I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father who has sent me.
All Commentaries on John 5:30 Go To John 5
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Although He had but lately given no trifling proof of the Resurrection by bracing the paralytic; on which account also He had not spoken of the Resurrection before He had done what fell little short of resurrection. And the Judgment He hinted at after He had braced the body, by saying, Behold, you are made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto you; yet still He proclaimed beforehand the resurrection of Lazarus and of the world. And when He had spoken of these two, that of Lazarus which should come to pass almost immediately, and that of the inhabited world which should be long after, He confirms the first by the paralytic and by the nearness of the time, saying, The hour comes and now is; the other by the raising of Lazarus, by what had already come to pass bringing before their sight what had not yet done so. And this we may observe Him do everywhere, putting (forth) two or three predictions, and always confirming the future by the past.
4. Yet after saying and doing so much, since they still were very weak He is not content, but by other expressions calms their disputatious temper, saying, I can of Myself do nothing; as I hear I judge, and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will, but the will of Him which sent Me. For since He appeared to make some assertions strange and varying from those of the Prophets, (for they said that it is God who judges all the earth, that is, the human race; and this truth David everywhere loudly proclaimed, He shall judge the people in righteousness, and, God is a righteous Judge, strong and patient Psalm 96:10, and Psalm 7:11, Septuagint; as did all the Prophets and Moses; but Christ said, The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son: an expression which was sufficient to perplex a Jew who heard it, and to make him in turn suspect Christ of being an enemy of God,) He here greatly condescends in His speech, and as far as their infirmity requires, in order to pluck up by the roots this pernicious opinion, and says, I can of Myself do nothing; that is, nothing strange, or unlike, or what the Father desires not will you see done or hear said by Me. And having before declared that He was the Son of Man, and because they supposed Him to be a man at that time, so also He puts [His expressions] here. As then when He said above, We speak that we have heard, and testify that we have seen; and when John said, What He has seen He testifies, and no man receives His testimony John 3:32; both expressions are used respecting exact knowledge, not concerning hearing and seeing merely; so in this place when He speaks of hearing, He declares nothing else than that it is impossible for Him to desire anything, save what the Father desires. Still He said not so plainly, (for they would not as yet have at once received it on hearing it thus asserted;) and how? In a manner very condescending and befitting a mere man, As I hear I judge. Again He uses these words in this place, not with reference to instruction, (for He said not, as I am taught, but as I hear;) nor as though He needed to listen, (for not only did He not require to be taught, but He needed not even to listen;) but it was to declare the Unanimity and Identity of [His and the Father's] decision, as though He had said, So I judge, as if it were the Father Himself that judged. Then He adds, and I know that My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. What sayest Thou? Have You a will different from that of the Father? Yet in another place He says, As I and Thou are One, (speaking of will and unanimity,) grant to these also that they may be one in Us John 17:21; not verbally quoted; that is, in faith concerning Us. Do you see that the words which seem most humble are those which conceal a high meaning? For what He implies is of this kind: not that the will of the Father is one, and His own another; but that, as one will in one mind, so is My own will and My Father's.
And marvel not that He has asserted so close a conjunction; for with reference to the Spirit also Paul has used this illustration: What man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God. Thus Christ's meaning is no other than this: I have not a will different and apart from that of the Father, but if He desires anything, then I also; if I, then He also. As therefore none could object to the Father judging, so neither may any to Me, for the sentence of Each is given from the same Mind. And if He utters these words rather as a man, marvel not, seeing that they still deemed Him to be mere man. Therefore in passages like these it is necessary not merely to enquire into the meaning of the words, but also to take into account the suspicion of the hearers, and listen to what is said as being addressed to that suspicion. Otherwise many difficulties will follow. Consider for instance, He says, I seek not My own will: according to this then His will is different (from that of the Father), is imperfect, nay, not merely imperfect, but even unprofitable. For if it be saving, if it agree with that of the Father, why do You not seek it? Mortals might with reason say so because they have many wills contrary to what seems good to the Father, but Thou, wherefore sayest Thou this, who art in all things like the Father? For this none would say is the language even of a man made perfect and crucified. For if Paul so blended himself with the will of God as to say, I live, yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me Galatians 2:20, how says the Lord of all, I seek not My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me, as though that will were different? What then is His meaning? He applies His discourse as if the case were that of a mere man, and suits His language to the suspicion of His hearers. For when He had, by what had gone before, given proof of His sayings, speaking partly as God, partly as a mere man, He again as a man endeavors to establish the same, and says, My judgment is just. And whence is this seen? Because I seek not My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. For as in the case of men, he that is free from selfishness cannot be justly charged with having given an unfair decision, so neither will you now be able to accuse Me. He that desires to establish his own, may perhaps by many be suspected of corrupting justice with this intent; but he that looks not to his own, what reason can he have for not deciding justly? Apply now this reasoning to My case. Had I said that I was not sent by the Father, had I not referred to Him the glory of what was done, some of you might perhaps have suspected that desiring to gain honor for Myself, I said the thing that is not; but if I impute and refer what is done to another, wherefore and whence can you have cause to suspect My words? Do you see how He confirmed His discourse, and asserted that His judgment was just by an argument which any common man might have used in defending himself? Do you see how what I have often said is clearly visible? What is that? It is that the exceeding humility of the expressions most persuades men of sense not to receive the words off hand and then fall down [into low thoughts], but rather to take pains that they reach to the height of their meaning; this humility too with much ease then raises up those who were once groveling on the ground.
