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He sets another reward, showing that in this He is more concerned for those who offer hospitality than for those who receive it. And He gives a first honor, saying: He that receives you, receives Me; and he that receives Me, receives Him that sent Me; than which what could be equal, to receive the Father and the Son? And after this He promises another reward also; For he that receives, He says, a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And above He threatens punishment to those who do not receive them; but here He also appoints a release of good things. And that you may learn that He is more concerned for them, He did not simply say, He that receives a prophet, or, He that receives a righteous man, but He added, In the name of a prophet, and, In the name of a righteous man; that is, if he does not receive him for any worldly patronage, nor for any other perishable thing, but because he is either a prophet or a righteous man, he will receive a prophet's reward and a righteous man's reward; such as it is fitting for one who has received a prophet or a righteous man to receive; or such as he himself is about to receive. Which Paul also said: That your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want. Then, lest anyone should plead poverty, He says: Or whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Even if you give a cup of cold water, on which there is nothing to spend, for this also a reward will be laid up for you. For because of you I do all things for those who receive you. 3. Did you see by how many things He persuaded, and opened to them the houses of the whole world? For He showed that they were debtors to them in all things: first, by saying, The laborer is worthy of his hire; second, by sending them out with nothing; third, by giving them up to wars and battles on behalf of those who received them; fourth, by entrusting signs to them; fifth, by bringing peace, the cause of all good things, through their mouths into the houses of those who received them; sixth, by threatening things more grievous than Sodom to those who did not receive them; seventh, by showing that both He and the Father were received by those who received them; eighth, by promising the reward of both a prophet and a righteous man; ninth, by promising great rewards even for a cup of cold water. And each of these by itself was sufficient to attract 57.409 them. For who, tell me, seeing a general with a thousand wounds and bloodied, and returning from war and battle with many trophies, would not receive him, having thrown open the doors of his whole house? And who now is such a one? he says. For this reason He added, in the name of a disciple, and of a prophet, and of a righteous man, that you may learn that He assigns the reward not to the worth of the one who arrives, but also to the disposition of the one who gives hospitality. For here He speaks of prophets and righteous men and disciples; but elsewhere He bids us also to receive those who are utterly cast out, and He punishes those who do not receive them. For inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me; and again He says the contrary of the same things. For even if he accomplishes nothing of the sort, he is a human being, inhabiting the same world as you, seeing the same sun, having the same soul, the same Master, having partaken of the same mysteries as you, being called to the same heaven as you, having a great right, his poverty, and his need of necessary food. But now, those who wake you up with flutes and pipes in the winter season, and annoy you rashly and in vain, depart after receiving many gifts of hospitality from you; and those who carry around swallows, and are covered in soot, and slander everyone, receive a reward for this monstrosity. But if a poor man should come asking for bread, there are a thousand accusations and slanders, and charges of idleness, and revilings and insults and taunts; and you do not consider with yourself, that you too are idle, and yet God gives you things from Himself. For do not say this to me, that you too do something; but show me this, whether you do or handle any of the necessary things. But if you tell me of money-making and retail trading, and the care of your possessions and
