THE FRIEND OF ALL
In the last chapter, the Evangelist showed the Person of the Lord Christ as a Friendly Teacher who intends to lift us up to His heavens to let us live by theheavenly law And lest some may think that He came to a specific category of people, the way
many Gnostics did -- those who despised the simple and the commons, to set for themselves an aristocratic mental circle -- the Evangelist revealed how this heavenly Friend cared, by His love, to catch the foreigners (the servant of the centurion); the widows (raising the son of the widow of Nain); and the sinners (the woman who was a sinner) how He intended to present His
friendship to every man regardless of his race, possibilities, or his present behavior; to lift, by His Holy Spirit, all up to the true fellowship in His Holy Body.
- Healing the servant of the centurion 4 - 10
- Raising the son of the widow of Nain 11 - 17
- John the Baptist’s delegation to the Lord Christ 18 - 23
- The Lord’s testimony to John the Baptist 24 - 35
- The woman who was a sinner 36 - 50
- HEALING THE SERVANT OF THE CENTURION:
In our study of the gospel according to Matthew (Chapter 8), we saw the centurion sends a delegation to the Lord to intercede for his sake, as a foreigner, to heal his servant; in which he represents the Gentiles who suffered affliction as captives to the devil; and in which the Gentiles showed a greater faith than theJews; even though the Lord did not appear in flesh in their midst as He did with the Jews, among whom He dwelt as one of them through His incarnation fromSt. Mary.................... With faith filled with humility, that
man of foreign race came to be worthy to hear from the Lord, a commendation not heard by the Jews, the owners of the law, the prophesies, and the promises, etc.
Anyway, if the Lord Christ proclaimed His friendship to the Jews through His incarnation from St. Mary of Jewish race; Here He proclaims His friendship to the Gentiles, through His commendation of the centurion of foreign race …… He opens His arms to the whole world, to embrace all with the same love.
Some may wonder why the Evangelist Matthew mentioned that the centurion came to meet the Lord on the way, to proclaim his unworthiness for having the Lord enter into his house to heal his sick servant, and his faith that, by a word from the Lord, his servant will be healed; while the Evangelist Luke, on the other hand says that ); believing in the authority of the Lord’s word to heal his servant?
“the centurion sent elders of the Jews to the Lord pleading with Him to come and heal his servant; then when the Lord went with them, and when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, ‘Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof’’ (3 – 6)
According to St. John Chrysostom, the three encounters have taken place; St. Matthew mentioned only the third of them; while St. Luke mentioned the first and the second. He explained that the centurion, with his faith in the Lord Christ, intended to set forth to plead with Him to come to heal his servant; but the elders of the Jews, out of envy, lest the foreign centurion might proclaim his faith before the multitudes, went, themselves, to bring Him forth to the centurion’s house, under the appearance of a work of mercy, saying:
“For he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue” (5);
but the Lord who knows the secrets of the hearts, waited for the centurion to send his friends, or to come to Him by himself, to glorify him because of his faith.
In that encounter between the Lord and the centurion, (or with his friends), it is to be noticed:
- Even if we assume good intention by the elders of the Jews, yet their plead for the centurion came to reveal their care for their ‘ego’, saying, “Forhe loves our nation”; and concentrating on the seen things, saying, “He has built us a synagogue”; While the Lord commended the centurion for what his heart bore of hidden faith full of
- If, according to St. Ambrose, the centurion refers to the Gentiles who came to the Lord Christ with faith to heal the servant, namely to healtheir souls, enslaved by the devil, for such long time, that they were about to perish eternally;
Receiving that centurion refers to receiving all categories into faith….......... For the Roman leaders and soldiers were
known for their great violence and brutality; that many Christians of the early centuries wondered if any of them could possibly remain in their position, once they receive the Christian faith…............................................................................................................................. Responding to the request of that centurion,
and commending him publicly before the multitudes, proclaiming that “He has not found such great faith, not even in Israel” (9),
reveals the possibility of living in a fellowship with the Lord, whatever is the work or the position of the believer. According to the scholar Tertullian: [The Roman soldiers who came to ask John the Baptist: “What shall we do?” (3: 114); and a centurion who beleved in the Lord Christ, indicate that there is no unlawfulness as long as man does not do unlawful work].
- Commenting on the care of the Lord to heal the servant of that centurion, and to set forth to his house, St. Ambrose said: [Meditate with me in the humility shown by the Lord of heaven, who did not hesitate to visit such a little servant of the centurion, to express the works of His divine mercy, and the feelings of His Setting forth to the
centurion’s house was not for being unable to heal the servant from afar; but to give you an example of humility to follow His lead; and to teach you to honor the poor the way you do the great].
- Concentrating on the role played by the centurion toward his servant; through whose faith he cared to send a delegation, then went by himself to the Lord; St. Ambrose said: [We are put to shame by seeing how the servant was healed through the faith of the centurion, who pleaded for him, not only by faith, but through work as well].
- Comparing between the action of the Jewish elders who came interceding for the centurion, and the faith of the centurion himself, St. Cyril the Great says: [You see the Jewish elders plead to Jesus to visit the centurion in his house, believing that it is not possible to heal the servant by any other way; while you, on the other hand see the centurion himself, proclaiming publicly that Christ can heal the sick from afar; he sought from Christ only to say a word; to proclaim His exalted utterance; and to show His will. Hence the centurion proved worthy of Christ’s commendation by his famous saying: “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel” (9). For that man’s behavior proved the soundness of his faith and the strength of his belief; for which the Lord rewarded him by healing his servant on the spot, saving him from sure death].
