And Jesus answered them, saying,
The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
All Commentaries on John 12:23 Go To John 12
John Chrysostom
AD 407
What is, The hour has come? He had said, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, (thus cutting away all excuse of ignorance from the Jews,) and had restrained the disciples. When therefore the Jews continued disobedient, and the others desired to come to Him, Now, says He, it is time to proceed to My Passion, since all things are fulfilled. For if we were to continue to wait for those who are disobedient and not admit these who even desire to come, this would be unbefitting our tender care. Since then He was about to allow the disciples to go to the Gentiles after the Crucifixion, and beheld them springing on before, He said, It is time to proceed to the Cross. For He would not allow them to go sooner, that it might be for a testimony unto them. Until that by their deeds the Jews rejected Him, until they crucified Him, He said not, Go and make disciples of all nations Matthew 28:19, but, Go not into the way of the Gentiles Matthew 10:5, and, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Matt 15:24, and, It is not meet to take the children's bread and give it unto dogs. Matthew 15:26 But when they hated Him, and so hated as to kill Him, it was superfluous to persevere while they repulsed Him. For they refused Him, saying, We have no king but Cæsar. John 19:15 So that at length He left them, when they had left Him. Therefore He says, How often would I have gathered your children together, and you would not? Matthew 23:37
What is, Except a grain of grain fall into the ground and die? He speaks of the Cross, for that they might not be confounded at seeing, that just when Greeks also came to Him, then He was slain, He says to them, This very thing specially causes them to come, and shall increase the preaching of Me. Then since He could not so well persuade them by words, He goes about to prove this from actual experience, telling them that this is the case with grain; it bears the more fruit when it has died. Now, says He, if this be the case with seeds, much more with Me. But the disciples understood not what was spoken. Wherefore the Evangelist continually puts this, as making excuse for their flight afterwards. This same argument Paul also has raised when speaking of the Resurrection.
3. What sort of excuse then will they have who disbelieve the Resurrection, when the action is practiced each day, in seeds, in plants, and in the case of our own generation? For first it is necessary that the seed die, and that then the generation take place. But, in short, when God does anything, reasonings are of no use; for how did He make us out of those things that were not? This I say to Christians, who assert that they believe the Scriptures; but I shall also say something else drawn from human reasonings. Of men some live in vice, others in virtue; and of those who live in vice, many have attained to extreme old age in prosperity, many of the virtuous after enduring the contrary. When then shall each receive his deserts? At what season? Yea, says some one, but there is no resurrection of the body. They hear not Paul, saying, This corruptible must put on incorruption. 1 Corinthians 15:53 He speaks not of the soul, for the soul is not corrupted; moreover, resurrection is said of that which fell, and that which fell was the body. But why will you have it that there is no resurrection of the body? Is it not possible with God? But this it were utter folly to say. Is it unseemly? Why is it unseemly, that the corruptible which shared the toil and death, should share also the crowns? For were it unseemly, it would not have been created at the beginning, Christ would not have taken the flesh again. But to show that He took it again and raised it up, hear what He says: Reach hither your fingers John 20:27; and, Behold, a spirit has not bones and sinews. Luke 24:39 But why did He raise Lazarus again, if it would have been better to rise without a body? Why does He this, classing it as a miracle and a benefit? Why did He give nourishment at all? Be not therefore deceived by the heretics, beloved: for there is a Resurrection and there is a Judgment, but they deny these things, who desire not to give account of their actions. For this Resurrection must be such as was that of Christ, for He was the first fruits, the first born of the dead. But if the Resurrection is this, a purifying of the soul, a deliverance from sin, and if Christ sinned not, how did He rise again? And how have we been delivered from the curse, if so be that He also sinned? And now says He, The prince of this world comes, and had nothing in Me? John 14:30 They are the words of One declaring His sinlessness. According to them therefore He either did not rise again; or that He might rise, He sinned before His Resurrection. But He both rose again, and did no sin. Therefore He rose in the Body, and these wicked doctrines are nothing else than the offspring of vainglory. Let us then fly this malady. For, It is says, evil communications corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33 These are not the doctrines of the Apostles; Marcion and Valentius have newly invented them. Let us then flee them, beloved, for a pure life profits nothing when doctrines are corrupt; as on the other hand neither do sound doctrines, if the life be corrupt. The heathen were the parents of these notions, and those heretics reared them, having received them from Gentile philosophers, asserting that matter is uncreated, and many such like things. As then they asserted that there could be no Artificer unless there were some uncreated subject matter, so also they disallowed the Resurrection. But let us not heed them, as knowing that the power of God is all sufficient. Let us not heed them. To you I say this; for we will not decline the battle with them. But the man who is unarmed and naked, though he fall among the weak, though he be the stronger, will easily be vanquished. Had you given heed to the Scriptures, had you sharpened yourselves each day, I would not have advised you to flee the combat with them, but would have counseled you to grapple with them; for strong is truth. But since you know not how to use the Scriptures, I fear the struggle, lest they take you unarmed and cast you down. For there is nothing, there is nothing weaker than those who are bereft of the aid of the Spirit. If these heretics employ the wisdom of the Gentiles, we must not admire, but laugh at them, because they employ foolish teachers. For those men were not able to find out anything sound, either concerning God or the creation, and things which the widow among us is acquainted with, Pythagoras did not yet know, but said that the soul becomes a bush, or a fish, or a dog. To these, tell me, ought you to give heed? And how could it be reasonable to do so? They are great men in their district, grow beautiful curls, and are enfolded in cloaks; thus far goes their philosophy; but if you look within there is dust and ashes and nothing sound, but their throat is an open sepulcher Psalm 5:9, having all things full of impurity and corruption, and all their doctrines (full) of worms. For instance, the first of them said that water was God, his successor fire, another one air, and they descended to things corporeal; ought we then, tell me, to admire these, who never even had the thought of the incorporeal God? And if they did ever gain it afterwards, it was after conversing in Egypt with our people. But, that we bring not upon you much confusion, let us here close our discourse. For should we begin to set before you their doctrine, and what they have said about God, what about matter, what about the soul, what about the body, much ridicule will follow. And they will not even require to be accused by us, for they have attacked each other; and he who wrote against us the book concerning matter, made away with himself. Therefore that we may not vainly delay you, nor wind together a labyrinth of words, leaving these things we will bid you keep fast hold of the listening to the Holy Scriptures, and not fight with words to no purpose; as also Paul exhorts Timothy 2 Timothy 2:14, filled though he was with much wisdom, and possessing the power of miracles. Let us now obey him, and leaving trifling; let us hold fast to real works, I mean to brotherly-kindness and hospitality; and let us make much account of almsgiving, that we may obtain the promised good things, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for endless ages. Amen.
