Homilies on Matthew, Homily 7

“And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he asked them where Christ was to be born. And they said to him, in Bethlehem of Judea.” Do you see how everything happens to convict the Jews? How, as long as He was out of their sight, envy had not yet taken hold of them, and they truthfully recounted the testimonies about Him; but when they saw the glory that came from the miracles, resentment took possession of them, and from then on they betrayed the truth. Yet everything exalted the truth, and even its enemies gave it greater strength. Look, for example, at this very case: how wonderful and unexpected the results arranged behind the scenes are. For both the barbarians and the Jews learn more from one another and teach one another at the same time. The Jews, for their part, heard from the wise men that a star had also proclaimed Him in the land of the Persians; the wise men, in turn, learned from the Jews that this Man, whom the star proclaimed, had also been made known by prophets long ago. The basis of their inquiry became an opportunity for both sides to present clearer and more complete instruction; and the enemies of the truth are forced, even against their will, to read the writings that support the truth and interpret the prophecy, though not all of it. For after speaking of Bethlehem and how the One who would rule Israel would come from it, they do not go on to add what follows, out of flattery toward the king. And what was that? That “His origins are from ancient times, from eternity.” 2. “But why,” someone may ask, “if He was to come from there, did He live in Nazareth after His birth and obscure the prophecy?” No, He did not obscure it; He made it clearer. For the fact that His mother lived permanently in one place while He was born in the other shows that this happened through a divine plan. And for this reason, let me add, He did not leave immediately after His birth, but stayed forty days, giving anyone who wanted to investigate an opportunity to examine everything carefully. There were, in fact, many things to prompt such an inquiry, if only they had been willing to pay attention to them. When the wise men arrived, the whole city was in a stir, and the king along with it; the prophet was brought forward, and a council of high authority was summoned. Many other things happened there too, all of which Luke recounts in detail. These included the events involving Anna, Simeon, Zechariah, the angels, and the shepherds. All these things gave attentive people enough clues to discover what had happened. For if the wise men who came from Persia knew the place, much more could the people who lived there have learned about these things. He revealed Himself from the beginning through many miracles, but when they refused to see, He hid Himself for a while, to be revealed again with another, more glorious beginning. For now it was no longer the wise men or the star, but the Father from above who proclaimed Him at the waters of the Jordan. The Spirit also came upon Him, directing that voice to the head of the One who had just been baptized; and John cried out with complete plainness throughout Judea, until populated and deserted country alike were filled with that teaching. The testimony of the miracles too, and the earth, the sea, and the whole creation, spoke clearly on His behalf. But at His birth, just enough things happened to quietly identify the One who had come. Thus, so that the Jews could not say, “We do not know when He was born, or where,” God’s providence brought about all these events involving the wise men, along with the other things we have mentioned, so that they would have no excuse for failing to investigate what had happened. But notice the precision of the prophecy too. It does not say, “He will remain” in Bethlehem, but “He will come out” of it. So this too was prophesied: that He would simply be born there. Some of them, however, have lost all shame and say that these things were spoken about Zerubbabel. But how can they be right? Surely “his origins” were not “from ancient times, from eternity.” And how can the opening words, “Out of you He will come,” apply to him? Zerubbabel was not born in Judea, but in Babylon, which is also why he was called Zerubbabel, because he originated there. Everyone who knows the Syrians’ language knows what I mean. Along with what has been said, all the time that has passed since these events is also enough to establish the testimony. For what does he say? “You are not the least among the princes of Judah,” and he adds the reason for its prominence: “out of you He will come.” But no one else has made that place famous or prominent except Him alone. For example, since that birth, people have come from the ends of the earth to see the manger and the site of the shed. The prophet openly foretold this from the beginning, saying, “You are not the least among the princes of Judah,” meaning among the heads of tribes. By that expression he included even Jerusalem. But even so, they have paid no attention, although the benefit extends to themselves. Indeed, this is why the prophets at the beginning speak less about His dignity than about the benefit they received through Him. So, when the Virgin was carrying the child, he says, “You will call His name Jesus,” and gives the reason: “for He will save His people from their sins.” The wise men too did not say, “Where is the Son of God?” but “He who is born King of the Jews.” And here again the statement is not, “Out of you will come” the Son of God, but “a