Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid: On life and judgement

 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:16-17

... what have we gained by the Son being given? An immense and unfathomable gift for all who believe in Him: to escape destruction and live eternally. The Old Testament promised length of days in this earthly life to those who pleased God. But the Gospel bestows, not any transitory existence, but life that is unending and beyond time.

There are two comings of Christ: the first has already taken place; the second is still to come. The Lord is speaking of His first coming when He says that the Son was not sent to condemn the world. Had that been the reason for His coming, all mankind would have been condemned, "for all have sinned" (Rom 3:23) as Paul says. He came the first time in order to save the world; only after some refused to believe did He judge those individuals. In contrast, the chief purpose in giving the Mosaic law was to rebuke sin and condemn transgressors (cf Rom 3:20). No one was forgiven under the law; rather, it called for punishment to be applied as soon as the sinner was identified. The Lord's first coming, then, did not have judgement as its objective, though judgement did fall upon those who rejected the Lord's efforts to save them. By their own unbelief they brought condemnation on themselves. But at the second coming, the Lord's explicit purpose is to judge all and render to each according to his deeds.

+Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid, from The Explanation of the Gospel of John.

Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid: On the Lamb of God

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, 'Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.'" (John 1:29).
He did not say "a lamb," but the lamb for there were many lambs, just as there were many "christs" [anointed ones]. But this is the true Lamb, prefigures by Moses and foretold by Isaiah. (cf Ex 12:21-22, Is 53:4-12) Christ is called the Lamb of God because it is God Who accepts Christ's death for our salvation, and also because it is God Who delivers Christ to death for our sake.... John did not say, "that took away the sin of the world," but, that taketh. He takes away our sins every day, some through Baptism and others through repentance. The lambs slain in the Old Testament could not completely wipe out the sins of even one person; this Lamb wipes out the sin of the whole world.... The sin of the world means universal disobedience: this the Lord completely removed, healing the disobedience of mankind by Himself becoming obedient unto death (Phil 2:8).
+Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid¹, from The Explanation of the Holy Gospel according to John, commentary on John 1:29

¹Theophylact is commemorated as a saint by the Serbian Church. Here we use the more common appellation "blessed".

Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid: On the nature of the Holy Eucharist

John 6:56-58: "He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever." Here we learn more about the sacrament of Communion. He who eats and drinks of the Lord's flesh and blood dwells in the Lord Himself, and the Lord in him. A strange and marvelous intermingling occurs, such that God is in us, and we in God. Is not this frightful to hear? We do not consume God in His essence. He is intangible and bodiless, and we cannot take hold of Him with our teeth any more than we can apprehend Him with eyes. Neither do we consume the flesh of a mere man, which would bring us no benefit. But since God has united flesh to Himself by an ineffable union, even His flesh becomes life-creating. But His flesh has not changed into the nature of God. Far from it! Just as red-hot iron manifests the energy of fire while remaining iron, so Christ's flesh is life-creating - imparting the divine energy of God the Word - without ceasing to be human.
+Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid¹, from The Explanation of the Holy Gospel according to John, chapter 6.
¹Theophylact is commemorated as a saint by the Serbian Church. Here we use the more common appellation "blessed".