Homilies on the Gospel of John

“I have manifested Your Name unto the men which You gave Me out of the world; Yours they were, and You gave them Me, and they have kept Your word.”

1. “'Messenger' of great counsel”, the Son of God is called, because of the other things which He taught, and principally because He announced the Father to men, as also now He says, “I have manifested Your Name unto the men.” For after having said, “I have finished Your work,” He next explains it in detail, telling what sort of work. Now the Name indeed was well known. For Esaias said, “You shall swear by the true God.”. But what I have often told you I tell you now, that though it was known, yet it was so only to Jews, and not to all of these: but now He speaks concerning the Gentiles. Nor does He declare this merely, but also that they knew Him as the Father. For it is not the same thing to learn that He is Creator, and that He has a Son. But He “manifested His Name” both by words and actions.

“Whom You gave Me out of the world.” As He says above, “No man comes unto Me except it be given him”; and, “Except My Father draw him”; so here too, “Whom you gave Me.” Now He calls Himself “the Way”; whence it is clear that He establishes two things by what is said here, that He is not opposed to the Father, and that it is the Father's will to entrust them to the Son.

“Yours they were, and You gave them Me.” Here He desires to teach that He is greatly loved by the Father. For that He needed not to receive them, is clear from this, He made them, He cares for them continually. How then did He receive them? This, as I said before, shows His unanimity with the Father. Now if a man choose to enquire into the matter in a human manner, and as the words are spoken, they will no longer belong to the Father. For if when the Father had them, the Son had them not, it is evident that when He gave them to the Son, He withdrew from His dominion over them. And again, there is a yet more unseemly conclusion; for they will be found to have been imperfect while they yet were with the Father, but to have become perfect when they came to the Son. But it is mockery even to speak thus. What then does He declare by this? “That it has seemed good to the Father also that they should believe in the Son.”

“And they have kept Your word.”