Governor, who will feed my people Israel.” For at first it was necessary to speak to them by coming down very far to their level, so that they would not take offense, and to proclaim what particularly concerned their salvation, so that they might be more readily won over. At any rate, all the testimonies first cited, which were appropriate immediately at the time of His birth, say nothing great or exalted about Him, nothing like those that follow the manifestation of the miracles; for those speak more clearly about His dignity. For instance, when children were singing hymns to Him after many miracles, hear what the prophet says: “Out of the mouths of babies and nursing infants You have perfected praise.” And again, “I will consider the heavens, the works of Your fingers,” which identifies Him as the Maker of the universe. The testimony brought forward after the ascension also reveals His equality with the Father, saying, “The Lord said to my Lord, You are to sit at my right hand.” And Isaiah too says, “He who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles will trust.” But why does he say that Bethlehem is “not the least among the princes of Judah”? For the village has become famous throughout the whole world, not just in Palestine. Well, at that point he was speaking to Jews, which is also why he added, “He will feed my people Israel.” And yet He fed the whole world; but as I have said, He does not yet want to offend them by revealing what He has to say about the Gentiles. But how is it, someone may ask, that He did not feed the Jewish people? I answer, first, that this too has been fulfilled: by the term Israel here, he figuratively meant those among the Jews who believed in Him. Paul explains this when he says, “For not all who are of Israel are Israel,” but those who have been born through faith and promise. And if He did not feed them all, the fault and blame are their own. For they should have worshipped with the wise men and glorified God that such a time had come, a time that removed all their sins (for they were told nothing about courts convened for judgment or accounts to be given, but about a gentle and meek Shepherd). Instead, they do just the opposite: they are troubled, cause disturbances, and continually devise endless plots. 3. “Then Herod secretly called the wise men and carefully asked them what time the star appeared:” He was trying to kill the newborn Child—an act of extreme foolishness, not just madness, since what had been said and done was enough to have stopped him from any such attempt. For those events were not ordinary human affairs. A star calling the wise men from above; barbarians making such a long pilgrimage to worship Him who lay in swaddling clothes and a manger; prophets long ago proclaiming all this beforehand—these and all the rest were events beyond human power. Yet none of them restrained him. That is what wickedness is like. It works against itself and is always attempting the impossible. Notice his utter foolishness. If he believed the prophecy and considered it unchangeable, it was perfectly clear that he was attempting the impossible. If, on the other hand, he disbelieved it and did not expect those sayings to come true, he had no reason to be afraid or alarmed, or to devise any plot on that account. Either way, his scheming was pointless. It was also extremely foolish to think that the wise men would care more about him than about the newborn Child for whose sake they had traveled so far. For if they were so consumed with longing for Him before they saw Him, how did he hope to persuade them to betray the young Child to him after they had seen Him with their own eyes and had been reassured by the prophecy? Still, despite all the reasons to hold back, he made the attempt; and after “secretly calling the wise men, he questioned them.” He thought the Jews would be concerned for the Child, and could never have expected them to descend into such madness that they would willingly hand over to His enemies their Protector and Savior, the One who had come to deliver their nation. That is why he both calls them secretly and asks about the time of the star, rather than the Child, setting the range of his hunt far wider than his intended prey. For I think the star must have appeared a long time before. The wise men had to spend a long time traveling. So, in order for them to arrive just after His birth (since it was fitting for Him to be worshipped in His very swaddling clothes, so that the marvelous and extraordinary nature of the event would be apparent), the star appeared a long time beforehand. If they had seen it in the East only at the moment of His birth in Palestine, and not before, their long journey would have meant that they would not find Him in swaddling clothes when they arrived. As for his killing the children “from two years old and under,” we should not be surprised; his anger and fear led him to add a great deal to the time to make doubly sure that not one would escape. After calling them, then, he says, “Go and search carefully for the young Child; and when you have found Him, report back to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” Do you see his extreme foolishness? If you mean what you say, why are you asking secretly? But if you intend to plot against Him, how do you fail to see that the very secrecy of your questions will let the wise men recognize your deceit? But as I have already said, a soul held captive by any wickedness becomes more senseless than anything else. And he did not say, “go and find out about the King,” but “about the young Child,” for he could not even bear to call Him by the title of His rule. 4. But the wise men notice none of this because of their profound reverence (for they could never have expected him to go so far in wickedness as to attempt plots against so marvelous a divine plan). They leave without suspecting any of these things, judging what everyone else would be like by what they themselves were like. “And look! The star, which they saw in the east, went ahead of them.” For the only reason it had been hidden was so that, having lost their guide, they would be forced to question the Jews, and the matter would thus become clear to everyone. After they have made their inquiries and received information from His enemies, it appears to them again. Notice how excellent the sequence was: first, after the star, the Jewish people and the king receive them, and bring in the prophecy to explain what had appeared; next, after the prophet, an angel takes over their guidance and teaches them everything. But for a time they travel from Jerusalem to Bethlehem under the star’s guidance, with the star accompanying them again from Jerusalem, so that from this too you might learn that it was not an ordinary star. There is not a single star that behaves this way. It did not simply move, but “went ahead of them,” drawing them onward and guiding them in broad daylight. “But why was this star still needed,” someone may ask, “once the place was known?” So that the Child too could be found. For there was nothing to identify Him, since the house was unremarkable and His mother was neither celebrated nor distinguished. The star was therefore needed to bring them to the place. That is why it reappears when they leave Jerusalem and does not stop until it reaches the manger. And wonder followed wonder: both the magi worshipping and the star going ahead of them were extraordinary, and enough to attract even people made entirely of stone. For if the wise men had said that they had heard prophets say these things, or that angels had spoken to them in private, they might not have been believed. But now, with the star visibly appearing above, even the most shameless people had their mouths shut. Moreover, when the star stood over the young Child, it stopped moving again. This too required a power greater than a star possesses: now to hide itself, now to appear, and after appearing, to stand still. This strengthened their faith as well. This is also why they rejoiced: they had found what they were seeking, they had proved to be messengers of truth, and they had not made so long a journey for nothing. So great, so to speak, was their longing for Christ. First it came and stood directly over His head, showing that the One who had been born was Divine; next, by standing there, it leads them to worship Him; they were not simply barbarians, but the wiser people among them. Do you see how appropriate the star’s appearance was? For even after the prophecy and the chief priests’ and scribes’ interpretation, their minds were still turned toward it. 5. Shame on Marcion, shame on Paul of Samosata, for refusing to see what those wise men saw—the ancestors of the Church, for I am not ashamed to call them that. Let Marcion be ashamed when he sees God worshipped in the flesh. Let Paul be ashamed when he sees Him worshipped as more than a mere man. His being in the flesh is indicated first by the swaddling clothes and the manger; and that they did not worship Him as a mere man is declared by their offering Him, at so young an age, gifts fit to be offered to God. And along with them let the Jews also be ashamed, seeing barbarians and magi go ahead of them while they refuse even to follow. For what happened then was a type of what was to come, and from the very beginning it was shown that the Gentiles would precede their nation. “But why,” someone may ask, “did He say, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations,’ only later, rather than at the beginning?” Because the event was, as I said, a type of the future and a kind of advance declaration of it. The natural order was for Jews to come to Him first; but because they voluntarily gave up the benefit that belonged to them, the order was reversed. Even in this instance, the wise men should not have come before the Jews, nor should people from so far away have preceded those settled around the very city, nor should those who had heard nothing have come before those brought up on so many prophecies. But because they were so unaware of their own blessings, those from Persia precede those in Jerusalem. This is also what Paul says: “It was necessary for the word of the Lord to be spoken to you first, but since you have judged yourselves unworthy, look, we turn to the Gentiles.” For even if they had not obeyed before, they should at least have hurried there when they heard about it from the wise men; but they would not. So while the Jews sleep, the wise men run ahead. 