Chapter 18
Chapter XVIII.
On the persuasion to devotion, two things are presented.
1. And he spoke also a parable to them
etc. After the refutation of Jewish curiosity in scrutinizing future things, there follows here the persuasion to devotion
in requesting divine assistance. And since devoted prayer is prayer pleasing to God, in which there is at once fervor of affection and humility of self-assessment, therefore this part has two sections: in the first of which, by a parabolic example, he leads to persistence in prayer;
in the second, however, to reverence in prayer,
at the passage: And he said to certain ones
etc.
To the persistence
of prayer,
therefore, He moves [them] by introducing the parable of the judge and the widow:
concerning the description of which, first is introduced the reason
for introducing the parable; second is added the introduction of the parable itself,
at the words: There was a certain judge;
third, He subjoins the application of the parable introduced,
at the words: And the Lord said.
2. (Verse 1.). First, therefore, as to the reason
for introducing the parable,
He says: And He spoke also a parable to them.
Now it should be noted that this parable is not to be understood through a metaphor of likeness,
because the judge of the city was in no way likened to God, who is to be entreated; but rather it is to be understood through unlikeness
and by way of contrast, so that the Lord, as it were, from the lesser
leads by the hand to recognizing the efficacy of prayer; hence here person is not compared to person, but case to case. And this is what Bede says in the Gloss: "Note that the Lord sets forth parables either according to likeness, as about the man who had two sons, who bears the person of God; or according to unlikeness, as about the unjust judge, who in no way bears the person of God." — He therefore introduces this parable to persuade [them of] the persistence of prayer; for which reason He adds: That they ought always to pray and not to lose heart;
which ought to be understood so that always
does not distribute for every part of time, but for the appointed hours, according to what is said in the Psalm following the prophetic institution: "Seven times a day I have given praise to You." And the Church observes this manner; hence the Gloss: "Always,
at the canonical hours daily according to the custom of the Church." — Or always to pray
is here understood such that prayer is always either in the mouth
through petition, or in the heart
through desire, or in works
through preparation. For he who does good things disposes himself to this end, that his prayer ought to be heard; and according to this it is said in First Thessalonians 5: "Pray without ceasing"; there the Gloss says: "He always prays who always does good; for the good desire itself is prayer; and if the desire is continuous, the prayer is continuous." And this is what Bede says here in the Gloss: "He always prays who always does good, nor does he cease to pray unless he ceases to be just"; therefore Sirach 18: "Be not hindered from praying always, and be not afraid to be justified even unto death"; and 29: "Shut up alms in the bosom of the poor, and it shall pray for you," etc. This, however, is understood concerning the opportunity of necessity.
But if it is understood concerning the opportunity of fittingness,
then one ought always to pray,
that is, to have recourse to prayer most frequently and most urgently. Hence Jerome: "Frequent prayer extinguishes the assault of vices"; while urgent prayer obtains pardon for sins, according to that saying in Sirach 3: "He who loves God shall entreat for his sins, and in the prayer of days he shall be heard," etc.
3. And therefore it is useful to pray always for ten reasons, namely because it obtains the relaxation of the divine sentence, as is apparent in the case of Hezekiah, Isaiah thirty-eight: "Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and said: I beseech you, Lord, remember, I ask, how I have walked before you"; and afterward it is added that the Lord revoked the sentence of death; and Wisdom eighteen: "A blameless man hastened to pray for the peoples, bringing forth the shield of his ministry, prayer, and alleging supplication through incense, he withstood the wrath."
- The remission of guilt committed:
Matthew seventeen: "This kind of demon is not cast out except by prayer and fasting"; upon which passage Jerome says: "By fasting the plagues of the body are healed, by prayer the plagues of the mind"; the Psalm: "I said: I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord, and you forgave the impiety of my sin"; and afterward: "For this shall every holy one pray to you," etc.
The repulsion of spiritual combat:
Matthew twenty-six: "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation"; and 1 Maccabees four: "Those who were with Judas sounded the trumpet, and the nations were crushed and fled," etc. - The restoration of the power of nature:
James five: "The prayer of faith shall save the sick and shall raise him up," etc.; and Sirach thirty-eight: "My son, in your sickness do not despise yourself, but pray to the Lord, and he himself will heal you."
The preservation of peace in time;
1 Timothy two: "I beseech that first of all supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be made, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and chastity," etc.
The guarding of tranquility of conscience;
Philippians four: "Be anxious for nothing, but in every prayer and supplication let your petitions be made known before God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard," etc. - The enkindling of divine grace:
as a figure of which it is said of Elijah in 3 Kings eighteen: "I will invoke the name of my Lord, and the God who shall answer by fire, let him be God." Whence in Acts one it is said that "they were persevering unanimously in prayer"; and afterward: "When the days of Pentecost were completed, there appeared to them parted tongues," etc. -The illumination of heavenly wisdom:
an example of which is found in Solomon in 3 Kings three, where it is said that he prayed and sought wisdom, which he also obtained; and James one: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all abundantly."
The opening of the heavenly gate,
which by the power of prayer is closed to the wicked and opened to the good: James five: "Elijah was a man like us, subject to suffering, and he prayed in prayer that it would not rain upon the earth, and it did not rain for three years and six months. And again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain."
The acquisition of eternal reward:
Matthew 6: "But you, when you pray, enter into your chamber, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you"; Psalm: "For you, my God, have heard my prayer; you have given an inheritance to those who fear your name"; and Ecclesiasticus, last chapter: "I will praise the name of the Lord continually and will praise it in confession, and my prayer was heard."
Now in figure of these ten efficacies, the sun is read to have gone back ten degrees at the prayer of Hezekiah, in Fourth Kings 20. From which it is gathered that prayer prevails over lower nature, prevails over the power of heaven, commands spiritual nature, draws the Holy Spirit, inclines the Son of God, and appeases the eternal Father, and through this in a certain way has dominion with respect to all things.
4. (Verse 2). There was a certain judge,
etc. After the reason for introducing the parable, there is here subjoined the introduction of the parable itself:
concerning whose expression three things are introduced, namely the hardness of the judge, the persistence of the poor woman,
and the efficacy of prayer.
First, as to the hardness of the judge,
he says: There was a certain judge in a certain city, who did not fear God,
on account of the hardness of heart which causes one not to fear God, according to that passage of Isaiah 63: "You have hardened our heart, lest we should fear you." Such hardened ones do not fear God but rather despise him; in whose person, Job 21: "Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?" and 22: "As if the Almighty could do nothing, they esteemed him." Such are those who say that of Deuteronomy 32: "Our hand is exalted, and not the Lord, has done all these things." — And because pride accompanies hardness, therefore he adds: And he did not reverence man,
on account of the arrogance of mind. Whence he was of the number of those of whom Wisdom 2 says: "Let us oppress the just poor man and let us not spare the widow, nor reverence the gray hairs of the aged of much time." To such Isaiah 33 says: "Woe to you who plunder! Shall you not yourself also be plundered? And you who despise, shall you not yourself also be despised? When you have finished plundering, you shall be plundered, and when, wearied, you cease to despise, you shall be despised."
5. (Verse 3). Second, as to the persistence of the poor woman,
he adds: But there was a certain widow in that city; a widow,
namely, deprived of the comfort of a husband; and such are especially to be assisted,
according to that passage of Isaiah 1: "Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge for the orphan, and defend the widow." To such, justice ought to be rendered more readily,
because they are less able to defend themselves and are more frequently oppressed; and therefore Ecclesiasticus 4: "Deliver him who suffers injury from the hand of the proud." "In judging, be merciful to orphans as a father, and as a husband to their mother; and you shall be as an obedient son of the Most High, and he will have mercy on you more than a mother."
Concerning this widow, then, who needed the judge's protection on account of the oppression of the wicked, he adds: And she kept coming to him, saying: Vindicate me against my adversary, through the rigor of just judgment; and this indeed was just for such a person: Ecclesiasticus twenty-one: "The prayer of the poor shall reach from his mouth to the ears, and judgment shall come to him speedily," namely from God; and thirty-five: "He will hear the prayer of the one who is wronged; nor will he despise the prayers of the orphan, nor the widow, if she pours forth words of groaning. Do not the tears of the widow run down her cheek, and is not her cry against him who causes them to fall? For from the cheek they ascend even to heaven." And yet they do not reach the hardened heart of man.
6. (Vers. 4.). Whence he adds: And he was unwilling for a long time,
on account of the faithlessness of his hardened mind; whence he was of the number of those of whom Isaiah one says: "Your princes are faithless, companions of thieves. They all love gifts, they pursue rewards. They do not judge for the orphan, and the cause of the widow does not come before them"; and Jeremiah five: "They have not judged the cause of the widow, they have not directed the cause of the orphan," etc.
7. Third, as regards the efficacy of prayer,
he adds: But after these things he said within himself: Although I do not fear God nor regard man,
through the boldness of heart, on account of which he was like that proud man of whom Job fifteen says: "He ran against God with neck erect and was armed with a fat neck." Whence he was also of the number of those of whom it is said in the Psalm: "Destruction and unhappiness are in their ways," etc.
8. (Vers. 8.). Yet, because this widow troubles me,
through the persistence of prayer, which conquers all things, according to that passage in Judges fourteen concerning the wife of Samson, who "wept before him during the seven days of the feast, and at length on the seventh day, since she was troublesome to him, he explained it." On account of which, above in chapter eleven: "And he from within should answer: Do not trouble me, for my children are with me in bed." "And if he shall continue knocking, I say to you, even if he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needs."
So also this judge is overcome by importunity; whence he adds: I will vindicate her,
according to the demand of her right; for this is the office of a judge, to relieve the oppressed and to punish the oppressors: Numbers thirty-one: "The Lord spoke to Moses: First avenge the children of Israel upon the Midianites, and so you shall be gathered to your fathers." This the judge ought not to do out of hatred of the person, but out of love of justice, as Mattathias, of whom First Maccabees two says: "His fury was kindled according to the judgment of the Law, and leaping upon him he slew that man."
Now this judge did not exercise vengeance out of zeal for the law, but to avoid the weariness of petition; and therefore he adds: Lest in the end she come and wear me out,
by the frequency of her crying. Bede: " In the end,
that is, lest coming again and again she strangle me with her wearisome outcries." Whence the Gloss says that " sugillo
is derived from suga,
drawn from the lamiae, that is, I strangle." For lamiae kill infants and suck their blood, and thereby suffocate and kill by strangling. Therefore one is said to be worn out
who is afflicted by words and arguments with such great weariness that from the weariness blood is sucked out and diminished. Whence the sense is: wear me out, that is, suck my blood, like the lamiae, of whom it is said in Lamentations chapter four: "The lamiae have bared their breasts, they have nursed their young."
