Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 10:19-30

"There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words. And many of them said, He hath a demon, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: it was winter; and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon`s porch. The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in my Father`s name, these bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who hath given [them] unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father`s hand. I and the Father are one." — John 10:19-30 (ASV)

1. After showing that he has the power to give life and demonstrating his manner of doing so, our Lord here shows how this power to give life belongs to him.

   First, the Evangelist mentions the dispute that arose among the crowd on this point.

   Second, he gives the discussion between the Jewish leaders and Christ, when it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem.

   Concerning the first point, he does three things.

   First, he mentions the dispute within the crowd.

   Second, he gives the opinion of one side.

   Third, he states the reasonable position of the other side.

2. The dispute arose within the crowd listening to Christ because of what he said. The Evangelist says, a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. Since some of them understood his words correctly and others did not, they argued among themselves. As Jesus said, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34)—that is, the sword of Gospel teaching, which some believed and others denied. He pours contempt upon princes (Psalms 107:40).

3. The opinion of one party in the argument was false. About this he says, many of them said. He says many, because as we read, the number of fools is infinite (Ecclesiastes 1:15). They said, He has a demon and is mad. It is the habit of the foolish to always interpret doubtful matters in an evil way, when the opposite should be done. Thus they insult whatever they do not know, as we read in the letter of Jude. And so, because they were incapable of understanding our Lord’s words—for the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (John 1:5)—they blasphemed, saying, He has a demon and is mad. They then tried to turn others away from him, saying, Why do you listen to him?

   These blasphemers accuse Christ of two things. First, that he has a demon, as if to say, “He is not speaking by the Holy Spirit, but from a wicked spirit.” Something similar is said about Paul: He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities (Acts 17:18). Now, a person who has a familiar demon is always spiritually mad, but not always physically mad. But some can be possessed by a demon, and these are always mad, even in a physical way. Thus it was said of Christ, He has gone out of his mind (Mark 3:21). Second, to show that Christ has a demon in this way, they say, and is mad. As Festus said to Paul, Your great learning is driving you mad (Acts 26:24). Yet their blasphemy is not surprising, because they are sensual, and as we read, the sensual person does not perceive those things that pertain to the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14).

4. This opinion is refuted by the statements of the other side, and this occurs in two ways. First, by the depth of Christ’s words. Thus he says, others—that is, those who rightly understood—said: These are not the words of one who has a demon. This was like saying, “It is clear from what he is saying that he is not mad, because his words are orderly and profound.” As Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68). And Paul says, I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth (Acts 26:25).

   Second, this opinion is refuted by the greatness of the miracle. Thus they say, Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? This means, “Was this not one of the greatest of miracles?” They were correct in believing that it could be performed only by the power of God: If this man were not from God, he could do nothing (John 9:33).

5. It should be noted that there are certain miracles that can be performed by the power of demons and angels, and there are others that can in no way be accomplished by their power. Those things that are above the order of nature no creature can perform by its own power, since the creature itself is subject to the laws of nature. God alone, who is above nature, can act above the order of nature. Therefore, whenever another creature acts, it is apparent that it remains under the order of nature.

   Therefore, whatever can be performed within the order of nature, an angel—either good or wicked—is able to do, when permitted. Thus, by using the seeds that in natural things are ordered toward the generation of certain animals, they are able to effect the generation of these animals, as Pharaoh’s magicians did (Exodus 7:11). Again, they can produce changes affecting the nature of a thing; thus, they can heal the sick who could be helped by the power of nature.

   But things that absolutely transcend the order of nature can be performed by God alone, or by good angels and saintly men through God’s power, which they obtain through prayer. Such would be the giving of sight to the blind and the raising of the dead, for the power of nature does not extend to restoring sight or to raising the dead. Consequently, a demon cannot open the eyes of a blind man or raise the dead, because this is done by God alone, and by the saints through the power of God.

6. Here we see the dispute that the Jewish leaders initiated with Christ.

   First, the Evangelist gives the question asked by the Jews.

   Second, Christ’s answer, beginning with, Jesus answered them, “I told you...”

   And third, the effect of this answer, at the Jews then took up stones to stone him (John 10:31).

   Concerning the first point, he does two things:

   First, he describes the circumstances of the questioning.

   Second, he gives the question itself, at and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense?”

   The circumstances of the questioning are described with respect to three things: the time, the place, and the persons who ask the question.

