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of those who are ill; through these things teaching us that every occasion and every deed can provide us with benefit. And yet the things set before them then were from injustice and greed; but Christ did not refuse to partake of them, since a great gain was about to come from it, but He becomes a sharer of the same roof and the same table with those who have committed such sins. For such is the physician; if he does not endure the corruption of the sick, he does not free them from their illness. And yet He received an evil reputation from this, both for eating with him, and for being in his house, and with many tax collectors. See, at any rate, how they reproach him for this: Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Let all those who are eager to acquire for themselves a great reputation for fasting hear this, and let them consider that our Lord was called a glutton and a drunkard, and was not ashamed, but disregarded all these things, in order to accomplish the task at hand; which indeed also happened. For indeed the tax collector was changed, and thus became better. And that you may learn that sharing the table with him accomplished this great thing, hear what Zacchaeus, another tax collector, says. For when he heard Christ saying, "Today I must stay at your house," winged with pleasure, he said, "Half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus says to him: "Today salvation has come to this house." Thus through all things it is possible to instruct. And how, he says, does Paul command, if anyone, called a brother, is either a fornicator, or greedy, not even to eat with such a one? First of all, it is not yet clear if he gives this advice to teachers as well, and not only to brothers. Secondly, these men were not yet of the perfected, nor had they become brothers. In addition to this, Paul commands to turn away from those who have become brothers only when they persist; but these men had already ceased and changed. But none of these things shamed the Pharisees, but they accuse the disciples, saying: Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? And when they themselves seem to be sinning, they approach him saying: Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath; but here they slander him to them. All of which were the actions of malicious men wanting to tear away the company of the disciples from the teacher. What then does infinite wisdom say? Those who are well, he says, have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. See how he turned their argument to the contrary. For they were making an accusation of his associating with these men; but he, on the contrary, says that not associating is unworthy of him and of his love for mankind, and that not only is correcting such people beyond accusation, but it is a pre-eminent and necessary thing, and worthy of countless praises. Then, so that he might not seem to disgrace those who were called by saying, "those who are sick," see how he consoles this again, rebuking them and saying: But go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." And he said this, reproaching them for their ignorance of the Scriptures. Therefore he also uses a more striking word, 57.365 not being angry himself—may it not be so—but so that they might not be utterly perplexed. And yet he could have said: Have you not considered how I forgave the sins of the paralytic? how I strengthened his body? But he says none of these things; but first he reasons with them from common considerations, and then from the Scriptures. For having said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick," and having secretly shown himself to be the physician, he then said: "Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'" Thus Paul also does. Having first constructed his argument from common examples, and having said: "Who tends a flock and does not eat of its milk?" he then also brought in the Scriptures, saying: "For it is written in the Law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain'"; and again, "So the Lord has commanded that those who proclaim the Gospel should live from the Gospel." And to

