Tractates on the Gospel of John 28–54

Tractate 50

TRACTATE 50 OnJohn II.55-I2 . II aDA Y'S READING, about which we shall speak what the Lord will give, follows yesterday's reading of the holy Gospel, about which we spoke what the Lord gave. Certain sentences in the Scriptures are so evident that they ask for a listener rather than an exegete; we need not delay on these so that there is sufficient time for the ones on which we must necessarily spend time. 2. "Now the Jewish Passover was near." TheJews wished to have that feast day stained with the Lord's blood. On that feast day the Lamb was slaughtered, who by his blood has consecrated the same day as a feast for us. There was a plan among the Jews for slaughtering Jesus; he who had come from heaven to suffer wished to approach the place of his passion because the hour of the passion was imminent. (2) "Therefore many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves." The Jews did this according to the instruction of the Lord which had been enjoined in the law through the holy Moses, that all assemble from everywhere on the feast day which was the Passover and be purified by the celebration of that day.l But that celebra1 . Originally the Pascha, the Passover, was an agricultural feast consisting of the slaughtering and eating of a paschal animal, often but not necessarily a lamb, and it was celebrated anywhere. With the cultic reforms of KingJosiah (640-609 B.C.) this festival was centralized at the Temple in Jerusalem where all the paschal animals were ritually slaughtered; hence an annual pilgrimage became common. The Feast of Unlevened Bread was originally a separate feast that came to be combined with the Passover Festival at the time of the Exile. The seder meal was offered in private homes on the first night as part of the Passover Festival. See J.Jermias,jerusaiem in the Time ofjesus, 57, 75-77, and 101-03; "Passover," Encyclopediajudaica (jerusalem 1971) 13.163-73; G. McRae, "Feast of Passover," NCE 10.1068-70; and C. Pfeiffer, "Passover Lamb," NCE 10.1071. 260 TRACTATE 50 261 tion was a shadowing ofthe future. What is a shadowing ofthe future? A prophecy of Christ, who is coming, a prophecy of him who was going to suffer for us on that day, so that the shadow might pass away and the light might come, so that signification might pass away and truth might be held. Therefore , the Jews held the Passover in shadow, we hold it in light. (3) For why would the Lord instruct them to kill a sheep on this very feast day except that it was he about whom it was prophesied: "As a sheep led to the slaughter."2 The doorposts of the Jews were marked with the blood of a slaughtered animal;3 our foreheads are marked with the blood of Christ. And that sign, because it was a sign, was said to keep the destroyer away from the houses marked with the sign; the sign of Christ drives the destroyer away from us if our heart should receive the Savior. Why did I say this? Because many have doorposts marked with the sign and the Indweller does not remain inside; easily do they have the sign of Christ on the forehead and do not receive the word of Christ in the heart. And so I said, brothers, and I repeat it: the sign of Christ drives the destroyer away from us if our heart holds Christ as the Indweller. I have said these things in case anyone might be thinking about what these feasts oftheJews mean. Therefore, the Lord came in the place of a victim that we might have the true Passover when we celebrated his passion, as it were the sacrificing of a sheep. 3. "And they were seeking Jesus," but in an evil way. For blessed are they who are seeking Jesus, but in a good way. Those men were seekingJesus that neither they nor we might have him; but we have received him who withdrew from them. They who are seeking are reproached, they who are seeking are praised; for it is the disposition of the seeker that finds either praise or condemnation. For you have this also in the psalms: "Let them be confounded and covered with shame who seek my life."4 These are the ones who seek in an evil way...