Cyril of Alexandria

for on account of him many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.

“See now how frantic the rulers seem to become, wildly rushing hither and thither under the influence of their envy, and saying nothing coherently.”

Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written:

“For when a great multitude were escorting Him like a body-guard and shouting His praises, with the most perfect self-restraint He seated Himself upon an ass, teaching us not to be lifted up by praises, and omitting no necessary thing.”

At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had…

“At first therefore they were ignorant that these words had been written with regard to Him; but after the Resurrection, they did not continue to suffer from the Jewish blindness, but the knowledge of the Divine words was revealed to them through the Spirit.”

Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”

“This they say, finding fault with themselves, that they had not long ago put Jesus and Lazarus also to death, urging themselves to murder; being angry concerning the believing multitude, as though deprived of their special possessions----those which really belonged to God.”

They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

“Even though they knew it not, the Pharisees were telling the truth when they said: Behold, the whole world is gone after Him. For not Jews only, but Gentiles as well, were destined to accept the faith.”

But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

“Seeing therefore that Gentiles are hastening in eager desire to see Him and to turn towards Him, on this account He says: The hour is come. For near at hand was the time of His Passion, after which the calling of the Gentiles immediately followed.”

Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

“You not only ought not to be offended at the thought of My suffering, or to disbelieve the words I said, but it is even right that you should be prepared in anticipation of it; for he that thinks fit to be careful over his…”

If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

“If any man serve Me, let him follow Me. What He says is something of this kind: If I, He says, for the sake of benefitting you am exposing Myself to death, is it not indeed cowardly on your part to shrink from despising your…”

Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

“There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

In response, Jesus said, “This voice was not for My benefit, but yours.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, This voice hath not come for My sake, but for your sakes. The Father replied aloud----after what manner He only knows----unto His own Son, manifesting His own purpose with intent to rouse the zeal of the hearers, that they…”

He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

“Hereby the Evangelist showed that the Lord did not suffer in ignorance, but voluntarily; and with full knowledge, not only that He was dying, but also in what manner: and He named the Cross [as His] death.”

The crowd replied, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up?

“And this they say, as we have remarked, understanding that being "lifted up" meant being crucified. For it was their wont to signify by more auspicious names things which pointed directly to sore disasters.”

Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.

“And the Evangelist, wishing to convict their immoderate stubbornness, adds also the words: before them; showing that they did not believe even what they saw.”

For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and…

“It was not however with intent to fulfil the prophecies that the Jews slew the Lord, for in that case they would not have been impious; but it was by reason of their own malignity.”

Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.

“Now, however, when constrained by the signs to believe and no longer daring to gainsay the Lord, they fail of eternal life through the persistence of their own abominable perversity in esteeming their position in the eyes of men higher than their relationship to God…”

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

“Behold, again He grasps their faith and fixes it on Himself, and effects at once two most useful ends.”

There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

“They will be self-condemned therefore, He says, who refuse to hear Him and do not accept the saving faith. For He that came to illumine, came not in order to judge, but to save.”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“Inasmuch therefore as He had come to what manifestly and obviously is the central point of the incident before us, He says: "If thou shouldst refuse to receive this strange and novel lesson of humility, thou wouldst find no part or lot with Me."”

For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

“For although He well knew that Judas had no kindly feeling or wise consideration for his Master, but that he was full of the poison of devilish bitterness and even then devising the means whereby he might effect the betrayal, He honoured him in the…”

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am.

“For Christ does not hold the title Lord as an empty name of honour, like we do ourselves when, although we remain by nature mere servants, we are decorated by favour of others with titles that surpass our nature and merit: but He is in…”

Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

“He points out here what an inadmissible offense it would be for servants to refuse to be of the same mind as their own masters. Such a passionate longing for greater and higher things than our merits deserve is really covetousness and nothing else.”

If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

“If therefore ye understand these things, He saith----that is, "if ye can clearly perceive the meaning of what I am saying,"----blessed are ye if ye do them.”

I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen.

“The meaning of these words is involved in no slight uncertainty. For while saying that they shall be blessed, who, knowing what is good, are ever zealous to carry it out in action, He straightway adds: I speak not of all.”

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me.”

“Having previously shown in a manner suitable to the occasion that He is the Christ, and having indicated the means by which the traitor was meditating his grievous outrage against Him, He now devises another very effectual method for overthrowing his evil designs.”

The disciples looked at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant.

“Terror and dread at once thrill the hearts of the disciples, and they glance one at another, being filled with a twofold alarm at the words uttered.”