Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew 47

All these things Jesus spoke unto the multitudes in parables, and without a parable He spoke nothing unto them;

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

'I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.'

But Mark says that 'As they were able to hear it, He spoke the word unto them in parables.'

Then, showing that He was introducing nothing new, He brings in the prophet also as foretelling this manner of teaching.

And teaching us the mind of Christ—that it was not in order that they might remain ignorant, but that He might lead them to inquiry, that He thus discoursed—he added:

'And without a parable He spoke nothing unto them'—although He said many things without a parable;

and yet no one asked Him;

and yet they often questioned the prophets, as they did Ezekiel, and many others;

but these did nothing of the sort.

And yet what had been said was enough to cast them into anguish, and to rouse them to inquiry;

for indeed the parables threatened a most grievous punishment;

but nevertheless not even so were they moved.

Wherefore also, having left them, He departed.

'For then,' it says, 'having left the multitudes, Jesus went into His house';

and none of the scribes follows Him;

whence it is plain that for no other reason did they follow, than to lay hold of Him.

But since they understood not the things spoken, He thereafter let them be.

And His disciples come to Him, asking concerning the parable of the tares;

and yet there are places where, though wishing to learn, they were afraid to ask.

Whence, then, came to them here this boldness? They had heard that 'To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,' and they took courage.

Wherefore also they ask apart, not grudging the multitude, but keeping the Master's law.

'For to these,' He says, 'it is not given.'

And why ever, leaving aside the parable of the leaven and of the mustard seed, do they inquire concerning this one? They passed over those as being clearer;

But this one, since it bears a kinship to the one already spoken of, and displays something more than that one, they desired to learn.

For otherwise He would not have spoken the same thing a second time to those who longed to learn.

For they saw much threatening made manifest out of it.

Therefore He does not rebuke them, but even fills up what had been said.

And what I have always said—that the parables ought not to be pressed word for word, since many absurdities will follow—

this very thing He Himself here teaches us, in the way He expounds the parable.

For He does not say who the servants are that came forward;

but showing that He had introduced them for the sake of a certain sequence, and to shape out the image, He leaves that part aside and interprets the pressing matters, those which are of chief importance and hold the whole together, and for the sake of which the parable was spoken—showing Himself to be judge and lord of all.

'And answering,' He says, 'He said to them:'

'He that sows the good seed is the Son of Man;'

'and the field is the world;'

'and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom;'

'but the tares are the sons of the evil one;'

'and the enemy that sowed them is the devil;'

'and the harvest is the consummation of the age;'

'and the reapers are angels.'

'As therefore the tares are gathered and burned with fire,'

'so shall it be in the consummation of this age.'

'The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that work iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire;'

'there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.'

'Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.'

For when He Himself is the sower, and it is His own field, and He gathers out of His own kingdom, it is quite clear that the present world also is His.

But consider His unspeakable love toward mankind, and how prone He is to beneficence, and how averse to punishment.

For when He sows, He sows by Himself; but when He punishes, He does it through others, that is, through the angels.

'Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.'

Not that they shall be only thus, but because we know no other star brighter than this luminary, He has used examples familiar to us.

And yet elsewhere He says that the harvest is already present, as when He speaks concerning the Samaritans:

'Lift up your eyes, and behold the fields, that they are white already unto harvest'; and again, 'The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the labourers are few.'

How then does He say there that the harvest is already present, while here He said the harvest is yet to come? According to a different sense of meaning.

And how is it that, having said elsewhere, 'One is he that sows, and another he that reaps,' here He says that He Himself is the sower? Because there too He was not contrasting Himself, but contrasting the apostles with the prophets, and that in the case of the Jews and the Samaritans.

For indeed it was He Himself who sowed also through the prophets.

And there is a place where He calls this very same thing both harvest and sowing, naming it thus with reference to one thing and to another.

For when He speaks of the persuasion and obedience of those who have obeyed, He calls the matter a harvest, as though the whole were already accomplished;

but when He seeks the fruit of the hearing, He calls it sowing;

and He calls the consummation a harvest.

And how is it that elsewhere He says that the righteous are first caught up? For they are indeed first caught up; but when Christ has come, these others are delivered over to punishment, and then those go away into the kingdom of heaven.

For since they must be in heaven, and He Himself will come here and judge all men, having pronounced sentence upon these, He then—like a king rising up together with his friends—leads them away to that blessed portion.

Do you see that the punishment is twofold—both in the being burned, and in the falling from that glory? But for what reason, after those have departed, does He still speak to them also in parables? They had become wiser from what had been said, so as even to understand.

Indeed, at any rate, He says to them after these things, 'Have you understood all these things?' They say to Him:

Thus, along with the other things, the parable accomplished this also—to make them more discerning.

What then does He say again? 'The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, which a man having found, hid, and from his joy sells all that he has,'

'and buys that field.'

'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant seeking goodly pearls;'

'who, having found one pearl of great price, went away and sold all that he had, and bought it.'

Just as there the grain of mustard seed and the leaven have some small difference from one another,

so also here these two parables, that of the treasure and that of the pearl.

For by both of these He hints at this: that one ought to prefer the preaching above all things.

And that one, the parable of the leaven and of the mustard, was spoken with reference to the power of the preaching, and that it will altogether prevail over the whole inhabited world;

but these show its preciousness and costliness.

For it spreads out like mustard, and prevails like leaven, and is costly like a pearl, and provides boundless abundance like a treasure.

It is not only this, then, that we may learn—that we must strip off all other things and cleave to the preaching;

but also that we must do this with joy;

and that the one who parts with his possessions must know that the matter is a gain, and not a loss.

Do you see how the preaching is hidden even in the world, and the good things hidden in the preaching? Unless you sell all, you do not buy;

and unless you have such a soul—careful and seeking—you do not find.

Two things therefore must be present: both to abstain from the things of this life, and to be watchful.

For 'to one seeking,' He says, 'goodly pearls;'

'who, having found one of great price, sold all, and bought it.'

For the truth is one, and not manifold.

And just as he who has the pearl himself knows that he is rich, but is often not recognized by the rest, even while holding it in his hand—

for it is not a bulk of body—

so indeed it is also in the case of the preaching: those who hold it know that they are rich, but the unbelievers, not knowing this treasure, are also ignorant of our wealth.

Then, lest we should be confident in the preaching alone, nor suppose that faith by itself suffices for our salvation, He speaks yet another fearful parable.

Which one, then, is this? That of the dragnet.

'For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind;'

'which, when it was filled, they drew up onto the shore, and sitting down, gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.'

And in what does this differ from the parable of the tares? For there also some are saved and some perish;

but there it is for the sake of choosing heresy through wicked doctrines;

and those before this, on account of not giving heed to the things spoken;

but these, on account of the wickedness of their life.

These are the most wretched of all, in that they attained to knowledge and were caught in the net, yet even so could not be saved.

And yet elsewhere He says that it is the Shepherd Himself who separates them, while here He says that the angels do this—as also in the case of the tares.

What then is the meaning? At one time He discourses to them more plainly, at another more loftily.

And this parable He interprets without even being asked; rather, of His own accord He made it known in part, and thereby heightened their fear.

For lest, on hearing that they cast the rotten ones out, you should think the destruction free of peril, through the interpretation He showed forth the punishment, saying that 'They will cast them into a furnace';

and He disclosed the gnashing of teeth and the anguish that is unspeakable.

Do you see how many are the roads to destruction? That by the rock, that by the thorns, that by the wayside, that by the tares, that by the dragnet.

Not without reason, then, did He say that 'Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in by it.'

Having said these things, therefore, and having brought His discourse to a close upon that which is fearful, and having shown these things more fully (for He dwelt upon them the more), He says:

'Have you understood all these things?' They say to Him:

Then, since they had understood, again He commends them, saying:

'Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.'

'I will send you wise men and scribes.'

Do you see how He does not shut out the Old Testament, but even praises and proclaims it, calling it a treasure? So that all who are unversed in the divine Scriptures cannot be householders—those who neither possess anything themselves, nor receive from others, but

look on while they themselves are consumed by famine.

And not these only, but the heretics too are outside this blessing.

For they do not bring out things new and old.

For neither do they have the old things, and therefore not the new either;

just as, then, those who have not the new have not the old either, but are bereft of both;

for these are bound together with one another and interwoven.

Let us therefore hearken, all we who neglect the reading of the Scriptures, to how great a harm we suffer, how great a poverty.

For when shall we lay hold of a manner of life shown forth in works, we who do not so much as know the laws by which we ought to live? But those who are rich, who are frantic over money, continually shake out their garments, that they may not become moth-eaten;

but you, though you see forgetfulness, more grievous than a moth, ravaging your soul, do not open books, do not beat off the ruin, do not adorn your soul, do not continually contemplate the image of virtue, and learn thoroughly its members and its head? For indeed it has a head too, and members more comely than those of any well-formed and beautiful body.

What then, one asks, is the head of virtue? Humility.

Wherefore also from this Christ begins, saying:

This head has no tresses and curling locks, but such a beauty as to draw God to itself.

'For upon whom shall I look,' He says, 'but upon the meek and lowly, and him that trembles at My words?' And, 'My eyes are upon the meek of the earth.'

