AUGUSTINE . (Tr. lii. 12) Or they interpreted the word by their own intended act. It was not wisdom imparted, but conscience disturbed, which disclosed its meaning to them.
CHRYSOSTOM . (Hom. lxviii. 1) And see how maliciously they put the question. They do not say, We have heard out of the law, that Christ doth not suffer; for in many places of Scripture His passion and resurrection are spoken of together, but, abideth for ever. And yet His immortality was not inconsistent with the fact of His suffering. They thought this proved however that He was not Christ. Then they ask, Who is this Son of man? another malicious question; as if to say, Do not charge us with putting this question out of hatred to Thee; for we simply ask for information. Christ shews them in His answer that His passion does not prevent Him from abiding for ever: Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you: as if His death were but going away for a time, as the sun’s light only sets to rise again.
AUGUSTINE . (Tr. lii. 13) Yet a little while is the light with you. Hence it is that ye understand1 that Christ abideth for ever. Wherefore walk while ye have the light, approach, understand the whole, that Christ will both die, and live for ever: do this while ye have the light.
CHRYSOSTOM . (Hom. lxviii. 1) He does not mean only the time before His crucifixion, but the whole of their lives. For many believed on Him after His crucifixion. Lest darkness come upon you.
AUGUSTINE . (Tr. lii. 13) i. e. if ye so believe in the eternity of Christ, as to deny His humiliation and death.
For he that walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth.
CHRYSOSTOM . (Hom. lxviii. 1) What things do the Jews now, and know not what they do; thinking, like men in the dark, that they are going the right road, while they are taking directly the wrong one. Wherefore He adds, While ye have the light, believe in the light.
AUGUSTINE . (Tr. lii) i. e. While ye have any truth, believe in the truth, that ye may be born again of the truth: That ye may be the children of the light.
CHRYSOSTOM . (Hom. lxviii) i. e. My children. In the beginning of the Gospel it is said, Born of God, (c. 1:13) i. e. of the Father. But here He Himself is the Begetter. The same act is the act both of Father and Son.
These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide Himself from them.
AUGUSTINE . (Tr. lii) Not from those which began to believe in and love Him, but from those who saw and envied Him. When He hid Himself, He consulted our weakness, He did not derogate from His own power.
CHRYSOSTOM . (Hom. lxviii. 1) But why did He hide Himself, when they neither took up stones to cast at Him, nor blasphemed? Because He saw into their hearts, and knew the fury they were in; and therefore did not wait till they broke out into act, but retired to give their envy time to subside.
12:37–43
37. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38. That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
39. Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40. He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
42. Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
43. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
CHRYSOSTOM . (Hom. lxviii. 1) And thusb the Evangelist tacitly explains it, when he adds, But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him.
THEOPHYLACT . He means the miracles related above. It was no small wickedness to disbelieve against such miracles as those.
CHRYSOSTOM . (Hom. lxviii. 2) But why then did Christ come? Did He not know that they would not believe in Him? Yes: the Prophets had prohibited this very unbelief, and He came that it might be made manifest, to their confusion and condemnation; That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which He spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
ALCUIN . Who, i. e. so very few believed.
AUGUSTINE . (Tr. liii. 2) It is evident here that the arm of the Lord is the Son of God Himself. Not that the Father has a human fleshly form; He is called the arm of the Lord, because all things were made by Him. If a man had power of such a kind, as that without any motion of his body, what he said was forthwith done, the word of that man would be his arm. Here is no ground to justify, however, the error of those who say that the Godhead is one Person only, because the Son is the arm of the Father, and a man and his arm are not two persons, but one. These men do not understand, that the commonest things require to be explained often by applying language to them taken from other things in which there happens to be a likeness, [cand that, when we are upon things incomprehensible, and which cannot be described as they actually are, this is much more necessary. Thus one man calls another man, whom he makes great use of, his arm; and talks of having lost his arm, of having his arm taken away from him.] But some mutter, and ask, What fault was it of the Jews, if it was necessary that the sayings of Esaias should be fulfilled? We answer, that God, foreseeing the future, predicted by the Prophet the unbelief of the Jews, but did not cause it. God does not compel men to sin, because He knows they will sin. He foreknows their sins, not His own. The Jews committed the sin, which He who knows all things foretold they would commit.