Lecture 7 — Men’s lack of love

^5:41^ I do not receive glory from men. [n. 826]

^5:42^ But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. [n. 827]

^5:43^ I have come in the name of my Father, and you do not receive me: if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him. [n. 829]

^5:44^ How are you able to believe, who receive glory from one another, and the glory that is from God alone, you do not seek? [n. 832]

^5:45^ Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust. [n. 833]

^5:46^ If you believed Moses, you would perhaps believe me also, for he wrote of me. [n. 836]

^5:47^ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? [n. 837]

825. After God confirmed the greatness of his power by the testimonies of men, of God, and of the Scriptures, he here rebukes the Jews for being slow to believe.

Now the Jews persecuted Christ on two grounds: for breaking the Sabbath, by which he seemed to go against the law, and for saying that he is the Son of God, by which he seemed to go against God. Thus they persecuted him on account of their reverence for God and their zeal for the law. And so our Lord wishes to show that their persecution of him was really inspired not by these motives, but by contrary reasons.

He first shows that the cause of their unbelief was their lack of reverence for God.

Second, that another cause of their unbelief was their lack of reverence for Moses, at do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.

As to the first he does two things.

First, he shows their irreverence for God.

Second, he shows that this is the cause of their unbelief, at how are you able to believe, who receive glory from one another?

Concerning the first he does two things.

First, he mentions their lack of reverence for God.

Second, he makes this obvious by a sign, at I have come in the name of my Father.

With respect to the first he does two things.

First, he rejects what they might have assumed to be his intention, from what he had said before.

Second, he presents his real intention, at but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.

826. The Jews might have assumed that Christ was seeking some kind of praise from men, since he had reminded them of so many witnesses to himself, as John, God, his own works, and the testimony of the Scriptures. Against this thought he says, I do not receive glory from men, i.e., I do not seek praise from men; for I have not come to be an example of one seeking human glory: we did not seek glory from men (1 Thess 2:6). Or, I do not receive glory from men, i.e., I do not need human praise, because from eternity I have glory with the Father: glorify me, O Father, with yourself, with the glory which I had, before the world was made (John 17:5). For I have not come to be glorified by men, but rather to glorify them, since all glory proceeds from me. It is through this wisdom that I have glory (Wis 7:25).

God is said to be praised and glorified by men—glorify the Lord as much as you are able; he will still surpass even that (Sir 43:30)—not that he might become by this more glorious, but so that he might appear glorious among us.

827. Thus Christ presented the various testimonies to himself not for the reason they thought, but for another one: but I know you, i.e., I have made known about you***, that you do not have the love of God in you***, although you pretend to have it. And so you are not persecuting me because of your love for God. You would be persecuting me for the love of God if God and the Scriptures did not bear witness to me; but God himself bears witness to me by himself, his works and in the Scriptures, as has been said. Consequently, if you truly loved God, then so far from rejecting me, you would come to me. You, therefore, do not love God.

Another interpretation would be this: but I know you, that you have not the love of God in you. It is as though he were saying: I have not brought in these witnesses because I wanted your praise; but I know you do not love God and your waywardness makes me sad, and I want to lead you back to the way of truth: now they have both seen and hated me and my Father (John 15:24); the pride of those who hate you continuously rises (Ps 73:23).

828. Here we should point out that God cannot be hated in himself by anyone, nor can he be hated with respect to all his effects, since every good in things comes from God, and it is impossible for anyone to hate all good, for he will at least love existence and life. But someone may hate some effect of God, insofar as this is opposed to what he desires: for example, he might hate punishment, and things of that sort. It is from this point of view that God is said to be hated.

829. Then, at I have come in the name of my Father, and you do not receive me, he gives a sign that they do not love God.

First, a present sign;

second, a future sign, at if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him.

830. The present sign concerns his own coming; so he says, I have come in the name of my Father. As if to say: what I say is obvious, for if one loves his Lord, it is clear that he will honor and receive one who comes from him, and seek to honor him. But I have come in the name of my Father, and I make his name known to the world: I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me (John 17:6), and yet you do not accept me. Therefore, you do not love him.

The Son is said to make his Father known to men because, although the Father, as God, was known—God is known in Judah (Ps 75:1)—yet he was not known as the natural Father of the Son before Christ came. Thus Solomon asked: what is his name? And what is the name of his son? (Prov 30:4).