7. He mentions the specific time first, saying, It was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem, and it was winter.

   To understand this, we have to know, as Augustine says, that an “encaenia” was the feast of the dedication of a church. The Greek word, kainos, is the same as the Latin word for new. Thus an encaenia is the same as a renewal. Even in everyday speech, when something new is dedicated to a specific use, it is said to be “encaeniated,” which is the same as being renewed. It was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem refers to the feast and commemoration of the dedication of the temple. For when we newly dedicate a church to divine worship, we celebrate its being set aside for a sacred purpose, and in memory of this, we celebrate it every year on the same day. Thus every year the Jews celebrated the encaenia, the remembrance of the dedication of the temple.

8. To understand why there is a feast for the consecration of a church, we should note that all the feasts in the Church are celebrated in remembrance of God’s blessings: I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord (Isaiah 63:7). Again, after David called to mind God’s many blessings, saying, Give praise to the Lord, for he is good (Psalms 118:1), he adds, Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar! (Psalms 118:27).

   We recall God’s benefits to us as being of three kinds. Sometimes, we recall them as they are found in our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus we celebrate the feast of his birth, his resurrection, and so on. Sometimes we recall them as found in our fellow members, that is, in the saints, who are members of the Church. This is fitting, for as the Apostle says, If one member is honored, all rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26). Thus we celebrate the feasts of Saints Peter and Paul, and the other saints.

   At other times we recall God’s benefits as found in the entire Church, for example, the benefits of the sacraments and other things granted to the Church in general. Now, a material church building is a sign of the gathering of the faithful of the Church, and in this building all the sacraments of grace are dispensed. So it is in memory of these benefits that we celebrate the feast of the dedication of a church. Indeed, such a feast is greater than the feast of any saint, just as the benefits conferred upon the whole Church, which we celebrate, exceed the benefits conferred on a single saint and recalled during his feast.

9. Recall that the temple at Jerusalem had been consecrated three times: first by Solomon (1 Kings 8); second, during the time of Ezra by Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest (Ezra 6); and third, by the Maccabees, for it says that they went up to Jerusalem to cleanse the holy places (1 Maccabees 4). Now this feast was not celebrated in memory of the dedication by Solomon, because that took place in the fall, that is, in the seventh month. Nor was it in memory of the dedication made at the time of Ezra, for this took place during the spring, that is, the ninth day of March. It was in memory of the dedication made by the Maccabees, which took place during the winter.

   And so to show this, he mentions the specific time, saying, it was winter. There is also a mystical reason for mentioning the time. As Gregory says in his Morals on the Book of Job, the Evangelist took care to mention the season as winter in order to indicate the chill of evil in the hearts of those listening, that is, the Jews: As a well keeps its water cold, so she keeps cold her wickedness (Jeremiah 6:7). We also read of this winter: The winter is past, the rain is over and gone (Song of Solomon 2:11).

10. Then he describes the place: and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. He describes it first in a general way, in the temple—The Lord is in his holy temple (Psalms 11:4)—and second, in more detail, saying, in the colonnade of Solomon.

    We have to know that the temple included not just its main building, but the surrounding colonnades as well. It was in these colonnades that the people stood and prayed, for only the priests prayed in the temple proper. It was called the colonnade of Solomon because it was the place where Solomon stood and prayed when the temple was being dedicated: Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel (1 Kings 8:22).

11. One might object that the temple which Solomon built was destroyed, and so was his colonnade.

    I answer that the temple was rebuilt according to the specifications of the previous one. Therefore, just as that colonnade was called the colonnade of Solomon in the first instance, it was called the same later out of respect for him.

12. The persons who question Christ are described as to their malice; thus he says, So the Jews gathered around him, not warmed by loving charity, but burning with the desire to harm him. They came to attack him, surrounding and pressing him in on all sides: Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encompass me (Psalms 22:12); Ephraim has surrounded me with lies (Hosea 11:12).

13. Then when he says, and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense?” we see the Jews questioning him.

    First, he mentions the supposed reason for their questions when he says, How long will you keep us in suspense? Their manner is flattering because they want it to appear that they desire to know the truth about him. It is as if they were saying, “We are hanging in anticipation. How long will you keep us unsatisfied? Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12).

