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he taught. 87 Mt 15, 36 Why did he give to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds? Because what is fitting is preserved both for the Lord and for the disciples; for it is fitting that God be served, and for those who serve, the service is a glory, as they complete the liturgy according to what is proper to their discipleship. And the principle that those of lower rank are benefited through the holy ones is preserved, just as in some partial subordination. But see that the partaking was only up to what was needed, not so that having received it they could carry it away, although there were many leftovers. And this is a good symbol for measuring enjoyment by need and not being led away toward greed beyond what is needed. 88 Mt 15, 37-38 Why did he perform the sign of the loaves? To confirm for the crowd the flour of Sarephtha.

89 Mt 16, 1-4 He rebukes the rashness of their request, saying: You believe that the air moves according to a certain order, so that you discern from signs when there will be fair weather and when there will be a storm, but regarding signs, you suppose that there is no order at all, nor any specific times in which it is fitting to perform or not to perform miracles, but that such a thing simply happens disorderly and without any reason, so that, whenever someone might ask for a test for no useful purpose, or making the request, it is necessary by all means, as if in some game, that what seems good to the one asking should also happen. 90 Mt 16, 6-7 He teaches, therefore, to beware their teaching and not to be led away by the things said by them. But they were reasoning among themselves, saying, “Because we did not take bread.” 91 Mt 16, 14 They supposed Christ to be Jeremiah in a particular way; perhaps everyone, because they knew the Lord had an innate wisdom and without instruction thought something similar about Jeremiah, that as a child he was chosen for prophecy and was a prophet without human training following a greater prophet. 92 Mt 16, 18-19 This was not peculiar to Peter alone, <but happened for> all men. But having called his confession a rock, he declared that he would build the church upon it, speaking of the confession and faith in him. And for this reason, having first addressed the one who confessed this with a name from the confession, he also bestowed on him this authority as something that would belong to him, speaking of the common and excellent good of the church in his case alone; for as from the confession, which was to be common to believers, he gave him the name, so also that of the church; he speaks of it as excellent in his case, as something that would belong to him because of his confession, showing, consequently, that this is a common good of the church, since the matter of the confession was also to become common to it with Peter. Therefore he says this, that the key of the kingdom of heaven is with the church; for as one stands in relation to it, so will he stand in relation to heavenly things in every way; for he who contributes to the church and is recognized as belonging to it is a sharer and heir of heaven, while he who has become an alien to it in any way will have no fellowship with heavenly things. Following this saying to this day, the priests of the church cast out the unworthy, but admit those who become worthy through repentance. 93 Mt 16, For when the disciples received the spirit, then they demonstrated the perfect teaching concerning the divinity of the Son, the spirit testifying through the signs that had been performed in his name. But this had to escape the notice of the rulers of this age, the world-rulers, so that Christ, having suffered and risen, might reshape in himself the life of man and recreate it to its original state, delivering it from corruption. <This> is almost the reason for the command that they should not yet speak.

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ἐπαίδευεν. 87 Mt 15, 36 ∆ιὰ τί ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς, οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ τοῖς ὄχλοις; ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῷ κυρίῳ τὸ πρέπον φυλάττεται καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς· θεόν τε γὰρ διακονεῖσθαι πρέπει καὶ τοῖς διακονοῦσιν ἡ διακονία δόξα κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον τῆς μαθητείας τὴν λειτουργίαν ἀποτελοῦσι. καὶ τὸ διὰ μέσων τῶν ἁγίων εὐεργετεῖσθαι τοὺς ὑποδεεστέρους φυλάττεται καθάπερ ἐν ὑποπτώσει τινὶ μερικῇ. ὅρα δέ, ὅτι καὶ μέχρι τῆς χρείας ἡ μετάληψις, οὐχ ὥστε καὶ λαβόντας ἀπενέγκασθαι, καίτοι πολλῶν γενομένων λειψάνων. ἀγαθὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο σύμβολον πρὸς τὸ τῇ χρείᾳ μετρεῖν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν καὶ μὴ πρὸς τὴν περαιτέρω τῆς χρείας πλεονεξίαν ἀπάγεσθαι. 88 Mt 15, 37-38 ∆ιὰ τί ἐποίησε τὸ τῶν ἄρτων σημεῖον; πιστοποιῶν τὸν ὄχλον ἄλευρον τῆς Σαραφθίας.

89 Mt 16, 1-4 Ἐλέγχει αὐτῶν τῆς αἰτήσεως τὸ προπετὲς φάσκων· τὸν μὲν ἀέρα κατά τινα τάξιν κινεῖσθαι νομίζετε ὡς ἀπὸ σημείων ὑμᾶς διακρίνειν πότε μὲν εὐδία, πότε δὲ χειμὼν ἔσται, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν σημείων τάξιν τινὰ μηδεμίαν εἶναι ὑπολαμβάνετε οὐδὲ καιρούς τινας, ἐν οἷς ποιεῖν ἢ μὴ ποιεῖν θαύματα προσῆκε, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ἀτάκτως καὶ ἄνευ τινὸς λόγου τοιοῦτο γενέσθαι πρᾶγμα, ὡς, ὁπότ' ἄν τις αἰτοίη ἐπ' οὐδὲν χρήσιμον πειρασμὸν ἢ τὴν αἴτησιν ποιούμενος, δεῖν πάντως ὥσπερ ἐπί τινος παιγνιᾶς καὶ γίνεσθαι τὸ δοκοῦν τῷ αἰτοῦντι. 90 Mt 16, 6-7 Φυλάττεσθαι τοίνυν τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ ὑπάγεσθαι τοῖς παρ' αὐτῶν λεγομένοις διδάσκει. οἱ δὲ διελογίζοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς λέγοντες, ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἐλάβομεν. 91 Mt 16, 14 Ἰδίως Ἰερεμίαν ὑπειλήφασιν τὸν Χριστόν· ἴσως πᾶς διὰ τὸ γινώσκειν τὸν κύριον αὐτοφυῆ τὴν σοφίαν ἔχοντα καὶ διδασκαλίας ἄνευ παραπλησίον γέ τι τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τὸν Ἰερεμίαν ἡγεῖτο, ὅτι παῖς εἰς προφητείαν ἐξείλεκτο καὶ χωρὶς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀγωγῆς ἀκολουθούσης προφήτου μείζονος προφήτης ἦν. 92 Mt 16, 18-19 Τοῦτο οὐκ ἴδιον Πέτρου μόνου, <ἀλλ' ἐπὶ> πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἐγένετο. ἀλλὰ πέτραν εἰρηκὼς τὴν ὁμολογίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομήσειν ἀπεφήνατο, τῇ ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὁμολογίᾳ τε καὶ πίστει λέγων. διὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν ταύτην ὁμολογήσαντα πρότερον τὴν φωνὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας προσειπὼν περιῆψεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐξουσίαν ταύτην ὡς ἂν προσεσομένην αὐτῷ, τὸ κοινὸν καὶ ἐξαίρετον τῆς ἐκκλησίας καλὸν ἐπ' αὐτοῦ λέγων μόνον· ὡς γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας, ἣ κοινὴ τῶν πιστευόντων ἤμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔθηκεν αὐτῷ, οὕτως καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας· ἐξαίρετον ἐπ' αὐτοῦ λέγει ὡς ἂν προσεσόμενον διὰ τὴν ὁμολογίαν αὐτοῦ, δεικνὺς μὲν ἀκολούθως, ὅτι κοινὸν τοῦτο τῆς ἐκκλησίας καλόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας αὐτῇ κοινὸν πρὸς Πέτρον ἤμελλεν γίνεσθαι. τοῦτο οὖν φησιν, ὅτι παρὰ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἡ κλείς· ὡς γὰρ ἐὰν ἔχῃ τις πρὸς ταύτην, οὕτως ἕξει καὶ πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια πάντως· ὁ γὰρ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συντελῶν καὶ ταύτης εἰσγνωριζόμενος εἶναι τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐστι μερίτης καὶ κληρονόμος ὅ τε ταύτης ἀλλότριος ὅπως δήποτε καταστὰς οὐδεμίαν ἕξει πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια κοινωνίαν. ταύτῃ τῇ φωνῇ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο κατακολουθοῦντες οἱ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἱερεῖς τοὺς μὲν οὐκ ἀξίους ἐκβάλλουσιν, τοὺς δὲ ὡς ἀξίους διὰ μετανοίας γινομένους εἰσποιοῦσιν. 93 Mt 16, Ὅτε γὰρ εἷλον οἱ μαθηταὶ τὸ πνεῦμα, τότε τελείαν ἐδείξαντο τὴν περὶ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ θεότητος διδασκαλίαν ἐπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ πνεύματος διὰ τῶν γεγενημένων σημείων ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ. ἔδει δὲ τοῦτο λαθεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας, ἵνα παθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ἀναστὰς ἀναμορφώσῃ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀνθρώπου ζωὴν καὶ ἀνακτίσῃ αὐτὴν εἰς τὸ ἀπαρχῆς τῆς φθορᾶς αὐτὴν ἀπαλλάττων. <αὕτη> σχεδὸν ἡ αἰτία τῆς παραγγελίας μηδέπω δεῖν λέγειν αὐτούς.