John Chrysostom, On Repentance

having money, in danger on account of his inhumanity, he placed himself in the middle, as a surety for the poor man, and a pledge to the one lending. You distrust this man, he says, because of his poverty, trust me because of my abundance. He saw the poor man, and had mercy; he saw the poor man, and did not overlook him, but gave himself as a pledge for the one who had nothing, 49.334 and stood by the destitute one through great goodness, the blessed David confirming this love for mankind, and saying: Because he has stood at the right hand of the poor man. He who has mercy on the poor lends to God. Be of good courage, he says, you lend to me. And what great thing do I gain by lending to you? It is indeed most unlawful to demand an account from God; yet that I may condescend to your lawlessness, and by love for mankind undo your severity, let us examine these things in turn. When lending to others, what do you gain? what do you seek from them by way of increase? Is it not one percent, if you seek what is lawful? But if you increase your greed, you will reap a double and triple injustice. But I conquer your covetousness; I surpass your appetite for greed; with my abundance I cover your excess. You seek one percent, but I give you a hundredfold. Then you borrow, Lord; and you borrow from me here the alms for the poor man, so that when will you repay these things to me? I demand the terms of the agreement, wishing to confirm the contract. Give me the time for the repayment; set the deadline for the recovery. Indeed this is superfluous; for the Lord is faithful in all his words. But since it is the custom and purpose for one borrowing gratefully, to measure times and set days, hear when and where the one who borrowed through the poor man repays the debt to you. When the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left, and he shall say to those on the right hand; pay attention here to how the debtor is grateful to the lender, how the borrower repays with much grace; Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For what things? For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was naked, and you clothed me; in prison, and you came to me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was a stranger, and you took me in. Then those who served well in due season, looking to their own weakness, and to the dignity of the borrower, say: Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? or thirsty, and give you drink? upon whom the eyes of all hope, and you give them their food in abundance? O, the great goodness! He hides his dignity for the sake of love for mankind; For I was hungry and you gave me to eat; O, the great goodness, O, the immeasurable kindness! he who gives food to all flesh, and opens his hands, and fills every living thing with his good pleasure, I was hungry, he says, and you gave me to eat; not that his dignity is diminished, but that his love for mankind stands surety for the poor. I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink. Who is the one saying these things? He who pours nature into the lakes and rivers and springs of waters; he who says through the Gospels, that He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water; he who said, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink. But, I was naked, 49.335 he says, and you clothed me. We clothed him who clothes the heaven with clouds, him who clothes the whole Church, and the inhabited world. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. I was in prison; you in prison, who brings out those who are bound? Explain what you are saying; for your dignity denies what is being said. When did we see you in such need? when did we do these things? Inasmuch, he says, as you have done it to one of the least of these, you have done it to me. Is not the saying true, that He who has mercy on the poor lends to God? And see the wondrous thing; he mentioned no other work of virtue than this;

