Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew 66

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples apart by themselves in the way, and said to them:

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death;

and they shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify Him;

and on the third day He shall be raised.

He does not go up to Jerusalem all at once upon coming from Galilee;

but first having worked miracles and having silenced the Pharisees, and having discoursed with His disciples concerning voluntary poverty;

For 'if you would be perfect,' He says, 'sell what you possess';

'He that is able to receive it, let him receive it';

and concerning humility;

'For unless you turn and become as the little children, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven';

and concerning the recompense of things here;

'For whoever has left houses, or brethren, or sisters, shall receive a hundredfold in this age';

and concerning the rewards there;

'For he shall inherit,' He says, 'eternal life also';

then at last He approaches the city, and being about to go up, He again discourses concerning the Passion.

For since it was likely that they, because they did not wish this to come to pass, would forget it, He continually reminds them, exercising their mind by the frequency of the reminder, and cutting short their grief.

And He discourses to them privately, of necessity;

for it was not fitting that the word concerning these matters should be spread abroad to the many, nor be spoken plainly;

for nothing more would have come of it.

For if the disciples were troubled upon hearing these things, much more would the multitude of the common people be.

What then? Was it not spoken to the many? one may ask.

It was indeed spoken even to the many, yet not so plainly.

For 'Destroy this temple,' He says, 'and in three days I will raise it up';

and, 'This generation seeks a sign, and no sign shall be given it, except the sign of Jonah';

and again, 'Yet a little while I am with you, and you shall seek Me, and shall not find Me.'

But to the disciples it was not so; rather, just as He spoke the other things more clearly, so also He spoke this.

And for what reason, if the many did not understand the force of the things spoken, was it spoken at all? That they might learn afterward, that He went to His Passion foreknowing it and willingly, not in ignorance, nor under compulsion.

But to the disciples He foretold it not for this reason only, but, as I said, that being exercised beforehand by the expectation, they might bear the Passion more easily, and that it might not, coming upon them unprepared, greatly trouble them.

For this very reason, at the first He spoke only of His death;

but when they had practiced and been exercised, He adds the other things also;

namely, that they will deliver Him to the Gentiles;

that they will mock and scourge Him;

and for this reason, and that when they saw the sorrowful things come to pass, they might thereupon look for the resurrection as well.

For He who did not conceal the grievous things, even those that seemed to be shameful, was reasonably going to be believed concerning the good things also.

But consider with me how wisely He orders the matter even with respect to the time.

For neither did He tell them at the very beginning, lest He should throw them into confusion;

nor at the very moment of it, lest even thereby He should throw them into turmoil;

but when they had received sufficient proof of His power, when He had given the great promises concerning eternal life, then He introduces the word concerning these matters as well, once and twice and many times, weaving it into His miracles and His teachings.

But another evangelist says that He also brought forward the prophets as witnesses.

And yet another says that they themselves did not understand the things spoken, but the saying was hidden from them, and that they were amazed as they followed Him.

"Then," one might say, "the profit of the prediction is done away with."

For if they did not understand the things they heard, neither could they have any expectation;

and having no expectation, neither could they be trained in hope.

But I put forward yet another difficulty more perplexing than this: that if they did not understand, how were they grieved?

For indeed another evangelist says that they were grieved.

If then they did not understand, how were they grieved? How was it that Peter said,

"Be it far from Thee; this shall not be unto Thee"? What then is to be said? That they knew indeed that He would die, even though they did not clearly understand the mystery of the divine economy;

but neither did they clearly know the resurrection, nor the things He was about to accomplish;

and this was hidden from them.

For others they had seen raised by others;

but one who raised himself, and who so raised himself that he should thereafter die no more — this they had never seen.

This, therefore, they did not comprehend, though it was often spoken of;

nay, not even did they clearly know what this death itself was, and how it would come upon Him.

For this reason also they were amazed as they followed Him;

yet not for this reason alone, but it seems to me that He also astounded them by discoursing about His passion.

But nevertheless none of these things made them take courage, even though they were continually hearing about the resurrection.

For together with the death this also especially troubled them — to hear that they would mock and scourge Him, and all such things.

For when they called to mind the miracles — the demoniacs whom He set free, the dead whom He raised, and all the other wonders He wrought — and then heard these things, they were astounded that He who did such deeds should suffer such things.

For this reason also they fell into perplexity, and now believed, now disbelieved, and could not grasp the things spoken.

So little, at any rate, did they clearly understand what was said, that the sons of Zebedee came forward immediately and conversed with Him about precedence.

"For we desire," they say, "that one may sit on Thy right hand, and one on Thy left."

