John Chrysostom, On Matthew

do I command you? he says; when it is possible for you to become such that the whole world is not worthy of you? For these things are so contemptible, that even among the philosophers of the Greeks they are not thought worthy of any account, but are called external things, and occupy the last place. And yet Paul, he says, condescends, speaking thus: But as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. But tell me, when, and concerning whom, and to whom was he speaking? For it was to those of the Gentiles who were puffed up in their faith, and rising up against the Jews, and by this were severing them more grievously; suppressing the arrogance of the former, while drawing in the latter, and stirring them up to the same zeal. For when he speaks of those noble and great men, hear how he says: For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country. And again: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and embraced them. And John also said to those who came to him: Think not to say, We have Abraham to our father. And Paul again: For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel, neither are the children of the flesh, these the children of God. For what did the sons of Samuel profit, tell me, from the nobility of their father, not having become heirs of their father's virtue? what did the sons of Moses gain, not having emulated his exactness? Therefore 57.182 they did not even succeed to the rule; but while they called him father, the leadership passed to another, who had become his son according to virtue. And how was Timothy harmed, being the son of a Greek father? and again, what did the son of Noah gain from his father's virtue, having become a slave instead of a free man? Do you see how a father's nobility is not sufficient for the protection of his children? For the wickedness of his choice overcame the laws of nature, and cast him out not only from the nobility of his parentage, but also from freedom. And what of Esau, was he not the son of Isaac, and did he not have his father as his protector? For indeed his father was eager and desired him to share in the blessings, and he himself did all that was commanded for this purpose. But nevertheless, because he was profane, none of these things profited him; but although he was first by nature, and had his father with him doing everything for this purpose, since he did not have God with him, he fell from all. And why do I speak of men? The Jews became sons of God, and gained nothing from this nobility. But if one who has become a son of God, if he does not show a virtue worthy of this nobility, is even punished more severely, why do you bring before me the nobility of ancestors and grandfathers? For one would find this to be the prevailing principle not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New. For as many as received him, he says, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. But nevertheless Paul said that many of these children were not at all profited by the Father; For if you be circumcised, he says, Christ shall profit you nothing. But if Christ profits nothing those who are unwilling to take heed to themselves, how shall a man protect them? Let us not therefore be proud either of noble birth, or of wealth, but let us even despise those who are so disposed; neither let us be cast down by poverty; but let us seek that wealth, which is in good works; let us flee that poverty, which places us in wickedness, on account of which that rich man was also poor; wherefore he was not even master of a drop, and this after making much supplication. And yet who among us would be so poor [as to lack water for enjoyment]? There is no one. For even those who are wasting away with extreme famine are able to enjoy a drop; and not only a drop, but also much more comfort. But not so that rich man, but he was poor even to this extent; and what is more grievous, that he was not able to console his poverty from any source. Why then do we gape after money, when it does not bring us into heaven? For tell me, if

