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| An Exposition of Luke XXII. 46, Etc.
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IV.—An Exposition of Luke XXII.
46,
Etc.1010
| 1010 Another
fragment, connected with the preceding on Christ’s prayer in
Gethsemane. Edited in a mutilated form, as given by Gallandi, in
his Bibliotheca, xiv. p. 117, and here presented in its
completeness, as found its the Vatican Codex 1611, f. 292,
b. |
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This prayer He also offered up Himself, falling
repeatedly on His face; and on both occasions He urged His request for
not entering into temptation: both when He prayed, “If it
be possible, let this cup pass from me;” and when He said,
“Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” For
He spoke of not entering into temptation, and He made that His prayer;
but He did not ask that He should have no trial whatsoever in these
circumstances, or1011
that no manner of
hardship should ever befall Him. For in the most general
application it holds good, that it does not appear to be possible for
any man to remain altogether without experience of ill: for, as
one says, “The whole world lieth in wickedness;”1012
and again,
“The most of the days of man are labour and
trouble,”1013
as men
themselves also admit. Short is our life, and full of
sorrow. Howbeit it was not meet that He should bid them pray
directly that that curse might not be fulfilled, which is expressed
thus: “Cursed is the ground in thy works: in sorrow
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;”1014
or thus, “Earth thou art, and unto
earth shalt thou return.”1015
For which reason the Holy Scriptures,
that indicate in many various ways the dire distressfulness of life,
designate it as a valley of weeping. And most of all indeed is
this world a scene of pain to the saints, to whom He addresses this
word, and He cannot lie in uttering it: “In the world ye
shall have tribulation.”1016
And to the same effect also He says by
the prophet, “Many are the afflictions of the
righteous.”1017
But I
suppose that He refers to this entering not into temptation, when He
speaks in the prophet’s words of being delivered out of the
afflictions. For He adds, “The Lord will deliver him out of
them all.” And this is just in accordance with the
Saviour’s word, whereby He promises that they will overcome their
afflictions, and that they will participate in that victory which He
has won for them. For after saying, “In the world ye shall
have tribulation,” He added, “But be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world.” And again, He taught them to pray that
they might not fall into temptation, when He said, “And lead us
not into temptation;” which means, “Suffer us not to fall
into temptation.” And to show that this did not imply they
should not be tempted, but really that they should be delivered from
the evil, He added, “But deliver us from evil.” But
perhaps you will say, What difference is there between being tempted,
and falling or entering into temptation? Well, if one is overcome
of evil—and he will be overcome unless he struggles against it
himself, and unless God protects him with His shield—that man has
entered into temptation, and is in it, and is brought under it like one
that is led captive. But if one withstands and endures, that man
is indeed tempted; but he has not entered into temptation, or fallen
under it. Thus Jesus was led up of the Spirit, not indeed to
enter into temptation, but “to be tempted of the
devil.”1018
And
Abraham, again, did not enter into temptation, neither did God lead him
into temptation, but He tempted (tried) him; yet He did not drive him
into temptation. The Lord Himself, moreover, tempted (tried) the
disciples. And thus the wicked one, when he tempts us, draws us
into the temptations, as dealing himself with the temptations of evil;
but God, when He tempts (tries), adduces the temptations as one
untempted of evil. For God, it is said, “cannot be tempted
of evil.”1019
The devil,
therefore, drives us on by violence, drawing us to destruction; but God
leads us by the hand, training us for our salvation.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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