Homilies on the Gospel of John

“All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and him that comes to Me I will in nowise cast out.”

Observe how He does all things for the sake of them that are saved; therefore He added this, that He might not seem to be trifling and speaking these things to no purpose. But what is it that He says, “All that the Father gives Me shall come unto Me”, and “I will raise it up in the last day”? Wherefore speaks He of the common resurrection, in which even the ungodly have a part, as though it were the peculiar gift of those who believe in Him? Because He speaks not simply of resurrection, but of a particular kind of resurrection. For having first said, “I will not cast him out, I shall lose nothing of it,” He then speaks of the resurrection. Since in the resurrection some are cast out, (“Take him, and cast him into outer darkness,”) and some are destroyed. (“Rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”) And the expression, “I give eternal life”, declares this; for they “that have done evil shall go forth to the resurrection of damnation, and they that have done good to the resurrection of life.” This then, the resurrection to good things, is that which He here designed. But what means He by saying, “All that the Father gives Me, shall come to Me”? He touches their unbelief, showing that whosoever believes not on Him transgresses the will of the Father. And thus He says it not nakedly, but in a covert manner, and this He does everywhere, wishing to show that unbelievers are at variance with the Father, not with Him alone. For if this is His will, and if for this He came, that He might save man, those who believe not transgress His will. “When therefore,” He says, “the Father guides any man, there is nothing that hinders him from coming unto Me”; and in another place, “No man can come unto Me, except the Father draw him.” And Paul says, that He delivers them up unto the Father; “When He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father.” Now as the Father when He gives does so without first depriving Himself, so the Son when He delivers up does so without excluding Himself. He is said to deliver us up, because through Him we have access (to the Father).

3. And the “by whom” is also applied to the Father, as when the Apostle says, “By whom you were called unto the fellowship of His Son”: and, “By the will of the Father.” And again; “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you.” What He here intimates is something of this kind, that “faith in Me is no ordinary thing, but needs an impulse from above”; and this He establishes throughout His discourse, showing that this faith requires a noble sort of soul, and one drawn on by God.

But perhaps some one will say, “If all that the Father gives, and whomsoever He shall draw, comes unto You, if none can come unto You except it be given him from above, then those to whom the Father gives not are free from any blame or charges.” These are mere words and pretenses. For we require our own deliberate choice also, because whether we will be taught is a matter of choice, and also whether we will believe. And in this place, by the “which the Father gives Me,” He declares nothing else than that “the believing on Me is no ordinary thing, nor one that comes of human reasonings, but needs a revelation from above, and a well-ordered soul to receive that revelation.” And the, “He that comes to Me shall be saved,” means that he shall be greatly cared for. “For on account of these,” He says, “I came, and took upon Me the flesh, and entered into the form of a servant.” Then He adds;