The Prophet and Christ

The prophet is one thing, while they suppose something else regarding the Christ. These indeed sinned by dividing the prophet from Christ.

But the Baptist answered correctly that he was not the prophet, saying the same thing, which he first answered by declaring 'I am not the Christ', even though he clearly did not teach them that the Christ and the prophet are the same (John 1:25, 27). They speak obstructively to John, 'Why then do you baptize?', as if they did not know that not even the Christ himself, being the prophet, was baptizing, but his disciples. Even Elijah, during the time of Ahab, did not baptize the wood of the altar with washing, but commanded the priests to do this.

Regarding 'Why then do you baptize?', John presents his own baptism as bodily; but regarding 'If you are not the Christ', he speaks a glorification of the preceding essence of Christ, saying that he is invisible by divinity, present to the whole world. He also exposes their lowly opinion concerning Christ and joins the 'In the beginning' Word to his incarnation, connecting the unknown with 'he who comes after me' (John 1:27).

He shows the superiority of Christ toward himself through 'I am not worthy', saying that he would be a middle element of the whole world, through which all things extend according to logical natures, or of us, in the midst of whom is the ruling principle, where also the Word is in each one. If your middle is not perceptible, then neither is 'he who comes after me'. Having said these things about the essence of the Word, he joins the things of his coming after him by saying 'he who comes after me'.

The Lord does not move too hastily into the work of manifest signs (John 2:4), since he had not yet taken the rank of a public teacher or a preacher of manifest things. For it was necessary that he be approached as a teacher and pursued as a savior to obtain healings, because it is also fitting that the one praying should approach the fulfillment of the need. Therefore, he says that his hour for signs—that is, according to reason and according to what is fitting—must not pass.

The mother knew the Lord as becoming a son to her through persuasion (John 2:4). And indeed her response demonstrated this: 'What to me and to you, woman?' (John 2:4). For, being able to be offended, he answered in such a way as God's speech toward Moses was: 'Leave me,' meaning he was able to be offended and to persuade. Knowing indeed that he was staying toward her in faith, and seeing from the response that he was drawing near to the worthiness of the ministers, she commands them to do what he orders.

Allegorically, regarding those who have come through shamelessness to provoke the silver which belongs to the Word of God (John 2:13-16), and moreover selling the gifts of the Spirit—pigeons named as such because they have a natural affinity for the Holy Spirit who, in the form of a pigeon, descended upon the Savior, casting out from the church of God—it is also good to say that the scourge of Jesus being made of ropes, by which he drove everyone out, occurred; for since through which things one weaves a rope, he is punished in sinning. Appropriately this has been written: for sins are called ropes.

The Lord, placing rebirth before the true concept, brings it back to him by grace (John 3:5), which is accomplished through the ministry of water for the body.