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ἕτερον μισθὸν τίθησι, δεικνὺς ὅτι τῶν ξενοδοχούντων φροντίζει μᾶλλον ἐν τούτῳ, ἢ τῶν ξενιζομένων. Καὶ δίδωσι μὲν πρώτην τιμὴν, λέγων· Ὁ δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς, ἐμὲ δέχεται· καὶ ὁ ἐμὲ δεχόμενος, δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με· οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἴσον, τοῦ τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι; Ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ μετὰ τούτου καὶ ἑτέραν ἀμοιβήν· Ὁ δεχόμενος γὰρ, φησὶ, προφήτην εἰς ὄνομα προφήτου, μισθὸν προφήτου λήψεται· καὶ ὁ δεχόμενος δίκαιον εἰς ὄνομα δικαίου, μισθὸν δικαίου λήψεται. Καὶ ἀνωτέρω μὲν κόλασιν ἀπειλεῖ τοῖς μὴ δεχομένοις· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ ἄνεσιν ἀγαθῶν ὁρίζει. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι αὐτῶν φροντίζει μᾶλλον, οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ὁ δεχόμενος προφήτην, ἢ, Ὁ δεχόμενος δίκαιον, ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγεν, Εἰς ὄνομα προφήτου, καὶ, Εἰς ὄνομα δικαίου· τουτέστιν, Ἐὰν μὴ διὰ βιωτικὴν προστασίαν, μηδὲ δι' ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐπικήρων δέξηται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἢ προφήτης ἐστὶν, ἢ δίκαιος, μισθὸν προφήτου καὶ μισθὸν δικαίου λήψεται· οἷον εἰκὸς τὸν προφήτην ἢ δίκαιον δεξάμενον λαβεῖν· ἢ οἷον ἐκεῖνος μέλλει λαμβάνειν. Ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τὸ ὑμῶν περίσσευμα εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων ὑστέρημα, ἵνα καὶ τὸ ἐκείνων περίσσευμα γένηται εἰς τὸ ὑμῶν ὑστέρημα. Εἶτα ἵνα μή τις πενίαν προβάληται, φησίν· Ἢ ὃς ἐὰν ποτίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων ποτήριον ψυχροῦ μόνον εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ. Κἂν ποτήριον ψυχροῦ ὕδατος δῷς, ἔνθα οὐδὲν ἔστι δαπανῆσαι, καὶ τούτου κείσεταί σοι μισθός. ∆ιὰ γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἅπαντα ποιῶ τοὺς δεχομένους. γʹ. Εἶδες δι' ὅσων ἔπεισε, καὶ τὰς οἰκίας αὐτοῖς ἀνέῳξε τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης; Καὶ γὰρ ἔδειξε διὰ πάντων ὀφειλέτας αὐτῶν ὄντας· πρῶτον, εἰπὼν, Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ· δεύτερον, τῷ μηδὲν ἔχοντας ἐκπέμψαι· τρίτον, τῷ εἰς πολέμους καὶ μάχας ὑπὲρ τῶν δεχομένων ἐκδοῦναι· τέταρτον, τῷ καὶ σημεῖα αὐτοῖς ἐγχειρίσαι· πέμπτον, τῷ τὴν πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν αἰτίαν εἰρήνην διὰ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν εἰς τὰς τῶν δεχομένων εἰσαγαγεῖν οἰκίας· ἕκτον, τῷ χαλεπώτερα Σοδόμων ἀπειλῆσαι τοῖς μὴ δεχομένοις αὐτούς· ἕβδομον, τῷ δεῖξαι καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν Πατέρα δεχομένους τοὺς ὑποδεχομένους αὐτούς· ὄγδοον, τῷ καὶ προφήτου καὶ δικαίου μισθὸν ἐπαγγείλασθαι· ἔνατον, τῷ καὶ ποτηρίου ψυχροῦ μεγάλας ὑποσχέσθαι τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Τούτων δὲ ἕκαστον καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ ἱκανὸν ἦν αὐτοὺς ἐπισπά 57.409 σασθαι. Τίς γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, στρατηγὸν μυρία τραύματα ἔχοντα καὶ ᾑμαγμένον ὁρῶν, καὶ μετὰ πολλὰ τρόπαια ἀπὸ πολέμου καὶ παρατάξεως ἐπανιόντα, οὐκ ἂν ἐδέξατο, τὰς θύρας ἀναπετάσας τῆς οἰκίας ἁπάσης; Καὶ τίς νῦν τοιοῦτος; φησί. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προσέθηκεν, εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ, καὶ προφήτου, καὶ δικαίου, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ τῇ ἀξίᾳ τοῦ παραγενομένου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ ξενίζοντος τὸν μισθὸν τίθησιν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ περὶ προφητῶν καὶ δικαίων καὶ μαθητῶν φησιν· ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα ἀπεῤῥιμμένους ὑποδέχεσθαι κελεύει, καὶ τοὺς μὴ ὑποδεχομένους κολάζει. Ἐφ' ὅσον γὰρ οὐκ ἐποιήσατε ἐνὶ τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων, οὐδὲ ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε· καὶ τοὐναντίον πάλιν ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν λέγει. Κἂν γὰρ μηδὲν ᾖ κατορθῶν τοιοῦτον, ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, τὸν αὐτὸν σοὶ κόσμον οἰκῶν, τὸν αὐτὸν ἥλιον ὁρῶν, τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχων ψυχὴν, τὸν αὐτὸν ∆εσπότην, τῶν αὐτῶν σοὶ κεκοινωνηκὼς μυστηρίων, ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν σοὶ καλούμενος οὐρανὸν, ἔχων μέγα δικαίωμα, τὴν πενίαν, καὶ τὸ δεῖσθαι τῆς ἀναγκαίας τροφῆς. Νῦν δὲ οἱ μὲν ἐξυπνίζοντες μετὰ αὐλῶν καὶ συρίγγων ἐν χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ, καὶ εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ἐνοχλοῦντες, ξένια πολλὰ λαμβάνοντες παρὰ σοῦ ἀναχωροῦσι· καὶ οἱ χελιδόνας περιφέροντες, καὶ ἠσβολωμένοι, καὶ πάντας κακηγοροῦντες, μισθὸν τῆς τερατωδίας ταύτης λαμβάνουσιν. Ἂν δὲ προσέλθῃ πένης ἄρτου δεόμενος, μυρίαι κακηγορίαι καὶ διαβολαὶ, καὶ ἀργίας ἐγκλήματα, καὶ λοιδορίαι καὶ ὕβρεις καὶ σκώμματα· καὶ οὐ λογίζῃ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, ὅτι καὶ σὺ ἀργεῖς, καὶ ὅμως ὁ Θεὸς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ σοι δίδωσι. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο εἴπῃς, ὅτι πράττεις τι καὶ αὐτός· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνό μοι δεῖξον, εἰ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τι ποιεῖς καὶ μεταχειρίζῃ. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις μοι χρηματισμοὺς καὶ καπηλείας, καὶ τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἐπιμέλειαν καὶ