Lecture 6 — Christ hides from the crowd

^12:34^ The multitude answered him: we have heard out of the law, that Christ abides for ever; and how can you say: the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? [n. 1676]

^12:35^ Jesus therefore said to them: yet a little while, the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he who walks in darkness, knows not where he goes. [n. 1681]

^12:36^ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light. These things Jesus said; and he went away, and hid himself from them. [n. 1686]

1675. Having mentioned the promised glorification of the Lord and explaining the voice, the Evangelist now describes the doubt which prevailed among the crowd.

First, they introduce the authority of the law;

and second, they raise a problem based on it: and how can you say: the Son of man must be lifted up?

1676. In regard to the first the Evangelist says, the multitude answered him, that is, the Lord, who was speaking of his death, we have heard from the law, and law is taken here for the entire Old Testament that Christ abides for ever. This can be gathered from many passages of the Old Testament: of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end (Isa 9:7); his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be destroyed (Dan 7:14).

1677. Basing themselves on this authority, they formulate two doubts: one concerns a fact, and the other the person.

As concerns the fact, they say, how can you say: the Son of man must be lifted up?

But since Christ did not say that the Son of man must be lifted up, but **and I, if I am lifted up **(John 12:32), why do the Jews say that the Son of man must be lifted up?

The answer to this is that the Jews were now accustomed to our Lord’s words; thus they remembered that he called himself the Son of man. And so when he said, **and I, when I am lifted up **(John 12:32), they took it to mean, if the Son of man is lifted up, as Augustine says. Or, one might answer that although Christ did not here mention the Son of man, yet earlier he had said: so must the Son of man be lifted up (John 3:14).

1678. Yet it seems that their statement, the Son of man must be lifted up, is in no way opposed to the statement that Christ abides for ever.

The answer is that since our Lord was accustomed to speak to them in figurative language, they understood much of what was said in that way. And so they also suspected that when our Lord spoke of being lifted up, he was referring to death on the cross: when you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he (John 8:28). Or, it could be said that they understood it in this sense because they had already thought of doing that very thing. Thus it was not the sharpness of their understanding that gave them this interpretation of these words, but an awareness of their own wickedness.

1679. Note their wickedness, for they do not say: we have heard from the law that the Christ does not suffer, because in many places of the law reference is made to his passion and resurrection, as: like a lamb that is led to the slaughter (Isa 53:7); I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up (Ps 3:7). Rather, they say, Christ abides for ever. The reason for this is that the former would not have involved any opposition, since no obstacle to Christ’s immortality arises from the mere fact of his suffering. In other words, as Chrysostom says, they wished to show that he was not the Christ for the reason that Christ abides for ever.

1680. They raise a question concerning his person when they say, who is this Son of man? They ask this because it says in Daniel: and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days (Dan 7:13); and by that Son of man they understood the Christ. It is as though they were saying: you say the Son of man must be lifted up; yet the Son of man, whom we take to be the Christ, remains forever. So **who is this Son of man? **If he does not remain for ever, neither is he the Christ. In this they deserve to be reprimanded for their dullness, because even though they had seen and heard so many great things, they still had doubts about his being the Christ: he who tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man (Sir 22:9).

1681. Then when he says, Jesus therefore said to them, our Lord somewhat settles their doubt.

First, he commends the good they had;

and second, he encourages them to make progress: walk while you have the light;

third, he explains his admonition: while you have the light, believe in the light.

1682. Jesus said to them, yet a little while, the light is among you. This can be understood in two ways. In one way, according to Augustine, so that little modifies light. As if to say: the light is among you, insofar as it sees that the Christ remains for ever. For this is a truth, and every manifestation of the truth is a light infused by God. Yet this light which is in you is little, because even though you recognize the eternity of the Christ, you do not believe in his death and resurrection. This shows that you do not have perfect faith. Thus, what was said to Peter applies also to them: O man of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matt 14:31).

It is understood in another way by Chrysostom, as meaning that yet a little while, the light is among you, that is, I, who am the light. It is the same as saying: I, the light, am among you for a brief time: a little while, and you will not see me (John 16:16).

1683. And so he exhorts them to make progress in good.

First, he gives his exhortation;

second, he shows the danger threatening them unless they do make progress: he who walks in the darkness, knows not where he goes.

1684. He says: I say that you have a little light, but while you have it, walk, that is, move forward and make progress, so that you may understand that the Christ, in addition to his eternity, will also die and rise again. This is in keeping with the first explanation given above.

Or, walk while you have the light, that is, while I am among you, make progress and be concerned with possessing me in such a way as never to lose me: blessed are the people . . . O Lord, who walk in the light of thy countenance (Ps 89:15). And do this that the darkness of unbelief, ignorance and eternal damnation overtake you not and prevent you from going any further. For a person is overtaken by darkness when he is totally sunk in unbelief; and they would be this way if they believed in the eternity of the Christ in such a way as to deny the humiliation of his death: a man whose way is hid (Job 3:23); we are wrapped up in darkness (Job 37:19).

1685. The danger threatening them unless they do progress is mentioned when he says, he who walks in the darkness, knows not where he goes. For light, whether exterior or interior, directs man. Exterior light directs him as to external bodily acts, while the interior light directs his will. One, therefore, who does not walk in the light, not perfectly believing in Christ, but walks in the darkness, knows not where he goes, that is, to what goal he is being led. As we read: they have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness (Ps 82:5). This is what happened to the Jews because they did not know what they were doing, but as people who were walking in the darkness they thought they were on the right road. And so they displeased God in the very things in which they believed they were pleasing him. Similarly, in the very things in which erring heretics believe they merit the light of truth and grace is the source of their being deprived of it: there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (Prov 14:12).

1686. Then when he says, while you have the light, believe in the light, he explains what he said, namely, what it means to walk. This is explained in two ways, according to the two explanations given above.

According to the first explanation: while you have the light, that is, while you have some knowledge and light of the truth, believe in the light, that is, in the complete truth, that you may be the children of light, that is, that you may be reborn in the truth: we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not sleep (1 Thess 5:6).

Or, according to the other explanation: while you have the light, that is, while you have me, who am the light: he was the true light which enlightens every man coming into the world (John 1:9); believe in the light, that is, in me. In other words, make progress in the knowledge of me, that you may be children of light, because from the fact that you believe in me you will be the children of God: but as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to those who believe in his name (John 1:12).

1687. These things Jesus said; he went away, and hid himself from them. Here the Evangelist tells what Jesus did, that he hid himself.

When we read above that Christ did this very thing, the reason was obvious, for they were taking stones to cast at him (John 8:59). But here there is no reason for his hiding given, such as that they took up stones or that they blasphemed him. Why then did he hide?

The answer is that our Lord, seeing into their hearts, knew their rage and the evil they had planned, i.e., to kill him. And so in his desire to stop them he did not wait for them to act, but hid himself so their anger and envy would abate. In doing this he is an example to us that when the evil purposes of others are clear to us, we should flee before they can accomplish them. In addition, our Lord was showing by his actions what he had said by his words. For he just said, walk while you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And by hiding himself he indicated what sort of darkness he means: I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob (Isa 8:17).