John Chrysostom, On Christ's Prayers

for, Who is greater, he who reclines at table, or he who serves? He added, Is it not he who reclines at table? But I am among you as one who serves. And He said this, and did that, showing that in many places He takes up the lesser things for the instruction of the disciples, at the same time persuading them to be modest. And it is clear that not because of inferiority of nature, but for their instruction He endures all these things. For elsewhere He says: The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, but it shall not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be the servant of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. If therefore He came to serve and to teach humility, do not be disturbed, nor be cast down, if you see Him somewhere performing the duties of servants and speaking 48.787 their words. Thus also He performs many of His prayers from the same disposition. For they came to Him, saying, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. What then should He have done, tell me? Not teach them to pray? But for this He came, that He might lead them into all philosophy. But should He have taught? Then He had to pray. But He ought to have done this by word only, one says. But instruction by deeds is accustomed to lead on those who are being taught not so much as instruction by words. For this reason He not only teaches them prayer through words, but He Himself continually does this, and prays, spending the whole night in deserted places, teaching and admonishing us, when we are about to converse with God, to flee noises and the disturbances in our midst, and to withdraw to a solitary place, not only of place, but also of time. For a solitary place is not only a mountain, but also a small house free from shouting. 3. And that you may learn that prayer is a matter of condescension, we have especially and already shown through the events concerning Lazarus; but it is also clear from other things. For why does He not pray for the greater miracles, but for the lesser ones? For if He prayed because He needed help and did not have self-sufficient power, He ought to have prayed in all cases and to call upon the Father; and if not in all, at least in the greater ones. But now He does the opposite: for the greater matters He does not pray, to show that He did this to teach others, not because He needed power. When He blessed the loaves, looking up to heaven He prayed, teaching us not to taste of the table before we have given thanks to God who made the fruits; and having raised many dead, He did not pray, but only in the case of Lazarus. And we stated the reason then, that He was correcting the weakness of those present, which He Himself also stated, clearly adding this, that because of the crowd standing by I said it. And that it was not the prayer, but the voice that raised the dead, we sufficiently showed then; and that you may learn this more clearly, see. For when it is necessary to punish, and when to honor, and when to forgive sins, and when to legislate, and when it is necessary to do any of the much greater things, you will nowhere find Him calling on the Father, nor praying, but doing all things with authority. And I will enumerate each of these things; but you observe with accuracy, how He nowhere needs prayer. Come, He says, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. And again, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Behold, He punishes and honors with all authority, and needs no prayer. Again, when it is necessary to restore a paralyzed body. Arise, take up your bed, and walk; when to deliver from death, 48.788 Talitha cumi, arise; when to free from sins, Take heart, child, your sins are forgiven you; when to rebuke demons, I say to you, you evil demon, come out of him; when to calm the sea, Peace, be still; when to cleanse someone afflicted with leprosy, I will,

