Homilies on Acts, Homily 29

Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people while they lived as foreigners in Egypt, and with a mighty arm He brought them out of it. Look at Barnabas giving way to Paul—how could it be otherwise?—the very man he brought from Tarsus. So too we find John always giving way to Peter. Yet Barnabas was more highly regarded than Paul. True, but they looked only to the common good. Then Paul stood up, it says—this was a Jewish custom—and motioned with his hand. See how he prepares the way for his speech: first praising them and showing his great regard for them by saying, You who fear God, he begins his address in this way. He does not say, You proselytes, since that term carried a disadvantage. The God of this people chose our fathers, and the people—see how he calls God especially their God, although He is the common God of all humanity, and shows how great His benefits had been from the beginning, just as Stephen does. They do this to teach them that now too God has followed the same pattern by sending His own Son, as (Christ) Himself (does) in the parable of the vineyard. And the people, he says, He exalted while they lived as foreigners in Egypt. Yet the opposite was the case. True, but they grew in numbers; moreover, the miracles were performed for their sake. And with a mighty arm He brought them out of it. The prophets constantly mention these things (the wonders) done in Egypt. Notice how he passes over the times of their calamities and never brings up their faults, only God's kindness, leaving them to think about the other things themselves. And for about forty years He put up with their conduct in the wilderness. Then comes the settlement. After destroying seven nations in Canaan, He divided their land among them by lot. And it was a long time: four hundred and fifty years. After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. Here he shows that God varied His dealings with them (at various times). Afterward they asked for a king. And (still) not a word about their ingratitude; throughout, he speaks of God's kindness. God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. After removing him, He raised up David as their king, of whom He also testified, saying, I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will. From this man's offspring God, according to His promise, raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus. (v. 22, 23.) It was a great thing that Christ should descend from David. Then John bears witness to this: Before His coming, John first preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. As John completed his course, he said, Who do you think I am? I am not He. But look, someone is coming after me whose shoes I am not worthy to untie. (v. 24, 25.) John too does more than testify (to the fact): (does it in such sort that) when people were bringing him the glory, he refuses it. For it is one thing (not to affect) an honor no one thinks of offering, and another to reject it when everyone is ready to give it—not only to reject it, but to do so with such humility. Men and brothers, descendants of Abraham, and whoever among you fears God, the word of this salvation has been sent to you. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, not knowing Him or the voices of the prophets read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. Although they found no reason for His death, they asked Pilate to have Him killed. We always find them taking great care to show that the blessing belongs especially to them, so that they will not flee (from Christ), thinking they have nothing to do with Him because they crucified Him. Because they did not know Him, he says: so the sin was one of ignorance. See how gently he offers a defense even for those (crucifiers). And not only this: he also adds that it had to happen this way. How? By condemning Him, they fulfilled the voices of the prophets. Then he turns to the Scriptures again. After fulfilling everything written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. For many days He was seen by those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people—that He rose again. We bring you good news: God has fulfilled for us, their children, the promise made to the fathers, by raising Jesus again, as it is also written in the second Psalm, You are My Son; today I have begotten You. And concerning His raising Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He spoke in this way: I will give you the sure mercies of David. So He also says in another Psalm, You will not allow Your Holy One to see decay. For David, after serving his own generation by God's will, fell asleep, was laid with his fathers, and saw decay. But He whom God raised again saw no decay. Know, then, men and brothers, that through this Man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Notice how much more forceful Paul is here: nowhere do we find Peter saying this. Then he also adds the terrifying words: Beware, then, that what was spoken in the prophets does not come upon you: Look, you despisers, wonder and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work you will never believe, even if someone declares it to you. (v. 40, 41.) (a) Notice how he weaves (the thread of) his speech (alternately) from present events and the prophets. Thus, From (this man's) offspring according to the promise. (c) David's name was dear to them. Well then, he says, is it not (a thing to be desired) that a son of his should be their king? (b) Then he brings in John, then the prophets again, when he says, By condemning Him they fulfilled, and again, Everything that was written; then the Apostles as witnesses to the Resurrection; then David as a witness. Neither the Old Testament proofs on their own nor the later testimonies apart from the earlier ones seemed as convincing as they do this way. So he makes them confirm one another. Men and brothers, etc. Since they were gripped by fear, having killed Him, and their conscience estranged them, (the Apostles) do not address them as killers of Christ or as people being handed a good that was