John Chrysostom, On Mid-Pentecost

In mediam pentecosten

To mid-Pentecost.

61.741 But wherever the Lord, as the fount of life, is corporeally present, He pours forth many and various streams of loving-kindness. He went up on the mountain with the disciples, and puts forth the streams of the beatitudes to those who hear; He came down from there, and poured out channels of healing for those held by various diseases; He stood at the sheep's pool, and gave the paralytic to drink of strength; He entered into the house of Peter, and refreshed his mother-in-law who was burning with a fever; He came to Bethany, and gave the four-days-dead Lazarus to drink a cup of life; He met the leper, and with the sponge of loving-kindness wiped away the scales of his affliction; He stood in the synagogue, and moistened the withered branch of the hand to active motion; He was present at the wedding, and mixed a wine of wonder-working for those who were called; and countless other things, which are difficult to number.

Today also He went up into the temple, and He set forth rivers of teaching for those who heard. For you have heard the Gospel reading, which the evangelist, standing on a high platform, fittingly for us and in the middle of the feast, cried out with a great voice, using the voice of the Levite as a kind of trumpet. Now when the feast was at its midpoint, he says, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught, a scripture also full of loving-kindness. For it did not say, with persecutions present, or, with grief at hand, or, with despondency possessing the disciples, and a narrative of other such things, about which the practice of the apostles continuously satirized; but what does it say? Now when the feast was at its midpoint. What, in the middle of the feast, tell me, John? Did Herod lay on his hands? Did the people of the Jews convene a wicked council? Judas again to betrayal? No, he says; but what? Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. You have set before Christ the things fitting for Christ, you have joined to Him the action appropriate to Him.

For it is the work of the word to speak, and of a teacher to teach, and of Christ to send forth words of benefit to those who hear. Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. O the unsurpassable loving-kindness! Where a short time before He was being stoned, there with the teachings of His words He enriched those who were stoning Him. Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. Where the laws of Moses were read, there the teachings of grace were set forth, not abolishing the law, but becoming the fulfiller of the law. For He Himself cried out in the Gospels, I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it; and Paul, having the Lord speaking through his mouth, says, For Christ is the end of the law for righteous 61.742 ness. Now when the feast was at its midpoint, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught, instructing all in the place of prayer, delivering there the discourse of catechesis as the Word, where also the wicked council was gathered. The priest according to the order of Melchizedek went up into the temple, and taught, with many hearing, but none of the Jews learning.

For concerning them he who prophesied cried out, They have eyes, and they do not see; they have ears, and they do not hear. Jesus went up into the temple, and taught, exposing the folly of the God-fighters; He went up into the temple, that having spread out the nets of heavenly teaching, He might make a rational catch of men; Jesus went up into the temple, He went up; but the Jews went down from the faith. Now when the feast

In mediam pentecosten

Εἰς τὴν μεσοπεντηκοστήν.

61.741 Ὅπου δ' ἂν ὁ ∆εσπότης ὡς πηγὴ ζωῆς σωματικῶς παραγίνεται, πολλοὺς καὶ

διαφόρους ἀποῤῥεῖ τοὺς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας κρουνούς. Ἀνῆλθεν εἰς ὄρος μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν, καὶ τὰ τῶν μακαρισμῶν τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις προβάλλεται ῥεῖθρα· κατῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ τοῖς ποικίλαις νόσοις ἐνεχομένοις ὀχετοὺς ἰαμάτων κατέχεεν· ἐπέστη τῇ προβατικῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ, καὶ τὸν παράλυτον τὴν ῥῶσιν ἐπότισεν· εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Πέτρου, καὶ τὴν τούτου πενθερὰν πυρετῷ φλεγομένην ἐδρόσισε· κατέλαβε τὴν Βηθανίαν, καὶ ζωῆς ποτήριον τὸν τετραήμερον Λάζαρον ἐπότισεν· ὑπήντησε τῷ λεπρῷ, καὶ τὰς τοῦ πάθους φολίδας τῷ σπόγγῳ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἀπέσμηξεν; ἐπέστη τῇ συναγωγῇ, καὶ τὸν ξηρὸν τῆς χειρὸς βλαστὸν πρὸς κίνησιν ἐνεργὸν ἐνότισε· παρέβαλε τοῖς γάμοις, καὶ παραδοξοποιίας οἶνον τοῖς κληθεῖσιν ἐκέρασε· καὶ ἄλλα μυρία, ἅπερ ἀριθμεῖν δυσχερές.