- RAISING THE SON OF THE WIDOW OF NAIN:
If the Lord opened His heart wide for the foreigners, and the Roman centurion approached Him to heal his servant, to have a prominent position in the sight of the Lord, to be counted as a friend, closer to God than the children of Israel; Now we see Him show compassion on a widow who lost her only son todeath; In His friendship, the Lord encountered the widows, the poor,
as well as the foreigners............ a collective friendship with all mankind.
On another aspect, the centurion, according to many fathers like St. Cyril the great, St. Augustine, and St. Ambrose, refers to the Church, coming from among the Gentiles, who, despite the much temporal privileges they have got, yet they stood helpless before the illness of a servant; namely, not able to curetheir inner souls, captivated by the enemy, like a miserable slave; and destroyed by sin, as an infirmity that push them to death................... The widow, on the other hand refers to humanity in general, who after being
widowed, here she loses her only son, whose dead body is carried in a coffin by men. She refers to humanity who became a widow through losing God, her true Man; while her dead son refers to every soul whose life was lost by sin, to become dead, carried by a body corrupted by evil, like the coffin-bearers; set forth on the way, on account of that she no more has a place in the house of the Lord, nor in paradise, the first home of man.
In raising that young man, it is noticed:
- In the days of the Lord Christ, no doubt, many died, like the little children of Bethlehem, St. John the Baptist, and hundreds, even
thousands of martyrs, men and women, elders and little children. We do not know if the Lord raised many of them, or only the three mentioned by the Evangelists, namely: Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain, and the young girl, daughter of Jairus; for the Lord Chris came, not to take the death of the body away from us, but to destroy the death of the soul, and to raise us above the authority of death, to make us, cross over through it together with Him, as conquerors and victorious, to reach the eternal encounter with him, face to face.
The Lord did not promise to drive death away from us, but, having died with, and for us, He turned death into a bridge to cross over to paradise, in anticipation of the great day of the Lord. That is why we hear that the mother of St. Gregory the Nezianzen put on her attire of feast to attend the funeral of her son ‘Caesarius’]
The Church cares first for the resurrection of the soul; on account of that the body will certainly resurrect; In case the soul enjoys resurrection, the body will enjoy the eternal glory together with her. According to St. Augustine: [It would certainly be more miraculous for someone to be raised from death to live eternally, than for someone to be raised temporarily to die again later on]; and he also says: [The widowed mother greatly rejoiced to see her son raised from the dead; when here, there are many are raised every day in spirit, in whom the Church, as their mother rejoices........................................................................................................................................... The former was certainly dead in the flesh; while
those were dead by the spirit........... The death of the former brought forth seen weeping; while the unseen death of the later, was
not the subject of enquiry, nor of perception. But they were sought by Him who knows for sure that they are dead, for He alone could grant them life. If the Lord did not come to raise them, the apostle would not say: “Awaken you who sleep; arise from the dead; and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5: 14). No one can wake up someone sleeping on his bed, as easily as the Lord Christ wakes up those in the tomb].
- If the Church concentrates, first, on the resurrection of the soul, in an unseen way; she does not disregard the resurrection of the
body; something denied by some heretics through their despise of the body. The Lord raise those three from the dead to proclaim that He is the Grantor ofresurrection to both the soul and the body.. According to St. Cyril the great: [Those whom the Lord raised from the dead are the greatest witnesses to the resurrection from the dead a fact referred to by the saintly prophet Isaiah
who said: : “Your dead shall live; … they shall arise; Awake and sing , you who dwell in the dust” (Isaiah 26: 19). By “awake” he means the life of Christ strongly granted by the Holy Spirit; and referred to by the psalmist David who said: “You hide Your face they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust” (Psalm 104: 29). The disobedience of Adam was the cause of denying our face the vision of God, and attaching them to the dust of the earth; for God condemned the human nature by saying: “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3: 19). But at the end of time, the surface of the earth will be renewed, for God the Father, by His Son, grants life to everything in the Universe. While death brought old age and corruption on men; Christ, on the other hand is the life-Giver and the Renewer, on account of that He, Himself, is Life].
Raising those three from the dead, was therefore, a proclamation of His present work of raising our souls through our unity with Him, being “Life”; and raising our bodies in the great day of the Lord, on a level befitting of the eternal heavenly life.
- In our study of the miracle of raising the daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9: 18-26), we saw how raising those three from the dead:
(Lazarus, and the young son of the widow, and the little girl daughter of Jairus,each carried a symbol of the work of the Lord Christ in the souls in the different stages of committing sins; or, according to St. Augustine: [Those three dead people refer to three kinds of sinners, whom the Lord Christ still raises from the dead up to this very day] The little girl symbolizes whomever sins in
his heart; …….. the young man symbolizes him who commits sin, practically and openly; And Lazarus symbolizes him in
whom sin became a habit in his life… Our Lord came to raise them all.
- The Evangelist showed another aspect of the miracle of raising the son of the widow, saying:
“When He saw her He had compassion on her” (13).
The Lord raised that young man not to show off His authority over death, and His ability to grant life, but approached through His compassion. God deals with us on the level of authority, being the Creator and the Lord of all, and of that of love and mercy; being the Father, the Groom, the Friend, and the Lover of every man who accepts Him.
According to St. Ambrose: [we believe that the divine heart is moved by the tears of a widow tormented by the loss of her only son, whom the sympathy ofthe multitudes was not enough to make up for her great loss, and deprivation ofmotherhood...................................................................................................................................... ;
but by weeping, she earned the raising up of her young son].
