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| Matthew XI. 1.
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Homily XXXVI.
Matt. XI. 1.
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end
of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to
preach in their cities.”
That is, after He had sent
them, He proceeded to withdraw Himself, to give them room and
opportunity to do what He had enjoined. For while He was present and
healing, no one would be willing to approach them.
“Now when John had heard in the prison the works
of Jesus,1507
| 1507[R.V., “Of the Christ,” as in nearly all
authorities, but Chrysostom reads το
Ιησο.—R.] | he sent two of1508
his disciples, and asked Him, saying, Art thou He that should come,1509
| 1509[R.V., “He that cometh.”] | or do we look for another?”1510
But Luke saith, they also told John of the miracles, and
then he sent them.1511
However, this contains no matter of difficulty, but of consideration
only; for this, among other things, indicates their jealousy towards
Him.
But what follows is completely among the controverted
points. Of what nature then is this? Their saying, “Art Thou He
that should come, or do we look for another?” That is, he that
knew Him before His miracles, he that had learned it of the Spirit, he
that heard it of the Father, he who had proclaimed Him before all men;
doth he now send to learn of Him, whether it be Himself or no? And if
yet thou didst not know that it is surely He, how thinkest thou thyself
credible, affirming as thou dost concerning things, whereof thou art
ignorant? For he that is to bear witness to others, must be first
worthy of credit himself. Didst thou not say, “I am not meet to
loose the latchet of His shoe?”1512
Didst thou not say, “I knew Him not, but He that sent me to
baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the
Spirit descending and resting upon Him, the same is He which baptizeth
with the Holy Ghost?”1513
Didst thou not see the Spirit in form of a dove? didst thou not hear
the voice? Didst thou not utterly forbid Him, saying, “I have
need to be baptized of Thee?”1514
Didst thou not say even to thy disciples, “He must increase, I
must decrease?”1515
Didst thou not teach all the people, that “He should baptize them
with the Holy Ghost and with fire?”1516
and that He “is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
world?”1517
Didst thou not before His signs and miracles proclaim all these things?
How then now, when He hath been made manifest to all, and the fame of
Him hath gone out everywhere, and dead men have been raised, and devils
driven away, and a display made of so great miracles, dost thou after
this send to learn of Him?
What then is the fact? Were all these sayings a kind of
fraud: a stage play and fables? Nay, who that hath any understanding
would say so? I say not, John, who leaped in the womb, who before his
own birth proclaimed Him, the citizen of the wilderness, the exhibitor
of the conversation of
angels; but
even though he were one of the common sort, and of them that are
utterly outcast, he would not have hesitated, after so many
testimonies, both on his own part and on the part of others.
Whence it is evident, that neither did he send as being
himself in doubt, nor did he ask in ignorance. Since no one surely
could say this, that though he knew it fully, yet on account of his
prison he was become rather timid: for neither was he looking to be
delivered therefrom, nor if he did look for it, would he have betrayed
his duty to God, armed as he was against various kinds of death. For
unless he had been prepared for this, he would not have evinced so
great courage towards a whole people, practised in shedding blood of
prophets; nor would he have rebuked that savage tyrant with so much
boldness in the midst of the city and the forum, severely chiding him,
as though he were a little child, in hearing of all men. And even if he
were grown more timid, how was he not ashamed before his own disciples,
in whose presence he had so often borne witness unto Him, but asked his
question by them, which he should have done by others? And yet surely
he knew full well, that they too were jealous of Christ, and desired to
find some handle against Him. And how could he but be abashed before
the Jewish people, in whose presence he had proclaimed such high
things? Or what advantage accrued to him thereby, towards deliverance
from his bonds? For not for Christ’s sake had he been cast into
prison, nor for having proclaimed His power, but for his own rebuke
touching the unlawful marriage. And what child so silly, what person so
frantic, but that so he would have put on himself their character?1518
| 1518[οκ ν
αυτ δξαν
περιθηκε.] |
2. What then is it which he is bringing about? For that
it belongs not to John to have doubt hereupon, no nor to any ordinary
person, nor even to one extremely foolish and frenzied; so much is
evident from what we have said. And now we have only to add the
solution.
For what intent then did he send to ask? John’s
disciples were starting aside from Jesus, and this surely any one may
see, and they had always a jealous feeling towards Him. And it is
plain, from what they said to their master: “He that was with
thee,” it is said, “beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest
witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come unto
Him.”1519
And again, “There arose a question between John’s disciples
and the Jews about purifying.”1520
| 1520John iii.
