Our holy father Abba John went again to the harvest and was with the brothers as leader. With great mercy he allowed all of them to rest whenever necessary, and when he labored he would not straighten his back at all until he first clapped his hands and allowed the brothers to rest. Afterwards he also allowed himself to rest, saying, “The law was given to us in the Scriptures to treat our friend as ourselves, especially in honor. Therefore, if I allow my brothers to rest, God will also allow me to rest.”
