John 8:59Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But perhaps someone will ask: why did He not destroy their power? In that case, perhaps they would have believed. He healed the paralytic, and they did not believe. He performed many other miracles, and even at the Passion itself He cast them down to the ground and darkened their eyes, yet they did not believe.

Is it possible, then, that they would have believed if He had destroyed their power? No. There is nothing worse than a hardened soul. Even if it sees signs and miracles, it remains in the same shamelessness.

Pharaoh also, despite many plagues, was instructed only while he was undergoing punishment. To the last day he remained the same persecutor of those whom he had released.

For this reason Paul repeatedly says: “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,” Heb 3:13. As the bodily powers in time grow dead and lose all feeling, so the soul possessed by many passions becomes dead to virtue.

Then, whatever you set before it, it feels nothing. Even if you threaten punishment or something else, it remains insensible. Therefore I entreat you: while we still have hope of salvation, while we can turn back, let us take every care for this.

As despairing helmsmen, after surrendering the ship to the wind, do nothing more to help it, so also do those who have lost all hope. The envious man has only this in view: how to satisfy his desire. Even if he must undergo punishment or death, he remains devoted to his one passion.

The dissolute man and the covetous man act in the same way. But if the power of the passions is so great, the power of virtue is much greater. If we despise death for the former, much more should we do so for the latter.

If they disregard their own soul, much more must we disregard everything for our salvation. Indeed, what excuse shall we have when those who perish take such care for their own destruction, while we do not show even such zeal for our salvation, but always waste away through envy?

There is nothing worse than envy. In order to destroy another, the envious man destroys himself as well. The eye of the envious man is consumed by grief. The envious man lives in continual death. He counts all men as his enemies, even those who have not wronged him in any way.

He grieves when honor is rendered to God. He rejoices in what the devil rejoices over. Has someone received honor from men? This is not true honor. Do not envy. Has someone been honored by God? Emulate him and become like him.

But you do not wish to do so. Why, then, do you also destroy yourself? Why do you throw away even what you have? You cannot equal him and do something good? Why, then, do you undertake what is evil?

If you cannot share his labors, you should at least rejoice with him, so that you may gain benefit from this shared joy. Often one intention is enough to receive great good.

Ezekiel says that the Moabites were punished because they rejoiced over the misfortune of the Israelites, Ezek 35:12. There were also some who were saved because they sighed over the calamities of others.

If there is some consolation for those who sigh over the calamities of others, there is much more consolation for those who rejoice in the honors of others.

God accused the Moabites because they rejoiced over the misfortunes of the Israelites. Though He Himself was punishing them, He does not wish us to rejoice over the punishment of others, even when He Himself punishes. For He Himself does not punish willingly.

If we must suffer with those who are being punished, much more must we not envy those who receive honor. Through this very envy Korah and Dathan perished. Those whom they envied they made more glorious, and they brought punishment upon themselves.

Envy is a poisonous beast, an unclean beast, an evil of the will that deserves no forgiveness, a vice for which there is no defense, the cause and mother of all evils. Therefore let us destroy it from the root, that we may be delivered from present evils and be counted worthy of future blessings.

May this be by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom glory be to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

But they cast stones at Him. Therefore He leaves them as already incapable of correction.

Note that the stones are cast by those of whom the Evangelist said that they had believed in Him (Jn 8:30-31). This means their faith was not faith, but only a temporary and cold inclination toward Christ's words.

The attempt of the Jews was hot-blooded and senseless. Yet it did not pass into action before the time, for the season of the Passion had not yet come.

Christ hides Himself, not by seeking refuge beneath walls or by setting anything else in defense of His body. Rather, by the power of His Godhead He made Himself invisible to those who sought Him.

Nor was He content merely to hide Himself. He also goes out of the temple, tracing for us here a kind of image of spiritual realities.

For to those who love Him He is always manifest, according to the saying: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8).

But from those accustomed to wage war against God He departs, and He appears to no ungodly man. He does not consider it pleasing in any way to be with and converse with those who persecute Him.

Rather, He departs from them and withdraws, as though stripping away all kindness from Himself. He leaves deprived of His grace those from whom He suffers evil, so far as their will and ungodly intentions are concerned.

Yet Christ shows all their designs to be futile, destroying by His ineffable power the impious boldness of those who sin against Him.

This was not better for God. It was more important to Him to show patience than to display power.

And so He hid Himself from them, lest He be stoned. As man He fled from stones. But woe to those from whose stony hearts God flees!