How then does this evangelist say that their mother came forward? It is likely that both things happened.

For they took their mother along, so as to make the entreaty more weighty, and thereby to prevail upon Christ.

For that what I said is true — that the request was rather their own, and that out of shame they put forward the one who bore them — observe how Christ directs His words toward them.

But rather let us learn what they first ask, and from what mind, and whence they came to this.

Whence then did they come to this? They saw themselves honored above the rest, and hoped from this to obtain their aim as well.

But whatever is it that they ask? Hear another evangelist clearly disclosing this.

"For because," he says, "they were near Jerusalem, and thought that the kingdom of God would immediately appear, they asked these things."

For they supposed that it was at the doors, and perceptible, and that having obtained what they asked, they would suffer none of the grievous things.

For neither did they seek it for its own sake alone, but as those who would also escape the hardships.

Therefore Christ first leads them away from these thoughts, bidding them look for slaughters and perils and the utmost terrors.

"For are ye able," He says, "to drink of the cup that I drink of?" But let no one be troubled that the apostles were so imperfectly disposed.

For the cross had not yet been accomplished, nor had the grace of the Spirit yet been given.

But if thou wouldst learn their virtue, observe them after these things, and thou shalt see them above every passion.

For on this account He discloses their defects, that after these things thou mayest know what manner of men they became by grace.

That they asked nothing spiritual, then, nor had any notion of the kingdom above, is plain from this.

But let us see also how they approach, and what they say.

"We desire," they say, "that whatsoever we shall ask of Thee, Thou wouldest do for us."

And Christ said to them:

'What do you wish?' — not because he was ignorant, but so that he might compel them to answer, and lay bare the wound, and thus apply the remedy.

But they, blushing and ashamed—since it was under the sway of a human passion that they had come to this—took him aside privately, apart from the disciples, and asked him.

For they went on ahead, it says, so that it might not become evident to the others, and thus they said what they wished.

And what they wished, as I for my part think, was this: since they had heard that 'You shall sit upon twelve thrones,' they sought to obtain the foremost place of that seat.

And that they had more than the others, they knew;

but they feared Peter, and so they say:

'Say the word, that one may sit at your right hand and one at your left';

and they press him urgently, saying, 'Speak the word.'

What then does he himself do? Showing that they were asking nothing spiritual, and that if they had known what they were asking they would never have dared to ask so great a thing, he says:

how great, how marvellous, how far surpassing even the powers on high!

'Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?' Do you see how at once he led them away from their suspicion, by discoursing with them of things wholly contrary to their thoughts? 'For you,' he says, 'speak to me of honour and of crowns;

but I speak to you of contests and of toils.'

'For this is not the season of prizes, nor shall that glory of mine now appear;

rather, the present things are of slaughter and wars and perils.'

And observe how by the very manner of his question he both exhorts and draws them on.

For he did not say, 'Are you able to be slaughtered? are you able to pour out your blood?' but how? 'Are you able to drink the cup?' Then, drawing them on, he says:

that by fellowship with him they might become the more eager.

And again he calls it a baptism, showing that a great cleansing would come to the world from the things that were to take place.

Out of eagerness they at once made their promise, not even knowing what they said, but expecting to hear that which they had asked.

What then does he say? 'My cup you shall indeed drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you shall be baptized.'

He prophesied great blessings for them;

that is to say: 'You shall be counted worthy of martyrdom, and shall suffer the very things that I suffer;

by a violent death you shall bring your life to an end, and in these things you shall be partakers with me.'

'But to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.'

Having lifted up their souls, and made them loftier, and rendered them proof against grief, he then corrects their request.

But what then is the meaning of what is now said? For there are indeed two things inquired into by many;

one, whether it has been prepared for certain persons to sit at his right hand;

the other, whether the Lord of all is not himself lord to bestow it on those for whom it has been prepared.

What then is the meaning of the saying? If we resolve the first point, then the second will also become clear to those who inquire.

What then is this? No one shall sit at his right hand, nor at his left.

For that throne is unapproachable to all;

I do not say to men and saints and

apostles, but even to angels and archangels, and to all the powers on high.

At any rate, Paul sets it down as the peculiar prerogative of the Only-begotten, saying:

'For to which of the angels did he ever say:

Sit at my right hand?' And to the angels indeed he says:

'He makes his angels winds';

but to the Son, 'Your throne, O God.'

How then does he say, 'To sit at the right hand and at the left is not mine to give,' as though there were some who were to sit there? Not as though there were any—far from it;

But He answered according to the suspicion of those who asked, condescending to their way of thinking.

For they did not yet know that lofty throne, nor the session at the right hand of the Father; seeing that they were ignorant even of things far lower than these, things which were sounded daily in their ears.

