Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew 29.1–29.3

“And getting into the boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, child; your sins are forgiven.’” By his own city he here means Capernaum. For Bethlehem bore him, Nazareth brought him up, and Capernaum had him living there continually. This paralytic, however, is a different one from the one recorded in John. For that one lay at the pool, but this one in Capernaum; that one had had his illness thirty-eight years, but nothing of the kind is said about this one; and that one was destitute of anyone to stand by him, but this one had people caring for him, who also took him up and carried him. And to this one he says, “Child, your sins are forgiven,” but to that one he says, “Do you wish to be made well?” And that one he healed on the sabbath, but this one not on the sabbath; for otherwise the Jews would have accused him for this too; and in this case they were silent, but in that one they pressed on, persecuting him. And I have not said these things idly, but so that no one may think there is a disagreement, supposing them to be one and the same paralytic. But consider the Master’s freedom from pride and his gentleness. For before this too he pushed away the crowds; and when driven out by the people of Gadara, he did not resist, but withdrew, though not far. And again he got into the boat and crossed, though he could have crossed on foot. For he did not wish always to work wonders, so as not to harm the plan of the dispensation. Now Matthew says that they brought him; but the others, that they also broke open the roof and let him down. And they set the sick man before Christ, saying nothing, but entrusting everything to him. For at the beginning he himself went about, and did not require so much faith of those who came to him; but here they both came to him and were required to have faith. “For seeing their faith,” it says, that is, the faith of those who let him down. For he does not everywhere seek faith from the sick alone: for instance, when they are out of their minds, or are otherwise beside themselves from the disease. Or rather, here the faith was the sick man’s too; for he would not have endured being let down if he did not believe. Since, then, they displayed so great a faith, he too displays his power, loosing sins with all authority, and showing in every way that he is of equal honor with the one who begot him. And consider: he showed it earlier through his teaching, when he taught them as one having authority; through the leper, when he said, “I will; be made clean”; through the centurion, when, on the centurion’s saying, “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed,” he marveled and proclaimed him above all; through the sea, when he bridled it with a word alone; through the demons, when they acknowledged him as judge and he cast them out with great authority. Here again, in another and greater way, he compels his very enemies to confess his equality of honor, and makes it plain through their own mouths. For he, showing his freedom from love of honor (for a great audience stood around, walling off the entrance, which is why they let him down from above), did not run at once to the healing of the visible body, but takes the occasion from them; and he first healed what was unseen, the soul, forgiving the sins, which saved that man but did not bring himself much glory. But they, troubled by wickedness and wishing to find fault, caused what happened to shine forth even against their will. For he, being resourceful, used their envy for the manifestation of the sign. Since, then, they were disturbed and said, “This man blasphemes; who can forgive sins but God alone?”, let us see what he himself says. Did he remove the supposition? And yet, if he were not equal, he ought to have said, “Why do you fasten on me an opinion that does not belong to me? I am far from this power.” But as it is he said nothing of this; on the contrary, he entirely confirmed and ratified it, both by his own voice and by the display of the miracle. For since for a person to speak about himself seemed to offend the hearers, he confirms what concerns himself through others; and, what is wonderful, not only through friends but also through enemies; for this is the abundance of his wisdom. Through friends, when he said, “I will; be made clean,” and when he said, “Not even in Israel have I found such faith”; and through enemies now. For since they said that no one can forgive sins but God alone, he added, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (then he says to the paralytic), “Rise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And not only here, but elsewhere too, when they said, “We stone you not for a good work but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God,” not even there did he overthrow this opinion, but again ratified it, saying, “If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works.” [2] Here, however, he shows another sign of his Godhead too, and not a small one, and of his equality of honor with the Father. For they said that loosing sins belongs to God alone; but he not only looses sins, but before this displays something else that belonged to God alone: bringing out the secrets of the heart. For they had not brought out into the open what they were thinking. “For behold, some of the scribes,” it says, “said within themselves, ‘This man blasphemes.’ And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts?’” And that it belongs to God alone to know secret things, hear what the prophet says: “You alone know hearts”; and again, “God tries the hearts and reins.” And Jeremiah says, “The heart is deep beyond all things, and it is man, and who shall know him?”; and, “Man looks on the face, but God on the heart.” And from many places one can see that it belongs to God alone to know what is in the mind. Showing, then, that he is God, equal to the one who begot him, what they were reasoning within themselves (for, fearing the multitude, they did not dare bring their opinion into the open), this opinion he uncovers and makes plain, displaying here too great freedom from offensiveness. “For why,” he says, “do you think evil in your hearts?” And yet if anyone had to be indignant, it was the sick man who should have been indignant, as one deceived, and should have said, “I came to have one thing healed, and you set right another? How