Homilies on the Gospel of John

“Therefore does My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.”

What could be more full of humanity than this saying, if so be that on our account our Lord shall be beloved, because He dies for us? What then? Tell me, was He not beloved during the time before this; did the Father now begin to love Him, and were we the causes of His love? Do you see how He used condescension? But what does He here desire to prove? Because they said that He was alien from the Father, and a deceiver, and had come to ruin and destroy He tells them, “This if nothing else would persuade Me to love you, namely, your being so beloved by the Father, that I also am beloved by Him, because I die for you.” Besides this He desires also to prove that other point, that He came not to the action unwillingly, (for it unwillingly, how could what was done cause love?) and that this was especially known to the Father. And if He speaks as a man, marvel not, for we have often mentioned the cause of this, and to say again the same things is superfluous and unpleasant.

“I lay down My life, that I might take it again.”