His Encouragement to those who magnified Him. 387 soldiers; and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to MATT. another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, 9, 10. and he doeth it.

"And what of that," saith one, "if the centurion did suspect it to be so? For the question is, whether Christ affirmed and ratified as much." Thou speakest well, and very sensibly. Let us then look to this very thing; and we shall find what happened in the case of the leper, the same happening here likewise. For even as the leper said, If thou wilt, (and not from the leper only are we positive about His authority, but also from the voice of Christ; in that, so far from putting an end to the suspicion, He did even confirm it more, by adding what were else superfluous to say, in the phrase, I will, be thou cleansed, in order to establish that man's doctrine :) so here too, it is right to see whether any such thing occurred. In fact, we shall find this same thing again taking place. For when the centurion had spoken such words, and had testified His so great prerogative; so far from blaming, He did even approve it, and did somewhat more than approve it. For neither hath the Evangelist said, that He praised the saying only, but declaring a certain earnestness in His praise, that He even marvelled; and neither did He simply marvel, but in the presence also of the whole people, and set Him as an example to the rest, that they should emulate Him.

VIII.

Seest thou how each of them that bore witness of His authority is marvelled at? And the multitudes were astonished v. 2. at His doctrine, because He taught as one having authority; and so far from blaming them, He both took them with Him when He came down, and by His words of cleansing to the leper, confirmed their judgment. Again, that leper said, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean; and so far from rebuking, He on the contrary cleansed him by such treatment as He had said. Again, this centurion saith, Speak v.8. the word only, and my servant shall be healed: and marvelling at him, He said, I have not found so great faith, no, v. 10. not in Israel.

Now, to convince thee of this by the opposite also; Martha having said nothing of this sort, but on the contrary, 'Whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, He will give John

11, 22.

388 Christ encouraged high Doctrine touching Himself.

HOMIL. Thee; so far from being praised, although an acquaintance, and dear to Him, and one of them that had shewn great zeal toward Him, she was rather rebuked and corrected by Him, as

XXVI. 2,2 3.

11,

40.

1 John not having spoken well: in that He said to her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? blaming her, as though she did not even yet believe. And again, because she had said, Whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, He will give Thee; to lead her away from such a surmise, and to teach her that He needs not to receive from another, but is Himself the Fountain of all good things, 2ibid.25. He saith, I am the Resurrection and the Life"; that is to Singlar say, "I wait not to receive active power3, but work all of Myself."

v. 10. comp.

Wherefore at the centurion He both marvels, and prefers him to all the people, and honours him with the gift of the kingdom, and provokes the rest to the same zeal. And to shew thee that for this end He so spake, viz. for the instructing of the rest to believe in like manner, listen to the exactness of the Evangelist, how he hath intimated it. For,

Jesus, saith He, turned Him about, and said to them that Luke 7, followed Him, I have not found so great faith, no, not in

9.

Israel.

It follows, that to have high imaginations concerning Him, this especially is of faith, and tends to procure the kingdom and His other blessings. For neither did His praise reach to words only, but He both restored the sick man whole, in recompence of his faith, and weaves for him a glorious crown, and promises great gifts, saying on this wise,

v.11,12. Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down in the bosoms of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out.

Thus, since He had shewn many miracles, He proceeds to talk with them more unreservedly.

Then, that no one might suppose His words to come of flattery, but that all might be aware that such was the mind of the centurion, He saith,

Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And straightway the work followed, bearing witness to his character1.

And his servant was healed from that hour.

VIII.

St. Luke's Account compared with St. Matthew's. 389 Which was the result in the case of the Syrophoenician MATT. woman also; for to her too He saith, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole'.

[3.] But since Luke, also relating this miracle, inserts by the way a good many other things, which seem to indicate some disagreement; these too must be explained by us.

13.

1 Matt.

15, 28.

7, 2.

What then saith Luke? He sent elders of the Jews unto Him entreating Him to come. But Matthew saith, that he2 Luke approached himself, and said, I am not worthy. And some indeed say, the one is not the same as the other, though they have many points of resemblance. Thus, of the one it is said, that He both hath builded our synagogue, and loveth our nation; but concerning this other Jesus Himself saith, 3 ib. v. 5. I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. And touching the former, He did not say, many shall come from the east;" whence it is likely that he was a Jew.

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What then are we to say? That this solution is indeed easy, but the question is, whether it be true. To me this one seems to be the same as the other. How then, it may be asked, doth Matthew relate, that he himself said, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, but Luke, that he sent for Christ to come? To me Luke seems to be intimating to us the flattery of the Jews; and that persons in affliction, being unsettled, form to themselves many different counsels. For it is likely that the centurion, when he wished to have gone, was stopped by the Jews, flattering him, and saying, "We will go and bring Him.”

