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John 14:1. Let not your heart be troubled; When the apostles heard about Supreme Peter that he would renounce, naturally they were overcome with confusion. Therefore, the Lord comforts them and calms the confusion of their hearts. For if the supreme and fiery Peter should deny three times before the cock crows, they must obviously expect some great circumstance. believe in God, and believe in Me. Then, the disciples seemed to say: “How can we not be embarrassed when such difficulties arise for us?” He answers: “Believe in God, and believe in Me,” and all your difficulties will be resolved, and confusion will be calmed through faith in God and in Me. Therefore, he said to them, “Let not your heart be troubled,” so that they would thereby be convinced that He sees the state of their hearts and knows the innermost confusion, that He is God. John 14:2. In My Father's house there are many mansions. The Lord said to Peter: “Afterwards you will follow Me.” So that others do not think that this promise was given only to Peter, but not to them, the Lord says that the same country that will accept Peter will accept you too. Therefore, there is no need to be embarrassed about the place. For there are many mansions “in My Father’s house,” that is, under the authority of the Father. By “house” we mean power and superiors. But if it were not so, I would have told you: I am going to prepare a place for you. If there were no monasteries, then I would go and prepare for you, so that you should not be embarrassed in either case, whether the monasteries are ready or not. For if they were not ready, I would have prepared them for you with all my might. John 14:3. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be. If I had gone away to prepare a place for you, then in this case I would not have left you, but would have taken you with Me, so that you too would be where I am. You see how much consolation and inspiration there is in the words “so that you too may be where I am.” So, it is unreasonable for you to be embarrassed when you are with Me. John 14:4. And where I am going, you know, and you know the way. The Lord sees what is on their minds - to ask and find out where He is going. Therefore, it gives them a reason to ask about it. “You,” he says, “know where I am going, and you know the way.” And that leads them to the question. John 14:5. Thomas said to Him: Lord! we don’t know where you’re going; and how can we know the way? That’s why Thomas says: “Lord! we do not know where You are going; and how can we know the way? Thomas says this out of great fear, and not from a desire to follow the Lord, like Peter. John 14:6. Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. Therefore, Christ, wanting to show that it is convenient and pleasant for them to follow Him, announces where He is going and what the path is. He goes to the Father, and the “way” is He Himself – Christ. If I am the way, then through Me you will, without a doubt, ascend to the Father. I am not only the way, but “and the truth”; therefore you need to be cheerful, because you will not be deceived by Me. I am also “life”; therefore, even if you die, death will not prevent you from coming to the Father. Therefore, watch, for everyone comes to the Father through Me. And since it is in My power to lead you to the Father, you will, without a doubt, come to Him. For it is impossible to get there any other way than by Me. And you, perhaps, understand from this that the Son is equal to the One who gave birth. For in another place he says that the Father leads to Him: “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44). And here he says that He leads to the Father. Consequently, the Father and the Son have equal power, for the action is one. So, when you walk in activity, then Christ becomes the way for you, and when you exercise in contemplation, He becomes the truth for you. But how many, walking through activity and engaged in contemplation, still did not receive life, either because, having performed virtue out of vanity, they received a reward here, or because in dogmatic opinions they deviated from the right path; then life is attached to the path and truth, that is, to activity and contemplation. Therefore, we must also march and theology, striving for the glory that lives forever, and not for the perishing glory - from people. John 14:7. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him. I said above that you “know” where I am going, you also know this Path, that is, Me; and here he says that “if” you “knew” Me, you would also know My Father. How is this possible? There is no contradiction in His words. For they knew the Father, but not as they should have known; they knew him as God, but they did not yet know him as the Father. Later, the Spirit descended on them and imparted to them perfect knowledge. So, His words have the following meaning: “If you knew My essence and dignity, you would also know the essence and dignity of the Father. And from now on you began to know Him through My mediation, and you saw Him, that is, you knew Him with your mind, as far as possible. Since you recognize Me as Lord and Teacher, then, without a doubt, about Me, as far as is achievable for you, you have received sufficient knowledge about the Father, for you have not yet received that which is perfect.” And otherwise. The words “if you knew Me, you would know My Father” do not express that they do not know Him, but have the following meaning: “I told you that you know where I am going, that is, to the Father, and you know this Way, that is, Me. Thomas told Me: “We don’t know where you are going” and so on, we don’t even know this way. I said to Thomas: “I am the Way, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.” So if you knew Me, you would also know My Father. But you know Me, therefore you know My Father. For from now