Commentary on Luke (Greek fragments) 4.3–4.31

“And the devil said to him,” and so on (4:3). … Satan, tempting him, expected that the suffering of hunger would be, as it were, an ally of the perversity in him; for he often overpowers us by taking the weaknesses in us to help his schemes or attempts; and he thought that Christ would readily leap at the wish to see loaves set before him. He said, then: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” He approaches him as a common man and as one of the saints; yet he suspected that he might perhaps be the Christ. How, then, did he wish to learn this? He reflected that to change a nature into what it was not is the effect and work of a power befitting God; for it is God who makes and transforms such things. “If this happens,” he says, “then he is surely the one expected to come against my dominion; but if he does not change it, I am dealing with a man, and I have cast off my fear and am rid of the danger.” Therefore Christ, knowing the beast’s design, neither changed the stone nor said that he could not do it or did not wish to, but rather shook him off as troublesome and superfluous, saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone”; that is, if God gives a man power, he can go without eating and live, like Moses and Elijah, who by the word of God lived without food for forty days. “If, then, it is possible to live without bread, why should I make the stone bread?” So he neither says, “I cannot,” lest he deny his own power, nor “I can,” lest the other, knowing that he is God, to whom alone such things are possible, should withdraw from him. — And see, I pray, human nature in Christ casting off the charges of Adam’s incontinence. Through eating we were conquered in Adam; through self-control we have conquered in Christ. — Our earthly body is nourished by foods from the earth and seeks for its support what is akin to it; but the rational soul is made robust for spiritual health by the divine word. For foods from the earth nourish the body akin to them, while those from above and from heaven brace the spirit. The food of the mind is the word from God, a spiritual bread that strengthens the heart of man, as is sung in the book of Psalms; and such, we say, is the food of the holy angels themselves. “He showed him all the kingdoms of the world” (4:5).

But you evildoer, wicked and accursed, how did you dare to show the Lord of all creation all the kingdoms and say, “All these are mine; now if you fall down and worship me, I will give them to you”? How do you promise what is not yours? Who made you heir of God’s kingdom? Who subjected the world under heaven to you? You seized it by deceit; so give it back to the Son made man, the Master of all. Hear what the prophet Isaiah says of you: “Has it been prepared for you too to reign? A deep ravine, fire and sulphur and wood laid up; the wrath of the Lord like a ravine burning with sulphur.” You whose lot is the unquenchable flame, how do you promise the King of all what is his own? Did you expect to have as your worshipper him before whom all things tremble, whom the seraphim and all the angelic powers glorify? “It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve.” — As though … at his very vitals, he brought forward this commandment most aptly; for before the Lord’s coming the devil had led astray the whole world under heaven, and he was the one worshipped everywhere; but the law of God, putting him outside the dominion he had procured by deceit, commanded that the one who is God by nature and in truth be worshipped, and that worship be rendered to him alone. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here” (4:9).

The devil brings a third temptation, that of vainglory, saying, “Throw yourself down,” as a display of the Godhead. But he did not bring him down through pride; rather, he himself was thrown out of this aim too: “For it is said,” he says, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” For God does not grant his help to those who tempt him, but to those who believe in him; and it is not because he counts us worthy of his care that we ought to make a show of it. Besides, Christ never gave a sign to those who tempted him: “For an evil generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it.” Let Satan, who is tempting him, hear this now too. So we have conquered in Christ; and he who once prevailed in Adam went away put to shame, so that we might have him under our feet. For when Christ conquered, he passed on to us too the power to conquer: “Behold,” he says, “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.” “For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you” (4:10).

See how wickedly he tries, by quoting the Scriptures, to pull down the Lord’s glory, as though he needed angelic help, as though he would stumble unless angels helped him. For the quotation from the psalm was not said of Christ; the Master does not need angels. The pinnacle was a very high building constructed against the side of the temple. — Some, however, wrongly refer the psalm to the person of the Lord, and, joining the verses, read thus: “For you, O Lord, are my hope; you have made the Most High your refuge.” They say, then, that the Lord has the Most High, namely the Father in heaven, as his refuge. Satan became the occasion of such an understanding for them; for he understood the verses so, saying: “You are the Son of God; throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you.” For Satan, being a slanderer and deceiver, fastens even what was said about us to the person of Christ the Saviour of us all. But we do not understand it as Satan is accustomed to understand. If the Arians have understood it so, it is no wonder; for they follow their own father, who is a liar, and there is no truth in him, according to the Saviour’s word. For if such a thing is true according to them, then we have made Christ our hope, but he has the Father as his refuge; so we have fled for refuge to one who is himself helped, and we call Saviour one who is saved by another. It is not so; far from it. We say, then, to those accustomed to think so: You are announcing another error to us; you are leaving the royal and straight road; you are falling into thorns and pits; you have fallen from the truth. The Son is equal to the Father in all things, the imprint of his hypostasis, Most High as the Father is. Satan, then, used these verses of the Saviour as of a common man; for since he is wholly darkness and has his mind darkened, he did not understand the force of what was said: that the psalm is spoken in the person of every righteous man helped by the Most High, who is the God of heaven; and besides, he did not know that the Word, being God, had become man and was himself the one tempted by the economy. He, then, as I said, supposed that the words were spoken of a common man, or of one of the holy prophets; but it is absurd for us, who know the mystery exactly and have believed that he is God and Son of God, and that for our sake he became man like us, to suppose that the verses were spoken about him. It does not fit the person of the Saviour, then, to say, “You have made the Most High your refuge.” For he himself is the Most High, the refuge of all, the hope of all, the all-powerful right hand of the Father; and if anyone makes him his refuge, evils will not come near him; for he himself will command the angels, who are ministering spirits, to guard the righteous man. For as fathers according to the flesh, when they see a rough and difficult road, snatch up their infants in their arms, lest they be hurt, since they have tender feet and cannot yet walk on a hard road, so the rational powers do not allow those who are not yet able to toil, but have a mind somehow childlike,