Ἀνέβη καὶ σήμερον εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ τοὺς τῆς διδασκαλίας τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις ποταμοὺς προεβάλετο. Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀναγνώσεως, ἣν προσφόρως ἡμῖν καὶ κατὰ τὴν μέσην τῆς ἑορτῆς ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ βήματος ἑστὼς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς μεγαλοφώνως ἀνέκραξε, καθάπερ τινὶ σάλπιγγι τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ Λευΐτου χρησάμενος. Ἤδη δὲ, φησὶ, τῆς ἑορτῆς μεσούσης ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐδίδασκε γέμον καὶ αὐτὸ φιλανθρωπίας τὸ γράμμα. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, διωγμῶν ἐνεστώτων, ἢ, λύπης παρούσης, ἢ, ἀθυμίας τοὺς μαθητὰς κατεχούσης, καὶ τοιούτων ἄλλων τινῶν ὑφήγησιν, περὶ ὧν συνεχῶς ἡ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐκωμῴδησε πρᾶξις· ἀλλὰ τί φησιν; Ἤδη τῆς ἑορτῆς μεσούσης. Τί μεσούσης τῆς ἑορτῆς, εἰπὲ, Ἰωάννη; Ἡρώδης τὰς χεῖρας ἐπέβαλε; συμβούλιον πονηρὸν ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνεκρότησε δῆμος; πάλιν πρὸς προδοσίαν Ἰούδας; Οὐχὶ, φησίν· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐδίδασκε. Τὰ πρέποντα τῷ Χριστῷ παρατέθεικας τῷ Χριστῷ, τὴν ἁρμόζουσαν αὐτῷ πρᾶξιν προσήνωσας.

Ἔργον γὰρ λόγου τὸ λαλεῖν, καὶ διδασκάλου τὸ διδάσκειν, καὶ Χριστοῦ τὰ τῆς ὠφελείας τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις προΐεσθαι ῥήματα. Ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐδίδασκεν. Ὢ τῆς ἀνυπερβλήτου φιλανθρωπίας! Ὅπου κατὰ μικρὸν ἐλιθάζετο, ἐκεῖ ταῖς τῶν λόγων διδασκαλίαις τοὺς λιθάζοντας ἐπλούτιζεν. Ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐδίδασκεν. Ὅπου τὰ Μωϋσέως ἀνεγινώσκετο νόμιμα, ἐκεῖ τὰ τῆς χάριτος παρετίθη διδάγματα, οὐ καταργῶν τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρωτὴς τοῦ νόμου γινόμενος. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἀνέκραξεν, Οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι· καὶ Παῦλος διὰ στόματος ἔχων τὸν ∆εσπότην φθεγγόμενον, Τέλος γὰρ νόμου, φησὶ, Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιο 61.742 σύνην. Ἤδη δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς μεσούσης, ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐδίδασκε, πάντας τῆς προσευχῆς ἐνδιδάσκων τὸν τόπον, ἐκεῖσε τὸν τῆς κατηχήσεως ποιούμενος λόγον ὡς Λόγος, ἔνθα καὶ τὸ πονηρευόμενον συνέδριον ἤθροισται. Ὁ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἱερεὺς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐδίδασκε, πολλῶν μὲν ἀκουόντων, οὐδενὸς δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μανθάνοντος.

Περὶ αὐτῶν γὰρ ὁ προαγορεύων ἐβόα, Ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ βλέπουσιν· ὦτα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν. Ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐδίδασκε, τὴν τῶν θεομάχων ἄνοιαν στηλιτεύων· ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, ἵνα τῆς οὐρανίου διδασκαλίας ἀναπετάσας τὰ δίκτυα, λογικὴν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ποιήσηται θήραν· ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀνῆλθεν· ἀλλ' Ἰουδαῖοι κατῆλθον τῆς πίστεως. Ἤδη δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς