Homilies on Matthew, Homily 68

“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a winepress, built a tower, leased it to tenant farmers, and went to a distant country. When harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to collect the fruit. The tenant farmers took the servants, beat some, killed some, and stoned some. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. Last of all he sent them his son, saying, Perhaps they will respect my son. But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to one another, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance. And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. So when the Lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers? They say to Him, He will bring those wicked men to a wretched end and lease his vineyard to other tenant farmers, who will give him the fruit at harvest time. Jesus says to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures, The Stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” Through this parable He points to many things: God’s providential care for them from the beginning; their murderous disposition from the beginning; the fact that nothing needed for their attentive care had been left undone; that even after they killed the prophets, He had not turned away from them but had sent His own Son; that the God of the New and Old Testaments was one and the same; that His death would bring about great blessings; that they would suffer extreme punishment for the crucifixion and their crime; the calling of the Gentiles; and the casting out of the Jews. He therefore places it after the previous parable to show, through this too, that the charge against them is greater and utterly inexcusable. How, and in what way? Although they received so much care, they were worse than prostitutes and tax collectors—all the worse because of how much care they had received. Notice both His great care and these men’s extreme laziness. He Himself did the work that belonged to the tenant farmers: putting up the hedge, planting the vineyard, and everything else. He left them little to do: care for what was there and preserve what had been given to them. Nothing was left undone; everything was completed. Even so, they gained nothing, despite having received such great blessings from Him. For when they came out of Egypt, He gave them a law, established a city, built a temple, and prepared an altar. “And went to a distant country”: that is, He was patient with them for a long time, without always bringing punishment immediately after their sins. By His journey to a distant country, He means His great patience. And “He sent His servants,” that is, the prophets, “to collect the fruit”: that is, their obedience, demonstrated by their deeds. But here too they showed their wickedness, not only by failing to give the fruit after receiving so much care, which showed their laziness, but also by showing anger toward those who came. Those who had nothing to give when they owed it should not have been indignant or angry; they should have pleaded for mercy. But they were not merely indignant: they even filled their hands with blood, and while deserving punishment themselves, they inflicted punishment on others. So He sent both a second and a third group, to reveal both these men’s wickedness and the love for humanity of Him who sent them. And why did He not send His Son immediately? So that they might condemn themselves for what they had done to the others, abandon their anger, and respect Him when He came. There are other reasons too, but for now let us move on to what follows. What does “Perhaps they will respect” mean? These are not the words of someone who does not know—reject that thought! They are the words of someone who wants to show how great and inexcusable their sin is. For He sent Him knowing that they would kill Him. But He says, “They will respect,” to declare what should have happened: that they had a duty to respect Him. Elsewhere too He says, “if perhaps they will listen.” Here too He is not ignorant. Rather, so that none of the stubborn might say that His prediction forced them to disobey, He phrases His words this way, saying, “Whether they will,” and, “Perhaps.” For although they had been stubborn toward His servants, they should still have respected the dignity of the Son. What do they do, then? When they should have run to Him and asked forgiveness for their offenses, they persist even more fiercely in their earlier sins. They add to their defilement, constantly overshadowing their earlier offenses with later ones, as He Himself declared when He said, “Fill up the measure of your fathers.” For from the beginning the prophets repeatedly accused them of these things, saying, “Your hands are full of blood”; and, “They mingle blood with blood”; and, “They build up Zion with blood.” But they did not learn self-restraint, although they received this commandment first, “You shall not kill,” and had been commanded to abstain from countless other things for this reason, and urged in many different ways to keep this commandment. Yet despite all this, they did not abandon that evil habit. What do they say when they see Him? Come, let us kill Him. With what motive, and for what reason? What charge of any kind, small or great, could they bring against Him? Was it that He honored you, and, being God, became man for your sake and performed His countless miracles? Or that He forgave your sins? Or that He called you to a kingdom? But see how great their foolishness was along with their impiety, and how utterly mad their reason for murdering Him was. “For let us kill Him,” it says, “and the inheritance will be ours.” And where do they plan to kill Him? “Outside the vineyard.” 