Homilies on Matthew, Homily 65

“As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, Look, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock, flog, and crucify Him; and on the third day He will be raised.” He does not go up to Jerusalem immediately after leaving Galilee. First He works miracles, silences the Pharisees, and talks with His disciples about giving up possessions: for He says, “If you want to be perfect, sell what you have”; and about virginity, “Let anyone who can accept it accept it”; and about humility, “For unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven”; and about compensation for things here, “For whoever has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, will receive a hundred times as much in this world”; and about rewards there, “For he will also inherit,” it says, “eternal life.” Then He advances on the city, and as He is about to go up, He speaks again about His passion. Since they were likely to forget it because they did not want it to happen, He keeps reminding them, training their minds through these frequent reminders and easing their pain. But He must speak with them “in private,” because it was not appropriate to make His teaching about these things public, or to speak about them plainly to everyone, since that would do no good. For if the disciples were bewildered when they heard these things, the crowds would be much more so. What then? Was it not told to the people? you may ask. It was indeed told to the people too, but not so plainly. For He says, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up”; and, “This generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah”; and again, “I am with you a little longer, and you will look for me and will not find me.” But He did not speak that way to the disciples. Just as He spoke to them more plainly about other things, He spoke plainly about this too. And if the crowd did not understand the meaning of His words, why say them at all? So that afterward they would learn that He came to His passion knowing it in advance and willingly, neither in ignorance nor under compulsion. But He foretold it to the disciples for another reason too: as I have said, so that, trained by expecting it, they could endure the passion more easily, and so that it would not bewilder them by catching them unprepared. That is why, although at first He spoke only of His death, once they had grown accustomed and trained to hear about it, He added the other circumstances too: for example, that they would hand Him over to the Gentiles, and that they would mock and flog Him. He did this both for that reason and so that, when they saw these sorrowful events happen, they would also expect the resurrection on that basis. For they could reasonably believe the good things promised by One who had not concealed from them what would cause pain and seem disgraceful. And notice, please, how wisely He arranges the timing too. He did not tell them at the beginning, so as not to upset them, or at the very time itself, so as not to bewilder them then either. Instead, once they had received enough proof of His power, and He had given them very great promises about everlasting life, He introduced what He had to say about these things, weaving it into His miracles and His teaching once, twice, and often. But another evangelist says that He also brought in the prophets as witnesses; and another says that even the disciples themselves did not understand His words, but the saying was hidden from them, and they were amazed as they followed Him. Then surely, someone may say, the prediction loses its benefit. For if they did not understand what they were hearing, they could not expect the event; and without expecting it, they could not be trained by their expectations. But I will raise another question, even more puzzling than this: if they did not understand, how were they sorrowful? For another says they were sorrowful. So if they did not understand it, how were they sorrowful? How did Peter say, “May You be spared this. This will not happen to You”? What can we say, then? They did know that He would die, although they did not clearly understand the mystery of the Incarnation. Nor did they clearly understand the resurrection or what He was going to accomplish; this was hidden from them. This is also why they felt pain. They had known some people who had been raised by others, but they had never known anyone to raise himself, and to raise himself in such a way that he would never die again. This, then, they did not understand, although it was said often. Nor did they clearly understand even this very death: what it was and how it would come upon Him. That is why they were amazed as they followed Him, though not only for this reason. To me, at least, it seems that His very discussion of His passion amazed them. 2. Yet none of these things gave them courage, even though they kept hearing about His resurrection. For along with His death, this especially troubled them: hearing that people would “mock and flog Him,” and the like. When they thought about His miracles, the possessed people He had freed, the dead He had raised, and all the other wonderful works He was doing, and then heard these things, they were amazed that One who did these works would suffer like this. So they became confused, believing one moment and disbelieving the next, and could not understand His words. Indeed, they were so far from clearly understanding what He said that the sons of Zebedee came to Him at that very time and spoke to Him about taking precedence. “We want,” it says, “one to sit at Your right hand and one at Your