John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

Pay attention then to what I am saying; You have received your good things, and Lazarus his bad things, the things owed, the things due. Pay attention to the question; for I am coming to the place; let me weave the web. But do not be disturbed at the introduction; but whenever I say something of this kind, await the solution. For I wish to make you keen-sighted, and not simply to train you superficially, but also to bring you down into the depth of the divine Scriptures, a depth not having a storm, a depth safer than a calm sea. The deeper you go down, therefore, the more safety you find. For here there is not a disorderly rush of waters, but an orderly arrangement of thoughts. You have received your good things, and Lazarus his bad things; and now he is comforted, but you are in anguish. It is a great question; I said, that he who receives, receives what is owed. If therefore Lazarus was righteous, as indeed he was, and the bosom of Abraham showed it, the crown, the prizes, the rest, the enjoyment, the endurance, the patience; and this man a sinner and utterly wicked and inhuman, giving himself to luxury and drunkenness, setting out a Sybaritic table, being engaged in such great licentiousness and intemperance, why does he say to him, You have received? for was anything owed to him, a rich man, a profligate and inhuman man? for what was owed to him? for why did he not say, You took, but, You received? 9. Pay attention to what is being said; Punishments were owed to him, torments were owed to him, pains were owed to him. Why did he not say, You took these things, but You received those good things of yours, meaning that life, and Lazarus his bad things? But focus your mind; for I am descending into the depth of meanings. Of all men that exist, some are sinners, others are righteous. Pay attention then also to the difference among the righteous; one is righteous, another more righteous; one is higher, another greater; and just as 48.1041 there are many stars and the sun and the moon, so also is the difference of the righteous. For there is one glory of the sun, and another of the moon, and another glory of the stars. For some differ in glory, and others are lesser; and just as there are heavenly bodies? so also are there earthly bodies; and as among bodies one is a deer, another a dog, another a lion, another some other beast, another an asp, another something else of that sort; so also are there differences in sins. Of men, therefore, some are righteous, others are sinners; but also among the righteous there is great difference, and among the sinners great and infinite difference. But pay attention; Even if one is righteous, even if one is ten thousand times righteous, and ascends to the very summit, so as to be free from sins, he cannot be pure of spot, even if he is ten thousand times righteous, but he is a man. For who will boast of having a pure heart? Or who will be bold to say he is clean from sin? For this reason we are commanded to say in the prayer: Forgive us our debts, so that by the custom of the prayer we may be reminded there that we are liable to punishments. For even Paul the apostle, the chosen vessel, the temple of God, the mouth of Christ, the lyre of the Spirit, the teacher of the world, who traveled over land and sea, who plucked up the thorns of sins, who cast down the seeds of piety, richer than kings, more powerful than the wealthy, stronger than soldiers, wiser than philosophers, more eloquent than orators, having nothing and possessing all things, who in his shadow loosed death, who in his garments put diseases to flight, who set up trophies in the sea, who was caught up to the third heaven, and entered into paradise, who proclaimed Christ as God, he says: I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. He who possessed such and so great a multitude of virtues, says: But he who judges me is the Lord. Who then will boast of having a pure heart? Or who will be bold to say he is clean from sin? It is impossible, therefore, for any man to be sinless. For what do you say? Is he righteous? Is he merciful? Is he a lover of the poor? But he has some fault; either he acts insolently at the wrong time, or he is vainglorious, or he does something else of that sort; for it is not necessary to list everything. The one is merciful, but not temperate

