Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more;
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Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
Of righteousness. The Holy Spirit will prove that the righteousness of the world is false; that of the Jews, because they sought it by the ceremonies of the Law, which could not purify the soul; and that of the Gentiles, because they sought it only in things which were naturally and morally honest, and despised Christ. But Hebrews , the Holy Ghost, will set forth Christ, who was despised and counted unrighteous, to be alone Righteous, and the source and origin of all righteousness. So S. Cyril, lib. vi.
Tropologically, S. Bernardine (Serm. xxi.) says, "The Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin, because it dissembles; of righteousness, which it does not order rightly, while it gives it to itself and not to God; of judgment, which it usurps, in rashly judging both of itself and others."
Because I go to My Father. It is an offence to the world, and worldlings, that, seeming to be a mere Prayer of Manasseh , I preach new and paradoxical doctrines. But the contrary will soon be made manif...
That is, I have exhibited a blameless life, and this is the proof, that, 'I go to the Father.' For since they continually urged this against Him, that He was not from God, and therefore called Him a sinner and transgressor, He says, that the Spirit shall take from them this excuse also. For if My being deemed not to be from God, shows Me to be a transgressor, when the Spirit shall have shown that I have gone there, not merely for a season, but to abide there, (for the, 'You see Me no more,' is the expression of one declaring this,) what will they say then? Observe how by these two things, their evil suspicion is removed; since neither does working miracles belong to a sinner, (for a sinner cannot work them,) nor does the being with God continually belong to a sinner. So that you can no longer say, that 'this man is a sinner,' that 'this man is not from God.'
