ACC ~ John 11 v6 - 10

OVERVIEW:

Why wait two days longer instead of coming immediately—unless Jesus wanted to give free reign to death before he conquered it so that no one could doubt Lazarus had truly died (PETER CHRYSOLOGUS)? Then Jesus tells his disciples to return with him to Judea, where the Jews had previously sought to stone him (AUGUSTINE). His disciples’ reaction to this is one of fear for themselves and for him because they lack faith (CHRYSOSTOM). They presume to give advice to God, and so he rebukes them by asking a question concerning the twelve hours of daylight, in which there is great symbolism, pointing for instance to Christ as the day and his twelve disciples as the hours (AUGUSTINE). It may also refer to the twelve patriarchs or apostles who look to the Sun, Christ, who is the spiritual day (ORIGEN). Christ is telling his disciples that now is not the time for the Sun/Son to withdraw from the Jews since while there is daylight, there is still time for them to be illumined (CYRIL). Apart from the light of Christ there is only stumbling in the darkness of the devil (ATHANASIUS). But those who walk uprightly, as though during the day, need have no fear of evil (CHRYSOSTOM).

11:6 | Jesus Stayed Two Days Longer

JESUS GRANTS FREE REIGN TO THE GRAVE

PETER CHRYSOLOGUS You see how he gives full scope to death. He grants free reign to the grave. He allows corruption to set in. He prohibits neither putrefaction nor stench from taking their normal course. He allows the realm of darkness to seize his friend, drag him down to the underworld, and take possession of him. He acts like this so that human hope may perish entirely and human despair reach its lowest depths. The deed he is about to accomplish may then clearly be seen to be the work of God, not of man.

[Jesus] waited for Lazarus to die, staying in the same place until he could tell his disciples that he was dead. Then he announced his intention of going to him. “Lazarus is dead,” he said, “and I am glad.” Was this a sign of his love for his friend? Not so. Christ was glad because their sorrow over the death of Lazarus was soon to be changed into joy at his restoration to life. “I am glad for your sake,” he said. Why for their sake? Because the death and raising of Lazarus were a perfect prefiguration of the death and resurrection of the Lord himself. What the Lord was soon to achieve in himself had already been achieved in his servant. … This explains why he said to them, “I am glad for your sake not to have been there, because now you will believe.” It was necessary that Lazarus should die, so that the faith of the disciples might also rise with him from the dead. SERMON 63.2. [1]

[1] JFA 45; PL 52:376-77.

11:7-8 | Going Again to Judea

THE ATTEMPTED STONING WAS IN JUDEA

AUGUSTINE [Judea is] where he had just escaped being stoned. For this was the cause of his leaving. He left indeed as man: he left in weakness, but he returns in power. TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 49.7. [1]

[1] NPNF 1 7:272**; CCL 36:423.

JESUS TRIES TO PREPARE THE DISCIPLES

CHRYSOSTOM He had not as yet told his disciples where he was going. But now he tells them, in order to prepare them beforehand because they are so worried when they hear about it. … They feared both for him and for themselves. For they were not yet established in faith. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 62.1. [1]

[1] NPNF 1 14:228**.

11:9-10 | Daylight versus Stumbling in the Dark

CHRIST IS THE DAY, THE DISCIPLES ARE TWELVE HOURS

AUGUSTINE What did the Lord mean? As far as I can judge … he wanted to dissuade them from their doubting and unbelief. For their words were meant to keep the Lord from death, who had come to die, in order to save themselves from death too. [1] … And so, when [these] men presumed to give advice to God, disciples to their Master, servants to their Lord, patients to their physician, our Lord reproved them, saying, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks during the day, he does not stumble.” Follow me if you do not want to stumble. Do not give counsel to me when you should be receiving it from me instead. … He showed himself to be the day by appointing twelve disciples. If I am the day, he says, and you are the hours, is it for the hours to give counsel to the day? The day is followed by the hours, not the hours by the day. … Even when Judas fell, he was still succeeded by Matthias, and the number twelve was preserved. Our Lord did not make the choice of twelve disciples arbitrarily, then, but to indicate that he himself is the spiritual Day. Let the hours be lightened by the day so that by the preaching of the hours, the world may believe on the day. Follow me, then, says our Lord, if you wish not to stumble. TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 49.8. [2]

[1] Peter had done something similar in Mt 16:22-23.

[2] NPNF 1 7:272-73**; CCL 36:424.

TWELVE PATRIARCHS, TWELVE APOSTLES, TWELVE DAYS

ORIGEN As the day is divided into twelve hours, accordingly the twelve patriarchs and the choir of the apostles are equal in number with the hours of the day, having as their Sun Christ our God, who is also the spiritual Day, from whom there is learning and the enlightenment of its knowledge. FRAGMENT 137 ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. [1]

[1] AEG 4:165-66*; GCS 10(4):573.

IT IS NOT THE TIME FOR THE SUN/SON TO WITHDRAW

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA Perhaps he compares to the ever-moving course of the day, the easily-swayed and novelty-loving mind of people, which is not established in one opinion but vacillates from one way of thinking to another, just as the day changes from one hour to another. This is also how the words “are there twelve hours in the day” can be understood. In other words, “I,” he says, “am the Day and the Light. Therefore, just as it is not possible for the light of the day to fail without having completed its appointed time, so it is not among possibilities that the illumination that proceeds from me should be shrouded from the Jews without having fully reached its fitting measure of love for humankind.” And he speaks of the time of his presence as “day,” and of that before it as “night,” as the Lord also does when he says, “We must work the works of him that sent us while it is day.” [1] This therefore is what he says here: “This is not the time for me to separate myself from the Jews, even though they are unholy. Instead, I must do everything that I can for their healing. For they must not now be punished by having the divine grace (like the light of the sun) withdrawn from them. But just as the light of the day does not fail until the twelve hours have been completed, so the illumination that proceeds from me is not shrouded before the proper time. However, until I am crucified I remain among the Jews, sending forth unto them like light the understanding of the knowledge of God. For since the Jews are in the darkness of unbelief, and so stumble on me as on a stone, I must go back to them and enlighten them so that they may desist from their madness in fighting against God.” COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 7. [2]

[1] See Jn 9:4.

[2] LF 48:112-13**.

STUMBLING WITHOUT THE LIGHT OF CHRIST

ATHANASIUS Consider what I have said, that the Light is Christ. Everyone who will walk in his commandments will not be laid hold of by evil. These twelve hours that are in the day are the twelve apostles. The devil … is compared with the night. He who walks in the will of the devil will stumble because he does not have the light of Christ. HOMILY ON THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. [1]

[1] AJSL 57:264*.

THE UPRIGHT NEED FEAR NO EVIL

CHRYSOSTOM It is as if Jesus is saying that the upright need fear no evil. It is only the wicked who have cause to fear. We have done nothing worthy of death, and therefore we are in no danger. Or, he is saying, If any one sees this world’s light, he is safe. The one who is with me is even safer. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 62.1. [1]

[1] NPNF 1 14:228**.