9. (Vers. 6.). And the Lord said
etc. After the reason for introducing the parable and the introduction of the parable itself, there follows here the application of the parable as introduced
: concerning which three things are set forth. For human attention is aroused, confidence is raised up,
and distrust is reproved.
First, therefore, with respect to the arousal of attention,
it is said: And the Lord said: Hear what the unjust judge says,
that is, consider the response of this judge, in which one must consider indeed how great is the efficacy of persistent prayer, because persistence begot annoyance, and annoyance extorted justice. Whence although he had a heart of stone, he was nonetheless moved by the frequency of petitions, so that in him that poetic saying is verified:
"A drop hollows out a stone, not by force, but by falling often."
Although there was iniquity in him, he was nonetheless compelled to render justice by the widow's importunate persistence; from which we understand that if the persistence of petition softened a most hardened judge and inclined a most unjust one to render judgment, how much more powerfully will it incline a God who is merciful and just. Whence Chrysostom: "Not such a judge, lacking the faithfulness of love, compelled by weariness — nor can his zeal be praised here — but if he, with whatever disposition, avenged the widow, God the judge will most certainly avenge the injury done to his own." From this the efficacy of persistent prayer is shown in a wondrous way, because he who neither feared God nor cared for the regard of man nor loved justice was overcome by the widow through her importunate persistence in petitions.
10. (Vers. 7.). Secondly, with respect to the raising up of human confidence,
he adds: And will not God avenge his elect,
out of the strictness of his judgment: Romans chapter twelve: "Vengeance is mine, and I will repay"; and Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two: "Vengeance is mine, and I will repay them in due time, when their foot shall slip."
Of those crying out to him day and night,
namely from the affliction of the soul; Revelation 6: "I saw under the altar of God the souls of those slain for the Word of God, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord, holy and true, do you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" etc.; indeed, even when they themselves are silent with their mouths, their tribulations cry out; Genesis 4: "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the earth."
And will he have patience with them?
through a relaxation of zeal; as if to say: no; because Ecclesiasticus 35: "The Lord will judge the just and will execute judgment, and the Almighty will not have patience with them, so as to crush their backs." This, however, is said not because the Lord does not wait for sinners, but because, with judgment imminent, he no longer wills to wait; Romans 2: "Do you despise the riches of his goodness and patience and long-suffering?" "But according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the just judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his works: to those who according to patience in good work, glory and honor and incorruption; but to those who are contentious, who do not acquiesce to the truth but believe iniquity, wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of one who works evil." 11. (Verse 8). I say to you that he will quickly execute vengeance for them;
and this through the avenging of sin; Deuteronomy 32: "He will avenge the blood of his servants," "and he will repay vengeance upon their enemies, and he will be merciful to the land of his people"; and Ecclesiasticus 35: "He will repay vengeance to the nations, until he takes away the fullness of the proud; and he will crush the scepters of the unjust, until he renders to men according to their deeds and according to the works of Adam and according to their presumption, until he judges the judgment of his people." — But is it proper for the Saints to cry out to God for vengeance, since it is said in Ecclesiasticus 28: "He who wishes to be avenged will find vengeance from the Lord, and the Lord will surely preserve his sins"? — I respond: There is the vengeance of affliction that makes one return to God,
or that makes one cease from foolishness.
They can desire the first absolutely, and the second, if it pleases God. But the vengeance
of affliction upon the person
they ought to abhor, and against the vengeance of eternal damnation
they ought to intercede.
12. Third, as regards the rebuke of distrust, he adds: But yet the Son of man, when he comes, do you think he will find faith on the earth? He says this indeed because, although the faith of belief may seem to be in many, the faith of faithfulness and of confidence is found in few; Proverbs 20: "Many men are called merciful, but a faithful man who shall find?"; and Jeremiah 7: "Faith has perished and has been taken away from their mouth." And this will be especially so as the coming of the Son of God draws near; Matthew 24: "Because iniquity will abound, the charity of many will grow cold"; and Isaiah 24: "These things shall be in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the peoples, as if a few olives that have remained should be shaken from the olive tree, and grape-clusters when the vintage is finished."
And note that the Lord says do you think, not because he doubts, but because he reproves and condemns doubt. Whence the Gloss: "Do you think? In the word of doubt, unfaithfulness is rebuked; the Divinity does not hold an opinion, for he through whom all things were made knows all things; but by doubting he rebukes the hearts of the unfaithful." Whence that seeming inquiry of the Lord designates the doubt and wavering that will be in that tribulation finally impending, on account of which there will be no one who rises up and takes hold of him, lest he rise up to destroy the earth, according to that passage of Isaiah 64: "There is no one who calls upon your name, who rises up and takes hold of you: you have hidden your face from us and have dashed us to pieces in the hand of our iniquity."
13. But he spoke to certain ones who trusted in themselves etc. After he has urged the persistence of prayer, in this part he intends to urge reverence in prayer. But since reverence cannot be had in prayer unless humility is also had in one's manner of life, therefore in this part he first introduces a parabolic example to commend humility in prayer; and second, an explicit example to commend humility in one's manner of life, at the passage: And they were bringing infants to him.
In unfolding the parable, he proceeds in this manner. For first he touches upon the conditions of the persons; second, the conditions of the prayers, at the passage: But the Pharisee, standing, prayed within himself; third, the conditions of the hearings, at the passage: Amen I say to you, this man went down etc.
Concerning the conditions of the persons, he proceeds in this order. For he touches upon the conditions of the persons to whom he speaks and about whom he speaks.
14. (Vers. 9.). First, therefore, as regards the conditions of the persons to whom he speaks,
he says: He spoke also to certain ones who trusted in themselves as just,
through the magnification of their own virtue: and this is to be proud against God, according to that passage in Romans 10: "Being ignorant of the justice of God and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to the justice of God." Now someone trusts in himself as just when he considers himself just from his own works, as the Jews did; Romans 2: "You approve the more profitable things, being instructed by the Law: you are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having the form of knowledge and of truth in the Law." But this confidence is rather the enemy of true justice: Proverbs 11: "He who trusts in his riches shall fall"; on account of which, Jeremiah 48: "Because you had confidence in your fortifications and in your treasures, you also shall be taken." And all this is on account of the defect of humility,
which is the foundation of all justice. Whence Gregory: "Indeed, truth flees the mind which it does not find humble"; and again the same: "He who gathers virtues without humility carries, as it were, dust into the wind."
And because presumption of oneself leads to contempt of one's neighbor, therefore he adds: And they despised the rest,
that is, as regards contempt of another's merit, like those of whom Isaiah 65 says: "Who say: Depart from me, do not come near me. These shall be smoke in my fury, a fire burning all day long." And therefore Romans 14: "Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let him who does not eat not judge him who eats"; and Sirach 11: "Do not despise a man in his appearance. The bee is small among flying things, and her fruit has the beginning of sweetness."
To these therefore he spoke this parable
in detestation of pride and in praise of humility: whence the Gloss: "In this parable he shows that not the words of faith alone, but works are to be examined: among which humility especially reigns, which because the proud, presuming upon their own justice and despising the weak, do not have, as if devoid of faith, when they pray, they are despised."
15. (Verse 10.) Second, as to the conditions of the persons about whom
he speaks, he adds: Two men went up to the temple to pray,
with a conformable and indeed laudable intention. For we ought to ascend to the temple for this purpose, that we may pray, according to that passage in Matthew twenty-one: "My house shall be called the house of prayer." Whence Augustine says: "Let no one do anything in a place of prayer except that for which it was made, from which it also received its name." Whence also the Lord cast out those who were not praying in the temple but trading, not without harshness of words: John two: "Jesus found in the temple those selling sheep and oxen and doves, and the money-changers sitting. And when he had made a whip of cords, he cast them all out of the temple. And he said to them: Take these things away from here, and do not make my Father's house a house of commerce"; and this, because that house was a house of prayer. And for this reason, so that it might befit the purpose for which it existed, it was therefore built on high, and it was necessary to ascend by steps, to intimate that whoever wishes to pray must raise himself upward. Whence also in the Preface it is said: "Lift up your hearts"; and Bernard says that "although God is everywhere, nevertheless in prayer he must be thought of as above, so that our heart may be lifted upward." As a figure of this, in Exodus twenty-four, "the Lord said to Moses: Come up to me on the mountain." Although, however, they were tending toward one and the same place, they nevertheless had a great difference of conduct; and therefore he adds: One a Pharisee, and the other a publican,
by their dissimilar manner of life. Whence the Pharisee was apparently
just, because the Pharisees
were so called as being distinguished from others by habit, gesture, and observances, as if they were the chief observers of the Law itself, according to that passage in Acts twenty-six: "My manner of life from my youth all the Jews know, knowing me from the beginning, if they are willing to bear witness, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." On the contrary, the publican was openly
evil, because publicans
were called the collectors of public taxes, as has often been explained, whence above in chapter fifteen: "The publicans and sinners were drawing near to Jesus to hear him. And the scribes and Pharisees were murmuring," etc. Therefore there is a great difference between the Pharisee and the publican as to appearance,
and great also as to reality,
because the Pharisee was undermining his own justice through arrogance, and the publican was purging his injustice through repentance. Therefore in Matthew twenty-one it is said to the Pharisees: "The publicans and harlots shall go before you into the kingdom of God." This, however, is said to the Pharisees not because they appeared good, but because they were proud in mind; on account of which it is said above in chapter sixteen: "You are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts, because what is exalted among men is an abomination before God."
16. But the Pharisee standing
etc. After he described the conditions of the persons praying, here secondly he describes the conditions of the prayers
. And here is described first the condition of the prayer on the part of the proud Pharisee;
secondly, on the part of the publican humbling himself,
at the words: And the publican standing afar off.
Now three things are intimated in the manner of praying of the Pharisee himself,
in which the arrogance of his mind is manifested with respect both to God
and to neighbor
and also to himself.
For here are introduced the Pharisee's own haughty thanksgiving, presumptuous reproach of others,
and vainglorious commendation of himself.
