Homilies on Matthew, Homily 53

"But Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have stayed with me for three days now and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way." Both earlier, when He was about to perform this miracle, and here, He first healed those with physical disabilities. He does exactly the same thing here: after healing the blind and the lame, He goes on to this again. But why did His disciples say then, "Send the multitude away," while now they said nothing of the kind, even though three days had passed? Either they themselves had improved by this time, or they saw that the people were not very conscious of their hunger, since they were glorifying God for what had been done. But notice how here too He does not proceed immediately to the miracle, but draws them toward it. The multitudes who had come for healing did not dare ask for bread; but He, the loving and caring one, gives even to those who do not ask, and says to His disciples, "I have compassion, and will not send them away fasting." To keep them from saying that the people had come with provisions for the journey, He says, "They have stayed with me for three days now," so that even if they had brought anything, it was all gone. This is why He Himself did not do this on the first or second day, but waited until they had eaten everything: after first experiencing need, they would welcome His work more eagerly. Therefore He says, "Or they may faint on the way," indicating both that they had a long distance to travel and that they had nothing left. "Then, if You are unwilling to send them away fasting, why do You not perform the miracle?" So that through this question and their answer He could make the disciples more attentive, and so that they could show their faith by coming to Him and saying, "Make bread." But even then they did not understand the purpose of His question. This is why He later says to them, as Mark relates, "Are your hearts so hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?" Otherwise, why does He speak to the disciples, explain that the multitude deserves His help, and add that He Himself feels compassion? But Matthew says that afterward He also rebuked them, saying, "You of little faith, do you still not understand or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you collected? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you collected?" The evangelists agree with one another completely. What do the disciples say, then? They still crawl along the ground, although He had done so much to keep that miracle in their memory: through His question, their answer, having them serve in it, and distributing the baskets. But their understanding was still quite immature. That is why they also say to Him, "Where could we get so many loaves in the wilderness?" Both before and now, they mention the wilderness. Their own reasoning in saying this is weak, yet even this puts the miracle beyond suspicion. That is, to prevent anyone from claiming (as I have already said) that they got the bread from some neighboring village, they identify the location so that the miracle may be believed. With this purpose, He performs both the earlier miracle and this one in a wilderness, far from the villages. The disciples, considering none of this, said, "Where could we get so many loaves in a wilderness?" They really thought He had said this because He intended next to command them to feed the people. How foolish! He had recently said, "You give them something to eat," precisely to bring them to the point where they urgently needed to appeal to Him. But now He does not say, "You give them something to eat." What does He say? "I have compassion on them, and will not send them away fasting." He draws the disciples closer, urges them more strongly, and gives them a clearer understanding so that they will ask Him for these things. These were truly the words of someone indicating that He has the power to keep from sending them away fasting, someone revealing His authority. For the expression "I will not" implies this intention in Him. 2. Yet they still spoke only of the multitude, the place, and the wilderness (for they said, "Where could we get so many loaves in a wilderness to fill so large a multitude?"); even then they did not understand what He said, so He proceeds to do His part and says to them, "How many loaves do you have? And they say, Seven, and a few small fish." And they no longer say, "But what are these among so many?" as they had before. So although they did not grasp His full meaning, they nevertheless advanced little by little. In this way He too awakens their minds, asking much the same question as before, so that the very form of the question might remind them of the works already done. But just as you have seen their imperfection in this, notice also how strictly they judge themselves, and admire their love of truth: in their own writing they do not conceal their own shortcomings, great as they were. For it was no small fault to have so quickly forgotten this miracle, which had taken place so recently. That is why they are also rebuked. Along with this, consider their strict discipline in another matter: how they had mastered their appetite and trained themselves to give little thought to their food. For after being in the wilderness and staying there three days, they had seven loaves. Now He does everything else as on the earlier occasion: He has them sit down on the ground and makes the loaves multiply in the disciples' hands. For it says, "He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude." But when we come to the end, there is a difference. For it says, "They all ate and were filled, and they collected seven baskets full of the broken pieces of food left over. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children." But why, on the earlier occasion, when there were five thousand, were twelve baskets full left over, while here, when there were four thousand, there were seven baskets full? For what purpose, I ask, and for what reason, were there fewer leftovers when there were fewer guests? One may say either that the baskets on this last occasion were larger than those used before, or, if that was not so, that He stirred their memory through the difference, so that the similarity of the miracle would not again let them forget it. The variation would remind them of both miracles. Accordingly, in the first case He makes the baskets full of fragments equal in number to His disciples; in this case, He makes the other baskets equal in number to the loaves. Even in this He shows His power beyond words and the ease with which He exercised His authority, since He could perform such miracles in either way. For it took no small power to maintain the exact number both then and now—then with five thousand, now with four thousand—and not allow the leftovers to exceed the baskets used on either occasion, although the number of guests was different. And again the ending was like the earlier one. Just as He then left the multitude and withdrew in a boat, so He does now; and John says this too. For no sign moved them to follow Him as much as the miracle of the loaves, and they intended not only to follow Him but also to make Him a king. So, avoiding any suspicion of seizing royal power, He hurries away after this miracle. He does not even leave on foot, in case they follow Him, but gets into a boat. "And He sent the multitudes away," it says, "and boarded the boat, and came to the region of Magdala." 3. "And the Pharisees and Sadducees came and asked Him to show them a sign from Heaven. But He says, When evening comes, you say, Fair weather, for the sky is red; and in the morning, Bad weather today, for the sky is red and threatening. You can read the appearance of the sky, but you cannot read the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. And He left them and went away." But Mark says that when they came to Him and were questioning Him, "He sighed deeply in His spirit and says, Why does this generation seek a sign?" Surely their question deserved anger and great displeasure. Yet the loving and caring One is not angry, but pities and mourns for them as incurably diseased, since they are testing Him after He has demonstrated His power so fully. For they sought a sign not to believe, but to trap Him. If they had come to Him ready to believe, He would have given it. For He who said to the woman, "It is not right," and afterward gave, would much more have shown His generosity to these people. But because they were not seeking to believe, He also calls them hypocrites, because elsewhere they said one thing and meant another. Indeed, if they had believed, they would not even have asked. Their unbelief is also clear from another fact: when rebuked and exposed, they did not stay with Him or say, "We do not know and want to learn." But what sign from Heaven were they asking for? Either that He should stop the sun, restrain the moon, bring down thunderbolts, change the air, or do something else of that kind. What does He say to all this? "You can read the appearance of the sky, but you cannot read the signs of the times." See His gentleness and restraint. He does not simply refuse, as before, and say, "None will be given them." He also explains why He does not give it, even though they were not asking to learn. What, then, was the reason? "Just as in the sky," He says, "one thing is a sign of a storm and another of fair weather, and no one who saw a sign of bad weather would look for calm, or for a storm in calm and fair weather, so you should judge in my case too. For this present time of my coming is different from the time to come. Now there is a need for these signs on earth, but those in Heaven are reserved for that time. Now I have come as a physician; then I will be here as a judge. Now I come to seek what has gone astray; then, to demand an account. Therefore I have come in a hidden way, but then I will come openly before all, folding up heaven, hiding the sun, and not allowing the moon to give her light. Then 'the very powers of the heavens will be shaken,' and the manifestation of my coming will be like lightning that appears to everyone at once. But now is not the time for these signs, for I have come to die and to endure every kind of suffering." Have you not heard the prophet saying, "He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will His voice be heard outside"? And another again, "He will come down like rain on a fleece of wool"? And if people speak of the signs in Pharaoh's time, there was then an enemy from whom deliverance was needed, and it all happened in its proper course. But for Him who came among friends, there was no need for those signs. "Besides, how am I to give the great signs when the little ones are not believed?" Little, I mean, in outward display, since in power these latter signs were much greater than the former. For what could equal forgiving sins, raising the dead, driving out demons, creating a body, and setting everything else right? But notice their hardened hearts: when told that "no sign would be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah," they do not ask. Yet since they knew both the prophet and everything that happened to him, and had been told this a second time, they should have asked and learned what the saying could mean. But, as I said, these actions show no desire to learn. For this reason "He too left them and went away." 4. "And when His disciples," it says, "came to the other side, they forgot