Homily 6 — John 1, verses 6 to 8

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” [a]

In the opening, the evangelist told us things of the greatest importance about God the Word. Now, going on along his road and in order, he comes next to the herald of the Word, John, who bore the same name as himself. And now that you hear that he was “sent from God,” do not from now on imagine that anything he says is merely a man’s words. Nothing he speaks is his own; all of it belongs to the one who sent him. That is why he is called a “messenger” (Malachi 3, verse 1), for the excellence of a messenger is that he says nothing of his own. The word “was” here does not mean that he came into existence at that point; it refers to his office as messenger. “There was a man sent from God” stands for “A man was sent from God.”

How, then, can some people say that the words “being in the form of God” (Philippians 2, verse 6) do not speak of his unchanging likeness to the Father, because no article is added? Notice that the article is nowhere added here. Are these words, then, not spoken of the Father? And what will we say to the prophet who says, “Look, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way” (Malachi 3, verse 1, as found in Mark 1, verse 2)? The words “my” and “your” show two Persons.

Verse 7: “This man came as a witness, to bear witness to that Light.” Perhaps someone will say: “What is this? The servant bears witness to his Master?” Then when you see him not only receiving witness from his servant, but even coming to him and being baptized by him along with Jews, will you not be still more astonished and perplexed? Yet you should not be troubled or confused, but amazed at such goodness beyond words. And if anyone still goes on being bewildered and confused, he will say to that person what he said to John: “Let it be so now, for this is how it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3, verse 15). And if anyone is troubled further still, he will say to him too what he said to the Jews: “But I do not receive testimony from man” (John 5, verse 34).

Now if he does not need this witness, why was John sent from God? Not because he needed his testimony — to say that would be the worst blasphemy. Why, then? John himself tells us, when he says, “so that all might believe through him.”

Christ too said, “I do not receive testimony from man” (John 5, verse 34). But at one time he declared, “There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that his witness is true” (John 5, verse 32) — for he was pointing to John — and at another, “I do not receive testimony from man” (John 5, verse 34). So that he would not seem to foolish people to contradict himself, he immediately adds the answer to the difficulty: “But I say these things” for your own sake, “so that you may be saved.” It is as though he had said: “I am God, the true-born Son of God, of that simple and blessed being. I need no one to bear witness to me. Even if no one did, I would not be lessened in my being in the least by it. But because I care about the salvation of the many, I have come down to such humility as to entrust the witness about me to a man.” For because of the earthbound nature and weakness of the Jews, faith in him would in this way be received more easily and be more acceptable to them. So just as he clothed himself with flesh, so that he would not destroy them all by meeting people with his divinity unveiled, in the same way he sent out a man as his herald, so that those who heard might come near more readily when they heard a voice like their own. [d]

To prove that he had no need of that herald’s testimony, it would have been enough for him simply to show himself as he was, in his unveiled being, and throw them all into confusion. But he did not do this, for the reason I mentioned before: he would have wiped everyone out, since no one could have endured meeting that unapproachable light. That is why, as I said, he put on flesh and entrusted the witness about himself to one of our fellow servants. He arranged everything for the salvation of human beings, looking not only to his own honor but also to what his hearers could readily accept and what would do them good. He hinted at this when he said, “I say these things” for your sake, “so that you may be saved” (John 5, verse 34).

And the evangelist, using the same language as his Master, after saying “to bear witness to that Light,” adds, “so that all might believe through him.” It is as good as saying: “Do not think that the reason John the Baptist came to bear witness was to add anything to his Master’s trustworthiness. No; he came so that through him beings of his own kind might believe.” For it is clear from what follows that he used this expression because he was anxious to remove this suspicion in advance, since in verse 8 he adds, “He was not that Light.”

Now if he did not bring this in to counter that suspicion, the phrase is completely unnecessary; it would be mere repetition rather than a clarifying of his teaching. For why, after saying that John “was sent to bear witness to that Light,” does he say again, “He was not that Light”? He says it neither carelessly nor without reason. Among us, as a rule, the one who bears witness is thought greater, and generally more trustworthy, than the one he bears witness to. So that no one would suspect this in John’s case, the evangelist removes this evil suspicion right from the very beginning. Having torn it up by the roots, he shows who it is that bears witness and who it is that is witnessed to, and how wide the distance is between the one witnessed to and the one bearing witness.

Having done this, and shown how far beyond all comparison the one stands above the other, he then goes on fearlessly with the rest of his account. He carefully clears away whatever odd ideas might be lurking unnoticed in the minds of simpler people, and so plants the word of teaching in everyone, in its proper order, easily and with nothing to hinder it.

So let us pray that from now on, along with the unveiling of these thoughts and correctness of teaching, we may also have a pure life and a shining way of life. For these things do us no good unless good works are with us too. Even if we have all faith and all knowledge of the Scriptures, if we are naked and stripped of the protection that comes from holy living, nothing will stop us from being swept away into the fire of hell, to burn forever in the flame that is never put out. For just as those who have done good will rise to everlasting life, so those who have dared to do the opposite will rise to everlasting punishment, which never ends. [f]

So let us show every eagerness not to spoil the gain that comes to us from a right faith by the vileness of our actions. Instead, let us become pleasing to him by our actions too, and so look on Christ with confidence. No happiness can equal this. And may it come about that all of us obtain what has been spoken of, and do everything to the glory of God; to whom, with the only Son and the Holy Spirit, be glory forever and ever. Amen.