    Second, they state their question: If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Note their perversity. Since they resented Christ’s calling himself the Son of God (John 5:18), they do not ask him if he is the Son of God, but if you are the Christ, tell us plainly. They hoped by this to obtain grounds for accusing him before Pilate of inciting sedition and making himself king, which was in opposition to Caesar and offensive to the Romans. For when the Jews accused Christ of making himself the Son of God, Pilate was not very impressed; but when they said, Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar (John 19:12), he was swayed against Christ. This is why they say, If you are the Christ—or a king, or anointed—tell us plainly.

    Notice also their wickedness, because they say, plainly. It was like saying, “Until now you have not taught in public, but more or less in secret.” But in reality, Christ said everything openly, was present for the festival days, and said nothing in secret: I have spoken openly to the world... and in secret I have said nothing (John 18:20).

14. Now we have the answer of Christ, where he exposes their unbelief, proving they were deceitful in claiming they wished to know the truth when they said, How long will you keep us in suspense? He shows this in two ways. First, because they did not believe his words. About this he says, I told you, and you do not believe. It is as if to say, “You say to me, If you are the Christ, the king, tell us. But I told you—that is, I told you the truth—and you do not believe.” As it is written: If I tell you, you will not believe (Luke 22:67).

    He shows this in a second way: because they do not believe his works. About this he says, The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me.

    He first shows their unbelief in his works, and second, the reason for their unbelief, at but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

15. As to the first point, he says, the works that I do, as if to say, “You cannot be persuaded by my words, nor even by the great works that I do in my Father’s name,” that is, for his glory. They bear witness about me, because they can be performed by God alone. Thus they clearly show that I have come from God. The tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 12:33); The works that I do bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. But you do not believe (John 5:36). Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him (John 12:37). For this reason they are inexcusable: If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father (John 15:24).

16. The reason for their unbelief is that they are separated from Christ’s sheep. So he says, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

    He does three things concerning this.

    First, he says that they are excluded from membership with the sheep of Christ.

    Second, he shows the dignity of his sheep, at My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

    Third, he proves that no one will snatch his sheep out of his hands, at What my Father has given to me is greater than all.

17. He mentions that they are not among his sheep when he says, because you are not among my sheep—that is, you are not predestined to believe, but are foreknown to eternal destruction. For the very fact that we believe is due to God: For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29); For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). And this is given only to those for whom it was prepared from eternity. Thus, only those believe in him who have been ordained to this by God through an eternal predestination: As many as were appointed to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48); We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus (Acts 15:11).

18. But should anyone be told that he is not predestined? It seems that he should not be, for since no one can be saved unless he is predestined, if one is told that he is not predestined, he would be driven to despair. And so our Lord was driving the Jews to despair when he said to them, You do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.

    My answer to this is that in this group there was something common to all: they were not preordained by God to believe at that time. There was also something unique to individuals: some of them were preordained to believe later. Thus, some of them did believe later, for we read that three thousand of them believed in one day (Acts 2:41). But some were not preordained to do this. Therefore, it did not work against hope to say to a group—some of whom were preordained to believe later—that they did not belong to his sheep, because no one among them could apply this definitively to himself. But it would have worked against hope if Christ had said this to a specific person.

19. Now he reveals the dignity of his sheep when he says, My sheep hear my voice. He here mentions four things: two of them are what we do in reference to Christ; the other two, which correspond to the first two, are what Christ does in us.

20. The first thing we do is to obey Christ. Concerning this he says, My sheep—through predestination—hear my voice, by believing and obeying my precepts: Oh, that today you would hear his voice! Do not harden your hearts (Psalms 95:7–8).

21. The second thing, corresponding to this, is what Christ does, which is to give his love and approval. Concerning this he says, and I know them, that is, I love and approve of them: The Lord knows those who are his (2 Timothy 2:19). This is like saying, “The very fact that they hear me is due to the fact that I know them by an eternal election.”

    But if a person cannot believe unless God gives this to him, it seems that unbelief should not be held against anyone. I answer that it is held against them because they themselves are the cause of it not being given to them. For example, I cannot see the light unless I am enlightened by the sun. Yet if I were to close my eyes, I would not see the light; this is not due to the sun but to me, because by closing my eyes I am the cause of my not being enlightened. Now sin—for example, original sin, and in some persons actual sin—is the cause why we are not enlightened by God through faith. This cause is in everyone. Thus, all who are left by God are left by reason of God’s just judgment, and those who are chosen are lifted up by God’s mercy.