17. (Vers. 11.). First therefore, as regards the haughty thanksgiving,
he says: But the Pharisee standing prayed within himself: God, I give you thanks;
in which the Pharisee is reproved, not because he gives thanks to God, but because he does this in a proud manner. Hence Gregory: "If he who proudly gives thanks is reproved, what then of him who attacks grace?" Now his haughtiness is apparent from the fact that he did not pray with body bowed down,
but with head held high, since it is said in Isaiah sixty: "The sons of those who humbled you shall come bowed down to you, and they shall worship the steps of your feet." His haughtiness also appears because he prayed within himself,
as one pleased with himself, contrary to what is said in Romans fifteen: "We who are stronger ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. For indeed Christ did not please himself." And therefore Proverbs three: "Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil," etc. His haughtiness appears no less because he began from the magnification of the goods
which he had received, when he ought rather to have begun from the accusation of himself: Proverbs eighteen: "The just man is the first accuser of himself"; he began from lofty things, when he ought to have begun from the lowest, so as to arrive at the highest. Hence Jerome: "Humility is the first virtue of Christians," and therefore, when it is omitted, one labors in vain. Hence Bede: "Behold, the Pharisee has an eye for rendering thanks, but not for the keeping of humility. And what does it profit if the whole city is guarded, yet one opening through which enemies may enter is left unguarded?"
18. Second, as regards the presumptuous reproof of one's neighbor, he adds: Because I am not like the rest of men, as if to say: the rest are sinners, but I am righteous; whence the Interlinear Gloss: "What does the rest of men mean, except all besides himself? As if to say: I alone am righteous, the rest are sinners." And in this he spoke falsely in two ways: both because he said he was not a sinner, whereas it is said in First John 1: "If we say that we have no sin, we are liars, and the truth is not in us." He also spoke falsely because he said he alone was righteous, whereas the Lord says to Elijah, who said "I alone am left," in Third Kings 19: "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bent their knees before Baal." But this man, though he is infinitely inferior, not only calls himself alone righteous, but also asserts that the rest are sinners, marking them with a multitude of vices.
And therefore he adds: Robbers, unjust, adulterers: so that robbers refers to the concupiscence of the eyes, unjust to the pride of life, and adulterers to the concupiscence of the flesh; by which he indicates that others besides himself are commonly infected with this threefold vice, from which flows the universal transgression and perpetration of sins, according to that passage in First John 2: "All that is in the world is either the concupiscence of the flesh, or the concupiscence of the eyes, or the pride of life."
And lest he seem to speak as one uncertain, he also brings forward the publican as an example, when he adds: Even as this publican: which he says not out of compassion for the publican, but rather out of contempt and mockery; against which, Ecclesiasticus 7: "Do not mock a man in the bitterness of his soul. For God, who watches over all things, is he who humbles and who exalts."
And note that the Pharisee, from his consideration of the publican, rose up to rashness of judgment, because, when he saw that the publican was a sinner, he condemned not only him but also all the rest. He also rose up to haughtiness of spirit; whence Bernard says: "The incentive to pride is the consideration of one who is worse, just as the incentive to humility is the consideration of one who is better."
19. (Vers. 12.). Third, as to the vainglorious commendation of himself,
he adds: I fast twice on the Sabbath, I give tithes of all that I possess,
as if to say: I keep perfect justice, both toward myself and toward God, because I mortify the flesh by fasting twice on the Sabbath, that is, in the week; and I keep piety toward God by rendering tithes and alms. And these two are what most please God: whence the Angel also said in Tobit 12: "Prayer with fasting and almsgiving is better than storing up treasures of gold." Whence here also he greatly commends himself, but in this he defiles his justice through vainglory: Proverbs 27: "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips"; because, as it is said in Second Corinthians 10, "not he who commends himself is approved," but is rather certainly reprobated. Whence Sirach 7: "Do not justify yourself before God, for He Himself is the knower of hearts"; and Jeremiah 2: "Behold, I will contend with you in judgment, because you have said: I have not sinned"; and Job 9: "If I wish to justify myself, my own mouth will condemn me; if I show myself innocent, it will prove me perverse." And all this on account of the vice of pride, which most displeases God; Ephesians 2: "By grace you have been saved through faith. For it is the gift of God, not from works, lest anyone should boast."
20. But since this Pharisee acknowledges that the good things he has are from the Lord, he does not seem to glory vainly; because he glories vainly who "glories as though he had not received"; but this man gives thanks to God. — To which Bernard responds that he did not rightly acknowledge the good things he received: for he speaks thus: "He gives thanks not because he is good, but because he is alone; not so much for the good things he has, as for the evil things he sees in others." Such indeed is the manner of pride: whence Gregory says: "There are four kinds by which every swelling of the arrogant is shown: when someone thinks that the good he has, he has from himself;
or, if he believes it was given by God, thinks it was given for his merits;
or when he boasts of having what he does not have;
or when, despising others, he desires to appear uniquely to have
what he has." The Pharisee suffered from this plague, who by extolling his own merits preferred himself to all others.
21. (Vers. 13.). And the publican, standing afar off,
etc. After he has expressed the conditions in the prayer of the proud Pharisee, here secondly he expresses the conditions of the prayer of the humble publican,
in which is described the manifestation of perfect humility as to gesture,
as to movement,
and as to word.
First, as regards the indication of humility through gesture,
he says: And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes toward heaven.
Bede: "As a humble man, he does not dare to approach, so that God may approach him; he does not look up, so that he may be looked upon." For nothing pleases God so much in a penitent, as Bernard says, as humble shame; and in such a manner He wishes to be prayed to. Hence this publican was among those of whom Isaiah forty-nine says: "With their face bowed down to the earth, they shall worship you and lick the dust of your feet." He did not dare to lift up his eyes toward heaven,
because he recognized that he had offended the God of heaven, so that he would say as the penitent prodigal son, above in the fifteenth chapter: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you"; and that of the last chapter of Second Chronicles: "I have sinned beyond the number of the sands of the sea, and my sins are multiplied, and I am not worthy to behold the height of heaven because of the multitude of my iniquity." Therefore he did not dare to lift up his face on account of shame for sin, so that within himself he would say that of First Ezra, chapter nine: "O Lord my God, I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to you, for our iniquities are multiplied above our head, and our offenses have grown up even to heaven."
22. Second, as regards the indication of humility
with respect to bodily movement,
he adds: But he struck his breast,
by which he rendered himself guilty and showed himself to be grieving. For in this, that the breast is struck, the heart within is shown to be worthy of punishment; as a sign of which, in the last chapter of Second Kings, "David's heart struck him after the people had been numbered, and David said to the Lord: I have sinned greatly in this deed; but I pray, O Lord, that you would take away the iniquity of your servant." So this man struck his breast, as if indignant against himself. Hence the Gloss: "He strikes his breast and exacts punishment from himself, so that God may spare him." Hence it is also our custom in confession and in saying the fault to strike our breasts in reproach and penitence of our hearts and in attestation of our consciences. Hence below in the twenty-third chapter it is said that "the multitude of those who had come together to that spectacle and saw the things that were happening struck their breasts." On account of which the striking of the breast,
as Augustine says, avails for the remission of venial sins; hence it is one of the eight things by which venial sins are remitted. For venial sins are said to be remitted by confession, striking of the breast, sprinkling of holy water, contrition of heart, signing with the cross, prayer, holy communion, and forgiveness of injuries; hence the verse:
I confess, I strike, I am sprinkled, I am contrite, I pray, I sign myself, I eat, I forgive: by these I put away venial sins.
23. Third, with respect to the intimation of humility through word,
he adds: Saying: God, be merciful to me a sinner.
Note here a most brief prayer and a most efficacious one, because in it the one praying humbles himself
and exalts God:
and such a prayer is acceptable to God, according to that passage of Sirach thirty-five: "The prayer of him who humbles himself shall penetrate the clouds." He also magnifies God by humbly seeking pardon:
Sirach, the last chapter: "I will praise the name of the Lord continually, and my prayer was heard," etc. He also magnifies him by calling him God,
because this is the name of supreme majesty:
Psalm: "Know that the Lord himself is God: he made us, and not we ourselves"; and again: "For the Lord is a great God and a great king," etc.
It is the name of supreme truth:
Numbers twenty-three: "God is not as a man, that he should lie"; and Romans three: "For God is truthful," etc.
It is likewise the name of supreme charity:
whence First John four: "God is charity, and he who abides in charity abides in God and God in him."
It is no less the name of supreme piety:
Second Corinthians one: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all consolation," etc.
Therefore the publican says, praying as humbly as devoutly: God, be merciful to me a sinner:
God of supreme majesty: be merciful to me a sinner,
to manifest your power,
according to that passage of Wisdom eleven: "You have mercy on all, O Lord, who can do all things, overlooking the sins of men for the sake of repentance," etc.: of supreme truth: be merciful to me a sinner,
to manifest your justice:
Psalm: "In your truth, hear me in your justice," in truth,
I say, which you promised; Ezekiel thirty-three: "The wickedness of the wicked shall not harm him, on whatever day he turns from his iniquity"; of supreme charity: be merciful to me a sinner,
to manifest your benevolence:
Wisdom eleven: "But you spare all, because they are yours, O Lord, who love souls"; and Jeremiah thirty-one: "With an everlasting charity I have loved you, therefore I have drawn you, having mercy on you," etc.: of supreme piety: be merciful to me a sinner,
to manifest your mercy,
for which the Prophet prayed in the Psalm: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy"; and Sirach thirty-six: "Have mercy on us, O God of all, and look upon us and show us," etc.
24. (Verse 14). Amen I say to you
. After he has described the conditions of the persons and of the prayers, here now in the third place he describes the conditions of being heard.
Moreover, the condition of being heard is described here with respect to personal judgment
and with respect to universal edict.
First therefore, as regards the personal judgment, he says: Amen I say to you: This man went down to his house justified rather than the other, that is, "more than that one," because the Pharisee went down justified according to his own opinion, but this man according to truth. Whence the Lord esteems one humble supplication of a penitent sinner more than the innumerable actions of some just man presuming upon himself. On account of which he says above in the fifteenth chapter: "There is joy among the Angels of God over one sinner doing penance than over ninety-nine just, who do not need penance," that is, who consider themselves not to be in need—in which human pride is wonderfully restrained, so that it may not presume upon its own merits. On account of this also God rejected the proud Jewish people and chose the humble populace of the Gentile nations, whose figure this Pharisee and this publican bear. Whence the Gloss: "Typically the Pharisee designates the people of the Jews, who from the justifications of the Law extols his merits and by being proud withdraws; the humbled publican designates the Gentile, who, placed far from God, confesses his sins and by lamenting draws near to God and is exalted." Therefore it is said in Romans eleven: "Be not high-minded, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you either." If therefore God repels the just on account of pride, how much more the impious and the proud; First Peter four: "If the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the impious and the sinner appear"?
25. Second, as to the universal decree, he adds: Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Here a general judgment is given concerning the humble and the proud; whence the Gloss: "The controversy of the Pharisee and the publican having been set forth, the judge's sentence is given, so that pride may be guarded against." In this judgment the humble is universally preferred to the proud, because the proud man ought to be cast down, according to what is said in Obadiah: "If you have been exalted like an eagle, and if you have placed your nest among the stars," etc.; and Job 20: "If his pride ascends up to heaven, and his head touches the clouds, he shall perish in the end like a dunghill." On account of which, Proverbs 16: "Pride precedes destruction"; and on the contrary, the humble just man is exalted: Job 22: "He who has been humbled shall be in glory, and he who has cast down his eyes, he shall be saved." And therefore 1 Peter, last chapter: "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in the time of visitation." Concerning both of these together, Proverbs 18: "Before destruction the heart of man is exalted, and before he is glorified, he is humbled"; because, as is said in Proverbs 29, "humility follows the proud, and glory shall receive the humble in spirit." And this is what is said in Sirach 20: "There is an abasement because of glory, and there is one who from humility shall lift up his head." — Whence we have an example here in the Pharisee and the publican, an example in the Jewish and Gentile peoples, an example in Saul the reprobate and David the elect, and the supreme example in Lucifer and Jesus Christ. Whence according to this judgment the governance of the whole universe runs its course.
26. And note that this same judgment was set forth above in chapter fourteen concerning those invited to the wedding feast, and is now repeated here; but not without reason, because humility is twofold: one is of charity, by which one voluntarily humbles oneself; the other is the humility of truth, by which one thinks lowly of oneself. Above, therefore, he said this in order to incite to the humility of charity; here he repeats the same in order to incite to the humility of truth, as is apparent, because the publican on account of consciousness of his evil deserts was compelled to think the lowest things of himself. This twofold humility, moreover, is necessary for us, namely of truth in the intellect and of charity in the affection, so that the pride of presumption and of ambition may be excluded from us; and therefore for conveying these things, this judgment is not unreasonably repeated.
27. (Vers. 15.). They were bringing infants to him etc. After he led by a parabolic example to humility in prayer, here consequently by an expressed example he also leads to humility in conduct, and this by the example of infants, who were offered to Christ and accepted by him as a sign of the approval of humility. In the explication of this example, five things are introduced by the Evangelist: first, the importunate offering of the infants; second, the carnal rebuke of those offering; third, the benign reception of those offered; fourth, the judicial approbation of the humble; fifth, the severe reprobation of the proud.
First, therefore, as to the offering of infants, he says: They were bringing infants to him, that he might touch them. The Gloss: "After the aforementioned controversy and the sentence given, infants are offered to the humble Master, that it might be shown that innocent and simple age pertains to grace"; whence in the Psalm: "Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings you have perfected praise." They were offering them, that he might give them a blessing through the imposition of hands: in which the Sacrament of Confirmation was prefigured and in a certain way intimated, in which an abundance of grace and blessing is given, according to that passage in Acts 8: "They laid hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit." Now this Holy Spirit rests upon the little ones, according to that passage in the last chapter of Isaiah: "What is the house that you will build for me? And what is this place of my rest?" "But to whom shall I look, if not to the poor and contrite in spirit and trembling at my words?" where another translation says: "Upon whom shall my Spirit rest, if not upon the humble and quiet one?" And this is most true when one is offered to the Lord; the Psalm: "For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord has taken me up." And therefore as a figure of this it is said in the last chapter of Leviticus: "Whatever has once been consecrated shall be holy of holies to the Lord."
28. Second, as regards the rebuking of those who brought them, he adds: When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them, namely those bringing them, and this because they were carnally attached to Christ. Hence the Gloss: "They rebuked, not because they did not want the infants to be blessed by the hand and voice of the Savior, but because, not yet perfect in faith, they thought that he, in the manner of men, would be wearied by the importunity of those bringing them." Hence for the sake of the Master's rest they were hindering the work of others' salvation, just as Peter too in Matthew 16, when the Lord said that he must suffer, said: "Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to you." Or, because they were carnally attached to their own people; hence the Gloss: "They rebuked, perhaps for this reason, because they wanted the people of the Jews, from whom they were according to the flesh, to be saved first." And therefore they were moved by carnal compassion, concerning which Sirach 18: "The compassion of man is toward his neighbor, but the mercy of God," etc. In this deed, however, the disciples bore the type of carnal priests and prelates, who love carnal rest and proximity of blood more than the salvation of peoples; just as also in their contention, namely of the disciples, which they had, they bear the figure of the ambitious, concerning which below in chapter twenty-two: "There arose a contention among the disciples, which of them should seem to be the greater." And these are the two vices that most corrupt the Church of God, namely ambition for dignities and negligence of the salvation of neighbors. For both of these it is said in Jeremiah 48: "Cursed is he who does the work of God deceitfully, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from blood"; another translation has negligently: in which both deceitful ambition and slothful negligence are condemned together.
29. (Verse 16). Third, as regards the gracious reception of those brought, it is added: But Jesus, calling them together, said: Let the children come to me, and do not forbid them, whom indeed you ought rather to draw and call; hence Proverbs 9: "She sent her handmaids to call to the citadel and to the walls of the city: If anyone is a little one, let him come to me." Therefore they ought not to have forbidden these, but to have called them; Proverbs 3: "Do not forbid him who can do good; if you can, do good yourself." Hence Chrysostom: "If they are to be holy, why do you forbid children to come to their father? If they are to be sinners, why do you pronounce a sentence of condemnation before you see any fault? What they are now is mine; what they will be is their own; honor what is mine, have mercy on what will be theirs."
From which it manifestly appears that children are not to be prohibited from approaching Christ. As a sign of this also, so that he might present himself to children as an example, it is said of him above in the second chapter that "when he was twelve years old, having left his parents, he remained in Jerusalem." As a sign of this also, he accepted the martyrdom of infant children, concerning which Matthew 2: "Herod, sending forth, killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem from two years old and under." As a sign of this also, he accepted the laudatory praise of children; Matthew 21: "The chief priests, seeing the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying: Hosanna to the Son of David! were indignant. And they said to him: Do you hear what these are saying? But Jesus said to them: Have you not read, 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have perfected praise'?" Therefore, although children are slain by Herod and repelled by the Pharisees, they are to be received by the disciples, because they are received by Christ and by God; whence the Psalm: "Praise the Lord, you children."
30. Fourth, with regard to the judicial approbation of the humble, it is added: For of such is the kingdom of God, that is, of those similar to children.
And note that children have certain things in themselves in which the wicked are likened to them, and certain things in which the good are likened to them. On account of which, First Corinthians 14: "Do not become children in understanding, but in malice be little ones." — For children have foolishness in reason: Proverbs 22: "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child"; Wisdom 12: "You gave judgment in mockery, as to senseless children."
They have concupiscence in affection; Ecclesiastes 10: "Woe to the land whose king is a child, and whose princes eat in the morning"; and Proverbs 29: "A child who is left to his own will shall bring shame upon his mother."
They also have instability in action: Isaiah 40: "Children shall faint and labor, and youths shall fall in their weakness"; and Ephesians 4: "Let us not be as little ones, tossed about," etc. And therefore Isaiah 65: "A child of a hundred years shall die, and the sinner," etc.
31. Besides these things, children have purity: Daniel 1: "The king commanded the chief of the eunuchs that he should bring in children in whom there was no blemish"; therefore First Kings 21: "If the children are clean, especially from women? And David said: Indeed, the vessels of the children were holy," etc.
They have simplicity:
Proverbs 20: "A child is known by his pursuits, whether his works are right and clean"; Hosea 11: "Israel was a child, and I loved him," namely on account of his simplicity; and 1 Chronicles, last chapter: "I know, Lord, that you test hearts and love simplicity." - They have docility:
Wisdom 8: "I was a clever child and obtained a good soul"; Proverbs 23: "Do not withhold discipline from a child; for if you strike him with the rod, he will not die." -They have amiability:
Job 29: "The Almighty was with me, and my children were round about me"; and above, chapter 11: "Do not trouble me, for my children are with me in bed." - They have tractability:
1 Kings 2: "Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girded with a linen ephod"; and concerning Joseph, Genesis 37: "Joseph was feeding the flock with his brothers, still a child." They have truthfulness:
Daniel 13: "The Lord raised up the holy spirit of a younger child, and he said: I am clean from the blood of this one"; Jeremiah 1: "I do not know how to speak, for I am a child. And he said: Do not say that you are a child"; and above, chapter 1: "You, child, Prophet," etc. - They also have humility:
Mark 7: "The little dogs eat under the table from the crumbs of the children"; and by reason of this they are especially pleasing to God, and here they are introduced as an example; and Matthew 18: "Whoever receives one such little one in my name receives me"; for "the Lord is exalted and regards the lowly"; therefore Matthew 12: "Behold, my chosen child, whom I have elected," etc.
Of such, therefore, that is, of those having purity
in the flesh, simplicity
in intention, docility
in knowledge, amiability
in affection, tractability
in action, truthfulness
in speech, and humility
in conduct, is the kingdom of heaven. And by reason of this humility,
Abraham is called a child
in Scripture: the Psalm: "He was mindful of his covenant, which he made with Abraham, his child"; and above, chapter 1, he similarly calls Israel a child: "He has taken up Israel, his child." But Christ is called a child,
Ecclesiastes 4: "Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king," etc. And by reason of all the aforesaid,
and especially by reason of humility,
it is said: Of such is the kingdom of heaven.
On account of which, above, chapter 1: "He has put down the mighty from their seat and exalted the humble"; and Job 22: "He who has been humbled shall be in glory; and he who has lowered his eyes, he himself shall be saved."
32. (Verse 17.) Fifth, with regard to the severe reprobation of the proud,
it is added: Amen I say to you: Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child shall not enter into it:
as if to say: he who refuses to be humbled on account of the pride of his heart shall not enter into that kingdom by the sentence of God's truth. Whence Matthew 18: "Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." For it is necessary that he who wishes to enter into the kingdom be as a child, that is, pure and little. Now the kingdom
of heaven
is called sacred doctrine,
to which whoever wishes to come must make himself as a child. Whence the Gloss: "The kingdom of heaven,
that is, the doctrine of the Gospel, we are commanded to receive as a child. A child in learning does not contradict his teachers, does not compose arguments and words to resist, but faithfully receives, obeys, and rests." Therefore it is said in Matthew 11: "You have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and have revealed them to little ones"; and Daniel 1: "And to these children God gave knowledge and discipline in every book," etc.
33. The kingdom
of heaven
is also called grace,
concerning which above in chapter 17: "The kingdom of God is within you." And this is not given except to children through purity and humility; James 4: "God resists the proud, but to the humble He gives grace."