is it clear that my sins are forgiven?” But as it is, he utters nothing of the kind, but gives himself up to the authority of the one healing; while these, being officious and envious, plot against the kindnesses done to others. That is why he reproves them, but with all gentleness. If you disbelieve the former thing, he says, and think what was said a boast, look, I add another to it, the uncovering of your secrets; and after that again another. What is this? Bracing the body of the paralyzed man. And when he spoke to the paralytic, he did not speak showing his own authority plainly; for he did not say, “I forgive you your sins,” but, “Your sins are forgiven.” But when they compelled him, he shows his authority more clearly, saying, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Do you see how far he was from being unwilling to be thought equal to the Father? For he did not say that the Son of Man needs another, or that someone gave him authority, but that he has authority. And he does not say even this for love of honor, but, to persuade you, he says, that I do not blaspheme in making myself equal to God. For everywhere he wishes to provide clear and undeniable proofs: as when he says, “Go, show yourself to the priest”; and shows Peter’s mother-in-law serving; and allows the swine to be hurled down. So here too, he makes the bracing of the body a token of the forgiveness of sins, and the carrying of the bed a token of the bracing, so that what happened might not be thought an illusion. And he does not do this before he has questioned them. “For which,” he says, “is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Take up your bed and go to your house’?” What he means is this: Which seems easier to you, to brace a body that has been undone, or to loose the sins of a soul? Clearly, to brace a body. For as much as the soul is better than the body, so much is loosing sins greater than this; but since the one is unseen and the other visible, I add the lesser but more visible, so that the greater and unseen may receive its proof through this; already revealing by his works what was said by John, that he takes away the sins of the world.

Having raised him up, then, he sends him home, here again showing his freedom from pride, and that what happened was not an illusion; for those who were witnesses of the sickness he makes witnesses of the health too. For I wished, he says, through your suffering to heal those too who seem to be healthy but are sick in mind; but since they will not, go away home, to set right those there. Do you see how he shows that he is the creator both of souls and of bodies? He heals, then, the paralysis of each nature, and makes the unseen plain through the visible; but nevertheless they still crawl on the ground. “For when the crowds saw it they marveled,” it says, “and glorified God, who had given such authority to men”; for the flesh offended them. And he did not rebuke them, but goes on, raising them up by his works and making their thoughts lofty. For for the time it was no small thing for him to be thought greater than all men and to have come from God. For if they had confirmed this well in their own minds, going on in due course they would have known that he was also the Son of God. But they did not hold these things clearly; that is why they could not come to him either. For they said again, “This man is not from God”; “How is this man from God?” And they continually turned these things over, putting them forward as screens for their own passions. Which many do now too: seeming to avenge God, they fulfill their own passions, when they ought to pursue all things with gentleness. For the God of all, though he could send a thunderbolt upon those who blaspheme him, makes the sun rise, sends the rains, and provides all other things abundantly; whom we too must imitate, and entreat, exhort, and admonish with meekness, not being angry nor turning into wild beasts. For no harm comes to God from blasphemy, that you should be enraged; it is the blasphemer himself who has received the wound. Therefore groan, lament; for the suffering is worthy of tears. And nothing can heal the wounded man as gentleness can; for gentleness is more powerful than any force. See, at any rate, how he himself who has been insulted speaks to us, both in the Old Testament and in the New: there saying, “My people, what have I done to you?”, and here, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” And Paul commands us to instruct opponents in meekness. And when the disciples came to Christ asking that fire might come down from heaven, he rebuked them sharply, saying, “You do not know of what spirit you are.” And here too he did not say, “O you abominable men and sorcerers, O envious men and enemies of the salvation of mankind,” but, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” We must, then, take away the disease with gentleness. For one who has become better through human fear will quickly return to wickedness again. That is why he commanded the tares to be left, giving a fixed time for repentance. Many of them, at any rate, repented and became earnest, who were formerly worthless, such as Paul, the tax collector, the robber; for these, being tares, became wheat. For with seeds this is impossible, but with the will it is easy and simple; for it is not bound by the limits of nature, but honored with freedom of choice. When, then, you see an enemy of the truth, heal him, take care of him, lead him back to virtue, displaying an excellent life, offering a blameless word, providing protection and care, moving every means of correction, imitating the best of physicians. For they too do not heal in one way only, but when they see the wound not yielding to the first remedy, they add another, and after that again another; and now they cut, now they bind up. You too, then, having become a physician of souls, move every means of healing according to the laws of Christ, so that you may receive the reward both of your own salvation and of the benefit to others, doing all things to the glory of God, and in this way being glorified yourself. “For those who glorify me,” he says, “I will glorify, and those who despise me shall be despised.” Let us do all things, then, to his glory, so that we may obtain that blessed lot; which may we all obtain, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the might for ever and ever. Amen.