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of his own flock; but he enters the house of the Pharisee, not as God, not as king, not as the Sun of righteousness, but as a man to a man, as a lamb to a lamb. He lives with him, pastures with him, sits with him, enters, reclines with the one already fallen on account of sin, so that by reclining with him he might raise up with him the one already fallen. And having entered, he did not wash according to the custom of the Pharisees. And this he did in two ways, so that he might give an occasion for the sheep to speak to the shepherd; and also to abolish a Judaic dogma, and to confirm a spiritual one. For the Pharisee, it says, saw and was amazed that he did not first wash, not praising the teacher, but being perplexed at what was happening, not praising, but judging. And it was possible to see, beloved, the life-creator being judged by the creature, and the potter being corrected by the clay.

The Pharisee suffered this because he did not see with the hidden eyes of the heart the commander of the angels within. If he had seen him, he would have fallen at his 59.592 knees, and with his tears washed his feet, and would have said, Be merciful to me, a sinner. For he would have said: You who brought all things from non-being into being; by your word the heavens were established, and by your spirit their powers were constituted. You gather the waters of the sea as into a wineskin, placing the depths in storehouses; because of you the whole world is afraid. But having neither thought nor said any of these things, he judged the Master; but the Lord, having given an occasion, just as to that Samaritan woman, by asking for water from her, gave an opportunity to ask from him the heavenly water. The Lord therefore begins gently to turn back the sheep, and to lead him by the hand from error to the truth. For now you, the Pharisees, wash the outside of the cup and the dish; but the inside is full of plunder and deceit; that is, you now beautify the body, but you corrupt the souls. And how will it please you, even if the cup is golden, when it has a deadly drink inside? Are not prostitutes like this, who by coloring their faces destroy their souls? For do they not, by reddening their faces with crimson, create with their own fingers an image of the flame that is to receive them? when they should sprinkle, or rather, make their hearts rosy with the blood of Jesus, and whiten their hearts with the spirit; so that the flower of the soul might be sparkling, like a rose mixed with a lily. But now they inflame their faces, so that they may kindle the hearts of the young to madness. Now you, the Pharisees, wash the outside of the cup and the dish, but your inside is full of plunder and wickedness; as if he were saying, Why do you wash the body with water, but do not wash the offenses in the spirit?

For I dare to say, beloved, a man will be benefited in no way, even if he washes his body, if he does not have the spirit as a co-worker, and almsgiving running with it. For just as a cup, washed both outside and inside, but having no drink, would not satisfy the desire of the thirsty, and likewise a dish; so too a man, even if he is washed inside and out, will not please the Lord, if he does not feed his fellow servant. Therefore the Lord adds, and says: But give what is within as alms; and behold, all things will be clean for you. But give what is within, he says; for he is not pleased by the contribution of the very rich, so much as by the unhypocritical offering of the sincere. Do not you, the poor man, seek because you do not have gold, and so many weights of silver; cast into the treasury what you have; and two mites justify. Remember the case of that widow, that she was justified above the very rich. For God does not know how to weigh money, but tests the conscience. Almsgiving wipes away the stains of souls, and stores up rewards of good things; almsgiving is the soul's life-giving provision, almsgiving whitens souls, almsgiving is the soul's confidence, a good generalship. Cast away gold, and receive the Lord;

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ἰδίου ποιμνίου· ἀλλ' εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Φαρισαίου, οὐχ ὡς Θεὸς, οὐχ ὡς βασιλεὺς, οὐχ ὡς Ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄνθρωπος πρὸς ἄνθρωπον, ὡς ἀρνίον πρὸς ἀρνίον. Συνδιαιτᾶται αὐτῷ, συννέμεται, συγκαθέζεται, εἰσέρχεται, συναναπίπτει τῷ ἤδη πεπτωκότι ὑπὲρ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα ἐν τῷ συναναπεσεῖν αὐτῷ τὸν ἤδη πεπτωκότα συνανεγείρῃ. Καὶ εἰσελθὼν οὐκ ἐβαπτίσθη κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῶν Φαρισαίων. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίει κατὰ δύο τρόπους, ἵνα δώσῃ ἀφορμὴν τῷ προβάτῳ λαλεῖν πρὸς τὸν ποιμένα· ἔτι δὲ καὶ δόγμα Ἰουδαϊκὸν καταλύσῃ, καὶ βεβαιώσῃ πνευματικόν. Εἶδε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Φαρισαῖος, καὶ ἐθαύμασεν, ὅτι οὐ πρῶτον ἐβαπτίσθη, οὐκ ἐπαινῶν τὸν διδάσκαλον, ἀλλὰ ἀπορῶν τὸ γινόμενον, οὐκ ἐπαινῶν, ἀλλὰ κρίνων. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸν ζωοπλάστην ὑπὸ τοῦ πλάσματος κρινόμενον, καὶ τὸν κεραμέα ὑπὸ τοῦ πηλοῦ διορθούμενον.

