." The heavenly Father seeks the glory of His envoy, because He glorifies Him by miracles.

He is the righteous Judge, whom men who do not love righteousness must fear.

"If anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death." To keep the word or commandment is the same as to receive it with reverence and fulfill it in deed; Jn 17:8; 1 Jn 3:22, 23.

To see death is the same as to die; Acts 2:25, 31; Eccles. 2:25. Whatever self-willed men may think, whoever assimilates the teaching of Christ thereby assimilates the principles of immortal life; Jn 6:47.

Moses promised earthly happiness for keeping his law. The new Lawgiver promises eternal blessedness for faithfulness to His law. Both are according to the dispensation of the heavenly Father.

The Son of God, unjustly insulted by the Jews, does not subject them to judgment. Full of love for all, He lets them know both that the punishment of the righteous Judge awaits them, and that blessed eternity is prepared for His sincere worshipers.

With this revelation everything in earthly life is changed. Life and death itself are now only fleeting episodes of uninterrupted eternal existence.

For he who believes in the Lord, loves Him, and keeps His word becomes one with the Lord. In his mortal body he will see "the life of Jesus manifested in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:10-11).

Compare Chrysostom, Homily 9 on Second Corinthians, and so he passes from life to life.