25. [R.V., “with a
Jew.” So one ms. here. In Homily XXIX.
on John, Chrysostom distinctly accepts the singular, as do nearly all
Greek mss.—R.] | And again they came unto Him, and said, “Why do we and the
Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not?”1521
For as yet they knew not who Christ was, but imagining Jesus to be a
mere man, but John greater than after the manner of man, were vexed at
seeing the former held in estimation, but the latter, as he had said,
now ceasing. And this hindered them from coming unto Him, their
jealousy quite blocking up the access. Now so long as John was with
them, he was exhorting them continually and instructing them, and not
even so did he persuade them; but when he was now on the point of
dying, he uses the more diligence: fearing as he did lest he might
leave a foundation for bad doctrine, and they continue broken off from
Christ. For as he was diligent even at first to bring to Christ all
that pertained to himself; so on his failing to persuade them, now
towards his end he does but exert the more zeal.
Now if he had said, “Go ye away unto Him, He is
better than I,” he would not have persuaded them, minded as they
were not easily to be separated from him, but rather he would have been
thought to say it out of modesty, and they would have been the more
rivetted to him; or if he had held his peace, then again nothing was
gained. What then doth he? He waits to hear from them that Christ is
working miracles, and not even so doth he admonish them, nor doth he
send all, but some two (whom he perhaps knew to be more teachable than
the rest); that the inquiry might be made without suspicion, in order
that from His acts they might learn the difference between Jesus and
himself. And he saith, Go ye, and say, “Art thou He that should
come, or do we look for another?”1522
But Christ knowing the purpose of John, did not say, I
am He; for this would again have offended the hearers, although this
was what it naturally followed for Him to say, but He leaves them to
learn it from His acts. For it saith, “when these were come to
Him, then “He cured many.”1523
And yet what congruity was there, that being asked, “Art thou
He,” He should say nothing to that, but should presently cure
them that were sick; unless it had been His mind to establish this
which I have mentioned? Because they of course would account the
testimony of His deeds surer, and more above suspicion than that of His
words.
Knowing therefore, as being God, the mind
with which John had sent them, He straightway
cured blind, lame, and many others; not to teach him (for how should He
him that was convinced), but these that were doubting: and having
healed them, He saith,
“Go and show John again those things which ye do
hear and see; the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and the
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and
the poor have the gospel preached unto them.”1524
And he added, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended
in me;”1525
| 1525Matt. xi.
6. [R.V., “shall find
none occasion of stumbling in me.”] | implying that He knows even their unuttered thoughts. For if He had
said, “I am He,” both this would have offended them, as I
have already said; and they would have thought, even if they had not
spoken, much as the Jews said to Him, “Thou bearest record of
Thyself.”1526
Wherefore He saith not this Himself, but leaves them to learn all from
the miracles, freeing what He taught from suspicion, and making it
plainer. Wherefore also He covertly added His reproof of them. That is,
because they were “offended in Him,” He by setting forth
their case and leaving it to their own conscience alone, and by calling
no witness of this His accusation, but only themselves that knew it
all, did thus also draw them the more unto Himself, in saying, Blessed
is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” For indeed His
secret meaning was of them when He said this.
3. But in order to our making the truth more evident to
you by the comparison of the several statements, producing not only our
own sayings, but also what is stated by others; we must needs add some
account of them.
What then do some affirm? That this which we have stated
was not the cause, but that John was in ignorance, yet not in ignorance
of all; but that He was the Christ, he knew, but whether He was also to
die for mankind, he knew not, therefore he said, “Art Thou He
that should come?” that is, He that is to descend into hell.1527
| 1527See Origen, 2 Hom. in Reg. t. ii. p. 495, 6;
St. Ambr. in Luc. vii. 19; St. Jerome in loc. [The Greek
term used is “Hades,” not
“Gehenna.”—R.] | But this is not tenable; for neither of this was John ignorant. This at
least he proclaimed even before all the others, and bare record of this
first, “Behold,” saith he, “the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.”1528
Now he called Him a lamb, as proclaiming the cross, and again in
saying, “That taketh away the sin of the world,” he
declared this same thing. For not otherwise than by the cross did He
effect this; as Paul likewise said: “And the handwriting which
was contrary to us, even it He took out of the way, nailing it to His
cross.”1529
And his saying too, “He shall baptize you with the
Spirit,”1530
is that of one who was foretelling the events after the
resurrection.