to toil beyond their strength, but draw them out of every temptation. “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee” (4:14). Leaving his stay in the cities, he camped in the deserts; there he fasted while tempted by Satan, there he conquered for us, there he crushed the heads of the dragons; there, as the blessed David says, the swords of the enemy failed utterly, and cities were destroyed—that is, those who were like towers and cities. Having thus prevailed over Satan, and having crowned in himself human nature with the prizes won against him, he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, using energy and power, working very many divine signs and providing great wonder. He worked the divine signs not by receiving the grace of the Spirit from outside, as something acquired, as the choir of the saints do, but rather because he is by nature and in truth the Son of God the Father and has what is his as his own portion; for he said to him: “All that is mine is yours, and yours is mine, and I am glorified in them.” He has been glorified, then, as using the power and energy of the consubstantial Spirit as his own. “And he came to Nazareth, and entered the synagogue” (4:16).

Since he had now to make himself manifest to those of the blood of Israel, and the mystery of the incarnation had to shine out to those who did not know it—and that he had been anointed by God the Father for the salvation of the world under heaven—he arranges this too most wisely; and he grants it before the others to those in Nazareth, among whom he had been brought up, according to the flesh, I mean. Having entered the synagogue, then, he receives a book to read; and opening it, he chose a prophetic passage that speaks of the mystery concerning him. — Most plainly, through these words, he himself was the one who had said through the prophet’s voice that he would both become man and come to save the world under heaven. For we say that the Son was anointed in no other way than as having become like us according to the flesh and made man; for being at once God and man, the same one gives the Spirit to the creation divinely, but receives it from God the Father humanly—he who sanctifies all creation, since he has appeared from a holy Father, and pours the Spirit poured forth from him, as his own, into the powers above and also into those who have recognized his appearing. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor,” and so on (4:18).

