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of them, but waiting, if ever they should repent, changing their way, I immediately grant them an amnesty of all things together. But the law is not so, but as soon as one has sinned it also punishes the sinner, not knowing repentance, not promising to forgive one who anticipates it from what follows. Again, I, requiring the disposition, am not so much occupied with the examination of what is done, as I am satisfied with a soul that chooses the good with a genuine mind. But the law brings punishment even for small things and subjects transgressors to a curse. The yoke, then, is easy because of forgiveness, and the burden light, because it is not a multitude of laws and various observances, but choices of the soul; and before the good to choose the better with truth and with a divine disposition.

68 Mt 12, 29 Here he calls the earth a house, and the people, goods. Therefore, since people have become goods of the demons and of the devil through wickedness, having come under his authority, it was impossible for the demons to be deprived of their own possession, unless they were first defeated and bound with chains so as to be unable again to fight for their own possessions. But this would never have been done by the demons. 69 Mt 12, 33 But if these things, he says, seem to be an irrational censure and it is not truly the Holy Spirit that is being blasphemed, having once entrusted the work to the demon, tell me, do you say that what is happening is itself good or evil? But if you do not say this (for it is most evil for people to be controlled by demons, but good for the demons to be driven out from people), how is it possible to attribute so good a work to the demons, whom you would never say are not exceedingly evil? For the fruit is the mark of a tree's nature. 70 Mt 12, 34 O, he says, most wicked of all people and in no way distant from the wickedness of vipers, it is not surprising if you utter nothing good; for words follow the disposition of the soul. But how can you utter auspicious words, having chosen the worse things completely and inclining towards the worse? 71 Mt 12, 46-50 He said these things not rejecting his mother and brothers, but showing that he prefers the intimacy of the soul to all bodily kinship; for it was necessary to say this to the one who thought he was calling him to some more important conversation with his relatives, and at the same time for the instruction of those present. For just as he himself said to the disciples: 'He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,' so understand for me that Jesus prefers the disciples over his mother and brothers. 72 Mt 13, 11 The disciples asked him for what reason he carries out his teaching through parables. And he, indicating it is because of the unworthiness of the hearers, says to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to them it is not given, in order to say that you, being worthy to learn everything pertaining to the teaching, will also learn the clarity of the parables. But to these he speaks with parables, since they are not even worthy to learn because of the wickedness of their way. Then through the prophetic voice he rebukes their wickedness as having been proclaimed from afar and sung by nearly all the prophets. 73 Mt 13, 13 For these two reasons it was often his custom to use parables, either because of speaking about obscure matters, so that by the parable he might make the unseen things clear as far as possible, or because of the unworthiness of the hearers, when no benefit comes to them from what is being said. And there is also another, a third reason for the parable, that in speaking something for a rebuke, he often by the parable relaxes the severity of the rebukes for the hearers, as when he speaks about the vineyard and that he will miserably destroy the wicked tenants, and will give the vineyard to others; for in saying these things to the Pharisees he clearly avoided the harshness of the words.

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αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ περιμένων, εἴ ποτε μεταμεληθεῖεν μεταβαλλόμενοί γε τὸν τρόπον, εὐθὺς ἀφίημι ἀμνηστείαν ἁπάντων ὁμοῦ χαριζόμενος αὐτοῖς. ὁ δὲ νόμος οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ὡς ἥμαρτε καὶ κολάζει τὸν ἡμαρτηκότα μεταμέλειαν οὐκ εἰδὼς ἀπὸ τῶν ἑξῆς προλαβόντα ἀφιέναι οὐκ ἐπαγγελλόμενος. πάλιν ἐγὼ τὴν διάθεσιν ἀπαιτῶν οὐ τοσοῦτον περὶ τὴν τῶν γινομένων ἐξέτασιν ἀσχολῶ, ὅσον ἀρκοῦμαι ψυχῇ γνησίᾳ γνώμῃ τὸ καλὸν αἱρουμένῃ. ὁ δὲ νόμος καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς μικροῖς κόλασιν ἐπάγει καὶ κατάρᾳ τοὺς παραβαίνοντας ὑποβάλλει. ὁ μὲν οὖν ζυγὸς χρηστὸς διὰ τὴν συγχώρησιν, τὸ δὲ φορτίον ἐλαφρόν, ὅτι οὐ πλῆθος νομίμων καὶ παρατηρήσεις διάφοροι, ἀλλ' αἱρέσεις ψυχῆς· καὶ πρὸ τοῦ καλοῦ τὸ κρεῖττον μετ' ἀληθείας ἑλέσθαι καὶ τῆς θείας διαθέσεως.

