Christ's Sonship confirmed by Miracle. XVII. 27. 787 And what He saith is like this, "I am indeed free from MATT. paying tribute. For if the kings of the earth take it not of their sons, but of their subjects; much more ought I to be freed from this demand, I who am Son, not of an earthly king, but of the King of Heaven, and Myself a King.” Seest thou how He hath distinguished the sons from them that are not sons? And if He were not a Son, to no purpose hath He brought in the example also of the kings. "Yea," one may say," He is a Son, but not truly begotten." Then is He not a Son; and if not a Son, nor truly begotten, neither doth He belong to God, but to some other. But if He belong to another, then neither hath the comparison its proper force. For He is discoursing not of the sons generally, but of the genuine sons, men's very own; of them that share the kingdom with their parents. Wherefore also in contradistinction He hath mentioned the strangers; meaning by strangers, such as are not born of them, but by their own, those whom they have begotten of themselves. And I would have thee mark this also; how the high doctrine 1, revealed to Peter, He doth hereby again confirm.1 àv And neither at this did He stop, but by His very condescension declares this self-same truth; an instance of exceeding wisdom. For after thus speaking, He saith, But lest we should v. 27. offend them, go thou and cast an hook into the sea, and take up the fish that first cometh up, and thou shalt find therein a piece of money; that take, and give unto them for Me and thee. See how He neither declines the tribute, nor simply commands to pay it, but having first proved Himself not liable to it, then He gives it: the one to save the people, the other, those around Him, from offence. For He gives it not at all as a debt, but as doing the best for their weakness. Else- 2 dingovú· where, however, He despises the offence, when He was dis-s coursing of meats; teaching us to know at what seasons we3 c. 15, ought to consider them that are offended, and at what to disregard them. διορθνύ 11. 788 Christ's Power over the Sea. HOMIL. And indeed by the very mode of giving He discloses LVIII. Himself again. For wherefore doth He not command him 2, 3. to give of what they have laid up? That, as I have said, small thing, to foretel that the first, who out of those depths should come in his way, would be the fish that would pay the tribute; and having cast forth His commandment like a net into that abyss, to bring up the one that bore the piece of money, but it was of a divine and unutterable power, thus to make even the sea bear gifts, and that its subjection to Him should be shewn on all hands, as well when in its 1c.8,26. madness it was silent', and when, though fierce, it received 2 c. 14, its fellow servant 2; as now again, when it makes payment in His behalf to them that are demanding it. 29. c. xviii. 1. And give unto them, He saith, for Me and thee. Seest thou the exceeding greatness of the honour? See also the self-command of Peter's mind. For this point Mark, the follower of this Apostle, doth not appear to have set down, because it indicated the great honour paid to him; but while of the denial he wrote as well as the rest, the things that make him illustrious he hath passed over in silence, his master perhaps entreating him not to mention the great things about himself. And He used the phrase, for Me and thee, because Peter too was a firstborn child. Now as thou art amazed at Christ's power, so I bid thee admire also the disciple's faith, that to a thing beyond possibility he so gave ear. For indeed it was very far beyond possibility by nature. Wherefore also in requital for his faith, He joined him to Himself in the payment of the tribute. [3.] At that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The disciples experienced some feeling of human weakness; wherefore the Evangelist also adds this note, saying, In that hour; when He had preferred him to all. For of What moved the Disciples to ask about the greatest. 789 James too, and John, one was a firstborn son, but no such MATT. thing as this had He done for them. 66 XVIII. 2, 3. Then, being ashamed to avow their feeling, they say not indeed openly, "Wherefore hast thou preferred Peter to us?" or, Is he greater than we are?" for they were ashamed; but indefinitely they ask, Who then is greater? For when they saw the three preferred, they felt nothing of the kind; but now that the honour had come round to one, they were vexed. And not for this only, but there were many other things which they put together to kindle that feeling. For to him He had said, I will give thee the keys'; to c. 16, him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; to him here, Give unto them for Me and thee; and seeing too in general how freely he was allowed to speak, it somewhat fretted them. 19. And if Mark saith, that they did not ask, but reasoned in 2 Mark themselves, that is nothing contrary to this. For it is likely 9, 34. that they did both the one and the other, and whereas before, on another occasion, they had had this feeling, both once and twice, that now they did both declare it, and reason among themselves. But to thee I say, "Look not to the charge against them only, but consider this too; first, that they seek none of the things of this world; next, that even this passion they afterwards laid aside, and give up the first place one to another.” But we are not able to attain so much as unto their faults, neither do we seek, who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven; but, who is greatest in the earthly kingdom, who is wealthiest, who most powerful. What then saith Christ? He unveils their conscience, and replies to their feeling, not merely to their words. For He called a little child unto Him, saith the Scripture, and said, Except ye be converted, and become as this little child, v. 2. 3. ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. "Why, you," He saith, “enquire who is greatest, and are contentious for first honours; but I pronounce him, that is not become lowest of all, unworthy so much as to enter in thither." And full well doth He both allege that pattern, and not allege it only, but also set the child in the midst, by the very sight abashing them, and persuading them to be in like manner lowly and artless. Since both from envy the little child is pure, and from vainglory, and from longing for the 790 Excellency of young Children. HOMIL. first place; and he is possessed of the greatest of virtues, simplicity, and whatever is artless and lowly. LVIII. 3, 4. Not courage then only is wanted, nor wisdom, but this virtue also, humility I mean, and simplicity. Yea, and the things that belong to our salvation halt even in the chiefest point, if these be not with us. The little child, whether it be insulted and beaten, or honoured and glorified, neither by the one is it moved to impatience or envy, nor by the other lifted up. Seest thou how again He calls us on to all natural excellencies, indicating that of free choice it is possible to attain them, and so silences the wicked frenzy of the Manichæans? For if nature be an evil thing, wherefore doth He draw from hence His patterns of severe goodness? And the child which He set in the midst I suppose to have been a very young child indeed, free from all these passions. For such a little child is free from pride and the mad desire of glory, and envy, and contentiousness, and all such passions, and having many virtues, simplicity, humility, 1argay- unworldliness', prides itself upon none of them; which is a μοσύνην. twofold severity of goodness; to have these things, and not to be puffed up about them. v. 5. v. 6. Wherefore He brought it in, and set it in the midst; and not at this merely did He conclude His discourse, but carries further this admonition, saying, And whoso shall receive such a little child in My Name, receiveth Me. "For know," saith He," that not only, if ye yourselves become like this, shall ye receive a great reward; but also if for My sake ye honour others who are such, even for your honour to them do I appoint unto you a kingdom as your recompence." Or rather, He sets down what is far greater, saying, “he receiveth Me. So exceedingly dear to Me is all that is lowly and artless." For by a little child, here, He means the men that are thus simple and lowly, and abject and contemptible in the judgment of the common sort. [4.] After this, to obtain yet more acceptance for His saying, He establishes it not by the honour only, but also by the punishment, going on to say, And whoso shall offend one of these little ones, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Punishment of such as offend them. 791 XVIII. "For as they," saith He," who honour these for My sake, MATT. have heaven, or rather an honour greater than the very 6. kingdom; even so they likewise who dishonour them, (for this is to offend them,) shall suffer the extremity of punishment. And marvel thou not at His calling the affront an offence; for many feebleminded persons have suffered no ordinary offence from being treated with slight and insult. To heighten therefore and aggravate the blame, He states the mischief arising therefrom. And He doth not go on to express the punishment in the same way, but from the things familiar to us, He indicates how intolerable it is. For when He would touch the grosser sort most sharply, He brings sensible images. Wherefore here also, meaning to indicate the greatness of the punishment they shall undergo, and to strike into the arrogance of those that despise them, He brought forward a kind of sensible punishment, that of the millstone, and of the drowning. Yet surely it were suitable to what had gone before to have said, "He that receiveth not one of these little ones, receiveth not Me;" a thing bitterer than any punishment; but since the very unfeeling, and exceeding gross, were not so much penetrated by this, terrible as it is, He puts a millstone, and a drowning. And He said not, "A millstone shall be hanged about his neck," but, It were better for him to undergo this; implying that another evil, more grievous than this, awaits him; and if this be unbearable, much more that. Seest thou how in both respects He made His threat terrible, first by the comparison with the known image rendering it more distinct, then by the excess on its side presenting it to the fancy as far greater than that visible one? Seest thou how He plucks up by the root the spirit of arrogance; how He heals the ulcer of vainglory; how He instructs us in nothing to set our heart on the first honours; how He persuades such as covet them in every thing to follow after the lowest place? [5.] For nothing is worse than arrogance'. This even takes 1wovoías men out of their natural senses, and brings upon them the character of fools; or rather, it really makes them to be utterly like idiots. |