22. The third thing, which is what we do, concerns our imitation of Christ. So he says, and they follow me. My foot has held fast to his steps (Job 23:11); Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21).

23. The corresponding fourth part, which is what Christ does, is the giving of a reward. Concerning this he says, and I give them eternal life. This is like saying, “They follow me by walking the path of gentleness and innocence in this life, and I will see that afterwards they will follow me by entering into the joys of eternal life.”

    Our Lord shows in three ways that this reward will never end. Something can end in three ways. First, by its very nature, for example, if it is corruptible. But this reward is incorruptible by its very nature. Thus he says, I give them eternal life, which is the incorruptible and ever-living enjoyment of God: And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). As Augustine says, this is the pasture he spoke of before. Indeed, eternal life is called a good pasture because it is entirely verdant and nothing withers away.

    Second, a thing can end because the one receiving it ends or does not guard it well. But this will not happen to that reward, so he says, and they will never perish, that is, the sheep will never perish. This conflicts with Origen, who said that the saints in glory are able to sin. Yet our Lord says, they will never perish, because they will be preserved forever: The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it (Revelation 3:12).

    Third, a thing can end by being snatched by force. Perhaps Adam would not have been cast out if the deceiver had not been present. But this will not happen in eternal life, and so he says, and no one will snatch them—that is, the sheep—out of my hand, that is, from my protection and power. The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God . As Augustine says, “There the wolf does not snatch, nor the thief steal, nor the robber kill.”

24. He now proves what he had said above about the dignity of his sheep, namely, that no one can snatch them from his hand. His reason is this: no one can snatch what is in the hand of my Father, but the Father’s hand and mine are the same; therefore, no one can snatch what is in my hand.

    Concerning this he does three things. First, he gives the minor premise by showing that the Father had communicated divinity to him, saying, What my Father has given to me—through an eternal generation—is greater than all. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself (John 5:26). It is greater than any power: And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man (John 5:27). It is greater than any reverence and honor: God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow (Philippians 2:9–10). Therefore, what my Father has given to me—that is, that I am his Word, his only begotten, and the splendor of his light—is greater than all.

    Second, he mentions the greatness of the Father’s power, which concerns the major premise, when he says, and no one is able to snatch them—to take by violence or secretly steal—out of the hand, from the power, of my Father, or from me, who am the might of the Father. Although as Augustine says, it is better to say from the power of the Father than from me. Now, no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand, because he is the almighty one who is not subject to violence, and he is all-wise from whom nothing is hidden: He is wise in heart and mighty in strength (Job 9:4).

    Third, he affirms his unity with the Father, and from this the conclusion follows. Thus he says, I and the Father are one. As if to say, “No one will snatch them out of my hand, because I and the Father are one”—by a unity of essence, for the Father and the Son are the same in nature.

25. This statement rejects two errors: that of Arius, who distinguished the essence, and that of Sabellius, who did not distinguish the persons. We escape both Charybdis and Scylla, for by the fact that Christ says one, he saves us from Arius, because if they are one, then they are not different. And by the fact that he says we are, he saves us from Sabellius, for if we are, then the Father and the Son are distinct.

    Yet the Arians, deceived by their wickedness, try to deny this and say that a creature can in some sense be one with God, and in this sense the Son can be one with the Father.

    The falsity of this can be shown in three ways. First, from our very manner of speaking. It is clear that “one” is asserted as “being.” Thus, just as something is not said to be a being absolutely except according to its substance, so it is not said to be one except according to its substance or nature. Now, something is asserted absolutely when no qualification is added. Therefore, because I and the Father are one is asserted absolutely, without any qualifications added, it is plain that they are one according to substance and nature. But we never find that God and a creature are one without some added qualification: He who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17). Therefore, it is clear that the Son of God is not one with the Father as a creature can be.

    Second, we can see this from his previous statement, What my Father has given me is greater than all. He draws the conclusion from this: I and the Father are one. This is like saying, “We are one to the extent that the Father has given me that which is greater than all.”

    Third, it is clear from his intention. Our Lord proves that no one will snatch the sheep from his hand precisely because no one can snatch them from the hand of his Father. But this would not follow if his power were less than the power of the Father. Therefore, the Father and Son are one in nature, honor, and power.