As to the manner of inquiring, he says:
35. (Verse 24). The Jews therefore surrounded him and said to him: How long do you hold our souls in suspense? that is, keep us in uncertainty. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly, give us a certain sign concerning yourself. And in order to extort an answer, they press with both power and malice: power, and therefore they surrounded him: Psalm: "Many young bulls have surrounded me," so that he could not escape: Psalm: "They surrounded me like bees and blazed like fire among thorns." Malice, and therefore they feign a desire to learn: How long do you hold our souls, etc.: Psalm: "They mount up to the heavens"; Augustine: "They did not desire the truth, but were preparing a calumny."
36. Jesus answered them. After the inquiry has been set forth, here is set forth the presentation of a certain sign, and this indeed in the following manner. First, therefore, in the Lord's response is set forth the reproof of the Jews; second, the expression of a certain sign; third, the reason for that sign.
(Verse 25). The reproof of the unbelief of the Jews is set forth, on account of which he says: I speak to you, and you do not believe, and therefore you seek foolishly and maliciously; and I speak openly, because not only by word, but by deed: The works that I do in the name of my Father, they bear witness of me ; above in chapter seven: "When Christ comes, will he do more signs," which you ought to believe?
37. (Verse 26). But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep; whence if they were sheep, they would have the sign of their shepherd in word and in deed. Augustine: "He says they are not of his sheep, because he saw them ordained to everlasting destruction, not to be purchased for eternal life by the price of his blood."
38. (Verse 27). My sheep etc. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the presentation of a certain sign, which indeed consists in this: that he is heard by the sheep, and the sheep follow him, and he himself preserves them; this is certainly the mark of a shepherd. Therefore he says: My sheep hear my voice, namely by believing, because "faith comes from hearing," Romans chapter ten. And I know them, by discerning them from the wicked, not by face, but by heart: Hebrews chapter four: "He is the discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart, and no creature is invisible in his sight; but all things are naked and open to his eyes"; Matthew chapter twenty-five: "I know you not," is said of the wicked; on the contrary, of the good, Second Timothy chapter two: "The Lord knows those who are his." And they follow me, through imitation: Matthew chapter sixteen: "Whoever wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
39. (Verse 28). And I give them eternal life, as a good shepherd, by rewarding; above in chapter six: "That everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life"; Ecclesiasticus chapter four: "Wisdom breathed life into her children." And they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them from my hand, on account of my power. This shepherd was rightly signified by David, who is interpreted as strong of hand, who snatched the prey from the mouth of the lion and the bear, as is said in First Kings chapter seventeen.
40. (Vers. 29.). My Father, what He has given Me. Here is noted the third point, namely the approval of that sign, for which a twofold reason is assigned. The first is as follows: what the Father has given Me is greater than all things; but what is greater than all things does not suffer violence; therefore it is impossible that anyone should snatch from My hand. He sets forth the middle term of this argument when He says: My Father, what He has given Me, that is, that which My Father has given Me, is greater than all things, because He gave everything that He could: below in chapter sixteen: "All things that the Father has are Mine." The other reason: no one can snatch from the hand of the Father; but My hand and the Father's are one; therefore no one can snatch from My hand. For this reason He says: No one can snatch from the hand of My Father, because He is omnipotent: Psalm: "You are terrible, and who shall resist You?" Ecclesiastes 8: "His word is full of power."
41. (Vers. 30.). I and the Father are one: one, namely in the unity of essence; are, in the plurality of persons; therefore My hand and the Father's are one. Chrysostom: "When you hear 'hand,' do not think of anything sensible, but understand only virtue and power."
42. They took up stones. After the declaration of the true shepherd has been made through a sure sign, the persecution by the evil sheep, or rather by the wolves, is touched upon, because, just as sheep follow the shepherd, so wolves persecute him. And the persecution is set out in this order: first, the persecution itself; second, the reason for persecuting; third, the prudent defense of Christ; fourth, the avoidance of the fury of the persecutors; fifth, the multiplication of believers.
(Vers. 31.). First, the persecution itself is touched upon in this, that they wished to stone Christ; on account of which he says: The Jews took up stones to stone Him; but they did not achieve their effect; Augustine: "Because the time of the Passion had not yet come, they did not achieve the effect of the stoning." At once they wished to kill, just as those of whom Proverbs 1 says: "Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed blood."
43. (Vers. 32.). Jesus answered them. Here is noted the second point, namely the reason for the persecution. And first the Lord shows that they are moved irrationally; therefore He says: Many good works I have shown you from My Father; for which of those works do you stone Me? That is, for which work of those, that is, from among them; it is a partitive construction: Psalm: "They repaid Me evil for good"; Proverbs 17: "He who returns evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house." But malice, which lurks under a sheep's skin, assigns a reason; whence:
44. (Vers. 33.). The Jews answered him: We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, because, Leviticus twenty-four: "he who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely die." And they show in what he blasphemes: And because you, being a man, make yourself God: and thus a man, making himself God, blasphemes, because he says there are many gods. And this is against the Law of the Jews, in which it was commanded to believe and confess one God alone. Concerning a similar matter, Matthew twenty-six: "You have heard the blasphemy! What further need have we of witnesses?" He did not make himself God from being a man, but since he was God, he was made man: Philippians two: "He did not consider it robbery to be equal to God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men and found in appearance as a man."
45. (Vers. 34.). Jesus answered them. Here the third point is touched upon, namely his prudent self-defense, in which the Lord shows that he did not blaspheme, by a twofold testimony, namely of the Scriptures and of works. By the testimony of the Scriptures thus: Scripture calls gods those to whom God has spoken; but much more is he to be called god whom the Father has sanctified and sent: therefore if Scripture does not blaspheme, neither do I. Is it not written in your Law: I said: you are gods? Law is here taken broadly, insofar as it comprehends the Psalms, in which it is written.
46. (Vers. 35.). If he called them gods, to whom the word of God was made, such as the Prophets and other Saints: Ezekiel one: "And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest," etc.; and Scripture cannot be broken, that is, it cannot be charged with falsehood or reproved of blasphemy: Matthew five: "One iota or one tittle shall not pass from the Law, until all things be fulfilled."
47. (Vers. 36.). Whom the Father has sanctified, that is, "begot as holy," and sent into the world, he did not call him from the world and the darkness of the world, as he did other Saints: you say: You blaspheme, because I said: I am the Son of God? As if to say: you speak irrationally. "For if the illuminated are gods, is not the light which illuminates, God?" The Lord was not blaspheming, but they themselves were, who said of God that he was not God. Whence the Lord said, Matthew twelve: "Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven, neither in this age nor in the age to come"; whence they all deserved to be stoned.
Then he shows the same thing, that he did not blaspheme, by the testimony of works, which declare him equal to the Father. Therefore he says:
48. (Vers. 37.). If I do not do the works of my Father, namely works of omnipotence; do not believe me, that is, when I say that I am equal to the Father; Exodus four, Moses said: "They will not believe me and will not hear my voice, but will say," etc.; and therefore the Lord gave him signs.
49. (Verse 38.). But if I do, and if you will not believe me, that is, my word: believe the works, that is, through the works believe in me, that you may believe and know that the Father is in me, and I in the Father: and thus that what I said above is true: "I and the Father are one." That you may believe, that is, by believing may know, because, according to what Isaiah says in chapter seven, according to another reading, "unless you believe, you will not understand"; below in chapter fourteen he says to Philip: "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves."
50. (Verse 39.). They sought therefore him. Here the fourth point is touched upon, namely the avoidance of the persecutors, because the time for suffering had not yet arrived: therefore he says: They sought therefore to apprehend him, but they could not: whence he says: And he went forth out of their hands. A similar thing is said in Luke chapter four: "But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way," when they wished to cast him down headlong.
51. (Verse 40.). And he went away again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John was baptizing at first, concerning which place it is said above in chapter three: "John was baptizing in Aenon." And he remained there, namely in quiet; Chrysostom: "He teaches us to flee tumults and to pray in quiet"; he remained, hidden from the Jews, according to that passage in Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two: "I will hide my face from them."
52. (Verse 41.). And many came etc. Here the last point is touched upon, namely the multiplication of the faithful resulting from his withdrawal: on account of which he says: And many came to him, namely through faith; Isaiah chapter sixty: "Your sons shall come from afar"; and they said: John indeed performed no sign: by which he might show himself to be the Christ; but he only bore witness concerning Christ.
53. (Verse 42.). But all things whatsoever John said of this man were true. And, thus led by this twofold testimony, many believed in him, according to what the Lord himself had said above in the same chapter: "And if you do not believe me, at least believe the works"; many, according to that passage of the Psalm: "I shall number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand"; and Genesis chapter seventeen: "You shall be the father of many nations."
QUESTIONS.
54. Question I. But here an inquiry is made concerning what he says: No one shall snatch them from my hand.