The kingdom of heaven
is nonetheless called eternal glory:
Matthew 13: "The just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." And this is not given except to little ones,
according to that in Matthew 5: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"; and also to children,
who are pure: Matthew 5: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." Whence the Gloss: "As a child does not persevere in anger, when harmed does not remember, does not lust after a woman, does not think or speak evil; so you, unless you have such innocence and purity, shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." He therefore who refuses the littleness of humility and the purity of holiness, despises the merit of eternal life; and therefore it is necessary that he be reprobated by divine judgment, so that he does not enter into the kingdom of heaven, but is driven far outside: Apocalypse 22: "Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the unchaste and those who serve idols." On account of which in the Psalm:
"The king is not saved by great power, and the giant shall not be saved in the abundance of his strength"; therefore Judith 9: "The proud have not pleased You from the beginning, but the prayer of the humble and the meek has always pleased You." He therefore who does not wish to be damned has need to be humbled: therefore Ecclesiasticus 7: "Humble your spirit greatly, for the vengeance upon the flesh of the impious is fire and the worm."
Second, curiosity in possessing is refuted in two ways.
34. And a certain one asked him
etc. After the refutation of curiosity in investigating, there follows here the second part of this section, in which the refutation of curiosity in possessing takes place;
and this he does in two ways, first by commending poverty,
second by approving liberality,
below in the nineteenth chapter: And having entered, he was passing through Jericho.
First, by commending poverty in four ways,
He shows poverty
to be commendable and worthy of approval
on four grounds: first, by reason of perfection in its merit;
second, by reason of imperfection in its contrary,
at the passage: When he heard these things, he was sorrowful;
third, by reason of consummation in its reward,
at the passage: And Peter said: Behold
etc.; fourth, by reason of the condescension of Christ in his example,
at the passage: And Jesus took the twelve disciples.
In explaining the merit of perfect poverty,
four things are introduced, namely the interrogation,
by which it is asked what is to be done; the response,
by which it is shown whither one must tend; the instruction,
by which the way of salvation is declared; the exhortation,
by which the way of perfection is urged.
35. (Verse 18). First, therefore, as regards the interrogation,
by which it is asked what is to be done,
he says: And a certain ruler asked him.
Here it seems that Ambrose and Bede contradict each other. For Ambrose says that this man questioned Jesus with a testing and inquisitive question,
and this is gathered both from the fact that the Lord rebuked him, and from the fact that he did not accept the Lord's counsel. Hence Ambrose in the Gloss: "The question was crafty, and therefore the response was shrewd." But Bede says that he questioned with a faithful and earnest question,
which he draws from the fact that the Lord Jesus is said especially to have loved him; hence Bede in the Gloss: "This man should not be thought, as some say, to have either tempted God or to have lied about his life; otherwise, as Mark says, having gazed into the secrets of his heart, Jesus would not be said to have loved him."
But this is resolved by a certain saying of John Chrysostom: "This man," he says, "was rich and a tempter and proud, but Jesus looked upon him with eyes of mercy." And so he did not love in him what he formerly was through pride, but what he began to be through grace.
36. But whatever intention he may have had in doing this,
he made a useful question: and therefore he adds: Saying: Good Master, what shall I do to possess eternal life?
This is a right and useful question, according to that passage of Jeremiah 6: " Stand upon your ways and see and ask about the ancient paths, which is the good way, and walk in it "; and this by the counsel of the Lord, Matthew 6: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice," through which the kingdom is acquired; and Tobit 4: " Always seek counsel from a wise man "; and especially saving counsel must always be sought from the one most wise Christ and supreme Master. And therefore he calls him Master,
from whom as from the most expert he seeks sound counsel, according to that passage of Ecclesiasticus 6 : " Let many be at peace with you, but let your counselor be one in a thousand ". And this is Christ, of whom Song of Songs 5: (My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands"; and Ecclesiastes 7: " One man among a thousand I have found". From him therefore, who alone is the Master,
according to that passage of Matthew 23 : "One is your Master, Christ," who alone is wisdom:
First Corinthians 1: " We call Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God ", who alone is the true counselor,
according to that passage of Isaiah 9: "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor " etc.; this counsel and instruction must be sought, according to that passage of Isaiah 48 : " I am the Lord who teaches you profitable things, who governs you in the way in which you walk ".
37. (Vers. 19.). Secondly, as to the response,
by which is shown where one must tend,
it is added: But Jesus said: Why do you call me good?
He says this not rebuking him as a liar, but because, calling him good,
he was fixing his intention on the humanity. Whence Augustine, On the Trinity: "You call me, according to what you see, good master;
the vision of this form will not be for the good of those who act wickedly"; as if to say: the goodness toward which you ought to tend is not in me insofar as I am man, but insofar as I am God. - And therefore he adds: No one is good except God alone:
which he does not understand of goodness by participation,
which is communicated to all by God, according to that passage in Genesis 1: "God saw all things that he had made, and they were very good"; but of goodness by essence,
which makes the blessed and good, according to that passage in Exodus 33: "I will show you all good"; and this alone is to be desired, according to that passage in Proverbs 11: "The desire of the just is all good." This good is to be sought as the end of every good: whence Matthew 19: "Why do you ask me about the good? No one is good" etc., that is, the final good is in God alone, who is the end of all things, because "the good and the end are the same." And he himself says in Apocalypse 1: "I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end"; and therefore Nahum 1: "The Lord is good and strengthening in the day of tribulation and knowing those who hope in him." From this good, goodness flows into us through the Holy Spirit; Wisdom 12: "O how good and sweet is your Spirit in us, O Lord"; and the Psalm: "How good is the God of Israel to those who are upright of heart." But this goodness of ours, compared to the divine goodness, is not goodness: whence Job 4: "Shall a man be justified in comparison with God, or shall he be purer than his Maker?" There the Gloss says: "Human justice, compared to the divine, is injustice." And therefore Job 25: "Can a man be justified when compared with God?" as if to say: no. Sirach 18: "God alone shall be justified and remains an unconquered king forever." Christ therefore, about to respond to a question useful for the salvation of the whole world, as the master of morals and of all moral philosophy, began from the highest good by essence, from which and according to which and toward which every good must be ordered; otherwise it ceases to be good.
38. (Vers. 20.). Thirdly, as to the instruction,
by which the salvific path
is declared, he adds:
You know the commandments:
which is expressed more clearly in Matthew 19: "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He explains these things when he adds: Thou shalt not kill,
through wrath; 1 John 3: "He who hates his brother is a murderer"; and therefore Matthew 5: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill." "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment." Thou shalt not commit adultery,
through lust, for Deuteronomy 27: "Cursed is everyone who lies with the wife of his neighbor"; and Matthew 5: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Thou shalt not steal,
through avarice: Ephesians 4: "Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands," etc. Thou shalt not bear false witness,
through deceit; Proverbs 19: "A false witness shall not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish." Honor thy father and mother,
namely through beneficence: Ecclesiasticus 3: "He who honors his father shall find joy in his children. And he who honors his mother shall live a longer life; and he who obeys his father shall bring comfort to his mother." Whence Ambrose says: "This is the first step of piety: for God willed these to be your authors. Honor them with dutiful service and refrain from insults; for the piety owed to parents must not be injured even by a look"; therefore Ecclesiasticus 3: "He who fears the Lord honors his parents and serves as though they were his masters those who begot him."
39. Note here that the Lord enumerates the commandments here in an orderly manner
and sufficiently: in an orderly manner
indeed, because it is prior to turn away from evil than to do good; and therefore he places the negative commandments before the affirmative. Sufficiently,
because the commandments of the first tablet are not about things to be done, but rather direct us toward that highest good to be desired; while the last two concerning the coveting of a wife and of another's property are reduced to the prohibition of adultery and theft. Whence in this he sufficiently teaches us to turn away from every disorder
with respect to our neighbor, both with respect to the irascible and the concupiscible, and with respect to the operative and the interpretive; and he also teaches perfect beneficence
through the last commandment. And thus in these are contained the two precepts of the natural law, concerning the first of which, Tobit 4: "What you would hate to be done to you by another, see that you never do to another"; concerning the second, Matthew 7: "All things whatsoever you wish that men should do to you, do you also the same to them." In these is also sufficiently contained the commandment concerning the love of neighbor, about which it is said in Romans 13: "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law."
40. (Vers. 21.). And since these commandments do not justify through simple knowledge, but through experiential observance, therefore the Lord was not asking about simple knowledge when He said: You know the commandments,
but about experiential knowledge, because, as is said in Romans 2, "not the hearers of the law, but the doers of the law are just before God." Therefore this lawyer responds as one who understands, when it follows: Who said: All these things I have kept from my youth:
and this indeed according to the counsel of the Wise Man in Proverbs 3: "My son, do not forget my law, and let your heart keep my precepts; for they shall add to you length of days and years of life and peace"; because it is said in Ecclesiastes 8: "He who keeps the commandment shall experience no evil."
41. (Vers. 22.). Fourth, as regards the exhortation,
by which the perfect path of poverty is urged,
it is added: Having heard this, Jesus said to him: Yet one thing is lacking to you;
The Gloss: "For perfection." Now that is perfect which lacks nothing: James 1: "That you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing." And this is done by perfectly fulfilling the divine will, not only by doing what is commanded and avoiding what is forbidden, but also by fulfilling the counsels, according to that in Romans 12: "That you may prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God"; and above in chapter 6: "But everyone will be perfect if he is like his master," that is, Christ, who had absolutely nothing.
On account of which He adds: All things whatsoever you have, sell and give to the poor:
The Gloss: "Not a part," as Ananias did, of whom it is said in Acts 5 that he "defrauded from the price of the field"; and this because "the kingdom of heaven, as Gregory says, is worth as much as you have." "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field," etc. And lest this seem burdensome, He adds:
And you shall have treasure in heaven:
Job 22: "He shall give flint for earth and golden torrents for flint"; and these are in eternal glory, where there are incorruptible treasures; Matthew 6: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor moth destroys, nor thieves dig through nor steal."
And "because, as the Gloss says, it does not suffice to leave one's possessions unless one follows the Lord by imitating Him"; therefore He adds: And come, follow me,
through the utmost harshness of life:
according to that in 1 Peter 2: "Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example," etc. Through the utmost destitution of possessions.
For to the disciple wishing to follow Him out of cupidity and saying: "Master, I will follow you wherever you go," He responds: "Foxes have dens, and the birds of the sky have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head," Matthew 8. Through the utmost humility of heart;
Sirach 23: "It is a great glory to follow the Lord";
and John 8: "He who follows me does not walk in darkness." And concerning these things, above in chapter nine: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." To follow
therefore Christ
is to configure oneself perfectly to him, according to that passage in Job 23: "My foot has followed his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside from it," etc.
42. (Vers. 23.). Having heard these things
, he was saddened,
etc. After he showed poverty to be commendable by reason of its perfection in merit, here he shows it to be commendable by reason of the imperfection in its contrary
, which is indeed the tenacious clinging to riches. Concerning which four things are introduced by the Evangelist, namely the sign, danger, obstacle,
and remedy
of human tenacity, which is the gift of divine grace.
First, therefore, as regards the sign of human tenacity,
it is said: Having heard these things, he was saddened, because he was very rich.
For because he abounded in riches, he shuddered at the destitution of poverty, and therefore he was made sad at the praise and counsel of poverty. And this is the consequence of cupidity and the sign of tenacity, when someone is saddened out of horror of poverty: Ecclesiasticus 14: "The eye of the covetous man is insatiable in his portion of iniquity; he will not be satisfied until he consumes, withering his own soul." "And he who is in want will not be satisfied with bread, and he will be sorrowful at his own table." But this sadness is evil, because it is the sadness of the world, of which Second Corinthians 7 says: "The sadness of the world works death." For it is said in Ecclesiasticus 38: "From sadness death hastens and covers virtue, and sadness of heart bends the neck." Therefore whoever wishes to flee this sadness must hate the cupidity of riches, which prick after the manner of thorns, as is intimated in Matthew 13. For concerning the rich man it is said in Job 15: "The sound of terror is always in his ears, and when there is peace, he suspects treachery." But contrary to these are the just and perfect Christians, to whom it is said in Hebrews 10: "You received the plundering of your goods with joy, knowing that you have a better and enduring substance."
43. (Vers. 24.). Second, as regards the danger of human tenacity,
it is added: But Jesus, seeing him made sad,
on account of the disposition of pusillanimity; against which Ecclesiasticus 7 says: "Do not be faint-hearted in your soul. Do not despise praying and giving alms." — He said: How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God,
on account of the vice of tenacity. The Gloss says: "Who have riches,
that is, who possess them with love and place their trust in them." Whence it is said more expressly in Mark 10: "How difficult it is for those trusting in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!" And the reason for this is that those who embrace temporal things here as great things despise those eternal things; whence the Gloss says: "Those who devote themselves to multiplying riches despise the joys of the other life."
Moreover, those who love these temporal things are exposed to many darts of temptations: 1 Timothy, last chapter: "Those who wish to become rich fall into temptation and into the snare of the devil and into many useless and harmful desires, which plunge a man," etc.
Another reason is that those who are joined to these things by affection are not easily separated: whence also concerning such persons in the Psalm: "For our soul has been humbled in the dust, our belly has been glued to the earth." Whence Bernard: "The concupiscence of the world harms more than its substance. And this is the principal reason for fleeing riches: because they can scarcely or never be possessed without love. For the substance of this world is slimy and sticky, and the human heart easily clings to all things which it frequents." And therefore the Gloss: "Riches are despised with difficulty: therefore, of all courses, it is safer neither to have nor to love riches." In this he gives to understand four differences among men, which Bede explains, and which are found in the Gloss on the tenth chapter of Mark: "Many have and do not love; many do not have yet love; others have and love; but others rejoice in neither having nor loving, and these are the safest, because they can say with the Apostle: The world is crucified to me, and I to the world
," Galatians 6.
44. (Verse 25). Third, as to the obstacle of tenacity itself, he adds: For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, although this is against nature, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, because this is against divine justice. For it is less impossible that a great thing should pass through a small needle than that a covetous and avaricious soul should enter into heaven, where there is a sufficiency of goods; because, as Ecclesiastes 5 says, "the covetous man shall not be satisfied with money, and he who loves riches shall not reap fruit from them," but rather indeed eternal destruction, because the weight of riches drags one downward: Ecclesiastes 5: "Riches kept to the harm of their owner. They perish in the worst affliction." Whence, as far as heaven is distant from earth, so far is the heart of the avaricious man, which is turned toward earthly things, distant from the kingdom of God, which is in heaven. On account of which, Isaiah 55: "As the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts." And it should be noted that the comparison of the avaricious man to a camel is apt, because the camel with its huge limbs is an enormous, monstrous, and hump-backed animal: so the avaricious man, joined by love to his possessions, is like a monstrous animal. Moreover, the entrance to the heavenly kingdom is compared to the eye of a needle on account of its narrowness and spirituality: whence Matthew 7: "Narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leads to life, and few enter through it." Whence the impossibility of the avaricious man entering the kingdom of heaven is greater than that of a camel passing through the eye of a needle. On account of which Bernard says: "It is necessary that we strive to enter through the narrow gate. Why, O camel, do you bear the hump? Why, O man of wealth, do you carry the purses of Judas the traitor? Not so, O impious one, not so shall you enter: the eye of a needle does not admit such burdens. But some excuse themselves saying: Are not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the other Saints read to have possessed earthly riches? That suffices for us: for we are not better than the fathers."
"What shall we respond to the new imitators of the ancient Saints? Let them place calves upon the altar of the Lord, let them slaughter rams, let them sacrifice goats, because Abraham also did this. But just as the divine dispensation accommodated itself to those sacrifices for the peoples of that time, so also to carnal riches; where indeed the heavenly promise has sounded, it is necessary that spiritual things be compared with spiritual things, and that the sacrifice be changed, since the hope has been changed."
45. (Vers. 26.). Fourth, regarding the remedy for this very tenacity
through divine help, he adds: And those who heard said: And who can be saved?
They say this seeking a remedy and dreading the danger. For since very few perfectly despise riches, it seems from this that almost no one can attain perpetual salvation. Hence Augustine: "Since the poor are more numerous than the rich, the Apostles would not have said this unless they understood in the number of the rich all those who desire to obtain riches"; but few are those who are not such, because, as is said in Philippians 2, "all seek the things that are their own, not the things that are of Jesus Christ." All, therefore, seem to be in danger of damnation. 46. (Vers. 27.). Therefore the Lord shows the remedy through the gift of his grace, when he adds: He said to them: The things that are impossible with men, through the power of their own strength, are possible with God,
that is, are made possible through his help; which he says because, although it is difficult to despise these temporal things through the force of nature, it is nevertheless made easy through the gift of grace, according to that passage in Song of Songs, last chapter: "If a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he would despise it as nothing." Hence it is not to be understood that the Lord introduces a covetous man, remaining covetous, into heaven by his power, but that through the gift of grace he converts him from vice to virtue. Hence the Gloss: "God converts from the love of earthly things to the charity of eternal things, not that the proud and covetous enter." And this is of great power, that so great a change is made, that from the covetous one a charitable one is made, from the earthly one a heavenly one, from the rich a poor man, from the proud a humble one, from a son of perdition a son of the king, so that the words of the Psalm may be said: "This is the change of the right hand of the Most High"; because he it is who can give sufficiency of heart through grace, which cannot be given through money or any creature, according to that passage in 2 Corinthians 9: "God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that in all things always having all sufficiency," etc., because, as is said above in chapter one, "no word shall be impossible with God."
47. (Vers. 28.). But Peter said.
After he commended poverty through its perfection in merit and through its imperfection in the contrary, here thirdly he shows it commendable on account of its consummation in reward. Concerning the description of this, the procedure follows this order. For here the loftiness of perfect poverty is introduced as authoritative
through apostolic observance, as approved
through divine judgment, as enriched
through grace, as rewarding
through glory.
First, therefore, as regards the authentication of poverty through apostolic observance, he says: But Peter said: Behold, we have left all things and have followed you. Peter says this as the prince of the Apostles, upon whom ecclesiastical perfection is built, according to that passage in Matthew sixteen: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church." He says this not for display, but to know the sublimity of the reward; whence in Matthew nineteen: "Behold, we have left all things and have followed you: what therefore shall be ours?" etc. Peter also says this to show that the counsel of poverty was fulfilled by the Apostles; whence Jerome: "Great confidence: Peter was a fisherman, he had not been rich, he sought food by hand and by skill; and yet he speaks confidently, saying: We have left all things." And Gregory gives the reason for this, saying thus: "For as much was left behind by those who followed as could have been desired by those who did not follow." Since, therefore, all things could be desired, when they left behind desire, they left behind all things. Peter also says this not boastfully for display, but wisely, so that he might invite others to imitation. Whence Bernard on this word, behold, we have left all things: "Well done, Peter, and not to your folly, because the world passes away and its desire, and it is more expedient to leave behind than to be left behind."
48. And note that he most fittingly joins two things here: we have left and we have followed you: because we cannot follow Christ as he runs unless we run after him, and we cannot run unless we are unburdened; whence in Hebrews twelve: "Laying aside every weight and the sin which surrounds us, let us run with patience the race set before us, looking" etc. And on this Bernard says: "Well done, he says, Peter, and not to your folly, because you could not follow him who runs while burdened; nor is it a useless exchange to have left all things for him who is above all things." Christ also, whom we follow, we cannot overtake unless we are unburdened; and we follow in vain unless we overtake him, according to that passage in Philippians three: "But I press on, if somehow I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of." And on this Bernard says: "It is clear that those are happy who have been unburdened and follow the Lord unencumbered; a most narrow opening awaits us, if we wish to overtake him whom we follow." And thus Paul was following, who said in Philippians three: "Forgetting those things which are behind, stretching forth myself to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the heavenly calling." So also the other Apostles, of whom in Matthew four: "Having left their nets and their father, they followed the Lord," is said of James and John; and in Mark one it is said of Peter and Andrew: "Having left their nets and their boat, they followed him"; similarly of blessed Matthew it is said in Luke five that "having left all things, he followed the Lord."
49. (Vers. 29.). Secondly, as to the approval of such a poor man by the divine judgment, it is added: Who said to them: Amen I say to you: There is no one who has left home, as to the foundation of inheritance; Jeremiah 12: "I have left my house, I have abandoned my inheritance, I have given the beloved of my soul" etc.
Or parents, as to the origin of inheritance; the Psalm: "Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house." - Or brothers, as to the fellowship of inheritance, namely carnal brothers, concerning whom Job 6: "My brothers have passed me by like a torrent that rushes swiftly through the valleys." -
Or a wife, as to the joint ownership of inheritance, because wife and husband are one body; therefore it is said in Ephesians 5: "Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies"; nevertheless they can be left for the love of Christ, so that they are not taken in marriage, or if they have already been taken in marriage, with their consent, or on account of the sin of fornication. For Matthew 19: "Whoever divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery." On this the Apostle says in 1 Corinthians 7: "But I say to the unmarried and to widows: it is good for them if they remain as I am." "To those who are joined in marriage I command, not I, but the Lord, that a wife is not to depart from her husband" etc. Therefore what is said about the leaving of a wife is to be understood in the manner stated above.
