John Chrysostom, On Matthew

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having brought it into being, and having formed it as such, it is clear that He also knows its need more than you who are in need of them. For indeed it seemed good to Him that it should be in such a need. Therefore He will not oppose what He has willed, having placed it in the necessity of so great a need, while on the other hand depriving it again of its need and necessities. 3. Therefore, let us not be anxious; for nothing more will be gained by us than to wear ourselves out. For when He provides whether we are anxious or not, and even more so when we are not anxious, what more do you gain from anxiety than to demand a superfluous penalty of yourself? For not even one who is about to go to an abundant feast will bear to be anxious for food; nor does one walking to a spring worry about drinking. Therefore, let us not, who have the providence of God as a supply more abundant than every spring and ten thousand prepared banquets, be poor, nor be fainthearted. For with what has been said He sets forth again another argument for being confident about such things, saying: Seek the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added to you. For since He has released the soul from anxiety, then He also made mention of the heavens. For indeed He has come to undo the old things, and to call us to a greater fatherland. For this reason He does all things, so as to release us from 57.303 superfluous things, and from sym57.303pathy with the earth. For this reason He also made mention of the Gentiles, saying that the Gentiles seek after these things, for whom all labor is for the present life, for whom there is no account of things to come, nor a thought of the heavens. But for you these are not the principal things, but other things. For we were not made for this, that we might eat and drink and be clothed, but that we might please God, and attain the good things to come. Just as therefore in our earnest endeavor these things are secondary, so also in our asking let them be secondary. For this reason He also said: Seek the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added to you. And He did not say, "They shall be given," but, "They shall be added," that you may learn that the present things which are given are nothing great compared to the greatness of the things to come. For this very reason He does not command us to ask for them, but to ask for other things, and to be confident that these things will be added to those. Seek therefore the things to come, and you shall receive the present things as well; do not seek the things that are seen, and you will certainly attain them. For indeed it is unworthy of you to approach the Lord concerning such things. For you who ought to make all your effort and anxiety for those ineffable good things, utterly disgrace yourself by expending it on the desire for fleeting things. How then? he says. Did He not command us to ask for bread? But, He added, "daily," and to this again, "this day"; which is what He does here as well. For He did not say, "Be not anxious"; but, "Be not anxious for the morrow"; at once both granting us freedom, and riveting our soul to more necessary things. For He commanded us to ask for those things for this reason, not as if God needs a reminder from us, but that we might learn that with His help we accomplish whatever we accomplish, and that we might be made intimate by the constant asking for these things. Do you see how from this too He has persuaded that they will certainly receive present things? For He who provides the greater things, will much more give the lesser. For not for this reason, He says, did I say not to be anxious, nor to ask, that you should be distressed and go about naked, but that you should be in abundance of these things also; which was indeed most of all sufficient to draw them to Him. Just as therefore in the case of almsgiving, turning them away from making a display to men, by this He especially persuaded them, by promising to provide it to them with greater honor; (For your Father, He says, who sees in secret, will reward you openly;) so also here, drawing them away from not seeking them, by this He especially persuades them, by promising to provide with greater abundance to those who do not seek. For for this reason, He says, I command you not to seek, not that you may not receive, but that you may receive abundantly; that you may receive with the manner that befits you, with the advantage that is suitable for you; that while not being anxious,