I wish we are like that widow; losing our only son, namely our souls to the devil, to death through our disobedience, to be carried, lifeless, in the body as though in a coffin, out of the divine house; to encounter the Grantor of life, who, alone, would have compassion on us, to take away the burden of that death, and to restore to us our souls living in Him, and our bodies sanctified by His Holy Spirit.
e - “Then He came and touched the open coffin; and those who carried him stood still” (14).
St. Ambrose comments on this saying: [Looking at the wooden coffin as being the tree through which we are carried to the
tomb, the Lord touched it through ascending on the tree of the cross, to let us have the secret of life.......... The tree that was a
coffin to carry us down to the pit, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ became “the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 18)
- In that scene, St. Ambrose sees a living portrait of the Church, that would never cease to weep for our sake, beseeching her Christ to bring back her only son to her through uttering the word of life; for it is written:
“So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother” (15).
According to St. Ambrose: [In case you happen to commit a deadly sin which you cannot have it cleansed by your tears, let your mother weep on you; namely the Church, who mourns over every son of hers, the way the widow did for her only son. She partakes of the suffering by the spirit; something natural when she sees her children brought to death by the deadly iniquities.
……….There are indeed spiritual hearts like those of Paul who says: “Yes brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord” (Philemon 20).. We are the spiritual hearts of the Church, for we are members of her body, her flesh and her bones……. Let that loving widow weep, and letthe multitudes partake of her sorrow; for then, you will be raised from the dead, will come out of the tomb; those who carry the death in you will stand still, and you will utter the words of life. Then all will fear and return blessing God who presented such medication that sets us free from the burden of death].
- Cyril the Great, wondering about the secret why the Lord Christ touched the coffin, even though He could raise the dead by
just a word He utters, says: [That was, beloved brethren, to know that the body of Christ has its role concerning the salvation of man; for the body of the divine Word, the Great Christ, is the body of life, clothed with power andauthority............................................................................................................................... The way iron
in case it touches fire, will have the appearance and functions of fire; so it is with the body of the divine Word, in which life is transfigured; and He will have the authority to wipe out death and corruption]
So the Lord demonstrated what His body has of ability to grant life, through the eternal unity of the Godhead with Manhood; by which he honored the body that was the object of the animosity and despise of man; blessing our nature in Him.
- JOHN THE BAPTIST’S DELEGATION TO THE LORD CHRIST:
John the Baptist who has previously leaped in his mother’s womb exulted by the visit of the Savior while still in the Virgin’s womb;… who proclaimed His eternity (John 1: 30), and His mission as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
(John 1: 29);………who saw the Spirit come down on Him, and heard the Father testify to Him during His Baptism;.......... Now sends
a delegation to the lord Christ, to ask Him:
“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (20)
John had no doubt in the Person of the Lord Christ, but, by his delegation he intended to give the Lord the chance to catch his disciples to become His own. St. John had no wish to have disciples to work to his account, but intended to send his disciples to his Savior, to send them to the “Divine Friendship” Instead of entering into a debate with his disciples concerning the Savior,
John preferred to send them to the Savior, to let the Savior Himself draw them to Him, to draw the rest of the disciples as well.
I may say: how successful is the shepherd who exhorts his flock – the people of God -- to encounter the Lord Christ Himself, to draw their hearts to Him, and enjoy the Divine Friendship, which would be his main goal; Such a shepherd would be working, not to the account of his own honor and publicity, but to that of the kingdom of God.
According to St. Cyril the Great: [Do not think that the blessed John the Baptist could not recognize the Word of God – the incarnate Christ --, for He was certainly sure of His identity. But by the spirit of wisdom, intended to make his question a useful lesson for his disciples. Having been isolated from Christ, those disciples did not have the chance to perceive His glory and authority; and were even overwhelmed by the fire of jealousy and envy, when they heard about His superiority over their master John in performing wonders and signs. Such intention was clear when they approached their master John, and said to him: ”Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified – behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him’. To which John answered and said:’ A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You, yourselves, bear me witness, that I said:, ‘I am not the Christ, but, ‘I have been sent before Him’. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3: 28 – 30).
We would not say that John the Baptist became less honored with the increase of glory of the Lord Christ through the greater crowd of people who gathered around Him; but the decrease of John and the increase of the Lord Christ, means that John, being a human being has an unsurpassable limit of progress; whereas, the Lord Christ, being the incarnate God, has no limit to His growth, and no end of His greatness; hence John the Baptist says: “He must increase, but I must decrease”. For he who stands still at certain level, is considered as decreasing, compared to Him who has no limit of His progress and growth. To prove that, John referred to the Godhead of the Lord Christ, and to that He is superior to all men, and said: “He who comes from above is above all; He who is of
the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth” (John 3: 31).............. Who would that be except the incarnate Word of God, who is of
the same essence as God the Father, and equal to Him; who because of His love for mankind, He came down from heaven, and humbly became like one of us. The Lord Christ, therefore, is Superior to all who are on earth, including John the Baptist, who had to be surpassed by the Lord Christ.
We do not deny that John was of high caliber qualities, incomparable in his attributes, and reached such level in righteousness and goodness to be worthy of the commendation of the Lord Christ who described him, saying: “Assuredly I say to you, among those born by women, there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11: 11); yet, despite all that, the Baptist was not from high above, but was earthly like any of us.
You can see that the disciples of John, having their hearts not purified of the terrible infirmities of the Jews, described to their master what they saw in Christ of divine power; but not in the best intention; But John, perceiving the exalted level of Christ, was pleased to hear them refer to His great glory. and to purify the hearts of his disciples, and to bring them closer to the Sun of Righteousness, the Lord of Glory Jesus Christ, he allowed for himself to appear ignorant and naive, and sent a delegation to ask the Lord Christ: “Are
You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”.
