Thomas Aquinas

Here the Lord proves his own exposition, and first he resumes what he intends to prove; second he brings forward the proof, at the place "and I know my sheep"; third he manifests it, at the place "therefore my Father loves me." He says therefore first: "I am the good shepherd." This was expounded above. Ezekiel 34:11: "I will seek my sheep in that day, as the shepherd visits his flock." Consequently, when he says "and I know my sheep," he proves what he has said. Now he says two things about himself: namely, that he is a shepherd, and that he is good. First, therefore, he proves that he is a shepherd; second, that he is a good shepherd. That he is a shepherd he proves by two signs set down above concerning the shepherd, of which the first is that he calls his own sheep by name. And as to this he says "and I know my sheep"; 2 Timothy 2:19: "The Lord knows who are his." "I know," I say, with a knowledge not only simple, but also of approval and of love; Apocalypse 1:5: "he loved us, and washed us from our sins." The second sign is that the sheep hear his voice and know him. And as to this he says "and mine know me" — mine, I say, by predestination, by calling, and by grace; as if he were to say: they themselves, loving me, obey me. Whence this is understood of the knowledge of love, of which it is said in Jeremiah 31:34: "all shall know me, from the least even to the greatest," and so on.

He shows himself to be a good shepherd by showing that he has the office of a good shepherd, which is that he lay down his soul for his sheep; and first he sets down the cause of this; second he introduces it; third he adds the fruit of the sign. Now the cause of this sign — namely, that he lays down his soul for his sheep — is the knowledge which he has of the Father; and as to this he says "as the Father knows me, I also know the Father, and I lay down my soul for my sheep." And this saying can be expounded in two ways. In one way, so that "as" signifies a likeness; and in this way the knowledge of this can be communicated to some creature; 1 Corinthians 13:12: "I shall know even as I am known," that is, as I am known without a veil, so shall I know without a veil. In another way, so that "as" imports equality; and then to know the Father as he is known by him is proper to the Son alone, because the Son alone knows the Father by comprehending, just as the Father by comprehending knows the Son; Matthew 11:27: "no one knows the Son but the Father, neither does anyone know the Father but the Son" — a knowledge, namely, of comprehension. The Lord says this for the reason that in this very fact that he knows the Father, he knows his will, in which it was that the Son should die for the salvation of the human race — in which also he declares himself the mediator of God and man. For just as he stands to the sheep as one known and one knowing, so also does he stand to the Father: because as the Father knows him, so he himself knows the Father. Consequently, when he says "and I lay down my soul for my sheep," he sets down the sign itself; 1 John 3:16: "in this we have known the charity of God, because he laid down his soul for us," and so on.

But since in Christ there are three substances, namely the substance of the Word, of the soul, and of the body, it is asked who speaks when he says "I lay down my soul." If you should say that the Word speaks here, this is not true: for the Word never laid down the soul, since it was never separated from the soul. But if you should say that the soul speaks, this too seems impossible, because nothing is separated from itself. But if you should say that Christ says this as regards the body, neither does this appear to hold, because the body does not have the power of taking up the soul again. It must therefore be said to this, that in the death of Christ, the soul was separated from the flesh; otherwise he would not have truly died; but the divinity was never separated in Christ from the soul itself and the flesh, but was united to the soul descending into hell and to the body existing in the tomb; and therefore the body, by the power of the divinity, laid down the soul, and again took it up.

Consequently, when he says "and other sheep I have," etc., he sets down the fruit of the death of Christ, which is the salvation not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles. For because he had said "I lay down my soul for my sheep," the Jews, reckoning themselves the sheep of God, according to that saying of Psalm 78:13: "but we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture," might say that he laid down his soul for them only. But the Lord adds, saying that it was not only for them, but also for others; below, John 11:51: "this he said not of himself; but being the high priest of that year, he prophesied that Christ should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who were dispersed." Now in this fruit the Lord does three things. First he sets down the predestination of the Gentiles; second their calling through grace; third their justification. As to the first he says "other sheep I have" — namely, the Gentiles — "which are not of this fold" — namely, of the race of the flesh of Israel, which was as it were the fold; Micah 2:12: "I will gather Jacob, all of thee." For just as sheep are enclosed in a fold, so these were kept enclosed under the precepts of the Law, as is held in Galatians 3. These sheep, I say, namely the Gentiles, I have from the Father through eternal predestination; Psalm 2:8: "ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance"; Isaiah 49:6: "it is a small thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to convert the dregs of Israel: I have given thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation even to the farthest part of the earth."

