Homilies on the Gospel of John

“A little while, and you shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and you shall see Me, because I go to the Father. Then said some of His disciples among themselves, What is this that He says?” [And what follows.]

1. Nothing is wont so to cast down the soul that is anguished and possessed by deep despondency, as when words which cause pain are continually dwelt upon. Why then did Christ, after saying, “I go,” and, “Hereafter I will not speak with you,” continually dwell on the same subject, saying, “A little while, and you shall not see Me, because I go to Him that sent Me”? When He had recovered them by His words concerning the Spirit, He again casts down their courage. Wherefore does He this? He tests their feelings, and renders them more proved, and well accustoms them by hearing sad things, manfully to bear separation from Him; for they who had practiced this when spoken of in words, were likely in actions also, easily to bear it afterwards. And if one enquire closely, this very thing is a consolation, the saying that, “I go to the Father.” For it is the expression of One, who declares that He shall not perish, but that His end is a kind of translation. He adds too another consolation; for He says not merely, “A little while, and you shall not see Me,” but also, “A little while, and you shall see Me”; showing that He will both come to them again, and that their separation would be but for a little while, and His presence with them continual. This, however, they did not understand. Whence one may with reason wonder how, after having often heard these things, they doubt, as though they had heard nothing. How then is it that they did not understand? It was either through grief, as I suppose, for that drove what was said from their understanding; or through the obscurity of the words. Because He seemed to them to set forth two contraries, which were not contrary. “If,” says one of them, “we shall see You, where are You going? And if You go, how shall we see You?” Therefore they say, “We cannot tell what He says.” That He was about to depart, they knew; but they knew not that He would shortly come to them. On which account He rebukes them, because they did not understand His saying. For, desiring to instill in them the doctrine concerning His death, what says He?