1969 He completely consoles them when he says, If you loved me, you would have rejoiced . It is like saying: If you love me, you should not be sad, but rather rejoice that I am leaving, because I am leaving to be exalted, because I go to the Father, who is greater than I .
1970 This passage led Arius to the disparaging statement that the Father is greater than the Son. Yet our Lord's own words repel this error. One should understand the Father is greater than I , based on the meaning of I go to the Father . Now the Son does not go to the Father insofar as he is the Son of God, for as the Son of God he was with the Father from eternity: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God" (1:1). Rather, he is said to go to the Father because of his human nature. Thus when he says, the Father is greater than I , he does not mean I, as Son of God, but as Son of man, for in this way he is not only inferior to the Father and the Holy Spirit, but even to the angels: "We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels" [Heb 2:9]. Again, in some things he was subject to human beings, as his parents (Lk 2:51). Consequently, he is inferior to the Father because of his human nature, but equal because of his divine nature: "He did not think it robbery to be equal to God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant" [Phil 2:6].
1971 One could also say, as Hilary does, that even according to the divine nature the Father is greater than the Son, yet the Son is not inferior to the Father, but equal. [52] For the Father is not greater than the Son in power, eternity and greatness, but by the dignity of a grantor or source. For the Father receives nothing from another, but the Son, if I can put it this way, receives his nature from the Father by an eternal generation. So, the Father is greater because he gives; but the Son is not inferior, but equal, because he receives all that the Father has: "God has bestowed on him the name which is above every name" (Phil 2:9). For the one to whom a single act of existence (esse) is given, is not inferior to the giver.
1972 Chrysostom explains this by saying that our Lord is saying this by taking into account the opinions of the apostles, who did not yet know of the resurrection or think that he was equal to the Father. [53] And so he said to them: even if you do not believe me on the ground that I cannot help myself, or expect that I will see you again after my cross, yet believe me because I go to the Father, who is greater than I .
1973 He now answers an unspoken question when he says, And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe . For they could have asked why he was telling them these things, and so he anticipates them by saying this.
Augustine brought up a problem: since faith is concerned with things which are not seen, a person should not believe after the event, but before it. One should say to this that the apostles saw one thing and believed another. They saw the death and resurrection of Christ, and having seen, they believed that he was the Christ, the Son of God. But after these events they did not believe with a new faith, but with an increased faith. Or, indeed, they believed with a failing faith when he had died, and a renewed faith when he arose, as Augustine says. [54]
1974 Then when he says, I will no longer talk much with you , he mentions another source of their consolation, based on the reason for his death. Sometimes the reason for a person's death is a cause for sorrow, as when one is killed because he is guilty; other reasons are consoling, as when someone dies for that good we call virtue: "Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief... yet if one suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed" (1 Pet 4:15). With respect to this, our Lord first shows that a sin was not the reason for his death; secondly, that it was caused by the virtues of obedience and love, so that the world may know that I love the Father .
1975 He says, I will no longer talk much with you , because the time is short: "Little children, yet a little while I am with you" (13:33). Or, because you are not yet ready for it: "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now" (16:12). Or, I will no longer talk much with you , because I will briefly explain to you that I will not die because of my own guilt. And he does this when he says, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me . This ruler is the devil, and he is called a ruler of this world not because he is its creator, or because of his natural power, as the Manicheans blasphemed, but because of guilt, that is, because of the lovers of this world. For this reason he is called the ruler of the world and of sin: "For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against... the world rulers this present darkness" (Eph 6:12). Therefore, he is not the ruler of creatures, but of sinners and of darkness: "He is king over all the children of pride" (Job 41:34).
