Homilies on Joshua, Homily 16

Some of our predecessors have also observed and noted in the Scriptures that presbyters, or elders, are so called not because they have led a long life, but that they are honored with this venerable title for maturity of understanding and seriousness of life; especially when the word that follows is added to “presbyter”: “full of days.” For if one were to be called a presbyter or elder for length of age, who should have been called by this name rather than the first man Adam, or certainly Methuselah, or Noah, who are said to have lived in this world far more years than all the rest? But now let us note that Scripture does not relate that any of them was called a presbyter or elder; rather, the one who led a life of far shorter span, Abraham, is the first to be called presbyter or elder in the holy Scriptures. It was also said to Moses by the Lord: “Choose for yourself from all the people presbyters whom you know to be presbyters.” But you too, as a listener, observe throughout Scripture whether you can find anywhere this title “elder” and “full of days” given to a sinner. Now, then, it is the voice of the Holy Spirit declaring Jesus a presbyter or elder and advanced in days. For so it says: “For Jesus,” it says, “was a presbyter or elder and advanced in days.” This certainly could not be said of a sinner, because a sinner is not advanced in days. For he does not stretch himself out to what lies ahead, forgetting what lies behind, but always turns back and returns to his vomit, and therefore he is not fit for the kingdom of heaven. But he who always stretches out to what lies ahead and is carried on toward perfection is advanced in his days. And now, then, the Lord says to Jesus: “You are advanced in your days.” I do not know whether in this place it can seem that the Lord was telling Jesus what all could see and all knew about his old age. And what kind of great divine answers are these, delivered to men, if they tell an old man, “You are old,” which all could see and all knew? But it seems to me that some great testimony is given by the Lord to the son of Nun when it is said to him, “You are advanced in days.” And as far as it is permitted to us to speak out or to open the divine mysteries, I think that, as this sun makes days for this world, so the Sun of righteousness makes certain spiritual days, which are lit by the brightness of truth and the lamp of wisdom. If, then, anyone passes this present life in the commandments of God — a life which, as Jacob said, is of few and evil days — and keeps himself unstained from this world, and subdues all his spiritual adversaries and enemies, he is advanced and promoted from these few and evil days to those eternal and good days, marked by the light of the eternal sun. In some such way, then, we must understand that Jesus too is declared by the divine answer to be advanced in days.

But since we have undertaken to refer what is said of Jesus also to our Lord and Savior: who is understood to be a presbyter and elder advanced in days as truly as he who is the beginning, the firstborn of all creation? That is perhaps why he alone is truly and fully called presbyter, before whom there is no one. Therefore, although there are those who are called in the Scriptures presbyters or elders, or high priests, yet the Lord Jesus, among high priests he is the chief high priest and among shepherds he is the chief shepherd, so also among presbyters or elders he is to be thought the chief presbyter, and among bishops the chief bishop; and whatever title of honor there is, the Savior is to be believed first in it and its prince, because he himself is the head of all.

But the divine answer adds further and says: “You are advanced in days, and very much land remains.” Above it was said, as we observed, that the land rested from wars, and that Jesus took all the land; and here it is written that very much land remains. Do you think that Scripture contains things contrary to each other? This must not even be lightly suspected. But let us return to the spiritual understanding, and in it you will find nothing contradictory. Consider how, at the first coming of our Lord and Savior, when he came to sow his word in the world, he took all the land by the mere casting of the seed, and how he drove out of it the adverse powers and renegade angels that had besieged the minds of the Gentiles, and meanwhile sowed the word and spread the churches. This is his first possession of the whole land. But follow me, listener, through the subtle points of the word, and I will show you how he also takes this land a second time, the land which Jesus is now told remains in great measure. Listen to Paul saying of him: “For he must reign until he puts all his enemies as a footstool under his feet.” This, then, is the land that is now said to remain in great measure, until all are wholly subjected under his feet and in this way he takes all as his inheritance. “And this,” it says, “is the land that remains: all the borders of the Philistines,” and very many others that follow. Many still remain, as far as our own times are concerned, which we see are not yet subjected to the feet of Jesus, who must surely gain possession of all things. For there could be no end of things unless all were first subjected to him. For so the prophet too says that all nations will serve him: “From the ends of the rivers to the ends of the earth, the Ethiopians will fall down before him”; and: “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia they will offer sacrifices.” Hence it is clear that at the second coming Jesus will gain possession of this great land that remains; but blessed are those who were gained at his first coming. For they will truly be pleasing who receive the inheritance of the land of promise by war and arms, while many adversaries resist and many enemies attack. But when anyone is subjected by necessity, at the time when even the last enemy, death, must be destroyed, there will no longer be any favor for those who are subjected.

After this, when he had listed very many nations, he said of the Sidonians alone: “And all the Sidonians I will exterminate from before the sons of Israel.” The Canaanites were named, and also those who are opposite Egypt, and those from the borders of Ekron, and the left-hand parts of the rivers, and very many other nations; and of the Sidonians alone the Lord says that he will overthrow them. Now the Sidonians, as we said before, are called “hunters.” Who, then, are understood to be these evil hunters whom the Lord exterminates, if not those hostile powers of which the prophet says, “They prepared snares for my feet,” with which, that is, they hunt souls and deceive them into sin? These, then, the Lord exterminates; because if such hunters have perished, when there is no longer anyone to stretch out snares and nets to deceive souls into sin, then each one will rest under his vine and under his fig tree.

This too was read to us today, that Moses gave an inheritance to some; and after this we read that Jesus too, according to the Lord’s command, distributed the inheritance. Moses, then, first distributed the inheritance, and Jesus second. Here understand Moses as the law. Those, then, who lived according to the law received their inheritance first, but outside the land of promise. Then, when they had received the land of inheritance, they do not possess it or divide it among themselves, but wait until it is distributed to them by lot through Jesus. Is this not plainly what the Apostle says to the Hebrews, writing of the earlier fathers, who, he said, pleased God by faith? And he adds, saying: “And all these, though they received testimony through faith, did not yet obtain the promises, since God provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” They already have their promise, then, and have rested, and have been judged worthy to receive their inheritance through Moses; yet they too are still fighting, and are in the contest on behalf of those who serve as soldiers under Jesus. But you ask who these are who fight, and what that battle is which they wage. I think it is this: that all those fathers who have fallen asleep before us fight with us and help us by their prayers. For I also heard one of the older teachers say this, on that passage where it is written in Numbers that this assembly will lick up that assembly “as a calf licks up the green grass in the field.” He said, then: Why was such a comparison chosen, if not because this is what is to be understood in this place: that the assembly of the Lord which has gone before us among the saints consumes the opposing assembly with mouth and tongue, that is, consumes our adversaries with prayers and supplications? We must not fight, then, with weapons against our invisible enemies, but with prayers and meditations on the word of God, with works and with right thoughts. For so the fathers too were armed, conquering by faith and works. See, finally, that it is written of them: “They believed God,” it says, “and Moses his servant. And then Moses sang this song and said: Let us sing to the Lord, for he has been gloriously honored.” So, then, let us too, cultivating full faith and perfect works, unceasing prayers, meditation on the divine word, and spiritual understanding, and fortified with all these as with the armor of God, stand against the schemes of the devil, calling on God our helper in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is glory and dominion for ages of ages. Amen.