Or children, as to the succession of inheritance; Matthew 10: "He who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Or fields, as to the expansion of inheritance: concerning which Isaiah 5: "Woe to you who join house to house and unite field to field even to the boundary of the place."
For the sake of the kingdom of God, that is, according to right intention, by which the kingdom of God is to be sought: Matthew 6: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you." The Lord accepts that renunciation in which cupidity and carnality are abandoned together. Therefore it is said to Abraham in Genesis 12: "Go out from your land and from your kindred and from your father's house, and come into the land that I will show you." For it is not sufficient that bodily possession be relinquished unless carnal affection is also relinquished: on account of which it is said in Deuteronomy 33: "They who said to their father and mother: I do not know you, and to their brothers: I do not recognize them, and they did not acknowledge their own children: these kept your word and preserved your covenant, O Jacob, and your law and your judgments, O Israel."
50. (Vers. 30.). Thirdly, as to the enrichment of poverty through grace, it is added: And not receive much more in this time: which is not to be understood of temporal things, so that he would have many more wives, or children, or carnal brothers, but it is understood of the spiritual charisms of graces,
by which poverty is incomparably enriched without loss to another: and this through the gift of charity,
which makes all things common, according to that passage of 1 Corinthians 3: "All things are yours, whether present or future"; through the gift also of most abundant simplicity;
whence 2 Corinthians 8: "Their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of simplicity"; and 2 Corinthians 6: "As needy, yet enriching many," etc. As a figure of this it is said in Genesis 26: "Isaac sowed in that land and found in that same year a hundredfold, and the Lord blessed him, and he was enriched." Whence it is said in Matthew 19: "He shall receive a hundredfold," etc.; on which passage Jerome says: "He who shall have left carnal things for the Lord shall receive spiritual things, which by comparison and by their merit shall be as though a hundredfold were compared to a small number." Whence lest it be understood of temporal enrichment, it is said in Mark 10: "There is no one who leaves," etc., "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time, with persecutions." On which passage Bernard says: "Pointedly there is added with persecutions,
for perhaps someone, when he had heard that a hundredfold is promised here, would conjecture that this is also bestowed in temporal things; but the added word persecution
forestalls this understanding. For what is there of earthly consolation that persecution does not easily take away? What earthly thing did the holy Martyrs receive amid persecutions? Nevertheless, in the meantime, from whatever source they are to receive the hundredfold, provided it be a hundredfold, provided the hundredfold avail, provided it please a hundredfold, console, delight, and be loved: what madness is it that men hesitate to leave the single for the hundredfold?"
51. Fourth, as regards the remuneration of poverty through glory,
there is subjoined: And in the age to come, life everlasting.
And rightly is glory
called by the name eternal life, because, just as separation from the font of life is death
and eternal damnation, so union with Him is eternal life.
On account of which it is pointedly said in the Psalm: "With the torrent of Your pleasure You shall give them drink; for with You is the fountain of life." And rightly is the eternity
of life added, because eternity is nothing other than "the total, simultaneous, and perfect possession of unchangeable life." And such is what exceeds temporal things infinitely, so that it is truly said in Romans 8: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory that shall be revealed in us"; because, 2 Corinthians 4, "that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation works above measure in the sublimity of eternal glory a weight in us." This immense weight we can purchase for the light weight of things, because the reward surpasses merit in every way: above in chapter six: "Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall they give into your bosom." And therefore it is said in Sirach 18: "Be not hindered from praying always, nor fear to be justified even unto death, for the reward of God endures forever."
52. Now Jesus took the twelve
" etc. After he showed poverty to be commendable and desirable through the perfection of its merit, through the imperfection of its contrary, and through the consummation of its accumulated reward, here fourthly he shows it to be worthy of approval and worthy of choice by reason of the most perfect example,
namely, of Christ crucified. And since that example could seem contemptible to some by reason of weakness, therefore in this part there is first set forth the example of Christ's condescension:
secondly, for its confirmation there is added a miracle of power
in the illumination of the poor blind man, at the passage: Now it came to pass
, as he drew near to Jericho.
Concerning the example of condescension,
which consists in the endurance of the cross, four things are introduced for its perfect description, namely: the kindness of the Master, the profundity of the mystery, the bitterness of the punishment,
and the blindness of the human heart
with respect to such an example.
53. (Verse 31). First, therefore, as regards the kindness of the Master,
he sets forth: Now Jesus took the twelve,
that is, he took them intimately to himself, and this was of wondrous condescension and kindness; Deuteronomy thirty-two: "He spread his wings and took them up and carried them on his shoulders." He took them,
moreover, so that by teaching he might console them and by consoling he might teach them.
Whence he adds: And he said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem,
namely, as to the place of the passion. The Gloss: "Foreseeing that his disciples would be disturbed by his passion, he foretells the place and the pain of the passion and the glory of the resurrection, so that, when they beheld him dying, they would not doubt that he would rise again." He foretells, moreover, that this would take place in Jerusalem. For, as was said above in chapter thirteen, "it cannot be that a Prophet perish outside Jerusalem." The reason for this is that Jerusalem was the place in which was the seat of the kingdom, the priesthood, of teaching,
and of judgment:
and therefore there ought to suffer he who is king
and priest, master,
and judge,
so that from Jerusalem might go forth and begin the kingdom of Christ,
according to that verse of the Psalm: "The Lord shall send forth the rod of thy power out of Sion," etc.; might go forth salvation
or remedy; Isaiah sixty-two: "For Sion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her just one goes forth as a splendor"; might also go forth law
and judgment:
Isaiah two: "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord"; and after: "For out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem." Therefore Christ went up to Jerusalem,
so that, suffering on the cross, he might give to the nations the kingdom
of power, the priesthood
of holiness, and the law
of judgment and truth. On account of which Jerusalem itself also bears the type of the Church, of the holy soul,
and of the heavenly Jerusalem.
Whence Isaiah four: "Everyone who shall be left in Sion and who shall remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy to the Lord, everyone who shall be written in the book of life in Jerusalem."
54. Second, as regards the profundity of the mystery, there is added: And all things shall be accomplished which were written by the Prophets concerning the Son of man. In this appears the wondrous profundity of the mystery of the Lord's passion, because in it is the consummation of all prophetic revelation. For all the Prophets had as their principal aim the foretelling of Christ according to His threefold dignity, namely of kingship, teaching, and priesthood; and according to His threefold perfection, namely of power, truth, and goodness, according to what is said of Christ in Isaiah thirty-three: "The Lord is our king, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our judge: He shall come and save us." Inasmuch as He is king, He governs us through precepts and judgments; inasmuch as He is teacher, He instructs through mysteries and examples; inasmuch as He is priest, He sanctifies through sacrifices and Sacraments. Since, therefore, these six things were consummated on the cross, it is said that all things which were spoken by the Prophets were consummated. For the precepts were consummated on account of the exceeding charity, because "the end of the commandment is charity," First Timothy one; concerning which in the Psalm: "I have seen the end of all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad." The judgments were consummated on account of the exceeding severity which He exercised upon Himself; Isaiah ten: "The consummation that is decreed shall overflow with justice"; and again, twenty-eight: "I have heard a consummation and a cutting short from the Lord," etc. The mysteries were consummated; Apocalypse ten: "In the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, the mystery of God shall be consummated, as He declared by His servants the Prophets." The examples were consummated; Hebrews two: "It became Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, who had brought many sons into glory, to consummate the author of their salvation through suffering," etc. The sacrifices were consummated; whence Hebrews ten: "By one offering He has consummated forever those who are sanctified"; therefore Second Maccabees one: "The priests made prayer while the sacrifice was being consummated," etc. The Sacraments were consummated; Hebrews eight: "I will consummate upon the house of Israel and upon the house of Judah a new testament"; and this testament was consummated in the blood of Christ; Hebrews nine: "This is the blood of the testament which He has commanded," etc. And from this the old testament was fulfilled, and all things were consummated. And therefore as a figure of this, above in chapter thirteen: "Behold, I perform healings today and tomorrow, and the third day I am consummated"; and therefore John nineteen: "Jesus, knowing that all things were now consummated, said: I thirst." "When therefore Jesus had received the vinegar, He said: It is consummated. And bowing His head, He gave up the spirit." And thus was verified that saying of Ecclesiasticus thirty-four: "Without falsehood the word of the law shall be consummated, and wisdom shall be made plain in the mouth of the faithful."
55. (Vers. 32.). Third, as to the bitterness of the punishment, he adds: For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, as a stranger, according to what is foretold by David in the Psalm: "I was delivered up and did not go forth." The figure of this preceded in Joseph, of whom it is said in Genesis thirty-seven, that "his brothers delivered him to the Ishmaelites," and in Samson, of whom it is said in Judges sixteen, that his wife delivered him to the Philistines.
And he shall be mocked, as a fool: the figure of this preceded in Job, of whom Job thirty: "Now those younger in age deride me, whose fathers I would not have deigned to set with the dogs of my flock" etc.; and Mark fifteen: "They clothe him in purple and place upon him a crown of thorns they had plaited, and they began to salute him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews: and they struck his head with a reed." And he shall be scourged, as the lowest: whence in the Psalm: "And I was scourged the whole day"; and Isaiah fifty: "I gave my body to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who plucked them"; whence John nineteen: "Pilate took Jesus and scourged him."
And he shall be spat upon, as unclean, Isaiah fifty: "I did not turn my face from those who rebuked and spat upon me"; and Job thirty: "They have fled far from me and do not fear to spit in my face"; Matthew twenty-six: "They spat in his face and struck him with their fists."
56. (Vers. 33.). And after they have scourged him, they shall put him to death, as though he were wicked: whence it is said in Daniel nine: "After sixty-two weeks Christ shall be slain: and the people who are to deny him shall not be his"; and Isaiah fifty-three: "He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter and shall be silent as a lamb before his shearer"; and Matthew twenty-seven: "After they had mocked him, they clothed him in his own garments and led him away to be crucified." "And they crucified with him two thieves." "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says: And he was reckoned among the wicked."
And on the third day he will rise again,
as true God,
which is said lest they be terrified by the passion. The figure of this resurrection was prefigured in Jonah; whence it is said in Matthew 12: "Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth." Whence also Hosea 6: "He will revive us after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up"; and concerning this, John 2: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." "But he spoke this of the temple of his body." Now in these six things which were accomplished in our redemption—in the betrayal, the mocking, the scourging, the spitting upon, the killing, and the resurrection—the universality of the works of reparation is rightly enclosed at its root, so that, just as in six days the whole world was perfected, so also in these six the work of reparation consists; and finally there follows the giving of the Holy Spirit, as on the seventh day, in the mystery of which it is said in Genesis 2: "God completed on the seventh day all his work"; "and he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." In this is understood the giving of sevenfold grace: John 7: "The Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified," etc.