Now, let us wonder: Why did the Evangelist Luke include this delegation, after mentioning the episode of healing the servant of the centurion, and of raising the son of the widow of Nain?
If the centurion represents the foreigners whom the heavenly Friend embraced by His love, and removed from them the death of sin; and if the widow represents the widows and the poor referred to as His friends to restore to them the gladness of their salvation; Now, through His encounter of the two disciples of John the Baptist, and drawing them into the net of His love, He proclaims His longing to acquire and to disciple the Jewish people.............. John represents the law, and his two disciples or his delegates refer to
the disciples of the law, or to those under the law. By sending them, John intends to proclaim that “Christ is the end of the law”
(Romans 10: 4). Sending (two) disciples, the figure 2 refers to love; We shall not encounter our Christ through the law without love.
According to St. Ambrose: [John, representing the law, it was only natural that that law, who spoke about Christ, having become a prisoner in the darkness of the hearts of believers, and behind the bars of misunderstanding; could not go forth to the end as a witness of the divine purposes, unless being supported by the good tidings of the gospel Hence, John the Baptist sent his
two disciples to increase their knowledge, that Christ is “the Perfection of the law”; those two disciples were symbols of two peoples: the Jews and the Gentiles].
The Lord Christ’s reaction toward that delegation, concentrated on revealing the works of His exalted love; He let His works answer every inquiry by them. About that, St. John Chrysostom say: [Perceiving John’s true goal of sending his disciples to him, the Lord did not answer their question by saying: “I am Him”, but left it to them to know it through His works, which are more convincing than any words]. According to St Ambrose: [Man believes through the testimony of works more so than by words].
As a representative of the law and the prophesies, John the Baptist sent his two disciples; Whereas the Lord Christ, brought them forth into His divine work itself, to let them say with the Evangelist St. John: “Which we have heard; which we have seen with our eyes; which we have looked upon; which we have handled, concerning the word of life” . Presenting to them the works long prophesied by the prophets; He said to them:
“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard; that the blind see, the lame walk, the leapers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them; and blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Luke 7: 22, 23).
According to St. Ambrose: [This is the perfect testimony by which the Lord could be recognized, for the sake of prophecy concerning Him and not any other: “The Lord gives food to the hungry; the Lord gives freedom to the prisoners; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down” (Psalm 146: 7, 8),
The signs of the divine authority, not the words of preaching, would scatter the darkness of night from the eyes of the blind, to be healed to see; make the deaf hear; cure the withered hands and the frail knees; and draw the dead to the light, that from them the power of life would emerge].
The Lord warned the two disciples of John the Baptist, by saying: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (23); For the cross was close at hand, in which many were offended, according to the words of the apostle Paul: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 18).. If the Lord came to open the eyes to see His secrets; and the ears to hear His divine voice; and to liberate the souls from the captivity of sin, to purify them from the inner defilement, and to raise them from the dead, the price of all that is “the Cross”, which is “to the Jews a
stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1: 23).
- THE LORD’S TESTIMONY TO JOHN THE BAPTIST:
Rejoicing in that he decreases while the Lord Christ increases (John 3: 30), John the Baptist sent his delegation with the intention of giving the chance to hisown disciples to become disciples of the Savior Himself; an action that did not lower the statute of John, but, on the contrary, made the Lord Himself speak to the multitudes concerning John, saying:
“What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are generously appareled and live in luxury arein king’s courts. But what did you go out to the wilderness to see? A prophet? I say to you, and more than a prophet ” (25, 26)
In our study of the gospel according to Matthew (11:7-14), we presented many commentaries by the fathers about that great divine commendation. Here I shall just give some other commentaries to complete the ones previously mentioned:
- We notice how the Lord Christ did not commend John the Baptist in the presence of his disciples, but after their departure (24), so as not toappear flattering I wish we, as well, would not care to commend the others in their presence, but
rather in their absence, to appear truly loving them without hypocrisy, nor hoping for a temporal reward.
- Presenting an interpretation of the Lord’s commendation for St. John the Baptist, which He ends by proclaiming that
“But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (28)
St. Cyril the Great says that the Lord chose to testify to this saint as the greatest of those who got the righteousness of the law; the greatest among those born by Jewish women; a prophet who surpassed any other prophet; and testified by the prophet Malachi (3: 1) to be “the angel of theLord” Yet, even that greatness in the law would be counted as
nothing if compared to the good tidings of the gospel; For through the law, however man strives, he will still remain “born by a woman”; whereas the gift of the new covenant, lifts us above the flesh and blood, to gain sonhood to God.
Here are some quotes of the words said by St. Cyril the Great in this concern:
[Even though by His words the Savior of the whole world, intended to show what are in the law of favor and privilege; yet, in the circle of the spiritual edification, it has no great role; whereas the grace of faith in Christ, is the guarantee of blessings and goodness, for in it there is the power to crown the heads with crowns of limitless beauty.
That is what we learn from the sayings of the blessed Paul, who even though proclaims that he was liberated as far as the righteousness in the law is concerned, to be blameless; yet he cries out, saying: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yes indeed, I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 4: 7, 8); and he counted the Israelites worthy of blame and rebuke by saying: ”For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10: 3). .and in another location he says: “We, who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Galatians 2: 15, 16).
