Homilies on the Gospel of John

“He that comes from above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth.”

1. A dreadful thing is the love of glory, dreadful and full of many evils; it is a thorn hard to be extracted, a wild beast untamable and many headed, arming itself against those that feed it; for as the worm eats through the wood from which it is born, as rust wastes the iron whence it comes forth, and moths the fleeces, so vainglory destroys the soul which nourishes it; and therefore we need great diligence to remove the passion. Observe here how long a charm John uses over the disciples affected by it, and can scarcely pacify them. For he softens them with other words besides those already mentioned. And what are these others? “He that comes from above,” he says, “is above all; he that is of the earth, is earthly, and speaks of the earth.” Since you make much ado with my testimony, and in this way say that I am more worthy of credit than He, you needs must know this, that it is impossible for One who comes from heaven to have His credit strengthened by one that inhabites earth.

And what means “above all,” what is the expression intended to show to us? That Christ has need of nothing, but is Himself sufficient for Himself, and incomparably greater than all; of himself John speaks as being “of the earth, and speaking of the earth.” Not that he spoke of his own mind, but as Christ said, “If I have told you of earthly things and you believe not,” so calling Baptism, not because it was an “earthly thing,” but because He compared it when He spoke with His own Ineffable Generation, so here John said that he spoke “of earth,” comparing his own with Christ's teaching. For the “speaking of earth” means nothing else than this, “My things are little and low and poor compared with His, and such as it was probable that an earthly nature would receive. In Him 'are hid all the treasures of wisdom.'” That he speaks not of human reasonings is plain from this. “He that is of the earth,” says he, “is earthly.” Yet not all in him was earthly, but the higher parts were heavenly, for he had a soul, and was partaker of a Spirit which was not of earth. How then says he that he is “earthly”? Do you see not that he means only, “I am small and of no esteem, going on the ground and born in the earth; but Christ came to us from above.” Having by all these means quenched their passion, he afterwards speaks more openly of Christ; for before this it was useless to utter words which could never have gained a place in the understanding of his hearers: but when he has pulled up the thorns, he then boldly casts in the seed, saying,