ἔχοντα χρήματα κινδυνεύοντα διὰ τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν, μέσον ἑαυτὸν παρενέθηκεν, ἐχέγγυον μὲν τῷ πένητι, ἐνέχυρον δὲ τῷ δανείζοντι. Ἀπιστεῖς τούτῳ, φησὶ, διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν, ἐμοὶ πίστευσον διὰ τὴν ἀφθονίαν. Εἶδε τὸν πτωχὸν, καὶ ἠλέησεν· εἶδε τὸν πτωχὸν, καὶ οὐ παρεῖδεν, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἔδωκεν ἐνέχυρον τῷ μηδὲν 49.334 ἔχοντι, καὶ τῷ ἀπόρῳ παρέστη διὰ πολλὴν ἀγαθότητα, ἐπαληθεύοντος τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αυῒδ τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ταύτῃ, καὶ λέγοντος· Ὅτι παρέστη ἐκ δεξιῶν πένητος. Ὁ ἐλεῶν πτωχὸν δανείζει Θεῷ. Θάρσει, φησὶν, ἐμοὶ δανείζεις. Καὶ τί τοσοῦτον κερδαίνω σοι δανείζων; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν παρανομώτατον παρὰ Θεοῦ λόγον ἀπαιτεῖν· πλὴν ἵνα συγκαταβῶ σου τῇ ἀνομίᾳ, καὶ λύσω τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τὴν ἀποτομίαν, ἀντεξετάσωμεν πρὸς ταῦτα. ∆ανείζων τοῖς ἄλλοις τί κερδαίνεις; τί παρ' αὐτῶν εἰς πλεονασμὸν ἐπιζητεῖς; οὐχ ἑκατοστὴν, ἐὰν τὴν ἔννομον ζητήσῃς; Ἐὰν δὲ πλεονάσῃς τὴν ἀπληστίαν, διπλῆν καὶ τριπλῆν καρπώσῃ τὴν ἀδικίαν. Ἐγὼ δέ σου νικῶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν· ὑπερβαίνω σου τὴν ὄρεξιν τῆς ἀπληστίας· καλύπτω τῇ ἐμῇ ἀφθονίᾳ τὴν σὴν ἀμετρίαν. Σὺ ἑκατοστὴν ζητεῖς, ἐγὼ δὲ ἑκατονταπλασίονα δίδωμί σοι. Εἶτα δανείζῃ, Κύριε· καὶ δανείζῃ παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐνταῦθα τὴν εἰς τὸν πτωχὸν ἐλεημοσύνην, ἵνα πότε μοι ταῦτα ἀποδῷς; Ἀπαιτῶ τὰ σύμφωνα, στηρίξαι βουλόμενος τὸ συνάλλαγμα. ∆ός μοι τῆς ἀντιδόσεως τὸν καιρόν· ὅρισον τῆς ἀπολήψεως τὴν προθεσμίαν. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν τοῦτο περιττόν· Πιστὸς γὰρ Κύριος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔθος καὶ σκοπὸς τῷ δανειζομένῳ εὐγνωμόνως, χρόνους μετρεῖν, καὶ ἡμέρας ὁρίζειν, ἄκουε πότε καὶ ποῦ σοι τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἀποδίδωσιν ὁ διὰ τοῦ πτωχοῦ δανεισάμενος. Ὅταν καθίσῃ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ, καὶ στήσῃ τὰ μὲν πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων, καὶ ἐρεῖ τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν· ἐνταῦθα πρόσεχε πῶς ὁ χρεώστης εὐγνώμων περὶ τὸν δανείσαντα, πῶς ὁ δανεισάμενος μετὰ πολλῆς χάριτος ἀποδίδωσι· ∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Ὑπὲρ τίνων; Ὅτι ἐπείνασα, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν· ἐδίψησα, καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με· γυμνὸς ἤμην, καὶ ἐνεδύσατέ με· ἐν φυλακῇ, καὶ ἤλθετε πρὸς μέ· ἀσθενὴς ἤμην, καὶ ἐπεσκέψασθέ με· ξένος ἤμην, καὶ συνηγάγετέ με. Εἶτα οἱ καλῶς ἐν καιρῷ διακονήσαντες, εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν ἀφορῶντες, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ δανεισαμένου, λέγουσι· Κύριε, πότε σε εἴδομεν πεινῶντα, καὶ ἐθρέψαμεν; ἢ διψῶντα, καὶ ἐποτίσαμεν; εἰς ὃν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ πάντων ἐλπίζουσι, καὶ σὺ δίδως τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ; Ὢ τῆς πολλῆς ἀγαθότητος! κρύπτει τὴν ἀξίαν διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν· Ἐπείνασα γὰρ καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν· ὢ τῆς πολλῆς ἀγαθότητος, ὢ τῆς ἀμέτρου χρηστότητος! ὁ διδοὺς τροφὴν πάσῃ σαρκὶ, καὶ ἀνοίγων τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ ἐμπιπλῶν πᾶν ζῶον εὐδοκίας, Ἐπείνων, φησὶ, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν· οὐ τῆς ἀξίας ἐλαττουμένης, ἀλλὰ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τοὺς πτωχοὺς ἐγγυωμένης. Ἐδίψησα, καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με. Τίς ὁ ταῦτα λέγων; Ὁ λίμναις καὶ ποταμοῖς καὶ πηγαῖς τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν ἐγχέων· ὁ διὰ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων φάσκων, ὅτι Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφὴ, ποταμοὶ ἐκ κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος· ὁ εἰπὼν, Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρὸς μὲ, καὶ πινέτω. Ἀλλὰ, Γυμνὸς ἤμην, 49.335 φησὶ, καὶ ἐνεδύσατέ με. Ἐνεδύσαμεν τὸν ἐνδύοντα τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν νεφέλαις, τὸν ἐνδύοντα τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἅπασαν, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην. Ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε. Ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην· ἐν φυλακῇ σὺ ὁ ἐξάγων πεπεδημένους; Ἑρμήνευσον ἃ λαλεῖς· ἡ γὰρ ἀξία ἀρνεῖται τὰ λεγόμενα. Πότε σε εἴδομεν ἐν ἐνδείᾳ τοσαύτῃ; πότε ταῦτα πεποιήκαμεν; Ἐφ' ὅσον, φησὶν, ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων πεποιήκατε, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. Μὴ οὐκ ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος, ὅτι Ὁ ἐλεῶν πτωχὸν δανείζει Θεῷ; Καὶ ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστόν· οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὑπέμνησεν ἔργον ἀρετῆς ἢ τοῦτο·