Τοῦτο ἔπασχεν ὁ Φαρισαῖος μὴ θεωρῶν τοῖς κρυπτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῆς καρδίας τὸν ἔνδοθεν τῶν ἀγγέλων ταξίαρχον. Εἰ ἐθεάσατο τοῦτον, προσέπεσεν ἂν τοῖς γό59.592 νασι, καὶ τοῖς δάκρυσιν ἔπλυνεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας, καὶ ἔλεγεν, Ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ. Ἔλεγε γὰρ ἄν· Σὺ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ πάντα παραγαγών· τῷ σῷ λόγῳ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τῷ σῷ αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτῶν συνέστησαν. Σὺ συνάγεις ὡς εἰς ἀσκὸν ὕδατα θαλάσσης, τιθεὶς ἐν θησαυροῖς ἀβύσσους· ἀπὸ σοῦ φοβεῖται πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων οὔτε ἐννοήσας, οὔτε εἰρηκὼς ἔκρινε τὸν ∆εσπότην· ὁ δὲ Κύριος πρόφασιν δεδωκὼς, ὥσπερ ἐκείνῃ τῇ Σαμαρείτιδι, ἐκ τοῦ αἰτῆσαι παρ' αὐτῆς ὕδωρ, ἔδωκε καιρὸν τοῦ αἰτῆσαι παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ οὐράνιον ὕδωρ. Ἄρχεται οὖν ὁ Κύριος ἠρέμα ἐπιστρέφειν τὸ πρόβατον, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτὸν χειραγωγεῖν. Ἄρτι γὰρ ὑμεῖς, οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, πλύνετε τὸ ἔξω τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τοῦ πίνακος· τὸ δὲ ἔσωθεν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καὶ δόλου· τουτέστιν, Ὑμεῖς νῦν τὸ μὲν σῶμα καλλωπίζετε, τὰς δὲ ψυχὰς κακίζετε. Πῶς δὲ καὶ τέρψῃ, χρυσοῦν ἂν ᾖ τὸ ποτήριον, ὅταν ἔνδον ἔχῃ θανατηφόρον ποτόν; Οὐχὶ τοιαῦται αἱ πόρναι, τὰς ὄψεις αὐτῶν τοῖς χρώμασιν ἀνθίζουσαι, τὰς ψυχὰς ἀφανίζουσιν; ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ τὰς ὄψεις αὐτῶν φοίνικι ἐρυθραίνουσαι, εἴδωλον τῆς μελλούσης αὐτὰς ὑποδέχεσθαι φλογὸς οἰκείοις δακτύλοις ἐργάζονται; δέον αὐτὰς τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὰς καρδίας ῥαντίζειν, μᾶλλον δὲ ῥοδίζειν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν λευκαίνειν· ἵνα τὸ ἄνθος τῆς ψυχῆς ἀστράπτον καθάπερ ῥόδον ἐν κρίνῳ μεμιγμένον ὑπάρχῃ. Νῦν δὲ τὰς ὄψεις αὐτῶν ἐκφλογίζουσιν, ἵνα τὰς τῶν νέων καρδίας πρὸς μανίαν ἐκκαύσωσιν. Νῦν ὑμεῖς, οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, τὸ ἔξωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τοῦ πίνακος πλύνετε, τὸ δὲ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πονηρίας· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγε, ∆ιὰ τί τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὕδατι λούετε, τὰ δὲ πταίσματα ἐν τῷ πνεύματι οὐ λούετε;

Τολμῶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ἀγαπητοὶ, οὐδὲν ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος, κἂν τὸ σῶμα πλύνῃ, ἐὰν μὴ πνεῦμα ἔχῃ συνεργὸν, καὶ σύνδρομον τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ποτήριον καὶ ἔξωθεν πλυθὲν καὶ ἔσωθεν, μὴ ἔχον δὲ ποτὸν, οὐκ ἂν ἰάσηται τοῦ διψῶντος τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πινάκιον· οὕτω καὶ ἄνθρωπος, κἂν ἔσωθεν ᾖ πεπλυμένος καὶ ἔξωθεν, οὐ τέρψει τὸν Κύριον, ἐὰν μὴ θρέψῃ τὸν σύνδουλον. ∆ιὸ ἐπιφέρει ὁ Κύριος, καὶ λέγει· Πλὴν τὰ ἐνόντα, δότε ἐλεημοσύνην· καὶ ἰδοὺ πάντα καθαρὰ ἔσται ὑμῖν. Πλὴν τὰ ἐνόντα, λέγει· οὐ γὰρ τῇ τῶν πολυχρύσων προσκομιδῇ τέρπεται, ὅσον τῇ τῶν ἀδόλων ἀνυποκρίτῳ προσφορᾷ. Μὴ ζητήσῃς σὺ ὁ πένης, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχεις χρυσὸν, καὶ ἀργύρου τοσάσδε ὁλκάδας· ῥῖψον εἰς τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον ὃ ἔχεις· καὶ δύο λεπτὰ δικαιοῖ. Μνήσθητι τὸ τῆς χήρας ἐκείνης, ὅτι ἐδικαιώθη ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολυχρύσους. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς χρήματα οὐκ οἶδε σταθμίζειν, ἀλλὰ συνείδησιν δοκιμάζει. Ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη σπίλους ψυχῶν ἀποσμήχει, καὶ μισθοὺς ἀγαθῶν θησαυρίζει· ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ψυχῆς ζωτικὴ χορηγία, ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τὰς ψυχὰς ἐκλευκαίνει, ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ψυχῆς παῤῥησία, καλὴ στρατηγία. Ῥίψατε χρυσὸν, καὶ λάβετε Κύριον·