Now bearing all this in mind, let us not, I exhort you, carelessly pass by Christ's words, but enquire closely into them all, everywhere considering the reason of what has been said; and let us not deem that ignorance and simplicity will be sufficient to excuse us, for He has bidden us not merely to be harmless, but wise. Matthew 10:16 Let us therefore practice wisdom with simplicity, both as to doctrines and the right actions of our lives; let us judge ourselves here, that we be not condemned with the world hereafter; let us act towards our fellow-servants as we desire our Master to act towards us: for (we say), Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12 I know that the smitten soul endures not meekly, but if we consider that by so doing we do a kindness not to him who has grieved us but to ourselves, we shall soon let go the venom of our wrath; for he who forgave not the hundred pence to him who had transgressed against him, wronged not his fellow-servant but himself, by rendering himself liable for the ten thousand talents of which he had before received forgiveness. Matthew 18:30-34 When therefore we forgive not others, we forgive not ourselves. And so let us not merely say to God, remember not our offenses; but let each also say to himself, let us not remember the offenses of our fellow-servants done against us. For you first give judgment on your own sins, and God judges after; you propose the law concerning remission and punishment, you declare your decision on these matters, and therefore whether God shall or shall not remember, rests with you. For which cause Paul bids us forgive, if any One has cause of complaint against any Colossians 3:13, and not simply forgive, but so that not even any remnants be left behind. Since Christ not only did not publish our transgressions, but did not put us the transgressors in mind of them, nor say, in such and such things have you offended, but remitted and blotted out the handwriting, not reckoning our offenses, as Paul has also declared. Colossians 2:14 Let us too do this; let us wipe away all [trespasses against us] from our minds; and if any good thing has been done to us by him that has grieved us, let us only reckon that; but if anything grievous and hard to bear, let us cast it forth and blot it out, so that not even a vestige of it remain. And if no good has been done us by him, so much the greater recompense and higher credit will be ours if we forgive. Others by watching, by making the earth their bed, by ten thousand hardships, wipe away their sins, but thou by an easier way, I mean by not remembering wrongs, may cause all your trespasses to disappear. Why then do you thrust the sword against yourself, as do mad and frantic men, and banishest yourself from the life which is to come, when you ought to use every means to attain unto it? For if this present life be so desirable, what can one say of that other from which pain, and grief, and mourning, have fled away? There it needs not to fear death, nor imagine any end to those good things. Blessed, thrice blessed, yea, and this many times over, are they who enjoy that blessed rest, while they are miserable, thrice miserable, yea, ten thousand times miserable, who have cast themselves forth from that blessedness. And what, says some one, is it that makes us to enjoy that life? Hear the Judge Himself conversing with a certain young man on this matter. When the young man said, What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Matthew 19:16 Christ, after repeating to him the other commandments, ended with the love of his neighbor. Perhaps like that rich man some of my hearers will say, that we also have kept these, for we neither have robbed, nor killed, nor committed adultery; yet assuredly you will not be able to say this, that you have loved your neighbor as you ought to have loved him. For if a man has envied or spoken evil of another, if he has not helped him when injured, or not imparted to him of his substance, then neither has he loved him. Now Christ has commanded not only this, but something besides. What then is this? Sell, he says, that you have, and give to the poor; and come, follow Me Matthew 19:21: terming the imitating Him in our actions following Him. What learn we hence? First, that he who has not all these things cannot attain unto the chief places in that rest. For after the young man had said, All these things have I done, Christ, as though some great thing were wanting to his being perfectly approved, replied, If you will be perfect, sell that you have, and give to the poor: and come, follow Me. First then we may learn this; secondly, that Christ rebuked the man for his vain boast; for one who lived in such superfluity, and regarded not others living in poverty, how could he love his neighbor? So that neither in this matter did he speak truly. But let us do both the one and the other of these things; let us be eager to empty out our substance, and to purchase heaven. Since if for worldly honor men have often expended their whole possessions, an honor which was to stay here below, and even here not to stay by us long, (for many even much before their deaths have been stripped of their supremacy, and others because of it have often lost their lives, and yet, although aware of this, they expend all for its sake;) if now they do so much for this kind of honor, what can be more wretched than we if for the sake of that honor which abides and which cannot be taken from us we will not give up even a little, nor supply to others those things which in a short time while yet here we shall leave? What madness must it be, when it is in our power voluntarily to give to others, and so to take with us those things of which we shall even against our will be deprived, to refuse to do so? Yet if a man were being led to death, and it were proposed to him to give up all his goods and so go free, we should think a favor was conferred upon him; and shall we, who are being led on the way to the pit, shall we, when it is allowed us to give up half and be free, prefer to be punished, and uselessly to retain what is not ours even to the losing what is so? What excuse shall we have, what claim for pardon, who, when so easy a road has been cut for us unto life, rush down precipices, and travel along an unprofitable path, depriving ourselves of all things both here and hereafter, when we might enjoy both in security? If then we did not so before, let us at least stop now; and coming to ourselves, let us rightly dispose of things present, that we may easily receive those which are to come, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