left.” How, then, does this evangelist say that their mother came to Him? Probably both things happened. I mean that they brought their mother with them to strengthen their appeal and so persuade Christ. As proof that this is true, as I say, and that the request was really theirs, and that they put their mother forward because they were ashamed, notice how Christ addresses His words to them. But first, let us learn what they are asking, what their attitude is, and what prompted them to do this. What, then, prompted them? They saw that they were honored above the others, and on that basis expected this request to be granted too. But what exactly are they asking? Listen to another evangelist explain this plainly. “Because He was near Jerusalem,” it says, “and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately,” they asked these things. They supposed that it was right at the door and would be visible, and that if they got what they asked for, they would experience none of the painful things. They sought it not only for its own sake, but also because they thought they would escape the hardships. That is why Christ first leads them away from these thoughts, telling them to expect slaughter, dangers, and the worst terrors. For He says, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?” But let no one be troubled that the apostles were still so imperfect. For the crucifixion had not yet taken place, and the grace of the Spirit had not yet been given. But if you want to know their virtue, look at them afterward, and you will see them rise above every passion. This is why He reveals their shortcomings: so that afterward you can know what kind of men they became through grace. This makes it clear that they were asking for nothing spiritual and had no thought of the kingdom above. But let us also see how they approach Him and what they say. “We want,” it says, “You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And Christ says to them, “What do you want?” He is not ignorant, but wants to make them answer, expose the wound, and then apply the medicine. But ashamed and embarrassed, because a human passion had brought them to do this, they took Him aside privately, away from the disciples, and asked Him. For they went ahead, it says, so that the others would not notice, and then said what they wanted. I suppose that, because they had heard, “You will sit on twelve thrones,” they wanted the first place among those seats. They knew that they had an advantage over the others, but they were afraid of Peter, and said, “Command that one sit at Your right hand and one at Your left”; and they press Him by saying, “Command.” What does He say, then? To show that they were asking for nothing spiritual, and that if they had understood what they were asking, they would not have dared ask for so much, He says, “You do not know what you are asking”—how great, how marvelous, how far beyond even the powers above. Then He adds, “Are you able to drink the cup that I will drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Do you see how He immediately drew them away from their assumption by speaking about the opposite things? For you, He says, speak to me about honor and crowns, but I speak to you about struggles and labor. This is not the time for rewards, nor will that glory of mine appear now; the present is a time of slaughter, wars, and dangers. And see how the form of His question both challenges and draws them. He did not say, “Are you able to be killed?” or, “Are you able to pour out your blood?” What did He say? “Are you able to drink the cup?” Then, to draw them toward it, He says, “Which I will drink,” so that sharing it with Him would make them more willing. And He also calls it a baptism, showing how great a cleansing the world would receive through what was being done. “They say to Him, We are able.” In their eagerness they immediately committed themselves, without even understanding what they were saying, but expecting to hear that their request was granted. What does He say, then? “You will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.” He foretold great blessings for them. His meaning is: you will be considered worthy of martyrdom and will suffer what I suffer; you will end your lives by a violent death, and in these things you will share with me; “But to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it will be given to those for whom it is prepared by my Father.” 3. After first lifting up their souls, strengthening their character, and making them people whom sorrow could not overcome, He then corrects their request. But what can this saying mean? For many people ask about two points: first, whether it is prepared for anyone to sit at His right hand; and second, whether the Lord of all lacks the power to grant it to those for whom it is prepared. What, then, does the saying mean? If we resolve the first point, the second will also become clear to those asking. What is the answer? No one will sit at His right hand or at His left. For that throne is inaccessible to all—I do not mean only human beings, saints, and apostles, but even angels, archangels, and all the powers on high. At least Paul presents it as the special privilege of the Only-Begotten, saying, “To which of the angels did He ever say, Sit at my right hand? And of the angels He says, He who makes His angels spirits; but to the Son, ‘Your throne, O God.’” How, then, does He say, “To sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give,” as though some people will sit there? He does not mean that there are—far from it. He answers the thoughts of those asking the favor, accommodating Himself to