Tractates on the Gospel of John 55–111

Tractate 60

TRACTATE 60 On John 13.21 o small question is proposed to us, brothers, from the Gospel of the blessed John where it says, “When Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in spirit and he bore witness and said, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’” Was Jesus troubled, not in flesh but in spirit, from this: that he was about to say, “One of you will betray me”? Did this, then, come into his mind for the first time, or was it then for the first time suddenly revealed to him and the unexpected novelty of so great an evil troubled him? Wasn’t it about this that he spoke a little before , saying, “He who eats bread with me will raise his heel against me”?1 Had he not also already earlier said, “And you are clean, but not all,” where the Evangelist added, “For he knew who it was who would betray him”?2 And already, even before he had signified him, saying, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.”3 Why is it, then, that now “He was troubled in spirit” when “He bore witness and said, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me’”? Can it be because he was now about to expose him so that he might not hide among the rest but might be set apart from the rest, and for this reason “He was troubled in spirit”? Can it be, because the traitor himself was now going to depart in order to bring the Jews to whom the Lord was to be betrayed by him, that the approaching Passion troubled him, and the very near danger, and the threatening hand of the traitor whose purpose had been foreknown? Assuredly some such 1. Jn 13.18; see also Tractate 59.1, note 2. 2. Cf. Jn 13.10–11. 3. Jn 6.71. 28 thing as this is why Jesus “was troubled in spirit,” just as was the case when he said, “My soul is troubled now. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause I came to this hour.”4 Therefore just as then his soul was troubled by the approaching hour of the Passion, so also now, as Judas is about to depart and to come and as so great a crime of the traitor approaches, “He was troubled in spirit .” 2. And so he was troubled, having the power to lay down his life, and having the power to take it up again.5 Such immense power is troubled, the strength of the Rock is troubled . Or is it rather that our weakness is troubled in him? So in truth! Let the servants believe nothing unworthy about their Lord, but let them acknowledge themselves as members in their Head. (2) The very same one who died for us was troubled for us. Thus he who died by power was troubled by power. He who transfigured the body of our lowliness in conformity with the body of his glory 6 also transfigured in himself the affection of our weakness, sharing in our suffering by the affection of his soul. Accordingly, when the great one, the strong one, the sure one, the unconquerable one is troubled , let us not fear for him as if he may fail; he is not lost; rather, he seeks for us. Us, I say, us entirely is he so seeking for ; let us see ourselves in his troubledness, so that when we are troubled, we may not be lost in hopelessness. When he who cannot be troubled except when he so wills is troubled, he consoles him who is also troubled unwillingly. 3. May the arguments of the philosophers perish, who deny that disturbances of the mind befall the wise man.7 God has made the wisdom of this world foolish,8 and the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain.9 Let the Christian mind clearly be troubled, not with misery but with mercy. Let it fear that men may be lost to Christ, let it be TRACTATE 60 29 4. Jn 12.27; see Tractate 52.1–3. 5. Cf. Jn 10.18. 6. Cf. Phil 3.21. 7. The Stoics. 8. See 1 Cor. 1.20. 9. See Ps 93 (94).11. saddened...