2. Do you see how He prophesies even the place where He would be killed? “And they threw Him out and killed Him.” Luke says that He declared what these men would suffer, and they said, “God forbid,” and He added the testimony [of Scripture]. For “He looked at them and said, What, then, is this that is written? The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; and everyone who falls on it will be broken.” But Matthew says that they themselves pronounced the sentence. This is no contradiction. Both things happened: they passed sentence against themselves, and then, when they realized what they had said, they added, “God forbid.” He then brought the prophet’s testimony against them, convincing them that this would certainly happen. Even so, He did not plainly reveal the Gentiles, so as to give them no opening against Him, but hinted at it by saying, “He will give the vineyard to others.” This is why He spoke in a parable: so that they themselves would pass sentence. The same thing happened with David when he passed judgment on Nathan’s parable. But notice, I ask you, how this too shows the justice of the sentence, when the very people who are to be punished condemn themselves. Then, so that they might learn that these things are required not only by justice itself, but had also been foretold from the beginning by the grace of the Spirit and decreed by God, He added a prophecy and rebuked them in a way that would put them to shame, saying, “Have you never read, The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” In every way He shows that they would be cast out for unbelief and the Gentiles brought in. He also hinted at this through the Canaanite woman; again through the donkey, through the centurion, and through many other parables; and now through this one too. That is why He also added, “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes,” declaring beforehand that the believing Gentiles and all the Jews who would also believe would be one, although the difference between them had previously been so great. Then, so that they might learn that none of what was happening opposed God’s will, but that the event was highly pleasing to Him, beyond expectation, and astonishing to everyone who saw it (for the miracle was indeed far beyond words), He added, “It is the Lord’s doing.” By the stone He means Himself, and by the builders, the teachers of the Jews, as Ezekiel also says, “Those who build the wall and coat it with improperly mixed mortar.” But how did they reject Him? By saying, “This man is not from God; This man deceives the people”; and again, “You are a Samaritan and have a demon.” Then, so that they might know that the penalty was not limited to their being cast out, He also added the punishments, saying, “Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken; but whoever it falls on, it will grind him to powder.” He speaks here of two kinds of destruction: one comes from stumbling and taking offense, for that is what “Whoever falls on this stone” means; the other comes from their capture, calamity, and utter destruction, which He also clearly foretold by saying, “It will grind him to powder.” Through these words He also hinted at His own resurrection. Now the prophet Isaiah says that He blames the vineyard, but here He specifically accuses the rulers of the people. There He says, “What should I have done for my vineyard that I did not do?” And elsewhere again, “What wrongdoing have your fathers found in me?” And again, “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I grieved you?” He shows their ungrateful disposition: while enjoying every blessing, they repaid Him with the opposite. But here He expresses this even more forcefully. He does not plead His own case, saying, “What should I have done that I have not done?” Instead, He brings them in to judge that nothing has been lacking and to condemn themselves. For when they say, “He will bring those wicked men to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers,” they are saying precisely this, proclaiming their sentence much more forcefully. Stephen also reproaches them for this, and this stung them most of all: although they had always enjoyed great providential care, they repaid their benefactor with the opposite. This very fact was a powerful sign that those who were punished, rather than the one who punished them, were responsible for the vengeance brought upon them. The same thing is shown here through the parable and the prophecy. For He was not satisfied with a parable alone, but also added a twofold prophecy: one from David, the other from Himself. What, then, should they have done when they heard these things? Should they not have worshiped and marveled at His tender care, both before and afterward? But if none of these things made them better, should not at least the fear of punishment have made them more self-controlled? But they did not become so. What do they do after this? “When they heard it,” it says, “they realized that He was speaking about them. And when they sought to seize Him, they were afraid because of the crowds, for the crowds regarded Him as a prophet.” For afterward they realized that He had been referring to them. Sometimes, when they are about to seize Him, He withdraws through their midst and disappears; sometimes, while remaining visible to them, He restrains their frantic eagerness. People marveled at this and said, “Isn’t this Jesus? Look, He speaks openly, and they say nothing to Him.” But here, since fear of the crowd held them back, He is content with this and does not perform miracles as before, withdrawing through their midst and disappearing. For He did not want to do everything in a superhuman way, so that the reality of His incarnation might be believed. But neither the crowd nor what had been said brought them to their senses. They paid no attention to the prophet’s testimony, their own sentence, or the people’s attitude. So completely had the love of power, the craving for empty glory, and the pursuit of worldly things blinded them. 3. For nothing sends people rushing headlong and drives them over cliffs, nothing so causes them to miss the things to come, as being fastened to these decaying things. Nothing so surely allows them to enjoy both the one and the other as valuing the things to come above all. For Christ says, “Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” Indeed, even if this promise had not been attached, we still should not have made those things our goal. But as it is, by obtaining the things to come, we can obtain these too. Even so, some remain unconvinced, like senseless stones, and pursue shadows of pleasure. For what among the things of this present life is pleasant? What is delightful? I want to speak to you more freely today, but bear with it, so that you may learn that the life you consider harsh and exhausting—I mean the life of monks and those who are crucified—is far sweeter and more desirable than the life that seems easy and more luxurious. You yourselves are witnesses to this: you who have often asked for death amid the setbacks and despair that have overtaken you, and have considered happy those who live in the mountains, in caves, those who have not married, and those who live apart from worldly affairs. I mean you who work at trades, you who serve in the military, you who live without purpose or discipline and spend your days at theaters and dancing areas. For although countless fountains of pleasure and merriment seem to spring up from these, they produce countless darts that are more bitter still. For if someone is seized with passion for one of the young women who dance there, he will suffer a torment worse than ten thousand marches, worse than ten thousand journeys away from home, and be more miserable than any besieged city. But let us leave those things for now to the consciences of those who have been taken captive. Come, let us discuss the lives of ordinary people, and we will find that the difference between these two ways of life is as great as that between a harbor and a sea constantly battered by winds. Notice how their retreats immediately give the first signs of their tranquility. They have fled marketplaces, cities, and the turmoil of human society, and chosen life in the mountains, a life with nothing in common with present things. It suffers none of humanity’s ills: no worldly sorrows, no grief, no such great anxiety, no dangers, no plots, no envy, no jealousy, no unlawful desires, or anything else of this kind. Already here they meditate on the things of the kingdom, keeping company with groves, mountains, springs, deep quiet, and solitude, and above all with God. Their cell is free from all turmoil, and their soul is free from every passion and disease, refined and light, far purer than the finest air. Their work is also what Adam’s was in the beginning, before his sin, when he was clothed in glory, spoke freely with God, and lived in that place filled with great blessedness. For in what way are they worse off than he was when, before his disobedience, he was appointed to cultivate the garden? Did he have no worldly anxiety? Neither do they. Did he speak to God with a pure conscience? So do they. Indeed, they have greater confidence than he did, since they enjoy even greater grace through the gift of the Spirit. You really should learn these things by seeing them. But since you are unwilling and spend your time amid turmoil and in marketplaces, let us at least teach you in words, taking one part of their way of life (for it is impossible to cover their whole life). These lights of the world rise from their beds as soon as the sun is up—or rather, long before it rises—healthy, alert, and clearheaded (for no sorrow or anxiety, headache, exhaustion, press of business, or anything else of that kind troubles them; they live like angels in Heaven). Rising at once from their beds, cheerful and glad, they form a single choir, and with bright consciences they all sing hymns to the God of all in one voice, as if from one mouth, honoring Him and thanking Him for all His blessings, both