Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew 47.1–48.1

“All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds, and without a parable he spoke nothing to them, that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.’” And Mark says that “as they were able to hear, he spoke the word to them in parables.” Then, showing that he was introducing nothing new, he brings in the prophet too, foretelling this manner of teaching. And teaching us Christ’s intention, that he spoke so not that they might be ignorant but that he might lead them to ask questions, he added, “And without a parable he spoke nothing to them.” And yet he had said many things without a parable; but then, nothing. And nevertheless no one asked him; and yet they often asked the prophets, as Ezekiel, as many others; but these did nothing of the kind. And yet what had been said was enough to throw them into anguish and to rouse them to ask; for the parables threatened the greatest punishment; but nevertheless not even so were they moved. Therefore he also left them and went away. “For then,” it says, “Jesus left the crowds and went into his house”; and none of the scribes follows; from which it is clear that they followed for no other reason than to lay hold of him. But since they did not understand what was said, he let them be at last. “And his disciples come to him, asking about the parable of the tares”; and yet there are times when they wished to learn and were afraid to ask. From where then did they get this boldness here? They had heard, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” and they took courage. Therefore they also ask privately, not grudging the multitude, but keeping their Master’s law. “For to them,” he says, “it has not been given.” And why, leaving aside the parable of the leaven and of the mustard seed, do they inquire about this one? They left those as clearer; but this one, as having a kinship with the one spoken before and showing something more than it, they wished to learn. For he would not have spoken the same one a second time. For they desire to learn, seeing great threatening displayed in it. Therefore he does not even blame them, but fills out what had been said. And what I have always said, that one must not go through the parables word by word, since many absurdities will follow, this he too teaches us here by explaining the parable so. For he does not say who the servants are who came; but, showing that he took them in for the sake of a certain sequence and to shape the image, leaving that part aside he interprets the urgent and most essential things, those for which the parable was spoken, showing himself to be judge and Lord of all. “And he answered,” it says, “and said to them, ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. As then the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who do lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.’” For when he himself is the sower, and gathers from his own field and out of his own kingdom, it is clear that the present world too is his. And consider his unspeakable love for humanity, his inclination toward kindness, and his estrangement from punishing. For when he sows, he sows himself; but when he punishes, through others, that is, the angels. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Not because they will shine only so, but since we know nothing brighter than this star, he uses examples known to us. And yet elsewhere he says that the harvest is already present, as when he says about the Samaritans, “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are white already for harvest”; and again, “The harvest is great, but the laborers are few.” How then does he say there that the harvest is already present, but here that the harvest is to come? With another meaning. And how, having said elsewhere, “One is the sower and another the reaper,” does he say here that he himself is the sower? Because there too he was distinguishing not himself but the prophets from the apostles, in the case of the Jews and Samaritans. For he himself sowed through the prophets too. And there are times when he calls this same thing both harvest and sowing, naming it so in relation to different things.

For when he speaks of the persuasion and obedience of those who obeyed, he calls the thing a harvest, as having completed the whole; but when he seeks the fruit of the hearing, sowing; and he calls the end a harvest. And how does he say elsewhere that the righteous are caught up first? They are caught up first indeed; but when Christ has come, these others are handed over to punishment, and then those go away into the kingdom of heaven. For since they must be in heaven, and he will come here and judge all men, having given his sentence to these, like a king he rises with his friends, leading them to that blessed lot. Do you see that the punishment is double, both being burned and falling from that glory? But for what reason, now that those had withdrawn, does he speak to these too in parables? They had become wiser from what had been said, so as even to understand. At any rate he says to them after these things, “Have you understood all these things?” They say to him, “Yes, Lord.” So besides the other things the parable achieved this too, making them more discerning. What then does he say again? “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and in his joy he sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, who, having found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” As there the mustard seed and the leaven have some small difference from each other, so here too these two parables, that of the treasure and that of the pearl. For through both he hints at this, that the preaching must be preferred to all things. And those of the leaven and the mustard seed were spoken with reference to the power of the preaching, and that it will certainly overcome the world; but these display its preciousness and costliness. For it spreads out like mustard and prevails like leaven, but it is costly like a pearl and gives countless abundance like a treasure. And not only this may we learn, that we must strip off all other things and hold to the preaching, but also that we must do this