Two senses of “cannot” and the Son’s seeing the Father
Amphilochius opens his homily on John 5:19 by asking his hearers how they understand the phrase “the Son cannot do anything of himself,” distinguishing two senses of “cannot” before turning to the Gospel scene at the pool.
“The Son can do nothing of himself” (John 5:19)—how do you understand this? You take the word “cannot” in two ways, both in common usage and in the divine Scripture. “Cannot” is said both of things that are impossible and of things that are not permitted. Not being able is one thing; not being permitted is another. About impossible things Paul speaks this way: “The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). For the blood of an irrational animal does not cleanse the passions of a rational soul. About things not permitted, the apostles say in Acts: “We cannot,” they say, “stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). And yet they were unable to stop speaking, for they could not bear to be silent, lest they seem to deny the grace of the one who worked wonders.
So tell me here: when you hear “The Son can do nothing of himself,” in which way do you take it? Do you condemn him as weak, or do you deny the movements of his free will, since he can do whatever he wills? But what do you say—that he does nothing of himself, but fulfills God’s command and works at whatever the nod of the one commanding directs? How is it not utter foolishness to say this? For if he does absolutely nothing of himself, then he neither fulfilled the whole plan of salvation by his own will, nor took up our flesh out of compassion for us, nor accepted death for our sake by his own free love, but endured everything by force, driven by necessity.
If it is reckless and blasphemous and beyond all impiety to say that, then tell me in what sense you understand “The Son can do nothing of himself.” For it is clear—even if you do not want it—that you are driven by the truth to say he can do whatever he wishes. But why do I spin out unnecessary words? The continuation of the saying resolves the question. For he did not say, “He can do nothing of himself unless the Father commands something,” but “unless he sees the Father doing.” And whatever he sees him doing, these things the Son also does in the same way. So he does not do what the Father commands by fulfilling a service, but as one like him, as one equal in power, as one who is of the same divine nature: whatever he sees the Father doing, these things the Son also does in the same way.
After this, he says, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem (John 5:1). And so that they would not attribute everything to the waters, the waters did not heal before an angel stood over them and stirred them, so that they might learn that the waters of baptism do not benefit the soul by themselves before the angel of great counsel, putting on a human body, comes to baptism. So while many sick people were lying there, a paralyzed man was there as well, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him, he asks him: “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:5-6).
Greek
In illud: Non potest filius a se facere Ἀμφιλοχίου ἐπισκόπου Ἰκονίου <ἐκ τοῦ εἰς τὸ Οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδέν> ... Τὸ Οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδέν, πῶς νοεῖτε; Τὸ γὰρ οὐ δύναται κατὰ δύο τρόπους ἐκλαμβάνετε· καὶ κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν χρῆσιν καὶ κατὰ τὴν θείαν γραφήν. Λέγεται γὰρ τὸ οὐ δύναται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ ἐγχωρούντων· ἄλλο δὲ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι καὶ ἄλλο τὸ μὴ ἐγχωρεῖν. Περὶ μὲν τῶν ἀδυνάτων ὁ Παῦλος οὕτω λέγει· Ἀδύνατον αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων περιελεῖν ἁμαρτίας· αἷμα γὰρ ἀλόγου λογικῆς ψυχῆς οὐ καθαίρει πάθη. Περὶ δὲ τῶν μὴ ἐγχωρούντων ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι· Οὐ δυνάμεθα, φησίν, ἡμεῖς ἃ εἴδομεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν μὴ λαλεῖν· καὶ μὴν ἠδύναντο μὴ λαλεῖν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠνείχοντο σιωπᾶν, ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν ἀρνεῖσθαι τοῦ θαυματουργοῦντος τὴν χάριν. Εἴπατε οὖν ἐνταῦθα, τὸ Οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδέν, κατὰ ποῖον ἐκλαμβάνετε τρόπον· ἀδυναμίαν αὐτοῦ καταψηφιζόμενοι ἢ τῆς αὐτεξουσίου γνώμης ἀναιροῦντες τὰ κινήματα, ὅτι ὅσα θέλει δύναται. Ἀλλὰ τί λέγεις· ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐ ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ πρόσταγμα θεοῦ πληρῶν ἐκεῖνα ἐργάζεται εἰς ὅπερ ἂν τὸ τοῦ προστάξαντος νεῦμα βλέπῃ; Καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας τοῦτο λέγειν· εἰ γὰρ ὁλῶς οὐδὲν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖ, οὔτε γνώμῃ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ὅλην ἐπλήρωσεν οὔτε συμπαθείᾳ τῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὴν ἡμῶν ἀνέλαβε σάρκα οὔτε φιλίᾳ αὐθαίρετον τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατεδέξατο θάνα τον, ἀλλὰ πάντα βίᾳ ὑπέμεινεν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης συνωθούμενος. Εἰ δὲ τολμηρὸν καὶ βλάσφημον καὶ πάσης ἀσεβείας ἐπέκεινα τὸ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, εἴπατε ἡμῖν κατὰ ποῖον λόγον τὸ Οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τι ποιεῖν ἐκλαμβάνετε. Ὅτι γάρ, κἂν μὴ θέλητε, λέγετε δύνασθαι αὐτὸν ποιεῖν ἅπερ βούλεται, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλαυνό μενοι δῆλον. Ἀλλὰ τί περίττους ὑφαίνω λόγους; Λύει γὰρ τὸ ζήτημα ἡ ἐπαγωγὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ὅτι Οὐ δύναται ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδέν, ἐὰν μή τι προστάξῃ ὁ πατήρ, ἀλλ' ἐὰν μὴ βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα· ἐὰν δὲ ἴδῃ αὐτὸν ποιοῦντά τι, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ. Οὐκοῦν οὐ λειτουργίαν πληρῶν ποιεῖ ἅπερ προσ τάττει ὁ πατήρ, ἀλλ' ὡς ὅμοιος, ὡς ἰσοδύναμος, ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς θείας φύσεως ὤν· ἅπερ ἂν ἴδῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ. Μετὰ ταῦτα, φησίν, ἦν ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ ἀνέβη Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ τοῖς ὕδασι ἐπιγράψωσι τὸ πᾶν, οὐ πρότερον ἰᾶτο τὰ ὕδατα πρὶν ἄγγελος αὐτὰ ἐπιστὰς ἐσάλευσεν, ἵνα μάθωσιν ὡς οὔτε τὰ ὕδατα τοῦ βαπτίσματος καθ' ἑαυτὰ ὀνίνησι τὴν ψυχὴν πρὶν ἂν ὁ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος ἀνθρώπινον ὑποδὺς σῶμα ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ἔλθῃ. Πολλῶν οὖν ἀσθενῶν ὄντων ἔκειτο καὶ παραλυτικὸς ἀνὴρ ὀκτὼ καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη ἔχων ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ, ὃν ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐρωτᾷ· Θέλεις ὑγιὴς γενέσθαι;