But one thing only they sought: to enjoy the first place, to stand before the rest, and that none should be before them in His presence.

Which very thing I have already said before: that since they had heard of twelve thrones, not knowing what the saying meant, they sought the presidency.

Now what Christ says is this:

You shall indeed die for My sake, and be slain for the sake of the preaching, and you shall share with Me in respect of the suffering;

yet this does not suffice to make you enjoy the presidency and to hold the first rank.

For if another should come, having with his martyrdom acquired also all the rest of virtue far more abundantly than you, it is not because I love you now and prefer you to the others that I shall on that account thrust aside that man who is proclaimed by his works and give the first places to you.

Yet He did not speak thus, so as not to grieve them;

rather, He hints at this same thing enigmatically, saying:

You shall indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;

but to sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.

But for whom has it been prepared? For those who are able by their works to become illustrious.

For this reason He did not say, 'It is not Mine to give, but My Father's,' lest anyone should say that He was weak or powerless in respect of the recompense;

but how then? 'It is not Mine,' He says, 'but theirs for whom it has been prepared.'

And that what I say may become still clearer, let us work it out by an example, and let us suppose there is a certain judge of the games, and then that many excellent athletes go down into this contest, and that two of the athletes who are most intimate with the judge of the games come forward and say, 'Make us to be crowned and proclaimed,' confident in their goodwill and friendship toward him;

and that he says to them:

'It is not mine to give this, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by their toils and their sweat;'

shall we then condemn him for weakness? By no means;

rather, we shall commend him for his justice and his impartiality.

As therefore we should not say that he refused to give the crown out of powerlessness, but because he was unwilling to corrupt the law of the contests, nor to throw into confusion the order of justice;

even so I would say that Christ too spoke this, driving them from every side, after the grace of God, to place the hopes of their salvation and their good repute in the display of their own good deeds.

For this reason He says, 'For those for whom it has been prepared.'

For what, He says, if others should appear better than you? And what if they should accomplish greater things? For surely, because you have become My disciples, you shall not on that account enjoy the first places, unless you yourselves appear worthy of the election. For that He Himself is Lord of all is plain from this, that He Himself holds all the judgment.

For indeed to Peter also He says thus:

I will give you the keys of the heavens.

And Paul too, making this plain, said:

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall render to me in that day;

and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved His appearing.

Now the appearing of Christ has already taken place.

And that no one shall stand before Paul is surely plain to everyone.

But if He has spoken these things somewhat obscurely, do not marvel.

For both by putting them off with wise management, that they might not trouble Him about the first places rashly and in vain;

(for indeed they suffered this from a human passion;) and by wishing not to grieve them, He accomplishes both these things by His obscurity.

The ten were indignant concerning the two.

Then; when? When He had rebuked them.

For so long as the decision rested with Christ, they were not indignant, but seeing them being preferred, they were content and kept silence, out of reverence and honour for the Teacher;

and even if in their minds they were grieved, yet they did not dare to bring this out into the open.

And when they had felt something human toward Peter also, when he paid the two drachmas, they were not vexed, but only asked, 'Who then is the greatest?' But since here the request came from the disciples themselves, they are indignant.

And not even here do they become indignant immediately, when they made the request, but when Christ had rebuked them and said that they should not enjoy the first places unless they rendered themselves worthy of them.

Do you see how all of them were as yet in an imperfect condition, both these two rising up against the ten, and those envying the two? But, as I said, show them to me after these events, and you will see them freed from all these passions.

Listen, at any rate, how this same John, who now came forward on their behalf, everywhere yields the first place to Peter, both when Peter preaches to the people and when he works miracles in the Acts of the Apostles.

And he does not conceal Peter's noble deeds, but even relates the confession which Peter made when all the rest were silent, and his entrance into the tomb, and he sets the apostle before himself.

For since both of them remained by Him as He was being crucified, cutting short his own praise he says only that 'that disciple was known to the high priest.'

But James did not survive for a long time;

yet from the very outset he was so kindled with zeal, and, forsaking all human things, ran up to an unutterable height, that he was straightway slain.

Thus, after these events, they became foremost in all things.

What then does Christ do? Having called them to Himself, He says:

'The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them.'

For since they were in an uproar and troubled, He calms them by the summons before He speaks, and by drawing them near to Himself.

For indeed the two, having torn themselves away from the band of the ten, had stood nearer, conversing privately.

For this reason He brings these also near;

and by this very act, and by proclaiming abroad what had been said and bringing it out to the rest also, He soothes the vexation both of these and of those.

And He does not restrain them now in the same way as before.

