John Chrysostom, On "A certain man was going down"

the pains of life. The, In the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread, and, Thorns and thistles the earth shall bring forth for you, and, In pain you shall bring forth children; these are the wounds of the soul. And they departed, leaving him to be half-dead. For Adam was not among the living, having transgressed the commandment of God, nor was he completely dead, by not completely denying God. But by chance a certain priest was going down that road. And he did not say, By happenstance, but, By chance; for by happenstance is unexpected and unlooked-for, when someone arrives automatically; but by chance is when someone does something according to the providence of God. Here, therefore, by the providence of God the priest was going down that road, and seeing him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite. Who is the priest, and who is the Levite? The priest is the Mosaic law, and the Levite is the prophetic word. These, therefore, came by the providence of God for the healing of the one wounded by the robbers; but being unable to heal him, they passed by on the other side.

Since these, then, were not strong enough to raise the one lying there, a Samaritan comes, who is the Lord Christ, the guardian of our souls; for Samaritan is interpreted as guardian. For this reason, then, he said: But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came. And he did not say, that He came to him, but, He came upon him, that is, taking on flesh like him, subject to bodily suffering like him, without sin. And seeing him, he had compassion on him, and going to him he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. What are the bandages, and what is the oil, and what is the wine? The bandages are the commandments of Christ, the oil, the holy chrism, and the wine the mystery of the faith. Through these three our spiritual wounds are healed. The initiated know what is being said. And setting him on his own beast, he brought him to an inn. Christ calls his body his own beast, which he took up for us from the immaculate virgin. He therefore placed the one wounded by the rob 61.757 bers on his own beast; since, according to the prophet Isaiah, He himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. And he brought him to an inn, that is, to the holy Church, and took care of him, at first himself by himself. And on the next day when he departed, that is, after the holy resurrection, taking out two denarii, he gave them to the innkeeper. Who is the innkeeper, and what are the two denarii? The innkeeper is Paul the apostle, who was set over the Church of the Gentiles; he was called an innkeeper because he received all, and drew all to salvation. Taking out two denarii after the resurrection, Christ, the Old and New Testament, gave them to the innkeeper, saying to him: Take care of him; to you, he says, I entrust the people from the Gentiles, wounded by the most murderous robbers; only take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I return.

What then did Paul 61.758 spend in addition to the denarii? The fourteen epistles, which he sent to the Gentiles. What is this: I will repay you when I return? In my second coming, when I come to judge the living and the dead, I, when I return, will repay you what you spent in addition; just as Paul himself says: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Therefore, brothers, may we all be worthy to attain such a crown, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory and power, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

τὰς βιωτικὰς ὀδύνας. Τὸ, Ἐν ἱδρῶτι τοῦ προσώπου σου φαγῇ τὸν ἄρτον σου, καὶ, Ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι ἡ γῆ, καὶ, Ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα· αὗται αἱ πληγαὶ τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ ἀπῆλθον ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἡμιθανῆ τυγχάνοντα. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐν ζῶσιν ἦν παραβὰς τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ Ἀδὰμ, οὐδὲ τελείως ἐνεκρώθη, τῷ μὴ τελείως ἀρνήσασθαι τὸν Θεόν. Κατὰ συγκυρίαν δὲ ἱερεύς τις κατέβαινεν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐκείνῃ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Κατὰ συντυχίαν, ἀλλὰ, Κατὰ συγκυρίαν· Κατὰ συντυχίαν γάρ ἐστιν, ἀπροόπτως καὶ ἀπροσδοκήτως, ὅταν ἐξ αὐτομάτου τις παραγένηται· κατὰ συγκυρίαν δέ ἐστιν, ὅταν τις κατὰ πρόνοιαν Θεοῦ τι ποιήσῃ. Ἐνταῦθα οὖν κατὰ πρόνοιαν Θεοῦ κατέβαινεν ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐκείνῃ, Καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀντιπαρῆλθεν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Λευίτης. Τίς ὁ ἱερεὺς, καὶ τίς ὁ Λευίτης; Ἱερεὺς μὲν ἔστιν ὁ Μωσαϊκὸς νόμος, Λευίτης δὲ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν κατὰ πρόνοιαν μὲν Θεοῦ ἦλθον ἐπὶ τῇ θεραπείᾳ τοῦ τετραυματισμένου ὑπὸ τῶν λῃστῶν· μὴ δυνηθέντες δὲ θεραπεῦσαι αὐτὸν, ἀντιπαρῆλθον.