with joy; and that one who is deprived of his possessions must know that the thing is a merchant’s gain, not a loss. Do you see how the preaching is hidden in the world, and the good things in the preaching? Unless you sell everything, you do not buy; unless you have such a soul, anxious and seeking, you do not find. Two things, then, must be present: to keep away from worldly things and to be watchful. “For a merchant seeking fine pearls,” he says, “who, having found one of great price, sold everything and bought it.” For the truth is one, and not split into many parts. And as he who has the pearl knows himself that he is rich, while to others he is often not known, holding it in his hand (for it is no bulk of body), so too with the preaching: those who hold it know that they are rich, but the unbelievers, not knowing this treasure, do not know our wealth either. Then, so that we may not trust in the preaching only, nor think faith alone enough for our salvation, he speaks another fearful parable too. What is this? That of the net. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, and gathering of every kind; which, when it was filled, they drew up on the shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.” And how does this differ from the parable of the tares? For there too some are saved and others perish; but there through the choice of evil doctrines, and those before them through not attending to what was said, but these through wickedness of life; who are the most wretched of all, having attained knowledge and been caught, but not able to be saved even so. And yet elsewhere he says that he himself, the shepherd, separates them, but here he says that the angels do this, as also with the tares. What then is it? Sometimes he speaks to them more grossly, sometimes more loftily. And this parable he interprets without even being asked, but of his own accord he made it known in part, and increased the fear. For so that you might not think, on hearing that they threw the bad away, that the destruction is without danger, he showed the punishment through the interpretation, saying that they will cast them into the furnace, and he made known the gnashing of teeth and the pain, which is unspeakable. Do you see how many are the ways of destruction? That through the rock, that through the thorns, that through the road, that through the tares, that through the net. Not without reason, then, did he say, “Broad is the road that leads away to destruction, and many are those who go away through it.” Having said these things, then, and having closed the discourse on the fearful note, and shown them more of these things (for he lingered with them longer), he says, “Have you understood all these things?” They say to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then, since they had understood, he praises them again, saying, “Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new things and old.” Therefore he also says elsewhere, “I will send you wise men and scribes.” Do you see how he does not shut out the old covenant, but even praises it and speaks publicly of it, calling it a treasure? So those who are inexperienced in the divine Scriptures would not be householders, those who neither have of themselves nor receive from others, but overlook themselves perishing with hunger. And not these only, but the heretics too are outside this blessing. For they do not bring out new things and old. For they do not have the old things; therefore not the new either; just as those who do not have the new do not have the old either, but are deprived of both; for these are bound and woven together with each other. Let us hear, then, as many of us as neglect the reading of the Scriptures, how great a loss we suffer, how great a poverty. For when shall we lay hold of the way of life that comes through works, we who do not even know the laws by which we must live? But the rich, who are mad about money, continually shake out their garments so that they may not become moth-eaten; (…) and do you not read books, do you not beat off the ruin from your soul, do you not adorn your soul, do you not continually look upon the image of virtue, and learn well its members and its head? For it has a head too, and members more comely than any beautiful and lovely body. “What then,” someone says, “is the head of virtue?” Humility. Therefore Christ too begins from it, saying, “Blessed are the poor.” This head does not have tresses and curls, but such beauty as to draw God to itself. “For on whom shall I look,” it says, “but on the meek and lowly, and him who trembles at my words?” And, “My eyes are on the meek of the earth.” And, “The Lord is near to the broken in heart.” This head, instead of hair, (…) a golden (…) and a spiritual altar: “For a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit.” This is the mother of wisdom. If anyone has this, he will have the rest too. Do you see a head such as you have never seen? Do you wish to see the face too, or rather to learn of it? Learn then meanwhile its color, ruddy and blooming and full of grace, and learn from what it is composed. From what then is it composed? From modesty and blushing. Therefore someone also says, “Before a modest man grace will go forth.” This pours much beauty over the other members too. Even if you mix countless colors, you will not produce such (…) beauty. And if you wish to see the eyes too, see them drawn with exactness by orderliness and chastity. Therefore they become so beautiful and sharp-sighted as to see the Lord himself. “For blessed,” he says, “are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” And its mouth is wisdom and understanding and the knowledge of spiritual hymns. And its heart is experience of the Scriptures, and the keeping of exact doctrines, and love for humanity, and kindness. And as without this heart it is not possible to live, so without that other it is not possible ever to be saved. For from there all good things are born. It has feet and hands too, the displays of good works; it has a soul too, godliness; it has a golden breast too, stronger than adamant, courage; and it is easier to capture everything than to break this breast. And the breath in the brain and heart is love.