Therefore, whoever believes in Christ would have glories that surpass those of the righteousness given by the law. Hence the Baptist, concerning the righteousness of the law, was counted as incomparable; yet, on another aspect “He who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (28). By “the kingdom of God”, as we already said, is meant (the grace of faith in Christ), by which we become worthy of every spiritual blessing that comes from God our Father, high above. for it would liberate us from every rebuke, grant us the right of sonhood to God, make us partners in the gift of the Holy Spirit; and heirs to the heavenly treasure.
How could the Lord Christ describe John the Baptist of that “Among those born by women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist, but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (28)? This may be answered as such: [John, like other prophets who preceded him, was born by a woman; while those who received faith in Christ, have become, not the sons of women, but the sons of God, according to the words of the wise Evangelist John, saying: “But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1: 12, 13).
We have become the children of the God: “having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1: 23). Therefore, all who are born, not of the seed of man, but of the Word of God, surpass those born by women.
Another reason why those born of the Word of God surpass those born by women, is that the later have earthly fathers; whereas the former have a heavenly Father. For Christ being their Brother, they, by such grace, became the children of God; on account of that Christ publicly proclaimed: “Do not call anyone on earth your father, For One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matthew 23: 9); which is confirmed by the wise Paul saying: “Because you are sons, God has sent
forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out ’Abba, Father!” (Galatians 1; 6). For once the Lord Christ came, and destroyed the Hades, He granted the grace of sonhood to all who believed in Him, and on the head of the list are his saintly disciples, on whom “He breathed, and to them He said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit; if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20: 22). And on account of that those disciples have so become partners in the divine nature, having been given the gift of the Spirit, great in authority, they had to be given the divine power to forgive the sins of some, and to retain those of others].
- Concentrating on the words by the Lord Christ in His commendation of John the Baptist, we find it start as such:
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind; but what did you go out into the wilderness to see? A man clothed in soft garments?................................................................................................................... (24, 25)
The Lord sees the world as though has become a barren wilderness with no fruitful trees; for sin has corrupted creation and turned it from being ajoyful and satisfactory paradise into a barren and a horrible wilderness, full of reeds shaken by the wind, right and left St. John the Baptist, even though was raised in the wilderness of the world as a reed, but,
through his faith in the Savior Messiah, was not a reed shaken by the winds of heresies, nor broken by the storms of the earthly evil desires. But he was truly that reed held in the hand of the Lord Christ as a writing pen, to call all to enjoy His salvation.
According to St. Ambrose: [Likening the present life to a barren fruitless and unproductive wilderness, the Lord warns us against being like those who are puffed up, and have their minds in the earthlies;.................................................................................................................................. those who, even though without
any hidden virtue, they boast in the vain glory of this mortal world;.............. those who, when exposed to the winds of this
life, they become disturbed like a weed shaken by the wind, owing to that they are fruitless of the true righteousness, even though they may have the worldly adornment.
But if you take that reed out of the earth, trimmed it, namely took away the old man and his works (Colossians 3: 9), and delivered it into the hand of a clever writer, it will turn into a pen by which the commandments of the Lord are revived “not on the tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is of the heart” (2 Corinthians 2: 3)
If it so happens that we are planted in the wilderness as a reed shaken by the winds, let us deliver our life into the hands of Him, about whom it is written: “A bruised reed He will not break” (Isaiah 42: 3), to uproot us from the ground of this life, and plant us in Him as members of His body; and to turn our life into a pen in His hand, He dips in His precious blood, to sanctify our spirits, souls, and bodies, to become truly, “an epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3: 3).
Again He repeats: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A man clothed in soft garments?”
According to St. Ambrose: [Here, even though many men imitate women in putting on soft garments.................. but the Lord most probably refershere to the human bodies by which the spirit is clothed; that is why Joseph’s tunic was dipped in blood (Genesis 37: 23), like the body of Christ.
The soft garment is the works and habits of the evil desire; hence the apostle exhorts us to take off the old man and to put on the new (Colossians 3: 9).
John the Baptist did not put on soft garments; namely, he did not deliver his body to evil desires, pleasures, and sinful habits, like those who were held captives in the palace of the devil, but his body was sanctified together with his soul to the account of the kingdom of God.
Then the Lord goes on to say:
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is
he, of whom it is written: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before you”
(7: 27).
And, on the tongue of the Lord, St. Cyril says: [Yes, he is a saint and a prophet, great among the prophets; for he, not only proclaimed the future coming of Christ, but cried out saying: “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29).
According to St. Ambrose: [Yes, and greater than a prophet; for, by him, the era of the prophets came to an end; and he was more than a prophet, for He whom many desired to see, John prophesied, saw, and even baptized.
But, even though John is greater than those with whom he was an equal “as being born by women”; yet the nature of the Lord Christ is different, and is incomparable to any human birth;.............................................................................................................................. Man could never be compared to God].
While commending His angel John the Baptist, the Lord Christ confirmed the power of preaching the gospel; for, even
though He called John “the greatest among those born by women”, but “he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater
than he” (28); on account of that John represents the covenant of the law; while the message of the gospel presented “the sonhood to God”, through which the believer enjoys what is greater than what men of the old covenant did.
Anyway, John the Baptist, representing the law, came, hard and firm, to lead humanity to the Lamb of God; while the Messiah, the Lamb Himself, came a gentle Friend to mankind. And on account of that the Jews rejected this and that, the Lord rebuked by saying:
“To whom then shall I liken men of this generation and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another saying: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned for you, and you did not weep. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say he has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look a glutton and winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom is justified by all her children” (31 – 35)
In the following, we quote the commentaries of some fathers on that divine saying:
+ Here, the Lord does not talk about the kind of dance associated with evil desires, but the spiritual dance, in which man exalts with his body, and does not allow his members to enjoy the earthly desires.
Paul spiritually danced, when, for our sake he “pressed toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 14).
That is then the secret: We played the song of the new covenant, and you did not dance; namely you still did not exalt your spirits through the divine grace.
“We mourned to you, and you did not weep” (32); namely you did not show remorse, when John the Baptist came to call you to repentance by the grace of the Lord Christ. The Lord is the Giver of grace, even though it was proclaimed by John as His servant; as to the church she cherishes both, so as to reach the grace without taking away the repentance…...................................... Grace is the gift of the Lord, who, alone grants it; and the repentance is the
medicine for the sinner.
(St. Ambrose)
+ The Jews believed neither in the songs of praise of the prophets, nor for their lamentations.
+ “We played the flute (music) for you, and you did not dance
Moses sang when the water split, and he and the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 15); ….. Isaiah sang for his well-beloved vineyard (Isaiah 5: 1), to prophesy that the Jewish people who had previously produced many virtues, will be produce a bunchof iniquities The three young men sang when their feet
were dampened, as fire turned for them into dew (Daniel 3)….................. Habakkuk sang a snng in which he
prophesied the passion of Christ, as a source of comfort to the believers (Habakkuk 3), in an attempt to appease the sorrow of the people.
The prophets, therefore sang spiritual songs that arose to the level of preaching the general salvation’ And they also wept to soften by their sorrowful lamentations the stone-hard hearts of the Jews.
The Holy Book teaches us to sing to the Lord (Psalm 46: 80; and to dance with wisdom, according to the words said to the prophet Ezekiel to “pound his fists, and stamp his feet” (Ezekiel 6: 11). God does not seek doing funny movements by an excited body, nor the clapping of women; but seeks the respectable dance, in
which the spirit dances through the rising of the bodyby the good works; when we hang our harps on the willow trees.
The Lord commands His prophet to pound his fists, stamp his feet, and to sing, as he sees the wedding, in which the Church will be the bride, and Christ will be the beloved Groom; It is a magnificent wedding, in which the spirit unites with the Word, and the body with the spirit.
That is the wedding which David tried to realize, and to which we are invited;................. he exhorts us to hasten
toward that joyful scene, saying: ‘raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with lute” (Psalm 81:: 2, 3) ….Can you not imagine the prophet David dancing?!............................................................................................................ Can you not hear the sound of the harp, and the
stamping of the feet of the dancers?!............ You, as well should take for yourself a harp; so that, when you enjoy
the touch of the spirit, your inner strings would respond to the echo of the good works.................. Hold the harp,
to have harmony between your words and your works;.................... take the tmbrel so that the spirit would grant
you to sing internally through the tool of your body.
(St. Ambrose)
+ It so seem that the Jewish children in the marketplace invented a game of this sort; separating themselves into two groups to play roles contradictory to one another: One group play music, while the other group mourn as though with cries of sorrow and misery. Yet the later group did not partake of the joy and pleasure of the former group; who, as well disregarded to comfort the later group; which is apparent from their admonishment to them, saying: “We mourned to you and you did not weep”.
The Lord Christ publicly proclaims that the Jewish people and their rulers were playing that game their children did; saying: “ise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings; Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy” (Psalm 33: 2, 3). Can you imagine David the king dancing?
I wonder how, O ignorant Pharisees, how could you come to believe in Christ?! What way would draw you to the Lord?! When you look at everything through dark lenses; and nothing for you is worthy of
commendation?!............ ”Repent”, like John the Baptist told you “For the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew
3: 2)............. How true was the testimony about you, by him, who you testified to be an example of goodness and
exaltation!......... Was he not who dwelt in the wilderness, slept on the dust, and covered himself by the
sky?!......... Was he not who fed on locusts and wild honey, and was clothed by rough and cheap attire?!..........
How then could you claim that he has a demon, he who, by his asceticism killed the law of sin , lying deep in your heart of flesh, thehero who bravely fought against the evil tendencies of your minds;…............................................................................................................................. Is there
anything greater than the life of asceticism, by which the evil pleasures of iniquity are quenched?!............... The
Baptist was so extremely faithful for the Lord Christ; had no tendency of the evil desires of the body; had so deserted the pleasures of this world, in order to reach his ultimate goal, namely to prepare the way for the Redeemer.
Tell me, O people: Is it possible for such a man to have a demon; he who never bowed his back to evil and iniquity?!
We do not deny that the Baptist could never reach such an exalted level except through Christ who brought down the honor of the devil, and broke his teeth, to exalt the saints.
Are you not ashamed, O people, to say such a thing about the messenger who was known for perseverance and courage, to be crowned with the crowns of victory?!............................................................................................................ Are you not ashamed to revile him with every
thing so hateful?!............. to deny for him to have the grace of reason and clear mind, and to accuse him falsely
of being out of his mind?!
Now let us look at another Person whom the Jews saw absolutely contradictory to that of John the
Baptist…......... The Lord Christ did not dwell in the wilderness, but dwelt in the cities in the company of His
saintly disciples; was not fed on locusts and wild honey, was not clothed in camel’s wool, and did not girdle his loins with a leather belt.
Christ, as you can see lived the city life, and did not endure the tough life practiced by John the Baptist. Would you blame Him for such behavior; or will commend His tendency to have the company of people, and that he never cared for a specific kind of food? No, absolutely not, but you, as well, reviled Him by your sharp tongue, saying: Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (34). How could you prove your claim, when you notice that as He was invited by Mary and Martha in Bethany, and saw one of them exaggerate
in serving Him, He rebuked her, saying: “Martha, Martha,, you are worried and troubled about many things; but one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 41, 42). That was how Christ did wherever he went!
