Homily 71. On the Wednesday of the Fourth Week after Pascha, at the Mid-feast of the Lord, a homily of Saint John Chrysostom #

There were three great feasts among the Jews: Pascha, Pentecost, and Mid-feast, during which the Lord worked wondrous and glorious miracles. The present feast is the Lord’s, and He granted it a double measure of grace from His Resurrection: for from the Resurrection to Pentecost, this day is called Mid-feast, because, just as on Pascha, the Jews would gather together. Hear what the Evangelist says: “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.” And the Jews marveled, saying: “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?”

O, what lawlessness! Does the Creator of books need to go to a teacher?—He who made heaven and earth, and fashioned man with wisdom? Will you try to teach cunning to Him who gives understanding and reason to all? O, malice and hardness of heart! Tell me—who has ever opened the eyes of one born blind? Did He anoint them with some salve, or apply a poultice, or scrape away a film? No—He anointed the blind man’s eyes with clay, and without the art of physicians healed him, showing forth His divine power, even as He formed Adam from the dust of the earth, that they might know Him to be the Son of God.

What then did the Lord say to the Jews? “Why do ye seek to kill Me? Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you keepeth the Law?” The Jews answered, “Thou breakest the sabbath, raising up the paralyzed and enlightening the blind, and sayest, ‘We do not keep the Law.’” But the Lord said: “O Jews, what is better to do on the sabbath: to save a soul or to destroy it? To circumcise the flesh or to raise up the paralyzed? To sharpen a knife or to give sight to the blind? To gather for evil or to increase grace in all the world?”

If you circumcise a man on the sabbath that the Law be not broken, why are you angry with Me that I make a man whole on the sabbath? “Judge not according to the appearance,” I say unto you, “but judge righteous judgment.” O wondrous humility of the Lord! He calls His enemies to act as judges, saying to them: “Judge not according to appearance,” as you did with Susanna, justifying the guilty. I raised up Daniel, says the Lord, that he might condemn the wicked to death and deliver the innocent.

“Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment,” and not as with Naboth, and take not bribes as Ahab did unjustly. Was it not your prophet who reproached you, saying: “They made no distinction between the righteous and the guilty”? Take no judgment for bribes, nor be ashamed before the mighty if they act unjustly, but judge with righteousness—for the judgment of God is righteous.

Why then do you seek to kill Me? You rage in vain! I willingly desire to endure the Passion—not being compelled by anyone, but humbling Myself, that the world through Me might be saved.

O the malice of the Jews! O the mercy of the Master Christ and His boundless love for mankind! For though He is slandered by sinners, He endures it; though dishonored, He does not take vengeance. Therefore we also, brethren, ought to be humble and not exalt ourselves; to endure insult and reproach, to render not evil for evil, that we may be glorified together with the Lord God.

Hear what the Evangelist says concerning the Mid-feast: “In the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.” This feast is akin to the one just passed. Soon the feast of the Ascension shall come. But this feast, we call a feast not as do the pagans or Jews—wherein are games, drunkenness, lewd songs, and dancing—but we celebrate as Christians ought, and in honor of a holy feast.

In it, we engage not in games nor become drunk, but offer prayers and spiritual hymns to the Lord. For the Lord Himself said: “Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” Let us be merciful, that the Lord God may also be merciful to us and have pity on us—to Him be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.