not theirs, but one that belonged especially to them. (d) For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers: as much as to say, Not you, but they. Again he offers a defense even for them: Because they did not know Him or the voices of the Prophets read every Sabbath, they fulfilled them by condemning Him. It is a serious charge that they heard continually but paid no attention. Yet it is no wonder: what was said earlier about Egypt and the wilderness was enough to show their ingratitude. Notice how this Apostle too, moved by the Spirit Himself, constantly preaches the Passion and Burial. (g) Having taken Him down from the tree. Notice how much emphasis they place on this. He speaks of the manner of His death. They also bring Pilate (conspicuously) forward, so that mentioning the court (by which he was condemned) may establish (the fact of) the Passion, while at the same time making the charge against those (His crucifiers) greater, since they handed Him over to a foreigner. He does not say, They made a complaint (against Him), (ἐ νέτυχον, al. ἐ ντυγχάνει), but, They asked that He be killed, although they had found no reason for His death (in Him). (e) He appeared, he says, for many days to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Instead of ** he says, Who are His witnesses to the people, namely, The men who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Then he brings forward David and Isaiah as witnesses. The faithful (mercies), the lasting (mercies), those that never perish. (h) Paul loved them very much. Notice how he does not dwell on the fathers' ingratitude but puts before them what they must fear. Stephen quite rightly does this, since he was about to be put to death, rather than teaching them, and was showing them that the Law was even now about to be abolished. Acts 7. But Paul does not do this; he simply threatens and frightens them. (f) He does not dwell on these things, taking it for granted that the word is of course believed; nor does he dwell on the greatness of their punishment or attack what they dearly love by showing that the Law is about to be cast out. Instead, he dwells on what benefits them (telling them): their blessings will be great if they obey, and their evils great if they disobey. But let us look again at what has been said. You men of Israel, etc. The fathers, he says, received the promise; you receive its reality. (j) Notice that he never mentions their good deeds, but (only) God's benefits: He chose, Exalted, Put up with their conduct. None of these things praises them. They asked, He gave. But David he does praise, (and him) alone, because Christ was to come from him. I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will. (i) Notice also that it is with praise (that he says of him), David, after serving God's will. So too Peter, since the Gospel was then just beginning, mentioned him by saying, Let me speak freely of the patriarch David. He also does not say, Died, but, Was added to his fathers. (k) From this man's offspring, etc. Before His entry, he says, John first preached—by entry he means the Incarnation—a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. So too John, writing his Gospel, constantly turns to him, for his name was highly regarded throughout the world. Notice that he does not say, From this man's offspring, etc., on his own authority, but brings John's testimony. Men and brothers, descendants of Abraham—he also names them after their father—the word of this salvation was sent to you. Here, To you does not mean, To (you) Jews; it gives them the right to separate themselves from those who dared commit that murder. What he adds makes this clear: For those who live in Jerusalem, he says, because they do not know Him. How, you will ask, could they be ignorant when John was there to tell them? Why be surprised, when they remained ignorant even with the prophets constantly crying out to them? Then comes another charge: Although they found no reason for His death. Ignorance had nothing to do with that. Suppose they did not believe Him to be the Christ: why did they also kill Him? They asked Pilate, he says, to have Him killed. And after fulfilling everything written about Him. Notice the emphasis he places on showing that the (whole) thing was a (Divine) Dispensation. Look: by saying what did they persuade people? (By telling them) that He was crucified? What could be less persuasive? That He was buried—by the people to whom He had been promised as salvation? That the One who was buried forgives sins, even more than the Law (has power to do)? And (observe), he does not say, From which you would not, but, From which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Everyone, he says, whoever he may be. For those (ordinances) are useless unless there is some benefit (accruing therefrom.) This is why he brings in forgiveness later and shows it to be greater: although the thing is (otherwise) impossible, it is nevertheless accomplished. Who are His witnesses, he says, to the people—the people who killed Him. They would never have been such witnesses without the strength of Divine Power: they would never have testified like this to bloodthirsty people, to the very people who killed Him. But He has raised Jesus again. Today, he says, I have begotten you. Yes, the rest follows naturally from this. Why did he not cite a text that would persuade them that forgiveness of sins comes through Him? Because the Apostles' main concern was first to show that He had risen. Once that was acknowledged, the other point was beyond question. Through this Man—more than that, by Him—comes forgiveness of sins. Besides, he wanted to give them a deep longing for this great thing. So His death was not abandonment, but the fulfillment of Prophecy. As for the rest, he reminds them of historical events in which ignorance brought them countless evils. He hints at this in the conclusion: Look, you despisers, and see. Notice how he cuts it short because it is harsh. Do not let what was spoken for the others come upon you, he says: I am doing a work you will never believe, even