As to the second he says "and them also I must bring" — that is, it is fitting, according to the order of divine predestination, to call them to grace. But against this: Matthew 15:24, the Lord says: "I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel." Response. It must be said that Jesus was sent to the sheep of the house of Israel only, that he might preach to them bodily, according to that saying of Romans 15:8: "now I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers." But the Gentiles he brought through his apostles; Isaiah, last chapter, 19: "I will send of them that shall be saved, to the Gentiles." As to the third he says "and they shall hear my voice." Here three things are set down as necessary for the righteousness of the Christian religion. The first is obedience to the commandments of God. And as to this he says "and they shall hear my voice," that is, they shall keep my commandments; Matthew, last chapter, 20: "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you"; Psalm 17:45: "a people which I have not known" — that is, which I have not approved — "hath obeyed me at the hearing of the ear." The second is the unity of charity; and as to this he says "and there shall be one fold" — that is, out of two peoples, the Jewish and the Gentile people, one Church of the faithful; Ephesians 4:5: "one faith"; and Ephesians 2:14: "he is our peace, who hath made both one." The third is the unity of faith; and as to this he says "and one shepherd"; Ezekiel 37:24: "and there shall be one shepherd of them" — namely, of the Jews and the Gentiles.

Here the Lord manifests his proof, and first he manifests the cause of the sign; second the sign, or effect, at the place "no one takes it from me"; third he shows it to be fitting, at the place "this commandment I have received from my Father." Now the cause of his death the Lord says to be the knowledge which he has of the Father, saying: "as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my soul for my sheep." Whence expounding this he says "therefore the Father loves me" — from which it is clear that the Father knows him with a knowledge of approval — "therefore," I say, "because I lay down my soul, that I may take it up again." But is death, then, the cause of the Father's love? It seems that it is not, because the temporal is not the cause of the eternal; but the death of Christ is temporal, whereas the love of God toward Christ is eternal, and so on. I respond. It must be said that Christ here speaks of the love of the Father toward him insofar as he is man; and thus this text can be read in two ways. In one way, so that "because" is taken causally; in another way, so that it designates the term, or sign, of the love.

If indeed it is taken causally, then the sense is: because I lay down my soul, that is, I undergo death, therefore the Father loves me — that is, he gives me the effect of his love, namely the glory and exaltation of my body; Philippians 2:8: "he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; for which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names." But against this it seems to stand, that good works cannot be meritorious of the divine love. For since our works are meritorious only insofar as they are informed by charity, according to what is said in 1 Corinthians 13:3: "if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing," and God anticipates even us in loving: 1 John 4:10: "in this is charity: not as though we had loved God, but because he first loved us" — it is manifest that his love precedes all merit of ours. But to this it must be said that no one can merit the very love of God itself; but we can merit, through our good works, the effect of the divine love, which is the increase of grace and the bestowal of the good of glory, which God confers upon us out of his love. Whence we can say that God therefore loves this or that man — that is, bestows on him the effect of his love — because he keeps his commandments. And thus we can say of Christ the man, that therefore the Father loves him — that is, exalted him, and gave him the brightness of glory — because he laid down his soul unto death.

But if "because" imports the term of the love, then the sense is: "therefore the Father loves me," that is, to this end the Father loved me, that I should lay down my soul. As if he were to say: the Father, by his love which he has toward me, ordained that through my passion I should redeem the human race; Romans 8:32: "he spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." But if "because" designates the sign of the love, then the sense is: "therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my soul" — as if he were to say: this is a sign that the Father loves me, that I lay down my soul, that I may take it up again — that is, doing his commandments and his will, I undergo death. For it is a manifest sign of love that a man, out of charity, do the commandments of God.

Here he expounds the effect of the sign — which sign indeed was that where he said "I lay down my soul for my sheep" — expounding how he lays it down; and first he excludes violence; second he adds thereto his power. He excludes indeed the violence which could be done to someone in taking away his life — which was not done to Christ. And as to this he says "no one takes it" — namely, my soul — by violence, "but I lay it down" by my own power, namely "of myself"; Isaiah 49:24: "shall the prey be taken from the strong?" But did not the Jews inflict violence upon Christ? They did indeed, as far as was in them, but in Christ there was not that violence, because, when he willed, he laid it down of his own accord. Whence above, John 8:30, it is said that the Jews, wishing to seize him, could not, "because his hour was not yet come" — his voluntary hour, namely, not one in which he was compelled to die, but one in which he deigned to be slain: as Augustine says.

His power, moreover, he adds when he says "I have power to lay it down." Concerning which it must be known that, since the union of soul and body is natural, their separation is natural. And although the cause of this separation and death can be voluntary, nevertheless death in men is always natural. For in no mere man is nature subject to the will, since, just as the will, so also nature is from God; and therefore the death of any mere man must needs be natural. But in Christ, his own nature and the whole of the rest of nature is subject to his will, just as things made by art are subject to the will of the artisan. And therefore, according to the good pleasure of his will, he was able to lay down his soul when he willed, and to take it up again — which no mere man can do, although he can voluntarily bring upon himself the cause of death. And hence it is that the centurion, seeing him die not by natural necessity, but by his own will, when "crying out with a loud voice he gave up the ghost" (Matthew 27:50), recognized in him the divine power, saying: "truly this man was the Son of God." Whence also the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 1:18: "the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness; but to them that are saved" — that is, to us — "it is the power of God." That is, in the very death of Christ, the power of his might was manifested.

Here he shows the aforesaid cause to be fitting: for the fulfillment of a commandment demonstrates love toward the one commanding. And therefore he says "this commandment I have received from my Father" — namely, of laying down his soul, and of taking it up again; below, John 14:23: "if any man love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him."