their understanding. For they did not know about that lofty throne or His sitting at the Father's right hand. How could they, when they did not even understand things far below these, which they were taught every day? They sought only one thing: to enjoy the highest honors, to stand ahead of the rest, and to have no one stand ahead of them beside Him. As I have already said, because they heard about twelve thrones, without understanding what the saying meant, they asked for the first place. So what Christ says is this: “You will indeed die for me and be killed for the gospel, and you will share with me as far as the passion is concerned. But this is not enough to secure the first seat for you or give you the first place. For if someone else comes who, along with martyrdom, possesses all the other aspects of virtue far more fully than you, I will not set aside that person, distinguished by his good works, and give you the highest honors simply because I now love you and prefer you to the rest.” But He did not say it that way, so as not to hurt them. Instead, He hints at the very same thing indirectly, saying, “You will indeed drink my cup, and you will 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 will be given to those for whom it is prepared.” But for whom is it prepared? For those who would distinguish themselves by their works. That is why He did not say, It is not mine to give, but my Father's, so that no one would say He was too weak or lacked the power to reward them. What did He say? It is not mine, but belongs to those for whom it is prepared. To make what I am saying clearer, let us use an illustration. Suppose there is an organizer of the games, and many excellent contestants enter the competition. Then suppose that two contestants who are especially close to the organizer come to him and say, “Have us crowned and proclaimed victors,” relying on their affection and friendship with him. And suppose he says to them, “This is not mine to give, but it will be given to those for whom it is prepared through their labor and toil.” Would we condemn him as powerless? Certainly not. We would praise him for his justice and impartiality. Just as we would not say that he withheld the crown because he lacked power, but because he did not want to corrupt the rules of the games or disrupt the order of justice, so here I would say that Christ said this to press them in every way to base their hopes of salvation and approval, after God's grace, on the evidence of their own good works. That is why He says, “For whom it is prepared.” For what, He says, if others prove better than you? What if they do greater things? Will you enjoy the highest honors simply because you have become my disciples, if you do not yourselves prove worthy of being chosen? That He Himself has power over everything is clear from His having all judgment in His hands. For He also speaks to Peter this way: “I will give you the keys of the Heavens.” And Paul makes this clear too when he says, “From now on the crown of righteousness is stored up for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” But the appearing was Christ's. And surely it is clear to everyone that no one will stand ahead of Paul. And do not be surprised if He expressed these things somewhat obscurely. By teaching them indirectly, He wanted to lead them away from rudely pressing Him for the highest honors without purpose or reason (for it was a human passion that made them feel this), and He did not want to hurt them. Through the obscurity He achieves both aims. “Then the ten became indignant with the two.” Then. When? When He had corrected them. As long as the decision was Christ's, they were not indignant; instead, when they saw the two preferred, they accepted it and kept silent out of reverence and honor for their Master. Even if they were inwardly upset, they did not dare express it. And when they felt some human weakness toward Peter, at the time He gave the didrachmas, they did not give way to anger, but only asked, “Who, then, is greatest?” But here, since the request came from the disciples, they become indignant. Even here, though, they do not become indignant immediately when the two ask, but when Christ has corrected them and said that they will not enjoy the highest honors unless they prove worthy of them. 4. Do you see how imperfect they all were, when these two were raising themselves above the ten, and the ten were envying the two? But as I said, show them to me afterward, and you will see them freed from all these passions. Listen, for example, to how this same John, who now came to Him asking for these things, everywhere yields the first place to Peter in the Acts of the Apostles, both in addressing the people and in working miracles. And he does not conceal Peter's good deeds, but tells of both the confession Peter openly made when everyone else was silent and his entering the tomb, and puts the apostle ahead of himself. For because both stayed with Him at His crucifixion, John removes the grounds for praising himself by saying, “That disciple was known to the high priest.” But James did not survive long. From the beginning he was filled with such fervor, abandoned all human concerns so completely, and rose to such an indescribable height that he was soon killed. So afterward they became excellent in every respect. But then “they became indignant.” What does Christ say? “He called them to Him and said, The rulers of the Gentiles rule over them.” Since they were disturbed and upset, He soothes them by calling them and drawing them near Him before He speaks. For the two had separated themselves from the ten