21. (Vers. 14.). You are my friends. Here secondly he exhorts to mutual love from the perspective of divine friendship; whence he offers his friendship to those who keep his commandments, so that according to the Lord's precept they may love one another: on account of which he says: You are my friends, if you do what I command you. He promises something great when he promises friendship. Augustine says: "Great is the condescension of the Lord, when he deigned to call us friends," since friend is a name of equality; "for friendship is an agreement with equal goodwill concerning divine and human things." For if wisdom establishes friends of God — Wisdom 7: "She passes into holy souls and establishes friends of God" — how much more does love? This love is proven in works: therefore he says: You are friends, if you do what I command, out of love as friends, not out of fear as servants, because you have not been called into servitude: on account of which he says:
22. (Vers. 15.). No longer will I call you servants, although previously you were: Romans 8: "You have not received the spirit of servitude again in fear, but the spirit of the adoption of sons." And he shows this by a sign: Because the servant does not know what his lord does: but you are not so: therefore he says: But I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you. This is a sign of great friendship, the revelation of secrets: Ephesians 1: "He has made known to us the mystery of his will"; Matthew 13: "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God," etc.
23. (Vers. 16.). You have not chosen me. Here he thirdly exhorts to love in view of eternal recompense, to which they had been called through eternal predestination, not having come of themselves. Therefore he says: You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you: Ephesians 1: "He chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and immaculate in his sight in charity: who predestined us unto the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the purpose of his will." To what end he chose them, he adds: And I have appointed you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, in the conversion of others: which is accomplished through the preaching of the word of God, which is like a seed that brings forth fruit when it is received into good ground; whence Luke 8: "But that on the good ground, these are they who in a good and perfect heart hear the word and bring forth fruit in patience"; 1 Peter 1: "Being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of the living God and remaining forever." And your fruit should remain, for your salvation and consolation through divine recompense: and the recompense is subjoined: That whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that is, what pertains to your salvation, he may give it you. Now that which is to be sought is our salvation: whence Matthew 6: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you." So that holy soul was asking in the Psalm: "One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." And in view of this recompense they ought to keep the commandment of Christ; therefore he repeats it:
24. (Vers. 17.). These things I command you, that you love one another. The commandment of love is called as it were given by hand, because he gave it by his own example: therefore above in chapter 13: "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another"; and 1 Thessalonians 4: "Concerning brotherly charity, we have no need to write to you: for you yourselves have learned of God to love one another."
QUESTIONS.
25. Question I. But Gregory first inquires concerning what he says: This is my commandment, that you love one another: "Since all the divine utterances are full of the Lord's precepts, what is it that concerning love he says in the singular: This is my commandment "?
And he responds that "the divine precepts are many and one: many through the diversity of works, one in the root of love. " And he calls love the root, "because the little branch of a good work has no greenness unless it remains in the root of love." Because therefore the commandments are referred to the precept of love, in which all are united and fulfilled: hence it is that he says: This is my commandment, in the singular.
26. Question II. Likewise it is inquired concerning what he says: Greater love than this no one has, than that one lay down his life for his friends.
Contra: 1. One person acts from a small charity, while another from a greater charity can die for a friend: what then does he mean when he says greater?
2. Likewise, in the homeland there will be much greater charity than exists on the way; what then does he mean when he says greater charity etc.?
I respond that this is not said with respect to the habit of charity, or its principal act; but with respect to the sign or effect, because this is the principal sign of love.
27. Question III. But then it is objected: because it is greater to die for an enemy than for a friend; therefore to die for a friend is still not the greatest sign of love. Hence the Apostle argues in Romans 5 from the lesser: If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
To this Gregory responds that this name "friends" does not stand only for those who loved the Lord, but also for his enemies, because they were friends of the Lord, since the Lord loved them when he laid down his life for them.
Or it should be understood that the Lord was speaking of the love of friends, and with respect to that love there is no greater sign than to die for a friend; similarly with respect to the true love of enemies: for there is no greater sign than to die for an enemy. Hence what is indicated here is not an excess absolutely, but within the genus .
28. Question IV. Likewise it is asked about what he says: I will no longer call you servants.
Contra: 1. Matthew 25: Well done, good and faithful servant; and if he calls those about to be beatified servants, what then does he mean when he says: I will not call you servants?
2. Likewise, above in chapter 13 he called himself their lord; therefore by the correlation of relatives he also called them servants.
I respond: It must be said that servant is said in two ways: in one way, insofar as it denotes obedience and subjection; and in this sense servant is not distinguished from friend, and thus all friends of God are his servants. In another way, servant is said of one who fears in a servile manner; and such a one, who serves from fear alone, is not a friend. And he speaks here of such a one, because he did not want them to fulfill his commandments in a servile manner, but rather in a manner befitting friends.
29. Question V. Likewise it is asked about what he says: All things whatsoever I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
On the contrary: The Son heard infinite things from the Father; therefore he made known infinite things.
They respond that he does not speak of those things which he heard insofar as he is God, but insofar as he is man.
Then it is objected: because Christ as man knew the day of judgment, yet he did not wish to reveal it to his disciples.
On account of this they respond further that [he made known] all things pertaining to salvation.
On the contrary: below in chapter 16: I have yet many things to say to you, which you cannot bear now; and it is certain that [these pertained] to their salvation; therefore etc.
Augustine responds: He made all things known, that is, he disposed to make them known; for Scripture frequently speaks in this way, putting the past tense in place of the future as a sign of certainty.