John Chrysostom, On Matthew

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nothing at all, but displaying a shining life and an endurance more steadfast than adamant. What sign did David perform, while still a youth, for God to say: I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart? And what dead person did Abraham and Isaac and Jacob raise? what leper did they cleanse? Do you not know that signs, if we are not vigilant, often even do harm? Thus many of the Corinthians were divided from one another; thus many of the Romans became foolish; thus Simon was cast out; thus he who then desired to follow Christ was rejected, hearing that, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests. For each of these, one desiring money, the other glory from signs, fell away and perished. But the care for one's way of life and the love of virtue not only does not give birth to such a desire, but even destroys it where it exists. And when he himself was giving laws to his disciples, what did he say? Perform signs, so that men may see? By no means; but what? Let your light so shine before 58.480 men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. And to Peter he did not say, If you love me, perform signs; but, Feed my sheep. And everywhere preferring him above the others with James and John, from what, tell me, did he prefer him? from signs? And yet all alike cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead; and he gave the authority to all alike. From where then did these have the advantage? From the virtue of their soul. Do you see that everywhere there is a need for a good life and for demonstration through works? For by their fruits, he says, you shall know them. 4. What then constitutes our life? A display of signs, or the precision of a most excellent way of life? It is clear that it is the second; for signs both have their origin from this, and to this they lead. For he who displays an excellent life, draws this grace to himself; and he who receives the grace, receives it for this reason, that he might correct the life of others. Since Christ also for this reason performed those miracles, that being shown trustworthy from them and drawing men to himself, he might introduce virtue into their life. Therefore he also makes the greater effort for this. For he is not content with signs only, but also threatens Gehenna, and promises a kingdom, and lays down those wonderful laws, and manages all things for this purpose, that he might make them equal to angels. And why do I say that Christ does all things for this sake? For if someone gave you, tell me, a choice, to raise the dead in his name, or to die for his name, which would you rather accept? Is it not clear that it is the second? And yet the one is a sign, the other a deed. What then, if someone offered you to make grass into gold, or to be able to despise all money as grass, would you not rather accept this? And very reasonably. For this would have drawn men most of all. For if they saw grass becoming gold, they would have also desired to receive the power themselves, just like Simon, and the love of money would have increased in them; but if they saw everyone despising and disdaining gold as grass, they would long ago have been delivered from this disease. Do you see that a good life is able to benefit more? And by life I now mean, not if you should fast, nor if you should lie on sackcloth and ashes; but if you should disdain money as one ought to disdain it, if you are affectionate, if you give your bread to the hungry, if you control your anger, if you cast out vainglory, if you do away with envy. Thus he himself also taught; For learn, he says, from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. He did not say, Because I fasted; and yet he could have spoken of the forty days, but he does not say this; but, For I am meek and lowly in heart. And again when sending them out, he did not say, Fast but, Eat whatever is set before you. With regard to money, however, he required great strictness, saying: Do not acquire gold or silver, nor copper in your belts. And I say these things, not disparaging fasting; may it not be so; but even strongly praising it; but I am grieved, when other things having been neglected, you think this is sufficient

