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he said these things in wonder, because they believed without signs; or else he was reproaching Capernaum, which was thought to be his city, from which this man came. Since another in Luke also said, "I believe, Lord, help my unbelief," he said again. So even if this man believed, it was not completely, nor soundly. And this he shows by asking at what hour the fever left him. For he wished to learn whether this happened by itself, or from the command of Christ. So when he learned that it was yesterday at the seventh hour, he himself believed, and his whole house. Do you see that he believed then, when the servants spoke, not when Christ did? Therefore, he rebukes the thought with which he had approached and said these things; for thus he drew him more to faith; for before the sign he had not strongly believed. But if he both came and besought him, it is nothing wonderful. For fathers, because of their great affection, are accustomed not only to go to physicians in whom they trust, but also to converse with those in whom they do not trust, wishing to leave nothing at all undone. Since he came to him as a secondary matter, when he came into Galilee, he then saw him; for if he had strongly believed in him, he would not have hesitated, when his child was about to die, to come into Judea. But if he was afraid, this too is not excusable. See, at least, how his very words show the man's weakness. For though it was necessary, if not before, yet at least after his thought was rebuked, to imagine something great about him, hear how he still crawls on the ground. For "Come down," he says, "before my child dies;" as though he were not able to raise him after death, and as though he did not know the state of the child's affairs. For this reason he rebukes him and touches his conscience, showing that signs were made primarily for the sake of the soul. For here he heals the father, who was no less sick in mind than the child, persuading us to attend to him not from signs, but from teaching. For signs are not for the faithful, but for the unfaithful and the more dull. 3. At that time, then, because of his suffering, he did not pay much attention to what was being said, or only to the things concerning his child. But later he was about to recall what was said, and to gain the greatest things from it; which indeed happened. Why then in the case of the centurion did he promise of his own accord to come, but here, even when called, he does not go? Because there the faith was perfected. Therefore he promised to go, that we might learn the man's good judgment; 59.202 but here, because this man was imperfect. Since, then, he was urging him up and down, saying, "Come down," and did not yet know clearly that he could heal even when absent, he shows that this too is possible for him, so that what the centurion had from his own mind, this man might learn from Jesus' not coming. When, therefore, he says, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe," he means this: that you do not yet have the proper faith, but you are still disposed as toward a prophet. Therefore, revealing himself, and showing that he ought to have been believed even without signs, he said what he also says to Philip: "Do you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? But if not, believe me for the sake of the works." But as he was now going down, his servants met him, saying, "Your son lives." He therefore inquired from them the hour in which he began to get better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." Therefore the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. Do you see how the miracle became manifest? For not simply, nor by chance, was he delivered from the danger, but suddenly, so that what happened no longer appeared to be a consequence of nature, but of the working of Christ. For having come to the very gates of death, as the father also showed by saying, "Come down before the child dies," he was suddenly delivered from the sickness; which indeed also roused the servants. For they perhaps met him not only as bringing good news, but also because they thought Jesus' presence was now superfluous; for they knew he had come there; whence also they met him on the very road.

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θαυμάζων ἔλεγε ταῦτα, ὅτι σημείων χωρὶς ἐπίστευσαν· ἢ τῆς δοκούσης αὐτοῦ πόλεως εἶναι καθαπτόμενος τῆς Καπερναοὺμ, ὅθεν οὗτος ἦν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἕτερός τις ἐν τῷ Λουκᾷ λέγων, Πιστεύω, Κύριε, βοήθει μου τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἔλεγε πάλιν. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ οὗτος ἐπίστευσεν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁλοκλήρως, οὐδὲ ὑγιῶς. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ ἐκ τοῦ πυνθάνεσθαι ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ὁ πυρετός. Ἐβούλετο γὰρ μαθεῖν, εἴτε αὐτομάτως, εἴτε ἐκ τῆς ἐπιταγῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦτο γέγονεν. Ὡς οὖν ἔγνω ὅτι χθὲς ὥραν ἑβδόμην, ἐπίστευσε καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ ὅλη. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τότε ἐπίστευσεν, ὅτε οἱ παῖδες εἶπον, οὐχ ὅτε ὁ Χριστός; Τὴν διάνοιαν τοίνυν ἐλέγχει αὐτοῦ, μεθ' ἧς προσελθὼν, ταῦτα ἔλεγεν· οὕτω γὰρ μᾶλλον καὶ εἰς πίστιν αὐτὸν ἐφείλκετο· πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ σημείου οὐ σφόδρα ἦν πεπιστευκώς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἦλθε καὶ παρεκάλεσε, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν. Εἰώθασι γὰρ οἱ πατέρες ὑπὸ πολλῆς φιλίας οὐ μόνον οἷς θαῤῥοῦσιν ἰατροῖς προσιέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἷς μὴ θαῤῥοῦσι διαλέγεσθαι, μηδὲν ὅλως παραλιπεῖν βουλόμενοι. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι ἐκ παρέργου προσῆλθεν, ὅτε ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, τότε αὐτὸν εἶδεν· ὡς εἴ γε ἦν σφόδρα αὐτῷ πεπιστευκὼς, οὐκ ἂν ὤκνησε, τοῦ παιδὸς μέλλοντος τελευτᾷν, εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἐλθεῖν. Εἰ δὲ ἐδεδοίκει, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀνεκτόν. Ὅρα γοῦν καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα πῶς ἐμφαίνει τὴν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ ἀνδρός. ∆έον γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τὸ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐλέγξαι, μέγα τι φαντασθῆναι περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἄκουσον πῶς ἔτι χαμαὶ σύρεται. Κατάβηθι γὰρ, φησὶ, πρὶν ἢ ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον μου· ὡς οὐ δυναμένου μετὰ τὸν θάνατον αὐτὸν ἀναστῆσαι, καὶ ὡς οὐκ εἰδότος οἷα τὰ τοῦ παιδίου πράγματα ἕστηκε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν ἐλέγχει καὶ τοῦ συνειδότος καθάπτει· δεικνὺς ὅτι τὰ σημεῖα προηγουμένως τῆς ψυχῆς ἕνεκεν ἐγένετο. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ οὐχ ἧττον τοῦ παιδὸς τὸν πατέρα ἀσθενοῦντα περὶ τὴν διάνοιαν θεραπεύει, πείθων ἡμᾶς μὴ ἀπὸ σημείων, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ διδασκαλίας προσέχειν αὐτῷ. Τὰ σημεῖα γὰρ οὐ τοῖς πιστοῖς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀπίστοις καὶ παχυτέροις. γʹ. Τότε μὲν οὖν ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους οὐ σφόδρα προσεῖχε τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἢ μόνοις τοῖς περὶ τοῦ παιδός. Ὕστερον δὲ ἤμελλε τὸ λεχθὲν ἀναλαμβάνειν, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐντεῦθεν κερδαίνειν· ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. Τί δήποτε δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου αὐτεπάγγελτος ὑπέσχετο παραγίνεσθαι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲ καλούμενος ἄπεισιν; Ὅτι ἐκεῖ μὲν ἡ πίστις ἀπήρτιστο. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὑπέσχετο ἀπιέναι, ἵνα μάθωμεν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην· 59.202 ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὅτι οὗτος ἀτελῆς ἦν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἄνω καὶ κάτω ἤπειγεν αὐτὸν λέγων, Κατάβηθι, καὶ οὔπω ᾔδει σαφῶς ὅτι καὶ ἀπὼν δύναται θεραπεῦσαι, δείκνυσιν ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο δυνατὸν αὐτῷ, ἵν' ὅπερ οἴκοθεν ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος ἔσχε, τοῦτο οὗτος ἐκ τοῦ μὴ παραγενέσθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν μάθῃ. Ὅταν οὖν εἴπῃ, Ἐὰν μὴ σημεῖακαὶ τέρατα ἴδητε, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε, τοῦτο λέγει· ὅτι τὴν προσήκουσαν πίστιν οὐδέπω ἔχετε, ἀλλ' ἔτι ὡς περὶ προφήτου διάκεισθε. Ἐκκαλύπτων οὖν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ χωρὶς σημείων ἔδει πιστευθῆναι αὐτὸν, ἔλεγεν ἅπερ καὶ τῷ Φιλίππῳ φησίν· Πιστεύεις ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί; Εἰ δὲ μὴ, διὰ τὰ ἔργα πιστεύετέ μοι. Ἤδη δὲ αὐτοῦ καταβαίνοντος, ἀπήντησαν οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ λέγοντες, ὅτι Ὁ παῖς σου ζῇ. Ἐπυνθάνετο οὖν παρ' αὐτῶν τὴν ὥραν ἐν ᾗ κομψότερον ἔσχεν. Καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, ὅτι Χθὲς ὥραν ἑβδόμην ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ὁ πυρετός. Ἔγνω οὖν ὁ πατὴρ ὅτι ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ, ἐν ᾗ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι Ὁ παῖς σου ζῇ. Καὶ ἐπίστευσεν αὐτὸς, καὶ ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ ὅλη. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τὸ θαῦμα δῆλον ἐγένετο; Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀπηλλάγη τοῦ κινδύνου, ἀλλὰ ἀθρόον, ὡς φαίνεσθαι μηκέτι φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν εἶναι τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Πρὸς γὰρ αὐτὰς ἐλθὼν τοῦ θανάτου τὰς πύλας, ὡς καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰπὼν, Κατάβηθι πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον, ἀθρόον ἀπηλλάγη τῆς νόσου· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας διανέστησεν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἴσως οὐχ ὡς εὐαγγελιζόμενοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς περιττὴν λοιπὸν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν εἶναι νομίσαντες, ἀπήντησαν· καὶ γὰρ ᾔδεσαν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ παραγενόμενον· ὅθεν καὶ κατ' αὐτὴν αὐτῷ τὴν ὁδὸν περιέτυχον.