Fathers

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What the Fathers say

John 6:38

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

"I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." What sayest Thou? Why, is Thy will one, and His another? That none may suspect this, He explaineth it by what follows, saying; "And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life." Is not then this Thy will? And how sayest Thou, "I am come to send fire upon the earth, and what have I desired to see, if that be already kindled"? …

Homily on the Gospel of John 45 ↗

Cyril of Alexandria

CHAPTER I. That in nothing is the Son inferior to God the Father, because He is of Him by Nature, although He be said by some to be subject. This passage will seem hard to a person who considers it superficially, and not far removed from offence regarding the faith, so that they even expect us hence to fall into difficulties hard to be overcome, which come from our opponents. …

Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 4 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

For I came down from heaven not to do anything other than the will of the Father. He says this so that they would know that the one who does not accept Him is opposed to God, as one who resists the will of the Father. Since they called Him an opponent of God, He turns this accusation back on them and says, though not openly: by not accepting the One who follows the will of the Father, you make yourselves opponents of God. Where is Nestorius here, who says that Christ was deified after the resurrection? …

Commentary on John ↗

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

This is the reason why He does not cast out those who come to Him. For I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. The soul departed from God, because it was proud. Pride casts us out, humility restores us. When a physician in the treatment of a disease, cures certain outward symptoms, but not the cause which produces them, his cure is only temporary. So long as the cause remains, the disease may return. That the cause then of all diseases, i. e. …

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Hilary of Poitiers

The Son of God, therefore, having the charge of mankind, was first made man, that men might believe on Him; that He might be to us a witness, sprung from ourselves, of things Divine, and preach to us, weak and carnal as we are, through the weakness of the flesh concerning God the Father, so fulfilling the Father's will, even as He says, I came not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. …

On The Trinity 3.9 ↗

Thomas Aquinas

Next (v 38), he gives the reason for what he just said. First, he mentions his intention to accomplish the will of the Father; secondly, he states what the will of the Father is (v 39); and thirdly, he shows the final accomplishment of this will (v 40b). Concerning the first, we should note that this passage can be read in two ways: either as Augustine does, or following the interpretation of Chrysostom. …

Commentary on John ↗