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μὲν οὐδὲν, βίον δὲ λάμποντα καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἀδάμαντος στεῤῥοτέραν ἐπιδεικνύμενον. Ποῖον σημεῖον ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐποίησεν, ἔτι νέος ὢν, ὡς εἰπεῖν τὸν Θεόν· Εὗρον ∆αυῒδ τὸν τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου; Ὁ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼποῖον νεκρὸν ἤγειραν; ποῖον δὲ λεπρὸν ἐκάθηραν; Οὐκ οἶσθα ὅτι τὰ σημεῖα, ἐὰν μὴ νήφωμεν, καὶ βλάπτει πολλάκις; Οὕτω πολλοὶ τῶν Κορινθίων ἀπεσχίσθησαν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων· οὕτω πολλοὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀπενοήθησαν· οὕτω Σίμων ἐξεβλήθη· οὕτως ὁ τῷ Χριστῷ τότε ἐπιθυμήσας ἀκολουθῆσαι ἀπεδοκιμάζετο, ἀκούσας ὅτι Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις. Τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστος, ὁ μὲν χρημάτων, ὁ δὲ δόξης ἐφιέμενος τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων, ἐξέπιπτον καὶ ἀπώλλυντο. Βίου δὲ ἐπιμέλεια καὶ ἀρετῆς ἔρως οὐ μόνον οὐ τίκτει τοιαύτην ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὖσαν ἀναιρεῖ. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὅτε ἐνομοθέτει τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς, τί ἔλεγε; Ποιήσατε σημεῖα, ἵνα ἴδωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ τί; Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν 58.480 τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν, Εἰ φιλεῖς με, ποίει σημεῖα· ἀλλὰ, Ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. Καὶ πανταχοῦ δὲ αὐτὸν προτιμῶν τῶν ἄλλων μετὰ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωάννου, πόθεν, εἰπέ μοι, προετίμα; ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων; Καὶ μὴν πάντες ὁμοίως ἐκάθαιρον τοὺς λεπροὺς, καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἤγειρον· καὶ πᾶσιν ὁμοίως τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκε. Πόθεν οὖν εἶχον τὸ πλέον οὗτοι; Ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρετῆς. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι πανταχοῦ βίου χρεία καὶ τῆς διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξεως; Ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς. δʹ. Τί δὲ τὴν ζωὴν συνίστησι τὴν ἡμετέραν; Ἆρα σημείων ἐπίδειξις, ἢ πολιτείας ἀρίστης ἀκρίβεια; Εὔδηλον ὅτι τὸ δεύτερον· τὰ δὲ σημεῖα καὶ τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐντεῦθεν ἔχει, καὶ εἰς τοῦτο καταλήγει. Ὅ τε γὰρ βίον ἄριστον ἐπιδεικνύμενος, ἐπισπᾶται ταύτην τὴν χάριν· ὅ τε λαμβάνων τὴν χάριν, διὰ τοῦτο λαμβάνει, ἵνα τὸν ἑτέρων διορθώσηται βίον. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τοῦτο τὰ θαύματα ἐκεῖνα ἐποίησεν, ἵνα ἀξιόπιστος φανεὶς ἐντεῦθεν καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἑλκύσας, ἀρετὴν εἰς τὸν βίον εἰσαγάγῃ. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὴν πλείονα ὑπὲρ τούτου ποιεῖται σπουδήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῖς σημείοις ἀρκεῖται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γέενναν ἀπειλεῖ, καὶ βασιλείαν ἐπαγγέλλεται, καὶ τοὺς παραδόξους ἐκείνους τίθησι νόμους, καὶ πάντα ὑπὲρ τούτου πραγματεύεται, ἵνα ἰσαγγέλους ἐργάσηται. Καὶ τί λέγω, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς πάντα τούτου ἕνεκεν ποιεῖ; Σοὶ γὰρ εἴ τις ἔδωκεν, εἰπέ μοι, αἵρεσιν, νεκροὺς ἀναστῆσαι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, ἢ διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖν, τί ἂν ἐδέξω μᾶλλον; Οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι τὸ δεύτερον; Καὶ μὴν τὸ μὲν σημεῖόν ἐστι, τὸ δὲ ἔργον. Τί δὲ, εἴ τίς σοι προὔθηκε ποιῆσαι χόρτον χρυσὸν, ἢ δυνηθῆναι πάντων τῶν χρημάτων ὡς χόρτου καταφρονῆσαι, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο ἐδέξω μᾶλλον; Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦτο ἂν μάλιστα ἐπεσπάσατο. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἶδον τὸν χόρτον χρυσὸν γινόμενον, κἂν ἐπεθύμησαν καὶ αὐτοὶ λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν, ὥσπερ ὁ Σίμων, καὶ ηὐξήθη ἂν αὐτοῖς ὁ τῶν χρημάτων ἔρως· εἰ δὲ εἶδον ὡς χόρτου τοῦ χρυσοῦ πάντας καταφρονοῦντας καὶ ὑπερορῶντας, πάλαι ἂν τῆς νόσου ταύτης ἀπηλλάγησαν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὁ βίος μᾶλλον ὠφελεῖν δύναται; Βίον δὲ λέγω νῦν, οὐχὶ ἂν νηστεύσῃς, οὐδὲ ἂν σάκκον καὶ σποδὸν ὑποστρώσῃς· ἀλλ' ἐὰν χρημάτων ὑπερίδῃς ὡς ὑπεριδεῖν χρὴ, ἐὰν φιλοστοργήσῃς, ἐὰν δῷς πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον σου, ἐὰν θυμοῦ κρατήσῃς, ἂν κενοδοξίαν ἐκβάλῃς, ἂν βασκανίαν ἀνέλῃς. Οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπαίδευε· Μάθετε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὅτι ἐνήστευσα· καίτοιγε εἶχεν εἰπεῖν τὰς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας, ἀλλ' οὐ λέγε τοῦτο· ἀλλ', Ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ πάλιν πέμπων αὐτοὺς, οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Νηστεύετε ἀλλὰ, Πᾶν τὸ παρατιθέμενον ὑμῖν ἐσθίετε. Χρημάτων μέντοι ἕνεκεν πολλὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἀπῄτησε λέγων· Μὴ κτήσησθε χρυσὸν ἢ ἄργυρον, μηδὲ χαλκὸν εἰς τὰς ζώνας ὑμῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, οὐχὶ νηστείαν κακίζων· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐπαινῶν· ἀλγῶ δὲ, ὅταν τῶν ἄλλων ἠμελημένων ταύτην νομίζητε ἀρκεῖν