John Chrysostom, On Matthew

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provides the benefit of teaching. And he sits by the sea, fishing and netting those on the land. But he sat by the 57.467 sea not without purpose; and the evangelist has set this down, hinting at something. For to show that he wished to assemble his audience with precision, he did this, and so as to leave no one behind his back, but to have everyone facing him, And there were gathered to him, it says, great crowds, so that he went into the boat and sat down; and the whole crowd stood on the shore. And sitting there, he speaks through parables. And he spoke to them, it says, many things in parables. And yet on the mountain he did not do so, nor did he weave his discourse with so many parables; for then there were only crowds and an unformed populace; but here there were also scribes and Pharisees. But consider what parable he tells first, and how Matthew places them in sequence. What, then, is the first one he tells? The one which most of all needed to be told first, the one that makes the hearer more attentive. For since he was about to speak in riddles, he first rouses the mind of his hearers by the parable. For this reason another evangelist says that he rebuked them because they did not understand, saying: How did you not understand the parable? But he speaks in parables not for this reason alone, but also to make his discourse more vivid, and to implant a greater memory, and to bring the matters before their eyes. Thus the prophets also do. 3. What then is the parable? Behold, the sower went out to sow, he says. From where did he who is everywhere present, who fills all things, go out? Or how did he go out? Not in place, but in relation and economy towards us, having become nearer to us through the clothing of the flesh. For since we were unable to enter, our sins walling up the entrance for us, he himself comes out to us. And why did he go out? To destroy the land full of thorns? To punish the husbandmen? By no means; but to cultivate and to care for it, and to sow the word of piety. For here he calls the teaching the seed; the field, the souls of men; the sower, himself. What then happens to this seed? Three parts are lost, and one is saved. And as he sowed, some seed, he says, fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it. He did not say that he threw it, but that it fell. And other seed fell on the rock, where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away. And other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked it. And other seed fell on the good ground; and it yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. A fourth part was saved; and not even this equally, but even here there is much difference. He said these things, showing that he spoke to all with abundance. For just as the sower does not distinguish the field lying before him, but simply and indiscriminately casts the seeds; so also he does not distinguish rich or poor, wise or unwise, idle or diligent, brave or cowardly, but he spoke to all, fulfilling his part, although he foreknew what was to be; so that it would be possible for him to say: What more should I have done, that I have not done? 57.468 And the prophets speak of the people as of a vineyard; For a vineyard, he says, was made for my beloved; and, He brought a vine out of Egypt; but he speaks of a seed. What does this signify? That obedience will now be swift, and easier, and will immediately yield its fruit. And when you hear, that the sower went out to sow, do not think it a tautology. For the sower often goes out for another matter, either to break new ground, or to cut out the bad weeds, or to pull up thorns, or to attend to some other such thing; but he went out to sow. Whence then, tell me, was the greater part of the seed lost? Not from the sower, but from the receiving earth; that is, from the soul that did not listen. And for what reason does he not say, that the slothful received some,

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διδασκαλίας ὠφέλειαν παρέχει. Καὶ κάθηται παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν, ἁλιεύων καὶ σαγηνεύων τοὺς ἐν τῇ γῇ. Ἐκάθισε δὲ παρὰ τὴν 57.467 θάλασσαν οὐχ ἁπλῶς· καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ τέθεικεν αἰνιττόμενος ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Ἵνα γὰρ δείξῃ, ὅτι βουλόμενος μετὰ ἀκριβείας συγκροτῆσαι τὸ θέατρον, τοῦτο πεποίηκε, καὶ ὥστε μηδένα ἀφεῖναι κατὰ νώτου, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἀντιπροσώπους ἔχειν, Καὶ συνήχθησαν, φησὶ, πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοὶ, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι· καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει. Καθίσας δὲ ἐκεῖ, διὰ παραβολῶν φθέγγεται. Καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς. Καίτοιγε ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους οὐχ οὕτως ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ διὰ παραβολῶν τοσούτων τὸν λόγον ὕφηνεν· τότε γὰρ ὄχλοι μόνον ἦσαν καὶ δῆμος