individual and shared. So, if you like, let us leave Adam and ask what difference there is between the angels and this company who sing on earth and say, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men.” Their clothing suits their manliness. They do not dress like those weak men who wear trailing garments and walk with affected little steps, but like those blessed angels, Elijah, Elisha, and John, and like the apostles. Some have garments made of goat’s hair, others of camel’s hair, while some make do with skins alone, which they have worn for a long time. Then, after singing those songs, they kneel and plead with the God to whom they sang for things that some people can scarcely even imagine. They ask for nothing belonging to this present life, for they pay no attention to these things. Instead, they ask that they may stand with confidence before the fearful judgment seat when the Only-Begotten Son of God comes to judge the living and the dead; that none of them may hear the fearful voice that says, “I do not know you”; and that with a pure conscience and many good deeds they may pass through this toilsome life and sail across the angry sea with a favorable wind. The one who is their Father and their leader leads them in their prayers. After this, when they have risen and finished those holy and constant prayers, with the sun now up, each goes to his work, earning from it ample provision for those in need. 4. Where now are those who give themselves over to devilish choirs and prostitutes’ songs and sit in theaters? I am ashamed even to mention them, but because of your weakness it is necessary to do even this. For Paul too says, “Just as you offered the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity, so now offer the parts of your bodies as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.” Come, then, let us compare the company of prostitutes and prostituted young men on the stage with this company of blessed men, considering pleasure, which above all draws so many careless young men into their snares. We will find the difference as great as if someone heard angels above singing their perfectly harmonious melody, and dogs and pigs howling and grunting on a dung heap. For Christ speaks through the mouths of these men, and the devil through the tongues of those. But is the sound of pipes added to their performance, with meaningless noise and an unpleasant spectacle, as cheeks puff out and their strings are stretched to the breaking point? Here, however, the grace of the Spirit pours out a sound, using the lips of the saints in place of flute, lyre, or pipes. Or rather, whatever we may say, it is impossible to convey its pleasure because of those who are fastened to their clay and their brickmaking. That is why I would like to take one of those who are mad about these things, lead him there, and show him the choir of those saints. Then I would have no further need for these words. Still, although we are speaking to people mired in mud, we will try, even through words, to draw them little by little out of the slime and marshes. For there the listener immediately catches the fire of illicit love. As though the sight of the prostitute were not enough to set the mind on fire, they add the harm done by her voice. Here, however, even if the soul has some such passion, it immediately puts it aside. But it is not only their voices or their faces: their clothes disturb the spectators even more than these do. If the spectator is a poor man of the coarser, heedless sort, the sight will make him cry out ten thousand times in bitter despair and say to himself, “The prostitute and the prostituted boy, children of cooks and cobblers, and often even of slaves, live in such luxury, while I, a free man born of free parents, who choose honest work, cannot so much as imagine these things in a dream.” And so he will leave burning with discontent. But with the monks the result is nothing like this; it is exactly the opposite. For when he sees sons of rich men and descendants of distinguished ancestors wearing clothes that even the poorest people would not wear, and rejoicing in them, consider how much comfort in his poverty he will take away. And if he is rich, he returns sobered and a better man. Again, in the theater, when they see the prostitute dressed in gold ornaments, the poor man will lament and grieve because his own wife has nothing like them, while the rich man will despise and look down on his wife because of this spectacle. For when the prostitute displays luxurious clothing, looks, voice, and movements to the spectators, they leave inflamed and enter their own houses as captives. From this come insults and affronts, from this hostilities, wars, and daily deaths. From this, life becomes unbearable to those taken captive, their wives become displeasing to them, their children less dear, and everything in their homes is turned upside down. After that, even a ray of sunlight seems to upset them. But no such dissatisfaction arises from these choirs. Instead, the wife receives her husband calm and gentle, freed from every unlawful desire, and finds him kinder to her than before. That choir produces such evils, while this one produces good things: the one turns sheep into wolves, and this one turns wolves