4

See at least that even their entreaty is full of flattering. For Luke He loveth our nation, (so it runs,) and our synagogue He7, 5. builded: neither know they for what to praise the man. For whereas they ought to have said, He was minded himself to come and entreat Thee, "but we forbad him, seeing his affiction, and the calamity lying upon his house;" and so they should have set forth the greatness of his faith; this they say not, for neither were they willing, for envy, to declare the man's faith: but they chose rather to cast a shade over his virtue, for whom they had come to make their supplication, lest He who was entreated, should seem to be some great one; than by proclaiming the other's faith, to accomplish that for which

XXVI.

390

The Praise of the Centurion's Faith:

HOMIL. they had come. For envy is enough to blind the under3, 4. standing. But He Who knows the secret things, even against their will proclaimed that centurion.

2 ποιεῖ

And that this is true, hear Luke himself again, interpreting it. For he himself saith on this wise; When He was now not far off, he sent, saying, O Lord, trouble not Thyself: for I am 1 Luke not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof1. That 7,6. is, when he was freed from their importunity, then he sends, saying, “Think not it was for sloth that I came not, but I accounted myself unworthy to receive Thee in my house." And if Matthew saith that not by his friends, but by himself did he say this; that proves nothing; for the question is, whether each of them has set before us the zealousness of the man, and his having had the right opinion concerning Christ. But it is likely, that after sending his friends, he himself also came and said these things. And if Luke did not speak of the one, no more did Matthew of the other; and this is not the part of men disagreeing amongst themselves, but rather of those that are filling up the things omitted by one another. But see by another thing also how Luke hath 3 Luke proclaimed his faith, saying that his servant was ready to die3. 7, 2. Nevertheless, not even this cast him into despondency, neither did it cause him to give up: but even so he trusted that he should prevail. And if Matthew affirm Christ to have said, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel, and hereby to shew clearly that he was not an Israelite; while Luke saith, He built our synagogue; neither is this a contradiction. For it was possible for one, even though not a Jew, both to build the synagogue, and to love the nation.

[4.] But do not thou, I pray thee, merely enquire what was said by him, but add thereto his rank also, and then thou wilt see the man's excellency. Because in truth great is the pride of them that are in places of command, and not even in afflictions do they take lower ground. He, for example, who is set down in John, is for dragging Him unto his house, 4 John and saith, Come down, for my child is ready to die1. But not so this man; rather he is far superior both to him, and to those who let down the bed through the roof. For he seeks not for His bodily presence, neither did He bring the sick man near the Physician; a thing which implied no mean

4, 49.

compared with the low Standard of the Jews. 391

VIII. 13.

imaginations concerning Him, but rather a suspicion of His MAtt. divine dignity. And he saith, Speak the word only. And at the beginning he saith not even, Speak the word, but only describes his affliction: for neither did he, of great humility, expect that Christ would straightway consent, and enquire for his house. Therefore, when he heard Him say, I will come and heal him, then, not before, he saith, Speak the word. Nor yet did the suffering confound him, but still under calamity he reasons coolly', not looking so much to the i2000health of the servant, as to the avoiding all appearance off". doing any thing irreverent.

πράγμα.

And yet it was not he that pressed it, but Christ that offered it nevertheless even so he feared, lest perchance he should be thought to be going beyond his own deservings, and to be drawing upon himself a thing above his strength 2.2 Bagù Seest thou his wisdom? Mark the folly of the Jews, in saying, He was worthy for whom He should do the favour. For 3 Luke when they should have taken refuge in the love of Jesus towards man, they rather allege this man's worthiness; and know not so much as on what ground to allege it. But not so he, but he affirmed himself even in the utmost degree unworthy, not only of the benefit, but even of receiving the Lord in his house. Wherefore even when he said, My servant lieth sick, he did not add, speak, for fear lest he should be unworthy to obtain the gift; but he merely made known his affliction. And when he saw Christ zealous in His turn, not even so did he spring forward, but still continues to keep to the end his own proper measure.

And if any one should say, "wherefore did not Christ honour him in return?" we would say this, that He did make return to him in honour, and that exceedingly: first by bringing out his mind, which thing chiefly appeared by His not coming to his house; and in the second place, by introducing him into His kingdom, and preferring him to the whole Jewish nation. For because he made himself out unworthy even to receive Christ into his house, he became worthy both of a kingdom, and of attaining unto those good things which Abraham enjoyed.

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"But wherefore," one may say, was not the leper commended, who shewed forth things greater than these?" For