on you know Him and have seen Him, having seen Me.” John 14:8. Philip said to Him: Lord! show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Philip thought that he knew Christ well, but did not know the Father. That’s why he said: “Show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” For no matter how much you tell us that if you knew Me, you would know My Father, but we will not be able to know the Father in this way. And You show Him to us, to our bodily eyes. Philip heard that the prophets saw God, and he himself wished to see Him in the same bodily way, not knowing that the visions of the prophets were condescension. John 14:9. Jesus said to him: I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? So, teaching Philip that God cannot be seen bodily, Christ says: “I have been with you for so long, and you have not yet known Me, Philip?” Look. He did not say “you did not see,” but “you did not know,” in order to take Philip away from earthly thoughts, from the desire to see the Father bodily. For it is said about God - to know, and not to see bodily. He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, show us the Father? Then he adds: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” The words have the following meaning: “Philip! you want to see the Father with your bodily eye and think that you have already seen Me. But I tell you that if you saw Me, you would see Him too. And just as you did not see Him now, you did not see Me as you should look at Me: you saw Me bodily, since I also have a body, but you did not see the Divine being; therefore, you cannot see the Father’s being bodily and being. Neither Me nor the Father can be seen physically. For he who has seen Me has seen the Father also. However, many people think that they see Me, but do not see the Father. Therefore they see Me not according to the Divine nature, but according to the human nature.” You can understand it more clearly this way: “I am consubstantial with the Father.” So, whoever saw Me, that is, knew Me, knew the Father. For when being and nature are one, then knowledge is one. May Arius be ashamed when he hears that he who saw the “Son,” that is, who knew the Divinity of the Son, knew the “Father,” that is, the Divinity of the Father. Let Sabellius also be ashamed, who says: “There is one being and one person of the Father and the Son.” For the Lord distinguishes the Hypostases, and shows another Face in the Father, and another in the Son. For in the words “he who saw Me” he points to His own face, then in the words “he saw the Father” - to another Face. If He and the Father were one Person, then He would not have said anything like that, but to Philip’s request, “show us the Father,” He would have answered that I do not have a Father, but I am the Father and the Son. And it would be extremely unreasonable to hear the Son say, “I go to My Father,” and “I am in the Father,” and much like that, and not understand that there is another Person of the Son, and another of the Father, and not to merge them. Therefore, the Lord reproaches this disciple for following Him for so long, seeing the signs and deeds of the Divine, but not yet knowing Him as God, in order to know the Father through Him. “Now,” he says, “from the fact that you want to see the Father bodily, it is revealed that you do not believe either that I am God or that He is God.” John 14:10. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself; The Father abiding in Me, He does the works. The Son is in the Father, since he appears in His being, and again the Father in the being of the Son, just as the king appears in his image, and the image in the king. For the image and the king have the same features. And that Mine and the Father’s being are one, this is clear. For “the words that I speak, I speak not of Myself,” that is, I speak them not otherwise, but as the Father would say, so I speak; because I have nothing special with Me, separate from the Father, but everything is common; for one being, although the faces are different. But the Father owns not only the words that I say, but also the deeds, the Divine deeds. If the works are of God, and the Father and I are God, then the works are of one Being, so that if I do, the Father does, if the Father does, I do. John 14:11. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; but if not so, then believe Me by the very works. “Believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me,” that is, you who hear about the Father and the Son should not look for any other proof of their kinship in essence. If this is not enough for you to prove consubstantiality and unity, and that the Father appears in My being and I in the Father’s being, then at least believe Me by works, for the works are God’s. John 14:12. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I go to My Father. Christ, showing that He can do not only these things, but also others, much greater than these, speaks about this with extreme power. For he does not say, “I can do greater works than these,” but, what is much more surprising, “I can give others the power to do greater works than these.” Do you see how great is the power of the Only Begotten? He also gives others the power to do things greater than those He Himself did. “Because I go to My Father,” that is, now you will perform miracles, for I am already leaving. John 14:13. And if you ask the Father anything in My name, I will do it, Explaining to us how those who believe in Him can do great and wonderful things, He says: “If you ask anything in My name.” Here he shows us the method of working miracles: anyone can work miracles through petition and prayer and calling on His name. So the apostles said to the lame man: “In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Therefore, he did not say, “Whatever you ask, I will ask the Father, and he will do it,” but “I will do it,” showing His own power. may the Father be glorified in the Son. For when a son appears to have great power, then there will be glory to the one who begat such a son. See how the glory of the Father flows out. Miracles were performed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; the preachings of the apostles were believed by miracles; finally, moving on to the knowledge of God, they came to know the Father, and thus He was glorified in the Son. John 14:14. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Let those suffering from Arianism say: “How did He perform miracles through the apostles, His deeds not Himself, but with the assistance of the Father? How did he give power to others, but did not have it himself? Why did He say the same thing twice? For, having said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it,” then adding, “That the Father may be glorified in the Son,” again for the second time he says, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” He says this twice in order to confirm His word and show that He creates Himself and does not need outside force. Yet He says this to the disciples to console them and to confirm that after death He will not perish, will not be destroyed, but will again remain in His dignity and will be in heaven. “For I,” he says, “go to the Father; I will not be destroyed, but I will go to where life is most blissful. Although I die, I will not appear at all powerless; on the contrary, I will also invest others with the power to do great things. And whatever you want, I will give it to you. So, do not lose heart because My death is such as I indicated to you.” John 14:15. If you love Me, keep My commandments. Above he said “I will do whatever you ask”; now he shows that he must ask not simply, but with love for Him and observance of the commandments. For then I will do it when you ask in this way. And otherwise. Hearing that they would be abandoned by Him, they, naturally, could become sad and confused in their souls. He says: “Loving Me does not consist in being sad and troubled, but in obeying My words. I gave you a commandment not to fear “those who kill the body” (Matthew 10:28). If you love Me, then keep it and no longer grieve because of My death. For it is not common for one who keeps the aforementioned commandment to grieve. How then, not keeping My commandment, but fearing death, do you say that you love Me?” John 14:16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, To this they could say: “How can we not grieve when we are to be deprived of Your consolation and guidance?” Therefore he says: “This will not happen; you will not be left without consolation. For I will ask, that is, I will pray to the Father, and He will send you another Comforter, another, but the same as Me.” Let Sabellius be ashamed of these words, who says that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are one person. For behold, listen: he will send “another” Comforter; This means that the Face of the Spirit is different. Let Macedonius also be ashamed, who says that the Spirit is a different being and lower than the Son. For listen: the Spirit is the Comforter, just as the Son is. So, the Spirit is the Comforter, just like the Son. So, the Spirit, consubstantial with the Son, is, without a doubt, consubstantial with the Father. For the Father and the Son are one and the same being. Don't be surprised if He says, "I will pray the Father." For He does not ask like a slave; but in order to assure the disciples that the Comforter Spirit will certainly come to them, he condescends to them and says, “I will ask the Father.” For if He had said, “I will send,” they would not have believed so much; and now, in order to make His word more reliable, he says, “I will ask the Father,” that is, if it becomes necessary to ask and pray, then I will try in every possible way for the Spirit to come to you. This is similar to how we often say “I will lay down my life so that this and that will happen.” Although often the matter does not require much effort, we nevertheless speak in this way, wanting to show that we will not give up our efforts. Otherwise. Since the Lord sacrificed Himself for us to the Father, propitiating Him with His death, as the High Priest, and then, after the destruction of sin and the cessation of enmity, the Spirit came to us, therefore He says, “I will ask the Father and will give you a Comforter,” that is, I will propitiate the Father for you and reconcile Him with you, who are hostile to Him because of sin, and He, propitiated by My He who died for you and was reconciled to you will send you the Spirit. may he be with you forever, "May he be with you forever." He also said this to console them. His coming is not the same as Mine, it is not only for a while, but will continue forever; He will not leave you even after your death, but will remain with you and glorify you; He always remains with all the saints, even after their death, especially since they then rise even more above carnal passions. “The Spirit of truth,” he says. That is, the Spirit is not of the Old Testament, for it is an image and shadow, but of the New, which is the truth. Those who lived under the Law also had the Spirit, but they had it in image and shadow, and now, one might say, the Truth itself essentially descended to the disciples. Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; And lest they think that the Spirit, like Him, will become incarnate, he says that the world cannot accept Him. “He,” he says, “will teach you differently than I do, for the world cannot accept Him bodily. He will dwell in your very souls.” Otherwise. “The world,” that is, vicious people and worldly thinkers, cannot accept Him, because “they do not see Him,” that is, because His being is immense. For by vision here he means contemplation with the mind, which is why he added “and does not know Him.” Obviously, with the word “does not see,” He expressed what He “does not know.” and you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. So, He consoles the apostles when He says that the world cannot accept Him, but this excellent gift will be given to you and will remain “with you” and, what is even more, will remain “in you.” For the word “with you” indicates external help from proximity, and “in you” indicates internal dwelling and strengthening. This also shows that He is God. For God says: “I will dwell in you and walk” (Lev. 26:12). So the world cannot receive the Spirit because it does not know Him, but you know Him. Why? Because you are not of the world. That is why you are able to accept Him, and He is now “with you” and will always be “in you.” John 14:18. I will not leave you orphans; I'll come to you. “Do not be afraid,” he says, “that I told you, “I will send another Comforter.” Don't think that you won't see Me again. For I will not go away from you forever. I will come and will not leave you orphans.” Since at the beginning of the speech he called them children, now he decently says “I will not leave you orphans.” John 14:19. A little more and the world will no longer see Me; and you will see Me, for I live, and you will live. And so that they do not think that He will still appear to them and to everyone with a body, He says: “The world will no longer see Me. You will be the only one who will see Me after the resurrection. For I live; although I will suffer death, I will rise again.” “And you will live,” that is, having seen Me, you will rejoice and, as if after death, will come to life from My appearance. Or like this: “Just as My death served to bring life, so you too, although you die, will live.” So, do not grieve either for Me, who is dying, or for yourselves. For even if you die, you will live in the next life. John 14:20. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. “On that day you will know that I am in My Father,” that is, when I am resurrected, then you will know that I am not separate from the Father, but have the same power. “And you are in Me,” that is, kept by Me, “and I am in you,” that is, I am with you, delivering you from sorrows, performing miracles through you, and generally glorifying you through everything. And otherwise: “I am in you,” as the Head in the members, for the apostles are members of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15), “and you are in Me,” as members in the Head. When He was resurrected, then He made clear to them the knowledge of all this. For after the resurrection the grace of the Spirit taught them everything. When you hear the words “I am in the Father, and you in Me, and I in you,” do not understand them in the same meaning. For the Son is in the Father as Consubstantial, and in the apostles as a Helper and Helper, and the apostles in Him as those receiving help, assistance and fervor from Him. Many other names are used about God and people, but not in the same sense. Thus, we too are called gods (Ps. 81:6), but not in the same sense as God. The Son is called the Image and Glory of the Father (Heb. 1:3), and man is called the same; but not in the same meaning. This is how real words should be understood. As well as the following words, “as the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21), should we really understand it simply? The Father sent the Son in the sense that He, being incorporeal, became incarnate, born of the Virgin. Is this why the apostles were from heaven and incorporeal, then became incarnate, and each of them was born of a virgin?! But to understand the words of Scripture this way is obvious madness. John 14:21. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he loves Me; With such words, as we said above, He calms their sorrow, teaching them that it is not the one who grieves over His death who loves Him, which they also experience, but the one who keeps His commandments and testaments not to be attached to real life, but to lay down life for God and for good. He tells them something like this: “You think that out of love you grieve over My death, but I, on the contrary, give a sign of love that you should not grieve.” That such a thought is in His words is evident from what He says a little further: “If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I go to My Father” (John 14:28). So, whoever loves Me has My commandments, and not only has them, but also keeps them, so that the thief, the devil, does not come and steal this treasure, for careful caution is needed so as not to lose them. and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and appear to him Myself. What reward will he who loves Me receive? “He will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and I will appear to him.” Why did he say: “I will appear to him myself”? Since after the resurrection He had to appear to them in a God-like body, so that they would not mistake Him for a spirit and a ghost, He predicted this to them, so that, having seen Him then, they would not remain in unbelief, but would remember that He had predicted this to them and that He appeared to them for keeping His commandments, so that they would always try to keep them, so that He would always appear to them. The mystery of the resurrection is great, and they would have difficulty accepting it; therefore He prepares them, saying that He Himself will appear to them. For after the resurrection He ate so that He would not be considered a ghost, which was now the thought of Judas. John 14:22. Judas - not Iscariot - says to Him: Lord! What is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? Judas, mentioned now, thought that just as we see the dead in dreams, so He will appear to them; That’s why he says: “Lord! What is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” He says this out of great amazement and horror. He says something like this: “Alas for us! You are dying and want to appear to us in a dream, just as the dead appear.” For “what is this” are the words of the frightened and alarmed. What does the Lord answer to this? How does He overthrow his opinion as false? John 14:23. Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him. Judas, in great fear, thought that the Lord would appear to them in a dream after His death, which is why he proposed the above-mentioned question. And the Lord, refuting his opinion, says that just as the Father Himself appears, so I myself will appear to you. For I and the Father together will come to him who keeps My words. I will not appear to you in a dream; but since I come with the Father, just as it is fitting for the Father to appear, so will My appearing to you be. The words “let us make our abode with him” also subvert the opinion of Judas. Dreams do not last long, but I will appear and remain with the Father. Therefore My visit is not like a dream. He predicts to them about His appearance in order, as I said, so that they would not regard Him as a ghost, and together excites them to keep His commandments with the assurance that both He and the Father are the ones who keep them. Just as, on the contrary, both He and the Father withdraw from the one who does not keep the commandments, as from someone who does not love. John 14:24. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; The word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father who sent Me. For whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And whoever does not love the Son does not love the Father either. For the word belongs to both the Son and the Father. Therefore, whoever does not keep the words of the Son, that is, the Father, does not love both the Son and the Father. So, you, disciples, keep My words, for by this you will prove your love for Me and for the Father. Others say that the question “why do you want to appear to us and not to the world?” The disciple Judas proposed not out of fear, but out of love for people. He wanted the phenomenon to benefit not only the students, but the whole world. But the Savior shows that not everyone is awarded such benefits; but only those who keep His commandments will become worthy of His appearance and the Father’s love. For in him who keeps the commandments God and the Father abides. But not in the same way as in the Son; for He abides naturally in the Son, and morally in man. John 14:25. I told you these things while I was with you. John 14:26. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you. Since the Lord’s speeches were unclear to the disciples, and they did not understand some of them, and doubted most of them, so that they would not ask Him again and tell them what commandments we should keep, He frees them from worries and confusion, saying that the Comforter will make the unclear and incomprehensible things clear to you. This, which seems unclear to you, I said while staying with you and being with you; If I leave, then you will be taught everything. So, you do not need to grieve over separation from Me, when it will bring you so many benefits and so much wisdom. For until I Myself remain with you and the Spirit comes, you cannot understand anything great or lofty. He often mentions the Comforter because of the sorrow that overwhelms them, giving them good hope that He will guide them. “The Comforter will come in My name.” This means: He will not teach you anything alien to My teaching, He will not seek His glory, but will come in My name, that is, for the glory of My name, and not His, as teachers hostile to each other do, drawing followers after them. Some in the words “in my name” mean the name of Christ - “Comforter”. For it is said: “We have an advocate (Comforter) Jesus Christ” (1 John 2:1). And just as the Spirit, who came to the disciples, became the Comforter and eased their sorrow, He came in the name of Christ, for He is the Comforter, just like Christ. But the Apostle Paul also calls the Spirit Christ when he says: “You do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). Then he added “if Christ is in you...” (Rom. 8:10). You see, as he said above that the Spirit of God lives in them, then he added “Christ in you.” It is clear that the apostle called the Spirit Christ. And since the Spirit is called Christ, you must understand the words “The Father will send Him in My name” to mean that He too will be called Christ. The Holy Spirit both taught and reminded: “taught” everything that Christ did not tell them, as they could not contain it; “reminded” everything that the Lord, although he said, but which the apostles could not retain in memory, either due to the clarity of what was said, or due to the weakness of their minds. John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. The apostles again felt sadness when they heard the words of the Lord, “I am going away, but the Spirit will come.” Therefore, seeing their hearts in confusion, and especially because of the sorrows and troubles that lie ahead of them, he says: “Peace I leave with you,” saying to them, as it were: “What harm do you from the turmoil of the world, as long as you are at peace with Me? For My peace is not like that of the world. This peace is often harmful and useless, but I give such peace that you will be at peace with each other and will form one body. And this will make you stronger than everyone else. Although many will rebel against you, with unanimity and mutual peace you will not suffer at all.” Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Then again he said, “I leave,” and this indicated His departure and could lead them to confusion, so he adds: “Let not your heart be troubled, and let not be afraid.” They felt confusion from affection and love for Him, because they had to lose Him, and fear because after His death disasters might happen to them. But the Lord does not leave without healing either their embarrassment from attachment or the fear of future disasters, but calms both, saying, “Let not your heart be troubled, and let not be afraid.” John 14:28. You have heard that I said to you: I am leaving you and will come to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I said: I am going to the Father; for My Father is greater than Me. Since the Lord saw that the apostles did not fully hope for His resurrection, they did not even know what it was, and therefore were greatly grieved and embarrassed at the thought of separation from Him, He condescended to their weakness and said: “I told you that I will go and will come again; and yet you still grieve, because you do not trust Me, that even though I die, I will not leave you in your sorrows. Now, having heard that I am going to My Father, whom you consider great and greater than Me, you should rejoice that I am going to Him, greater than Me and able to destroy all disasters.” Do you see the sequence of thought? “My Father is greater than Me,” He said to comfort the disciples. They grieved because Christ seemed unable to protect them. He says: “If I cannot, then My Father, whom you consider greater than Me, in all likelihood, will help you.” Likewise, in another place he says: “Do you really think that I cannot ask the Father, and He will send Me twelve legions of angels? "(Matthew 26:53). Here He says this not because He cannot do this (for how is He not strong who, with just one word that He spoke to the Jews, suddenly threw them all back? (John 18:4-6)), but because they thought of Him as a man. So this too - “My Father is greater than Me” He said in accordance with their concept, since they considered Him weak, and the Father able to strengthen them during tribulations. Some think that He called the Father greater in the sense that He is the author of the Son. “The Father,” he says, “is greater because He is My cause and beginning, for I was born of Him.” And that the Father is greater does not mean that He is another being. For even among people, one might say, the father is greater than the son, but not another being. Then, let the heretics say, how did Christ depart to the Father: Divinity or humanity? Without a doubt, by humanity. For, as God, He was always in heaven and not separated from the Father. So, the Father is said to be greater than Him, as He is to Man. John 14:29. And behold, I told you about it before it happened, so that you might believe when it happens. That is: I am so calm, I am not afraid of death and do not grieve that I even predict about it; Therefore, I command you to rejoice, so that when it comes true, you will believe Me, that just as I knew about the sorrows that were about to happen to you and, having predicted them, I did not lie, so in the prediction about your consolation and guidance I will not turn out to be false, but everything joyful will come to you. John 14:30 . It’s not long for me to talk to you; For the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me. Having consoled the disciples with the above speech, the Lord again spoke about His death. “For,” he says, “the prince of this world is coming,” that is, the devil. That he is the prince of this world, understand this not about creation in general, but about vicious people and those who think worldly things. For he rules not over heaven and earth, otherwise he would overthrow and upset everything, but over those who themselves surrender to him. That is why he is called the prince of darkness, and by darkness we mean evil deeds. And as some might have thought that Christ was being given over to death for sins, He added “And in Me he has nothing”; I am not guilty of death, I owe nothing to the devil, but I accept suffering voluntarily, out of love for the Father. John 14:31. But so that the world knows that I love the Father He often mentions death, adding words of consolation to make it more acceptable to them. For, hearing that He will die, they also learn that He voluntarily despises the devil and dies out of love for the Father. So, if suffering were harmful and not saving, the loving Father would not have deigned to do this, and the beloved Son would not have taken it upon Himself. How can we understand that He dies out of love for the Father? “The Father,” he says, “loves the world and gives Me up to death for it. “I, loving the Father, agree with His good pleasure and will and prove that I love the Father by taking upon myself and fulfilling what He commanded, that is, His good pleasure and determination.” and as the Father commanded Me, so I do: Tell me, Arians, if the Son were a slave, would He really say that I am dying out of love for the Father? A slave does the will of his master not because he loves him, but because he is a slave and is afraid of punishment. And the Lord Jesus, since He does the will of God out of love, is not a slave, not a creature, but truly the Son, fulfilling the will of the Father. Therefore, when you hear: “The Father commanded Me,” because of the word “commanded,” do not look at the Lord as subordinate, but because of the word “Father,” recognize Him as the Son of one substance with the Father. “Commanded” is understood this way: he wanted, he said, he determined, he favored. By repeatedly speaking about His sufferings, the Lord completely convinced the disciples of their necessity. For this reason, I realized that they were afraid that they would soon be captured, and out of strong fear they no longer listened to His words. Therefore, He apparently wants to lead them to a secret place where they will not be captured. But He leaves the place where they were in order to, taming the confusion in their souls, teach them the most mysterious teaching. He takes them, as we learn from what follows, to the garden that was known to Judas. Such an act was apparently a removal, but in fact a voluntary surrender of Himself; for He retires to a place which Judas knew.