γὰρ, Τίς ἐστι μείζων, ὁ ἀνακείμενος, ἢ ὁ διακονῶν; ἐπήγαγεν, Οὐχὶ ὁ ἀνακείμενος; Ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν, ὡς ὁ διακονῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε, κἀκεῖνο ἐποίησε, δεικνὺς ὅτι πολλαχοῦ τὰ ἐλάττονα ἁρπάζει εἰς διδασκαλίαν τῶν μαθητῶν, μετριάζειν τε ὁμοῦ πείθων αὐτούς. Καὶ δῆλον ὅτι οὐ διὰ τὸ τῆς φύσεως καταδεέστερον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων διδασκαλίαν ταῦτα πάντα ἀνέχεται. Καὶ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν, παρὰ δὲ ὑμῖν οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλ' ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος, ἔστω πάντων διάκονος. Καὶ γὰρ Ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθε διακονηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι. Εἰ τοίνυν διακονῆσαι ἦλθε καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην διδάξαι, μὴ θορυβοῦ, μηδὲ κατάπιπτε, εἰ τὰ τῶν διακόνων 48.787 ἴδοις αὐτὸν ἐπιτελοῦντά που καὶ φθεγγόμενον. Οὕτω καὶ πολλὰς τῶν εὐχῶν ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιτελεῖ γνώμης. Καὶ γὰρ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ λέγοντες, Κύριε, δίδαξον ἡμᾶς προσεύχεσθαι, ὥσπερ Ἰωάννης ἐδίδαξε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ. Τί οὖν ἐχρῆν ποιεῖν, εἰπέ μοι; μὴ διδάξαι αὐτοὺς προσεύχεσθαι; Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθεν, ἵνα εἰς πᾶσαν αὐτοὺς ἐναγάγῃ φιλοσοφίαν. Ἀλλ' ἐχρῆν διδάξαι; Οὐκοῦν εὔξασθαι ἔδει. Ἀλλ' ἔδει ῥήματι τοῦτο μόνον ποιῆσαι, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἡ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, ὡς ἡ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων διδασκαλία τοὺς μαθητευομένους ἐνάγειν εἴωθε. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο οὐχὶ διδάσκει αὐτοὺς εὐχὴν μόνον τὴν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς διατελεῖ τοῦτο ποιῶν, καὶ εὔχεται διανυκτερεύων ἐν ταῖς ἐρημίαις, ἡμᾶς παιδεύων καὶ νουθετῶν, ἐπειδὰν μέλλωμεν ὁμιλεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, φεύγειν θορύβους καὶ τὰς ἐν μέσῳ ταραχὰς, καὶ πρὸς ἐρημίαν ἀναχωρεῖν, οὐχὶ τόπων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ καιρῶν. Ἐρημία δὲ οὐχὶ ὄρος μόνον ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἰκίσκος κραυγῆς ἀπηλλαγμένος. γʹ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι συγκαταβάσεώς ἐστιν ἡ εὐχὴ, μάλιστα μὲν καὶ ἤδη διὰ τῶν περὶ τὸν Λάζαρον συμβάντων ἀπεδείξαμεν· πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν δῆλον. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ τῶν μειζόνων οὐκ εὔχεται θαυμάτων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλαττόνων; Εἰ γὰρ δεόμενος βοηθείας ηὔχετο καὶ οὐκ ἔχων αὐτοτελῆ δύναμιν, ἐπὶ πάντων εὔχεσθαι ἔδει καὶ τὸν Πατέρα καλεῖν· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐπὶ πάντων, κἂν ἐπὶ τῶν μειζόνων. Νῦν δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον ποιεῖ· ἐπὶ τῶν μειζόνων πραγμάτων οὐκ εὔχεται, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι τοὺς ἄλλους παιδεύων τοῦτο ἐποίει, οὐχὶ δυνάμεως δεόμενος. Ὅτε γοῦν τοὺς ἄρτους εὐλόγησεν, ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ηὔξατο, ἡμᾶς παιδεύων τραπέζης μὴ πρότερον ἀπογεύεσθαι, ἕως ἂν εὐχαριστήσωμεν τῷ τοὺς καρποὺς πεποιηκότι Θεῷ· καὶ πολλοὺς νεκροὺς ἀναστήσας, οὐκ ηὔξατο, ἐπὶ δὲ Λαζάρου μόνον. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τότε εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτι τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν παρόντων διορθούμενος, ἣν καὶ αὐτὸς εἶπε, σαφῶς οὕτω προσθεὶς, ὅτι διὰ τὸν ὄχλον τὸν περιεστῶτα εἶπον. Καὶ ὅτι οὐχ ἡ εὐχὴ, ἀλλ' ἡ φωνὴ τὸν νεκρὸν ἤγειρεν, ἱκανῶς ἀπεδείξαμεν τότε· καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς τοῦτο σαφέστερον, ὅρα. Ὅταν γὰρ κολάζειν δέῃ, καὶ ὅταν τιμᾷν, καὶ ὅταν ἁμαρτήματα ἀφιέναι, καὶ ὅταν νομοθετεῖν, καὶ ὅταν τι τῶν πολλῷ μειζόνων δέῃ ποιεῖν, οὐδαμοῦ τὸν Πατέρα καλοῦντα αὐτὸν εὑρήσεις, οὐδὲ εὐχόμενον, ἀλλὰ μετὰ αὐθεντίας ἅπαντα πράττοντα. Καὶ τούτων ἕκαστον ἐγὼ μὲν ἀπαριθμήσομαι· σὺ δὲ σκόπει μετὰ ἀκριβείας, πῶς οὐδαμοῦ δεῖται εὐχῆς. ∆εῦτε, φησὶν, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν. Καὶ πάλιν, Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηραμένοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. Ἰδοὺ κολάζει καὶ τιμᾷ μετὰ αὐθεντίας ἁπάσης, καὶ εὐχῆς οὐδεμιᾶς δεῖται. Πάλιν, ὅταν διορθῶσαι σῶμα δέῃ διαλελυμένον. Ἐγερθεὶς ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου, καὶ περιπάτει· ὅταν ἀπαλλάξαι θανά48.788 του, Ταλιθὰ κοῦμι, ἀνάστηθι· ὅταν ἐλευθερῶσαι ἁμαρτημάτων, Θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· ὅταν ἐπιτιμῆσαι δαίμοσι, Σοὶ λέγω, τὸ πονηρὸν δαιμόνιον, ἔξελθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ὅταν καταστεῖλαι τὴν θάλασσαν, Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο· ὅταν καθᾶραί τινα λέπρᾳ κατεχόμενον, Θέλω,