Well: that He was to rise again, he knew, say they, and
that He was to give the Holy Ghost; but that He should likewise be
crucified, he knew not. How then was He to rise again, who had not
suffered, nor been crucified? And how was this man greater than a
prophet, who knew not even what the prophets knew? For that he was
greater than a prophet, even Christ Himself bare record,1531
but that the prophets knew of the passion is surely plain to every one.
For so Isaiah saith, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearer is dumb.”1532
And before this testimony also he saith, “There shall be a root
of Jesse, and He that shall rise again to rule the Gentiles, in Him
shall the Gentiles trust.”1533
Then speaking of His passion, and of the ensuing glory, he added,
“And His rest shall be honor.” And this prophet foretold
not only that He should be crucified, but also with whom.
“For,” saith he, “He was numbered with the
transgressors.”1534
And not this only, but that He should not even plead for Himself;
“For this man,” he saith, “openeth not His
mouth:” and that He should be unjustly condemned; “For in
His humiliation,” saith he, “His judgment was taken
away.”1535
And before this again, David both saith this, and describes the
judgment hall. “Why,” saith he, “do the heathen rage,
and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth stand up,
and the rulers are gathered together against the Lord, and against His
anointed.”1536
And elsewhere he mentions also the image of the cross, saying on this
wise, “They pierced my hand and my feet,”1537
and those things which the soldiers were emboldened to do, he adds with
all exactness, “For they parted my garments,” saith he,
“among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots.”1538
And elsewhere again he saith, that they also offered Him vinegar;
“For they gave me,” saith He, “gall for my meat, and
for my thirst they made me drink vinegar.”1539
So then the prophets, so many years before, speak of the
hall of judgment, and of the condemnation, and of them that were
crucified with Him, and of the division
of the garments, and of the lot cast upon them, and of many more things
besides (for indeed it is unnecessary to allege all now, lest we make
our discourse long): and was this man, greater than them all, ignorant
of all these things? Nay, how should this be reasonable?
And why did he not say, “Art thou He that should
come to hell,”1540
but simply, “He that should come?” Although this were far
more absurd than the others, I mean their saying, “he therefore
said these things, that he might preach there also after his
departure.” To whom it were seasonable to say, “Brethren,
be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye
children.”1541
For the present life indeed is the season for right conversation, but
after death is judgment and punishment. “For in hell,” it
is said, “who will confess unto thee?”1542
How then were “the gates of brass burst, and the
bars of iron broken in sunder”?1543
By His body; for then first was a body shown, immortal, and destroying
the tyranny of death. And besides, this indicates the destruction of
the might of death, not the loosing of the sins of those who had died
before His coming. And if this were not so, but He have delivered all
that were before Him from hell,1544
how saith He, “It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah?”1545
For this saying supposes that those are also to be punished; more
mildly indeed, yet still that they are to be punished. And yet they did
also suffer here the most extreme punishment, nevertheless not even
this will deliver them. And if it is so with them, much more with such
as have suffered nothing.
“What then?” one may say, “were they
wronged, who lived before His coming?” By no means, for men might
then be saved, even though they had not confessed Christ. For this was
not required of them, but not to worship idols, and to know the true
God. “For the Lord thy God,” it is said, “is one
Lord.”1546
Therefore the Maccabees were admired, because for the observance of the
law they suffered what they did suffer; and the three children, and
many others too amongst the Jews, having shown forth a very virtuous
life, and having maintained the standard of this their knowledge, had
nothing more required of them. For then it was sufficient for
salvation, as I have said already, to know God only; but now it is so
no more, but there is need also of the knowledge of Christ. Therefore
He said, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not
had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin.”1547
So likewise with regard to the rule of practice. Then
murder was the destruction of him that committed it, but now even to be
angry. And then to commit adultery, and to lie with another man’s
wife, brought punishment, but now even to look with unchaste eyes. For
as the knowledge, so also the rule of life is now made stricter. So
that there was no need of a forerunner there.
And besides, if unbelievers are after death to be saved
on their believing, no man shall ever perish. For all will then repent
and adore. And in proof that this is true, hear Paul saying,
“Every tongue shall confess, and every knee shall bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.”1548
And, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”1549
But there is no advantage in that submission, for it comes not of a
rightly disposed choice, but of the necessity of things, as one may
say, thenceforth taking place.
Let us not then any more bring in such old wives’
doctrines, and Jewish fables. Hear at least what Paul saith touching
these things. “For as many as have sinned without law, shall also
perish without law;”1550
where his discourse is of those who lived in the time before the law;
and, “As many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the
law,”1551
speaking of all after Moses. And, “That the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of
men,”1552
and, “indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every
soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the
Gentile.”1553
And yet countless were the evils which the Gentiles have suffered in
this world, and this is declared alike by the histories of the
heathens, and by the Scriptures that are in our hands. For who could
recount the tragic calamities of the Babylonians, or those of the
Egyptians? But in proof that they who, not having known Christ before
His coming in the flesh, yet refrained from idolatry and worshipped God
only, and showed forth an excellent life, shall enjoy all the
blessings; hear what is said: “But glory, and honor, and peace to
every one that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the
Gentile.” Seest thou that for their good deeds there are many
rewards, and chastisements again, and penalties for such as have done
the contrary?
4. Where now, tell me, are the utter unbelievers in
hell? Why, if those before Christ’s coming, who had not so much
as heard the name of hell,1554
nor of a resurrection, and were punished here, shall suffer punishment
there also; how much more we that have been nurtured in so many lessons
of strict virtue?1555
And how is it reasonable, asks one, that they that have
never heard of hell,1556
| 1556[γεννη, and so throughout the
paragraph.—R.] | should fall into hell? For they will say, “If thou hadst
threatened hell, we should have feared more, and have been
sobered.” To be sure; (is it not so?) at our rate of living now,
who hear daily the sayings about hell, and give no heed at all.
And besides, there is this also to be said; that he who
is not restrained by the judgments in sight, much less will he be
restrained by those others. For the less reasonable sort, and those of
a grosser disposition, are wont to be sobered rather by things which
are at hand, and straightway to happen, than by such as will come to
pass a long time after. “But over us,” one may say,
“a greater fear is suspended, and herein were they
wronged.” By no means. For first, there are not the same
measures1557
set to us as to them, but much greater for us. Now they that have
undertaken greater labors, ought to enjoy greater help. And it is no
little help, that our fear has been increased. And if we have an
advantage over them in knowing things to come, they have an advantage
over us in that the severe punishments are presently laid upon
them.
But there is something else, which the multitude say
with respect to this also. For “where,” say they, “is
God’s justice, when any one for sinning here, is punished both
here and there?” Would ye then I should put you in mind of your
own sayings, that ye may no longer give us trouble, but furnish the
solution from within yourselves. I have heard many of our people, if
haply they were told of a murderer cut off in a court of justice, how
they had indignation, and talked in this way: “This unholy and
accursed wretch, having perpetrated thirty murders, or even many more,
hath himself undergone one death only; and where is the justice of
it?” So that ye yourselves confess, that one death is not
sufficient for punishment; how give ye then an opposite sentence now.
Because not others but yourselves are the objects of your judgment: so
great a hindrance is self-love to our perceiving what is just. Because
of this, when we are judging others, we search out all things with
strictness, but when we are sitting in judgment on ourselves, we are
blinded. Since if we were to search into these things in our own case
too, as we do with regard to other men, we should give an uncorrupt
sentence. For we also have sins, deserving not two or three, but ten
thousand deaths. And to pass over all the rest, let us recollect
ourselves, as many of us as partake unworthily of the mysteries; such
men being guilty of the body and blood of Christ. Wherefore, when thou
art talking of the murderer, take account of thyself also. For he
indeed hath murdered a man, but thou art under the guilt of slaying the
Lord; and he, not having partaken of mysteries, but we, while enjoying
the benefit of the sacred table.
And what are they that bite and devour their brethren,
and pour out such abundance of venom? What is he that robs the poor of
their food? For if he who imparts not of his own, is such as I have
said, much more he that takes the things of others.1558
| 1558The words in italics, both here and below, are
omitted in several mss. | How many robbers do the covetous surpass in wickedness! how many
murderers and robbers of tombs, the rapacious! and how many after
spoiling men are desirous even of their blood!
“Nay,” saith he, “God forbid.”
Now thou sayest, God forbid. When thou hast an enemy, then say, God
forbid, and call to mind what hath been said, and show forth a life
full of great strictness; lest the portion of Sodom await us also, lest
we suffer the lot of Gomorrha, lest we undergo the ills of the Tyrians
and Sidonians; or rather, lest we offend Christ, which were a thing
more grievous and more to be feared than all.
For though to many hell1559
| 1559[γεννα, and similarly throughout
the paragraph.—R.] | seem to be a fearful thing, yet I for my part will not cease
continually to say, that this is more grievous and fearful than any
hell; and you I entreat to be of the same mind. For so shall we both be
delivered from hell, and enjoy the glory that is bestowed of Christ;
unto which may we all attain, by the grace and love towards man of our
Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might forever and ever.
Amen.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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