if someone declares it to you. Do not be surprised that it seems incredible: this very thing was foretold from the beginning—(that it would not be believed). Look, you despisers: this concerns those who disbelieve the Resurrection. These words could rightly be addressed to us too: Look, you despisers. The Church is in a very bad state, although you think her affairs are peaceful. The trouble is that, while we suffer from so many evils, we do not even know we have any. What are you saying? We have our Churches, our Church property, and everything else; services are held, and the congregation comes to Church every day. True, but these are not the things by which to judge a Church's condition. What, then? Whether there is piety; whether we return home each day having benefited; whether we reap some fruit, much or little; whether it is more than routine, more than a formal discharge of duty (ἀ φοσιούμενοι). Who has become a better person by attending (daily) services for a whole month? That is the point. Otherwise, the very thing that seems to show a flourishing condition (of the Church,) actually shows a bad one, when all this happens and nothing comes of it. If only (that were all), if only nothing came of it! As things are, it actually makes matters worse. What fruit do you get from your services? Surely, if they were benefiting you, you should long ago have been living a life of true wisdom (τἥς φιλοσοφίας), with so many Prophets speaking to you twice every week, so many Apostles and Evangelists all setting out the teachings of salvation and putting before you, with great precision, what can rightly form your character. A soldier improves his tactics by going to drill; a wrestler improves his wrestling by going to the training ground; a physician becomes more accurate, knows more, and learns more by attending his teacher. And you—what have you gained? I am not speaking to people who have belonged to the Church for only a year, but to those who have attended services from their earliest years. Do you think being religious means constant Church attendance (παραβάλλειν τᾕ συνάξει)? That is nothing unless we reap some fruit for ourselves. If (from the gathering together in Church) we do not gather (συνάγωμεν) something for ourselves, it would be better to stay home. Those who came before us built the Churches not simply to gather us from our own houses and show us to one another—that could also happen in a marketplace, baths, or a public procession—but to bring learners and teachers together and make the one better through the other. With us it has all become customary routine, a formal discharge of duty, something we are used to: that is all. Easter comes, and there is great commotion, a great uproar, and crowds of—I would rather not call them human beings, for their behavior is not ordinarily human. Easter passes, the uproar subsides, but the quiet that follows produces no good either. Vigils and holy hymn-singing: what do we gain from them? No, matters are worse. Many do it merely out of vanity. Think how sick at heart I must feel to see it all like (so much water) poured into a barrel full of holes! But you will certainly tell me, We know the Scriptures. What of it? Showing the Scriptures in your actions—that is the gain, the benefit. The Church is a dyer's vat: if you keep leaving without taking any color, what is the use of coming here constantly? The harm is actually greater. Who (of you) has added anything to the customary practices handed down by his fathers? For example, someone has the custom of observing a memorial for his mother, wife, or child. He does this whether we tell him to or not, drawn by habit and conscience. Does this displease you? you ask. God forbid: on the contrary, I am glad of it with all my heart. I only wish he had also gained some fruit from our preaching, and that habit's effect were also the effect in our case (your teachers): introducing another habit. Otherwise, why do I wear myself out in vain and talk uselessly, if you remain the same and Church services do you no good? But, you will say, we pray. What of it? Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does the will of My Father in heaven. Many times I have decided to remain silent, seeing no benefit to you from my words. Or perhaps there is some benefit, but my insatiable longing makes me like people mad about riches. However much they gain, they think they have nothing. So too, because I long so deeply for your salvation, until I see you making good progress, I think nothing has been done, so eager am I that you should reach the very summit. I wish this were the case, and the fault lay in my eagerness rather than your laziness; but I fear my judgment is only too correct. You must understand that, if any benefit had come through all this time, we ought to have stopped speaking by now. Then you would not need words: what has already been said would have been enough, and you would be able to correct others yourselves. But our still needing to speak to you shows that your condition is far from perfection. What, then, do we want to happen? For we must do more than find fault. I beg and urge you not to think it enough to have invaded the Church, but to leave having taken something, some medicine to cure your own illnesses. If not from us, at least from the Scriptures you have the remedies appropriate to each. Is someone hot-tempered, for example? Let him pay attention to the Scripture readings, and he will certainly find such remedies, either in history or in exhortation. In exhortation, when it says, The surge of his fury is his destruction;⁠a and, A hot-tempered man does not behave respectably, and similar things. Again, A man full of words will not prosper; and Christ again, Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause; and again the Prophet, Be angry and do not sin; and, Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce. In histories, you hear of Pharaoh full of anger, and the Assyrian. Again, is someone held captive by the love of money? Let him hear that There is nothing more wicked than a greedy man, for this man