to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, Be on your guard and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." And why did He not say plainly, Beware of their teaching? He wants to remind them of what had happened, for He knew they had forgotten. But there seemed to be no reasonable basis for accusing them immediately; taking the occasion from their own words and then rebuking them would make the charge acceptable. "And why did He not rebuke them when they said, 'Where could we get so many loaves in the wilderness?' That seemed a good time to say what He says here." So that He would not seem to be rushing into the miracle. Besides, He would not blame them before the multitude or seek honor in their presence. And now the accusation was better justified, because they still thought this way after the miracle had been repeated. Therefore He performs another miracle, and only then rebukes them: I mean that He reveals what they were reasoning in their hearts. But what were their thoughts? "Because," it says, "we have brought no bread." For they were still full of anxiety about Jewish purifications and food observances. For all these reasons He confronts them sternly, saying, "Why are you reasoning among yourselves, you of little faith, because you have brought no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? Having ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you collected? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you collected?" Do you see His intense displeasure? Nowhere else does He appear to have rebuked them so strongly. Why does He do so, then? Again, to drive out their prejudice about food. I mean that this is why, although He had then said only, "Do you not perceive or understand?" here He says with a strong rebuke, "You of little faith." For gentleness is not good in every situation. Just as He used to allow them to speak freely, so He also rebukes them, providing for their salvation through this variety. And notice both the strength of His rebuke and His mildness. Almost apologizing to them for His stern rebukes, He says, "Do you still not consider the five loaves and how many baskets you collected, and the seven loaves and how many baskets you collected?" For this purpose He also gives the numbers, both of the people fed and of the fragments, at once reminding them of the past and making them more attentive in the future. And to learn how powerful His rebuke was, and how it awakened their sleeping minds, hear what the evangelist says. Jesus said nothing more, but rebuked them and added only this: "How is it that you do not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread when I told you to beware, but about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?" Then the evangelist added, "Then they understood that He had told them to beware not of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees," although He had not spoken that explanation. See how much good His rebuke did. It led them away from Jewish observances, made them more attentive when they were careless, and freed them from their lack of faith. So they were not afraid or alarmed if at any time they seemed to have few loaves, nor were they anxious about famine, but regarded all these things as nothing. 5. So let us, for our part, neither constantly flatter those in our care nor seek flattery from those who lead us. For the human soul truly needs both kinds of medicine. That is why throughout the whole world we can see God arranging things this way, now doing one thing, now another, allowing neither our good circumstances to last forever nor our hardships to stand alone. Yes, just as now it is night and now day, now winter and now summer, so within us there is now pain and now pleasure, now sickness and now health. So let us not be surprised when we are sick; we should be more surprised when we are healthy. Nor should we be troubled when we are sad; it is more reasonable to be troubled when we are glad, since everything happens according to nature and in order. And why be surprised if this is your experience, when you can see it happening even to those saints? To show you this, let us consider the life you think was most full of pleasure and free from troubles. Shall we examine Abraham's life from the beginning? What was said to him at the very start? "Leave your country and your relatives." Do you see what a painful command he receives? But look also at the good that follows: "And come here to a land that I will show you, and I will make you a great nation." What then? After he had come to the land and reached the harbor, did his troubles end? By no means. Others followed, more distressing than the earlier ones: a famine, a move, and the forcible seizure of his wife. After these came other blessings: the plague on Pharaoh, her release, the honor, all those gifts, and his return home. The later events too all form the same kind of chain, blessings and troubles intertwined. The same happened to the apostles too. That is why Paul also said, "Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those in any trouble." "What does this have to do with me," someone will say, "when I am always sad?" Do not be dishonest or ungrateful. It is simply impossible for someone to be in trouble all the time; human nature could not bear it. But because we want to be joyful all the time, we think we are always sad. Nor is this the only reason: we quickly forget our advantages and blessings, but always remember our troubles, and so we say we are sad. Yet it is impossible for a human being to be sad all the time. 6. And if you wish, let us examine both the life of luxury, so pampered and self-indulgent, and the other life, so distressing, oppressive, and painful. For we will show you that the former has its sorrows and the