into lambs. Yet perhaps so far we have said nothing about pleasure. And what could be more pleasant than having no mental disturbance or grief, no despair or groaning? Still, let us take our discussion further and examine the enjoyment of each kind of song and spectacle. We will see that the pleasure of the one lasts until evening, as long as the spectator sits in the theater, but afterward pains him more severely than any sting; the pleasure of the other stays alive forever in the souls of those who have seen it. For the appearance of the men, the beauty of the place, the sweetness of their way of life, the purity of their rule, and the grace of that supremely beautiful spiritual song remain fixed in them forever. At least those who continually enjoy those havens afterward flee the turmoil of the crowds as they would a storm. They are a pleasing sight to those who watch them not only when they sing and pray, but also when they are absorbed in their books. For after they have finished singing together, one takes up Isaiah and speaks with him, another converses with the apostles, and another studies the labors of other men and seeks wisdom about God, this universe, the things seen and unseen, the objects of sense and the objects of intellect, the worthlessness of this present life and the greatness of the life to come. 5. They feed on the finest food, setting before themselves not cooked animal flesh but the words of God, surpassing honey and the honeycomb: a marvelous honey, far better than what John once ate in the wilderness. No wild bees gather this honey by settling on flowers, nor do they store it in hives by processing dew. Instead, the grace of the Spirit forms it and stores it in the souls of the saints, in place of honeycombs, hives, and pipes, so that anyone who wishes may continually eat it in safety. They too imitate these bees, hovering around the honeycombs of those holy books and gathering great pleasure from them. And if you want to learn about their table, come near it, and you will see them pouring out such things, all gentle and sweet and full of spiritual fragrance. Those spiritual mouths can utter no filthy word, no foolish joking, nothing harsh, but everything worthy of Heaven. One would not be wrong to compare the mouths of those who crawl around marketplaces, mad about worldly things, to muddy ditches, but these men’s lips to fountains flowing with honey and pouring out pure streams. But if anyone is displeased that I have called the mouths of the crowd muddy ditches, let him know that I have been very lenient with them. Scripture has not limited itself this way but has used a far stronger comparison. For it says, “Adders’ poison is under their lips, and their throat is an open tomb.” But these men’s mouths are not like that; they are full of fragrance. This is their condition here. But what words can describe their condition in the life to come? What mind can conceive it: the share in the angels’ life, the indescribable blessedness, the untold good things? Perhaps some are now fired up and have been stirred to long for this good way of life. But what is the use if you have this fire only while you are here, and once you leave, you put out the flame and this desire fades? How, then, can this be prevented? While this desire is warm within you, go to those angels and kindle it further. The account we give cannot set you on fire as the sight of these things can. Do not say, I will speak with my wife and settle my affairs first. This delay is the beginning of negligence. Listen to how one man wanted to say goodbye to those at his house, and the prophet did not allow him. And why do I mention saying goodbye? The disciple wanted to bury his father, and Christ did not allow even this. Yet what seems to you as necessary as a father’s funeral? But He did not permit even this. Why was this? Because the devil is close at hand, fierce and eager to find some hidden way in. Even if he gets hold of only a small obstacle or delay, he produces great negligence. That is why someone advises, “Do not put it off from day to day.” In this way you will be able to succeed in most things, and in this way your household affairs too will be put in good order. For it says, “Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” For if we ensure the security of those who set aside their own interests and give priority to caring for ours, how much more does God, who cares and provides for us even without these things? Then do not be anxious about your own interests, but leave them to God. For if you worry about them, you worry as a human being; but if God provides, He provides as God. Do not be so anxious about them that you abandon the greater things, since then He will give them little care. So, to have Him provide fully for them, leave them to Him alone. For if you take them into your own hands while abandoning spiritual things, He will make little provision for them. So, in order that both your spiritual and worldly affairs may be well arranged for you and that you may be free from all anxiety, cling to spiritual things and set aside worldly things. In this way you will have earth along with heaven and attain the good things to come, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might forever and ever. Amen.