But since He came to suffer, He did not wish to exercise the right of judgment. It is known that, just before the time of His Passion, He showed what power He possessed, and yet endured that for which He had come.

For when He said to His persecutors, who were seeking Him, “I am He,” Jn 18:6, by this one utterance He struck down their pride and cast them all to the ground.

Why, then, in this place does He hide Himself, when He could have escaped the hands of those throwing stones without hiding? It is because our Redeemer, having become man among men, preached one thing to us by word and another by example.

What does He say to us by this example, if not that even when we can set strength against strength, we should humbly withdraw from the anger of the proud? Therefore it is also said through Paul: “Give place unto wrath,” Rom 12:19.

Let man consider with what humility he ought to flee from the anger of his neighbor, when God withdrew from the fury of the enraged by hiding Himself. Therefore let no one be provoked by insults he has heard. Let no one return insult for insult.

In imitation of God, it is more glorious to escape an injury in silence than to conquer by an answer. But pride speaks against this in the heart: it is shameful to be silent after receiving an insult.

Whoever sees that you hear an insult and remain silent will think that you endure it because you confess the crimes. But whence is this voice born in our heart against patience? It is because we have fixed this thought deep in the soul. When we seek glory on earth, we do not care to please Him who looks upon us from heaven.

Therefore, after receiving insult, let us consider in deed the voice of God: “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me.”

But what is written of the Lord, that “He hid Himself,” can also be understood in another way. He foretold many things to the Jews, but they laughed at the words of His predictions. From prediction they became even worse, so that they came to the throwing of stones.

What, then, does the Lord signify by hiding Himself, if not that Truth Himself is hidden from those who do not wish to follow His words? For truth withdraws from the mind in which it does not find humility.

And how many there are today who condemn the hardness of the Jews because they did not wish to hear the Lord’s preaching, yet are themselves in deeds what those, as they denounce them, were in faith. They hear the commandments of the Lord and acknowledge the miracles, but refuse to leave their iniquities.

Behold, He calls, and we do not wish to go. He is patient, and we are careless of His patience. Therefore, brethren, while there is time, let each one leave his impiety. Let him fear the patience of God, lest afterward he fall under the inevitable wrath of Him whom, now meek, he disregards.

More than this, after leaving the temple He not only took no measures to hide from His enemies, but immediately drew their attention to Himself again by healing the man born blind.

Therefore one must acknowledge that Jesus left the temple not because the Pharisees intended to kill Him, but because He had ended His discourse with a solemn declaration of Himself as the Eternal One, that is, God.

After this there was no longer any need to continue the conversation with the Pharisees. But it was necessary to show the people His omnipotence, or to remind them of it.

For this reason Jesus did not leave the temple secretly, but openly, accompanied by the Apostles. He passed through the midst of the Pharisees who had seized stones.

Immediately afterward, without anyone's request, He performed the greatest miracle, granting sight to the man born blind.

"He hid Himself and went out." These expressions do not directly indicate a miraculous preservation of Christ from stoning in this case.

Perhaps He hid Himself in the mass of people filling the temple court where He was teaching. That multitude was not as hostile to Him as its supposed spiritual guides were.

Surrounded by His disciples and the people, He passed through their midst and went on.

Nonnus says, Πριν γενοτ εχον, "before he had birth." "I am" expresses being that always continues and never began; Jer 50:5; Ps 40:5.

This is the same as what the Holy Spirit later spoke through Paul: "the firstborn of all creation," "before all things" (Col 1:15, 17).

Thus now the Savior says more clearly than before to the Jews that He is the true Son of God.

The Jews understood His words in this way. But, regarding them as blasphemy, they wished to stone Him with stones, of which there were many near the temple, prepared for its rebuilding.

Since the time of Jesus' death had not yet come, Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

The example of the Savior, who answers the insulting judgments of the Jews, also gives lessons for our own life.

If, despite all your weakness, you teach the truth, do not sin either by diminishing its appearance or by turning from love to anger.

Do not seek your own honor. Otherwise God, as Judge, will seek dishonor for you.

Forgive everything that concerns your person and yourself, but not a single word that insults God.

Be silent instead of justifying yourself where your own honor is at stake. But where truth is at stake, where lies are spoken shamelessly and even consecrated, there one must not be silent.

There speak, until stones are lifted against you. A heavy duty. A difficult art!

The Lord passes by, leaving such people to their vain wisdom, which whirls them about like a whirlwind carrying weak specks of dust.

But when a whole people is carried away by false reasoning, then the whole people, like the Jews, is abandoned to its own lot. Understand, you nations, and submit yourselves to the Lord!