831. The future sign concerns the coming of the Antichrist. For the Jews could say: although you come in his name, we have not accepted you, because we will not accept anyone but God the Father. The Lord speaks against this, and says that it cannot be, because you will accept another, who will come, not in the Father’s name, but in his own name; and what is more, he will come, not in the name of the Father, but in his own name, precisely because he will not seek the glory of the Father but his own. And whatever he does, he will attribute it, not to the Father, but to himself: who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or is worshipped (2 Thess 2:4). You will receive him; and so the Apostle continues in the same letter: God will send them a misleading influence so that they might believe what is false (2 Thess 2:11). And this, because they did not accept the true teaching, that they might be saved. So the Gloss says: because the Jews were unwilling to accept Christ, the penalty for this sin will be, fittingly enough, that they will receive the Antichrist; with the result that those who were unwilling to believe the truth, will believe a lie.

According to Augustine, however, we can understand this text as applying to heretics and false teachers: who spread a teaching that comes from their own hearts and not from the mouth of God, and who praise themselves and despise the name of God. Of such persons it is written: you have heard that the Antichrist is coming; and now many antichrists have appeared (1 John 2:18). So it is clear that your persecution of me does not spring from your love for God, but from your hatred and envy of him. And this was the reason why they did not believe.

832. He concludes: how are you able to believe, who receive glory from one another, i.e., human praise, and the glory that is from God alone, you do not seek? which is true glory. The reason they could not believe in Christ was that, since their proud minds were craving their own glory and praise, they considered themselves superior to others in glory, and regarded it as a disgrace to believe in Christ, who seemed common and poor. And this was why they could not believe in him. The one who can believe in Christ is the person of humble heart, who seeks the glory of God alone, and who strives to please him. And so we read: many of the chief men also believed in him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, that they might not be cast out of the synagogue (John 12:42).

We can see from this just how dangerous vainglory is. For this reason Cicero says: let a man beware of that glory that robs him of all freedom; that freedom for which a man of great spirit should risk everything. And the Gloss says: it is a great vice to boast and to strive for human praise: to desire that others think you have what you really do not have.

833. Then, at do not think that I will accuse you, he shows that they do not have zeal for Moses.

First, how Moses was against them.

Second, he gives the reason for this opposition, at if you believed Moses, you would perhaps believe me also.

As to the first he does two things.

First, he rejects their false zeal;

second, he shows them true zeal, at there is one who accuses you, Moses.

834. As to the first he says: do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.

There are three reasons for his saying this. First, the Son of God did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save it. So he says, do not think that I have come to condemn, I have come to free: for God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, that is, to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17). And so the blood of Christ cries out, not to accuse, but to forgive: we have the blood of Christ, crying out better than that of Abel (Heb 12:24), whose blood cried out to accuse; who will accuse God’s elect? It is Christ who justifies. Who is it, then, who will condemn? (Rom 8:33).

As to his second reason for saying this, he says: do not think that I will accuse you to the Father, because I will not be the one to accuse you, but to judge you: the Father has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).

The third reason is: do not think that I, i.e., I alone, **will accuse you to the Father **for what you are doing to me; for even Moses will accuse you for not believing him in the things he said of me.

835. Consequently he adds: there is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust, because you believe you are saved through his precepts.

Moses accuses them in two ways. Materially, because they deserved to be accused for transgressing his commands: those who have sinned under the law, will be judged by the law (Rom 2:12). Again, Moses accuses them because he and the other saints will have authority in the judgment: the two-edged swords will be in their hands (Ps 149:6).

836. He presents the reason for this opposition when he says: if you believed Moses, you would perhaps believe me also, as is clear from the Lord your God will raise up a prophet for you, from your nation and your brothers; he will be like me: you will listen to him (Deut 18:15), and from all the sacrifices, which were a symbol of Christ.

He says, perhaps, to indicate that their will acts from a free judgment, and not to imply that there is any doubt on the part of God.

837. Then when he says, but if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? he gives a sign of this opposition. He does this by comparing two things, and then denying of the lesser of them what is denied of the greater. First, there is a comparison between Moses and Christ: for although Christ, absolutely speaking, is greater than Moses, Moses was the greater in reputation among the Jews. Thus he says: if you do not believe Moses, you will not believe me either.

Second, he compares the way in which they presented their teaching: Moses gave his precepts in a written form; and so they can be studied for a long time, and are not easily forgotten. Hence they impose a stronger obligation to believe. But Christ presented his teachings in spoken words. Thus he says, but if you do not believe his writings, which you have preserved in your books, how will you believe my words?