John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

and is poured out, receiving a reminder of his own achievements in the praises of others? These are the works of the wisdom of God, these are the signs of His greatest providence. For reproof is a kind of sacred anchor of the conscience, not allowing us to be completely plunged into the abyss of sin. For not only at the very time of the sins, but even after many cycles of years, it knows how to remind us often of old sin; and of this I shall present clear proof from the Scriptures themselves. Joseph’s brothers once sold him, having nothing to accuse him of, except that he saw dreams prefiguring his future glory. For I saw, he says, your sheaves bowing down to my sheaf. And yet for these things they should have cherished him; for he was to be the crown of the whole house, and 48.1014 the splendor of the whole family. But such is envy; it wars against its own good things, and the envious person would rather suffer a thousand terrible things than see his neighbor prosper, even if the fruits of that prosperity were to pass to him; what could be more miserable than this? This is what they also suffered, and seeing him coming from a distance, bringing them food, they said to one another: Come, let us kill him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams. Even if you did not respect him as a brother, nor recognize nature, you should at least have respected the very table, and the manner of his service, that he came to feed you. But see how they prophesy even unwillingly: Come, they say, let us kill him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams. For if they had not plotted, and woven the deceit, and stitched together that shameless plan, they would not have known the power of those dreams. For it was not the same thing to ascend the throne of Egypt having suffered no harm, as to attain this same splendor through so many hindrances and obstacles. For if they had not plotted against him, they would not have sold him into Egypt; if they had not sold him into Egypt, his mistress would not have desired him; if his mistress had not desired him, he would not have been cast into prison, he would not have interpreted the visions, he would not have obtained the kingdom; and if he had not obtained that kingdom, they would not have come to buy grain and bowed down to him. So because they killed him, for this reason especially they knew his dreams. What then? Were they themselves the agents of all the future good things for him and of that renown? Not at all, but they themselves planned to deliver him to death and despair and slavery and the worst of evils; but the resourceful God used the wickedness of the plotters for the honor of the one who was sold and plotted against. 2. But lest these events be considered some chance occurrence, or a reversal of fortune, through the very things that oppose, through the very things that hinder, God brings about the things that were hindered, using his enemies as ministers for his glory, so that you may learn that what God has planned, no one will scatter, and His high hand no one will turn back; so that when you are plotted against by someone, you may not fall down, nor be disheartened, but may know that the plot leads to a good end, only if you bear nobly what happens. Behold, then, here also envy gave birth to a kingdom, and malice procured a diadem, and brought a throne, and the very ones who plotted, they themselves pushed him toward the greatness of that rule; and the one plotted against reigned, while the ones who plotted served; and he was bowed down to, while they bowed down. Therefore, when continuous and successive terrible things come upon you, do not be troubled, nor disheartened, but await the end; for it will certainly prove worthy of the great gift of God, only if you bear with thanksgiving the things that happen in between. Since he also, after those dreams, having been in danger of the worst, 48.1015 and sold by his brothers, and plotted against by his mistress, and having fallen again into prison, did not say to himself, What ever is this? a deceit the

καὶ διαχέηται, ἐν τοῖς ἑτέρων ἐγκωμίοις ὑπόμνησιν λαμβάνων τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων; Ταῦτα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας τὰ ἔργα, ταῦτα τῆς μεγίστης αὐτοῦ προνοίας τὰ σημεῖα. Ἄγκυρα γάρ τίς ἐστιν ἱερὰ τοῦ συνειδότος ἡ ἐπιτίμησις, οὐκ ἐῶσα τέλεον ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας καταποντισθῆναι βυθόν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ παρ' αὐτὸν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὸν καιρὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ πολλὰς ἐνιαυτῶν περιόδους οἶδεν ἡμᾶς πολλάκις παλαιᾶς ἀναμιμνήσκειν ἁμαρτίας· καὶ τούτου καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν παραστήσομαι τῶν Γραφῶν σαφῆ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ἀπέδοντό ποτε τὸν Ἰωσὴφ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ, ἐγκαλεῖν μὲν οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, ὅτι δὲ ἐνύπνια ἑώρα τὴν μέλλουσαν αὐτῷ προαναφωνοῦντα δόξαν. Εἶδον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ δράγματα ὑμῶν προσκυνήσαντα τὸ ἐμὸν δράγμα. Καίτοι ὑπὲρ τούτων φυλάττειν αὐτὸν ἐχρῆν· στέφανος γὰρ τῆς οἰκίας ἁπάσης ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, καὶ 48.1014 λαμπρότης τοῦ γένους παντός. Ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον ἡ βασκανία· τοῖς οἰκείοις πολεμεῖ καλοῖς, καὶ μᾶλλον ἂν ἕλοιτο μυρία πάσχειν δεινὰ ὁ βασκαίνων, ἢ τὸν πλησίον ἰδεῖν εὐδοκιμοῦντα, κἂν εἰς αὐτὸν διαβαίνειν μέλλοι τὰ τῆς εὐδοξίας· οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀθλιώτερον; Ὅπερ οὖν κἀκεῖνοι ἔπαθον, καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν πόῤῥωθεν ἥκοντα, τροφὴν αὐτοῖς κομίζοντα, πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔλεγον· ∆εῦτε, ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἴδωμεν τί ἔσται τὰ ἐνύπνια αὐτοῦ. Εἰ καὶ μὴ ὡς ἀδελφὸν ᾐδέσθης, οὐδὲ τὴν φύσιν ἐπέγνως, τὴν γοῦν τράπεζαν αὐτὴν αἰδεσθῆναι ἔδει, καὶ τὸν τῆς διακονίας τρόπον, ὅτι θρέψων σε παρεγένετο. Ἀλλ' ὅρα πῶς καὶ ἄκοντες προφητεύουσι· ∆εῦτε, φασὶν, ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἴδωμεν τί ἔσται αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐνύπνια. Εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἐβουλεύσαντο, καὶ τὸν δόλον ὕφαναν, καὶ τὴν ἀναιδῆ βουλὴν ἔῤῥαψαν ἐκείνην, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωσαν τῶν ἐνυπνίων ἐκείνων τὴν δύναμιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἴσον, μηδὲν παθόντα δεινὸν ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ἀναβῆναι τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ διὰ τοσούτων τῶν κωλυμάτων καὶ τῶν ἐμποδίων τῆς αὐτῆς ταύτης ἐπιλαβέσθαι λαμπρότητος. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἐπεβούλευσαν, οὐκ ἂν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπέδοντο· εἰ μὴ ἀπέδοντο εἰς Αἴγυπτον, οὐκ ἂν ἠράσθη ἡ δέσποινα· εἰ μὴ ἠράσθη ἡ δέσποινα, οὐκ ἂν ἐνεβλήθη εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον, οὐκ ἂν συνέκρινε τὰ ὁράματα, οὐκ ἂν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπέτυχεν· εἰ μὴ τῆς βασιλείας δὲ ἐπέτυχεν ἐκείνης, οὐκ ἂν ἦλθον οὗτοι κατ' ἐμπορίαν σίτου, καὶ προσεκύνησαν αὐτόν. Ὥστε ἐπειδὴ ἀπέκτειναν αὐτὸν, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἔγνωσαν αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐνύπνια. Τί οὖν; αὐτοὶ πρόξενοι τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν αὐτῷ πάντων ἐγένοντο καὶ τῆς περιφανείας ἐκείνης; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ αὐτοὶ μὲν θανάτῳ καὶ ἀθυμίᾳ καὶ τῇ δουλείᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις παραδοῦναι ἐβουλεύσαντο κακοῖς· ὁ δὲ εὐμήχανος Θεὸς τῇ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων πονηρίᾳ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πραθέντος καὶ ἐπιβουλευθέντος εὐδοκίμησιν ἀπεχρήσατο. ʹ. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ συντυχίας τινὸς, μηδὲ πραγμάτων περιπετείας τὰ συμβάντα εἶναι νομίζηται, δι' αὐτῶν τῶν ἐναντιουμένων, δι' αὐτῶν τῶν κωλυόντων, αὐτὰ κατασκευάζει τὰ κωλυόμενα ὁ Θεὸς, τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν εὐδοκίμησιν διακόνοις χρώμενος, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι ἃ ὁ Θεὸς βεβούλευται, οὐδεὶς διασκεδάσει, καὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑψηλὴν οὐδεὶς ἀποστρέψει· ἵν' ὅταν ἐπιβουλεύῃ παρά τινων, μὴ καταπίπτῃς, μηδὲ δυσχεραίνῃς, ἀλλ' εἰδέναι ἔχῃς, ὅτι πρὸς τέλος ἀπαντᾷ χρηστὸν ἡ ἐπιβουλὴ, μόνον ἂν γενναίως φέρῃς τὰ συμπίπτοντα. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα φθόνος βασιλείαν ἔτεκε, καὶ βασκανία διάδημα προεξένησε, καὶ θρόνον ἐκόμισε, καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἐπιβουλεύσαντες, αὐτοὶ συνώθησαν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος ἐκείνης τῆς ἀρχῆς· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπιβουλευθεὶς ἐβασίλευσεν, οἱ δὲ ἐπιβουλεύσαντες ἐδούλευον· κἀκεῖνος μὲν προσεκυνεῖτο, οὗτοι δὲ προσεκύνουν. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἐπέλθῃ σοι δεινὰ συνεχῆ καὶ ἐπάλληλα, μὴ θορυβοῦ, μηδὲ δυσχέραινε, ἀλλ' ἀνάμενε τὸ τέλος· πάντως γὰρ ἀπαντήσεται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλοδωρεᾶς ἄξιον, μόνον ἐὰν εὐχαρίστως τὰ ἐν μέσῳ συμπίπτοντα ἐνέγκῃς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οὗτος μετὰ τὰ ὀνείρατα ἐκεῖνα περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων κινδυνεύσας, 48.1015 καὶ πραθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, καὶ παρὰ τῆς δεσποίνης ἐπιβουλευθεὶς, καὶ πάλιν εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐμπεσὼν, οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστιν; ἀπάτη τὰ