Tractates on the Gospel of John

¹ We have now to consider these words of the Lord, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If you shall ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it you.” It has already been said in the earlier portions of this discourse of our Lord's, on account of those who ask some things of the Father in Christ's name and receive them not, that there is nothing asked of the Father in the Saviour's name that is asked in contrariety to the method of salvation. For it is not the sound of the letters and syllables, but what the sound itself imports, and what is rightly and truly to be understood by that sound, that He is to be regarded as declaring, when He says, “in my name.” Hence, he who has such ideas of Christ as ought not to be entertained of the only Son of God, asks not in His name, even though he may not abstain from the mention of Christ in so many letters and syllables; since it is only in His name he asks, of whom he is thinking when he asks. But he who has such ideas of Him as ought to be entertained, asks in His name, and receives what he asks, if he asks nothing that is contrary to his own everlasting salvation. And he receives it when he ought to receive it. For some things are not refused, but are delayed till they can be given at a suitable time. In this way, surely, we are to understand His words, “He will give you,” so that thereby we may know that those benefits are signified which are properly applicable to those who ask. For all the saints are heard effectively in their own behalf, but are not so heard in behalf of all besides, whether friends or enemies, or any others: for it is not said in a general kind of way, “He will give;” but, “He will give you.”

2. “Hitherto,” He says, “you have not asked anything in my name. Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.” This that He calls a full joy is certainly no carnal joy, but a spiritual one; and when it shall be so great as to be no longer capable of any additions to it, it will then doubtless be full. Whatever, then, is asked as belonging to the attainment of this joy, is to be asked in the name of Christ, if we understand the grace of God, and if we are truly in quest of a blessed life. But if anything different from this is asked, there is nothing asked: not that the thing itself is nothing at all, but that in comparison with what is so great, anything else that is coveted is virtually nothing. For, of course, the man is not actually nothing, of whom the apostle says, “He who thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing.” But surely in comparison with the spiritual man, who knows that by the grace of God he is what he is, he who makes vain assumptions is nothing. In this way, then, may the words also be rightly understood, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you shall ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give [it] you;” that by the words, “if anything,” should not be understood anything whatever, but anything that is not really nothing in connection with the life of blessedness. And what follows, “Hitherto you have not asked anything in my name,” may be understood in two ways: either, that you have not asked in my name, because a name that you have not known as it is yet to be known; or, you have not asked anything, since in comparison with that which you ought to have asked, what you have asked is to be accounted as nothing. In order, then, that, they may ask in His name, not that which is nothing, but a full joy (since anything different from this that they ask is virtually nothing), He addresses to them the exhortation, “Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full;” that is, ask this in my name, that your joy may be full, and you shall receive. For His saints, who persevere in asking such a good thing as this, will in no way be defrauded by the mercy of God.

3. “These things,” said He, “have I spoken to you in proverbs: but the hour comes, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of my Father.” I might be disposed to say that this hour, whereof He speaks, must be understood as that future period when we shall see openly, as the blessed Paul says, “face to face;” that what He says, “These things have I spoken to you in proverbs,” is one with what has been said by the same apostle, “Now we see through a glass, in a riddle:” and “I will show you,” because the Father shall be seen through the instrumentality of the Son, is akin to what He says elsewhere, “Neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and [he] to whom the Son shall be pleased to reveal Him.” But such a sense seems to be interfered with by that which follows: “At that day you shall ask in my name.” For in that future world, when we have reached the kingdom where we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is, what shall we then have to ask, when our desire shall be satisfied with good things? As it is also said in another psalm: “I shall be satisfied when Your glory shall be revealed.” For petition has to do with some kind of want, which can have no place there where such abundance shall reign.