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κακῶς διακειμένων· διὰ τούτων διδάσκων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι πᾶς καιρὸς καὶ πᾶν ἔργον δύναται παρέχειν ἡμῖν τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Καίτοιγε τὰ παρακείμενα τότε ἐξ ἀδικίας ἦν καὶ πλεονεξίας· ἀλλ' οὐ παρῃτήσατο ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτῶν μετασχεῖν, ἐπειδὴ μέγα τὸ κέρδος ἐντεῦθεν ἔμελλε γίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁμορόφιος καὶ ὁμοτράπεζος γίνεται τοῖς τοιαῦτα πεπλημμεληκόσι. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὁ ἰατρός· ἂν μὴ ἀνάσχηται τῆς σηπεδόνος τῶν καμνόντων, οὐκ ἀπαλλάττει τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας αὐτούς. Καίτοιγε πονηρὰν ἐντεῦθεν ἔλαβε δόξαν, καὶ τῷ μετ' αὐτοῦ φαγεῖν, καὶ τῷ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τῇ ἐκείνου, καὶ τῷ μετὰ πολλῶν τελωνῶν. Ὅρα γοῦν αὐτοὺς τοῦτο ὀνειδίζοντας· Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης, τελωνῶν φίλος καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν. Ἀκουέτωσαν ὅσοι μεγάλην ἐπὶ νηστείᾳ δόξαν ἑαυτοῖς περιτιθέναι σπουδάζουσιν, καὶ ἐννοείτωσαν ὅτι ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης ἐκλήθη, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο, ἀλλὰ πάντων ὑπερεώρα τούτων, ἵνα τὸ προκείμενον ἀνύσῃ· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ μετεβάλετο ὁ τελώνης, καὶ βελτίων οὕτως ἐγένετο. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι μέγα τοῦτο ἤνυσε τὸ κοινωνῆσαι αὐτῷ τῆς τραπέζης, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Ζακχαῖος, ἕτερος πάλιν τελώνης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤκουσε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, Σήμερον ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου δεῖ με μεῖναι, ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς πτερωθεὶς, Τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μοι δίδωμι πτωχοῖς, φησὶ, καὶ εἴ τινός τι ἐσυκοφάντησα, ἀποδίδωμι τετραπλοῦν. Καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς φησι· Σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ ἐγένετο. Οὕτω διὰ πάντων ἔνεστι παιδεύειν. Καὶ πῶς ὁ Παῦλος, φησὶ, κελεύει, ἐάν τις, ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος, ἢ πόρνος, ἢ πλεονέκτης, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν; Μάλιστα μὲν οὔπω δῆλον, εἰ καὶ διδασκάλοις ταῦτα παραινεῖ, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ἀδελφοῖς μόνοις. Ἔπειτα, οὗτοι οὔπω τῶν ἀπηρτισμένων ἦσαν, οὐδὲ ἀδελφῶν γεγενημένων. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὁ Παῦλος καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς γεγενημένους τότε ἀποστρέφεσθαι κελεύει, ὅταν ἐπιμένωσιν· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν παυσάμενοι λοιπὸν καὶ μεταβαλόμενοι. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων τοὺς Φαρισαίους ἐνέτρεψεν, ἀλλ' ἐγκαλοῦσι τοῖς μαθηταῖς λέγοντες· ∆ιατί μετὰ τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίει ὁ διδάσκαλος ὑμῶν; Καὶ ὅταν μὲν αὐτοὶ δοκῶσιν ἁμαρτάνειν, αὐτῷ ἐντυγχάνουσι λέγοντες· Ἰδοὺ οἱ μαθηταί σου ποιοῦσιν ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστι ποιεῖν ἐν σαββάτῳ· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς αὐτὸν διαβάλλουσιν. Ἅπερ πάντα κακουργούντων ἦν καὶ βουλομένων ἀποῤῥῆξαι τοῦ διδασκάλου τὸν χορὸν τῶν μαθητῶν. Τί οὖν ἡ ἄπειρος σοφία; Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσι, φησὶν, οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. Ὅρα πῶς αὐτῶν εἰς τοὐναντίον περιέτρεψε τὸν λόγον. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἔγκλημα ἐποιοῦντο τὸ συγγίνεσθαι αὐτὸν τούτοις· αὐτὸς δὲ τοὐναντίον φησὶν, ὅτι τὸ μὴ συγγίνεσθαι ἀνάξιον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐγκλήματος ἐκτὸς τὸ τοὺς τοιούτους διορθοῦν, ἀλλὰ προηγούμενον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον καὶ μυρίων ἄξιον ἐπαίνων. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ καταισχύνειν τοὺς κληθέντας τῷ λέγειν, οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες, ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ παραμυθεῖται πάλιν, ἐπιτιμῶν αὐτοῖς καὶ λέγων· Πορευθέντες δὲ μάθετε τί ἐστιν, Ἔλεον θέλω, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε, τὴν τῶν Γραφῶν ἄγνοιαν αὐτοῖς ὀνειδίζων. ∆ιὸ καὶ πληκτικώτερον κέχρηται τῷ λόγῳ, 57.365 οὐχὶ αὐτὸς ὀργιζόμενος· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ὥστε ἐκείνους μὴ ἐξαπορηθῆναι. Καίτοιγε ἠδύνατο εἰπεῖν· Οὐκ ἐνενοήσατε, πῶς ἔλυσα τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ παραλυτικοῦ; πῶς τὸ σῶμα ἔσφιγξα; Ἀλλ' οὐ λέγει τούτων οὐδέν· ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν κοινῶν λογισμῶν πρῶτον αὐτοῖς διαλέγεται, καὶ τότε ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες, καὶ λανθανόντως δείξας ἑαυτὸν ὄντα τὸν ἰατρὸν, τότε εἶπε· Πορευθέντες μάθετε τί ἐστιν, Ἔλεον θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ποιεῖ. Πρότερον ἀπὸ τῶν κοινῶν παραδειγμάτων τὸν λόγον κατασκευάσας, καὶ εἰπών· Τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐσθίει τότε καὶ τὰς Γραφὰς ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ἐν γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ Μωϋσέως γέγραπται, Οὐ φιμώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα· καὶ πάλιν, Οὕτως ὁ Κύριος διέταξε τοῖς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλουσιν, ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν. Πρὸς δὲ