And, 'The Lord is near to those who are broken in heart.'

This head, in place of hair and tresses, bears sacrifices well-pleasing to God.

It is a golden altar, and a spiritual altar of sacrifice;

for 'A broken spirit is a sacrifice to God.'

This is the mother of wisdom.

If one has this, he will have the rest as well.

Have you seen a head such as you have never seen? Do you wish to see also the face—or rather, to learn of it? Then learn first its colour, ruddy and blooming and full of grace, and learn whence it is composed.

Whence, then, is it composed? From feeling shame and blushing.

'Before the modest man grace goes forth.'

This pours much beauty over the other members also.

Though you mingle ten thousand pigments, you will not produce such loveliness.

And if you wish to see the eyes also, behold them delineated with exactness by orderliness and self-control.

Wherefore also they become so beautiful and keen-sighted as to behold the Lord Himself.

'For blessed,' He says, 'are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'

Its mouth is wisdom and understanding, and the knowledge of spiritual hymns.

Its heart is experience in the Scriptures, and the careful keeping of exact doctrines, and love of mankind, and kindness.

And just as without this it is not possible to live, so without that other it is never possible to be saved.

For from thence are born all good things.

It has feet also and hands, namely the demonstrations of good works;

it has a soul also, namely godliness;

it has also a breast, golden and firmer than adamant, namely courage;

and everything else is easier to capture than for this breast to be burst asunder.

And the spirit that is in the brain and in the heart is love.

Do you wish that I show you this image in the very works themselves? Consider for me this same evangelist;

and although we do not have his whole life recorded, nevertheless even from a few things it is possible to see his image shining forth.

That he was humble and contrite, hear how, after writing the Gospel, he calls himself a tax collector;

and that he was also merciful, see how he stripped himself of all and followed Jesus;

and that he was godly is manifest from the doctrines.

And his understanding it is easy to see from the Gospel which he composed, and his love as well;

for he cared for the whole inhabited world;

and the demonstration of his good works is seen from the throne upon which he is to sit;

and his courage from the fact that he departed rejoicing from the presence of the council.

Let us therefore be zealous for this virtue, and most of all for humility and mercy, without which it is not possible to be saved.

And the five virgins make this plain, and along with them the Pharisee.

For without virginity it is possible to see the kingdom;

but without mercy it is impossible;

for this is among the necessary things, and

Not without reason, therefore, have we called it the heart of virtue.

But this heart, unless it supply spirit to all, is quickly quenched.

Just as a spring, then, if it keep its waters shut up within itself, grows putrid;

so too the rich, when they keep their possessions to themselves.

For this reason too we say in common speech, 'Great is the rottenness of wealth in such a man's keeping';

and we do not say, 'Great is the abundance, great the treasure.'

For there is a rotting away not of the possessors only, but of the very wealth itself.

For garments as they lie stored up decay, and gold gathers rust, and grain is eaten away;

and the soul of him who possesses these things is, more than all of them, both corroded and rotted with cares.

And if you were willing to bring the soul of a lover of money out into the midst, you would find it, like a garment gnawed by ten thousand worms and having nothing sound in it, so pierced through on every side by cares, rotted and corroded by its sins.

But such is not the soul of the poor man—of the poor man who is so by his own will;

rather it gleams like gold, it shines like a pearl, and it blooms like a rose.

For there is no moth there, there is no thief there, there is no care of this present life;

but they live their lives as the angels do.

Do you wish to behold the beauty of this soul? Do you wish to learn thoroughly the riches of poverty? It gives commands not to men, but it commands demons;

it does not stand before an earthly king, but it stands before God;

it does not serve as a soldier among men, but it serves as a soldier among angels;

it does not have two and three and twenty coffers, but such abundance that it reckons the whole world to be nothing.

It has not a treasure-house, but heaven itself;

it has no need of slaves; rather it has the passions for its slaves, it has for its slaves the reasonings that rule over kings.

For the very reasoning that lays its command upon him who is clothed in the purple—this reasoning it has cowering before it, and it dares not look it in the face.

And at kingdom and gold and all such things it laughs as at children's playthings, and just as at hoops and knucklebones and toy-heads and balls, so it deems all these things contemptible.

For it possesses an adornment which those who play with these things are not even able to see.

What then could be better than this poor man? At any rate, he has heaven for his floor.

And if his floor is such, consider what the roof must be.

But has he no horses and chariots? Why, what need has he of these, who is about to ride upon the clouds and to be with Christ? Bearing these things in mind, then, both men and women, let us seek after that wealth and that abundance which cannot be plundered, that we too may attain the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might unto the ages of ages.