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γεγενημένος, καὶ τοιαύτην αὐτὴν διαπλάσας, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τὴν χρείαν αὐτῆς ἐπίσταται σοῦ μᾶλλον τοῦ ἐν χρείᾳ αὐτῶν καθεστῶτος. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτῷ τοῦτο ἔδοξεν, ὥστε ἐν τοιαύτῃ χρείᾳ εἶναι αὐτήν. Οὐ τοίνυν ἐναντιώσεται οἷς ἠθέλησε, καταστήσας μὲν ἐν ἀνάγκῃ τοσαύτης χρείας ἀποστερῶν δὲ αὖ πάλιν τῆς χρείας καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων αὐτήν. γʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν φροντίζωμεν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡμῖν περιέσται πλέον, ἢ τὸ κατατείνειν ἑαυτούς. Ὅταν γὰρ καὶ μεριμνώντων ἡμῶν καὶ μὴ μεριμνώντων παρέχῃ, καὶ μᾶλλον μὴ μεριμνώντων, τί σοι πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς φροντίδος, ἢ τὸ δίκην σαυτὸν περιττὴν ἀπαιτεῖν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπὶ δαψιλὲς ἀπιέναι μέλλων ἄριστόν τις, ὑπὲρ τροφῆς ἀνέξεται μεριμνᾷν· οὐδὲ ὁ ἐπὶ πηγὴν βαδίζων, ὑπὲρ τοῦ πίνειν φροντίζει. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ ἡμεῖς, καὶ πηγῆς ἁπάσης καὶ μυρίων δείπνων παρεσκευασμένων δαψιλεστέραν ἔχοντες χορηγίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν, πτωχεύωμεν, μηδὲ μικροψυχῶμεν. Μετὰ γὰρ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ ἕτερον λογισμὸν πάλιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ θαῤῥεῖν περὶ τῶν τοιούτων τίθησι λέγων· Ζητεῖτε τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀνῆκε τῆς φροντίδος τὴν ψυχὴν, τότε καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐμνημόνευσε. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ παλαιὰ ἀναλύσων παραγέγονε, καὶ πρὸς μείζονα καλέσων πατρίδα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα ποιεῖ, ὥστε τῶν 57.303 περιττῶν ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάττειν, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὴν γῆν συμ57.303 παθείας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν ἐθνικῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν, εἰπὼν ὅτι τὰ ἔθνη ἐπιζητεῖ ταῦτα, οἷς ὁ πόνος ἅπας κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον, οἷς λόγος οὐδεὶς περὶ τῶν μελλόντων, οὐδὲ ἔννοια τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὑμῖν δὲ οὐχὶ ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ προηγούμενα, ἀλλ' ἕτερα. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἐγενόμεθα, ἵνα φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν καὶ περιβαλώμεθα. ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀρέσωμεν Θεῷ, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν τῇ σπουδῇ πάρεργα ταῦτα, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ αἰτήσει πάρεργα ἔστω. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἔλεγε· Ζητεῖτε τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, ∆οθήσεται, ἀλλὰ, Προστεθήσεται, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐδὲν μέγα τῶν διδομένων τὰ παρόντα ἐστὶ πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος τῶν μελλόντων. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐδὲ αἰτεῖν αὐτὰ κελεύει, ἀλλ' αἰτεῖν μὲν ἕτερα, θαῤῥεῖν δὲ ὡς καὶ τούτων ἐκείνοις προστιθεμένων. Ζήτει τοίνυν τὰ μέλλοντα, καὶ λήψῃ καὶ τὰ παρόντα· μὴ ζήτει τὰ ὁρώμενα, καὶ πάντως αὐτῶν ἐπιτεύξῃ. Καὶ γὰρ ἀνάξιόν σου τὸ περὶ τοιούτων προσιέναι τῷ δεσπότῃ. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν ἅπασαν σπουδὴν καὶ τὴν μέριμναν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἀγαθῶν ἐκείνων ὀφείλων ποιεῖσθαι, σφόδρα σεαυτὸν καταισχύνεις, εἰς τὴν τῶν ῥεόντων πραγμάτων ἐπιθυμίαν καταναλίσκων αὐτήν. Πῶς οὖν; φησίν· οὐκ ἐκέλευσε τὸν ἄρτον αἰτεῖν; Ἀλλὰ, Τὸν ἐπιούσιον, προσέθηκε, καὶ τούτῳ πάλιν τὸ, σήμερον· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Μὴ μεριμνήσητε· ἀλλὰ, Μὴ μεριμνήσητε ὑπὲρ τῆς αὔριον· ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῖν παρέχων, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν προσηλῶν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτέροις. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖνα αἰτεῖν διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσεν, οὐχ ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ δεομένου τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν ὑπομνήσεως, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθωμεν, ὅτι μετὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ βοηθείας κατορθοῦμεν ἅπερ ἂν κατορθώσωμεν, καὶ ἵνα οἰκειωθῶμεν τῇ συνεχεῖ περὶ τούτων αἰτήσει. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἔπεισεν, ὅτι λήψονται τὰ παρόντα πάντως; Ὁ γὰρ τὰ μείζω παρέχων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ἐλάττω δώσει. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, εἶπον μὴ μεριμνᾷν, μηδὲ αἰτεῖν, ἵνα ταλαιπωρῆτε καὶ γυμνοὶ περιέρχησθε, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ τούτων ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ ἦτε· ὃ δὴ μάλιστα πάντων ἱκανὸν ἦν αὐτοὺς ἐφελκύσασθαι. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ἀποτρέπων αὐτοὺς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, τούτῳ μάλιστα ἔπειθε. τῷ μετὰ πλείονος αὐτὸ παρέξειν ὑποσχέσθαι τῆς φιλοτιμίας αὐτοῖς· (Ὁ γὰρ Πατήρ σου, φησὶν, ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ·) οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀφέλκων αὐτοὺς τοῦ μὴ ζητεῖν αὐτὰ, τούτῳ μάλιστα πείθει, τῷ μὴ ζητοῦσι μετὰ πλείονος ὑποσχέσθαι παρέχειν τῆς περιουσίας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο κελεύω, φησὶ, μὴ ζητεῖν, οὐχ ἵνα μὴ λάβῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα λάβῃς δαψιλῶς· ἵνα λάβῃς μετὰ τοῦ σοι προσήκοντος σχήματος, μετὰ τῆς ἁρμοζούσης σοι λυσιτελείας· ἵνα μὴ μεριμνῶν,