68 Mt 12, 29 Οἰκίαν ἐνταῦθα τὴν γῆν λέγει, σκεύη δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.

οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ σκεύη τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου γεγόνασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι διὰ τῆς κακίας ὑπὸ τὴν ἐκείνου καταστάντες ἐξουσίαν, ἀδύνατον ἦν ἀφαιρεθῆναι τοὺς δαίμονας τὴν οἰκείαν κτῆσιν, ἀλλ' ἢ πρότερον αὐτῶν ἡττηθέντων καὶ δεσμῶν περιβληθέντων εἰς τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι αὖθις ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων διαμάχεσθαι κτημάτων. τοῦτο δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἐγένετο. 69 Mt 12, 33 Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα, φησίν, ἐπιτίμησις ἀλόγιστος εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἀληθῶς εἶναι τὸ βλασφημούμενον, τῷ δαίμονι τὸ ἔργον ἐπιτρέψαντες ἅπαξ εἴπατε καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ γινόμενον εἶναι καλὸν ἢ κακὸν φάσκετε τὸ γινόμενον; εἰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ φατέ (κάκιστον γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ὑπὸ δαιμόνων κρατεῖσθαι, καλὸν δὲ τὸ τοὺς δαίμονας ἀπελαύνεσθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων), πῶς δυνατὸν ἔργον οὕτω καλὸν ἐπιγράφειν τοῖς δαίμοσι, οὓς οὐκ ἄν ποτε εἴποιτε μὴ σφόδρα εἶναι κακούς; γνώρισμα γὰρ φύσεως δένδρου καρπός. 70 Mt 12, 34 Ὦ, φησίν, πάντων ἀνθρώπων πονηρότατοι καὶ κατὰ μηδὲν τῇ πονηρίᾳ τῶν ἐχιδνῶν ἀφεστηκότες, οὐ θαυμαστόν, εἰ μηδὲν φθέγγεσθε ἀγαθόν· ἕπεται γὰρ τῇ διαθέσει τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ ῥήματα· ἀλλὰ πῶς εὔφημα φθέγγεσθε τὰ χείρω προῃρημένοι καθάπαξ καὶ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ἐκκλίνοντες; 71 Mt 12, 46-50 Ταῦτα εἶπεν οὐκ ἀποδοκιμάζων τὴν μητέρα καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἀλλὰ δεικνύς, ὅτι πάσης σωματικῆς συγγενείας προτιμᾷ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν οἰκειότητα· πρὸς γὰρ τὸν οἰόμενον ὡς ἐπί τι σπουδαιότερον αὐτὸν καλεῖν τῶν οἰκείων τὴν ὁμιλίαν ἀναγκαῖον ἦν τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ὁμοῦ καὶ εἰς διδασκαλίαν τῶν παρόντων· ὡς γὰρ αὐτὸς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς· ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος, οὕτως νόει μοι τὸν Ἰησοῦν προκρίνοντα τοὺς μαθητὰς ὑπὲρ μητέρα καὶ ἀδελφούς. 72 Mt 13, 11 Ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταί, τίνος ἕνεκεν διὰ παραβολῶν ποιεῖται τὴν διδασκαλίαν. ὁ δὲ ἐνδεικνύμενος διὰ τὸ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀνάξιον ὑμῖν φησιν γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας, ἐκείνοις δὲ οὐ δέδοται, ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι ὑμεῖς ἄξιοι ὄντες πάντα μαθεῖν τὰ πρὸς διδασκαλίαν συντείνοντα μαθήσεσθε καὶ τῶν παραβολῶν τὴν σαφήνειαν. πρὸς δὲ τούτους μετὰ παραβολῶν λαλεῖ, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἄξιοι μαθεῖν εἰσι διὰ τὴν κακίαν τοῦ τρόπου. εἶτα διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς φωνῆς τὴν κακίαν αὐτῶν ἐλέγχει ὡς πόρρωθεν κηρυττομένην καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ᾀδομένην μικροῦ τοῖς προφήταις. 73 Mt 13, 13 ∆ιὰ δύο τούτων ἕνεκεν πολλάκις ἔθος αὐτῷ κεχρῆσθαι ταῖς παραβολαῖς, ἢ διὰ τὸ περὶ πραγμάτων λέγειν ἀφανῶν, ὥστε τῇ παραβολῇ φανερὰ ποιῆσαι τὰ ἄδηλα καθὼς δυνατόν, ἢ διὰ τὸ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀνάξιον, ὅταν μηδὲν ὄφελος αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν λεγομένων γίνηται. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα τρίτη τῆς παραβολῆς αἰτία, τὸ ἐπ' ἐλέγχῳ λέγοντά τι πολλάκις τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐκλύειν τῇ παραβολῇ τῶν ἐλέγχων τὸ αὐστηρόν, οἷον ὅταν λέγῃ τὸ κατὰ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα καὶ ὅτι κακοὺς κακῶς ἀπολέσει τοὺς γεωργούς, τὸν δὲ ἀμπελῶνα ἐκδώσεται ἄλλοις· ταῦτα γὰρ πρὸς Φαρισαίους λέγων σαφῶς ἔφυγε τὸ τραχὺ τῶν ῥημάτων.