John Chrysostom, On Matthew

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if, while suffering evil, you show gentleness, the entire trophy is accounted to you; but if you retaliate and fight, you overshadow the victory. But consider for me who are the ones hearing these harsh and laborious commands: the timid and the common people; the unlettered and the ignorant; those obscure from every side; those who were never brought up in the external laws; those who do not quickly cast themselves into the marketplaces; the fishermen, the tax collectors, those full of countless faults. And if these things were enough to disturb the high and the great, how were they not enough to cast down and dismay those who were inexperienced in everything and had never imagined anything noble? But it did not cast them down. And very rightly, someone might perhaps say; for he gave them authority to cleanse lepers, to cast out demons. But I would say that this very thing was most of all sufficient to disturb them, that even while raising the dead they were about to endure these irreparable things, and law courts, and imprisonments, and wars from all sides, and the common hatred of the world, and that such terrible things awaited them while they were performing miracles. What then is the comfort for all these things? The power of the one who sends. Therefore he placed this before all things, saying: Behold, I send you. This is sufficient for your consolation; this is sufficient for courage, and to fear no one who comes against you. 2. Do you see sovereignty? do you see authority? do you see invincible power? And what he says is this: Do not be disturbed, he says, that sending you among wolves, I command you to be as sheep and as doves. For I was able to do the opposite, and not let you endure anything terrible, nor be subjected to wolves as sheep, but to make you more fearsome than lions; but it is expedient for it to be this way. This also makes you more illustrious; this also proclaims my power. This he also said to Paul: My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness. I, therefore, made you to be so. For when he says, I send you as sheep, he implies this: Therefore, do not be disheartened; for I know, I know clearly, that in this way you will be most unconquerable by all. Then, so that they might contribute something of their own, and not all seem to be of grace, nor think they are crowned rashly and in vain, he says: Be therefore 57.390 wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. And what could our wisdom do, he says, in so many dangers? And how will we be able to have wisdom at all, being drenched by so many waves? For however wise a sheep may be among wolves, and so many wolves, what more will it be able to accomplish? However harmless the dove may be, what good will it do, with so many hawks set against it? In the case of irrational animals, nothing; but in your case, the greatest things. But let us see what kind of wisdom he requires here. That of the serpent, he says. For just as that one gives up everything, and even if its body must be cut off, it does not strongly cling to it, so that it may preserve its head; so you too, he says, except for the faith, give up everything, whether money, or the body, or even if it is necessary to give up life itself. For that is the head and the root; and if that is preserved, even if you lose all things, you will regain all things again with greater splendor. For this reason he commanded them to be neither simply and artlessly guileless, nor only wise, but he mixed both of these, so that they might become a virtue; taking the wisdom of the serpent for not being struck in vital parts; and the harmlessness of the dove, for not defending oneself against those who do wrong, nor taking vengeance on those who plot against you; since again there is no benefit from wisdom, if this is not added. What then could be more forceful than these commands? For was it not enough to suffer evil? No, he says; but I do not even permit you to be indignant. For this is the dove. As if someone throwing a reed into a fire should command it not to be burned by the fire, but to extinguish the fire. But let us not be disturbed; for these things have come to pass, and have reached their end, and have been shown by the very deeds, and they became wise as serpents, and harmless as doves; not being of another nature, but of the same as ours. Therefore let no one think that the things are impossible