ἄπλαστος· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει ποίαν προτέραν λέγει παραβολὴν, καὶ πῶς κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν αὐτὰς τίθησιν ὁ Ματθαῖος. Ποίαν οὖν πρώτην λέγει; Ἣν μάλιστα πρώτην ἐχρῆν εἰπεῖν, τὴν ποιοῦσαν τὸν ἀκροατὴν προσεκτικώτερον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αἰνιγματωδῶς ἔμελλε διαλέγεσθαι, διανίστησι τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀκουόντων πρῶτον διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἕτερος εὐαγγελιστής φησιν, ὅτι ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι οὐ νοοῦσι, λέγων· Πῶς οὐκ ἔγνωτε τὴν παραβολήν; Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐν παραβολαῖς φθέγγεται, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ἐμφαντικώτερον τὸν λόγον ποιήσῃ, καὶ πλείονα τὴν μνήμην ἐνθῇ, καὶ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἀγάγῃ τὰ πράγματα. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ προφῆται ποιοῦσι. γʹ. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ παραβολή; Ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν, φησί. Πόθεν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ πανταχοῦ παρὼν, ὁ πάντα πληρῶν; ἢ πῶς ἐξῆλθεν; Οὐ τόπῳ, ἀλλὰ σχέσει καὶ οἰκονομίᾳ τῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἐγγύτερος ἡμῖν γενόμενος διὰ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα περιβολῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡμεῖς εἰσελθεῖν οὐκ ἐδυνάμεθα, τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων διατειχιζόντων ἡμῖν τὴν εἴσοδον, αὐτὸς ἐξέρχεται πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Καὶ τί ἐξῆλθεν; ἀπολέσαι τὴν γῆν ἀκανθῶν γέμουσαν; τιμωρήσασθαι τοὺς γεωργούς; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ γεωργῆσαι καὶ ἐπιμελήσασθαι, καὶ σπεῖραι τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸν λόγον. Σπόρον γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὴν διδασκαλίαν φησίν· ἄρουραν δὲ, τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς ψυχάς· σπορέα δὲ, ἑαυτόν. Τί τοίνυν γίνεται ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τούτου; Τρία ἀπόλλυται μέρη, καὶ σώζεται τὸ ἕν. Καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν, ἃ μὲν ἔπεσε, φησὶ, παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἦλθε τὰ πετεινὰ, καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτά. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔῤῥιψεν, ἀλλὰ ὅτι ἔπεσεν. Ἃ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, ὅπου οὐκ εἶχε γῆν πολλήν· καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλε, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς· ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος, ἐκαυματίσθη, καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν, ἐξηράνθη. Ἃ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας· καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι, καὶ ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτά. Ἃ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλήν· καὶ ἐδίδου καρπὸν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατὸν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα. Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἀκουέτω. Τέταρτον μέρος ἐσώθη· καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἐξίσης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλὴ ἡ διαφορά. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, δηλῶν ὅτι μετὰ ἀφθονίας ἅπασι διελέγετο. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ σπείρων οὐ διαιρεῖ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ἄρουραν, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀδιακρίτως βάλλει τὰ σπέρματα· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς οὐ πλούσιον, οὐ πένητα διαιρεῖ, οὐ σοφὸν, οὐκ ἄσοφον, οὐ ῥᾴθυμον, οὐ σπουδαῖον, οὐκ ἀνδρεῖον, οὐ δειλὸν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι διελέγετο, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ πληρῶν, καίτοι προειδὼς τὰ ἐσόμενα· ἵνα ἐξῇ αὐτῷ λέγειν· Τί με ἔδει ποιῆσαι, καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησα; 57.468 Καὶ οἱ μὲν προφῆται ὡς περὶ ἀμπέλου διαλέγονται τοῦ δήμου· Ἀμπελὼν γὰρ ἐγενήθη, φησὶ, τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ· καὶ, Ἄμπελον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετῆρεν· αὐτὸς δὲ ὡς περὶ σπόρου. Τί δήποτε δηλῶν; Ὅτι ταχεῖα ἔσται νῦν ἡ ὑπακοὴ, καὶ εὐκολωτέρα, καὶ εὐθέως τὸν καρπὸν δώσει. Ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι, μὴ ταυτολογίαν εἶναι νόμιζε. Ἐξέρχεται γὰρ ὁ σπείρων πολλάκις καὶ ἐφ' ἕτερον πρᾶγμα, ἢ ὥστε νεῶσαι, ἢ ὥστε τὰς πονηρὰς ἐκτεμεῖν βοτάνας, ἢ ὥστε ἀκάνθας ἀνασπάσαι, ἢ ἄλλο τι ἐπιμελήσασθαι τοιοῦτον· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ σπεῖραι ἐξῆλθε. Πόθεν οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ πλέον ἀπώλετο τοῦ σπόρου; Οὐ παρὰ τὸν σπείραντα, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ὑποδεχομένην γῆν· τουτέστι, παρὰ τὴν μὴ ἀκούσασαν ψυχήν. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ λέγει, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐδέξαντο οἱ ῥᾴθυμοι,