For before, He brought a little child into the midst, and bade them imitate its simplicity and lowliness;

but here He rebukes them more sharply by way of the opposite example, saying:

'The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones exercise authority upon them;'

'but it shall not be so among you;'

'but whoever wishes to become great among you, let him be the servant of all, and whoever wishes to be first, let him be last of all;'

showing that such a thing—to be enamored of the first places—belongs to the heathen.

For indeed the passion is tyrannical, and continually troubles even great men;

for this reason it needs a more vehement blow.

Therefore He too reaches down more deeply upon them, shaming their soul—inflamed as it was—by comparing them with the Gentiles;

and He cuts short the envy of some and the arrogance of others, all but saying:

'Do not be indignant, as though you had been insulted.'

For those who thus seek the first places most of all injure and disgrace themselves;

for they are among the last.

For the things among us are not like those without.

For the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them;

but with me this last one is first.

And that I do not say these things merely in words, take the proof of what has been said from the things which I do and suffer.

For I have done something even more.

For being King of the powers on high, I was willing to become man, and I consented to be despised and to be insulted.

And not even with these things was I content, but I went even to death.

'Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.'

'For I did not even stop at this,' He says, 'but I gave my life also as a ransom;'

and on behalf of whom? Of enemies.

But you, if you are humbled, it is on your own behalf.

Do not, therefore, be afraid, as though your honor were being pulled down.

For however much you may be humbled, you cannot [descend as far as I have].

to descend as far down as your Master descended.

Yet nevertheless this descent became the ascent of all, and caused His own glory to blaze forth.

For before He became man, He was known only among the angels;

but when He became man and was crucified, He not only did not diminish that glory, but even took on another besides, the glory that comes from the knowledge of the whole inhabited world.

Do not, then, be afraid, as though your honour were being pulled down;

for by this very thing your glory is rather exalted.

This is the door of the kingdom.

Let us not, then, go the contrary way, nor wage war against ourselves.

For if we wish to appear great, we shall not be great, but rather more dishonoured than all.

Do you see how everywhere He urges them on by means of their opposites, granting them the very thing they desire? For indeed in what went before we showed this through many instances;

and in the case of the money-lovers and the vainglorious He did the same.

For what purpose, He says, do you give alms before men? That you may enjoy glory? Then do not do so, and you will assuredly enjoy it.

And for what purpose do you lay up treasure? That you may be rich? Then do not lay up treasure, and you will be rich.

For what purpose do you crave the first places? That you may be ahead of the rest? Then choose the last place, and then you will enjoy the first place.

So that if you wish to become great,

do not seek to become great, and then you will be great.

For that other thing is a small matter, merely to be so.

Do you see how He drew them away from their sickness, by showing them both falling from it on the one side and succeeding on the other;

so that they might flee the one and pursue the other.

And He called to mind the Gentiles for this reason too, that by this also He might prove the thing to be reproachful and abominable.

For the arrogant man must of necessity be lowly,

and, on the contrary, the humble-minded man is exalted.

For this is height that is true and genuine, existing not in name only, nor in mere title.

And the one is a matter of necessity and fear;

but this one resembles that which belongs to God.

Even if he is admired by no one, he remains exalted;

just as the other, even if he is courted by all, is lowlier than all.

And the one honour is according to necessity, and therefore it easily flows away;

but the other springs from free choice, and therefore it remains secure.

Since it is for this reason too that we admire the saints, because, being greater than all, they humbled themselves more than all.

Wherefore even to this day they remain exalted, and not even death has brought down that height of theirs.

But if you will, let us examine this very thing also by reasoning.

A man is said to be tall either when he is so by the stature of his body, or when he happens to be standing upon a high place;

and likewise low from the opposite conditions.

Let us see, then, which of the two is such a one, the boaster or the moderate man;

so that you may see that nothing is higher than humility of mind, and nothing more grovelling than boastfulness.

The boaster, then, wishes to be greater than all, and says that no one is worthy of himself; and however much honour he may obtain, he craves and clings to more, and thinks he has attained none at all; and he despises men, yet longs for the honour that comes from them;

than which what could be more irrational? For indeed this resembles a riddle.

For those whom he counts as nothing, he wishes to be glorified by them.

Do you see how the one who wishes to be lifted up falls down, and stands upon the ground? For that he counts all men as nothing in comparison with himself, he himself declares;

Why then do you fall down before him who is nothing? Why do you seek honor from that man? Why do you lead about so great a throng? Do you see one lowly and standing upon a lowly footing? Come then, let us examine the man who is truly exalted.

This man knows how great a thing man is, and that man is a great thing, and yet that he is the last of all; and for this reason, whatever honor he enjoys, he counts it a great thing.