Πρόσεχε τοίνυν ὃ λέγω· Ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου, καὶ Λάζαρος τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ, τὰ κεχρεωστημένα, τὰ ὀφειλόμενα. Προσέχετε τῷ ζητήματι· φθάνω γὰρ εἰς τὸν τόπον· ἄφες ὑφάνω τὸν ἱστόν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβεῖσθε ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ· ἀλλ' ὅταν τι τοιοῦτον λέγω, ἀναμείνατε τὴν λύσιν. Βούλομαι γὰρ ὀξυδερκεῖς ὑμᾶς καταστῆσαι, καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς ἐπιπολαίως γυμνάζειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς βυθὸν καταφέρειν τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, βυθὸν οὐκ ἔχοντα χειμῶνα, βυθὸν γαλήνης ἀσφαλέστερον. Ὅσον οὖν καταβῇς, πλείονα ἀσφάλειαν εὑρίσκεις. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα ὑδάτων ἄτακτος ῥύμη, ἀλλ' εὔτακτος νοημάτων διάθεσις. Ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου, καὶ Λάζαρος τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ· καὶ νῦν οὗτος παρακαλεῖται, σὺ δὲ ὀδυνᾶσαι. Ζήτημα μέγα ἐστίν· εἶπον, ὅτι ὁ ἀπολαμβάνων, τὰ κεχρεωστημένα ἀπολαμβάνει. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ Λάζαρος δίκαιος ἦν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἦν, καὶ ἔδειξεν ὁ κόλπος τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ὁ στέφανος, τὰ βραβεῖα, ἡ ἄνεσις, ἡ ἀπόλαυσις, ἡ καρτερία, ἡ ὑπομονή· οὗτος δὲ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ παμπόνηρος καὶ ἀπάνθρωπος, τρυφῇ καὶ μέθῃ προσέχων, Συβαριτικὴν παρατιθέμενος τράπεζαν, ἐν ἀσελγείᾳ τοσαύτῃ καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ στρεφόμενος, διὰ τί αὐτῷ λέγει, ὅτι Ἀπέλαβες; ἐχρεωστεῖτο γάρ τι αὐτῷ, ἀνθρώπῳ πλουτοῦντι, ἀνθρώπῳ ἀσώτῳ καὶ ἀπανθρώπῳ; τί γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐχρεωστεῖτο; διὰ τί γὰρ μὴ εἶπεν, Ἔλαβες, ἀλλ', Ἀπέλαβες; θʹ. Πρόσεχε τῷ λεγομένῳ· Ἐχρεωστοῦντο αὐτῷ τιμωρίαι, ἐχρεωστοῦντο αὐτῷ κολάσεις, ἐχρεωστοῦντο αὐτῷ ὀδύναι. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι Αὐτὰ ἔλαβες, ἀλλὰ Ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐκεῖνα, τὸν βίον ἐκεῖνον λέγων, καὶ Λάζαρος τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ; Ἀλλὰ σύντεινόν σου τὴν διάνοιαν· εἰς βάθος γὰρ καταβαίνω νοημάτων. Τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων τῶν ὄντων οἱ μὲν εἰσὶν ἁμαρτωλοὶ, οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι. Πρόσεχε τοίνυν καὶ ἐν τοῖς δικαίοις διαφοράν· ὁ μὲν δίκαιος, ὁ δὲ πλεῖον δίκαιος· ὁ μὲν ὑψηλότερος, ὁ δὲ μείζων· καὶ καθάπερ 48.1041 ἀστέρες εἰσὶ πολλοὶ καὶ ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη, οὕτω καὶ διαφορὰ δικαίων. Ἄλλη γὰρ δόξα ἡλίου, καὶ ἄλλη σελήνης, καὶ ἄλλη δόξα ἀστέρων. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ διαφέρει ἐν δόξῃ, τὰ δὲ ἐλαττοῦται· καὶ καθάπερ εἰσὶ σώματα ἐπουράνια; οὕτω καὶ σώματα ἐπίγεια· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ὁ μὲν ἔλαφος, ὁ δὲ κύων, ὁ δὲ λέων, ὁ δὲ ἄλλο θηρίον, ὁ δὲ ἀσπὶς, ὁ δὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι διαφοραί. Τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοίνυν οἱ μὲν εἰσὶ δίκαιοι, οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτωλοί· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς δικαίοις πολλὴ διαφορὰ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς πολλὴ καὶ ἄπειρος. Ἀλλὰ πρόσεχε· Εἰ καὶ δίκαιος ᾖ τις, κἂν μυριάκις ᾖ δίκαιος, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀναβῇ τὴν κορυφὴν, ὥστε ἀπηλλάχθαι ἁμαρτημάτων, οὐ δύναται καθαρὸς εἶναι κηλῖδος, κἂν μυριάκις ᾖ δίκαιος, ἀλλ' ἄνθρωπός ἐστι. Τίς γὰρ καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν; ἢ τίς παῤῥησιάσεται καθαρὸς εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κελευόμεθα εἰς τὴν εὐχὴν λέγειν· Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ἵνα τῇ συνηθείᾳ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀναμνησθῶμεν ἐκεῖ ὅτι ὑπεύθυνοί ἐσμεν κολάσεσι. Καὶ γὰρ Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς, ὁ ναὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ στόμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἡ λύρα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὁ διδάσκαλος τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὁ γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν περιελθὼν, ὁ τὰς ἀκάνθας τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀνασπάσας, ὁ τὰ σπέρματα τῆς εὐσεβείας καταβαλὼν, ὁ βασιλέων εὐπορώτερος, ὁ πλουσίων δυνατώτερος, ὁ στρατιωτῶν ἰσχυρότερος, ὁ φιλοσόφων φιλοσοφώτερος, ὁ ῥητόρων εὐγλωττότερος, ὁ μηδὲν ἔχων καὶ πάντα κεκτημένος, ὁ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ θάνατον λύων, ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις αὐτοῦ τὰ νοσήματα φυγαδεύων, ὁ ἐν θαλάσσῃ τρόπαια στήσας, ὁ ἁρπαγεὶς ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, καὶ εἰς παράδεισον εἰσελθὼν, ὁ τὸν Χριστὸν Θεὸν ἀνακηρύξας, ἐκεῖνος λέγει· Οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι. Ὁ τοσοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον κεκτημένος ἀρετῶν πλῆθος, λέγει· Ὁ δὲ ἀνακρίνων με Κύριός ἐστι. Τίς οὖν καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν; ἢ τίς παῤῥησιάσεται καθαρὸς εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας; Ἀμήχανον τοίνυν εἶναι ἄνθρωπόν τινα ἀναμάρτητον. Τί γὰρ λέγεις; δίκαιός ἐστιν; ἐλεήμων ἐστί; φιλόπτωχός ἐστιν; Ἀλλ' ἔχει τι ἐλάττωμα· ἢ ὑβρίζει ἀκαίρως, ἢ κενοδοξεῖ, ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ποιεῖ· οὐ γὰρ δεῖ πάντα καταλέγειν. Ὁ μὲν ἐλεήμων, ἀλλ' οὐ σώφρων