Once a child came to be healed from a demon, and brothers came from a cenobium in Egypt. The elder went out and saw a brother sinning with the child, but he did not rebuke him. He said, “If God, who formed them, sees them and does not burn them, who am I to rebuke them?”
One of the Fathers related about Abba John the Persian that through his great grace he attained the deepest innocence. He lived in Arabia of Egypt. Once he borrowed a gold coin from a brother and bought flax to work with. A brother came and begged him, “Give me a little flax, Abba, so that I may make myself a tunic.” He gave it to him with joy. Likewise another came and asked him, “Give me a little flax so that I may make myself a cloth,” and he gave it to him also. When others asked, he gave simply and with joy. Later the owner of the gold coin came wanting it back. The elder said to him, “I am going to bring it to you.” Having nothing with which to repay him, he got up to go to Abba James, who was responsible for the service, to ask him for a coin so that he could repay the brother. On the way he found a gold coin lying on the ground, but he did not touch it. After praying, he returned to his cell. The brother came again, pressing him about the coin. The elder said to him, “I am certainly taking care of it.” He went out again and found the coin on the ground where it had been. After praying again, he returned to his cell. The brother came yet again and pressed him in the same way. The elder said, “This time I will certainly bring it.” He got up again, came to that place, and found the same coin lying there. After praying, he took it. He went to Abba James and said to him, “Abba, on my way to you I found this coin on the road. Please show me love and make an announcement throughout the district to see whether anyone has lost it; and if its owner is found, give it to him.” The elder went and made the announcement for three days, but no one was found who had lost the coin. Then John said to Abba James, “If no one has lost it, give it to this brother, for I owe him. I was coming to receive charity from you and repay the debt when I found it.” The elder marveled that although John owed money and had found it, he had not immediately taken it and repaid the debt. This too was remarkable about him: if anyone came to borrow something from him, he did not hand it over himself, but said to the brother, “Go and take for yourself whatever you need.” If the borrower brought it back, he said to him, “Put it back in its place.” If the borrower did not bring it back, he said nothing to him.
Some evildoers once came to Abba John the Persian. He brought out a basin and wanted to wash their feet. Ashamed by his humility, they began making prostrations in repentance.
Someone said to Abba John the Persian, “We have endured so much labor for the kingdom of heaven. Shall we inherit it?” The elder said, “I believe that I shall inherit the Jerusalem above, which is written in the heavens. For He who promised is faithful. Why should I disbelieve? I have become hospitable like Abraham, meek like Moses, holy like Aaron, patient like Job, humble like David, a desert-dweller like John, a mourner like Jeremiah, a teacher like Paul, faithful like Peter, and wise like Solomon. And like the thief, I believe that He who granted me these things through His own goodness will also grant me the kingdom.”