6. Let us too, then, follow the magi. Let us separate ourselves from our barbarian customs and put a great distance between ourselves and them, so that we may see Christ; for they too would have missed seeing Him if they had not gone far from their own country. Let us leave earthly things behind. For while the wise men were in Persia, they saw only the star; but after they left Persia, they saw the Sun of Righteousness. Or rather, they would not have seen even the star unless they had readily set out from there. Let us too, then, get up and go. Though everyone is troubled, let us run to the young Child’s house. Though kings, nations, or tyrants block our path, let our desire never fade. For this is how we will completely drive back the dangers surrounding us. They too would not have escaped the danger from the king unless they had seen the young Child. Before seeing the young Child, fears, dangers, and troubles pressed on them from every side; but after their worship, there is calm and safety. And now an angel, rather than a star, receives them, since they have become priests through their act of worship; for we see that they offered gifts as well. You too, then, must leave the Jewish people, the troubled city, the bloodthirsty tyrant, and the pomp of the world, and hurry to Bethlehem, where the house of the spiritual Bread is. Even if you are a shepherd, if you come here, you will see the young Child in an inn. Even if you are a king, if you do not come here, your purple robe will do you no good. Even if you are one of the wise men, that will not prevent you from coming. Only come to honor and worship, not to reject the Son of God; only do this with trembling and joy, for both can exist together. But take care not to be like Herod and say, “so that I may come and worship Him,” and then come intending to kill Him. Those who partake of the mysteries unworthily resemble him, for it is said that such a person “will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord.” Yes, for they have within themselves the tyrant who resents Christ’s kingdom, one more wicked than Herod of old: Mammon. For he wants to rule, and sends his own people to make a show of worship while killing as they worship. Let us beware, then, that while we appear to be people offering prayers and worship, our actions may reveal the opposite. And let us let go of everything in our hands when we come to worship. Even if what we have is gold, let us offer it to him rather than bury it. For if those barbarians offered it in honor then, what will become of you if you do not give even to Him who is in need? If those men traveled so far to see Him newly born, what excuse will you have for failing to go even one alley’s length out of your way to visit Him sick or in chains? Even our enemies receive our pity when they are sick or in chains, yet you deny yours even to your Benefactor and Lord. They offered gold; you barely give bread. They saw the star and were glad; you see Christ Himself a stranger and naked, and are unmoved. For which of you, who have received countless benefits, has made so long a pilgrimage for Christ’s sake as these barbarians—or rather, these men wiser than the wisest philosophers? And why do I speak of so long a journey? Many of our women are so delicate that they will not cross even a single street to see Him on the spiritual manger unless they have mules to pull them along. Others can walk, yet prefer a mass of worldly business or the theaters to attending here. Yet the barbarians made such a long journey for His sake before seeing Him; you do not imitate them even after you have seen Him, but abandon Him after seeing Him and run to see an actor. (For I am returning to the same subjects again, as I did recently.) You see Christ lying in the manger and leave Him to see women on the stage. 7. What thunderbolts don't these things deserve? Tell me, if someone led you into a palace and showed you the king on his throne, would you really choose to see the theater instead? And yet even in the palace there is nothing to gain; but here a spiritual well of fire gushes up from this table. And you leave it and run down to the theater to see women swimming and human nature openly dishonored, leaving Christ sitting by the well? Yes, for now, as in the past, He sits by the well, speaking not to a Samaritan woman, but to a whole city. Or perhaps even now only to a Samaritan woman. For now too no one is with Him: some are here only in body, and some not even in body. Still, He does not withdraw, but remains and asks us for a drink—not water, but holiness, for “His holy things He gives to the holy.” For what He gives us from this fountain is not water, but living blood; and though it is a symbol of death, it has become the cause of life. But you leave the fountain of blood, the awe-inspiring cup, and go off to the devil’s fountain to see a prostitute swim and shipwreck your soul. For that water is a sea of lust, drowning no bodies, but shipwrecking souls. While she swims naked, you who watch sink into the depths of lust. That is what the devil’s net is like: it sinks those who sit above the water, rather than those who go down into the water itself—sinking the spectators deeper than those who wallow there; and it chokes them more terribly than Pharaoh, who long ago sank in the sea with his horses and chariots. If souls could be seen, I could show you many floating on these waters like the bodies of the Egyptians then. But what is still more terrible is that they even call such utter destruction a delight, and call the sea of destruction a channel for a pleasure voyage. Yet surely it would be easier to cross the Aegean or the Tuscan Sea safely than to pass through this spectacle. For first the devil occupies their souls for an entire night with anticipation of it; then, after showing them what they expected, he immediately binds them and takes them captive. Do not think that because you have not had intercourse with the prostitute, you are free of the sin; in the intention of your heart, you have done it all. If lust seizes you, you have kindled the flame higher; if you feel nothing at what you see, you deserve a heavier charge, for causing