The Divine Nature of the Sender and the Use of Evil

No slave of any nature exists among men, nor does anyone naturally possess the power to send or to be sent (John 13:14, 16), but God alone is master by nature, being beyond the nature of his own works, and He alone is the apostle of nature, being above the being sent. Here it is impossible for slaves to surpass the master, or apostles the sender; for that which is greater by nature is not surpassed.

In these things, the Lord showed both the knowing and the non-evil to be divine from Himself (John 13:21): the knowing by seeing the traitor and separating him by the word from those being saved, since He did not wish to separate him by the deed until even washing the feet like the others. But it is God's to examine hearts and to foresee what comes from them. And the non-evil is divine, not in the sense of dishonoring the plotter, but in honoring him equally by using his evil for the common good; for God provides the gifts from Himself to both the evil and the good, just as the Lord Himself has said: raising the sun upon the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45), and raining upon the just and the unjust (Luke 6:45). And He acts by permitting the evil of the wicked for some useful purpose, while destruction remains for the bad, yet He is by no means able to hinder the word of providence, but rather contributes more to its service, just as those who plotted against Joseph helped Joseph to glory through their plotting, and the salvation lying through him in famine for many (Genesis 50:20).

It also happens upon the Lord as the greatest of evils among men (John 13:24), so that an end might be reached and he might no longer be able to go beyond; for evil, having been arrayed against Christ, is defeated, and having been defeated against the Master, the victory of the slaves is brought to ruin.

Having leaned upon the chest of Jesus so as not to cry out loudly to the others (John 13:25-26), he was eager, and what he himself did not hasten to ask, perhaps he remained more patient. Therefore he loved him even more; for it is quieter and more patient and more precious to God. Thus Jesus grants to the beloved the sharing of the mysteries; for he says that to know and to make manifest what is hidden with him is to be a friend. Therefore he is judged by word and shows by deed the one he is signaling. And this is not in vain; for the movement through deed is more manifest and more able to be remembered. And he wanted him to be remembered, because he had foretold the betrayer, so that no one would think him to be acting without knowing.

And the sign for the signaling is wonderful; for through this unthinking gathering, he signals him by giving the morsel, and by this, having shown him, he will be a betrayer, whom he honored as a friend. Therefore the betrayer can no longer hold himself, but from the point where the Lord pointed him out, the devil prevails over his thoughts and leads him toward the evil outcome, having him through wickedness and the condemnation toward this, which he proved worthy of himself. Since it seemed to him to hide it, he was exposed by the glory of the morsel; not being able to bear the exposure, he hastened to go to the end. The evangelist called this the entrance of Satan, the condemnation of the passions by the devilish thoughts.

From here I think also the apostle, having learned the power of love (John 13:34-35), names it 'fullness' and 'law'; for it is evident that he who grants even of his own soul to his friends will stand away from all other pleasures and much more will forgive; and this being accomplished, there is no pretext or need for any of the partial commands, all of which are briefly contained in this.

To all of them he foretold that they would not be able to go where he is John 13:36...