puts even his own soul up for sale;⁠b and how Christ says, You cannot serve God and wealth; and the Apostle, The love of money is a root of all evils; and the Prophet, If riches flow in, do not set your heart on them, and many similar sayings. From the histories you hear of Gehazi, Judas, the chief scribes, and that gifts blind the eyes of the wise. Is someone else proud? Let him hear that God resists the proud; and, Pride is the beginning of sin;⁠c and, Everyone with an arrogant heart is impure before the Lord. In the histories, the devil and all the rest. In a word, since we cannot recount everything, let each person choose from the Divine Scriptures the remedies for his own wounds. In this way wash it all out—if not the whole at once, at least a part: part today, part tomorrow, and then the whole. You will also find many examples concerning repentance, confession, almsgiving, justice, self-control, and everything else. For all these things, says the Apostle, were written to instruct us. If everything Scripture says is meant to instruct us, let us pay it the attention we should. Why do we deceive ourselves in vain? I fear that it may be said of us too that our days have fallen short in vanity, and our years in haste. Who has given up the theaters through hearing us? Who has given up greed? Who has become more willing to give alms? I want to know, not for empty praise, but so that seeing the fruit of my work clearly would inspire greater zeal. As things stand, how can I put my hand to the work, when I see teaching rain down upon you, shower after shower, yet our crops stay the same height and the plants grow no taller? Soon threshing time is here, (and) He with the winnowing fork. I fear it may all be stubble; I fear we may all be thrown into the furnace. Summer has passed, winter has come; we sit, young and old alike, held captive by our own evil passions. Do not tell me, I do not commit sexual immorality. How are you better off if, although you do not commit sexual immorality, you are greedy? It makes no difference to a sparrow caught in a snare that only its foot is held, rather than every part of it: it is a lost bird all the same. It is in the snare, and having its wings free does it no good while its foot is held fast. So you are caught, not by sexual immorality, but by the love of money; yet you are caught nevertheless. The point is not how you are caught, but that you are caught. Let no young man say, I do not love money. Well, perhaps you are sexually immoral; how are you better off then? All the passions cannot attack us at the same time of life. They are divided and allotted to different periods, through God's mercy, so that they will not overcome us by attacking all at once and make our struggle harder. What miserable sluggishness, to be unable to conquer our passions even one at a time, to be defeated at each stage of life, and to take credit for those that (let us alone), not because of our own earnest efforts, but simply because they lie dormant at our age! Look at chariot drivers. Do you not see how extraordinarily careful and strict they are with themselves in their training, work, diet, and everything else, so that they will not be thrown from their chariots and dragged along (by the reins)? See what skill can do. Often even a strong man cannot control one horse, but a mere boy who has learned the skill will often take a pair in hand, easily leading and driving them wherever he wants. Indeed, in India, they say, an enormous elephant will yield to a fifteen-year-old boy who handles it with complete ease. Why have I said all this? To show that, if study and practice let us choke even elephants and wild horses into submission (ἄ γχομεν), much more can we do so with the passions within us. Why do we keep failing (in every encounter) throughout our lives? We have never practiced this skill, never talked over with ourselves in a quiet time, when there is no contest, what would help us. We are never seen in our place on the chariot until the contest has actually begun. That is why we make such fools of ourselves there. Have I not often said, Let us practice with members of our own household before the time of trial? We are often irritated with our servants (παἵδας) at home: let us subdue our anger there, so that we can easily keep it under control when dealing with our friends. So too with every other passion: if we practiced beforehand, we would not make fools of ourselves in the actual contests. As things stand, we have equipment, exercises, and training for other things, for crafts and feats in the wrestling ground, but nothing of the kind for virtue. A farmer would not venture to tend a vine without first practicing its cultivation; a pilot would not sit at the helm without first practicing well. Yet we, completely untrained, want the first prizes! It would be good to be silent, good to have no dealings with anyone in deed or word, until we could charm (κατεπᾴδειν) the wild beast within us. The wild beast, I say: is it not worse than any wild animal's attack when anger and lust make war on us? Beware of invading the marketplace (Μὴ ἐμβάλῃς εἰς ἀγοράν) with these beasts until you have muzzled their mouths securely, until you have tamed them and made them manageable. Look at people who lead their tame lions around the marketplace. Do you not see the profit and admiration they gain by producing such tameness in an irrational animal? But if the lion suddenly turns savage, how it frightens everyone out of the marketplace! Then the man leading it is himself in danger, and if others lose their lives, he is responsible. So you too must first tame your lion and then lead him around, to receive not money but a gain beyond anything else. Nothing equals gentleness, which is extremely useful both to those who possess it and to those who receive it. Let us pursue this, then, so that, having kept to the path of virtue and diligently completed our course in it, we may attain the eternal good things, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit together be glory, power, and honor, now and always, forever and ever. Amen.