John Chrysostom, On Matthew

529

Jesus in his temptations. For they indeed spent so much even on Him when he was dead, and gave up their souls; but we (for I will say the same things again) do not feed him when he is hungry, nor clothe him when he is naked, but seeing him begging, we pass by. And yet if you saw that very man, each one of you would have emptied out your possessions. But even now He is the same. For He Himself said, It is I. For what reason then do you not empty out everything? For even now you hear him saying, 'You do it to Me;' and there is no difference whether you give to this one or to that one; you have nothing less than those women who fed him then, but even much more. But do not be troubled. For it is not the same to feed him appearing in his own person, which was able to draw even a heart of stone, and to care for the poor man, the cripple, the one bent over, through His declaration alone. For in that case, the sight and the dignity of the one appearing shares the deed with you; but in this case, the prize for your charity is entirely yours. and it is a proof of greater reverence for him, when for his declaration alone you so care for your fellow servant and give him rest in all things. Give rest, therefore, believing him who receives and says, 'You give to Me.' For if you were not giving to Him, He would not have deemed you worthy of the kingdom. If you were not turning away from Him, He would not have sent you to Gehenna, if you were to overlook any chance person; but since it is He who is despised, for this reason the charge is great. So also Paul persecuted Him, by persecuting His own; wherefore He also said, 'Why do you persecute Me?' Let us be so disposed, therefore, as giving to Christ Himself, when we give. For His words are more trustworthy than our sight. When therefore you see a poor man, remember the words through which He declared that He is the one being fed. For even if the one who appears is not 58.779 Christ, yet in this one's form He Himself receives and begs. But are you ashamed to hear that Christ begs? Be ashamed rather, when you do not give to him begging. For this is a shame, this is punishment and chastisement. For His begging is of His goodness; wherefore we ought even to glory in it; but your not giving is of your cruelty, But if you do not believe now, that in passing by a faithful poor man, you pass Him by, you will believe then, when He brings you into the midst and says, 'Inasmuch as you did not do it to these, you did not do it to me.' But may it not be that we learn it in this way, but that having believed now, and having produced fruit, we may hear that most blessed voice, which leads us into the kingdom. But perhaps someone will say: 'Every day you discourse to us about almsgiving and charity.' And I will not cease saying this. For if this had been accomplished by you, it would not have been right to desist even then, so as not to make you more slothful; however, if it had been accomplished, I might have yielded a little; but if you have not even reached the halfway point, do not say these things to me, but to yourselves. For in making this complaint, you are doing the same as if a child, hearing the letter alpha many times and not learning it, were to blame his teacher for constantly and continually reminding him of it. For who from these words has become more ready for almsgiving? who has cast away his money? who half of his substance? who a third? No one. How then is it not absurd, when you do not learn, to bid us to stop teaching? Indeed you ought to do the contrary: if we wished to stop, you ought to restrain us and say: 'We have not yet learned these things, and how have you stopped reminding us?' If it happened that someone suffered with his eye, and I happened to be a physician, and then having applied a plaster and an ointment, and having provided the other care, I helped not at all, and gave up, would he not, having come to the doors of my surgery, cry out against me, charging me with great negligence, because while the disease remained I myself withdrew? and if, being charged with these things, I said, 'I applied a plaster, I applied an ointment,' would he have borne it? Not at all, but he would immediately say: 'And what is the use, since I am still in pain?' Consider this also in the case of the soul. What if, having often fomented a numb and withered hand, I was not able to soften it? would not the same