and stood nearer Him, pleading their own interests. So He brings the others near Him too, and by this very act, and by exposing and revealing the matter before the rest, He soothes the passion of both groups. And He does not correct them now in the same way as before. Before, He brought little children into their midst and told them to imitate their simplicity and humility. Here He corrects them more sharply by approaching from the opposite side, saying, “The rulers of the Gentiles rule over them, and their great men exercise authority over them, but it will not be so among you; instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be a servant to all, and whoever wants to be first must be last of all.” He shows that this feeling—I mean the love of first place—belongs to pagans. For this passion is tyrannical and constantly hinders even great men, so it needs a harsher blow. That is why He strikes more deeply, shaming their inflamed souls by comparing them to the Gentiles, and removes the envy of one group and the arrogance of the other. He is all but saying, “Do not be indignant, as though you had been insulted. For those who seek the first places this way harm and disgrace themselves most, because they are among the last. Things among us are different from things outside. ‘For the rulers of the Gentiles rule over them,’ but with me the last is the very one who is first.” “And as proof that I do not say these things without reason, take what I do and suffer as evidence for my words. For I myself have done something even greater. Though I am King of the powers above, I willingly became man and submitted to being despised and shamefully treated. And I was not satisfied even with these things, but went as far as death. Therefore,” He says, “Just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” “For I did not stop even there,” He says, “but gave even my life as a ransom. And for whom? For enemies. But if you are abused, it is for yourself; I was abused for you.” So do not be afraid that your honor is being pulled down. However much you humble yourself, you cannot descend as far as your Lord. And yet His descent has become everyone's ascent and has made His own glory shine out. For before He became man, He was known only among angels; but after He became man and was crucified, far from diminishing that glory, He gained additional glory through the world's knowledge of Him. So do not fear that your honor is being lowered if you humble yourself, for this is how your glory rises higher and becomes greater. This is the door to the kingdom. Let us not go the opposite way or fight against ourselves. For if we desire to appear great, we will not be great, but will be the most dishonored of all. Do you see how He urges them everywhere toward the opposite course, giving them what they desire? We have already shown many examples of this in the preceding passages, and He did this with the greedy and those hungry for glory too. For why, He says, do you give to the poor in front of people? To enjoy glory? Then you must not do that, and you will certainly enjoy it. Why do you store up treasures? To be rich? Then you must not store up treasures, and you will be rich. So here too: why do you set your heart on the first places? To be ahead of others? Then choose the last place, and you will enjoy the first. So if you want to become great, do not seek to become great, and then you will be great. For the other course means being small. 5. Do you see how He drew them away from the disease by showing them that one course made them miss their goal and the other let them reach it, so that they would flee the one and pursue the other? This is also why He reminded them of the Gentiles: to show them once again that the thing was disgraceful and deserved to be hated. For an arrogant person is necessarily low, while a humble person is high. This is true and genuine height, existing in more than a name or a form of address. The height that comes from outside rests on compulsion and fear, but this height is like God's. Such a person remains high even if no one admires him; while the other, even if everyone courts him, is the lowest of all. One receives honor under compulsion, so it easily passes away; the other's honor rests on principle, so it remains firm. This is also why we admire the saints: although they were greater than everyone, they humbled themselves more than everyone. That is why they remain high even to this day, and not even death has brought that height down. And if you like, let us examine this very thing through reasoning too. Someone is called high either because he is physically tall or because he happens to have been placed somewhere high; similarly, someone is called low for the opposite reasons. Let us see, then, who fits this description: the boaster or the person who stays within proper bounds. Then you can see that nothing is higher than humility of mind, and nothing lower than boastfulness. The boaster wants to be greater than everyone and declares that no one equals him in worth. However much honor he receives, he sets his heart on more and demands it, considers himself to have received none, and treats people with utter contempt, yet seeks the honor that comes from them. What could be more unreasonable? Surely this is like a riddle: he wants to be glorified by the very people he holds in no esteem. Do you see how the person who wants to be exalted falls down and is brought to the ground? He himself declares that he considers everyone nothing compared with himself, for that is what boasting means. Why, then, do you throw yourself on someone who is nothing? Why do