57. (Verse 34). Fourth, as regards the blindness of the human heart,
he adds: And they understood none of these things,
because they did not attend to this truth: Psalm: "They neither knew nor understood; they walk in darkness." And in this they bear the figure of ignorant prelates,
who are ignorant of the teachings of the Scriptures, according to that passage in Isaiah 56: "The shepherds themselves knew not understanding." — And this word was hidden from them,
because they did not seek out this truth, being as it were animal and sensual: Job 28: "Whence comes wisdom, and where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all the living." And in this the Apostles bore the figure of the Jews,
from whom the divine secrets are veiled: 2 Corinthians 3: "When Moses is read, a veil is placed over their heart"; because the veil had not yet been torn through the passion, according to that passage in Matthew 27: "The veil of the temple was torn."
And they did not understand the things that were said,
and this, because they did not love this truth. For since they loved Christ carnally, it displeased them that Christ had to die for us, just as Peter also said in Matthew sixteen: "Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to you." Whence the Gloss of Bede: "The disciples are unable to understand the discourse of the Lord's passion, so often repeated, because they cannot bear to hear of the death of him whom they most desire to see; and they do not think that he whom they know to be not only an innocent man but also true God can die. And as often as he says something about his passion, they think it was said allegorically." From which the blindness of the human heart is apparent, which does not understand the mysteries of its redemption unless God, as to a blind man, shows the light of his radiance and restores the gaze of truth. Therefore the miracle of the illumination of the blind man rightly follows, in which is understood the illumination of the human race, because the human race of itself is ignorant of the work of redemption both as to the deed
and as to the reason
and as to the mystery:
1 Corinthians 1: "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed a scandal, but to the Gentiles foolishness." It is therefore necessary that Christ open the mind to the understanding of the Scriptures.
58. (Verse 35.). Now it came to pass, as he drew near,
etc. After he set forth the imitable example in the passion of the Crucified, here he expounds the admirable deed in the illumination of the poor blind man,
in which is simultaneously manifested the power and benignity of Christ, and also the poverty of the beggar is accepted. Therefore, for the full explanation of this miracle's instruction, four things are introduced by the Evangelist, namely the opportuneness of the beggar, the importunity of the supplicant, the liberality of the healer, the completeness of the healing.
First, therefore, as regards the opportunity or necessity of the beggar, he says: And it came to pass, as he drew near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. Truly this beggar was one who lacked at once both bread and light, which offer themselves to all in common. And this blind man designates the human race, which is blind through the lack of the light of wisdom and begging through the deficiency of grace and justice; whence there can be said to it that word of Apocalypse 3: "You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked"; and of the Pharisees it is said in Matthew 15: "They are blind and leaders of the blind." Now the human race has been blinded through the desire for temporal things: Psalm: "Fire fell upon them, and they did not see the sun." Whence a notable figure of this preceded in Tobit, who, as is said in Tobit 2, was blinded by the droppings of swallows. And this accords with the fact that this blind man was near Jericho: for Jericho is interpreted as "moon" and designates the mutability of things, from love of which man is blinded and made foolish; Ecclesiasticus 27: "A holy man remains in wisdom like the sun, but a fool changes like the moon." And this blind man is not on the way, but by the wayside, according to that word of Wisdom 5: "We have erred from the way of truth, the light of justice did not shine upon us, and the sun of understanding did not rise upon us." But the blind man sits by the wayside when he draws near to the light of truth from the consideration of his own deficiency and changeableness; whence the Gloss: "Jericho is interpreted as 'moon,' by which the defect of mortality is understood. Therefore, while the Word of God takes on the weakness of our flesh, man returns to knowing divine things."
59. (Verse 36). Second, as regards the importunity of the petitioner, it is added: And when he heard the crowd passing by; in which is explained the importunity of the blind man praying and giving us an example of prayer: he seeks, asks, and knocks, according to that word of Matthew 7: "Seek, and you shall find; ask, and you shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened to you."
He seeks therefore diligently from hearing the crowd; on account of which he says: He asked what this might be, namely from the passing crowd. This passing crowd is the course of creatures, which when questioned in some way lead us by the hand to the Savior; on account of which Job 12: "Ask the beasts, and they shall teach you; and the birds of the air, and they shall tell you. Speak to the earth, and it shall answer you, and the fishes of the sea shall declare. Who is ignorant that the hand of the Lord has made all these things? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the spirit of all flesh." Therefore all these things lead to their Maker and Restorer.
60. (Vers. 37.). On account of which is added: They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
All these creatures, insofar as they speak to us through the book of creation,
answer us concerning the uncreated Word:
Daniel 3: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord"; and Wisdom 13: "For from the greatness of the beauty and of the creature, the Creator of them may be known so as to be seen"; because, Romans 1, "the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood through the things that have been made." But insofar as they speak to us through the word of Scripture,
they answer us concerning the incarnate Word:
whence John 5, "Search the Scriptures, in which you think you have life. They are the ones that give testimony of me"; because, Romans 10, "the end of the law is Christ, unto justice." Whence in the Canticle of Deuteronomy 32: "Ask your father, and he will declare to you," etc.
61. (Vers. 38.). He also asks
devoutly,
and therefore it follows: And he cried out, saying: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.
In this, that he cries out,
he shows that he has an exceeding of desire;
on account of which it is said, Romans 8: "It is the Spirit who asks on our behalf with unspeakable groanings." In this, that he says Jesus,
he shows that he has confidence of hope:
the Psalm: "He hoped in the Lord; He will deliver him; He will save him." For in hope he calls upon Jesus,
that is, the Savior, because, Romans 8, "we have been saved by hope." In this, that he says Son of David,
he shows that he has understanding of faith,
by which we believe that Christ was born from the seed of David, according to that passage, Romans 1: "Who was made for him from the seed of David according to the flesh, who was predestined the Son of God in power." Whence also in Matthew 21 it is said that "they cried out: Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
62. (Vers. 39.). And since the imaginations of things, which ought to lead us to God, present an obstacle to our prayer, therefore he adds: And those who went before rebuked him, that he should be silent.
Whence the Gloss: "Those who go before Jesus as he comes signify the tumult of carnal desires, which scatter the thought of man and disturb the voice of prayer, lest Jesus be able to come to illuminate the heart of man." Whence imaginations of this kind, drawing us back from prayer through their clamor, are nothing other than a certain obstacle between us and Christ, according to that passage, Lamentations 3: "You have set a cloud before yourself, so that prayer may not pass through"; and therefore there is need of importunate knocking.
On account of which the blind man knocks continuously,
when it is added: But he cried out all the more: Son of David, have mercy on me.
Psalm: "O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you." And this is the power of prayer, which proceeds from true faith. Whence Chrysostom: "Such is the nature of faith that the more it is hindered, the more it is kindled; on account of which the servants of God are not overcome in persecutions." Whence the Gloss says that "the believer, sensing himself weighed down by the phantasm of former vices and the voice of his prayer hindered so that he cannot pray on his own behalf, cries out more ardently."
63. (Verse 40.). Third, as regards the generosity of the healer,
it is added: But Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be brought to himself.
Now Jesus is said to stand,
because he is in himself immutable: Psalm: "But you are the selfsame, and your years shall not fail"; whence the Gloss: "Jesus passing by
hears the blind man, standing still
he illuminates him, because through his humanity he has compassion on the cries of our blindness, but by the power of his Divinity he pours into us the light of his grace." And although through prayer we may seem to draw him to us, he rather draws us to himself, just as a ship is drawn to the rock, as Dionysius says. Therefore the bride in Song of Songs 1 says: "Draw me after you." Whence we are drawn to him when we are aroused in mind toward him and transcend beyond ourselves. As a figure of which, in Mark 10 it is said of this blind man: "Casting aside his garment, he leaped up and came to him." And then we also hear secret words, according to that saying of the Prophet in the Psalm: "I will hear what the Lord God speaks within me."
64. (Verses 40–41.). And therefore it is added: And when he had drawn near, he asked him, saying: What do you want me to do for you?
In which the generosity of the giver appears, because he offers himself to the good pleasure of the one asking. Whence the Gloss: "The Lord does not ask out of ignorance, but in order that he might be asked, so that he might arouse the mind to prayer," according to that saying in John 16: "If you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you."
And since he who asks in the name of Jesus asks for things pertaining to salvation, therefore it adds: But he said: Lord, that I may see.
The Gloss: "The blind man does not ask for gold or anything temporal, but only for light. Let us therefore imitate him whom we have heard was healed in body and mind." Whence James 1: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask it of God, and it shall be given to him." An example of this is found in Solomon in 3 Kings 3, where it is said that "the Lord appeared to Solomon and said: 'Ask what you will, that I may give it to you.'" But he said: "'You shall give your servant a docile heart,'" etc. "And the word was pleasing before the Lord, that he had asked for such a thing. And the Lord said: 'Because you have asked for wisdom, behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, to such a degree that none like you has been before you, nor shall any arise after you,'" etc.
65. (Vers. 42.). Fourth, as to the integrity of health, he adds: And Jesus said to him: Receive your sight: your faith has made you whole, through the infusion of divine grace. For by the regard of faith our heart is raised up to justice; Romans 5: "Being justified by faith, let us have peace with God." And this is the first virtue, concerning which Hebrews 11: "He who draws near must believe," for "it is the substance of things hoped for," etc.
66. (Vers. 43.). And immediately he saw, through the circumspection of prudence: Ephesians 5: "See, brethren, how you walk carefully"; Proverbs 4: "Let your eyes look upon what is right, and let your eyelids go before your steps."
And he followed him, glorifying God, through the subjection of obedience. The Gloss: "He sees and follows who works the good that he understands and imitates Jesus passing by"; John 8: "I am the light of the world: he who follows me does not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." — And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God, through the manifestation of divine glory. For this is the work in which power, wisdom, and mercy are supremely manifested: namely, when from a sinner a just man is made, from a fool a wise man, from one who errs a faithful man, and from an impious man a virtuous one. And therefore God is to be praised most greatly for this; whence Galatians 1: "I was unknown by face," Paul says, "to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but they had only heard that he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy; and they glorified God in me." And this we ought to do, according to Sirach 43: "Glorifying the Lord as much as you can, He shall still prevail, and wondrous is His magnificence. Blessing the Lord, exalt Him as much as you can, for He is greater than all praise."