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πάσχων κακῶς ἡμερότητα ἐπιδείξῃ, αὐτῷ λογίζεται ἅπαν τὸ τρόπαιον· ἂν δὲ ἐπεξίῃς καὶ πυκτεύῃς, ἐπισκιάζεις τῇ νίκῃ. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ τῶν προσταγμάτων τούτων ἀκούοντες τῶν σκληρῶν καὶ ἐπιπόνων· οἱ δειλοὶ καὶ ἰδιῶται· οἱ ἀγράμματοι καὶ ἀμαθεῖς· οἱ πάντοθεν ἄσημοι· οἱ μηδέποτε τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἐντραφέντες νόμοις· οἱ μὴ ταχέως εἰς ἀγορὰς ἐμβάλλοντες ἑαυτούς· οἱ ἁλιεῖς, οἱ τελῶναι, οἱ μυρίων γέμοντες ἐλαττωμάτων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὑψηλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους ἱκανὰ ταῦτα θορυβῆσαι ἦν, τοὺς πάντοθεν ἀπείρους καὶ οὐδὲν οὐδέποτε φαντασθέντας γενναῖον πῶς οὐκ ἦν ἱκανὰ καταβαλεῖν καὶ ἐκπλῆξαι; Ἀλλ' οὐ κατέβαλε. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως, ἴσως εἴποι τις ἄν· ἔδωκε γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν λεπροὺς καθαίρειν, δαίμονας ἐλαύνειν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι, ὅτι αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἱκανὸν ἦν θορυβῆσαι, ὅτι καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείροντες τὰ ἀνήκεστα ταῦτα ἔμελλον ὑπομένειν, καὶ δικαστήρια, καὶ ἀπαγωγὰς, καὶ τοὺς παρὰ πάντων πολέμους, καὶ τὸ κοινὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης μῖσος, καὶ τοιαῦτα αὐτοὺς θαυματουργοῦντας ἀναμένειν δεινά. Τίς οὖν ἡ τούτων πάντων παράκλησις; Ἡ τοῦ πέμποντος δύναμις. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοῦτο πρὸ πάντων τέθεικε, λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς. Ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο εἰς παραμυθίαν ὑμῖν· ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο εἰς τὸ θαῤῥεῖν, καὶ μηδένα δεδοικέναι τῶν ἐπιόντων. βʹ. Εἶδες αὐθεντίαν; εἶδες ἐξουσίαν; εἶδες δύναμιν ἄμαχον; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Μὴ θορυβηθῆτε, φησὶν, ὅτι μεταξὺ λύκων πέμπων, ὡς πρόβατα καὶ ὡς περιστερὰς εἶναι κελεύω. Ἠδυνάμην μὲν γὰρ ποιῆσαι τοὐναντίον, καὶ μηδὲν ὑμᾶς ἀφεῖναι δεινὸν ὑπομένειν, μηδὲ ὡς πρόβατα ὑποτεθῆναι λύκοις, ἀλλὰ λεόντων ἐργάσασθαι φοβερωτέρους· ἀλλ' οὕτω συμφέρει γενέσθαι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὑμᾶς λαμπροτέρους ποιεῖ· τοῦτο καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνακηρύττει δύναμιν. Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς Παῦλον ἔλεγεν· Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου· ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. Ἐγὼ τοίνυν οὕτως ὑμᾶς ἐποίησα εἶναι. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃ, Ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα, τοῦτο αἰνίττεται· Μὴ τοίνυν καταπέσητε· οἶδα γὰρ, οἶδα σαφῶς, ὅτι ταύτῃ μάλιστα πᾶσιν ἀχείρωτοι ἔσεσθε. Εἶτα, ἵνα τι καὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέρωσι, καὶ μὴ πάντα τῆς χάριτος εἶναι δοκῇ, μηδὲ εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην στεφανοῦσθαι νομίζωνται, φησί· Γίνεσθε οὖν 57.390 φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί. Καὶ τί δύναιτ' ἂν ἡ ἡμετέρα φρόνησις, φησὶν, ἐν τοσούτοις κινδύνοις; πῶς δὲ ὅλως δυνησόμεθα φρόνησιν ἔχειν, ὑπὸ τοσούτων περιαντλούμενοι κυμάτων; Ὅσον γὰρ ἂν γένηται φρόνιμον πρόβατον μεταξὺ λύκων ὂν, καὶ λύκων τοσούτων, τί δυνήσεται πλέον ἀνύσαι; ὅσον ἂν γένηται ἀκέραιος ἡ περιστερὰ, τί ὠφελήσει, τοσούτων ἐπικειμένων ἱεράκων; Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἀλόγων, οὐδέν· ἐπὶ δὲ ὑμῶν, τὰ μέγιστα. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ποίαν φρόνησιν ἐνταῦθα ἀπαιτεῖ. Τὴν τοῦ ὄφεως, φησί. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τὰ πάντα προΐεται, κἂν αὐτὸ δέῃ τὸ σῶμα ἀποτμηθῆναι, οὐ σφόδρα ἀντέχεται αὐτοῦ, ὥστε τὴν κεφαλὴν διατηρῆσαι· οὕτω καὶ σὺ, φησὶ, πλὴν τῆς πίστεως πάντα ἐκδίδου, κἂν χρήματα, κἂν τὸ σῶμα, κἂν αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκδοῦναι δέῃ. Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἡ κεφαλὴ καὶ ἡ ῥίζα· κἀκείνης διατηρουμένης, κἂν πάντα ἀπολέσῃς, ἅπαντα ἀνακτήσῃ πάλιν μετὰ πλείονος τῆς περιφανείας. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὔτε ἁπλοῦν τινα εἶναι καὶ ἀφελῆ προσέταξεν, οὔτε φρόνιμον μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐκέρασε ταῦτα ἀμφότερα, ὥστε γενέσθαι αὐτὰ ἀρετήν· τὴν μὲν φρόνησιν τοῦ ὄφεως εἰς τὸ μὴ πλήττεσθαι ἐν τοῖς καιρίοις παραλαβών· τὸ δὲ ἀκέραιον τῆς περιστερᾶς, εἰς τὸ μὴ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας, μηδὲ τιμωρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας· ἐπεὶ πάλιν οὐδὲν ὄφελος τῆς φρονήσεως, ἂν μὴ τοῦτο προσῇ. Τί τοίνυν τούτων εὐτονώτερον γένοιτ' ἂν τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων; Οὐ γὰρ ἤρκει τὸ παθεῖν κακῶς; Οὐχὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀγανακτεῖν σοι συγχωρῶ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ περιστερά. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις κάλαμον εἰς πῦρ ἐμβαλὼν, κελεύοι μὴ καίεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς, ἀλλὰ σβεννύναι τὸ πῦρ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβώμεθα· καὶ γὰρ ἐξέβη ταῦτα, καὶ τέλος ἔλαβε, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἐδείχθη τῶν ἔργων, καὶ φρόνιμοι γεγόνασιν ὡς οἱ ὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί· οὐκ ἄλλης ὄντες φύσεως, ἀλλὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμῖν. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀδύνατα νομιζέτω τις εἶναι τὰ