So that this man is consistent with himself, and is exalted, and does not shift his verdict;

for those whom he considers great, he also reckons the honors coming from them to be great; and even should these honors happen to be small, since he considers those men great, he still esteems them so.

But the boaster considers those who honor him to be nothing, yet he reckons the honors coming from them to be great.

Again, the humble man is captured by no passion;

neither will anger be able to trouble him, nor the craving for glory,

nor malice, nor jealousy;

and what could be more exalted than a soul delivered from these things? But the boaster is held fast by all of them, like some worm wallowing in the mire;

for indeed jealousy and malice and wrath are ever troubling that man's soul.

Who then is exalted? He who is above the passions, or their slave? He who trembles at them and is afraid of them, or he who is unconquered and in no way captured by them? Which bird would we say flies higher: the one that is above the hands and the fowler's rods, or the one that does not even require the fowler to let fly a rod, since it flies along the ground and can never soar aloft? Surely such is the man who has lost his senses through pride;

for indeed every snare easily catches him, inasmuch as he creeps along the ground.

And if you wish, examine this same truth also from the case of that wicked demon.

For what could be lowlier than the devil, since he was lifted up with pride? And what more exalted than a man who is willing to humble himself? For the one is dragged along the ground, lying beneath our heel;

(for He says, 'You shall tread upon serpents and scorpions;') but the other stands on high with the angels.

And if you wish to learn this also from the case of proud men, consider that barbarian who led so great an army, who did not even know things plain to all;

for instance, that a stone was a stone, and idols were idols;

wherefore he was even lower than these.

But the godly and the faithful soar even above the sun;

and what could be more exalted than they? They who even pass beyond the very vaults of heaven, and going past the angels, stand beside the royal throne itself.

And that you may learn their worthlessness from yet another angle, who would be brought low—the one who is helped by God, or the one who is warred against? It is plain that it is the one who is warred against.

Hear then what the Scripture says concerning each of these two.

'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'

Again I will ask you yet another question.

Who is more exalted—the one consecrated to God and offering sacrifice, or the one who is far off from any boldness of access toward Him? 'And what kind of sacrifice,' someone says, 'does the humble man offer?'

Hear David saying:

'The sacrifice for God is a broken spirit;'

'a broken and humbled heart, O God, You will not despise.'

Do you see the purity of this man? Behold also the uncleanness of that other one.

For 'everyone who is proud of heart is unclean before God.'

Besides these things, the one has God resting upon him.

For 'to whom shall I look,' He says, 'but to him who is meek and quiet, and who trembles at My words?' But the other is dragged along with the devil;

for he who is puffed up will suffer the same things as the devil.

'Lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil.'

And the very opposite of what he desires befalls him.

For he wishes to give himself airs, in order that he may be honored;

yet this is the very man who is despised most of all.

For those who are laughingstocks, who are hateful and hostile to all, who are easily overcome by their enemies, who are prone to fall into anger, who are unclean before God—these above all others are such men.

What then could be worse than such a man? For this is the very extremity of evils.

But what is sweeter than the humble? What is more blessed, when they are longed for and beloved by God? These too, above all men, enjoy glory from men, and all honor them as fathers, greet them as brothers, and welcome them as their own members.

Let us therefore become lowly, that we may become exalted.

For indeed pride humbles a man with exceeding excess.

This is what humbled Pharaoh.

For 'I know not the Lord,' he said, and he became more wretched than flies and frogs and caterpillars, and afterwards was drowned together with his very weapons and horses.

Contrary to him was Abraham, who said, 'I am but earth and ashes,' and yet he prevailed over countless barbarians; and having fallen into the midst of the Egyptians, he came back bearing a trophy more splendid than before, and by clinging to this virtue he was ever becoming more exalted.

For this reason he is celebrated everywhere; for this reason he is crowned and proclaimed abroad.

But Pharaoh is both earth and ashes, and whatever else is meaner than these.

For God turns away from nothing so much as from arrogance.

For this reason from the beginning He made all things, that He might root out this passion.

For this reason we have become mortal, and in...

for this reason we live in toil and in sweat and in continual and wearisome labour.

For indeed it was out of pride that the first man sinned, expecting to become equal to God.

For this reason he did not even remain in possession of what he had, but fell away from these things also.

It not only adds to us no right achievement of life, but even cuts away the things we have.

Just as, then, humility of mind not only cuts away nothing of what we possess, but even adds the things we do not possess.

Let us therefore be zealous for this, let us pursue this, that we may both enjoy the honour that is present and attain the glory that is to come, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be to the Father glory and might, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.