By these words he plainly shows that for our sake he accepted the lowliness and abasement of the self-emptying, and the very name and reality of “Christ.” For the Spirit, he says, which is naturally in me because of the identity of essence and Godhead, has also come upon me from outside; just as at the Jordan it came upon me in the form of a dove, not as though it were not in me, but “because he has anointed me.” For whose sake did he choose to be anointed? For ours, who had become bereft of the Spirit through that ancient sentence: “My Spirit shall not remain in these men, because they are flesh.” — This the Word of God made man says; for being true God from the true God the Father, and having become man for us without change, he has been anointed together with us with the oil of gladness, when the Spirit came upon him at the Jordan in the form of a dove. Of old, kings and priests were anointed symbolically, gaining from it some share in sanctification; but he who became man for us was anointed with the spiritual oil of gladness and with the very coming of the Spirit, receiving this for us, not for himself. For when the Spirit had flown away and did not remain in us, because we were flesh, the earth was full of mourning, being deprived of participation in God. — He proclaimed release to captives, and also brought it about, binding the strong man who tyrannically oppressed our race. Just as “he has anointed me” befits the humanity—for it is not the divine nature that is anointed but what is of one kind with us—so “he has sent me” too must be reckoned to the human. — And those who of old had the devil’s mist over their hearts he made bright, rising like a sun of righteousness, and making them sons no longer of night and darkness but of light and day, according to Paul’s word; and those who were blind—for the apostate had blinded their hearts—recovered their sight and recognized the truth; and, as Isaiah says, darkness became light for them: that is, the ignorant became wise, and those who once went astray have known the ways of righteousness. And the Father says somewhere to the Son himself: “I have given you as a covenant of the race, as a light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out of bonds those who are bound, and out of the prison-house those who sit in darkness.” For the Only-begotten came into this world, and to those of the race, that is, to those of the blood of Israel—for from them he appeared according to the flesh—he gave the new covenant announced long before by the voice of the prophets; he also flashed the divine and heavenly light upon the nations; and he went and preached to the spirits in Hades, appeared to those shut up in the prison-house, and released all from bonds and constraint. How would these things not hold a clear proof that Christ is God and from God by nature? And what is “to send away in release those who are broken”? To send out free those whom Satan spiritually broke by beating them. And what is “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”? … To announce his own coming, that the time of the Lord, that is, of the Son, had arrived; for the acceptable year is the one in which Christ was crucified for us; for then we became acceptable to God the Father, having been made fruitful through him. Therefore he said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself.” And indeed he came back to life on the third day, having trampled the might of death. Then he said to the disciples: “All authority has been given to me,” and what follows. That, then, is surely the acceptable year in which we were received, having obtained kinship with him, having washed away sin through holy baptism, and having become partakers of his divine nature through participation in the Holy Spirit; or the acceptable year is the one in which he manifested his glory through his divine signs beyond reason. For we gladly received the time of salvation from him, which the all-wise Paul also pointed out, saying: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”—when the poor, who once had suffered the want of every good thing, having no hope and without God in the world (these would be those from the nations), became rich in faith in him and gained the divine and heavenly treasure, namely the evangelical and saving proclamation, through which they became sharers in the kingdom of heaven, partners with the saints, and heirs of what is beyond mind and reason. “For eye has not seen,” he says, “nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Or perhaps the word here says that the abundant supply of the gifts through Christ has been given to the poor in spirit. By the brokenhearted he means those who are weak and have an easily shattered mind, unable to resist the assaults of the passions, but so subdued by them as to seem captives. To these he promises healing and release; and to them, being blind, he also gives recovery of sight. For those who worship the creature rather than the Creator, “saying to the wood, You are my father, and to the stone, You begot me,” and so did not recognize the one who is God by nature and in truth—how would they not be blind, with hearts bare of the divine and spiritual light? Into these the Father puts the light of the true knowledge of God. For they were called through faith and knew him, or rather were known by him; and being sons of night and darkness, they became children of light; for the day dawned for them, the sun of righteousness rose, and the bright morning star arose. Nothing prevents us from applying all that has been said to those of the blood of Israel too; for they too were poor and brokenhearted, and as it were captives and darkened; for there was none on earth who did good, not even one, but “all turned aside, together they became worthless.” But Christ came, preaching the achievements of his coming to those of Israel before the others (and such too were the infirmities of the nations), and they were redeemed through him; for they have become rich in the wisdom that comes from him, and have become understanding, and no longer have a weak and shattered mind, but one sound and strong and well fitted for receiving and achieving every good and saving thing. For wisdom and understanding were needed by those who had gone astray, who through great stupidity worshipped the creature rather than the Creator and inscribed wood and stones as gods. But those who of old did not know Christ, because they lived in mist and darkness, have inscribed him as God. When these words had been read to those assembled, he turned the eyes of all to himself, as they wondered, perhaps, how he knew letters without having learned. And since it was the custom of those of Israel to say that the prophecies about him had been fulfilled either in some of those who had reigned gloriously among them, or at least in holy prophets—for understanding nothing rightly of what was written about him, they went off on another path, falling wide of the mark—so that they might not again say some such thing about this prophecy, he necessarily guards against it beforehand and says: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your ears,” plainly presenting himself as the one foretold by the prophecy. — For he preached the kingdom of heaven to those from the nations; for they were poor, having nothing: no God, no law, no prophets; or else to all, simply, who do not have spiritual wealth. He rescued those who were captives, having overthrown the apostate tyrant, that is, Satan. He flashed the divine and spiritual light on those who had their hearts darkened; he said, indeed: “I have come as light into this world.” He released from the bonds of sin those, namely, who had a broken heart; and he showed the life to come and threatened the just judgment.

He proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord, in which the Saviour’s preaching took place; for by the acceptable year I think his first coming is meant, and by the day of recompense, the day of judgment. “And all bore witness to him and wondered,” and so on (4:22). … understanding that he was the one anointed and sent, and the doer of such wonderful deeds, they were carried back to their usual ways and talk foolishly; for though they had wondered at the words of grace that came out of his mouth, they wished to belittle him; for they said: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And how does this impair the glory of the wonder-worker? What prevents him from being august and admirable, even if he was, as was supposed, the son of Joseph? Do you not see the divine signs: Satan fallen, the herds of demons conquered, many set free from various diseases? You praise the grace in his teachings, and then you quibble in Jewish fashion that he was registered as having Joseph for father? O great folly! It is true to say of them: “Behold, a foolish and senseless people; they have eyes and do not see, ears and do not hear.”

“Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb,” and so on (4:23). … some: “Physician, heal yourself.” It was, then, a saying current among the Jews, invented for wit; for they used to say it of physicians who were ill. Putting this saying before them, Christ said: “You want many signs to be done by me, and above all among you, among whom I was brought up; but I know the common failing that befalls everyone. The most excellent things are somehow always despised when they are not rare among people but are had freely. So it is with men too: one who is familiar and always present is often robbed of the honour due to him by those who know him.” — He rebuked them, then, for saying foolishly such things as “Is not this the son of Joseph?”

But he keeps to the aim of his teaching of the mystery, and says: “Amen, amen, I say to you, that no prophet is acceptable in his own country. There were many widows in the days of Elijah,” and so on (4:24–25). … as I said, some of the Jews asserted that the prophecies about him had been fulfilled either in holy prophets or in some of the illustrious men among them, he usefully leads them away from such a supposition by saying that Elijah was sent to one widow, and that the prophet Elisha healed one leper, Naaman the Syrian. By these he signifies the Church from the nations, which was to receive him and be freed from leprosy, because of Israel’s insensibility.

“And all in the synagogue were filled with wrath,” and so on (4:28). Because he had branded their evil intent, they were inflamed to anger; and because he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled”—the one that says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” and what follows. For they thought he was making himself equal to the prophets, and they cast him out of the city—rather fixing the sentence against themselves and confirming what the Saviour had said; for they themselves have fallen from the city above, because they did not receive Christ. And so that he might convict them not only of impiety but also of going as far as attempts on his life, he allowed their daring against him to go forward; for their impulse was reckless and their envy untamed; bringing him, then, to the brow of the hill, they tried to throw him down the precipice. “But he passed through the midst of them,” not taking the slightest account, so to speak, of their plot; not fleeing suffering—for he had come for this—but waiting for the fitting time; for it was now the beginning of the preaching, and to suffer before he had preached the word of truth would have been untimely. For it was in his power to suffer and not to suffer, and he was Lord of times and events. This is proof that when he did suffer, he suffered willingly, and that he would not have suffered unless he had given himself up.

“And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee” (4:31). Those whom word does not move to know clearly who is God and Lord by nature and in truth, the display of signs catches in the net and makes docile. Usefully and necessarily, then, he often adds mighty works to his teaching of the mysteries. For the inhabitants of Judea were unbelieving and despised the words of those who called them to salvation, and those of Capernaum most of all; the Lord indeed accused it, saying: “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.” But though he knew that they were disobedient and hard-hearted, he went to them like an excellent physician to those fallen into the last extremity of disease, and tried to free them from the evil; for he himself says: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” He taught, then, in synagogues with great boldness; for this too he foretold through the voice of Isaiah, saying: “I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth.” And he also commanded the holy apostles to speak about him with great boldness, saying: “What I tell you in the darkness, say in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.” And on the sabbath, when they were at rest, he spoke with them. They wondered, then, at the power of his teaching and at the greatness of his authority; for his word, it says, was with authority, not flattering but urging to salvation. For the Jews thought Christ was nothing other than one who would appear among them like one of the saints and in the rank of a prophet. But so that they might have a higher estimation and opinion of him, he goes beyond the prophetic measure; for he never said, “Thus says the Lord,” as was the custom of those others, but spoke as Lord of the law, indeed as one above the law. God said, then, through Isaiah: “And I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the sure holy things of David. Behold, I have given him as a testimony among the nations, a ruler and commander to the nations.” For it was fitting that Moses, being a servant, should become the minister of the shadow that does not abide, but that the Eternal One, I mean Christ, should be the announcer of the perpetual and abiding worship. And what is the everlasting covenant? The sacred decrees of Christ, of the seed of David according to the flesh: called holy and sure as making holy and making faithful—just as the fear of God is called pure as making pure, and the word of the Gospel is called life as life-giving: “For the words that I have spoken to you,” he says, “are spirit and life,” that is, spiritual and life-giving. But consider the precision of the prophecy. Isaiah, having said of Christ as in the person of God the Father, “Behold, I have given him as a testimony to the nations,” testifying, as it were, … so that no one might suppose him to be one of the holy prophets, but rather that everyone whatever might know that he is distinguished by the glory of lordship (for being God he appeared to us), says not only that he has been given as a testimony, but also as ruler and commander to the nations. The blessed prophets, and before them Moses, having the measure of servants, always proclaimed to their hearers “Thus says the Lord,” not as commanding but rather as ministering the divine words. But our Lord Jesus Christ spoke words most befitting God; indeed even among the Jews themselves he was marvelled at because his word was with authority, and because he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. For his word was not of the shadow of the law; but as being himself the Lawgiver he changed the letter into truth and the types into spiritual clarity; for he was ruler, and had this authority to command.