Do you wish me to show you the image in actual deeds too? Consider, I pray you, this very evangelist. And though we do not have his whole life written down, yet even from a few things it is possible to see his image shining through. That he was humble and broken in heart, hear him calling himself a tax collector after the gospel; that he was merciful too, see him stripping off everything and following Jesus; and that he was godly is clear from his doctrines. And his understanding too it is easy to see from the gospel he composed, and his love, for he cared for the world; and his display of good works from the throne on which he is going to sit; and his courage, from his returning rejoicing from the presence of the council. Let us emulate this virtue, then, and above all humility and almsgiving, without which it is not possible to be saved. And the five virgins show this, and with them the Pharisee. For without virginity it is possible to see the kingdom, but without almsgiving impossible; for this belongs to the necessary things, and to those that hold the whole together. Not without reason, then, have we called it the heart of virtue. But this heart, unless it supplies breath to all, is quickly quenched. As a spring too, if it keeps its streams to itself, grows putrid, so do the rich, when they hold their possessions to themselves. For this reason in common speech too we say, “Great is the rot of wealth with so-and-so,” and we do not say, “Great is the abundance, great the treasure.” For indeed it is a rot, not only of the possessors, but of the wealth itself. For garments laid by are spoiled, and gold rusts, and grain is eaten away; and the soul of the one who has these things, more than all of them, is rusted and rotted by its cares. And if you wish to bring out into the midst the soul of a covetous man, like a garment eaten by countless worms and having nothing sound, so you will find it bored through on every side by cares, rotted by sins, rusted. But the soul of the poor man is not such (I mean the voluntarily poor man), but it gleams like gold, it shines like a pearl, it blooms like a rose. For there is no moth there, there is no thief there, there is no worldly care; but as angels, so these live. Do you wish to see the beauty of this soul? Do you wish to learn well the wealth of this poverty? It does not command men, but commands demons; it does not stand by a king, but stands by God; it does not serve as a soldier with men, but serves with angels; it does not have two chests and three and twenty, but such abundance that it counts the whole world as nothing. It does not have a treasure, but heaven. It does not need slaves, or rather it has the passions as slaves, it has as slaves the thoughts that rule kings. For the thought that gives orders to him who wears the purple cowers before this man and does not dare to look him in the face. But a kingdom and gold and all such things he laughs at like children’s toys, and like hoops and knucklebones and balls, so he thinks all these things contemptible. For he has an adornment which those who play with these things cannot even see. What then could be better than this poor man? He has heaven at any rate for his floor. And if the floor is such, consider the roof. “But he does not have horses and carriages.” For what need has he of these, who is going to ride on the clouds and to be with Christ? Considering these things, then, both men and women, let us seek that wealth and the abundance that cannot be captured, so that we may also attain the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen.

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.” Why did he say “these”? Because he was going to speak others too. And why does he move from place to place? Wishing to sow the word everywhere. “And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue.” And what does he now call his own country? To me it seems, Nazareth. “For he did not do many mighty works there,” it says; but in Capernaum he did signs; therefore he also said, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” And having come there, he holds back from the signs, so as not to kindle them into greater envy, nor to condemn them more heavily as their unbelief increased; but he puts forward teaching, which holds no less wonder than the signs. For these utterly senseless men, when they ought to have wondered and been astonished at the power of what was said, on the contrary make light of him because of the one who was thought to be his father; and that though they had many examples of these things in former times, and had seen noble sons of obscure fathers. For David was the son of a humble farmer, Jesse; and Amos the son of a goatherd and himself a goatherd; and Moses the lawgiver too had a father very much inferior to himself. They ought then for this reason above all to have worshiped and been astonished, that being of such parents he uttered such things; for it was clear that it was not from human training but from divine grace; but from the very things for which they ought to have wondered, from these they despise him. And he frequents the synagogues continually, so that, if he always spent his time in the wilderness, they might not accuse him the more as splitting off and warring against their polity. Astonished then and at a loss, they said, “From where has this man this wisdom and these mighty works?”, calling either the signs mighty works, or the wisdom itself. “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” Then the wonder is greater and the astonishment more. “Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers James and Joses and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? From where then has this man all these things? And they were offended at him.” Do you see that he was speaking in Nazareth? “Are not his brothers,” it says, “so-and-so and so-and-so?” And what of this? “For from this above all you ought to have been led to faith.” But envy is an evil thing, and often falls foul of itself. For the things that were wonderful and marvelous and able to draw them, these offended them. What then does Christ say to them? “A prophet is not without honor,” he says, “except in his own country and in his own house.” “And he did not do many mighty works,” it says, “because of their unbelief.” And Luke says, “And he did not do many signs there.” And yet it was likely that he would do them. For if being wondered at was advancing for him (for even then he was wondered at), for what reason did he not do them? Because he was looking not to his own display but to their advantage. Since then this was not advancing, he overlooked his own glory, so as not to increase their punishment. And yet see after how long a time he came to them, and with how great a display of signs; but not even so did they bear it, but were again inflamed with envy. For what reason then did he do even a few signs? So that they might not say, “Physician, heal yourself”; so that they might not say, “He is our enemy and foe, and overlooks his own people”; so that they might not say, “If signs had been done, we too would have believed.” For this reason he both did them and held back: the one, that he might fulfill his own part; the other, that he might not condemn them more heavily. And consider the power of what was said, seeing that even though held by envy they still wondered. But as in the case of the works they do not find fault with what is done but invent causes that do not exist, saying, “He casts out the demons by Beelzebul,” so here too they do not blame the teaching but take refuge in the meanness of his family. But consider, I pray you, the teacher’s gentleness, how he does not insult them, but says with great mildness, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.” And he did not stop even there, but added, “and in his own house”; it seems to me that he added this hinting at his own brothers too.