others to stumble by encouraging them to attend these spectacles, and for polluting your own sight and, with your sight, your soul. Still, let us do more than find fault; let us also devise a way to correct this. What will that way be? I would put you in your wives’ care so that they can instruct you. It is true that according to Paul’s law, you ought to be the teachers. But since sin has reversed that order, and the body has come to be above and the head below, let us take even this approach. But if you are ashamed to have a woman as your teacher, flee from sin, and you will soon be able to climb back onto the throne God has given you. For as long as you sin, Scripture sends you not only to a woman, but even to irrational creatures, and to the lowliest of them. Yes, it is not ashamed to send you, who have been honored with reason, to become the ant’s student. Clearly this is no charge against Scripture, but against those who so betray the nobility of their own race. We will do the same, then, and for now put you in your wife’s care. But if you despise her, we will send you off to the school of the beasts themselves, and show you how many birds, fish, four-footed animals, and creeping things are more honorable and chaste than you. If you are now ashamed and blush at the comparison, rise to your own nobility and flee the sea of hell and the flood of fire—I mean the pool in the theater. For this pool leads into that sea and sets that abyss of flame ablaze. For if “he who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery,” how can the man who is even compelled to see her naked fail to become ten thousand times more captive? The flood in Noah’s days did not destroy the human race as completely as these swimming women drown everyone there in great disgrace. For that rain, though it brought death to the body, restrained the soul’s wickedness; but this does the opposite: while bodies survive, it destroys the soul. And when the question is who comes first, you claim precedence over the whole world because our city was the first to crown itself with the name of Christian; but in the contest of chastity, you are not ashamed to fall behind the most uncivilized cities. 8. “Well,” someone says, “what do you want us to do? Live in the mountains and become monks?” This is exactly what makes me sigh: you think that decency and chastity are properly the concern of monks alone, even though Christ certainly made His laws apply to everyone. Thus, when He says, “if anyone looks at a woman to lust after her,” He speaks not only to the man living in solitude but also to the man who has a wife; for that mountain was then filled with all kinds of people of that description. Picture that amphitheater in your mind, then, and hate this one, which belongs to the devil. And do not condemn the severity of my words. For I neither “forbid marriage” nor prevent you from enjoying yourself; I want you to do so chastely, without shame, disgrace, or endless accusations. I do not lay down a law that you must live in the mountains and deserts, but that you must be good, considerate, and chaste while living in the middle of the city. In fact, all our laws apply to monks too, except marriage; or rather, even in this respect Paul commands us to put ourselves entirely on the same level as them, saying, “For the form of this world is passing away,” and that “those who have wives should be as though they had none.” “Therefore” (this is how he speaks) “I do not tell you to take possession of the mountaintops. It is true that I could wish it, since the cities imitate what was done in Sodom; nevertheless, I do not insist on this. Stay with your house, children, and wife; only do not insult your wife or shame your children, or bring the theater’s infection into your home.” Do you not hear Paul saying, “The husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife,” and laying down laws that apply to both? Yet if your wife is constantly going into a public gathering, you blame her harshly; but you do not consider yourself worthy of blame when you spend whole days at public shows. Yes, you are so strict about your wife’s modesty that you go beyond necessity or measure and do not allow her even essential trips away from home; but you think everything is permissible for yourself. Yet Paul does not allow you this, for he gives the wife the same authority, saying, “Let the husband give the wife the honor due her.” What kind of honor is this, then, when you insult her in the most important matters and surrender her body to prostitutes (for your body is hers); when you bring turmoil and war into your home; when you do things in the marketplace that, if you recount them to your wife at home, overwhelm her with shame, and shame your daughter too if she is present—and surely shame you more than either of them? For you must either stay silent or behave so indecently that even your servants would rightly be whipped for it. What defense will you have, tell me, when you eagerly watch things that are disgraceful even to name, preferring above all sights things that are intolerable even to recount? For now, then, to avoid burdening you too much, I will end my address here. But if you continue in the same ways, I will sharpen the knife and deepen the cut, and I will not stop until I have dispersed the devil’s theater and so purified the assembly of the Church. For in this way we will both be delivered from our present disgrace and reap the fruit of the life to come, through the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might forever and ever. Amen.