Τούτων οὖν μὴ ἰσχυσάντων ἀναστῆσαι τὸν κείμενον, ἔρχεται Σαμαρείτης, ὅς ἐστιν ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς, ὁ φύλαξ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν· Σαμαρείτης γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται φύλαξ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν εἶπε· Σαμαρείτης δέ τις ὁδεύων ἦλθε. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλ', Ἦλθε κατ' αὐτὸν, τουτέστι, σαρκοφορήσας κατ' αὐτὸν, πάθει σωματικῷ ὑποκείμενος κατ' αὐτὸν ἀναμαρτήτως. Καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν, ἐσπλαγχνίσθη ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ προσελθὼν κατέδησε τὰ τραύματα αὐτοῦ, ἐπιχέων ἔλαιον καὶ οἶνον. Τίνες οἱ ἐπίδεσμοι, καὶ τί τὸ ἔλαιον, καὶ τίς ὁ οἶνος; Ἐπίδεσμοί εἰσιν αἱ παραγγελίαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸ ἔλαιον, τὸ χρίσμα τὸ ἅγιον, οἶνος δὲ τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως. ∆ιὰ τῶν τριῶν τούτων τὰ ψυχικὰ ἡμῶν θεραπεύεται τραύματα. Ἴσασιν οἱ μεμυημένοι τὰ λεγόμενα. Ἐπιβιβάσας δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον κτῆνος, ἤγαγεν εἰς πανδοχεῖον. Ἴδιον κτῆνος λέγει τὸ σῶμα ὁ Χριστὸς, ὃ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνέλαβεν ἐκ τῆς ἀχράντου παρθένου. Ἀνεβίβασεν οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον κτῆνος τὸν τετραυματισμένον ὑπὸ τῶν λῃ 61.757 στῶν· ἐπειδὴ, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἡσαΐαν, Αὐτὸς τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ἀνέλαβε, καὶ τὰς νόσους ἐβάστασε. Καὶ ἤγαγεν εἰς πανδοχεῖον, τουτέστιν, εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἐπεμελήθη αὐτοῦ, τὸ πρότερον αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ. Ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον δὲ ἐξελθὼν, τουτέστι, μετὰ τὴν ἁγίαν ἀνάστασιν, ἐκβαλὼν δύο δηνάρια, δέδωκε τῷ πανδοχεῖ. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ πανδοχεὺς, καὶ τί τὰ δύο δηνάρια; Ὁ πανδοχεὺς Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολός ἐστιν, ὁ προβληθεὶς τῇ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίᾳ· πανδοχεὺς δὲ ἐκλήθη διὰ τὸ πάντας δέχεσθαι, καὶ πάντας ἕλκειν εἰς σωτηρίαν. Ἐκβαλὼν δύο δηνάρια ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, τήν τε Παλαιὰν καὶ Καινὴν ∆ιαθήκην, ἔδωκε τῷ πανδοχεῖ, εἰπὼν αὐτῷ· Ἐπιμελήθητι αὐτοῦ· σοὶ, φησὶ, παραδίδωμι τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαὸν, τὸν τετραυματισμένον ὑπὸ τῶν λῃστῶν φονικωτάτων· μόνον ἐπιμελήθητι αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὃ δ' ἂν προσδαπανήσῃς, ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί με ἀποδώσω σοι.

Τί οὖν προσ 61.758 εδαπάνησε Παῦλος τοῖς δηναρίοις; Τὰς δέκα τέσσαρας ἐπιστολὰς, ἃς διεπέμψατο τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Τί ἐστι τὸ, Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί με ἀποδώσω σοι; Ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ μου παρουσίᾳ, ὅταν ἔρχωμαι κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκροὺς, ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί με, ἀποδώσω σοι ἃ προσεδαπάνησας· καθὼς καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Παῦλος λέγει· Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ Κύριος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ δίκαιος κριτής· οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐμοὶ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ.

Τοῦ τοιούτου οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, στεφάνου γένοιτο καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν πάντας, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα καὶ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.