σε κελεύω; φησίν· ὅταν ἐξῇ σοι γενέσθαι τοιοῦτον, ὡς τὸν κόσμον ἅπαντα μὴ εἶναί σου ἄξιον; Οὕτω γὰρ ταῦτα εὐκαταφρόνητα, ὡς μηδὲ παρὰ τοῖς φιλοσοφοῦσι τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀξιοῦσθαι λόγου τινὸς, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκτὸς καλεῖσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην χώραν κατέχειν. Καίτοιγε ὁ Παῦλος καταδέχεται, φησὶν, οὕτω λέγων· Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκλογὴν, ἀγαπητοὶ, διὰ τοὺς πατέρας. Ἀλλ' εἰπὲ, πότε, καὶ περὶ τίνων, καὶ πρὸς τίνας διαλεγόμενος. Πρὸς γὰρ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν μέγα φυσῶντας ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει, καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατεξανισταμένους, καὶ ταύτῃ μειζόνως αὐτοὺς ἀποῤῥηγνύντας· καταστέλλων μὲν ἐκείνων τὸ φύσημα, τούτους δὲ ἐφελκόμενος, καὶ πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν διεγείρων ζῆλον. Ἐπεὶ ὅταν περὶ τῶν γενναίων ἐκείνων καὶ μεγάλων ἀνδρῶν λέγῃ ἄκουσον πῶς φησιν· Οἱ δὲ ταῦτα λέγοντες ἐμφανίζουσιν ὅτι πατρίδα ἐπιζητοῦσι. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐκείνης ἐμνημόνευον, ἀφ' ἧς ἐξῆλθον, εἶχον ἂν καιρὸν ἀνακάμψαι· νῦν δὲ ἑτέρας κρείττονος ὀρέγονται. Καὶ πάλιν· Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλὰ πόῤῥωθεν αὐτὰς ἰδόντες καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι. Καὶ Ἰωάννης δὲ τοῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐρχομένοις ἔλεγε· Μὴ δόξητε λέγειν, ὅτι Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος πάλιν· Οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραὴλ, οὐδὲ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς, ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τί γὰρ οἱ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ἀπώναντο παῖδες, εἰπέ μοι, τῆς εὐγενείας τοῦ πατρὸς, μὴ γενόμενοι τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ πατρὸς κληρονόμοι; τί δὲ οἱ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἐκέρδαναν, μὴ ζηλώσαντες αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν; Οὐκοῦν 57.182 οὐδὲ διεδέξαντο τὴν ἀρχήν· ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ μὲν αὐτὸν ἐπεγράφοντο πατέρα, ἡ δὲ δημαγωγία πρὸς ἕτερον μετέβαινε, τὸν κατ' ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ γενόμενον υἱόν. Τί δὲ ὁ Τιμόθεος ἐβλάβη, πατρὸς Ἕλληνος ὤν; τί δ' αὖ πάλιν ὁ τοῦ Νῶε υἱὸς ἐκέρδανεν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἀρετῆς, δοῦλος ἀντ' ἐλευθέρου γενόμενος; Εἶδες πῶς οὐκ ἀρκεῖ πατρὸς εὐγένεια τοῖς γεννωμένοις εἰς προστασίαν; Ἡ γὰρ κακία τῆς προαιρέσεως τοὺς τῆς φύσεως ἐνίκησε νόμους, καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν τῆς εὐγενείας τῆς πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐξέβαλε. Τί δὲ καὶ Ἡσαῦ, οὐχὶ υἱὸς ἦν τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ τὸν γεννήσαντα εἶχε προϊστάμενον αὐτοῦ; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐσπούδαζε καὶ ἐπεθύμει μετασχεῖν αὐτὸν τῶν εὐλογιῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ τούτου τὰ κελευσθέντα πάντα ἐποίει. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ σκαιὸς ἦν, οὐδὲν αὐτὸν τούτων ὤνησεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ φύσει πρῶτος ὢν, καὶ τὸν πατέρα μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ πάντα ὑπὲρ τούτου πράττοντα ἔχων, ἐπειδὴ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ εἶχε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, πάντων ἐξέπεσε. Καὶ τί λέγω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους; Υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγόνασιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐγενείας ταύτης ἐκέρδαναν. Εἰ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τις γενόμενος, ἂν μὴ τῆς εὐγενείας ταύτης ἀρετὴν ἐπιδείξηται ἀξίαν, καὶ κολάζεται μειζόνως, τί μοι προγόνων καὶ πάππων εὐγένειαν προφέρεις εἰς μέσον; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ τοῦτο κεκρατηκὸς εὕροι τις ἄν· Ὅσοι γὰρ ἔλαβον αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τῶν τέκνων τούτων πολλοὺς ἔφησε μηδὲν ὠφελεῖσθαι παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ Παῦλος· Ἐὰν γὰρ περιτέμνησθε, φησὶ, Χριστὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ὠφελήσει. Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἑαυτοῖς προσέχειν, πῶς ἄνθρωπος προστήσεται; Μὴ τοίνυν μήτε ἐπ' εὐγενείᾳ, μήτε ἐπὶ πλούτῳ μέγα φρονῶμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταφρονῶμεν τῶν οὕτω διακειμένων· μήτε ἐπὶ πενίᾳ καταπίπτωμεν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνον ζητῶμεν τὸν πλοῦτον, τὸν ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς· ἐκείνην φεύγωμεν τὴν πενίαν, τὴν ἐν κακίᾳ καθιστῶσαν ἡμᾶς, δι' ἣν καὶ ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος πένης ἦν· διόπερ οὐδὲ σταγόνος ἐγένετο κύριος, καὶ ταῦτα πολλὴν θεὶς ἱκετηρίαν. Καίτοι τίς ἂν οὕτω γένοιτο πένης παρ' ἡμῖν [ὡς καὶ ὕδατος πρὸς ἀπόλαυσιν ἀπορεῖν]; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδείς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἐσχάτῳ λιμῷ τηκόμενοι, σταγόνος ἀπολαῦσαι δύνανται· καὶ οὐδὲ σταγόνος μόνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονος παραμυθίας. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι τούτου πένης ἦν· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι οὐδὲ παραμυθήσασθαί ποθεν τὴν πενίαν ἠδύνατο. Τί τοίνυν περὶ τὰ χρήματα κεχήναμεν, ὅταν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡμᾶς μὴ εἰσάγῃ; Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι· εἰ