you seek honor from him? Why do you lead such great crowds around with you? Do you see someone low, placed somewhere low? Come, then, let us examine the high person. This person knows what a human being is, how great a human being is, and that he himself is last of all. So whatever honor he receives, he considers it great. Thus this person is consistent with himself and is high, and does not shift his judgment. Since he considers those people great, he also values the honors they give as great, even if they happen to be small, because he considers those who give them great. But the boastful person considers those who give the honors nothing, yet considers the honors they give great. Again, the humble person is gripped by no passion. No anger can trouble him much, nor love of glory, envy, or jealousy. And what can be higher than a soul freed from these things? But the boastful person is subject to them all, like a worm crawling in the mud, for jealousy, envy, and anger are always troubling his soul. Who, then, is high? The person who rises above his passions, or their slave? The person who trembles at them and fears them, or the person who is never overcome or captured by them? Which kind of bird would we say flies higher: one above the hunter's hands and arrows, or one that flies so close to the ground and is so unable to rise that the hunters do not even need an arrow? Is the arrogant person not like this? For every net readily catches him as he crawls along the ground. 6. But if you like, prove this even from that wicked demon. For what can be lower than the devil, because he exalted himself? What can be higher than a person willing to humble himself? The former crawls on the ground beneath our heel (for He says, “You tread on serpents and scorpions”), but the latter is placed with the angels on high. But if you want to learn this from the example of proud men too, consider that barbarian king who led such a large army, yet did not even know things obvious to everyone: for example, that stone was stone, and images were images. That is why he was inferior even to these. But the godly and faithful are raised even above the sun. What can be higher than those who rise above even the vaults of heaven, pass beyond angels, and stand beside the King's very throne? And to see their baseness in another way: who will be brought low? The person who has God as his ally, or the one with whom God is at war? Clearly, the one with whom He is at war. Listen, then, to what Scripture says about each: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Again, I will ask you another question. Who is higher: the person who serves as a priest to God and offers sacrifice, or the person who is far from being able to approach Him confidently? And what kind of sacrifice does the humble person offer? someone may ask. Listen to David saying, “The sacrifice of God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise.” Do you see this person's purity? Look also at the other's uncleanness: for “everyone who is proud in heart is unclean before God.” Besides, God rests upon the one (“For to whom will I look,” He says, “but to the one who is meek and quiet and trembles at my words”), while the other crawls with the devil, for anyone puffed up with pride will suffer the devil's punishment. That is why Paul also said, “So that he does not become puffed up with pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” And the opposite of what he wants happens to him. He wants to be arrogant so that he will be honored, but this kind of person is the most despised of all. For these people, more than anyone, are laughingstocks, adversaries and enemies of everyone, the easiest for their enemies to overcome, people who quickly become angry, unclean before God. What, then, can be worse than this, since this is the utmost evil? And what is sweeter than the humble, what more blessed, since they are longed for and loved by God? They also enjoy the most glory from people: everyone honors them as fathers, embraces them as brothers, and welcomes them as their own members. Let us become humble, then, so that we may be high. For arrogance brings people utterly low. It brought Pharaoh low. For he says, “I do not know the Lord,” and he became inferior to flies, frogs, and locusts, and afterward he was drowned in the sea with his very weapons and horses. In direct contrast, Abraham says, “I am dust and ashes,” and prevailed over countless barbarians. And after finding himself among Egyptians, he returned bearing a trophy more glorious than the earlier one, and by holding fast to this virtue he rose ever higher. That is why he is celebrated everywhere, crowned and proclaimed; but Pharaoh is earth and ashes, and whatever else there may be that is even more worthless. For God hates nothing so much as arrogance. Everything He has done from the beginning has had this purpose: to root out this passion. Because of it we have become mortal and live in sorrow and lamentation. Because of it we live in toil, sweat, constant labor, and affliction. For the first man sinned out of arrogance, seeking equality with God. That is why he did not even keep what he had, but lost that too. For arrogance is like this: far from adding any improvement to our lives, it takes away even what we have. Humility, by contrast, far from taking away what we have, also adds what we do not have. Let us imitate this virtue, then, and pursue it, so that we may both enjoy honor now and attain the glory to come, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom may the Father have glory and might, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.