So this ruler comes to afflict: he entered into the heart of Judas to incite his betrayal, and into the hearts of the Jews to incite them to kill. But he has no power over me , for he has no power over us except because of sin: "Every one who commits sin is a slave to sin" (8:34). Now in Christ there was no sin: not in his soul, "He committed no sin" (1 Pet 2:22), nor in his flesh, because he was conceived of the Virgin without original sin through the Holy Spirit: "the child to be born of you will be called holy, the Son of God" (Lk 1:35). Because the devil even attacked Christ, over whom he had no right, he deserved to lose what he justly held: "What have I do to with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" [Mk 5:7]. So it is clear that the cause of Christ's death wasArial'> not his own guilt; and there was no reason for him to die if he had no sin.
1976 Then he mentions the true reason for his death, which is that good which is virtue. He says, so that the world may know that I love the Father . Augustine relates this sentence to what follows, Rise, let us go hence . [55]
Two things led Christ to undergo death: love for God and love for neighbor; "Walk in love" (Eph 5:2). He shows this love by the sign that he accomplishes what God commands: "If you love me keep my commandments" [14:15]. Referring to this he says, that the world may know that I love the Father , with an active love, because I go to die. Thus he adds, I do as the Father has commanded me . This is obedience, which is produced by love; and it is the second thing by which the Father moved him to undergo death. The Father did not give this commandment to the Son of God, who since he is the Word, is also the command of the Father. He gave this commandment to the Son of man, insofar as he infused into his soul that it was necessary for the salvation of humankind that the Christ die in his human nature. And so, that the world may know these things, Rise , from the place where they had eaten, let us go hence , to the place where I am to be betrayed, so that you can see that I am not dying by necessity, but from love and obedience: "He goes out to meet the weapons" (Job 39:21).
1977 Chrysostom understands this differently, since he does not relate Rise, let us go hence , to what came before it in the same way. [56] The meaning now is: I am not dying because the ruler of this world has power over me; I am doing this because I love the Father. But as for you, Rise, let us go hence . He said this because he saw they were afraid, both because of the time, as it was deep into the night, and due to the place, for they were obviously at some house and constantly watching the entrance as if expecting to be set upon by their enemies. Consequently they were not paying attention to what he was saying. So Christ led them to another hidden place, so that feeling more secure they could listen with more attention to what he would say to them and understand it better: "I will bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her" (Hos 2:14).
[1] St. Thomas refers to Jn 14:1 in the Summa Theologiae: II-II, q. 1, a. 9, obj. 5; q. 16, a. 1, obj. 2; q. 174, a. 6; Jn 14: 2: ST I-II, q. 5, a. 2, s. c.; III, q. 57, a. 6; q. 75, a. 1; Jn 14:3: ST III, q. 57, a. 1, ad 3; q. 57, a. 6.
[2] Summa-different degrees of happiness in heaven.
[3] Moralia , 22, ch. 24; PL 76; cf. Catena Aurea, 14:1-4.
[4] Tract. in Io ., 67, ch.2, col. 1812; cf. Catena Aurea , 14:1-4.
[5] Ibid., 3, col. 1813; cf. Catena Aurea , 14:1-4.
[6] Tract. in Io ., 68, ch. 1, col. 1814; cf. Catena Aurea , 14:1-4.
[7] Summa-the saints will be with Christ immediately after death.
[8] St. Thomas refers to Jn 14:5 in the Summa Theologiae: III, q. 45, a. 1; Jn 14:6 : ST I, q. 2, a. 1, obj. 3; I. q. 3, a. 3, s. c.; I, q. 16, a. 5, s. c.; I, q. 39, a. 8, obj 5; II-II, q. 34, a. 1, obj. 2; III, q. 78, a. 5, s. c.
[9] Summa-Christ is essentially truth and life and thus the object of man's desire.
[10] Sermones de Verbis Domini 142, ch. 1; PL 38, col. 778; cf. Catena Aurea, 14:5-7.
[11] Ibid.; cf. Catena Aurea, 14:15-7.
[12] De Trin ., 7, ch. 33; PL 10, col. 228A; cf. Catena Aurea, 14:5-7.
[13] Tract. in Io ., 69, ch. 2, col. 1816; cf. Catena Aurea , 14:5-7.