latter its relief. No, do not be upset. Let us picture a man in chains and another who is a king, young, an orphan, who has inherited great wealth. Let us also picture someone working for wages all day and another living continually in luxury. Shall we first describe the troubles of the one who lives in luxury? Consider how his mind must naturally be tossed about as in a storm when he longs for glory beyond his reach, when his servants despise him, when his inferiors insult him, when countless people accuse him and criticize his expensive way of life. And all the other things likely to happen amid such wealth cannot even be told: the annoyances, insults, accusations, losses, and schemes of envious people who, because they cannot take his wealth for themselves, drag and tear the young man apart on every side and stir up endless storms against him. Would you like me to describe the pleasure of this other man, the hired laborer? He is free from all this. Even if someone insults him, he does not grieve, because he does not consider himself greater than anyone. He has no anxiety about wealth; he eats with pleasure and sleeps in great comfort. Those who drink Thasian wine do not enjoy such luxury as he does when he goes to fountains and enjoys those springs. But the other man's condition is not like this. Now if what I have said is not enough for you, come, let us compare the king and the prisoner, to make my victory more complete. You will often see the latter enjoying himself, playing and leaping, while the former, with his crown and purple robe, is in despair, has countless cares, and is dead with fear. For we cannot, we cannot find anyone's life without sorrow, or without its share of pleasure, either; our nature could not bear it, as I have already said. But if one person rejoices more and another grieves more, this comes from the grieving person's own smallness of soul, not from the circumstances themselves. For if we wanted to rejoice continually, we have many ways to do so. For if we once took hold of virtue, nothing would grieve us anymore. She gives good hopes to those who possess her, makes them pleasing to God and respected among people, and fills them with indescribable delight. Yes, although doing right involves toil, virtue fills the conscience with great gladness and stores up within us such great pleasure that no words can express it. For which things in our present life seem pleasant to you? A lavish table, bodily health, glory, and wealth? No, if you set these delights beside that pleasure, they will prove the bitterest of all things in comparison. For nothing is more pleasurable than a sound conscience and a good hope. 7. And if you want to learn this, let us ask someone who is about to depart this life, or someone who has grown old. After reminding him of the lavish feasts he has enjoyed, of glory and honor, and of good works he once practiced and performed, let us ask which gives him greater joy. We will see him ashamed of the former things and covering his face, but soaring and leaping with joy over these good works. So Hezekiah too, when he was sick, called to mind neither lavish feasts nor glory nor royal power, but righteousness. For he says, "Remember how I walked before You in an upright way." See Paul again leaping with joy over these things and saying, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." "Why, what else did he have to speak of?" someone may say. Many things, and more than these: the honors he received, the care and great respect he enjoyed. Do you not hear him saying, "You received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus"? And, "If it had been possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me"? And that "People had laid down their necks for his life"? But he brings forward none of these things, only his labors, his dangers, and the crowns that reward them. And with good reason. For the former things are left here, while the latter go with us; for those we will give an account, but for these we will ask for a reward. Do you not know how sins make the soul shrink on the day of death? How they stir up the heart from deep within? At that time, when such things are happening, the memory of good works stands beside us like a calm in a storm and comforts the troubled soul. For if we are watchful, this fear will always be present with us even during our life. But, unfeeling as we are, it will certainly come upon us when we are driven out of this life. For a prisoner too is most distressed when they are leading him out to court; he trembles most when he is near the judgment seat, when he must give his account. For the same sort of reason, most people can then be heard describing horrors and fearful visions. Those who are departing cannot bear the sight of them, but often shake their very beds violently and stare fearfully at those standing nearby, as the soul presses inward, unwilling to be torn from the body and unable to bear the sight of the approaching angels. For if terrifying human beings strike fear into us when we see them, what will we not suffer when we see threatening angels and stern powers among those who come to us, while the soul is forced from the body and dragged away, lamenting greatly, all in vain? For that rich man too mourned greatly after his departure, but gained nothing from it. Let us then picture all these things to ourselves and consider them, so that we do not suffer the same ourselves. In this way let us keep the fear they inspire alive, so that we may escape the actual punishment and attain the eternal blessings. May God grant that we all attain them, through the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom may glory be given to the Father, together with the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.