ACC ~ John 13 v15

CHRIST ARMS THE HEEL TO DEFEAT SATAN’S PRIDE

THEOPHILUS OF ALEXANDRIA: Therefore, imitate me, your Lord, that through this sacred work of mine you may become sharers of the divine nature. [1] I decided to portray in advance for you this most excellent path of exaltation. I bent down once to the earth when I gave you existence and my good will as I took the clay of the earth and fashioned humanity, establishing a living being on the earth. [2] And now I have seen fit to bend down that I may strengthen the foundation and pedestal of my collapsing creation. I have placed enmity and cursing between the deceiver and the deceived, a wariness of head and heel. [3] And now I arm the wounded heel against the serpent, that it may no more limp away from the straight path. I have strengthened your feet to walk on serpents and scorpions and every power of the enemy, and they will not harm you at all. [4] Through arrogance the one whispering of exaltation tore down the loftiness of the earth-born, first-created one. Smash his insolence by cheerful humility toward one another. SERMON ON THE MYSTICAL SUPPER. [5]

[1] 2 Pet 1:4.

[2] Gen 2:7.

[3] Gen 3:15.

[4] Lk 10:19.

[5] MFC 7:155-56.

IMITATE CHRIST’S SERVANT HANDWRITING

CHRYSOSTOM: And yet it is not the same thing, for he is Lord and Master, but you are fellow servants one of another. What does “as” mean then [when he says, “If I as your Lord and Master do this]? It means we should do it “with the same zeal.” For on this account he takes instances from greater actions that we may, if so be it, perform the lesser actions. Thus schoolmasters write the letters for children very beautifully, that they may come to imitate them, though in an inferior manner. Where now are they who spit on their fellow servants? Where now they who demand honors? Christ washed the feet of the traitor, the sacrilegious, the thief—and he did this close to the time of the betrayal—and incurable as [Judas] was, made him a partaker of his table. And are you high minded, and do you raise your eyebrows? “Let us then wash one another’s feet.” But then someone says, “Then we must wash those of our domestics.” And what a great thing it is if we do wash even those of our domestics! In our case “slave” and” free” is a difference of words. But there it is an actual reality. For by nature he was Lord and we were the servants, yet even this he did not refuse to do at that time. But now it is considered praiseworthy if we do not treat free people as bondmen, as slaves bought with money. And what shall we say in that day, if after receiving proofs of such forbearance, we ourselves do not imitate them at all but do the exact opposite and, acting in diametrical opposition to Jesus’ words, remain prideful and do not discharge the debt? For God has made us debtors one to another, having first done so himself, and has made us debtors of a lesser amount. For he was our Lord, and he did this. But we do it, if we do it at all, to our fellow servants, a thing that he himself implied by saying, “If I then your Lord and Master do this, so should you.” Indeed it would have naturally followed to say, “How much more should you servants,” but he left this to the conscience of the hearers. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 71.1. [1]

[1] NPNF 1 14:260**.