Would you accuse the Lord Christ of greed, on account of keeping company with tax collectors and sinners? Can you tell me what harm came upon Him by such behavior? Was He not above the level of
humanity with all its evil and iniquities?!.............. The Lord said, and His words are true: “The ruler of this world is
coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14: 30). Nothing of the iniquities of the sinners, could accordingly cling to the Lord Christ.
Some may protest and say: [The law of Moses commanded us to You shall make no covenant with them nor with their gods” (Exodus 23: 32). Let us then study the goal of the law of the Jews for giving such a command. Its goal could not boast with pride, and to act haughtily on the sinners; but, on account of your weak minds, you would probably fall in evil and sin. Therefore, for fear that may probably be drawn to the corrupt and evil desires, the law gave the command to keep away from mixing with the evil people; for “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15: 33). The law, therefore gave such a command to keep you from falling because
of your weakness and helplessness.................. If you, on the hand, are clothed with high virtues, and holding fast
in the fear of God, the law would never stand in your way to mix with the weak sinners; as you, being close to them would most probablybe good for them, and be a motivation for them to follow your lead, to tread with wide steps toward the sought perfection and the requiredtruth. Therefore, do not depend upon the law of
Moses, to act haughtily against the weak and the miserable; and do not blame Christ for keeping company with the tax collectors and the sinners.
(St. Cyril the Great)
- THE WOMAN WHO WAS A SINNER:
We already said that the Lord Christ, being a heavenly Friend, opened His heart to the foreigners (caring for the centurion), the widows (raising the son of the widow of Nain); and drew the disciples of John the Baptist, as representatives of the old covenant, to get in touch with the works of His exalted love. Now we see how a woman sinner – who, according to the Jews was worthy of being stoned to death – forced her way to that friendship, to encounter our Lord Jesus Christ as her heavenly Groom, in the house of Simon the Pharisee, without an apparent invitation.
The encounter of that woman sinner drew many souls to repentance; for it proclaimed the true friendship of God to the sinners, His love for every soul, and His longing for the salvation of all. Many fathers wrote their comments on that encounter, among whom was St. (Mar) Ephraim the Syrian, who described it in a magnificent literate style, which I previously translated and published under the
title “Love and Tears” in the series “The Christian Story”.
Through the spirit of the fathers, we can present the following comments on the story of the woman sinner:
- According to St. Augustine: [The woman sinner set forth to the banquet without invitation; for she knew that the divine
Physician is there; and with a holy daring she sought health from Him................. perceiving how tough her infirmity was, and
that the Physician she sough is capable of healing her, she forced her way very aggressively............... Yet, she approached,
not the Savior’s head, but His feet;............ Having walked such a long time in evil, seeks in His feet the way to
righteousness].
That wo9man, representing the soul, broken down by iniquities, found in the feet of her Savior, the secret of the possibility of walking along the way of righteousness, and of setting forth by and in Him to the bosom of God the bFather, to enjoy the eternal heavenly friendship.
- When the Pharisee invited the Lord Christ to eat in his house, the Lord, even though entered into his house, yet He did not enter into his heart. It most probably cost the man much, and was envied by the others for having the Lord enter into his house; but that woman sinner forced her way into the banquet with the daring of love, and encountered with the Lord as the Groom of her soul.......................... While the Pharisee represents thesoul that hides behind the outer appearances and not
the depths; received the Lord in her house, and not in her heart; the woman sinner represented the soul, serious in her attempt to be saved; hence cared for the hidden encounter with the heavenly Groom.
Comparing between the Pharisee and the woman sinner, St. Ambrose says:
- [While the Pharisee gave no water for the Lord’s feet, the woman washed His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. The former represents the unbelieving Jews who have no water to wash the feet of the Lord, who intended to walk in their conscience (Who could wash his conscience who do not receive the water of Christ?). The Church, on the other hand has this water (The Baptism), and has these tears (the repentance)].
And in another location St. Ambrose says: [The woman cleansed her sins by washing the Lord’s feet with her
tears……… O Lord Jesus! Allow me to wash Your feet from what came upon them through walking in me (even though they were notdefile. Having no water of life to wash Your feet, I shall present my tears
…………Washing Your feet; I trust that I am washing myself, and hear You say to me: “Your many sins are forgiven for you loved much” (see 47)
And in a third location, he says: [Confessing your sins by your tears, you will hear the divine Justice say: ‘You washed My feet by your tears,and wiped them with the hair of your head’......................................................................................................................................... The tears of our love, not only
could wash our sins, but could, as well, wash the feet of the divine Word, to have the fruition of His steps in us, They are tears that not only could set the sinners up, but are food for the righteous who says: “My tears have been my
food day and night” (psalm 42: 2);.................. In case you cannot approach the Lord’s head, touch His feet by your
head]
- While the Pharisee had no hair to wipe the Lord’s feet, for not being a Nazirite to the Lord, the Church, on the other hand, has hair, and seeksthe According to St. Ambrose: [The hair by which the woman wiped out
the Savior’s feet, refers to the riches of no value unless part of it is given to the poor – the Savior’s feet – to wash their wounds and sufferings].
And in another location he says: [Loosen your hair, and present to Him all the talents of your body].For all our physical energies, talents, possibilities, and emotions, will remain like useless hair, unless they are sanctified through putting them to use, to wash the Savior’s feet; namely to serve His brethren!