529

πειρασμοῖς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Ἐκεῖναι μὲν γὰρ καὶ εἰς τελευτήσαντα τοσαῦτα ἀνάλωσαν, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἐξέδωκαν· ἡμεῖς δὲ (πάλιν γὰρ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐρῶ) οὐδὲ πεινῶντα τρέφομεν, οὐδὲ γυμνὸν περιβάλλομεν, ἀλλ' ὁρῶντες αὐτὸν προσαιτοῦντα παρατρέχομεν. Καίτοιγε εἰ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον εἴδετε, τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ἂν ἕκαστος ἐκένωσεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐ πάντα κενοῖς; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἀκούεις λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐμοὶ ποιεῖς· καὶ οὐδὲν τὸ μέσον, ἄν τε τούτῳ, ἄν τε ἐκείνῳ δῷς· οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἔχεις τούτων τῶν γυναικῶν τῶν τότε τρεφουσῶν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον. Ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβηθῆτε. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον αὐτὸν κυρίως φαινόμενον θρέψαι, ὃ καὶ λιθίνην ἱκανὸν ἦν ἐπισπάσασθαι ψυχὴν, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀπόφασιν αὐτοῦ μόνην τὸν πένητα, τὸν ἀνάπηρον, τὸν συγκεκυφότα θεραπεῦσαι. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἡ ὄψις καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ φαινομένου μερίζεται πρὸς σὲ τὸ γινόμενον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁλόκληρον σὸν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὸ βραβεῖόν ἐστι· καὶ μείζονος τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν αἰδοῦς τὸ δεῖγμα, ὅταν διὰ τὴν ἀπόφασιν αὐτοῦ μόνην τὸν ὁμόδουλον οὕτω θεραπεύων ἀναπαύσῃς ἐν πᾶσιν. Ἀνάπαυε τοίνυν, πιστεύων αὐτῷ τῷ λαμβάνοντι καὶ λέγοντι, ὅτι Ἐμοὶ δίδως. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ αὐτῷ ἐδίδως, οὐκ ἄν σε βασιλείας ἠξίωσεν. Εἰ μὴ αὐτὸν ἀπεστρέφου, οὐκ ἂν εἰς γέενναν ἔπεμψεν, εἰ τὸν τυχόντα παρίδοις· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ καταφρονούμενος, διὰ τοῦτο μέγα τὸ ἔγκλημα. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος αὐτὸν ἐδίωκε, τοὺς αὐτοῦ διώκων· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε, Τί με διώκεις; Οὕτω τοίνυν διακεώμεθα, ὡς αὐτῷ τῷ Χριστῷ παρέχοντες, ὅταν παρέχωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ τῆς ὄψεως ἡμῶν πιστότερα. Ἐπειδὰν οὖν ἴδῃς πένητα, ἀναμνήσθητι τῶν ῥημάτων, δι' ὧν ἐδήλου, ὅτι εἴη ὁ τρεφόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ φαινόμενον οὐκ ἔστι 58.779 Χριστὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τούτου σχήματι αὐτὸς λαμβάνει καὶ προσαιτεῖ. Ἀλλ' αἰσχύνῃ ἀκούων ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς προσαιτεῖ; Αἰσχύνθητι μᾶλλον, ὅταν προσαιτοῦντι μὴ δῷς. Τοῦτο γὰρ αἰσχύνη, τοῦτο τιμωρία καὶ κόλασις. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ προσαιτεῖν αὐτὸν, τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος· διὸ καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίζεσθαι ἡμᾶς αὐτῷ χρή· τὸ δὲ μὴ δοῦναι τῆς σῆς ὠμότητος, Εἰ δὲ οὐ πιστεύεις νῦν, ὅτι πένητα πιστὸν παρατρέχων, αὐτὸν παρατρέχεις, πιστεύσεις τότε, ὅταν εἰς μέσον σε παραγαγὼν λέγῃ, Ἐφ' ὅσον οὐκ ἐποιήσατε τούτοις, οὐδὲ ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο ἡμᾶς οὕτως αὐτὸ μαθεῖν, ἀλλὰ πιστεύσαντας νῦν, καὶ καρπὸν ποιήσαντας, τῆς μακαριωτάτης ἐκείνης ἀκοῦσαι φωνῆς, τῆς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἡμᾶς εἰσαγούσης. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις· Καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης διαλέγῃ καὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἡμῖν. Οὐδὲ παύσομαι τοῦτο λέγων. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ κατώρθωτο ὑμῖν τοῦτο, μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ τότε ἀποστῆναι ἐχρῆν, ὥστε μὴ ποιῆσαι ῥᾳθυμοτέρους· πλὴν ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν κατώρθωτο, καὶ μικρὸν ἐνέδωκα ἄν· εἰ δὲ οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ μέσον ἐφθάσατε, μὴ πρὸς ἐμὲ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς λέγετε. Καὶ γὰρ ταὐτὸν ποιεῖς ἐγκαλῶν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ παιδίον τὸ ἄλφα στοιχεῖον ἀκοῦον πολλάκις, καὶ μὴ μανθάνον, ἐγκαλοίη τῷ διδασκάλῳ, ὅτι συνεχῶς ὑπὲρ τούτου καὶ διηνεκῶς αὐτὸ ὑπομιμνήσκει. Τίς γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων τούτων γέγονεν εὐκολώτερος πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην; τίς τὰ χρήματα ἔῤῥιψε; τίς τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς οὐσίας; τίς τὸ τρίτον; Οὐδείς. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, μὴ μανθανόντων ὑμῶν, ἡμᾶς κελεύειν ἀποστῆναι τοῦ διδάσκειν; Τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν ἔδει ποιεῖν· εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐβουλόμεθα ἀποστῆναι, ὑμᾶς κατέχειν καὶ λέγειν· Οὐδέπω ταῦτα μεμαθήκαμεν, καὶ πῶς ἀπέστητε ὑπομιμνήσκοντες; Εἴ τινι συνέβη τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν παθεῖν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἰατρὸς ἐτύγχανον, εἶτα περιπλάσας καὶ διαχρίσας, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην προσαγαγὼν ἐπιμέλειαν, μηδὲν ὤνησα μέγα, καὶ ἀπέστην, οὐκ ἂν ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὰς τοῦ ἐργαστηρίου θύρας κατεβόησεν ἂν, ῥᾳθυμίαν πολλὴν ἐγκαλῶν, ὅτι τῆς νόσου μενούσης αὐτὸς ἀνεχώρησα· καὶ εἰ πρὸς ταῦτα ἐγκαλούμενος εἶπον, ὅτι Κατέπλασα, ὅτι ∆ιέχρισα, ἆρα ἂν ἠνέσχετο; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἂν εἶπε· Καὶ τί τὸ ὄφελος, ὅτι ἔτι ἀλγῶ; Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς λογίζου. Τί δὲ, εἰ χεῖρα ναρκῶσαν καὶ συνεσταλμένην πολλάκις καταιονήσας οὐκ ἴσχυσα μαλάξαι; ἆρα οὐκ ἂν τὸ αὐτὸ