- Concerning the kisses of that woman sinner, not practiced by the Pharisee, St. Ambrose says: [The kiss, being the sign of love, the unbelieving Jew, could not practice a kiss, because he does not know nor receive the peace of Christ, who said: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you” (John 14: 27) The Jewish synagogue, therefore, has no kisses, like those of the Church that anticipated Christ and loved Him, saying: ‘Let him kiss me with kisses of His mouth” (Songs 1: 1) intending to quench the fire of her longing in anticipation of the Lord’s coming by Hiskisses, and to dampen her thirst by that gift]. Then the saint goes on to say: [The Church alone has the bkisses of the bride, for the kiss is a down payment of matrimony, and a special privilege of the wedding].
The kisses of the bride are true are faithful, being the kisses of the bride kindled with love for her Groom, which was not experienced by Judas when he gave his false kiss to deliver his Lord; to whom St. Ambrose says: [You presented a kiss, you who know nothing about the secret of the kiss; for what is sought is the kiss of the heart and soul, rather than that of the lips............................................................ Where there are nolove, faith, nor emotion, what sweetness could be in the
kisses?!].
- Comparing between the woman who previously poured the fragrant oil over the Savior’s head while He was reclining in the house of Simon the leper in the village of Bethany (Matthew 26), and the woman mentioned here; St. Ambrose believes that, even though they are separate events, yet they both presented fragrant oil. The former represents the soul that enters into the divine friendship, exalts in the perfect life in the Lord, and pours the fragrant oil on the Savior’s head, having reached much of His divine secrets; ……….. While we, on the other hand, representing the later woman, and feeling our sins, come to Him from the back, longing to reach His feet; and according to the saint: {Even though she was a sinful woman, yet she had her own fragrant .
We may say that, being sinners, walking along the way of our repentance, I wish we force ourselves into the house of the Pharisee to encounter our Lord wherever He is, to pour fragrant oil on His feet…............................................................................................................................ the fragrant oil of the true
repentance, full of hope through the holy blood flowing from the stabbed side.
Again, in his interpretation of the gospel according to Luke, At. Ambrose, believing that this fragrant oil only concerns the Church, he says: [Blessed is he who can wash the Savior’s feet with fragrant oil, something Simon the Pharisee did not do… The fragrant oil being the extract of the fragrance of many flowers, it gives an assortment of diverse sweet
fragrances; no one can pour such a fragrant oil, except the Church that possesses so many flowers of diverse sweet fragrance Here the image of the sinful merge with Christ who bore the image of a slave (bore the body of sin)]
- While the Pharisee did not benefit of his encounter of the Savior, because of his persistence on pride, the sinful woman had much benefit, for she loved much through her spirit of humility....................................................................................................................... By pride, man loses every spiritual blessing;
and by love, full of humility, he enjoys the love of the Savior Himself, and the forgiveness of his sins.
+ The Lord of humility, even though He sat in the house of a proud Pharisee called Simon, yet not in his heart, where there was “no where to lay His head” (Luke n9: 57).
(St. Augustine)
+ Have much love to have much forgiveness.
Even though Paul persecuted the Church, yet he loved much with persistence even to martyrdom; hence his many sins were forgiven;… for he shed his blood for the sake of the name of God.
(St. Ambrose)
+ While the sinful woman did not lose the straight forward way, the ignorant Pharisee lost it, saying within himself: “This man, if he were a prophet would know who, and what manner of woman this is who touches Him, for she is a sinner” (39). Being proud of himself and of his sect, weak in his mental capacity, he could not perceive the issue as he should have. He should have adorned his life with exalted features, not to condemn the others with what they do not have; But, clinging to the hems of the hard law, he sought from the Lord Jesus Christ to obey the law of Moses, that commanded the holy men to keep away from the unclean wicked, and in which God put the blame on everyone chosen to be a ruler of the Jewish synagogue, who did not, according to one of the prophets, did not discern between the clean and the unclean But the Lord Christ resurrected, not to bring us under the curse of the law, but to redeem the sinners by His mercy that surpassed the law; for “The law was added because of transgressions” (Galatians 3: 19); “that every may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (romans 3w: 19, 20)
Christ came to fulfill the debt of every debtor, however big or few, and to have compassion on all men, great and small; so that no manwould ever be denied of partaking the goodness ofChrist….............................................................................................................................. To give us a clear
example of His mercy, the Lord forgave that sinful woman her evils, by saying to her: ”Your sins are forgiven you” ; something that would never be uttered, except by the mouth of God, on account of including authority that surpasses every authority; for, as the law judges the sinner, who could then soar above the level of the law, except Him who put it in the first place, and commandedit?!................................................... Instantly, the Lord liberated the woman, and
drew the attention of the Pharisee and all those around him in his banquet, to exalted issues; namely, to that the Word Christ is God; not one of the prophets, but surpasses every man; even though He incarnated and became Man.
You should, therefore, not despair when you feel the burden of your past sins, for the mercies of Christ are extensive… Even though your sins are great, yet Christ’s mercy is greater; By His grace the sinner is
justified, and the captive is set free. But beware that it is the faith in Christ that makes us worthy of those redeeming blessings; for faith is the way to life and grace; and in it we set forth to the heavenly secret places, where we inherit the kingdom of the righteous saints, and come to be members in the kingdom of Christ.
(St. Cyril the Great)
Finally, we would end our tal about the sinful woman by saying that she revealed the depth of God’s exalted love for men; as according to St. Erinaos: [As the physician is justified by his patients, God is proclaimed through men].